Beer dinner: Still yearning for the three-day weekend?
Belga Café hosts a three-course Memorial beer dinner on
Tuesday at 6:30 ($49 per person). Call 202-544-0100 for reservations.
Gingery beer: If you’ve ever wished ginger beer actually had some alcohol in it, head to the
Queen Vic on
Thursday for specials on Crabbie’s, a boozy British riff on the ginger soda. You’ll find it
on the rocks for $4, and in a version of the rum-based Dark and Stormy for $5.
Veuve hits the road: Champagne in a trailer? Why not? Veuve Clicquot decked out an Airstream for a national
tour, and the bubbly wagon arrives in Washington this
Thursday. You’ll find it parked at the
Dupont Circle Hotel from 5 to 10 selling Champagne by the glass and bottle. Other local stops include
the
W Hotel on Friday from 5 to 10 and
Lemongrass in Annapolis on Saturday from 1 to 5.
Pilates and bubbly: The Pilates on the Patio class returns to Poste at 10 on
Saturday. Guests participate in a 45-minute course on the restaurant’s patio, followed by
a glass of sparkling wine and an optional healthy breakfast with dishes such as a
granola parfait and chicken paillard. Online registration is $24, and doesn’t include
breakfast.
Taste of Georgetown: The annual
Taste of Georgetown festival marks its 20th year on
Saturday with a celebration along Wisconsin Avenue from 11 to 4. You’ll find bites from 30
eateries, including 1789 and Georgetown Cupcake, a beer and wine pavilion, live music, and family-friendly activities. Tickets are
$5 per taste or $20 for five, and can be purchased in advance online. (Separate wine
and beer tickets are also available.)
Find your food: Curious about the urban foraging trend?
Then head to the
Hill Center on
Saturday for a food-finding trek around Capitol Hill and a cooking class from 9 to 1; edibles
expert Dr. Bill Schindler instructs. After you’ve hunted naturally grown accents for
the meal, sit down to dishes such as roasted marrow bones with wild greens salad and
foraged pesto. Registration ($75 per person) is available online.
Bikes and beers: Colorado-based New Belgium Brewing hosts the annual
Tour de Fat, returning to
Yards Park on
Saturday from 11 to 5. The festivities kick off with a costumed bicycle ride through the streets,
followed by live music, kids’ activities, beer-friendly eats, and a selection of brews
from the host producer including Fat Tire and seasonal Rolle Bolle. Admission is free,
with proceeds from beer and merchandise sales going towards bike-centric organizations
around Washington.
Hot dogs and real dogs:
Vinoteca starts a weeklong promotion
on
Sunday benefiting City Dogs Rescue with a grill-out from 3 to 8. Those in the market for a pooch will find dogs available for adoption
on the restaurant’s front patio. Out on the back plaza, a $10 donation gets you happy
hour deals all night; there’s also a charity bocce tournament. A dollar from every
purchase of a house-made hot dog and “dog days of summer” punch will also go to the
organization all week.
Ancient oils: Al Dente partners with a specialty Tuscan olive oil importer on
Sunday for a five-course dinner based
around oils from one of the oldest presses in the region. The meal begins at 6, and
is $70 (including wine pairings).
’Cue up: Alexandria’s Union Street Public House hosts an all-you-can-eat Southern-style barbecue on
Sunday from 11 to 7 for $20. The spread includes a variety of pork dishes, sides such as
slaw and biscuits, desserts, and a special drink menu.
Food truck fight: Washington’s food trucks get ready to battle the Baltimore fleet at the Taste of
Two Cities event at Charm City’s
Rash Field on
Saturday from noon to 9. Sample from a whole range of vendors from both cities and vote for
your favorite. Tickets are $5 in advance or $8 at the door; kids under 12 enter for
free.
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.
