Monday, October 18
A group of Clarendon chefs and sommeliers are leading the Trifecta Progressive Wine Dinner. The event starts at 6:30 at Lyon Hall with house-made charcuterie and French wine, and it continues to Liberty Tavern (Italian food and Piemonte wine) and Northside Social (sweets and dessert wine). For more information and for reservations ($75 plus tax and gratuity), which are required, call 703-741-7637.
Bourbon Steak is holding the final installment of its fall wine dinners. Participants will try a range of Cass Winery selections, which are paired with canapés and five courses. Dishes include roasted Arctic char with lentils and bacon, braised beef cheeks with crispy marrow fritters, and a pistachio truffle. For reservations ($135, including tax and gratuity), call 202-944-2026. 7 PM.
Tuesday, October 19
Washington Post spirits columnist Jason Wilson is at the Borders at 18th and L streets, Northwest, to discuss and sign copies of his new book, Boozehound: On the Trail of the Rare, the Obscure, and the Overrated in Spirits. In the book, he takes readers to international sites of liquor production—including Mexico, the French Alps, and Germany—and discusses why we choose what to drink. There are also more than 50 cocktail recipes. Free; 6:30.
Wednesday, October 20
Boar and pork get paired with cocktails at Jackson 20 in a five-course dinner that features the Virginia-based Bowman Distillery. Courses include ham-fat-dipped honeydew paired with gin, smoked-and-braised boar belly with small-batch whiskey, and a sweet-potato crème brûlée with bacon powder and a dark-rum pairing. Bowman distiller Joe Dangler will be on hand to discuss brewing and distilling spirits. The dinner, $85 plus tax and gratuity, starts at 6. For reservations, call 703-842-2790. This event has been canceled.
Thursday, October 21
There is such a thing as free lunch: From noon to 2, Muncheez Mania in Georgetown (1071 Wisconsin Ave., NW) is giving away one crepe or sandwich to every customer to celebrate its opening day.
To mark the third anniversary of its Brazilian Rhythms Night, Café Saint-Ex is paying homage to Brazil with activities and specials. Chef Billy Klein worked with the Brazilian Embassy to put together a menu that includes braised meat on cheese bread with fried plantains, coconut-and-shrimp soup, pumpkin-pork fritters, and chocolate-caramel fudge truffles. There’ll be caipirinha cocktails at the bar and a DJ spinning samba and electro-funk music.
Christopher Kimball, editor and publisher of Cook’s Illustrated, is at Politics and Prose to talk about his new book that re-examines Fannie Farmer’s The Boston Cooking School Cookbook. For Fannie’s Last Supper: Re-Creating One Amazing Meal from Fannie Farmer’s 1896 Cookbook, Kimball worked his way through Farmer’s 12-course Christmas dinner, using the same Victorian cooking techniques and tools that she did. 7 PM.
Friday, October 22
For the 16th time, the Washington Wine Academy is holding its Great Wines Around $15 event, which is like a boozy potluck. Each attendee is required to bring a bottle of wine that’s $10 to $15, and Washington Wine Academy staff will place them out for sampling. The registration fee ($13.50 online only; payments must be made before Thursday, October 21) includes a sampling glass and an appetizer buffet. To register and to figure out what wine to bring, click here.
Red Velvet Cupcakery is opening its third Washington location, in Reston (others are in DC’s Penn Quarter and Dupont Circle), today and offering free cupcakes to every customer from 11 to 11. We suggest trying to snag one of the namesake cupcakes. 11939 Democracy Drive.
Saturday, October 23
The fourth annual Northern Virginia BrewFest takes place today and tomorrow with more than 40 microbreweries from around the world, beer-friendly food, and live music. Admission (in advance, $20 or $15 for designated drivers; at the festival, $25 and $20) includes a 6¾-ounce tasting glass and four sampling tickets. It’s at Bull Run Regional Park in Centreville (7700 Bull Run Dr.) from 11 to 7. For more information on the festival—including free shuttles from Leesburg and South Riding—and to purchase tickets, click here.
Sunday, October 24
Black Market Bistro is hosting Pig Out for Diabetes, a fundraiser with a barbecue-ribs competition, burgers, hot dogs, and dessert, plus two bands, a silent auction, and an art show. The event, from 1 to 6, is part of owners Jeff and Barbara Black’s initiative to raise $200,000 for a new kitchen at Children’s National Medical Center to support kids with diabetes. For tickets ($45 in advance, $50 at the door; $20 for kids under age 12, free under age five), click here.
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