Thursday, we went to a special friends and family dinner and after-party at the newly opened Tulips in Dupont. We snapped the GSA’s Sarah Fowler, Amel Amalou and Kristin Leigh.

The restaurant is named after the playful flower and features three distinct floors centered around the 30-seat dining room and top-floor champagne lounge. Tulips is run by Wooden Nickel Bar Co., the team behind Copperwood Tavern in Shirlington, and also features vintage floral prints, natural woods and crystal chandeliers blended with exposed brick. Here, Tulips owner Reese Gardner with VM Public Relations’ Victoria Michael.

The team's talent consists of owner Gardner, Corporate Executive Chef James Duke, chef de cuisine John Leavitt and award-winning mixologist Megan Shaff serving as bar manager, who will be overseen by Wooden Nickel Bar Co.’s beverage director, Jody Hessler. Here, Wooden Nickel Bar Co.’s Cassie Ricalde and Alight Solutions’ Dom Gagliardo.

Guests enjoyed dishes such as honey roasted Alina breast (with cranberry, date, barley and chanterelles), lamb duo (with caramelized apples, foie gras, peanut and caramelized onion cracklin) and pan seared sea scallops (with coconut bourride, blood orange, sweet potato and king crab). Specialty drinks included Louve (Aviation gin, Parisian tea, lemon, herbs de provence syrup and St. Germain), Siesta (Ilegal Mezcal, rose Lillet, Peychaud's, Ancho Reyes and simple syrup) and Fabio (Knob Creek bourbon, Allspice dram, brown sugar syrup and XO Mole bitters). Here, Deloitte’s Gregory Ricalde and Rachel Withington.