Head to Gravitas on Thursday at 7 PM when Jermann winemaker Felix Jermann lends commentary on a variety of wines—like ‘Vintage Tunina’ and ‘Where Dreams Have No End’—from his Friuli-Venezia winery.Cleanse your palette with canapes, followed by a five-course meal as the night transitions from the restaurant’s rooftop to the dining room. Tickets are $225 including tax and gratuity.
There’s nothing like watching an aficionado practice their craft. That opportunity presents itself on Thursday from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM at Big Bear Cafe when oyster podcaster and enthusiast Gardner Douglas—a.k.a. the “Oyster Ninja”—shucks away on cafe patio. Available inside are other eastern Maryland specials like hush puppies and crab sandwiches, plus specials on beers and wines. Food and drink are priced individually.
There is one silver lining to this sweltering heat. For the rest of the month, British chain Leon is selling iced Americanos for $1 at its L Street location during open hours. If the temperature happens to be above 95 degrees, complain to the cashier that “it’s baking hot” outside and your iced Americano order comes free.
As the sun sets on Thursday Tiger Fork’s first night market of the summer will emerge from 8 PM to 1 AM. Browse vendor’s stalls while sampling bites from guest chefs like Hot Lola’s Kevin Tien and Bar Shouji’s Benjamin Sawyer. Tiger Fork’s own Jong Son is also preparing favorites from the late night menu along with cocktails in the style of Chinese medicinal libations and Filibuster Bourbon tastings.
Mission Navy Yard is turning one—not old enough to drink, but old enough to enable everybody else to. On Friday, from 7 PM all the way to 3 AM, pick from a generous list of celebratory drink deals: El Jimador or Bud Lite go for $5, while house margaritas and Dos Equis are $8. Stick around long enough for some free cake, Champagne, and tequila.
Laura Lockett, a DC-based food photographer, shows you the ropes of culinary photography on Saturday from 10 AM to 12 PM at Lemon Collective. Her course promises to teach compositional tools like lighting and backgrounds, and provide food styling tips. Your Instagram followers might thank you. Tickets are $65.
Throw your internal calendar for a loop on Saturday from 11 AM to 3 PM with City Tap Dupont’s Christmas drag brunch. Wash down $10 “Bad Santa” French toast with “Tipsy Elf” cocktails for $8. Alternatively, donate some new clothes or toys to Martha’s Table for a free beer or glass or wine.
Cool down with rum and ceviche starting Saturday at Cotton & Reed. Amparo chef Christian Irabién previews his upcoming restaurant with Pepino, a pop-up that runs from noon to 8 PM on weekends (4 to 10 PM Thursdays and Fridays). The menu includes six ceviches like Hawaiian sunfish “Pepino, Sal y Mar” and the citrus-shrimp “Ceviche De Camaron” ($7 to $16). Cotton & Reed is providing a line of rum cocktails and slushies for $12.
On Sunday, the DC weather forecast claims a high of 98 degrees. Fortunately, Sunday is also National Ice Cream Day. My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream is giving out free mochi from 11 AM to 4 PM outside of Union Station to celebrate or rescue you from mid-July.
Chef Aarthi Sampath is traveling 200 miles and bringing Sri Lankan flavors from 9,000 miles away this weekend. The NYC-based Rainbow Room chef is teaming up with Doi Moi’s Johanna Hellrigl on Sunday and Monday, replacing the typical menu with Sri Lankan fare: stir-fried crab curry, Sri Lankan funnel cake, goat biryani, and more.
And heading into the week…
RARE Steakhouse is your one-stop shop for surf and turf on Tuesday from 5:30 to 8:30 PM when it presents endless tastes of dry-aged meats, including locally sourced ribeye and rose veal, plus a raw bar. The feast is paired with free-flowing samples of vintages from NorCal’s Freemark Abbey and Siduri wineries. Tickets, which include both food and wine, are $49.
Ruin any fantasies for an upcoming beach trip with The Salt Line’s free outdoor viewing of Jaws on Wednesday beginning at 8 PM. Sip your way through the movie with Narragansett for $4.
