Eat more sheep: The Source celebrates Chinese New Year with an ongoing tasting menu available through Friday. The five-course lineup includes traditional dishes such as caviar-topped tea egg custard and New Year dumplings, as well as symbolic items like a soy-marinated “sheep chop” with five-vegetable stir-fry ($110 per guest, $155 with wine pairings).
Whiskey dinner: Join Willett Distilling Company and the Partisan on Monday for the restaurant’s first spirits-focused dinner at 7. The night begins with a whiskey flight and discussion of aging rye. Then participants are offered several different bourbons with their meal, with seasonal dishes like braised pork belly and a Maryland caramel cake ($95 per person). Reservations can be made by calling 202-524-5322.
California drinking: Head to STK in Dupont Circle on Tuesday evening for a five-course tasting menu paired with wines from Napa Valley’s Trefethen Family Vineyards. Save room for the vanilla crepe souffle paired with a late-harvest Riesling that features hints of citrus and roses. Reservations for the 7 o’clock dinner ($125 per person) can be made by calling 202-296-1880.
Get schooled: The Hill Center offers a variety of interesting culinary classes this week. Up first on Wednesday at 7, the Charm City Meadworks owners team up with Sona Creamery for a mead and cheese sampling ($25 per person). Then on Thursday at 7, Peter Martone of the District Fishwife leads an Oyster 101 class, including lessons on how to shuck the bivalves alongside cold beers ($65 per person). Anyone interested in history and cooking can take a baking class on Saturday at 11 with cookbook author Amanda Moniz, where she’ll guide participants through the lives of the first two African-American cookbook authors: Malinda Russell and Abby Fisher ($45 per person).
New Zealand wine dinner: Wildfire in Tysons Galleria hosts a wine dinner on Wednesday with selections from Oyster Bay in the Marlborough region of New Zealand. Ally Burkett is the featured speaker, and Edwin Amaya creates the five-course menu. The evening ($80) begins at 6:30, and reservations can be made by calling 703-442-9110.
Warm up: Sip soup for the greater good at Empty Bowls on Thursday, a fundraiser for the Capital Area Food Bank at the Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club. Guests sample soups out of artisanal bowls from area restaurants like Black’s Bar & Kitchen and Cava Mezze from 11:30 to 2, alongside fresh-baked breads ($25 per person). Tickets are available online.
Salt sensation: Salted author Mark Bitterman discusses the history and current culinary status of salt on Saturday during a Smithsonian Associates seminar from 1 to 5. Bitterman, who runs a specialty store called the Meadow, will conduct a salt sampling and teach participants new ways of using a cook’s most important seasoning. The afternoon seminar takes place in the S. Dillon Ripley Center; tickets ($65 to $75) are available online.
Italian cooking class: Learn how to make traditional Italian dishes such as a panzanella salad, roasted pork with dried mushrooms and beans, and fresh biscotti on Saturday at Osteria Marzano. Chef Carmine Marzano invites guests in the kitchen from 11 to 2 for the class, lunch, and a glass of Champagne ($85 per person). Reservations can be made by e-mailing info@osteriamarzano.com.
