Gluten-free cider dinner: Head to Meridian Pint on Tuesday at 6:30 for a dinner paired with five Crispin ciders, including a newly released variety aged in bourbon barrels. Chef David Shewmaker will create gluten-free dishes to pair with the glutenless beverages—think steamed bronzini with kaffir and lemongrass and cider-glazed squab with mushrooms and smoked pork belly risotto. Tickets ($60) and available through the event website.
Duck and grub: There are only a few spots left for a ten-course duck dinner at Dino on Wednesday. The Thursday night feast is booked, but you can add your name to the wait list. The $59 meal includes dishes like Tuscan scrapple with duck-sausage-stuffed duck neck with maple syrup and cannelloni with red wine and onion-braised duck mushroom sauce, which can be paired with Italian brews for an extra $18. Call 202-686-2966 for reservations.
Sandy fundraiser: The Mansion on O Street hosts a benefit for seaside victims of Hurricane Sandy with a Beach Ball Fundraiser on Wednesday from 5:30 to 9:30, with plenty of boardwalk-themed food, a cash bar, and prizes for the best beachy attire. Tickets start at $50, with all proceeds going to the American Red Cross.
Repeal Day party: Jack Rose celebrates the anniversary of the re-legalization of alcohol on Wednesday at 10 PM with two party areas (a $20 ticket for each one). Head to the upstairs “Roosevelt Room” for unlimited bubbly and specials on classic cocktails and cigars. Catch some burlesque acts in the newly revealed basement area, where you’ll find discounts on punch and whiskey. Also, through Tuesday, Jack Rose is serving a special à-la-carte menu with 1920s-themed dishes such as steamed quail buns and lobster thermidor. Wednesday from 5 to 10, the restaurant hosts a four-course ’20s tasting menu for $20. E-mail info@jackrosediningsaloon.com for dinner reservations and party passes.
$10 sips: In the mood for a more casual Repeal Day? Head to Firefly on Wednesday, where bartender Jon Harris is mixing up a special menu of $10 cocktails all evening.
Gastropub pairing dinner: Mayfair & Pine joins forces with Claude Thibaut and Manuel Janisson of Charlottesville’s Thibaut-Janisson Winery on Friday for a six-course dinner paired with the Virginia varietals. Autumnal dishes include pumpkin bisque and braised short ribs. Tickets are $85 through City Eats.
Prohibition-era ball: The DC Craft Bartenders Guild throws the fifth annual Repeal Day Ball on Saturday starting at 8 at the Hill Center. There will, of course, be plenty of cocktails—plus 1920s music and dancing—at this black-tie affair. Tickets start at $100.
Sake and sequins: Spend Sunday sipping cocktails and sampling vintage clothing at Forage, a pop-up shop at Toki Underground from noon to 5. You won’t find ramen, but you may find the perfect holiday present among the mix of vintage and current labels, jewelry, greeting cards, and more.
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.
