The annual Washington Humane Society dessert and champagne reception returns Wednesday, February 4, 2015 to the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. This event honors our local animal crusaders while raising critical funds to help care for the homeless pet population in our nation’s capital and is presented by Trade Center Management Associates, the operator of the Ronald Reagan Building.
NEW this year, hosts Chef Todd Gray and Ellen Kassoff Gray will kick off the event with an Exclusive Experience, open to only 50 guests! Guaranteed to please, this interactive experience starts at 6:00 p.m. If you love knowing how it’s made, join host Chef Todd Gray as he delights Exclusive Experience guests with a liquid nitrogen “dip-n-dots” demonstration station. Grab a scoop of freshly made dip-n-dots and see how nitrogen works to create these much-loved beads of confection. This Exclusive Experience also includes sugar pulling demonstrations by Co Co Sala, the opportunity to hand craft truffles with the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center’s own pastry chef, Shane Goettlicher, exclusive drinks from Cava’s very own mixologist Jason Gehring, and more! Tickets are $250 each, which also includes entry to both the VIP and general receptions.
The VIP Chefs’ Tasting Room provides guests with an elite savory gathering from 6:00pm – 8:00pm. Exquisite samplings will be prepared by the finest chefs in the region. A limited number of tickets are available for $150 each and include entry to the main event.
Doors to the general reception open at 7:00pm and tickets are $90 each. The area’s most talented pastry chefs will dazzle the senses with visionary works of edible art, gorgeous gourmet desserts, champagne, and some of the finest sparkling wines until 9:00pm.
Throughout the event, guests will be able to purchase Golden Tickets for the chance to win amazing once-in-a-lifetime prizes. Golden Tickets are just $50 each and only 250 will be sold onsite at the event.
To purchase tickets and to see the lineup of culinary talent, visit www.sugarandchampagne.org. As always, leashed dogs are welcome and encouraged to attend (no retractable leashes please). All proceeds will directly benefit the animals and programs of the Washington Humane Society. This event is for guests aged 21 and over, please bring a valid photo ID.
This event will sell out! Visit www.sugarandchampagne.org for more information and tickets.
Pike & Rose, the new pedestrian-oriented, urban-minded neighborhood in the heart of Montgomery County, Maryland, and a key component in the revitalization of the White Flint District, is pleased to announce the first-ever Pike & Rose Audio Visual Arts (PRAVA) Festival. The free-to-attend event on Saturday, February 7, 6PM – 2AM, is a one-night immersive art experience featuring international, national, and regional artists.
Artists from Washington, D.C., Baltimore, New York, Boston, and the Netherlands will present musical performances and art installations spanning 40,000 square feet over three floors of office space at Pike & Rose. The event is open to guests 18 and older and is free to attend with online registration at www.PRAVAFest.org.
PRAVA is curated and produced by Nuit Blanche New York (NBNY) in partnership with Materials & Methods.
Featured PRAVA artists include:
Allard Van Hoorn, a Netherlands-based sound, installation and performance artist will collaborate with Baltimore’s Charm City Roller Girls to turn the 6th floor of the office building into a choreographed roller arena. Van Hoorn will create electronic music live by recording and remixing the sounds of the roller skates as they move around and through the audience.
Matmos, an experimental duo originally from San Francisco and now based in Baltimore, incorporates odd, unusual, and ‘found’ sounds into its rhythmic music, sampling sounds ranging from cards shuffling to a frozen stream thawing in the sun.
Mal Devisa will perform songs from her EP, For Daisy with Honey, and her most recent album, 4U. A solo artist based in Amherst, MA, whose music draws from indie favorites, jazz notes, and lo-fi rock, Mal Devisa plays the bass, keyboard, and drum. A sound-reactive light show will illuminate the audience with each kick she gives the bass drum on stage.
Johnathon Monaghan, a DC-based artist, will present his video, “Office,” which depicts a highly-realistic office space containing an elaborate Baroque sculpture framed with blue neon tubing. As the video continues, the sculpture of a long-dead aristocrat explodes in slow motion across the uninhabited office. Set to tinkling music, the video progresses with a hypnotic pace.
