As the end of winter hibernation nears, BRABO and Catoctin Creek are gearing up for a celebration of seasonal cuisine and spirits from Virginia! Following a festive fall event where the beloved homegrown establishments brought autumnal flavor pairings together, the Old Town restaurant and Purcellville-based distillery are teaming up again for a spring sipping soiree.
On Thursday, March 29, Catoctin Creek founders, Becky and Scott Harris, will be taking over BRABO’s brasserie to offer an exclusive tasting of the distillery’s popular products and special releases including the Roundstone Rye 80 whiskey, the Watershed Gin, the Old Tom Style “Peach Barrel” Watershed Gin, and the Short Hill Mountain Peach Brandy. Becky and Scott will share the stories behind the creation of each product while pouring a healthy taste for guests to enjoy.
BRABO’s Lead Bartender Brett Oye will create special off-the-menu cocktails for the evening and provide guests with the inspiration behind each drink. As whiskey and gin enthusiasts decide whether they prefer their spirit neat or in cocktail form, Executive Chef Sebastien Rondier will serve an elaborate cheese and charcuterie display alongside a menu of satisfying French hors d’oeuvres thoughtfully created to pair with the featured beverages. The evening’s food pairings will be presented side by side with each spirit and includes the following highlights:
- Sweet corn fritter with crispy speck ham and espresso aioli
- Slow-braised Virginia quail and a sunny-side up quail egg on rye bread
- Grilled local oyster with savory fennel compote and shaved scallions
- BBQ-style foie gras with spiced pecans
- Gin affogato
The spring soiree will be filled with lively conversation, a personal Q&A with the BRABO and Catoctin Creek teams, plenty of whiskey and gin, and surprising flavor pairings reflecting the best of the season!
What: BRABO & Catoctin Creek: Spring Cocktail Party
When: Thursday, March 29
Time: 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Where: BRABO. 1600 King Street. Alexandria, VA 22314
Tickets: Tickets are $70 each, include all food and drink, and are available at https://brabocatoctincreekparty.eventbrite.com. Guests must be 21+ to attend.
ABOUT BRABO
BRABO is committed to delivering exceptional food, superior service and an outstanding experience to guests. Executive Chef Sebastien Rondier offers sophisticated cuisine that is inspired by French and European techniques and flavors, and made with the highest-quality ingredients. BRABO’s seasonal menu is complemented by carefully-crafted cocktails by Lead Bartender Brett Oye and an extensive wine list that was awarded Wine Spectator’s coveted “Best of Award of Excellence” in 2017. Adjacent to the Kimpton Lorien Hotel & Spa, BRABO is an Old Town Alexandria favorite known for its neighborly friendliness. For more information, call 703-894-3440 or visit www.BRABOrestaurant.com. The restaurant is located at 1600 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22314; is open seven days a week; and offers private-dining services. Follow BRABO on Facebook and Instagram.
WHEN:
Saturday, April 7, 2018; 5:30 P.M. ET
WHERE:
U.S. Capitol Grounds
WHO:
This event is being hosted by the American College of Sports Medicine as a part of ACSM’s International Health & Fitness Summit.
- Bite-size fare from some of the District’s hottest eateries including The Red Hen, Compass Rose, Hazel and Ice Cream Jubilee
- Live music by musician Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith
- “The Playground”, an outdoor-themed bar space featuring a rosé garden and mixology stations
- A chance to participate in an intimate speed tasting with Chef Kwame Onwuachi
- Washington Post Food and Dining editor Joe Yonan will be selling and signing copies of his newly released “America The Great Cookbook”, with sales benefiting No Kid Hungry
Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign invites Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia residents to sip and sample the area’s most celebrated culinary creations to help kids in need at this year’s Taste of the Nation for No Kid Hungry on Monday, April 9, 2018. Hosted at the National Building Museum, the annual tasting event will feature gourmet cuisine and libations crafted by the city’s top chefs, sommeliers and mixologists as they unite to raise funds to ensure all children in America have access to the healthy food they need, every day. One-hundred-percent of proceeds from the event benefit No Kid Hungry’s work to end childhood hunger in America.
Led by Chef Chair Mike Friedman (Red Hen, All-Purpose), Dessert Chair Tiffany MacIsaac (Buttercream Bakeshop), Mixology Chair Gina Chersevani (Buffalo and Bergen, Suburbia), and Sommelier Chair Nadine Brown (formerly Charlie Palmer Steak), D.C.’s culinary tastemakers will provide guests with scrumptious bite-size fare, craft cocktails and delectable desserts. Guests will also enjoy the beginnings of spring at “The Playground”, an outdoor-themed bar space featuring a rosé garden and mixology stations, and a chance to participate in an intimate speed tasting with Chef Kwame Onwuachi. James Beard Award-winning Washington Post Food and Dining editor Joe Yonan will be selling and signing copies of his newly released “America The Great Cookbook”, with sales benefiting No Kid Hungry.
