Food

11 Fun Food Events Around DC This Weekend

On the menu: free hot dogs, cocktail classes, and Oyster Fest.

Photograph courtesy of Dog Haus.

Rieslings are having a moment, and you can find out why during a blind tasting of the white wines from around the world this  Friday, July 15 at 6:30 PM. The Capital Wine School will host the virtual class and feature wines from Australia, New Zealand, Washington State, Austria, Alsace-France, Germany, and more. Tickets are $85, and you can pick up samples on Thursday, July 14.

The next chapter of the Sammie Standoff competition at Baker’s Daughter (1201 K St., NW; 1402 Okie St., NE; 675 I St., NW) starts on Friday, July 15 with new sandwich creations. This month’s competitors, two seasoned journalists, are serving up a fried bologna sandwich with Zapp’s potato chips that’ll go bread-to-bread with a vegetarian muffaletta. Head to Baker’s Daughter to purchase the sandwich of your choice—the one with the highest sales wins. 

Experience a taste of El Salvador as you learn to make pupusas and elote loco in this interactive cooking class at Galería (1280 Fourth St., NE). On Friday July, 15 at 6:30 PM, participants will be guided through the process of making traditional masa cakes filled with chicharrón, as well as the Salvadoran corn, and they can eat all creations at the end. Tickets are $59 and can be purchased here

Calling all cocktail enthusiasts to the Mixology Class on H Street (1427 H St., NE) where you will learn how to make stirred and shaken classic cocktails. Patrons are invited to go solo at the end and make their own cocktail creation; the best drink will receive a trophy. The event takes place on Friday, July 15 and tickets start at $60. 

Get in your fill of bivalves at The Eleanor’s Oyster Fest (931 Ellsworth Dr., Silver Spring) on Saturday, July 16 from 1 PM to 4 PM. A $29 ticket includes a dozen freshly shucked oysters from War Shore Oyster Company and a cold beer from Silver Branch Brewing. Partial proceeds go to No Kid Hungry. 

Join veteran DC bartender Chantal Tseng on Saturday, July 16 for a round of literary cocktails at The Gibson (2009 14th St., NW). Tseng is crafting a menu of three drinks inspired by “The Future of Another Timeline” by Annalee Newitz, a feminist science-fiction novel. The event has seatings at 6 PM and 8:30 PM and includes light snacks with the purchase of a ticket for $55.  

Fried chicken or ice cream? You can find out during National Ice Cream Day on Sunday. Photograph courtesy of Honeymoon

It’s National Ice Cream Day on Sunday, July 17 and a ton of local ice cream shops are celebrating with free giveaways, special releases, and even ice cream that looks like fried chicken. See our guide to all the fun here.

Sweet tooths can enjoy a five-course dessert tasting menu at Michelin-starred Gravitas (1401 Okie St., NE), which hosts a   progressive pastry experience from chef Aisha Momaney on Sunday, July 17. Try fresh and frozen pluots with cherries and toasted almond sable, peaches with roasted corn cake, and black raspberries three ways with chocolate fondant—all made with local fruit from Black Rock Orchard. Tickets are $82, and an optional wine pairing can be added for $60.

And heading into next week…

Looking for some Monday funday action? Swingers golf bar in Dupont Circle is celebrating their first birthday on Monday, July 18 from 3 PM to midnight with drink deals like  $35 bottles of prosecco, $12 specialty cocktails such as cherry-lemon martinis, and free Mah Ze Dar cookies.

National Hot Dog Day is Wednesday, July 20. In honor of the occasion, all Dog Haus locations (7904 Woodmont Ave., Bethesda; 644 Center Point Way, Gaithersburg; 933 Elsworth Dr., Silver Spring) will be offering a free hot dog to anyone who signs up for a ‘Haus Hook Up’ (texting is involved). If you can’t make it on July 20, Dog Haus is extending a buy one, get one for free offer on the hot dogs through Thursday, July 21.

Three barbers are going to head to head in the Battle of Broad Street cooking competition at Harvey’s (513 West Broad St., Falls Church) on Wednesday, July 20 in support of the Falls Church Education Foundation. Each of the chef-barbers are preparing a dish, such as Beyond Beef kofta with pickled pineapple, or bacon-wrapped poblano peppers. The most popular dish will be featured on Harvey’s menu for one month. The loser has even agreed to receive a permanent tattoo replica of the winning dish. The event is free to attend; food and drinks start at $8.  

Sophia Young
Editorial Fellow