Taste of the Nation: More than 80 local chefs and bartenders are coming together for Taste of the Nation for No Kid Hungry, a benefit gala at the National Building Museum on Monday from 6 to 9:30 p.m.. You can still buy tickets ($120 for regular admission; $175 for VIP) here. Restaurants whipping up sample plates and cocktails include Bourbon Steak, Cava Mezze, Compass Rose, Le Diplomate, Toki Underground, The Royal, and many more.
A “secret” dinner: If you have a hard time choosing what to eat when you go out, The Fainting Goat will choose for you. Its Goat Underground dinner on Monday at 7 p.m. features a seven to nine course menu (with cocktails and wine pairings), which will be unveiled when you sit down. It’s $90 to $120 per person—make a reservation at 202-735-0344.
Hot chicken: The chefs behind Trummer’s on Main in Clifton are paying tribute to Nashville’s traditional hot chicken with its Jailbird pop-up, starting Tuesday. Through May 26, you can try hot fried quail sliders, Tennessee and Virginia hams with buttermilk biscuits, a “meat and three” featuring barbecue pork and jicama slaw, and of course, hot chicken. Also on the menu: sides like black eyed peas and biscuits with Andouille gravy, and fried biscuit doughnut holes and bourbon ice cream for a cool down after the spicy meal.
Farmers’ market season: Local produce lovers, rejoice! More Freshfarm markets are up and running this week. They include the Crystal City and Foggy Bottom markets (opening Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, from 3 to 7 p.m), and the White House and Penn Quarter markets, which run Thursday from 3 to 7 p.m.. Look for other locations, including H Street, Annapolis, and CityCenter, to set up shop in April and early May.
Mexican-American cooking: Learn how to make tortillas and salsa from scratch on Friday at 2 p.m, as part of at the National Museum of American History’s monthly “Cooking up History” series. The president of Napa’s Ceja Vineyards will share the cooking tricks she first learned from her grandmother in Jalisco, Mexico, including how to pair wine with Mexican food. It’s free!
National Empanada Day: Crispy pockets of meat and cheese deserve their own holiday, right? Cuba Libre Restaurant and Rum Bar thinks so, and is offering a dollar empanada happy hour from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday.
Gravitas pop-up: Forthcoming Shaw restaurant Gravitas is taking over the lounge The Source on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Chef Matt Baker is collaborating with his host, chef Scott Drewno, to create a menu of bao buns, dumplings, and dishes such as shiso-cured sashimi with ginger/cucumber relish. It’s $75 per person—get tickets here.
Oyster fest: Dupont Circle’s Hank’s Oyster Bar is hosting its ninth annual oyster fest on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with all-you-can-eat raw, fried, and barbecued oysters, plus popcorn shrimp and unlimited draft beers. Tickets are $90.
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.