Notable Washington, D.C. area culinary talent and eateries participating include:
Agora Restaurant | Al Dente | All-Purpose | Alta Strada | Art & Soul | B&O American Brasserie | Bar Elena | Barrel | Belga Cafe | Best Buns Bread Company | Beuchert’s Saloon | BLT Steak | Brabo Restaurant | Buffalo and Bergen | Buttercream Bakeshop | Captain Cookie and the Milkman | Carlyle | Cava Mezze | Centrolina | Charlie Palmer Steak DC | Charm City Cakes | Choolaah Indian BBQ | Compass Rose | Cork Wine Bar | DBGB DC | Dino’s Grotto | Dirty Habit DC | District Doughnut | DNV Rooftop | Dolcezza | El Techo | Espita Mezcaleria | Farmers & Distillers | Firefly | Georgetown Cupcake | Hank’s Oyster Bar | Hazel | Homestead | Ice Cream Jubilee | Jack Rose Dining Saloon | Kith And Kin | Matchbox Vintage Pizza Bistro | McClellan’s Retreat | Medium Rare | Mon Ami Gabi | Oceanaire Seafood Room | Osteria Morini | Ottoman Taverna | Oyamel | POV / W Hotel | Preserve | Quarter + Glory | Radiator | Rappahannock Oyster Company | RASA | Royal | RPM Italian DC | Shake Shack | Sonoma Restaurant & Wine Bar | Stable| Succotash National Harbor | Taco Bamba | The Eleanor | The Pub & the People | The Red Hen | The Source by Wolfgang Puck | The Sweet Lobby | Tico DC | Toki Underground | Trummer’s On Main | Truxton Inn | Urbana Dining & Drinks | Vida Taco Bar | Whisked! | Wit & Wisdom, A Tavern by Michael Mina
One in six children in America struggles with hunger, including nearly 27,000 kids in the District of Columbia. No Kid Hungry is ending childhood hunger nationwide by ensuring that kids start the day with a nutritious breakfast and families learn the skills they need to shop and cook on a budget. Since the campaign’s launch, No Kid Hungry and its partners have connected kids struggling with hunger to more than 775 million meals.
In 2017, D.C.’s Taste of the Nation for No Kid Hungry raised enough to connect hungry kids in need with up to 1.1 million healthy meals. Local beneficiaries include Capital Area Food Bank, DC Hunger Solutions, and Mary’s Center.
D.C.’s Taste of the Nation for No Kid Hungry is supported by national co-presenting sponsors Citi and Sysco®, national media sponsor Food Network, and national sponsor OpenTable. The event is also made possible by the following local sponsors: Belle de Brillet, Buffalo Trace, Caledonia Spirits, Catoctin Creek, Founding Spirits, Glenfiddich Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Impossible Foods, Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice Co., New Columbia Distillers, Prosciutto di Parma, Remy Martin/Cointreau and Tito’s Handmade Vodka.
Taste of the Nation for No Kid Hungry tickets start at $100. For additional information and to purchase tickets, please visit: www.nokidhungry.org/washingtondc.
On Thursday, April 12th, diners across the Washington metro region will stand up against HIV/AIDS, cancer and other life-challenging illnesses by dining out at restaurants participating in this year’s Dining Out For Life® fundraiser (www.foodandfriends.org/
Now in its 30th year serving the Washington community, Food & Friends enlists the benevolence of area eateries – from Hyattsville to Shirlington, from Georgetown to Brookland – in support of adults and children facing life-challenging illnesses who benefit from the organization’s nutrition services. More than 60 area restaurants<https://www.
“It’s a fantastic night. With one great meal out with his or her friends, each diner is making a significant and lasting impact on their community members in greatest need,” says Food & Friends’ Executive Director Craig Shniderman. “The restaurant community has long supported the work of Food & Friends and we’re incredibly grateful. The funds raised through Dining Out For Life® make it possible for us to serve thousands of meals each day to those living with the challenges of HIV/AIDS, cancer and other debilitating illnesses.”
