Winter bar party: Iron Gate debuts its patio winter lounge on Monday with a party from 5 to 7. Check out the new furniture, fire pits, and heat lamps while snacking on canapés and two complimentary cocktails ($35 per person). Love drinking outside, even in the cold? Peruse our guide to Washington’s al fresco winter lounges.
Pork and brews: The Pig throws an appropriately pork-filled beer dinner on Tuesday with Devil’s Backbone Brewing Company at 7. Five courses such as ribs with black truffle barbecue sauce are paired with six brews ($50 per person).
Shop, sip, and snack: Taste of the Nation DC and the newly opened Salt & Sundry in Logan Circle team up for Sip & Shop on Wednesday from 6 to 8. Barman Adam Bernbach and chef Haidar Karoum of 2 Birds, 1 Stone prepare drinks and bites, while shoppers can browse holiday gifts. Ten percent of merchandise sold goes toward No Kid Hungry, and anyone who spends $200 can enter a lottery for free VIP tickets to Taste of the Nation. Punch lovers can head to the Union Market location on Thursday for a class with barman Dan Searing, which includes tastes, recipes, and the oppotunity to stock up on bowls and cups ($60 per person).
Tacky sweaters and tasty brews: Roofers Union gets in the holiday vibe with a tacky sweater and local beer party on Wednesday at 6. There’s no fee, though donations are encouraged for the Mary’s Center Toy Drive. Don’t forget to wear something festively awful; outfit contest categories include best sweater, tie, socks, and mystery outfit.
Calling all kilts: The Black Squirrel channels its Scottish side on Friday at 5 with a kilt party featuring Devil’s Backbone Wood-Agd Kilt Flasher. The kitchen whips up dishes like a Soctch-egg burger and oyster stew to pair with the beer and ten other brews from the Virginia producer. Anyone dressed in a kilt receives 10 percent off the bill.
Winemaker dinner: Dino’s Grotto chef/owner Dean Gold is pretty jazzed about winemaker Frank Cornelissen‘s vino, and hosts a dinner with him on Friday at 6:30. Expect plenty of pours from the Italian vineyard and a six-course menu ($145 per person).
A sugar lover’s buffet: The Ritz-Carlton Washington DC throws its annual sweets buffet on Saturday from 7:30 to 11 in the lobby (and again on Saturday, December 20). The spread includes plenty of chocolate desserts, holiday candies, a candy “bar,” and Champagne cocktails. Reservations are $45.
Bring the kids: Chef Michel Richard hosts Sweet Hope on Saturday from 1 to 3 at Central, a dessert reception benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Bring an unwrapped toy or monetary donation and enjoy desserts from Richard, caroling, an elf balloon artist, and more. RSVP to pdr@centralmichelrichard.com.
More truffles: Chef Roberto Donna whips up a truffle dinner at Alba Osteria on Saturday at 7, starring white truffles over six courses paired with Italian wines. Reservations are $160, and can be made by calling the restaurant.
Pig bomb: Every tried a mortadella-stuffed “suckling pig torpedo”? Now you can during a prix-fixe wine dinner with celebrity chef Jose Garces at Rural Society on Saturday, starting with a reception at 6:30. The five-course meal is limited to 50 guests ($150 per person). Call Robert Esplen at 202-587-2617 for reservations.
Bad-sweater brunch: Don your holiday worst and head to STK for an ugly-sweater bottomless brunch on Sunday between 11:30 and 6. The party includes a dejay, $18 all-you-can-drink brunch cocktails, an à-la-carte menu, and a contest for best/worst outfit (the prize: another brunch for two).
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.
