Flamenco fest: Celebrate the Spanish folk art of singing, dancing, and guitar playing during Jaleo‘s the two-week long Flamenco Festival, which kicks off Monday at all locations (Bethesda, DC and Crystal City). All week, chef José Andres features tapas from Andalusia, the Spanish birthplace of flamenco, with flights of sherry. From Wednesday to Friday, the restaurants offer a sangria happy hour with ham carving at the bar or at the dinner table. And come back to Jaleo DC on Saturday for brunch “with a side of Flamenco,” which starts at 1 pm.
Spanish pop-up: Keep in the Spanish spirit at Slate Wine Bar for a “Denia Garden” pop-up. Slate’s chef Danny Lledó’s tribute to his family’s homeland in the town of Denia in Valencia, Spain. On Tuesday and Wednesday from 5 to 10 pm, sample the dishes of Denia like serrano ham and goat cheese, Russian Olivier salad with tuna and beets, dried octopus, head-on shrimp, and mushroom croquettes, plus an array of Spanish sweets, beer, and wine (see the full menu here.) Call to make reservations.
Presidential tapas: Watch Hillary and Bernie hash it out at the debate on Wednesday while eating unlimited tapas and drinks at Dupont Circle’s Boqueria. Called “Big Talk, Small Plates,” the viewing party is $45 per person for all-you-can-eat Spanish small plates, draft beer, and sangría.
American history, Korean food: “If we are what we eat, then we’re all part Asian,” says Danielle Chang, the founder of the LUCKYRICE festival, which brings Korean cuisine and culture to the biggest American cities. On Thursday from 6:30 to 9 pm, Chang is coming to the National Museum of American History to talk about the history of Korean food in America while she demonstrates how to cook it. After a panel discussion in the museum’s Coulter Performance Plaza featuring Maria Godoy, host of the NPR food blog, The Salt and authors of Koreatown: A Cookbook, you can dig into some Korean-American snacks. Tickets are $40.
Beer and bocce: Show off your bocce skills while sipping local brews at Pinstripes on Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm. The tournament benefits the Alexandria-based nonprofit aimed at ending prostate cancer. You can sign up as a four-person team for $400 ($100 each player), which covers lunch and all-you-can-drink beers. If bocce ball isn’t for you, you can still attend as a spectator for $5.
Food truck university: Take a deep dive into the booming industry of mobile restaurants at Saturday and Sunday’s Capital City Food Truck Convention at the Hecht Warehouse District. It’s geared toward those already involved in the food truck biz, but hungry fans and aspiring “mobile fashion entrepreneurs” are also encouraged to attend. So if you’re thinking about switching your car out for a food truck, this is your chance to learn how it’s done. Admission is $159, which includes food and drinks.
Incubation time: Peek inside the inner workings of one of DC’s first food incubators, Union Kitchen: Ivy City for an open kitchen tasting and happy hour on Saturday from 6 to 8 pm. According to the Washington City Paper, over 150 local businesses got their start there, so check out the food from new up-and-comers in the restaurant scene at the $10 event.
Family food fun: Learn about food writing, promotion and photography, family meal planning, school gardening, and school lunches at the Real Food for Kids Culinary Challenge on Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm at Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax, Virginia. Student teams from the Fairfax County public schools will prepare a “delicious and nutritious” school meal, which will be judged by Roofers Union chef Marjorie Meek-Bradley and Washington Post food editor Bonnie Benwick, among others. After the competition, there are several free workshops, including one called “What’s a Chicken Nugget?”
Greta started as an editorial fellow in January 2016 and joined as a full-time staff member that August. She now works as a web producer and writer. She was previously an intern at Slate and National Geographic and graduated from the University of Missouri’s Journalism School. She lives in Adams Morgan.
