Meet your maker: Chat with Catoctin Creek Distillery co-owner Scott Harris while sipping the locally made spirits during a tasting at 2941 on Wednesday, starting at 6:30. In addition to the straight gins and whiskeys, guests can try a flight of cocktails as well as sweet and savory bites from the kitchen. Tickets are $45.
Portuguese wine dinner: Join Max Kuller for an unusual Portuguese wine dinner at Estadio on Thursday, along with Esparao winemaker David Baverstock. Whites, reds, and ports are paired with dishes in a five-course, family-style meal. Reservations ($85) can be made by calling 202-319-1404.
Singing and mingling: The new Georgetown Piano Bar offers guests a chance to help the ALS Association on Thursday—fortunately without ice buckets—during a charity event for the organization. Dueling pianists play while free hors d’oeuvres are served, as well as $6 Sam Adams beers and martinis, whose proceeds benefit ALS initiatives. The evening runs from 5 to 2, with music beginning at 9.
James Beard Award winners: The big-ticket event this week is a James Beard dinner on Friday at the Mandarin Oriental, featuring award winners Vikram Sunderam of Rasika and Charles Phan of the Slanted Door in San Francisco. The evening begins with a 6:30 reception, followed by a four-course seated dinner. Tickets start at $350.
Night out for charity: Dine out and do good at Night at the Yards, a fundraiser on Friday for Living Classrooms. Over 25 restaurants like Ghibelina and Bluejacket serve dishes and drinks alongside a lineup of live music and performances. Tickets are $110 in advance.
Beers and bivalves: Get your fill of both at the Old Town Oysterfest on Saturday from 11 to 3, hosted by Hank’s Oyster Bar. Guests can indulge in unlimited oysters (raw, fried, and barbecued), fries and onion rings, and premium draft beers. Tickets are $80.
Top cheftestant class: Kapnos toque George Pagonis, Washington’s only competitor on the current Top Chef season, leads a Northern Greek cooking class at the Hill Center on Saturday with Top Chef alum Mike Isabella. The course runs from 11 to 1:30 and includes dishes like zucchini fritters and pan-seared branzino with braised greens. Tickets are $85 per person.
Happy birthday, Eno: The Georgetown wine bar celebrates its one-year anniversary with a tasting on Saturday from Barboursville Vineyards, Tarara Winery, Siema Wines, and more. Free treats come courtesy of Gearhart’s Fine Chocolates and Stachowski’s charcuterie. Tickets are $18 in advance or $20 at the door.
Big beer festival: The NoVA Fall Brewfest happens this Saturday and Sunday from 11 to 7 in Centreville, where 50-plus breweries and cideries pour for guests. In addition to the liquids you’ll find plenty of eats, live entertainment, local crafts, and more. Tickets are $25 and include six samples and a glass; additional samples are $1 each.
Burger battle: Brainfood’s annual Burger Battle fundraiser goes down at Poste on Sunday at 3:30. Chefs from Osteria Morini, 2941, and many more compete to make the best patties, which you can wash down with all-you-can-drink local brews and cocktails. Tickets are $75.
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.
