Get ready for wine: There are tons of organized wine activities this week (see below), but Taste Around Town is more freestyle. The promotion, which runs from Monday through April 6, bills itself as “Restaurant Week for wine,” so you’ll find vino specials at participating eateries including Brasserie Beck and MXDC.
Eat à la Treme: Meet Treme cookbook author Lolis Eric Elie during a special dinner at Eatonville on Monday at 6:30, part of the restaurant’s ongoing Food & Folklore series. Cocktails and dishes from the book will be served, including stuffed pecan-crusted chicken roulette. Reservations are required.
Local cookbook launch: The Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food & Agriculture launches its first recipe compilation, The Arcadia Mobile Market Seasonal Cookbook, at theHill Center on Tuesday from 7 to 9. Author JuJu Harris and Pamela Hess, Arcadia’s executive director, will discuss the work in advance of a signing. The event is free (though guests can pre-register).
Rosé-colored glasses: Time to start drinking like it’s spring (even if it’s snowing) on Tuesday. Vinoteca hosts a class on rosé wines from 7 to 8:30, from classics to bubbly, including snacks to nibble alongside. Reservations are $40 per person.
Beer or wine: The Daily Dish pits grapes against hops in a competitive dinner on Tuesday at 6. The four-course meal is paired with different Flying Dog brews and vines from Virginia’s Breaux Vineyards, and guests get to vote for their favorites. The event is $65 per person.
Happy Capella-versary: The Capella Georgetown celebrates its one-year anniversary on Wednesday with a “rye-ception” in the Rye Bar. Each guest will receive a gratis spring cocktail alongside passed hors d’oeuvres.
Springtime vino: Black’s Bar & Kitchen hosts a spring wine dinner with California’s Stonestreet Winery on Wednesday at 7. Viticultural enologist (best job title ever?) and winemakerKristina Werner will discuss each wine paired with the five-course meal. Reservations are $120 per person.
Vin din: Fancy a French wine dinner? Head to Bastille on Thursday at 6:30 for a five-course meal paired with varietals from Vignobles Comtes von Neipperg, which is composed of eight Bordeaux vineyards. The meal is $129 per person (or $59 sans wine).
Rogue wines: Chef RJ Cooper partners with one of his favorite winemakers, Matthias Pippig of Sanguis Wines in Santa Barbra, California for a wine dinner on Thursday at Rogue 24. The collaborative meal is $100 per person, all inclusive, with reservations available by e-mailing gorogue@rogue24.com or calling 202-408-9724.
Grapes from the seed: In more wine this week, Grapeseed in Bethesda joins independent Washington State wineries Novelty Hill and Januik Wine on Thursday at 6:30 for a four-course meal. Reservations are $95 per person.
Drink more whiskey: Looking for a wallet-friendly tasting/break from wine this week? Try the $5 whiskey one at Little Miss Whiskey’s on Thursday at 7:30. Ewan Morgan, one of 14 “masters of whiskey” in the world, is on hand to guide drinkers through Bushmills, Bulleit, Dickel, and more. Tickets are available online.
Street-style Cubano: Chef Victor Albisu heads another street food class at Del Campo on Saturday from noon to 3, this time focusing on Cuban fare. Learn to make dishes such as ham croquetas, Cuban sandwiches, empanadas, and more while sipping cocktails alongside samples of the dishes ($98 per person).
Italian wine dinner: Wind down a very wine-y week on Sunday at Al Dente with a wine dinner at 6, featuring varietals from Abruzzo’s Marramiero Winery in Central Italy. Five courses such as garlic bread topped with stewed clams and spaghetti alla chitarra are paired with the wines. The meal is $75 per person.
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.