Last year, Dining Out for Life®, raised more than $150,000. This year, Food & Friends is thrilled to have more than 60 restaurants on board, including those that are donating their entire evening’s proceeds, or more, to Food & Friends – Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant (110%) and Annie’s Paramount Steakhouse (100%). Please visit www.foodandfriends.org/
ABOUT FOOD & FRIENDS: Food & Friends is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization that provides home-delivered, medically-tailored meals and nutrition counseling to people living with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other life-challenging illnesses. Food & Friends’ services are free of charge to recipients who qualify solely based on their health status and nutritional need. With the help of over 9,000 volunteers each year, we deliver to 5,300 square miles of the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. Since 1988, Food & Friends has delivered more than 21 million meals to 31,000 individuals.
“Chef Jess” Jessica Swift and Karen Hoefener of Nomad Dumplings will be among the women entrepreneurs giving talks and tastings at the Junior League of Washington’s (JLW) Toast of the Tour cocktail reception at Mess Hall, a business incubator and event space in Northeast Washington, on Thursday, April 12.
JLW is proud to partner with leading female chefs and entrepreneurs for this event. Chef Jess is a registered dietician and classically trained chef whose meal delivery business caters to her clients’ individual needs. Hoefener’s Nomad Dumplings are regionally inspired, colorful dumplings with all-natural ingredients recently featured in Washington City Paper.
The evening reception will also feature tastings from other Mess Hall members and alumni businesses, including Prescription Chicken and Farm to Feast. Barefoot Wine and Bubbly will provide wine, and attendees will be able to enter a drawing for prizes including an overnight stay at the Jefferson Hotel, reservations at Rose’s Luxury, two free hours of cleaning from Maids in Black, and gift cards to restaurants and bars including Founding Farmers, Mission, Iron Gate, Momofuku, Boqueria, and more.
This event benefits the Junior League of Washington, an educational, charitable organization committed to developing exceptionally qualified female civic leaders who are prepared to address the ever-evolving needs of the Washington, DC, community through volunteer service, meaningful programs and initiatives, and innovative solutions.
Toast of the Tour is the kickoff event for JLW’s 7th annual Kitchen Tour, a walking tour that will spotlight nearby Brookland’s unique homes and food scene on Saturday, April 21. Tickets for Toast of the Tour and Kitchen Tour are available at JLW.org/KTtickets. For Toast of the Tour, general admission tickets are $55, and VIP tickets, which include specialty cocktail tastings and a souvenir oven mitt, are $65.
What: Toast of the Tour, a cocktail reception and kickoff event for Kitchen Tour
When: Thursday, April 12 from 6-9 p.m.
Where: Mess Hall, 703 Edgewood Street NE, Washington, DC
About the Junior League of Washington:
The Junior League of Washington (www.jlw.org) is a nonprofit organization of more than 2,300 women who annually donate thousands of dollars and volunteer hours to the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. JLW is committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable. JLW focuses its financial and volunteer resources on the issues of literacy – adult, child, and cultural – and works with a diverse group of community partners. Since 1912, JLW has donated more than five million hours of direct volunteer service and more than $5.8 million to the Washington, DC, community.
The Washington City Paper invites you to join in to salute the best of the best in DC at its 10th annual Best of D.C. Celebration at the Organization of the American States Headquarters and Art Museum of the Americas beginning at 6pm. More than 50 restaurants, mixologists, local breweries distilleries, entertainment, rare art exhibitions, and many more surprises will leave guests
mesmerized.
The event will benefit one of our city’s hidden gems, the beautiful OAS Art Museum of the Americas.
What: Washington City Paper’s 10 th Annual Best of D.C. Celebration
Date: Thursday, April 12, 2017
Times: VIP 6:00pm; General Admission 7-10pm
Location: The Organization of the American States Headquarters and the Art Museum of the Americas (Constitution and 17 th St. NW and 201 18 th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20006)
Price: VIP – $110; General Admission – $70
Tickets: http://www.xorbia.com/events/wcp/10th-annual- best-of- dc-celebration-
Artisanal Food, Bars & Restaurants: District Doughnut, ANXO, Cuba Libre Restaurant; Rum
Bar, Spark at Engine Company 12, Pow Pow, Blue 44, and many more to be announced
soon.
Brews & Spirits: Right Proper Brewing Company, Port City Brewing Company, 3 Stars
Brewing Company, Edrington Group, Belle Isle Craft Spirits, Virginia Distillery Company,
Catoctin Creek, One Eight Distilling, KO Distilling, Jos. A. Magnus & Co. and many more to be
announced soon.
VIP tickets include a swag bag, plus access to the VIP hour with tastings from specialty
bottles, signature cocktails, and savory bites from some of D.C.’s hottest restaurants.
