Whether you’re a mixologist in training or rum nut, stop by a demo in cocktail creation with Ron del Barrilito, Puerto Rico’s oldest rum. Their master brand specialist will be at Seven Reasons from 12 to 3 PM on Thursday. The event is free (register here) and includes snacks.
Take in the skyline and say goodbye to summer at BLT Steak’s final Wines over Washington event on Thursday from 6 to 8 PM. Guests can sip wine from Beaulieu Vineyards and enjoy bites by chef Michael Bonk on the restaurant’s rooftop terrace. Tickets are $85.
Be sure to stop by Slapfish at 11 AM on Friday. The Dupont Circle seafood shack—the first DC location of the sustainably minded chain—is offering its first 100 guests free lobster rolls.
Break out your dancing shoes on Saturday for Calle Latina, a free all-day concert and block party celebrating La Cosecha’s September opening. Expect a lively celebration with food and drink from the Latin American marketplace’s partners like Peruvian Brothers and Union Market’s Arepa Zone, plus dance lessons, face painting, and more. Grammy-winning Latin fusion band Ozomatli will headline the event. Register here.
On Saturday, Inca Social in Vienna will celebrate Brazil’s Independence Day with a fundraising benefit for the Amazon rainforest. The kitchen will showcase its usual array of Peruvian fare and craft beers. In recognition of the current ecological crisis, the restaurant will donate 10 percent of all sales from 9 PM to 2 AM to Earth Alliance, an organization which funds the protection of indigenous lands and communities in Brazil.
Beat the heat by stopping by Shaw’s Gelato Festival on Saturday and Sunday hosted by City Market at O. Get your fill with all-you-can-eat gelato at the competition stations, which scoop inventive flavors by local and visiting artisans. You can also learn to make the classic Italian treat at the festival’s gelato-making school. Tickets are $25.
Though we’ll have to wait until the winter to visit Cranes, Washingtonians can get a taste of Penn Quarter’s forthcoming Spanish kaiseki restaurant on Sunday. Chef Pepe Moncayo will join chef Matt Baker for a pop-up five-course tasting menu dinner at Gravitas, showcasing his take on Spanish-Japanese fusion cuisine. Reservations ($90, exclusive of tax, tip, and alcohol) are available here.
Start DC Beer Week off on the right foot by stopping by the official kickoff party at Bluejacket on Sunday at noon. Be sure to grab a pour of Solidarity Beer 2019, a German-style lager that will serve as the official beer for this year’s festivities. The event is free to the public and will also feature guest beers from local favorites like DC Brau and Right Proper Brewing Company. And there’s so much more to come! Here’s our guide to the Best DC Beer Week events including tap takeovers, parties, crab feasts, brewer meet-and-greets, and so much more.
And heading into next week…
Those hoping to hold on to summer should stop by Fish By José Andrés on Monday for a crab feast. Chase away the DC humidity with Trabanco Cider and $23 tempura soft shell crab on the patio.
Meanwhile, DC Beer Week is in full swing as local breweries go head-to-head in the sixth annual Battle of Barrel-Aged Beer at Boundary Stone on Tuesday. The six breweries – including reigning champs 3 Stars Brewery – sourced their liquor barrels from local distilleries for this year’s competition. Spectators will get six tasters and a voting token each to help decide which beer will prevail this year. Tickets start at $30.
Madeline Rundlett is an editorial fellow for Washingtonian. She previously covered All-Met sports for the Washington Post and was an editorial intern at The Hill. Madeline graduated from the George Washington University with a degree in Political Communication in 2019.
