Celebrate all things watermelon this Thursday at DC Central Kitchen’s Watermelon Palooza fundraiser. Chefs and mixologists from the Salt Line, Osteria Morini, Ice Cream Jubilee, and more are serving a selection of drinks and bites made fresh with watermelon from Up Top Acres, Navy Yard’s rooftop farm. The ticket to the event, which happens at the farm from 6 to 9 PM, costs $60, and all proceeds support DC Central Kitchen’s mission to end local hunger and poverty.
Eight years of Room 11 means $8 specials this Thursday, August 24th starting at 5 PM. Celebrate the restaurant’s anniversary with Room 11 classics like the burnt sugar old fashioned and strawberry-peach-jalapeño sangria (both $8). Dishes from the kitchen’s original menu, including grilled cheese and kofta kabobs, will also be available for $8 each until 1 AM (or while supplies last).
Restaurant Week might be over, but happy hour week is just getting started: beginning this Thursday, all EatWellDC restaurants (The Pig, The Bird, Commissary, Logan Tavern, and Grillfish) are offering a $13 happy hour prix-fixe including two drinks and a small plate. Several crowd favorites are included in the deal, like the “Big A$$ Pretzel” at Logan Tavern, and the fried chicken sandwich at Commissary. Happy Hour Week specials are available during each restaurant’s normal happy hours, until August 31st.
Ris restaurant in Foggy Bottom is whipping out the mini umbrellas, mixing up the coconut drinks, and roasting a whole suckling pig this Friday for its first-ever luau night. Additional food offerings include a raw bar with tuna poke and oysters, grilled chicken kebabs, and crab rangoons. Chill out and listen to a ukulele performance or participate in a limbo contest, all while sipping Hawaiian-inspired cocktails like mai tais and mezcal daiquiris. The ticket to the event, which goes from 6:30 to 9 PM, costs $60 and includes all food and drink.
Bring the whole family to Arena Stage’s community day this Saturday from noon to 6 PM to taste free samples from restaurants in Southwest DC and the forthcoming District Wharf development. Mike Isabella’s Requin, Muze at the Mandarin Oriental, Station 4, and more. Also at the event: live music and dance performances, storytelling, poetry, and a costume sale featuring select items from historic Arena Stage productions like Guys and Dolls, Damn Yankees, and The Music Man.
And heading into the week…
Combine happy hour with retail therapy next Wednesday, August 30th at Ann Taylor. The store at 1140 Connecticut Ave., NW is celebrating the launch of its new denim collection by serving up free drinks and bites from 6 to 8 PM. Offerings include a smoked chicken and mango rice cake, seared ahi tuna, and cookie dough bites, as well as sparkling water and champagne. Buy two or more pairs of full-priced jeans to get 40 percent off, and arrive early for the chance to receive an Ann Taylor gift card.
Former editorial fellow Erica Sloan is now an editorial assistant at Martha Stewart Weddings and Martha Stewart Living.
