Food

The Week in Food Events: Anthony Bourdain on Tour, Mike Isabella’s Pop-Up, and a 3 Stars Brewery Party

Plus: food for a cause at 9:30 Club and a new industry brunch.

It's a celebration of strawberries at Cedar Ridge Farm in Burtonsville this Saturday. Photograph via Shutterstock.

The best chefs: On-site tickets are still available for the Chef’s Best Dinner & Auction on
Monday at the
Washington Hilton. You’ll find 60 toques offering bites, flowing wines and cocktails, a live auction, and a golden ticket raffle.
Party for a cause and help raise funds for Food & Friends’ efforts to support those
battling HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other life-threatening illnesses. Tickets start at $250 for general admission.

Bourdain sighting: Want to catch
Anthony Bourdain while he’s in Washington? You have a chance on
Monday when he arrives for the DC leg of his Guts and Glory tour. There are still tickets available for the event at
DAR Constitution Hall (either online or by calling 1-800-745-3000), where you’ll hear the star of
The Layover and
No Reservations tell tales of his adventures. VIP ticket-holders receive perks like a meet-and-greet
with the chef-lebrity and complimentary snacks from Bourdain bud
José Andrés.

Monday brunch: Anyone who’s worked in restaurants knows that rising early (meaning before 1 PM) for
Sunday brunch isn’t often an option. Industry folks deserve bloody Marys too, so a
number of
Columbia Heights eateries on the 11th Street strip take turns opening
Monday at noon and offering restaurant employees a 15 percent discount. This Monday you’ll
find the deal at Kangaroo Boxing Club,
with El Chucho,
RedRocks,
and Wonderland to follow (in that order).

Pop-up alert: Pop-up king
Mike Isabella is at it again on
Monday, offering sandwiches from his next project, G,
at
Graffiato from 11:30 to 2. The special menu lasts through Friday. Read more about it and see
the menu in our recent story.

How I met your mezuzah: You probably know actor
Josh Radnor best as
How I Met Your Mother’s Ted Mosby, but you can catch his real-life character on
Monday at the
Sixth & I Historic Synagogue. Radnor hosts a talk at 7:30 about how Judaism influenced his career. Head downstairs after for drinks
from Proof and Estadio bar manager
Adam Bernbach and more treats. Tickets ($15) are available online.

Mad week:
Mad Fox Brewing Company in
Falls Church celebrates American Craft Beer Week. Starting on Tuesday you’ll find events such as
special keg tappings, a beer pairing dinner, and more. See the full schedule for details.

The cheese stands alone:
Righteous Cheese in Union Market hosts another series of classes this week, starting on
Thursday. The topic for the next three: misunderstood wines and fromage. You’ll taste four
cheeses with four different wines and discover their rightful reputation ($49 per
person).

Spanish wine dinner:
Jaleo continues to celebrate its 20th anniversary with a Garcia Family Wine Dinner on

Thursday at 7 at the
Penn Quarter location.
Eduardo Garcia presents the tasting menu with wines from a variety of regions, and you’ll find signature
dishes like liquid olives alongside seasonal plates such as grilled soft-shells with
smoked squab and truffles ($95 per person). Call 202-628-7949 for reservations.

Spring wine dinner: Take a mini spring break at
Chez Billy on
Thursday at 7 during a seasonal wine dinner with a variety of vino from importer Maisons Marques & Domaines. Five courses are
each paired with a different old- or new-world wine ($75 per person). Call Jillian
at 202-506-2080 for reservations.

Cupcake party: Pretty Girl Cupcakery in
Hyattsville celebrates its first birthday on Friday and Saturday with doughnuts and fried chicken (kidding!).
Drop in on Friday between 4 and 8 for a “happy hour” of boozy cupcakes in flavors
such as piña colada and raspberry margarita. On Saturday kids can enter the “cupcake
cutie contest” to win free treats; there’s also a buy-one-get-one-free deal on cupcakes
and new dessert samplings.

Get your grill on: Before lighting the coals for your Memorial Day barbecue, check in at the
Butcher’s Block on
Saturday for a grilling demo and summer beer tasting. Chef
Chris Watson shows how to prepare various grilled meats such as hanger steak, chicken and beef
kebabs, and burgers from 1 to 3, while you can sip gratis warm-weather brews and wines.
All the demo items, along with picnic sides, salads, and pastries, are on sale for
the holiday weekend.

Crawfish boil: Pearl Dive throws its second crawfish boil of the
season on
Saturday. You’ll find the same all-you-can-eat crawdads and all-you-can-drink Abita Amber
for two hours during separate seatings, from noon to 2 and 2:30 to 4:30. Tickets are
$65 and available online.

Exclusive beer:
Port City Brewing Company teamed up with DC rockers Borracho to create a special brew: Borracho Smokin’ Brown
Ale. The beer is released on
Saturday at the Pinch,
and will only be available at that night’s (free!) show featuring Wasted Theory, WeedIsWeed, and Cortez alongside the local band.

Greek wine country festival: Take a day trip on Saturday to Purcellville’s
Doukénie Winery for its annual Greek Festival celebrating the heritage of the producer. Adults can sample wines and learn about
the winemaking process, kids can enjoy hayrides and games, and there’s Greek food
for all. Tickets are $20 in advance for adults, $10 for children, and can be purchased
online.

Take a bite: Head to
Yards Park at the Navy Yard on
Saturday for Bite of DC from 3 to 7, a tasting event
featuring Rogue 24,
Luke’s Lobster, and more. Tickets ($49 presale) include five different dishes and five beer and
wine pairings, or you can get a booze-only tasting for $29. The folks over at LivingSocial
also have you covered with a deal on the event.

Berry fest: Red berry fans can head to the Silver Spring Strawberry Festival on
Saturday from 10 to 5 at
Cedar Ridge Farm in
Burtonsville. The family-friendly fair includes strawberries in all forms—shortcakes, pies, savory
snacks—as well as hay and pony rides, Maryland wine tasting, farmers market stands,
and more.

Sunday funday: Wind down the weekend with music, oysters, and barbecue at
3 Stars Brewing Company’s
summer party on
Sunday from 1 to 6. You’ll find bivalves from Rappahannock, tasty meats from Smoke & Barrel’s
pit master, bourbon samplings, Green Hat gin cocktails, and much more. The $10 admission includes a custom glass and your first
(but likely not your last) beer.

Tunes and food: Spend Sunday at the
9:30 Club—the annual Sound Bites fundraiser benefiting DC Central Kitchen starts at 1. The
$40 ticket price is a great deal for food from 25-plus restaurants and food trucks,
seven local bands, and a mixology battle among 14th Street bars. Tickets are available
online (including those for parking).

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.