By James Matheson

It’s official: clocks have been set back and the holidays are approaching. As calendars begin to be saturated with stress-inducing holiday preparation, it’s important to step back and appreciate the bounty of restaurants that Alexandria offers.

Here are some of the festive, seasonal restaurant offerings and events available throughout the Port City to deliver you season’s greetings amidst the flurry of obligations that come with the holidays.

King & Rye

Accompanying the Alexandrian Hotel at 480 King St. in Old Town, King & Rye boasts an unrivaled outdoor dining opportunity that protects guests from the winter cold. The heated Winter Wonderland igloos are returning for the fourth straight year.

This year, the themed igloos will include a gingerbread house, ski haus, “under the Northern Lights” and an elf village. Each 12-foot-wide igloo seats up to eight people, where for 90 minutes, you can try chef Tomas Chavarria’s easily shareable menu and holiday drinks, curated to pair with the themes of each igloo and exclusive to the wonderland experience.

The specialty menu featuring small plates, shareable entrees and specialty themed cocktails – at a restaurant whose expertise is in southern-inspired cuisine – is offering several large paellas including smoked chicken and andouille sausage as well as a seafood paella.

“This is the perfect spot for your special occasion or holiday dinners,” Bailey Kormick, King & Rye’s marketing manager, said. “Whether they’re anniversaries, engagements, birthday parties or just a girls night out, this is a really unique and fun way to have dinner and it be more than just sitting down with your friends or your family for a meal.”

First seatings for the Winter Wonderland at King and Rye begin on Dec. 4. Reservations are available now on the restaurant’s website. All igloos require a rental fee and food and beverage minimum.

King and Rye is also offering a three-course Thanksgiving Day dinner. Reservations are suggested.

Sonoma Cellar

Located at 207 King St., Sonoma Cellar is owned by Stacy Wharam, who owns and operates several other local restaurants. Ever since Wharam took the helm, Sonoma Cellar has been committed to expanding their wine repertoire beyond a California focus to provide a tour of wine regions across the globe.

“We really want Sonoma Cellar to not just be focused on California wines, but wines from all over the world,” Bryan Diaz, who’s responsible for crafting the wine list, said. “We want Sonoma Cellar to be a proper wine bar for people who want to come out, have a good glass of wine [and] have some food and enjoy themselves.”

Alexandrians and wine lovers alike have an opportunity to do just that on Dec. 7 when Sonoma Cellar will host a Champagne and Sparkling Festival in Old Town. The event will feature distributors who will provide samples of different sparkling wines like champagne, Prosecco, Franciacorta and many others. Seasonal small plates and appetizers will also be available.

“There’s so many regions and so many countries that are kind of coming up into wines that are producing amazing, exceptional stuff,” Diaz said. “I just want people to see and taste [those products].”

Can’t make it on Dec. 7? Those interested can visit Sonoma Cellar daily for dinner from 3 to 11 p.m. to try their homemade bolognese, beef short ribs or weekend brunch offerings for a holiday outing with family and friends. Pair your meal with one of the five reds, five whites, two sparklings, one rosé and two dessert wines that the experts at Sonoma Cellar rotate on a seasonal basis.

The Study at Morrison House

The Study, located inside Morrison House hotel at 116 South Alfred St. in Old Town, offers an intimate but relaxed mood to escape the fast-paced world beyond the brown leather bar tops and craft cocktails.

“Our bar has a little bit of a speakeasy vibe,” Allison Strunk, director of food and beverage, said. “Our lead bartender is extremely creative and has a great winter-focused menu.”

The wintery cocktails are intended to pair with The Study’s Mesoamerican cuisine.

The small but elegant dining room hosts live pianists Thursday through Saturday. During the holiday season the musicians’ arrangements will include festive compositions, according to Strunk. The Study also offers a four-course tasting menu every Thursday. The chef-crafted dinner is a hit thanks to the opportunity to try several of the house favorites at a discounted price.

Rosemarino D’Italia

At 1905 Mount Vernon Ave. in Del Ray, Rosemarino D’Italia is serving up traditional Italian fare with a seasonal twist each month to keep guests on their toes.

In addition to their fare inspired by techniques from both northern and southern regions of Italy, handmade pastas and an extensive list of Italian wine and crafted cocktails, Rosemarino D’Italia offers a chef specialty every month.

Chef Rosemeri Espinoza creates one appetizer, two to three entrees and several rotating cocktails. This month, she prepared pairings reminiscent of autumn foliage and pumpkin pie.

“Every month, when we create chef specialties, they fall for the seasonality of that current month,” manager Edward Camacho said. “For November, we have something planned for cocktails, food and all the decorations going up inside the restaurant too.”

Those offerings include entrees like a braised veal foreshank osso buco and seared rainbow trout with roasted brussel sprouts. Don’t forget to wash these options down with seasonal cocktails like the Autunno Espresso Martini made with pumpkin infused vodka or the Cider Margarita.

Kiln

Kiln, the contemporary American restaurant located in Old Town’s Heron Alexandria Hotel at 699 Prince St., is offering several breaks from the stresses of cooking and entertaining guests this holiday season.

The night before Thanksgiving, Nov. 27, Kiln is hosting a “Buckets and Bubbly” pop-up featuring buckets of fried chicken paired with bottled beer, wine and champagne. Return to Kiln the next day to celebrate their first Thanksgiving dinner full of thoughtful dishes for the whole family to enjoy.

A three-course dinner menu will be available from 2 to 8 p.m., and guests can select one dish from each of the three categories. The menu will provide diners the option to choose from chicken, pork, steak and turkey entree items. Six appetizers and an assortment of desserts will also be available.

Those interested can also find Kiln’s special menu for Christmas on their website. On New Year’s Eve, Kiln is offering a five-course tasting menu from 7 to 10 p.m.

Josephine Brasserie & Bar

Placed inside a historic Alexandria firehouse at 109 South St. Asaph St., Josephine is a French brasserie and bar, serving their Parisian eatery inspired fare from an open kitchen.

Josephine will be offering a Thanksgiving meal available for pickup. The meals are in partnership with other Neighborhood Restaurant Group locations, Hi/Fi Tex-Mex BBQ and Buzz Bakeshop.

Josephine is also open for dinner Sunday through Thursday from 5 to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 5 to 11 p.m. Lunch is offered weekdays from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and weekend brunch is from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.