Metropolitan Washington Restaurant Week: Winter Restaurant Week brings $20.15 lunches and $35.15 dinners to hundreds of eateries this Monday through Sunday (with some extensions). How does one decide where to go? Check out our guide to what the restaurants on our 100 Very Best list have planned, as well as tips for finding the best deals and meals. A number of restaurants are also offering alternatives, including brunch specials and discount cocktail flights.
Chocolate and beer: What’s not to like? J. Chocolatier’s Jane Morris teams up with brewmaster Greg Engert for an evening of chocolate and beer pairings at Bluejacket on Wednesday at 6. Tickets are $60.
The women of beer: The Black Squirrel launches the first in a series of Women in Beer events on Thursday, focusing on females in the brew industry. Up first is Mary Wolf, the owner of Wild Wolf Brewing Co., who’ll be joined by Lean In DC and DMV Girls Pint Out at 5. The event is free, but RSVPs are encouraged. Wild Wolf beers will also be served in the dining room alongside discount patties for burger night.
Cookbook signing: Carla Hall of The Chew—and future purveyor of hot hot chicken in Washington—signs copies of her cookbooks at Room & Board on Thursday from 6:30 to 8:30. Two books—Cooking with Love: Comfort Food That Hugs You and Carla’s Comfort Foods: Favorite Dishes from Around the World—will be available, along with light refreshments. RSVP for the free event here.
Alexandria Restaurant Week: If you can’t get enough of Restaurant Week, the city of Alexandria launches its own version on Friday (through February 1). The format is slightly different than the RAMW-sponsored version above, with Virginia eateries offering $35 three-course prix-fixe meals or a $35 dinner for two. A number also serve special lunches.
Sips & Suppers: A national lineup of big-name chefs, including Alice Waters, Carla Hall, Charles Phan, and many more, head to Washington this weekend for the annual Sips & Suppers. The fun starts on Saturday at the Newseum with a cocktail party, where guests can try drinks from top bartenders and snack on hors d’oeuvres from local chefs; VIP ticket holders have the added perk of meeting big-name toques and getting special food/drinks ($95 regular admission/$200 VIP). Then on Sunday, a few seats are left for Suppers, where accomplished toques such as Zahav’s Michael Solomonov teams up with Adam Sobel of RN74 in San Francisco for multi-course dinners in private homes (starting at $600 per person). Proceeds benefit DC Central Kitchen and Martha’s Table.
Popping up: Chef Rob Rubba, most recently of Tallula, runs a pop-up on Saturday at the Dolcezza Factory to preview his upcoming restaurant. The interactive, family-style meal starts at 7 and centers on duck; courses include zucchini bread with foie gras mousse and roasted duck breast with house-made duck sausage, scallion crepes, and duck confit rice. Wines and brews are included in the $75 price, as well as tax and tip.
Bring on the meat: The annual DC Meat Week kicks off on Sunday at Urban Bar-B-Que Company. Participants gather at 6:30 for a carnivorous night. Check out the full schedule for the following week, which includes stops at Pork Barrel, Hill Country, 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.
