Drink more vermouth: Vinoteca has been urging drinkers to explore the world of vermouth with weekly happy hours and tastings. Come Monday, guests can try barrel-aged vermouths from barkeep Horus Alvarez, who infused the fortified wine with herbal elements and aged it for weeks. The tapping runs from 7 to 8, but you can sample special vermouths all night from 5 to close.
Greek nose-to-tail: Zaytinya hosts a whole-animal dinner on Tuesday at 7 commemorating the festival Choirosphagia, an island celebration where an entire pig is butchered and served. Cookbook author Aglaia Kremezi helps prepare the five-course meal, which includes pork-stuffed grape leaves, slow-roasted pork neck with fig sauce, and spit-roasted shoulder with all the accompaniments. The dinner is $75; space is reserved by e-mailing chrissyw@zaytinya.com.
Get in the game: Chef John Manolatos prepares wild-boar ragu and venison stew for a four-course game dinner on Wednesday, alongside wine pairings from Justin Abad. The prix-fixe meal is already a good price at $70 including alcohol, tax, and tip, but you can get a 30-percent discount by using the promo code HUNTER30 when you book through the event page. The restaurant also offers bottles of the paired wines to take home at retail value through partner Arrow Wines.
Sweet night: Sugar & Champagne returns to the Ronald Reagan Building on Wednesday. Tickets to the benefit for the Washington Humane Society can be purchased on several tiers, including general admission ($90) that includes desserts and bottomless bubbly, and a VIP chef’s tasting with savory eats ($150).
Shop for good: Barracks Row cookshop Hill’s Kitchen teams up with Share Our Strength for a charity-shopping event on Thursday from 6 to 8. Seven local bartenders and chefs have picked out their favorite goods—so gifters can say Spike Mendelsohn approves of their apron choice—and there’ll be mocktails and cheese for snacking. Partial proceeds from the sales benefit the No Kid Hungry campaign.
Live from New York: Pretzel fans can stop by Union Market starting Thursday for an interactive pop-up from the Brooklyn-based pretzel shop Fatty Sundays. Daily DIY “workshops” mean you can make your own pretzel treat with various toppings, or grab a bag of premade flavors like salty toffee, PB&J, or pretzel brittle. Gluten-free options are also available. The pop-up runs until the end of the week from 11 to 8, and returns February 13 through 15.
Korean fried chicken, hot buttered shoju: These are just a few of the dishes and drinks you’ll find at Anju on Friday, the reoccurring late-night pop-up at Mandu‘s K Street location. The a la carte menu comes courtesy of visiting chefs Jonah Kim of the upcoming Yona, Haidar Karoum (Proof/Estadio/Doi Moi), Adam Bernbach (2 Birds 1 Stone) and the Red Hen’s Mike Friedman and Sebastian Zutant. So yes, an all-star cast. Head in starting at 10 for what should be a great night.
Bartend for two: The Fairmont Hotel begins a series of couple’s cooking classes on Saturdays in advance of Valentine’s Day. First up this weekend: home mixology 101, featuring “his and her” cocktails, which includes tastings and recipes ($85 per person, $150 per couple). All classes are hosted from 4 to 5:30.
Pop-up drinks: Miss the Passenger? Then head to a pop-up of the beloved watering hole at Bar 7 on Sunday from 7 to 1. The lounge is on the same block as the recently closed bar space. Expect live-band karaoke, tiki drinks, and likely a number of chefs/bartenders in attendance.
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.