Brian Chase, the drummer for the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, and Ursula Scherrer, a New York City-based video artist, will collaborate to create an improvised audio-visual piece. Responding to Chase’s performance, Scherrer will use multiple projectors to create a mesmerizing, visual landscape.
GEMS, DC’s dream-pop duo, will perform new songs and their debut EP, Medusa. The duo makes romantic, heartbreaking music: Clifford John’s supporting, low voice balances Lindsay Pitts’ haunting pitch as they effortlessly weave their voices with hazy guitar sounds and lush synthesizers, all punctuated by a strong, danceable beat.
Promoting patriotism, historic preservation and supporting America’s service men and women are some of the many reasons young members join the District of Columbia Societies of the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution (DCSSAR and DCDAR). Volunteer efforts focused on helping our servicemen and their families have been a high priority in recent years for young members of the non-profit, non-political service organizations.
DCSSAR and DCDAR cordially invite you to the 2nd Annual Sweethearts and Patriots Gala and Silent Auction benefiting Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) on February 7, 2015, from 9pm-1am. The patriotic black-tie (optional) gala will be held at the historic City Tavern Club (CTC) in the heart of Georgetown. Attendees will enjoy an open bar, desserts, dancing, socializing and the opportunity to bid on incredible items at our silent auction. Attendees of the gala are invited to attend the post-gala party hosted at Chi Di of Georgetown.
The annual Sweethearts and Patriots gala is organized jointly by young members of the District of Columbia Society of the Sons of the American Revolution and members of the District of Columbia Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Each year the gala benefits a different local organization that supports Veterans – chosen by the Founders Committee. Founders Committee members include Carl Bedell, Reid Collins, Andrew Dye, Kate Henvey, Julie Kinzer, Carina May and Leslie Ogden.
TAPS offers compassionate care to all those grieving the death of a loved one serving in our Armed Forces. Since 1994, TAPS has provided comfort and hope 24 hours a day, seven days a week through a national peer support network and connection to grief resources, all at no cost to surviving families and loved ones. Learn more at http://www.taps.org/.
Washington, D.C. chef and grill master Victor Albisu will host a James Beard Foundation’s Celebrity Chef Tour dinner at Del Campo, his nationally recognized South American grill, on Wednesday, February 11. Albisu will team up with 10 other culinary talents from North and South America for an evening of spectacular food. The East meets the South with Asian passed hors d’oeuvres followed by a South American seated dinner. Proceeds from the event will benefit The James Beard Foundation.
“It’s an honor to host and cook along side so many talented chefs, and a personal privilege to highlight some of the world’s great, unheralded cuisines,” said chef/owner Victor Albisu. “My mother’s side of the family is Peruvian, so South American cooking is one of my passions. I’m honored that talented chefs from North America and Buenos Aires will be cooking under one roof for this very special dinner.”
Passed hors d’oeuvres will be prepared by celebrated D.C. chefs Erik Bruner-Yang of Toki Underground, Scott Drewno, executive chef of The Source by Wolfgang Puck, Haidar Karoum, chef/partner of Doi Moi, Estadio and Proof, Jonah Kim, chef/partner of the forthcoming restaurant Yona, and Danny Lee, co-owner of Mandu. Cocktails will be provided by Del Campo bar manager, Mary Kelly and Mike Isabella Concepts beverage director, Taha Ismail.
Six acclaimed chefs from North and South America will share in the creation of the evening’s five-course menu:
- Chef Victor Albisu of Del Campo (Washington, D.C.)
- JBF Award Winner Chef Jamie Bissonnette of Coppa and Toro (Boston, MA)
- Chef Chris Ford, Corporate Pastry Chef of Bryan Voltaggio Restaurants (Frederick, MD)
- Chef Anthony Lamas of Seviche (Louisville, KY)
- JBF Award Winner Chef Michael Schlow of Tico (Washington, D.C.)
