Cuisine Contra: Monday August 8; 6 to 10 PM
There's a lot about this eco-friendly dinner that's being kept under wraps—including the location and the three courses on chef Barton Seaver's seafood-focused menu—but that's part of the fun. What we do know: you'll start off with organic cocktails, and you can get copies of Seaver's new book—Of Cod and Country: Simple, Delicious, Sustainable Cooking—signed before sitting down to dinner accompanied by an open bar. There are also door prizes and "artful performances" after the meal, but you'll have to buy a ticket ($100 general admission; $125 VIP) to see for yourself. Click here for more information and to purchase passes.
Pig and Riesling Wine Dinner at 701: Tuesday August 9; 7 PM
Chef Ed Witt of 701 restaurant has concocted a seven-course pork-centric dinner, and each dish will be paired with Rieslings, such as Schäfer-Fröhlich Schlossbockelheimer Felsenberg Riesling Trocken 2009 and Fritz Haag Riesling Kabinett Braunebeger 2008. Expect whipped lardo with grilled peaches; pork belly in lemongrass-lobster sauce; shredded-pork raviolo; and doughnuts with lard cream and saffron-star-anise glaze. For reservations ($85), call 202-393-0701.
Truckeroo 3: Friday, August 12; 11 to 11
The monthly food-truck festival returns to the corner of Half and M streets, Southeast. More than 20 trucks are participating (see a list here), and Das Bullpen bar is open all day for your beer-drinking needs. Visit the Web site for more information.
DC Beer Week: Sunday, August 14, through Sunday, August 21
The District gets boozy for a week of craft-beer festivities, including tastings, specials, and pairing menus. Click here for a full schedule, which includes seven events tonight. Among the opportunities are a beer cruise on the Odyssey at 6 PM; a beer-and-cheese pairing at Meridian Pint at 7 PM; and an all-night debut of five casks from Great Lakes Brewing Company at ChurchKey. Cheers!
Cheese Course at Red, White & Bleu: Sunday, August 21; 1 to 2 and 3 to 4
This Falls Church fromagerie is hosting two rounds of the same class: you'll compare similar styles of cheese from three milk types (goat, cow, and sheep). Expect cheeses such as aged Gouda, chevre, manchego, and blue. There'll be wines to sample, as well as as such spreads as black-tea-and-fig and shallot confit. For reservations ($25), call 703-533-9463. Visit the Web site for more information.
Subscribe to Washingtonian
Follow Washingtonian on Twitter
Follow the Best Bites Bloggers on Twitter
More>> Best Bites Blog | Food & Dining | Restaurant Finder
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
