Hidden gems: Mike Isabella and sous chef Adam Brick are taking inspiration from scarce ingredients
for their newly launched Gem Tasting Menu.
Held every
Sunday and Monday at 8 for six guests at
Graffiato’s
“ham bar,” the 12-course menu ($85 per person) features the likes of chicken “oysters”
with Osetra caviar. E-mail events@graffiatodc.com for reservations up to a month in
advance.
Swine and wine: There’s only a few seats left for
Jackson 20’s annual Pigs ’n’
Pinot dinner on
Wednesday at 7, a five-course nose-to-tail feast paired with Pinot Noir. Local pig king Bev
Eggleston of Eco-Friendly Foods provides the trotter, while Dmitri Corbet of Nice
Legs Wine Distributors leads diners through the various pairings. Check out the menu
and purchase tickets ($85 per person) on the CityEats event page.
See you at Suna: Chef-owner Johnny Spero’s covert Capitol Hill dining spot opened about a month ago, but the official debut party happens
Wednesday at 6 with some big-name visiting talent. Spero is joined by Bryan and Michael Voltaggio,
John Shields (formerly of Townhouse),
and Alex Talbot (Ideas in Food) for a collaborative ten-course dinner with snacks
and pairings. The space is small, so e-mail events@sunadc.com for reservations soon
($175 per person).
Ciao, chef: Assaggi Mozzarella Bar in Bethesda hosts a special visitor on
Monday: chef Simone Proietti-Pesci of Le Delizie del Borgo restaurant in the city of Bevagna,
Italy. The five-course menu ($58 per person) is available from 4 to 10, with dishes
such as eggplant with buffalo mozzarella and house-made pasta with beef ragu. Call
301-951-1988 for reservations.
Eat through inauguration: You know us and holidays—they’re just another excuse to eat and drink. Inauguration/Martin
Luther King Day is no different. We have a full lineup of foodie activities in our
Inauguration 2013 Guide,
including the rundown on what local bars and restaurants are doing to celebrate;
ten ways to eat like the President;
takeout eats and drinks for hosting your own inauguration party (plus tips on good substitutes for the White House Honey Ale); and much more. Hail to the chief—and to the chefs,
too.
Drink like a Chicagoan: Jack Rose starts the inaugural events early on
Thursday with a “Yes, we can” Goose Island tap takeover.
You’ll find $3.12 specials on the Chicago-based brewery’s canned beers from 5 to midnight,
plus a few vintage brews and a tasting of rare imperial stouts from 6 to 10, hosted
in the newly opened basement bar.
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.
