DC Did You Just Say Pu Pu...Platter?!
TenPenh brings to the bar the hottest item since sliced bread!
 

Los Angeles, 1934.  You’re on a date with the hottest dame in Hollywood at the hottest restaurant in town.  Don the Beachcomber has been open for just a few weeks, but its island décor and Polynesian cuisine are already big hits with everybody who counts, and everybody who’s anybody is lining up outside to be scene.  The menu has a lot of awfully funny names, but you figure if it’s good enough for Howard Hughes then it’s good enough for you.  Your date just about fell out of her chair when you ordered something called the Pu Pu Platter, but look over at the next table and see who is nibbling from the little wooden Lazy Susan— Joan Crawford!  The delectables arrive, and you can’t believe what you see: a veritable feast of Asian appetizers, divided in a wooden tray with a tiny grill perched on top.  You’ve never seen such a presentation, and you’ve never tasted such starters.  Now you know why the name caught on so well as it is a lot more fun to say Pu Pu Platter then pass the canapés Charlie Chaplin!  

Almost 75 years after Don the Beachcomber made the Pu Pu Platter a star, TenPenh is giving this traditional Hawaiian dish (meaning a relish, appetizer, canapé, or hors d'oeuvre) its next big break. For $23, TenPenh’s Pu Pu Platter offers delicious American Chinese and Southeast Asian appetizers with a healthy serving of old-fashioned elegance.  Like Don the Beachcomber, this restaurant’s site has a glamorous past too. It has been said that some thirty-five years ago the “Rat Pack Boys” (Frank Sinatra and the gang) used to frequent that same corner, Tenth and Pennsylvania, which was the Diner of its day.  Imagine you can feel the cool island breeze (or Angie Dickinson whispering in your ear) as you dine on Korean Barbecue Ribs, Thai Angel Wings, Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken Skewers, Filipino Lumpia, and Japanese Shrimp Tempura.  This sampler of small savory selections is served with traditional flair in a wooden tray, accompanied by several dipping sauces and a small hibachi grill.  You’ll think you’ve died and gone to tiki heaven!   

The TenPenh’s Pupu Platter is available exclusively at the bar Monday through Thursday from 2:30 to 11 PM, Friday from 2:30 to 11:30 PM, and Saturday 3:00 to 11:30 PM.  Bring the elegance and exoticism of the good old days to this evening’s dinner plans.  Visit TenPenh, located at 1001 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington DC 20004.  For more information, call 202-393-4500 or visit www.tenpenh.com.