Fashion’s Night Out: Obviously the focus of tonight’s fashion-focused activities is the clothes, but there are plenty of edible and sippable treats to fuel your Georgetown shopping spree. FNO specials include cocktails and dollar sliders at Clyde’s, free red velvet cupcakes at Georgetown Cupcake, and a gratis tote bag with your lobster roll at Luke’s Lobster. Fashionistas, check out our official guide to the festivities in DC and Virginia from Shop Around editor Sarah Zlotnick.
Hurricane fundraiser and shrimp boil: There are still tickets for a Louisiana shrimp boil tonight from 8 to 11 at Art and Soul; all proceeds from the $55 ticket sales go toward Red Cross hurricane relief efforts. Expect beer, bourbon, boudin sausage, and plenty of crustaceans and good vibes. Call 202-393-7777 to reserve space.
Tomato tasting: The evening may be a little soggy, but you can drop by Fiola tonight until Friday, September 21, to taste the literal fruits of the summer in a five-course tomato tasting menu from chef Fabio Trabocchi ($55 per person; $110 with wine pairings). Think gazpacho, goat cheese ravioli with tomato coulis, and branzino with mussels and tomato salad.
Rice festival: In honor of Spain’s Fiesta del Arròz, Boqueria is throwing its own grain-themed feasts through Sunday with Valencian rice dishes such as arroz cazadora and bomba rice with roasted quail, porcini mushrooms, and artichokes.
$2 fries: You don’t have to know what a “sesquicentennial anniversary” is to munch on $2 French fries dipped in red pepper aïoli at Quill at the Jefferson Hotel on Friday. The end-of-the-week promotion runs throughout September, and celebrates the first printing of $2 bills approximately 150 years ago.
Pop-up jazz club: A slice of New Orleans arrives in Washington on Saturday from 6 to 9 PM with a concert and dinner at Bayou Bakery featuring Grammy Award-winning musicians from the Rebirth Brass Band, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, and the Roots of Music Crusaders. Tickets are $60 to $75, depending on how many Abita beers you want to wash down your meal of crawfish pasta, gumbo, and more.
Free ice cream: Union Market officially opens on Saturday, and to celebrate, it’s hosting the second annual DC Scoop on Sunday from 1 to 4 PM, where you can taste three gratis samples of ice cream, custard, gelato, and frozen yogurt from the likes of Dolcezza and Sinplicity, among many others (full scoops are for sale). Check out our market guide for vendors that are debuting over the weekend, and which others are coming soon and soon-ish.
Rediscover Adams Morgan: That’s this year’s theme for the 34th Adams Morgan Day festival, which returns on Sunday from noon to 7 with live music, kids’ activities, arts and crafts, and food booths from spots like Regent Thai, Luke’s Lobster, and Sherri’s Crab Cakes.
Cocktails versus wine: The battle that’s waged in your stomach after a long night is coming to the table at Firefly on Sunday from 6:30 to 10:30 PM, where Gina Chersevani and Brabo sommelier Matthew Carroll match their mediums with a five-course dinner from chef Daniel Bortnick. Guests will vote for who creates the best pairing with dishes like sweet-corn-and-crab risotto, mini pot roast with roasted shallot jus, and peach cobbler. Proceeds from tickets ($100 per person) benefit the Susan G. Komen Three-Day Walk for the Cure.
And for your planning purposes:
No Kid Hungry dinner at Volt: An all-star lineup of chefs is congregating at Volt on Thursday, September 13, including local talents (host Bryan Voltaggio, Toki Underground’s Erik Bruner-Yang, Spike Gjerde of Woodberry Kitchen, CityZen’s Eric Ziebold) and out-of-town guests Matt Orlando—chef de cuisine from the world-famous Noma in Copenhagen—and Bryan’s bro, Michael Voltaggio, from Ink. in LA. Ticket prices start at $750 for the meal and benefit Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign, but you can also snack on hors d’oeuvres from the toques on the patio for $95.
Breast Cancer Bites Another big-name-filled fundraiser is on Sunday, September 30. More than 20 chefs, bartenders, and sommeliers gather from noon to 3 PM at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel for an event benefiting the Prevent Cancer Foundation’s GW Mobile Mammography Unit. The $30 tickets ($40 at the door) from co-sponsor 94.7 Fresh FM include snacks and drinks from BLT Steak, the Source, Bibiana, Estadio, and more; there’s also a silent auction with guitars signed by Kelly Clarkson and John Mayer. Kids ten and under enter for free.
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.
