Retro-Glam Dinner at Pink Tiger on the Wharf!

Join us at Pink Tiger on the Wharf for a retro-glam Southeast-Asian American dinner! From the rerstaurant: \For parties of 7+, we can’t do separate checks but can split the bill across up to 6 payment forms\ - (this is probably for an even split - ugh). Restaurants are allowing fewer tab splits these days, so please be prepared to settle up your portion of the bill with cash, venmo, or paypal. Thanks in advance for your understanding! Eater DC: The dolled-up replacement to Kaliwa calls for sake flights, sizzling wagyu with ponzu, and a groovy makeover is the inaugural project for D.C. restaurant group Be Our Guest. Pink Tiger’s director Brooke Demetriou has existing ties to Kaliwa as Chef Cathal Armstrong’s longtime business partner. “Kaliwa was Cathal’s love child and his whole thing. I wanted to create my own idea,” she tells Eater. (The James Beard-nominated chef shifted his attention across the Potomac in recent years, going on to open Irish pub Mattie and Eddie’s and Corso Italian in Arlington.) Whereas Kaliwa's kitchen prepared Korean, Thai and Filipino dishes, by the book, Pink Tiger's menu is going for "Southeast Asian fare with American flair", says Demetriou. Demetriou who loves to throw a good dinner party, leans into her hostessing skills and on-site neighborhood knowledge to construct the kind of dining destination she says the Wharf is missing. “I took the time to figure out what it really was that would do well here,” she says. Kaliwa was one of the first two tenants to sign on at the Wharf, so she’s seen it all. Eight years in, the $3.6 billion, multi-phase development is now home to an influx of restaurants and bars that compete for attention from concertgoers, boaters, tourists, and locals living and working on the same scenic, one-mile stretch. She calls Kaliwa’s closure “bittersweet” but “necessary” — it’s “run its course.” She categorizes Pink Tiger as "fun" fine dining , which sets itself apart from what "the Del Mars, Limanis, and more casual places at the Wharf are doing," she says. “We are finding space somewhere between there.” Pink Tiger’s newly named Filipino chef Joe Castro, who’s classically trained in French and Italian cuisine, most recently worked at Mussel Bar and MGM’s Voltaggio Brothers Steak House before that. Openers under his watch include miso deviled eggs topped with truffles, scallions, bacon, and Gochujang; hot crab Rangoon dip with Sriracha cream cheese, scallions, sweet Thai chili sauce, and wonton chips; and thinly sliced wagyu beef cooked tableside atop a “hot rock” (lava stone) with ponzu sauce. Castro, who grew up in the Philippines to parents who were both chefs, stays true to his roots in some cases; he won’t mess with pad Thai, lumpia, and adobo at Pink Tiger. “He has beautiful recipes and there’s some things he didn’t want to fuse,” she says. He also plans to revive some Kaliwa favorites like its spicy crab curry entree. The bar will serve sake along with a strong list of Asian beers, hemp-based nonalcoholic spirits from Aplós, and what she calls a “very funky and cool” martini menu that toys with oceanic flavors like dashi-infused vodka. Aside from making more room for drinkers at an 18-seat bar, the bones of the two-story space framed with soaring windows and a patio remain largely unchanged. Its new life as Pink Tiger naturally calls for pink touch-ups, as spotted in playful tiger prints and an LED-lit fireplace, as well as funky new art and ube-hued floral furniture that a bobbing captain could spot out front. Check out Pink Tiger menu here WAITLIST: Meetup does not allow a waitlist for paid events. If this event fills and you are interested in adding your name to the waitlist, please send host a message through the app. To enhance the opportunity for great conversation, we would like to keep the group small. Please feel free to sign-up to meet us along with up to 2 friends. In the future, we will vary the days of the week, geography and the cost of restaurants so that we can attract many different types of diners. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU ARE COMMITTED TO GO WHEN YOU RSVP FOR THIS EVENT. In the event our group incurs a fee for no-shows / late cancellations, your ability to RSVP for future events will be restricted. Thank you in advance for your understanding. Feel free to make suggestions for future meet locations. If you are unable to join us in November, we hope you'll stay interested and join us for a meal in the future. Looking forward to enjoying a retro-glam dinner with you at Pink Tiger on the Wharf!