Take advantage of rainy weather to stay inside and cook Indian dishes like dahi vada, lentil fritters with yogurt sauce, and papri chaat, a street food snack made with potato, chickpeas and chutney. Bombay Bistro and Indique chef K.N. Vinod is teaming up with San Franscisco chef Heena Patel for Zoom demos on Thursday, August 13 at 6 PM. The $55 ticket includes access to the virtual event, recipes, and wine-pairing recommendations.
The annual Tiki Trail, a quasi-bar crawl of the city’s island-themed destinations, kicks off on Friday, August 14. Pick up a $20 ticket at McClellan’s Retreat, and then grab a beach-y cocktail from the Dupont Circle bar as well as other stops like Truxton Inn, Tiki on 18th, or Service Bar. You’ll also get a “passport” that each bar will stamp. Collect all the stamps by Saturday, October 3 for access to a virtual luau with tiki treats from Coconut Club. Fifty percent of ticket proceeds are donated to Friends and Family Meal, an organization supporting hospitality industry workers.
Vibe out at a park picnic on Saturday, August 15 with a live concert from DC’s funk and soul band Aztec Sun. The group starts playing on Big Bear Cafe’s balcony at 6 PM, while the corner cafe is serving coastal bites like hot dogs, boardwalk fries, and ice cream to the adjacent green space.
Burmese restaurant Thamee is supporting recovery efforts in Lebanon with a pop-up Middle Eastern brunch to-go from DC spice and flatbread company Z&Z on Sunday, August 16. A portion of proceeds from the food, including za’atar and sumac-sprinkled fries, labneh wraps, and rose water cocktails will be donated to UNWRA to provide assistance to Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.
Heat seekers can learn how to blend their own hot sauces on Sunday, August 16 at H Street farm Cultivate the City. The $30 hot sauce-making course starts at 1 PM with a harvest from the farm’s collection of peppers, which includes fiery Carolina reapers, ghost peppers, Thai chilis. Scoville students will get some tips on how to make and manage the pepper’s heat, and then sample the farm’s newest line of hot sauces.
If you’ve already got a wicker basket and mastered embroidery during quarantine, up your cottagecore game at Dumbarton House’s virtual tea party on Saturday, August 16. Tea time is at 1 PM, with tutorials on 18th century baked goods and the art of finger sandwiches. An ingredients list will be sent out in advance with the purchase of an $18 ticket.
And heading into next week…
Summer Restaurant Week begins on Monday, August 17, and runs until Sunday, August 30. The two-week event features multi-course menus for dine-in and carryout from participating DC restaurants. If you’re looking for some guidance, our food critic curated her top picks for the promo.
Daniella Byck joined Washingtonian in 2022. She was previously with Outside Magazine and lives in Northeast DC.
