Monday, June 20
Sample selections from Charlottesville’s Starr Hill Brewery during the first summer beer dinner at Clyde’s in Georgetown. Starr Hill’s Brewmaster Mark Thompson will be on hand to answer questions and talk about the beer pairings that go with a four-course dinner. Pairings include soft-shell crab with green-tomato slaw, chili-lime aïoli, and Lucy beer; smoked ribs with a stone-fruit barbecue glaze, mac and cheese, and Northern Lights IPA; and a Dark Star Stout float with vanilla ice cream. Check out the full menu here and purchase tickets here ($40, including tax and gratuity). 6 PM.
Tuesday, June 21
After Copenhagen’s Noma was recently voted the number-one restaurant in the world by San Pellegrino, “new Nordic” cuisine has been a hot topic in the food world. Top chefs from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden arrive in Washington this week for Nordic Food Days, a series of cocktail hours, cooking demonstrations, and dinners co-hosted by the Nordic embassies. The events—held at Masa 14, DC Coast, Birch & Barley, Vidalia, and Marcel’s—start today and run through Sunday. The restaurants are hosting guest chefs, who will prepare special menus. Norwegian chef Geir Skeie’s four-course menu at DC Coast ($49) each night features grilled Norwegian diver scallops with cauliflower, hazelnuts, and lemon; pan-seared Norwegian halibut with summer vegetables and mussels; and strawberries with rhubarb. Learn more about the chefs and their cooking here.
Wednesday, June 22
A group of Washington’s most notable female chefs and mixologists are gathering at Sequoia from 6 to 8 for Chefs Take a Stand Against Domestic Violence, a charity gala that benefits the National Network to End Domestic Violence. Participating chefs include Top Chef alum Carla Hall, Jamie Leeds of Hank’s Oyster Bar, and Ris Lacoste of Ris; (see all participants here). There’ll be a silent auction, which includes such items as a pastry class for ten at Willow, dinner for four at Zaytinya, and gift certificates to the Palm, Lyon Hall, and other restaurants. For tickets ($75), click here or call Alexandra Kuebler at 202-543-5566.
There’s a Washingtonian and LivingSocial Best of Washington Happy Hour tonight at Ping Pong Dim Sum from 6 to 8:30, with complimentary appetizers, cocktails, and the chance to buy discount tickets to our party on July 13. Hors d’oeuvres include prawn toasts, mixed-vegetable spring rolls, and steamed seafood dumplings. Check out the Facebook event page for more details.
Thursday, June 23
Sample Scotch and whiskey during a cruise, which departs from DC’s Southwest waterfront. More than 150 Scottish, Irish, Japanese, American, and Canadian labels will be available, and distillery managers blenders will be onboard to answer questions. There’ll also be a buffet dinner that includes dishes such as fontina-stuffed chicken breasts, wild Alaskan salmon with white wine and dill, and pasta with turkey meatballs. To order tickets ($95 regular admission; $115 VIP with early admission at 6), go to the Whisky Guild Web site, which also lists the night’s whiskeys and menu. 7 to 10.
Santa Barbara’s Foxen Winery winemaker Dick Doré is at Michel by Michel Richard in Tysons Corner for a six-course wine dinner. Pairings include tuna-tartare niçoise with a mozzarella “egg” and Chenin Blanc Old Vines Ernesto Wickenden Vineyard; 72-hour braised short ribs with garlic mashed potatoes and Range 30 West; and a chocolate-bar dessert with Volpino Santa Ynez. Call 703-744-3999 for reservations ($135). 7 PM.
Friday, June 24
The AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Documentary Festival starts this week (you can check out our top picks here), and food is one of themes. In the film Cafeteria Man—which screens today at 2:30—Emmy-winning cinematographer Richard Chisolm the chronicles the attempts of reformer Tony Geraci to improve the food in Baltimore school cafeterias. For tickets ($11), click here.
Saturday, June 25
The 19th annual Safeway National Capital Barbecue Battle unfolds today and tomorrow along Pennsylvania Avenue, with meat samples, cooking demos, and tunes from Chuck Brown and Honor by August. Sample ribs, pulled pork, beef brisket, and all the trimmings from such restaurants as Hill Country, Famous Dave’s, and Gunny’s BBQ. Tickets (single-day $10, weekend pass $18, children $5) are available here. Saturday 11 to 9, Sunday 11 to 7:30,
Sunday, June 26
Chef Chris Edwards of Patowmack Farm in Lovettsville is putting on a dinner that's a replica of a menu he served at New York's James Beard House. The five-course reception and meal ($130 per person) includes such dishes as pork-fried puffed rice with an egg mimosa; Chesapeake-crab biscuit with greens, herbs, and tartar sauce; ribeye steak with creamed spinach, green-garlic salt, and poached marrow; and maple-cherry semifreddo with dark chocol
ate and smoked-cherry confit. Visit the Patowmack Farm site for more information, and call 540-822-9017 for reservations.
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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.
