Even if your Halloween treats tend to come in the form of frosty beer mugs instead of fun-size Snickers, don’t try to tell us that you don’t love tearing into chocolate bars, candy corn, and boxes of Mike & Ike (does anyone actually like those?) this time of year. When you dip your hand into a plastic pumpkin bucket of candy, what do you go for? Let us know in the comments. And make sure to check out our full Halloween guide.

Steve Mannino isn’t messing around.

The newly appointed chef at Rustico in Alexandria researched grocery stores, scoured the Web for deals, and joined Harris Teeter’s VIC program for extra savings for this Frugal Foodie challenge.

“I signed up for their program just so I could get this special,” says Mannino pointing to an ad with an offer for a five-pound bag of potatoes for $1. “I planned everything around this.”

Mannino has agreed to cook an Oktoberfest-themed dinner for six. Not including the beer or standard pantry items—sugar, flour, olive oil—the bill can’t exceed $25.

With the potatoes tucked into his cart, we take off through the store picking up the rest of the ingredients he needs. Mannino admits how out of practice he is when it comes to shopping at an actual grocery store instead of through wholesale purveyors.

Saturday, September 26

Das Best Oktoberfest

Nosh on sour beef, potato pancakes, and a variety of sausages at this outdoor festival at National Harbor (137 National Plaza, National Harbor; 800-830-3976). Organizers took a cue from last year’s long lines and added more food stands, more beer stations, and more staff. This is the only Oktoberfest event where you can sample every German beer available in the state of Maryland—over 100 will be on hand. Tickets—which include a souvenir tasting mug and nine beer tokens (six if you buy at the door)—cost $25 in advance, or $30 at the door. Show up sporting lederhosen or a dirndl, and you’ll score both German street cred and a few extra beer tokens. 2 to 8.

PS 7’s Cooking Class “Beer and Brats”

Feel like cooking at home? Discover the tricks of the sausage-making trade when PS 7’s head chef Peter Smith invites meat lovers into his kitchen. Smith, assisted by bartender Gina Chersevani and pastry chef Leon Baker, will demonstrate how to prepare bratwurst from scratch. The Philly-based Victory Brewing Company will distribute samples of its malted beverages. The class, $65 per person, goes from 1 to 3:30. Participants must be 21 or older. Call 202-742-8550 for reservations.

Here’s our roundup of the best places to taste Rosh Hashanah fare—from markets to dinners to bakeries with specials, we’ve chosen food that even goyim can get behind. Both dinners begin well before sundown on Friday (the sun sets at 7:11), allowing you to make it to synagogue services.

This Rosh Hashanah dinner, held Friday, September 18, and Saturday, September 19, at the French bistro Mon Ami Gabi, features a menu packed with traditional Jewish dishes and flavors. There’s homemade gefilte-fish, matzo-ball soup, challah with honey and apples, market salad with chopped liver, and braised beef brisket with potatoes and carrots. Only the apple dessert—a tarte Tatin with caramel sauce—hints at French fusion. Dinner is $34.95 per adult; children under 12 $16.95. To make reservations, call 301-654-1234. 5 to 11.

Happy Bastille Day! Every July 14, the French celebrate the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille, which kicked off the French Revolution. We rounded up a bunch of activities happening in the area, but our preferred way to celebrate is with food. So we want to know which restaurant in Washington has the best French food. Where should we go to feel like we just strolled the Left Bank? Let us know in the comments!

Washington isn’t lacking in hot dog options. From the housemade franks served by Peter Smith at PS7’s to the cheap dogs smothered with onions and mustard at the divey Vienna Inn, there are plenty of spots to indulge.

But what if you’re hosting a cookout? When grilling a mountain’s worth of hot dogs for a hungry crowd, you want to make sure you’re serving the tastiest. With that in mind, we here at Washingtonian.com gathered for the ultimate summer eating challenge: a hot dog taste test.

To find out the best brand available in local grocery stores, we assembled a crack panel of tasters. The scene: a steamy summer evening on a rooftop in DC’s Shaw neighborhood. The panel: nearly a dozen Washingtonian staffers and assorted friends. And, most important: the hot dogs. Here’s a list of the brands we sampled.