Winners Of 2018 Cherry Challenge Announced

ALEXANDRIA, VA—The George Washington Birthday Celebration Committee has announced the winners of the 2018 Cherry Challenge where local restaurants square off to produce the best cherry appetizer, cocktail, dessert and entrée. Patrons chose the winners by voting for their favorite dishes via text messaging.

Here are the winners for each category and honorable mentions:

Best Cocktail: Café 44
“Burning Down the Cherry Tree Cocktail”

Best Appetizer: Aquaria Polanco
“It’s a Taco by George”

Best Entrée: Jackson 20
“Seared Long Island Duck Breast”

Best Dessert: Dishes of India
“Cherry Kul fee"

Honorable Mentions: Evening Star and Virtue Feed and Grain for Best CocktailRiver Bend Bistro and Café 44 for Best Entrée

"This year’s cherry challenge was very competitive and Alexandria’s restaurants really stepped-up with their plates to make for a very fun challenge," said Joe Shumard, who chair the committee. "The cherry on top for our winners is that they are now invited to march in our George Washington Birthday parade this Monday."

This was the 10th year the Cherry Challenge has been held, inspired by the famous legend of George Washington and the cherry tree. Every year, Alexandria restaurants create unique, cherry-centric dishes every year. Dozens of restaurants around Alexandria and south along the George Washington Memorial Parkway participated.

The Cherry Challenge is among numerous events to commemorate the first president's birthday throughout February. Other highlights include the George Washington Birthday Parade on Feb. 19, which dates back to 1800, the Feb. 17 Gadsby's Tavern ball that Washington himself attended and Washington's Birthday Gala coming up on Feb. 24.

MORE: George Washington's Birthday: Parade, More Events In Alexandria

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Image courtesy Jackson 20