Loads of lamb: It’s baaa-ck! Lamb Jam returns Monday at 6 (or earlier at 5 for VIP admission). Local chefs compete to make the best lamb dish at the Eastern Market soiree, while guests sample, vote, sip plenty of beers, wines, and spirits, and catch butchery demos. Tickets are $60 general admission; $90 VIP.
Free rye: If you’re curious about local rye whiskey, stop by Jack Rose on Monday from 6 to 8 for a complimentary tasting of Catoctin Creek’s tasty spirit.
The local scene: Curious about a chef and critic’s take on the Washington dining scene? Head to the Newseum on Monday at 7 for a talk with José Andrés and the Washington Post’s Tom Sietsema (likely in disguise). Tickets are $35 and available online.
Cheap and late: Bar Charley introduces late-night specials through June. Stop in for half-price burgers and $5 wings from 10 to midnight on weekdays, and from 11 to 1 on Fridays and Saturdays. Early risers can also find deals at the regular happy hour from 5 to 6:30, including $5 and $6 draft cocktails and classics like Old Fashioneds, and $4 large mugs of beer. The deals run all-night on Mondays.
Historically-minded dining: Winston Churchill fans can gather at Plume in the Jefferson Hotel on Wednesday for a dinner with Cita Stelzer, author of Dinner With Churchill: Policy-Making at the Dinner Table. The evening starts at 6:30 with a reception, followed by a four-course meal with wine pairings ($175 per person).
Cocktails of the year: The RAMMY-nominated restaurants for the best “cocktail program of the year” host special events on Thursday to celebrate their inclusion. Drinks and promotions vary by location; think $1 cocktails at Black Jack from 6 to 1, half-price raw bar fare from 10 to midnight at Hank’s on the Hill, and more.
Traveling chef: The Restaurant at Patowmack Farm hosts guest chef Justin Severino of Pittsburgh’s Cure on Sunday at 6:30 for a special dinner. The toque, winner of this year’s “best new chef Mid-Atlantic” in Food & Wine magazine, prepares a four-course dinner alongside chef Tarver King. Reservations are $89 per person.
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.
