Monday, November 16

Eat away your case of the Mondays at the Reston Morton’s (11956 Market St.), which will host an informal meet and greet with players from the Washington Redskins from 7 to 8. Fans can chat with the Skins, get autographs, and celebrate Sunday’s victory over the Broncos. For more information, call 703-796-0128. Free.

Tuesday, November 17

Meet Richard Sandoval, the chef/restaurateur behind Modern Mexican Restaurants (locally, he’s got La Sandía, Masa 14, and Zengo), when he hosts a tequila dinner at Zengo from 5 to 10. Tequila Herradura will find its way into each of four Latin/Asian courses, and guests will have an opportunity to chat with Ruben Aceves, the Tequila Herradura ambassador from Mexico, following the dinner. The dinner is $45 a person. For reservations and more information, call 202-393-2929.

Fifteen restaurants are taking part in this year’s Taste of Dupont, scheduled for tomorrow, November 17, from 6 to 9. The progressive-dinner-style event features $5 tastes at neighborhood spots, including Annie’s Paramount Steakhouse, Scion, and Eola.

In addition to food samples, some of the restaurants are including wine pairings or deals on cocktails. Bread & Brew is offering happy-hour prices all night along with samples of slow-roasted pork belly with jalapeño-sweet-potato or butternut-squash risotto. Annie’s will have drinks for $4 plus a special tasting menu with several food options. And Pesce Bistro will have sautéed blowfish tails paired with a glass of Muscadet or a cocktail. For a complete list of participating restaurants, click here.

Tasting tickets are $5 each or five for $20. You can purchase them here or at the Dupont Resource Center (9 Dupont Cir., NW) starting at 5 on Tuesday. All tickets purchased online will be held at will call at the Dupont Resource Center.

More>> Best Bites Blog | Food & Dining | Restaurant Finder

>> To see more photos from the Capital Food Fight, check out our photo slideshow

Pack thousands of foodies and their umbrellas into the Ronald Reagan Building’s atrium, combine a hyperactive host with a bombastic sound system, and top if off with a hefty $175 ticket. It might not sound like a mouth-watering recipe, but Wednesday night’s Capital Food Fight was the hottest culinary ticket in town. Sixty of Washington’s most renowned restaurants proffered bite-sized nibbles to a sea of well-heeled grazers, and proceeds went to DC Central Kitchen. However, the main attraction was a series of Iron Chef-style battles featuring secret ingredients (among them merguez sausage, beef tenderloin, and raw lobster tails) that pit five chefs against one another—Bourbon Steak’s Michael Mina, Willow’s Tracy O’Grady, and Blue Ridge’s Barton Seaver plus Top Chef contestants Mike Isabella of Zaytinya and Bryan Voltaggio of Volt.

The final round featured an east-coast/west-coast showdown as Seaver, the two-time reigning champion, was ousted by San Francisco’s Mina, who transformed the round’s secret ingredient, coquitos (baby coconuts), into Thai coconut shrimp fritto misto.

In case you missed it, here are some of the night’s highs and lows.

Tuesday, November 10
Get your chick-lit fix tonight at the Georgetown Italian bistro Paolo’s, where Kristin Harmel will sign copies of her newest book, Italian for Beginners, from 6 to 8. The novel, Harmel’s seventh, takes place in Rome, where a professional woman has taken an impulsive trip to visit an old flame—and includes, naturally, a spontaneous Vespa ride with a “handsome stranger.” Sip a glass of Little Black Dress wine while you’re there.

Wednesday, November 11
Unless you’ve already gotten your tickets for the Capitol Food Fight, you’re out of luck—Wednesday night’s star-studded philanthropic event, with attendees such as Anthony Bourdain and John Kerry, is sold out. Legal Sea Foods in Crystal City, Penn Quarter, and Tysons Corner are celebrating Chilean wine through November 14. Prices for select Chilean bottles are $23 to $45 and glasses are $7.50 to $9.50. There’s also flights of three wines for $7.95.

At the Ritz-Carlton in Tysons Corner (1700 Tysons Blvd., McLean), sommelier Vincent Feraud is hosting a Champagne tasting at 6:30. To reserve a spot for the event, which costs $125, call 703-917-5496.

Monday, November 2
Hobnob with Redskins, Capitals, and more than 30 of the city’s top chefs at the March of Dimes’ Signature Chefs Auction at 6:30. The evening, emceed by WJLA anchor Leon Harris, features a series of live and silent auctions, food and wine tastings, and hotel and weekend giveaways inside the Ritz-Carlton in DC’s West End (1150 22nd St., NW). To reserve tickets, click here.

Tuesday, November 3
Join food writer Gail Forman at Blue Ridge for the first installment in a three-part series, “What’s for Lunch? Sustainable Foods That Sustain You at Lunch.” Over lunch, she’ll discuss sustainability with a focus on pigs and pork. The following session, at Zola on November 10, features a trip to a nearby historic “eco-gastro” restaurant. The final lunch, on November 17 at Sonoma, has a focus on Alaskan fisheries. Tickets for the three dates are $135 for Resident Associates members and $170 for nonmembers. Reservations can be made here.

Monday, October 26
Start the week with a hoppy bang at Birreria Paradiso’s Smuttynose Brewery dinner. This sudsy affair, which begins at 6:30, pairs six varieties from the New Hampshire microbrewery with a four-course meal. Get into the Halloween spirit by downing Smuttynose’s Pumpkin Ale, and meet the man behind the product, lead brewer Dan Schubert. The dinner costs $65 per person. Reservations are required and can be made by calling 202-337-4963.
 
Tuesday, October 27
Sip Heinekens and Budweisers, sample a buffet of offerings from DC dining rooms, and help make a difference at StreetWise Partners’ second annual Taste of Success, held at Jones Day (51 Louisiana Ave., NW). The organization pairs mentors with those working their way out of poverty, and participating restaurants include Mandu, La Tomate, Circa, Oceanaire, Café Saint-Ex, and many others. The event begins at 6:30. Tickets, $85 to $100, can be purchased in advance here .
 

Monday, October 19
Virginia is for lovers—if only of its cheese and wine. Start the week off with a wine-and-cheese event at Mon Ami Gabi’s Reston location (11950 Democracy Dr.), where you can sample from the barrels of the Winery at La Grange, Pearmund Cellars, and Boxwood Winery. Taste some Virginia-made cheeses while you sip, including wedges from Everona and Meadow Creek dairies. The cheeses will also appear in a few hors d’oeuvres. The event, $45 per person, runs from 6 to 9; call 703-707-0233 to reserve your spot.  

Tuesday, October 20
After winning three medals at the 2009 Great American Beer Festival, the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania-based Tröeg’s Brewing Company is coming to CommonWealth for a beer dinner tonight at 7. The $45 price (plus tax and tip) gets you a three-course dinner paired with six Tröeg’s brews. Call 202-265-1400 to make reservations or for more information.