Monday, May 23
Samuel Adams representative Chad Murphy is at Clyde’s in Reston for a four-course dinner ($40 per person). Each dish comes with a pairing from the Boston-based brewery, such as Berkshire pork belly, fried green tomato, ramp aïoli, and Sam Adams beer bread with Summer Ale; and beer-battered Alaskan halibut with asparagus chips and Boston Lager (see a full menu here). The dinner begins at 7; purchase tickets ($40) here.
Learn about Prohibition-era speakeasies in Washington during a seminar and cocktail-making class at the Passenger with Garrett Peck—author of the Prohibition Hangover: Alcohol in America From Demon Rum to Cult Cabernet, and the forthcoming Prohibition in Washington, D.C.: How Dry We Weren’t—and the Museum of the American Cocktail’s Philip Greene. Both will discuss the dry years and cocktail culture at that time, then demonstrate four classic drinks, such as the bourbon-based Joe Rickey and rum-infused Flower Pot Punch. Each guest can sample the drinks as well as take home the recipes. To register for the event ($45 for nonmembers; discounts for museum members), which runs from 6:30 to 8, click here. Guests can also pay $50 at the door.
Tuesday, May 24
Eatonville restaurant’s monthly Food & Folklore dinner is titled Eating From the Garden and features Oren Molovinsky, co-founder of Farm to Table DC, an organization that connects chefs to area farmers. The menu for the four-course event, which starts at 6:30, includes such dishes as late-spring soupe au pistou, beet Napolean with citrus-pepper mascarpone and baby chard, and passed vegetables. For tickets ($57.60, including tax and gratuity), call 202-332-6432.
Wednesday, May 25
There are a few spots left at Jackson 20’s five-course Pigs and Pinot wine dinner. Chef Dennis Marron’s nose-to-tail includes poached PolyFace Farm egg with grilled pork terrine, frisée, and bacon vinaigrette; quail wrapped in lardo with forbidden rice and grilled strawberries; and squid-ink pasta with Pinot Noir-braised short rib, garlic purée, and tomato confit (see a full menu here *PDF). James Kellaris from Roanoke Valley Wines will talk about each pairing, and bottles will be available at the nearby Butcher’s Block, a Market by RW. The dinner begins at 7 and is $85 per person. Call 703-842-2790 for reservations.
Jewish-cookbook author Joan Nathan and Top Chef star Spike Mendelsohn come together for a discussion of Jewish-holiday traditions at the National Archives in celebration of Jewish American Heritage Month. The event begins at 7, and is free. Copies of Nathan’s most recent book, Quiches, Kugels, and Couscous: My Search for Jewish Cooking in France (see more about the book here), are available at the Archives’ shop for signing after the discussion. Click here for more information.
The Washingtonian’s Best Of Washington party, sponsored by LivingSocial, isn’t until July 13. But there’s a special happy hour from 6 to 8:30 at the Whitlow’s on Wilson roofdeck, where there’ll be discounted tickets for sale. There’ll be complimentary food and drink, and DC Bocce will have courts set up. Visit the Facebook event page for more details.
Thursday, May 26
Robert Wiedmaier and his chefs from Marcel’s, Brasserie Beck, and Mussel Bar are preparing a seven-course seasonal menu in Brabo’s kitchen at 7 PM. The “full circle” dinner includes courses that reflect the chef’s culinary past and present, such as Rappahanock River oyster Rockefeller with crispy prosciutto and brown-butter vinaigrette; quails and snails with carrot-ginger purée and crystallized ginger; and veal tortellini with morels, peas, and sweetbreads (click here for the menu *PDF ). Wine and beer pairings are included in the cost of the dinner ($125 per person), which are presented by Brabo sommelier David Kurka and Brasserie Beck beer master Thor Cheston. Reservations are limited; call 703-894-3440.
Washington Post food editor Joe Yonan is demonstrating recipes from his new cookbook, Serve Yourself: Nightly Adventures in Cooking for One, at L’Academie de Cuisine from 6:30 to 9:30. Yonan will discuss some tips for solo cooking—such as how to properly stock your pantry—and demonstrate dishes including duck-breast tacos with plum salsa, paella with squid and scallions, and cappuccino tapioca pudding with cardamom brûlée. The cost of the class, $95 per person, includes a copy of the book. Click here to reserve a space, and call 301-986-9490 for more information.
The Arlington restaurant group that includes Liberty Tavern, Lyon Hall, and Northside Social is hosting an event from 6 to 8 to sample artisanal products paired with Virginia wine. Samples include breads, spreads, sausages, and cheeses, and the entry fee ($23 for Eventbrite members; $28 for nonmembers) includes a glass of wine. Click here to buy tickets. The event is at Northside Social.
Friday, May 27
Mount Vernon is celebrating Memorial Day weekend with an open house at George Washington’s home and garden from 6 to 9 through Sunday. There’ll be Champagne and wine (sold by the glass and bottle) as well as desserts such as American-heritage chocolate cake, white-chocolate cheesecake, and carrot-nut loaf with strawberries. Other entertainment includes dancing, games, and wagon rides. For tickets ($18 for adults; $12 for children 6 to eleven), go to the Mount Vernon Web site.
Saturday, May 28
Italian cookbook author and Washington Post contributor Domenica Marchetti is at Hill’s Kitchen to discuss her new book, The Glorious Pasta of Italy. Starting at 1, she’ll talk about the recipes and techniques, and sign copies of her cookbook
s (she’s also the author of Big Night In and The Glorious Soups and Stews of Italy). Visit the Hill’s Kitchen Web site for details as well as updates (the Eastern Market subway stop will be closed, so instructions for getting to the event will be posted, as well as possible changes to the time and date). Free.
Celebrate Memorial Day weekend with back-to-back crawfish boils at Bayou Bakery. Today from 5 to 7 and Sunday from 1 to 4, chef David Guas is serving a traditional New Orleans meal of crawfish boiled in lemon, cayenne, paprika, bay leaf, and garlic, along with potatoes and corn on the cob ($15 per person). Wash it down with Abita beer by the bottle or draft. Rolling Thunder vets and riders receive 10 percent off their check. Call 703-243-2410 for more details.
Sunday, May 29
Even if you’re not on the beach for Memorial Day weekend, you can still party at Coastal Flats’ beach bash at the Fairfax Corner location, held on the town green behind the restaurant from noon to 6. There’ll be music from the band Kicking Norma, and such drinks and food as meatball sliders, crabcake sandwiches, and brats. Call 571-522-6300 for more information, or visit the event Facebook page. Free.
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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.
