Artist-inspired menu: Oyamel celebrates Mexican artist Frida Kahlo’s birthday through Monday with a special menu of dishes inspired by the artist and her work. You’ll find à-la-carte dishes such as ancho-braised pork tamales, guajillo shrimp, and pork in an avocado leaf.
Happy birthday, Dino: Fan favorite Dino commemorates its eighth birthday with a monthlong celebration. Currently underway: a Venetian-style birthday menu ($44 per person), which includes gratis tastes of a few special wines—full pairings are $19 extra. The Venice menu runs through July 1, when the theme switches over to Montalcino for the rest of the month.
Extended Bastille Day: Mintwood Place isn’t waiting until the official Bastille Day on Sunday to celebrate. Head over starting on Tuesday to find a special Provençal menu from chef Cedric Maupillier’s native Toulon, which runs through the actual holiday. In addition to à-la-carte dishes, a five-course tasting menu is available for $65; wine pairings are an additional $35.
Chesapeake dinner: Author John Shields of Chesapeake Bay Cooking and owner of Getrude’s restaurant in Baltimore cohosts a crab-centric dinner on Tuesday at Wildfire, beginning at 6:30. In addition to the three-course meal, Shields offers tips on cracking and cooking crabs. The meal and drink pairings are $80 per person.
Cocoa fun: Join the chocolatiers behind Fleurir Chocolates for the first in a series of chocolate-making classes on Thursday from 6:30 to 8:30 at the Alexandria location. The inaugural lesson focuses on chocolate bars and how to use chocolate molds and create top-notch soft caramels. Call 202-465-4368 for reservations, which are $65 per person or $120 per couple, and include a 10 percent discount on purchases made day-of in the store.
Tiki time: Get in the island spirit at Farmers Fishers Bakers during Mai Tai July, a monthlong celebration of the tiki classics that starts Thursday with a kickoff party on the patio from 5 to 7. You’ll find a selection of ten renditions of the recipe, which will also be available the rest of the month.
Sculpt ice (for free): Channel your inner-mixologist at the newly opened DNV Rooftop on Thursday at 7 with a complimentary ice-carving class centered on the hotel bar’s summer special, the Tenzan Punch. The drink—served with a hand-carved ice sphere, which you’ll learn how to shape—is made with Japanese whiskey, yuzu, and cucumber juice.
Wine finale: Fiola hosts its final wine class in the 2013 series on Thursday from 5:30 to 7, where sommelier John Toigo leads a course centered on Maria Trabocchi’s favorite wines ($85 per person). The restaurant co-owner is a native of Spain. Call 202-628-2888 for reservations.
Food truck benefit: The first in a series of Curbside Cookoff festivals heads to the Capitol Riverfront on Saturday from noon to 7, with partial proceeds going to Miriam’s Kitchen. You’ll find 20 trucks, a cash bar with $20 all-you-can-drink wristbands for the thirsty, kid-friendly activities, and more.
Saturday supper: Chef Wes Morton dishes up Southern comfort classics during Art and Soul’s Saturday Suppers series. The menu this month focuses on barbecue and pies, and there’s a cocktail reception and live music. Tickets ($65) are available online.
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.
