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Kentucky Derby Parties
Ten Under $10
Table to Table
Thursday: For its weekly Thursday tasting, Willow restaurant is showcasing wines from Bodegas Lan Winery in Rioja, Spain. The export manager for the vineyard, Lady Trinidad, will be on hand to guide participants through a tasting of four wines, which includes the Lan Crianza—Wine Trials magazine’s 2010 Wine of the Year. The event is $55 per person, and attendees can drop in anytime from 5:30 to 7:30.
Tibetan Twilight is the theme for this month’s Asia After Hours party at the Sackler Gallery. The event includes access to the In the Realm of Buddha exhibit—which features a Tibetan Buddhist shrine with sculptures, textile banners, and painted furniture. Also, contemporary artist Gonkar Gyatso will assemble a collage with the help of attendees, and DJ Chris Linux will spin tracks. Tickets are $18 in advance and $20 at the door. Click here to purchase a ticket and for more information.
Congressman Chris Van Hollen makes an appearance at Busboys and Poets at 14th and V streets, Northwest, when author Sanford Gottlieb reflects on his new book, Red to Blue: Congressman Chris Van Hollen and Grassroots Politics. The event starts at 7.
The Warehouse Theater hosts the BrightestYoungThings-sponsored Family Hemerlein Variety Show, with performances from Baltimorean experimental folk singer Bethany Dinsick, standup comedian Jay Welch, and local musician—and the event’s namesake—Matthew Hemerlein. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door (which is the backdoor of the Passenger bar). The doors open at 8, and the show starts at 9.
Three’s the magic number at 3 Bar & Grill’s happy hour benefitting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Three drink specials—including $3 draft beers, $3 cans of Porkslap Pale Ale, and $5 glasses of wine—are available for three hours starting at 5. Additionally, there’ll be a raffle, and prizes include a Scion car and dinner for two at Jaleo.
Friday: For an evening of pop culture, check out Rosslyn’s Gateway Park, where the I Love the 90s Outdoor Film Festival kicks off with the valley-girl-centric hit Clueless. The movie starts at dusk. Show up early for pre-show games and prizes.
Try more than eight types of honey at GiraMondo’s Taste Buds University session today at Alliance Française. The tasting includes varieties from Germany, Spain, and the United States. After a quick trivia game (the winner gets a jar of honey), you’ll learn about honey classifications, its health benefits, and how to cook with it. The class goes from 11:30 to 1 and is $44 per person. Click here for more information and to register.
National Theatre’s production of Fiddler on the Roof, starring Harvey Fierstein in the role of Tevye, runs through the weekend. “The entire company bubbles with an energy that’s most palpable in lively group numbers such as the wedding reception or Tevye’s dream sequence,” raves our critic Sophie Gilbert about the show. Tonight’s performance starts at 8; tickets ($51.50 to $95.50) can be purchased here.
Saturday: Free fitness classes—including kickboxing, yoga, pilates, and zumba—are available at Canal Park (intersection of M and Second sts., SE) in the Capital Riverfront neighborhood starting at 9. For a schedule of the classes and more information go to capitolriverfront.org.
Celebrate the Kentucky Derby at Acadiana’s bar from 5 to 7 with $5 mint juleps and $5 Derby-inspired dishes. While watching the race, snack on Benedictine sandwiches, Burgoo stew, Kentucky hot browns, barbecue lamb ribs, and fried apple/bourbon pies. Also celebrating the Derby is Trummer’s on Main in Clifton, where festivities start at 5. Sip $5 mint juleps from traditional silver cups while noshing nibbles from the bar. For dessert, there are mint-julep sundaes made with bourbon/devil’s-food cake and house-made mint ice cream.
The Mount Pleasant Music Fest at Lamont Park (corner of Lamont and 17th sts., NW) kicks off spring and the neighborhood’s inaugural farmers market with a slate of performances, including Deleted Scenes, Frau Eva, and Four Horseman. Free; 2 PM.
The Jewish Film Festival, which wraps up this weekend, is showing A Secret. Based on a Philippe Grimbert novel about a Jewish family living in war-torn Paris, the film is at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington at 9:15. Check out the trailer here, and purchase your tickets ($10) at jccgw.org.
Sunday: Cochon 555, an event that tours the country to promote the preservation of heritage-bred pigs, is in DC tonight from 5 to 8. For the event—held at the West End Ritz-Carlton—five chefs each get a heritage hog to prepare from head to tail. There are also five local winemakers and a pig-breakdown demonstration. This year’s chef lineup includes reigning champ R.J. Cooper of Vidalia, Bibiana’s Nicholas Stefanelli, Bourbon Steak’s David Varley, Eola’s Dan Singhofen, and Westend Bistro’s Joe Palma. Guests can sample their creations during a reception, and judges pick a winner based on presentation, utilization of the pig, and best overall flavor. Tickets are $125 for general admission and $175 for VIP tickets, which include reserved tastings from select wineries. For more information and to buy tickets, click here.
Ladies and gentlemen, get ready to show some leg. Today is Wonderland Ballroom’s Sundress Fest, an annual outdoor party that includes a pig roast and all-day drink discounts for patrons—male or female—decked in a sundress. As is the custom, there’ll be a Mr. and Mrs. Sundress contest ($5 to participate). You can buy thrift-store dresses at the bar; the money goes to Neighbors Consejo, which helps low-income Latino families.
More than 40 troupes come together for the Street Performance Festival at the Maison Française at the Embassy of France, which starts at 12:30 and runs throughout the day. In addition to live performances and music, there’ll be French food and drinks—such as crêpes, quiches, and croissant—for sale at the embassy’s cafe. Click here for more information.
The annual DC Design House, where designers remake a local residence, is in Chevy Chase (3911 Bradley Lane) this year. Following a tour, Washington Ballet dancers will perform in the garden as guests sip tea. Tickets ($55) to the event can be purchased here. Proceeds go to the Children’s National Medical Center.