- Chef Antonio Soriano of Astor Bistro (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
The Celebrity Chef Tour showcases the culinary artistry of James Beard Foundation Award winners and celebrity chefs in restaurants, resorts, and other exclusive venues around the country. Like dining at the James Beard House, guests have the rare opportunity to interact with the participating chefs throughout the evening and savor specially designed tasting menus complete with wine and beverage pairings.
When: Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Where: Del Campo, 777 I St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
Time: 6:30pm
Price: $195 inclusive of tax and gratuity
Tickets are on sale now at http://www.
POV Live presents HEARTBREAK HOTEL For all you lovers and love-haters out there, join us for a special dance party to kick off the Valentine’s Day weekend featuring some of the area’s buzziest bands. Featuring local artists: Furniteur Pleasure Curses Outputmessage
$10 cocktail specials!
Black Jack will host an inaugural Capital Cocktail Competition on Mardi Gras, an evening benefitting the Black’s Family Foundation that will pit eight teams of top bartenders from across the city against each other in a secret ingredient style challenge. The judging panel will be comprised of Duane Sylvestre, lead bartender, Bourbon Steak DC, Svetlana Legetic, founder, BrightestYoungThings.com and Scott Drewno, regional executive chef, The Source by Wolfgang Puck. In addition to having the opportunity to sample auctioned drinks from each competing bar team, guests will enjoy a welcome cocktail, Mardi Gras-inspired passed bites including freshly shucked Barren Island oysters compliments of Congressional Seafood, BBQ pulled pork sandwiches on Addie’s rolls, crawfish hushpuppies, Black Jack’s signature duck nachos, and shrimp campeche from chef Colleen Conrad. Drink specials such as $2 pours of Abita Amber and Flying Dog, and $2 Bacardi hurricanes, both frozen and on the rocks, will also be available for purchase, in addition to Black Jack’s full bar menu.
Each bar team will be shown a secret ingredient, given two minutes to plan a cocktail and five minutes to execute two identical drinks. One cocktail will be judged by appearance, flavor and technique/creativity, while the other will be auctioned off to the crowd for charity. Drinks will be scored and a winner will be chosen to move to the next round until the 2015 Capital Cocktail Competition winner is crowned.
The line up of competing bar teams includes:
D.J. Suan & Frank Manganiello, Black Jack/Pearl Dive Oyster Palace
Noah Broaddus & Pete Sit, Café Saint Ex/Bar Pilar
Torrence Swain & Rachel Vistica, Founding Farmers/Farmers Fishers & Bakers
Jo-Jo Valenzuela& Bryan Tetorakis, Gypsy Soul
Jason Strich & Mike Saccone, Hank’s on the Hill
Trevor Frye & Justin Hampton, Jack Rose
Taha Ismail, Mike Isabella Concepts & Scotty Holland, Kapnos
Christine Kim & Anthony Marlowe, TICO
All ticket purchases include entrance to Black Jack, which will be closed to non-ticket holders, drink specials, and complimentary passed bites. DJ Brandon Duff will be spinning for the duration of the event and bar manager E. Jay Apaga will emcee the festivities.
WHAT : The 10thAnnual Turn Up the Heat: A Celebration of Women Chefs celebrates the talents of renowned women chefs and supports the work of the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance. Attendees enjoy a live auction, and a tasting from the top women in the industry, featuring nearly 60 women chefs, restaurant owners and mixologists.
Attendees include cancer survivors, supporters of the Alliance, corporations and leaders in business, health care and oncology. This year the gala celebrates its 10th Anniversary: ten years of delicious food, celebration, and support to those touched by ovarian cancer.
WHERE: Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20004
WHEN: Wednesday, February 18, 2015 6:00 PM
WHY: Turn Up the Heat is an important fundraiser for the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance and allows us to continue our vital work on behalf of ovarian cancer survivors. Ovarian cancer is one of the most common cancers for women, and is the deadliest gynecologic cancer. This gala allows the Alliance to provide support to women who are diagnosed, educate the public about ovarian cancer and speak up for our community on Capitol Hill and throughout the country.
