Live like locavores: At least for the next seven days.
Eat Local First Week returns on
Monday, and there’s a whole lineup of regionally focused events and meals to attend. Head
to any of the participating restaurants for special farm-to-table menus, tour an urban garden (plus happy hour), and get a chance to drink cask beers made with ingredients that
grow wild in the Washington area.
Barbecue and a movie: Switch out the traditional popcorn when you head to the inaugural Screen on the Green showing on
Monday. (The first film up:
E.T.) For a $2.50 surcharge, Hill Country will deliver food from its regular to-go menu.
Pick it up near the screen at Seventh and Madison streets, Northwest.
Free cupcakes: TheSprinkles people are giving away samples of their new cupcake flavor (lemon meringue!)
from 4 to 7 on
Monday at the chain’s Georgetown location. The sweet will be available from July 26 to August
11, and involves a lemon curd filling and a toasted marshmallow “cloud.”
The first rule of flight club: Tell everyone about flight club.
Bourbon Steak launches a series of wine dinners on
Monday at 7. Held in the restaurant’s private dining room, the meals will pit Washington’s
top sommeliers against the restaurant’s own Julian Mayor—each attempting to select
the more perfect wine pairings to partner with the dishes on offer. Up first: Michael
Scaffidi from Plume.
The event is $100 per person (including food and pairings).
Happy hour pawty: Celebrate our July issue pet guide by grabbing your four-legged friend for a dog-friendly
“yappy” hour at
Lyon Hall on
Tuesday from 6 to 8. Tickets ($10 in advance; $15 at the door) include a cocktail plus snacks
for humans and canines alike.
Top Chef
throwdown: Our local cheftestant Bryan Voltaggio debuts on
Top Chef Masters this
Wednesday. Get the insider’s view at
Volt,
where the Frederick native will host a viewing party on the restaurant patio from
9 to 11 with complimentary snacks and a cash bar. Competing international restaurateur
Richard Sandoval also draws viewers to his DC restaurants (Masa 14,
Zengo)
on Wednesday with screenings at all three and $5 margarita specials.
Beerrr: The
National Geographic Museum explores brewing in the heyday of pirates on
Wednesday from 5 to 8 with an event featuring (who else?) Heavy Seas Beers. You’ll taste several brews and charcuterie,
get a demonstration on colonial-era brewing techniques, and gain admission to the
“Real Pirates” exhibit.
Love some lobster:
P.J. Clarke’s hosts a lobster-filled benefit for Autism Speaks on
Thursday from 6 to 9. Guests gather on the outdoor patio for one-pound Maine lobsters boiled
with potatoes and corn, garlic bread, peach cobbler, and unlimited gin cocktails and
Palm beer ($75 per person). A percentage of the proceeds will be donated to Bike to
the Beach.
Chicken and bubbles: Head out of town on
Saturday to
Early Mountain Vineyards in Madison, Virginia, for a Southern-inspired party from 5 to 8. You’ll find fried chicken from Charlottesville’s Whiskey Jar restaurant,
sides like slaw, collards, and biscuits, sparkling wine, fresh-squeezed lemonade,
and berry pies. There’s also cornhole and bocce. Tickets ($55) are available online.
Drink up (for cheap): If you’re tired of pricey cocktail events, take note: Tickets for the beery bash
Drink the District, happening
Saturday and
Sunday, start at $30 and include unlimited tastings of 50-plus beers or unlimited full pours
of two brews. Eats are provided by a variety of food trucks for an additional charge.
Opportunistic tablet hawker Blowfish for Hangovers will distribute its next-day remedy
to those who overindulge.
More beer:
Three Stars Brewery throws a party on
Sunday as part of its Artists & Artisans series. In addition to a whole lineup of brews—
including the release of a wine-barrel-aged saison—you’ll find local purveyors like
Green Hat Gin, Righteous Cheese, Rappahanock Oysters, and more. Tickets ($10) include
a custom tasting glass and beer, with all other food and beverages priced individually.
Crave crab:
Addie’s caps off its crab month with a feast on
Sunday. Guests will gather on the patio for live music, local craft beer, all-you-can-eat
Maryland crabs, a 100-pound smoked pig from Pennsylvania, and classic sides. Seatings
are from either 1 to 3 or 4 to 6. Tickets ($55 per person) 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.
