Enroll in a taco tutorial on Thursday at Dyllan’s Raw Bar Grill, and learn how to make your own tortillas and prep taco fillings. Tickets are $55 per person and include a glass of wine to sip while you stir.
Become a java connoisseur and learn how to brew coffee like a pro at a Baked Joint on Friday. The $3 ticket covers a coffee cupping lesson, using taste and smell to study six different coffees from around the world.
Sample jambalaya, gyros, and tikka masala from 24 restaurants around Northern Virginia at Taste of Reston on Friday and Saturday. Stop by the Wine ‘n Dine booth to watch cooking demonstrations and take a culinary souvenir home.
Crack into crawfish at Rustico Ballston‘s third annual Bluegrass & Crawfish Boil on Saturday starting at noon. The family-friendly, Southern-style feast includes a la carte crawfish, sides, and beers from producers like Blue Jacket and Ocelot. There’s also live music throughout the day and night. Admission is free, or get an early VIP ticket for $25.
Go pig or go home at DBGB’s beer and butchery class on Saturday with Flying Dog Brewery flights and a lesson on breaking down a whole hog. The course culminates with a nose-to-tail meal featuring crispy pork belly, charcuterie, and pork loin. The class and dinner are $85 per person.
Journey to Puglia, Italy through pasta on Saturday at Sfoglina Van Ness’ pasta-making course. For $75, learn how to shape orecchiette and cavatelli. Participants also partake in a pasta tasting, with an edible souvenir for the road.
Michelin star chef Nicholas Stefanelli is heading to George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate for a garden party dinner on Saturday. The menu sources ingredients from the Commonwealth like Mount Vernon carrots, fried Virginia oysters, and grits from Washington’s gristmill. Tickets are $175 for Mount Vernon members and $200 for non-members.
Summer days were made for barbecue, and DC Brau is popping up at Moreland’s Tavern for a Bra-B-Q on Sunday. For $25 per person, ‘cue fans can load up their plates with slow-roasted pig, hot dogs, and fixings like pasta salad and baked beans. The first glass of DC Brau is complimentary, and subsequent brews are $5.
Vegetables also get the spotlight on Sunday at the Indian Vegetarian Food Festival , part of the Indian Embassy’s DC Day of Yoga. After stretching and bending at the Washington Monument from 8:30 to 10:30 AM, head to the Freer Sackler museum and load up on plant-based dishes from around the Indian subcontinent.
And heading into next week…
Take a front row seat at Boqueria Penn Quarter’s chef counter on Tuesday for a dinner inspired by the restaurant’s new cookbook. Executive chef Marc Vidal is traveling from the New York headquarters and preparing the five course dinner, firing up the grill to char ribeye with spiced butter and salt grilled peel-and-eat prawns (dinner is $120 per person).
DC-area restaurants are hosting refugee and asylum seeking chefs for the Tables Without Borders dinner series, Monday through Saturday. Reserve a seat at local spots like Maydan and Himitsu as chefs from South Sudan, El Salvador, Syria, Afghanistan, and China cook dishes from their home countries for a cause. Proceeds benefit HIAS, an organization working with refugee resettlement.
Daniella Byck joined Washingtonian in 2022. She was previously with Outside Magazine and lives in Northeast DC.
