Andre McCain, founder, and CEO of HalfSmoke, is celebrating the winter solstice with the debut of a newly created Winter Wonderland. Snowy days will be vibrant this winter as a 2,500 square-foot parking lot, located adjacent to the restaurant, has been transformed into an outdoor oasis ideal for intimate gatherings with family and friends. This new space can accommodate up to 100 socially distant guests and features a variety of picnic tables for those who wish to enjoy the crisp temperatures as well as 12 heated igloos, which range in size from 12 to 15 feet. These igloos are ideal for private bookings of two to six guests and can be reserved online at: https://resy.com/cities/dc/halfsmoke?date=2020-12-21&seats=2. A $50 booking fee will be charged for those seeking reservations on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. The Winter Wonderland is open daily, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Cozy blankets will be available for purchase and priced at $20 each. 

“We are very excited about the unique opportunity to create a safe, socially distanced and comfortable outdoor space that allows us to share new, inventive, and fun food and drink concepts with our customers before they are available outside of the popup,” says Andre McCain, founder, and CEO of HalfSmoke. “In normal years, the winter can sometimes get pretty bleak. This year, with the challenges we are facing, we wanted to create a food and drink experience that will be uplifting, fun, and unique for everyone to share.”

Guests who reserve one of 12 cozy igloos will be the first to sample dishes from Morning After Next, a new breakfast concept at HalfSmoke. This one-of-a-kind breakfast menu is created by McCain working with his newly appointed Executive Chef Brian Dunbar and Executive Sous Chef Ernesto Varona.

The Morning After Next menu is divided into four categories: breakfast bites, pancakes, hashes, and everything else. Guests can indulge in additions such as Avocado Toast served on a toasted multi-grain bread with fresh avocado, poached egg and sesame seeds ($8); Vegetarian Toast with falafel, pickled beets, carrots and cucumber ($8); Pork & Beans Hash, pork belly, white beans, caramelized onions, broccoli rabe, poached egg, butternut squash and sweet potato hash ($14); Seafood Hash with crab cake, blackened shrimp, Old Bay hash, sunny side up egg, arugula, lemon chive aioli ($14); Vegetarian Hash with tofu scramble, Beyond Meat sausage, butter & sweet potato hash, arugula, pickled carrots, cucumber and beets ($14); Apple a la Mode Pancakes, apple filled pancakes with candied ginger apple sauce, roasted almonds, vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce ($12); DC Smore Pancakes, fluffy pancakes with homemade marshmallow, shaved chocolate, graham crackers, chocolate sauce ($12); Half Baked Cinnamon Toast Crunch Pancakes with cinnamon ice cream, Rice Krispies Treats, caramel sauce and whipped cream ($12); Fried Green Tomatoes, cornmeal battered green tomatoes with poached egg, grilled Thai chicken sausage and sweet chili sauce ($8), as well as Oh, You Fancy, wood-grilled Cajun shrimp with spicy chicken andouille sausage and low country grits ($16); HalfSmoke & Gravy, grilled half smoke sausage with homemade biscuits, white mushroom gravy and crispy pancetta ($12); Ultimate Funnel Cake Chicken Sandwich, fried chicken thigh with turkey sausage patty, bacon, fig jam, fried egg, served on a fluffy funnel cake ($12); Breakfast Pizza, personal pan-sized pizza with garlic oil, pesto, mozzarella cheese, sliced avocado, two sunny side up eggs, roasted red peppers and arugula ($14).

Additionally, guests can order and enjoy the full menu from HalfSmoke, known for its gourmet, house-made sausages, and signature wood-grilled entrées; Butter Me Up, the virtual breakfast sandwich pop-up that launched in May 2020, as well as Get Social, a brand new virtual pizza pop-up which launched earlier this month.

To keep spirits warm, guests can savor handcrafted winter cocktails which have just been added to the menu. Choices include the Merry & Spice with cranberry jalapeno blend, tequila and triple sec ($14); Jack Frost with Malibu, Blue Curacao, coconut water and cream ($14); ‘Ol St. Nick with RumChata, espresso vodka and Bailey’s ($14); Winter Wonderland Chocolate with white hot chocolate, whipped vodka and butterscotch schnapps ($13 or $9 without alcohol); Campfire Toddy with Jack Daniel’s Winter Jack Cider bourbon, High West Campfire bourbon and house-made apple cider ($12 or $9 without alcohol) as well as Who Stole Christmas with Ciroc vodka red berry, peppermint schnapps, mint jelly, marinated pomegranate seeds and pomegranate juice ($13).