Monday, April 4
Ravenswood Winery founder Joel Peterson, called the Godfather of Zin, is at Black’s Bar and Kitchen for an eight-course dinner and a discussion from 6:30 to 10. Look for steamed Prince Edward Island mussels with pickled beets and lemon confit, paired with 2009 Rosato; crispy veal sweetbreads and butter-braised savoy cabbage with 2007 Barricia Zinfandel; and braised local pork belly with cauliflower-horseradish purée and 2007 Big River Zinfandel (the full menu is available here *PDF). Proceeds from the dinner ($115 per person) benefit Children’s National Medical Center. Call 301-652-5525 for reservations.
Tuesday, April 5
Washington Post food and travel editor Joe Yonan is discussing and signing copies of his new cookbook, Serve Yourself: Nightly Adventures in Cooking for One, at Politics and Prose. Yonan, who’s from Texas and has an entire chapter devoted to tacos, will start talking at 7, and copies of the book will be available for $22.
Wednesday, April 6
The organization Common Threads, which offers after-school cooking classes for low-income children, is holding a fundraising gala at the Carnegie Institution. Chefs such as Art Smith (Art and Soul), Scott Drewno (the Source), Ris Lacoste (Ris), and Todd Gray (Equinox) are preparing hors d’oeuvres for a star-studded guest list, which includes aenator Dick Durbin and congressmen Tom Latham and Barney Frank. For tickets ($125) to the gala, which begins at 6, click here.
Robert Gottlieb, coauthor of Food Justice: Food, Health, and the Environment, and advocate Louise Thundercloud are at Bread for the City (1525 Seventh St., NW) to discuss America’s food system. The evening begins with a tour of Bread City’s rooftop garden at 6, followed by the speakers at 6:30. The talk focuses on what food justice means in Washington and the challenges and opportunities that exist for change. The event is free, but space is limited; to RSVP, e-mail aburket@breadforthecity.org or call 202-386-7006. Visit the Slow Food DC Web site for more information.
Thursday, April 7
Lebanese Taverna in McLean is hosting a hands-on cooking class from 6:45 to 9:30. The menu includes beet-and-feta salad, lentil soup, and cabbage leaves stuffed with rice and lamb. For reservations ($65), which include dinner, click here or call Pamela at 703-841-1562.
Friday, April 8
The National Cherry Blossom Festival’s Grand Ball and Sushi Reception is taking place at the Renaissance Washington DC hotel in DC’s Penn Quarter. The black-tie event, which runs from 6 to midnight, starts with sushi and includes dinner, entertainment, and an introduction of the Cherry Blossom Queen and Princesses. For tickets ($150) and more information, click here.
Saturday, April 9
Tour the Yekta Persian Market in Rockville with Najmieh Batmanglij, author of Food of Life: Ancient Persian and Modern Iranian Cooking and Ceremonies, and Les Dames D’Escoffier at noon, followed by a Persian lunch at the market’s adjoining restaurant. Batmanglij, considered a guru of Persian cooking, will guide the group through fresh and dried fruits, spices, and other ingredients common to the cuisine. Many of the items will show up in the meal, which includes dishes such as a platter of fresh herbs and cheese with Persian flatbread; chicken kebab with fava beans, basmati saffron rice, and yogurt-shallot sauce; and Persian-saffron ice cream with rice-noodle sherbet (a full menu is on the event Web site). The price of registration ($62 for Dames members, $67 for nonmembers) includes a signed copy of Food of Life. RSVP before Thursday, April 7, on the Web site or call 202-973-2168.
Celebrate the arrival of spring at Popapalooza, a free event at Lamont Park in DC’s Mount Pleasant with food trucks, live tunes, face painting, and giveaways. Pleasant Pops, a mobile popsicle vendor, is a cosponsor of the party, and the food trucks Porc Mobile and the Big Cheese Truck will also sell food. The bands Riverbreaks and Free Pairs of Pants will provide the music. Click here for more details.
Sunday, April 10
Spend a Sunday one of the best ways possible—eating barbecue and drinking beer—at Alexandria’s Port City Brewing Company (3950 Wheeler Ave., Alexandria), sponsored by the American Institute of Wine and Food. The award-winning Kansas City Barbecue Society team “Chix, Swine & Bovine” is providing chicken, ribs, brisket, baked beans, and coleslaw. The Port City beers on offer are Monumental India Pale Ale, Essential Pale Ale, Optimal Wit Belgian Style White Ale, and Porter. Reservations ($65 for AIWF members, $75 nonmembers) must be made before Thursday, April 7; call Bob Sitnick at 703-237-2312 or e-mail dksitnick@mac.com. Visit the Web site for more details.
Lyon Hall’s farm dinner, at 7 PM, is centered around market-fresh seafood. The five courses, each with a wine pairing, will be determined closer to the dinner to allow for the freshest possible seafood. Space is limited; make reservations ($75) soon: e-mail lyonhallfarmdinners@gmail.com.
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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.
