Celebrate ceviche: Cuba Libre commemorates National Ceviche Day with specials served daily through Sunday. Drop in for a ceviche tasting trio of shrimp, mixed seafood, and mushrooms ($12), which you can pair with one of 90-plus rums.
Trending in wine: A few spaces are left for an expert-level wine class at Kapnos on Tuesday, led by the inventor and owner of Coravin, one of the hottest tools in the wine world today. Guests will sample Mike Isabella’s dishes and six rare wines poured using the Coravin technology, which allows sommeliers to access the bottle without removing the cork, thereby preserving the vino. Tickets are $85.
Patio party: Volt celebrates summer with a “soulstice” patio party on Tuesday from 6 to 10. Chef Bryan Voltaggio whips up crabcakes, Flying Dog provides the brew, and Rappahannock shucks oysters. Tickets are $65.
Road school: Learn about the food truck industry on Tuesday at a seminar focusing on mobile vending from Industree and the DMV Food Truck Association. The speaker series, hosted at the Dolcezza Factory from 5:30 to 7:30, will bring together truck owners and consultants to discuss the growing world of street eats. Tickets are $35.
Southern Italian dinner: Bibiana hosts a pairing dinner with wines from southern Italy’s Terredora di Paolo Winery on Tuesday. The four-course meal includes dishes such as Amalfi-style pasta with zucchini and shrimp and grilled strip loin with bone marrow and tomatoes. Reservations are $100 per person.
Literary ice cream social: Author Susan Jane Gilman appears at Sixth & I on Tuesday at 7 to discuss her new novel, The Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street. Though it’s a work of fiction, the tale includes the history of ice cream in the 20th century, and you can sample the sweet stuff during the book signing. Tickets start at $12.
Virginia vino: Ovvio Osteria hosts a Virginia wine dinner on Thursday at 6:30. Sip vino from Paradise Springs winery in Clifton, paired with cioppino and other dishes. Reservations ($55) are available online.
Bar-chefs: Toques exit the kitchen and step behind the bar at Chefs Behind Bars on Thursday at 6. The fundraiser for Share Our Strength at the Liaison Capitol Hill rooftop pool features Good Stuff Eatery’s Spike Mendelsohn, Jesse Miller of Bar Pilar, and more mixing cocktails. You’ll also find snacks from Art and Soul, oysters, and a deejay. Tickets are $40.
The fisherman’s grill: Equinox’s series of seasonal grilling dinners continues on Thursday at 6 with an angler’s inspired feast. Look for grilled clams, oysters, and Surry sausage, smoked and grilled salmon with sweet-corn tamales, and more. Tickets are $45 per person.
Crawdad alert: Head to Pearl Dive for a summery crawfish boil on Saturday, with Louisiana-style mud bugs, whole roast pig, peel-and-eat shrimp, fried “Twinkies,” and plenty of Abita. The family-style, all-you-can-eat feast is $65 per person for two seatings, from noon to 2 or 2:30 to 4:30.
VinoFest: Wine, music, and art lovers can hit Union Market on Saturday for VinoFest from 2 to 10. The event includes tastings of a global spectrum of wines and food from the market, music by the Thievery Corporation’s Eric Hilton and local bands, an art exhibit, and more. Tickets start at $50.
Eat dirt: Calleva Farm in Dickerson, Maryland, hosts the first in a series of “dirty dinners” on Saturday at 6. The evening includes hay rides and garden tours, live music, wine, and a seven-course meal sourced from the farm and other local producers. Reservations are $125, and can be made online.
Sweet talk: Take a day trip to Middleburg on Saturday and stop at the Home Farm Store, which hosts special products and beekeeping information from Golden Angels Apiary. In addition to local honeys, mead, sauces, and other naturally sweetened foodstuffs, you’ll be able to see live (contained) bees and ask questions about beekeeping from noon to 4.
Drink regionally: Firefly launches a “summer wine road trip” on Sunday, with half-price bottles and flights from regions across the county. Drinkers will start out in Virginia with Linden Vineyards, then travel to New York, the Midwest, and beyond. The promotion lasts through Labor Day.
Book release party: Local author, food writer, and Washingtonian contributor Nevin Martell celebrates the release of his sixth book, Freak Show Without A Tent, on Sunday at Trohv in Takoma Park. The party from 1 to 3 includes plenty of bites and drinks that touch on themes in the memoir, including Astro Doughnuts, La Mano cold-brewed coffee, piña coladas from Republic barman Brett Robison, and more.
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.
