Start your weekend with free beer (yes, free beer) at The Berliner, DC’s modern new beer hall near the Georgetown Waterfront. The first 100 people to walk through the biergarten on Thursday will be treated to a beer on the haus from 24 different brews on tap. The place is the newest venture from the Popal family (Lapis Bistro, Cafe Bonaparte).
Love trendy Milk Bar? Learn how to make their seasonal peppermint bark layer cake at a baking class this Saturday from 3 PM to 5 PM at the new Logan Circle location. Plus: the chocolate malt layer cake with warm fudge sauce and crushed peppermints is Insta-ready for the holidays. Tickets are $95.
Local pizza chain Matchbox hosts brunch with Santa this Saturday from 10 AM to noon. The Merrifield, Potomac Mills, Rockville, and Loudoun locations will have a cookie decorating station, a hot chocolate bar, holiday crafts, and, of course, a real live Santa. Tickets, which must be purchased in advance, are $29 for adults and $15 for kids.
Brunch, but better. That’s what chef Eric Adjepong of Pinch & Plate event company (and future Top Chef contestant) promises to teach at his interactive cooking tutorial at Culinaerie on 14th Street this Saturday from noon to 3 PM. If you’ve ever wanted to serve short rib and biscuit sliders, lobster eggs Benedict, or an open-faced bourbon apple pie to your guests, this is your chance. Tickets are $95.
This Saturday and Sunday, Big Bear Cafe‘s lovely garden patio will host a holiday market with 13 local artisans. The market has a selection of off-beat items you’ll be hard-pressed to find somewhere else–think homemade wreaths, handmade quilts, and Trinidadian pepper sauce. Plus you can fuel up in the cafe when you’re done.
Do you have what it takes to be City Tap Penn Quarter‘s Wake-n-Bake champion? On Sunday from 11 AM ti 3 PM, amateur bakers will show off their delicious desserts made from Terrapin Beer Co.‘s Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout. Guests who’d like to sample the treats and judge the winner must pay $10 at the door.
Learn to pair wine with ramen at Toki Underground-on Sunday during a cooking and wine pairing class co-hosted with Common Cru. The course includes a guided tasting of two-ounce pours while you learn to roll your own gyoza dumplings, plus plenty of warm soup to slurp. Tickets are $55, and you can buy a bottle of wine for an additional $10.
On Sunday from 2 PM to 3 PM, Buttercream Bakeshop brings to life the recipes from local cookbook author Cathy Barrow’s latest book, Pie Squared, Irresistibly Easy Sweet & Savory Slab Pie. Purchase samples of Barrow’s kale mushroom pie and grand mocha pie while getting your book signed by the author (the event is free and open to the public).
Pizzeria Paradiso gets in the spirit of giving (and giving you a free beer) this season. Starting Sunday at the Hyattsville location, different branches of the restaurant will accept cans of food from guests, which will be donated to Martha’s Table’s healthy food programs. For every canned item donated, guests will receive a can of beer. On Monday the newest Spring Valley location will participate, followed by Dupont Circle on Tuesday.
And heading into the week…
‘Tis the season for festive drinking. The Royal is throwing an ugly sweater party “Mezcal Under the Mistletoe,” with creative mezcal concoctions and bites on Wednesday from 6:30 PM to 10 PM. Tickets ($60 per person) include three courses (think pork belly pastrami with citrus-mezcal bbq sauce), three-plus cocktails, a mezcal tasting station, gift bags, and more—all from El Silencio Joven and Espadin mezcal.
