Food

12 Fun Food Events Around DC This Weekend

Hit up a patio pig roast or a taco pool party

The "hot and numbing" pork sausage at The Source's outdoor pig roast. Photo courtesy of The Source by Wolfgang Puck.

You’ve heard of Christmas in July, but what about Thanksgiving? Get your feast on at Smoke & Barrel on Thursday. Chef Logan McGear serves an all-you-can-eat turkey dinner with all the fixings: mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, yams, turnips, kale, and pie for dessert. The $30 ticket to the dinner, which runs from 5 to 9 PM, includes all the food and your first beer from Flying Dog Brewery. 

Tacos on the rooftop at the Liaison Capitol Hill hotel. Photo courtesy of the Liaison Capitol Hill.

Nothing says summer like a pool party—especially one with tacos, frozen margaritas, and “lots and lots of beer.” Head to the Rooftop Lounge at the Liaison Capitol Hill hotel this Friday at 5 PM to take a dip in the pool and watch the sun set over the city. The $20 ticket includes three tacos like braised chicken mole or carne asada, unlimited toppings, and one Modelo Especial beer. Additional beer, frozen margaritas, and chips and guacamole are all available for an extra cost.

Churros at the “Brunch & Learn” class at TapaBar Bethesda. Photo courtesy of TapaBar.

Learn how to prepare a Spanish brunch with chef Alonso Roche on Saturday at 11 AM during a “Brunch & Learn” cooking class at TapaBar Bethesda. Guests will learn to make Spanish-inspired breakfast items like French toast with a vanilla-red wine reduction, vegetable tortilla española, and a smoky gazpacho bloody Mary. The ticket, which costs $40, includes a full meal and bottomless mimosas or sangria. You’ll get a recipe card, too, listing ingredients and instructions for all dishes prepared during the demo, so you can recreate the experience at home.

Greek coffee waffles from the all-you-can-eat brunch at Kapnos Taverna. Photo by Greg Powers.

Get your fitness and your French toast fix all at once at Kapnos Taverna‘s “Barre & Brunch” this Saturday at 10:30 AM. First, you’ll head upstairs to the restaurant’s mezzanine for a barre class with pilates instructor Chauna Bryant. Then, you’ll hit the dining room to refuel with the restaurant’s Greek-inspired all-you-can-eat brunchTickets are $40 (including the class and brunch).

Ayana Patrick, the founder of Bake Sweet Love. Photo courtesy of Ayana Patrick.

Stop by ReCreative Spaces in Mount Rainier, Maryland this Saturday at 2:15 PM for Bake Sweet Love’s pop-up shop, featuring breakfast-themed cupcakes, cookies, and cake pops. Snag one of the shop’s fan favorites—a brown sugar and bourbon babycake—or a new feature, like the cinnamon roll or lemon ricotta ($2.50 each). Pair the treats with coffee from MochaBox, which will be offering samples of new cold brews.

Spend Saturday evening enjoying a pig roast on the patio at The Source by Wolfgang Puck. Highlights from the menu include a whole roasted suckling pig with crispy skin and Szechuan-style pork sausage. Wash it all down with beer pairings from local 3 Stars Brewing Company. The $50 ticket to the event, which runs from 6 to 9 PM, includes entry and all food and drinks.

Inside Big Chief, the location for the Chop Bar pop-up this Sunday.

It can be difficult to score tickets to the Museum of African American History and the James Beard Award-nominated Sweet Home Café inside. Now’s your chance to get a taste of chef Jerome Grant’s West African cooking at the Chop Bar pop-up at Big Chief this Sunday. The tasting menu includes a smoked Chesapeake blue catfish and cassava cake. Tickets ($45) include access to a one-hour open bar at the beginning of the event (1 PM), the full tasting menu, and giveaways like gift certificates and other prizes.

Get a sample of Northern Virginia’s food scene at the first-ever Taste of Springfield “Feast”-ival at Springfield Town Center this Sunday from 12 to 6 PM. Admission is free, and $1 tickets are available for all food vendors. Regional favorites featured at the event include Dixie Bones BBQ, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, and Cakes by Shelby. Families will be entertained with moon bounces, a rock climbing wall, a balloon artist, and live music.

Channel the beach at Drift on 7th, which serves a special surf-and-turf menu alongside games like corn hole this Sunday starting at 12 PM. Guests can try boardwalk-style eats like crab dip for $9 and burgers with fries for $12. Cool off and chill out with a frozen margarita for $8 or an alcoholic “lime-sicle” for $5.

And heading into the week…

The smoked pork sausage and goat cheese polenta to be served at The Pig from July 31st to August 6th. Photo courtesy of The Pig.

The Pig restaurant is teaming up with Pennsylvania’s Pipe Dreams Dairy (where farmers produce French-style goat cheese) for a tasting menu called “Pig Meets Goat.” The new concept, which debuts on Monday, July 31st and will be available until August 6th, features a goat cheese and pig brain panna cotta, and a smoked pork sausage with whipped goat cheese polenta. The cost for the five-course dinner is $40 per person, and it’s offered from 5 to 9 PM.

Starting this Wednesday, August 2nd—and on every Wednesday in August—Millie’s DC is celebrating summer and New England with lobster bake nights from 5 pm to close. $34 gets you the whole shebang: lobster, corn, potatoes, drawn butter, and a cup of chowder.

Cocktails from Columbia Room, winner of “Best American Cocktail Bar.” Photo courtesy of Columbia Room.

In case you missed the big news, DC’s very own Columbia Room won “Best American Cocktail Bar.” On Wednesday, August 2 the Shaw hotspot is teaming up with bartender Jackson Cannon of Boston’s Hawthorne (winner of “Best American Hotel Bar) for a special ode to the daiquiri. The classic cocktail will be available alongside riffs from the bartenders. Make reservations online for seatings at 6 and 9 PM.

Editorial Fellow

Former editorial fellow Erica Sloan is now an editorial assistant at Martha Stewart Weddings and Martha Stewart Living.