Food

The Week in Food Events: Mardi Gras, Valentine’s Day, and Extended Restaurant Week

Plus: Piedmontese wines paired with Roberto Donna desserts.

Learn about the history of chocolate at Dumbarton House on Tuesday. Image courtesy of Shutterstock.

Gourmet gala: The 15th annual St. Jude Gourmet

Gala

comes to the National Building Museum on
Tuesday with a host of top-tier
restaurants

offering tastes. Tickets are $350 per person and can be
purchased online. Proceeds
from the event benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Chocolate through the ages: You’ll consume plenty of cocoa-based bonbons around Valentine’s Day, so get schooled
in the fascinating history of chocolate during a
Tuesday talk at Dumbarton House with food historian Joyce White. Beginning at 7 PM, White
will cover chocolatey milestones from Meso-America to the present. Best of all, there
will be edible samples of treats such as an 18th-century chocolate tart or 19th-century
pudding. Tickets are $12 and available online.

Bubbly 101: Vinoteca continues its wine
class series this
Tuesday from 7 to 9 with a seminar on sparkling wines that are perfect for your Valentine’s
Day. There are only 20 slots available per class ($40 per person), so reserve right
away by calling 202-332-9463.

Mardi Gras: Thursday may be devoted to lovers, but admirers of New Orleans-style drinks, eats,
and general revelry will fall for the roster of events happening on
Fat Tuesday. Consult our guide to where to
celebrate around
Washington
—events

include a big bash hosted by New Orleans native and Bayou
Bakery

owner
David Guas in Clarendon. There will be
Rappahannock River Oysters, drinks from bartender Gina
Chersevani, and more. Prefer to celebrate at home? We have five
Louisiana
recipes

to try, as well as a list of bakeries for all your king
cake

needs.

Carnevale: Washington restaurants celebrate “carnevale di Venezia” on
Tuesday with special menus.
Fiola

chef-owner Fabio Trabocchi offers a four-course
menu

($60 per person) that includes wine pairings and dishes like
Venetian-style artichokes
and bigoli pasta with duck ragu. Over at Assaggi Mozzarella
Bar
,

another four-course
menu

($49 per person) is available at both lunch an dinner. Dishes
include stewed mini
meatballs and red wine pappardelle with braised-octopus ragu.

Winter restaurant continued: If you didn’t
make it out for a $20.13 set lunch or $35.13 dinner during Washington
Restaurant Week, fear not. A few restaurants are extending the
promotion, including

Zaytinya

(one of the many 100 Very Best Restaurants
participating
),

Smith
Commons
,

Jaleo,

and more.

Valentine’s Day: Love it or hate it, V-Day goes down on
Thursday. Check out our complete Valentine’s
Day in Washington
guide

for where to eat, buy gourmet chocolates, find unusual
activities, and more. Not committed?
There are still tickets left for
Washingtonian’s Singles Soiree,
where you can sip and play the night away at Penn Social with other eligible bachelors
and bachelorettes.

Sweets and wines: Al Dente
chef Roberto Donna and winemaker Giorgio Forno of Piedmont winery Il Falchetto preside
over a dessert and wine demonstration and tasting
on Sunday at 2:30. You’ll sample the likes of Alba hazelnut cake and moscato wine
cake with
zabaglione; each dessert will be paired with a different varietal. Reservations are $30, and
requests should be e-mailed to specialevents.aldentedc@gmail.com.

Food Editor

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.