WHO: 60+ WOMEN CHEFS, RESTAURANTEURS & MIXOLOGISTS
Our participating chefs come from every corner of the DMV. From food trucks to fine dining, they represent the wealth of women working in our region’s restaurant industry. As we mark our 10th Anniversary, our number of chefs taking part reaches a record high. Several chefs are themselves ovarian cancer survivors or have personal connections to this cause. Visit our gala website or contact the Alliance for the most recent list of participating chefs.
CONTACT: For more information about the Gala, to view a list of participating chefs and to purchase tickets, visit www.ovariancancer.org/gala .
As part of his new 20+ city national tour, Harry Connick, Jr. will perform two shows in the Music Center at Strathmore on Friday, February 20 and Saturday, February 21, 2015 at 8 p.m.—making Strathmore the only venue hosting back-to-back concerts during this tour. The shows will feature music from Connick’s vast musical catalog, including songs from his most recent releases Smokey Mary and Every Man Should Know. To date, Connick has released 29 albums, won three Grammy Awards and two Emmy Awards, and garnered sales of 28 million. Tickets are currently on sale to Strathmore Stars, and will be available to the general public on Wednesday, December 3, 2014 at 10 a.m. For more information or to purchase tickets, call (301) 581-5100 or visit www.strathmore.org.
With Every Man Should Know, Connick triumphs once again with a depth of feeling that signals another milestone for one of the music world’s most multi-faceted artists. Critics have been quick to agree with People Magazine calling it “impressive,” and the Boston Globe saying the album features “his most thoughtful and personal songs to date” and says it’s “an album that every Harry Connick, Jr. fan should own.”
Connick recently returned for a second year as judge on “American Idol,” with season 14 of the show premiering in January 2015. Since his addition to the judges’ panel, critics and fans alike have praised Connick’s contributions to the show, with Variety proclaiming that Connick “brings fun back to American Idol,” and Entertainment Weekly raving that he brings a “frank honesty but also lighthearted energy” to the show, “offering thoughtful critiques” resulting in a “fun, rollicking viewing experience.” Regarding his debut as a judge in season 13, USA Today stated that “Connick deserves most of the praise for what promises to be a creative turnaround for Idol… While Connick can be as tough as he needs to be, he’s also charming, engaging and, when he wants to be, hysterically funny.”
As part of his new 20+ city national tour, Harry Connick, Jr. will perform two shows in the Music Center at Strathmore on Friday, February 20 and Saturday, February 21, 2015 at 8 p.m.—making Strathmore the only venue hosting back-to-back concerts during this tour. The shows will feature music from Connick’s vast musical catalog, including songs from his most recent releases Smokey Mary and Every Man Should Know. To date, Connick has released 29 albums, won three Grammy Awards and two Emmy Awards, and garnered sales of 28 million. Tickets are currently on sale to Strathmore Stars, and will be available to the general public on Wednesday, December 3, 2014 at 10 a.m. For more information or to purchase tickets, call (301) 581-5100 or visit www.strathmore.org.
With Every Man Should Know, Connick triumphs once again with a depth of feeling that signals another milestone for one of the music world’s most multi-faceted artists. Critics have been quick to agree with People Magazine calling it “impressive,” and the Boston Globe saying the album features “his most thoughtful and personal songs to date” and says it’s “an album that every Harry Connick, Jr. fan should own.”
Connick recently returned for a second year as judge on “American Idol,” with season 14 of the show premiering in January 2015. Since his addition to the judges’ panel, critics and fans alike have praised Connick’s contributions to the show, with Variety proclaiming that Connick “brings fun back to American Idol,” and Entertainment Weekly raving that he brings a “frank honesty but also lighthearted energy” to the show, “offering thoughtful critiques” resulting in a “fun, rollicking viewing experience.” Regarding his debut as a judge in season 13, USA Today stated that “Connick deserves most of the praise for what promises to be a creative turnaround for Idol… While Connick can be as tough as he needs to be, he’s also charming, engaging and, when he wants to be, hysterically funny.”
