Greek Easter: So you’ve already eaten ham with your extended family. Why not head over to
Zaytinya to try Easter Mediterranean-style? The restaurant hosts an extended festival that runs
Monday through May 5, and includes specials dishes, cocktails, and a number of activities.
Events this week include a wine dinner on
Wednesday with Greek author
Aglaia Kremezi and
Apostolos Spiropoulos of Spiropoulos Winery ($85 per person), and a cooking class with Kremezi on
Thursday ($65 per person). Check the event page for more details.
All About Eve: Both
Restaurant Eve and its namesake, chef/owner
Cathal Armstrong’s daughter, are celebrating April birthdays and treating other April babies to a
complimentary five-course dinner in the tasting room (typically $120 before beverage,
tax, and tip). In lieu of payment, guests are asked to bring a gift or check for the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria. The deal must be made by calling
the restaurant (no online reservations) and mentioning “birthday bash;” it’s not valid
for Friday or Saturday nights, and is limited to one person per table in the tasting
room. Alcohol and gratuity for the meal are also not included. All that being said,
have fun! The special runs through the whole month.
Pennsylvania invasion: Monday marks the monthly Industry Takeover Night at
Graffiato,
and taking over are Pennsylvania toques
Brad Spence from Amis in Philadelphia and
Justin Severino of Pittsburgh’s Cure. Come for the gratis snacks at the downstairs pizza bar and
special cocktails from
Gina Chersevani, and stay for the party that will ensue.
Dessert tasting: Poste pastry chef
Ryan Westover, who was just nominated by
Food & Wine Magazine for the People’s Best New Pastry Chef award (2941 dessert maven Caitlin Dysart is
also a contender), is offering a Southern-inspired dessert tasting menu starting
Monday through April 8 (the dates correspond with the voting period).
You’ll sample five sweets ($20 per person), including mimosa sorbet, a “pb&j” with
peanut gianduja and grape jam gelée, and chocolate eclair truffles.
Vintage wine class:
Fiola hosts its monthly wine class series on
Thursday from 5:30 to 7. April’s subject is vintage wines, and sommelier
John Toigo leads a tasting through aged bottles along with newer examples to show contrast.
Reservations are $170 per person and can be made by calling 202-628-2888.
Taste of Japan: One of the top culinary events of the National Cherry Blossom Festival,
Taste of Japan, happens on
Thursday at 7 in the
Carnegie Library. You’ll sample Japanese-inspired fare from restaurants like Sushi Taro and Toki Underground,
and sip a number of native beers and sakes. Tickets start at $100, and benefit the
festival.
Beer and bread: You’ll find two of life’s basic joys together at a brew and bread tasting at the
Sixth & I Synagogue on
Thursday at 7 PM.
Chris O’Brien, author of
Fermenting Revolution: How to Drink Beer and Save the World, leads the seminar with suds from local breweries such as Port City and Baying Hound
Aleworks.
Tickets start at $23.
All-you-can-eat crawfish: That’s right—
Pearl Dive’s
annual crawfish boil is back on
Saturday. Come hungry, as you’ll have all the crawfish and Abita beer you can handle. Spaces
are available during two seatings: noon to 2 and 2:30 to 4:30 ($65 per person).
World of whiskey: The
Occidental hosts
a “whiskeys of the world” dinner on
Saturday from 6:30 to 9. The five-course menu is paired with brown spirits from Tennessee,
Scotland, Canada, and more. Check out the full food and beverage lineup and purchase
tickets ($117 per person) online.
Pig party:
Sunday welcomes the Washington leg of the Cochon 555 tour at the
Newseum. It’s a traveling culinary competition in which five chefs prepare five different
breeds of heritage hogs paired with five varieties of wine to see who’ll go on to
the finals in Aspen. This year you’ll get a pork overload from chefs such as
Mike Isabella and
Kyle Bailey as well as an abundance of, bourbon, barbecue, and other treats. Tickets start at $125 for general admission at 5 PM.
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.