Information about this year’s beneficiary: OAS Art Museum of the Americas (AMA)
The Art Museum of the Americas (AMA) (museum.oas.org) was the first museum of
modern and contemporary Latin American and Caribbean art in the United States. It is the
center of cultural diplomacy of the Organization of American States (OAS), a multilateral
diplomatic forum for the Western Hemisphere whose aim is to promote democracy, peace,
justice and prosperity (www.oas.org).
AMA’s origins are in the Visual Arts program of the Pan-American Union which pre-dates
the founding of the OAS in 1948. This early commitment to promoting the art of Latin
America and the Caribbean helped to launch the international careers of artists who are
now regarded as masters of mid-20 th century artistic trends of new figuration, geometric
and lyrical abstraction, and conceptual, optical and kinetic art. Today, this valuable collection has more than two thousand works of art, including from Canada and the United
States, and is renowned as a premier collection within the international art community.
This year, the OAS will celebrate its 70 th anniversary with a variety of initiatives to tell its
story of diplomacy in the Americas. In service to the OAS and its mission, the Art Museum
of the Americas is gathering support to upgrade the preservation and presentation of it art
collection, bring in new exhibits and promote new artists, bring art to a broader
community through digital media and educational outreach, improve access to the art
galleries for peoples with disabilities and, in general, use this cultural diplomacy asset to
promote more rights for more people in the Americas.
The Art Museum of the Americas welcomes on-going patrons and new audiences to join us
in the celebration of the arts and diplomacy.
Park Hyatt Washington, D.C. will host a spring 2018 Park Hyatt Masters of Food & Wine, a seasonal culinary & beverage experience on Saturday, April 14, focused on Japanese treasures. Spring is cherry blossom season, merging two cultures, as these magnificent trees were a gift from Japan to the nation’s capital. It is the ideal time for Park Hyatt Washington, D.C. to present the art of the Japanese tea ceremony with the seasonal bounty of the mid-Atlantic region. On this particular afternoon, guests will have the unique opportunity to savor a “Washoku” inspired food menu prepared by Executive Chef Troy Knapp featuring American rice, Chesapeake seafood, and locally sourced vegetables, followed by a traditional tea ceremony, also known as Chano-yu, conducted by Sobin Koizumi, a Urasenke professor from Japan. The Urasenke tea school teaches the history, importance, and practical knowledge behind this centuries-old tradition.
As a tenured senior professor of the Urasenke tea school, Koizumi has traveled the world teaching non-Japanese people about the heart and soul of Chano-yu. Learning about Matcha and the tea ceremony with Sobin Koizumi is a unique and rare opportunity, both here and in Japan. Tickets for this special event are priced at $100 per person, and available for purchase on Eventbite. Guests will enjoy a presentation covering the history and proper manners for Chano-yu, followed by a tasting of two different rare Matcha teas from the same grower that have limited availability in the United States paired with seasonal confections from Kyoto. Space is limited and reservations are required.
Additionally, guests of the event will have the exclusive opportunity to purchase 30 grams of Kyoto Uji Matcha, a high-end green tea powder, prepared from young first flush green tea leaves at Uji in Kyoto, the birthplace of the Japanese tea ceremony.
HOW: Tickets are available for purchase at: https://parkhyattmasters-
Shaw Main Streets will host its annual A Taste of Shaw Gala on Thursday April 18, 2018, from 7pm to 9pm. The annual event celebrates the neighborhood’s status as a nationally-recognized dining and drinking destination and is a fundraiser for initiatives that enhance and promote commerce within the Shaw neighborhood, such as the two neighborhood-wide open house events and Art All Night in Shaw.
A Taste of Shaw returns to the Howard Theatre which will be the backdrop for live music by internally-renowned Ethiopian artist Yehuni Belay ad his band, libations and delicious bites from some of DC’s best bars and restaurants. Proceeds from the event support Shaw Main Streets’ economic revitalization and historic preservation activities in the Shaw neighborhood of DC, which have helped bring about the transformation of central Shaw since 2003. Shaw’s hashtag #LoveShaw, represents the comradery of Shaw’s business owners and the citywide support and accolades the neighborhood continues to receive. Yehuni Belay
A hospitality renaissance led by top chefs and mixologists has been under way in recent years, bringing fresh concepts and perspectives in cuisine and beverage, as well as a host of new talent, making Shaw the city’s top dining and imbibing destination. This year’s A Taste of Shaw welcomes new arrivals Gaslight Tavern by the Hilton Brothers, an expansion of Po Boy Jim from H Street, the District’s only Georgian cuisine restaurant; Supra and the latest additions to the Convention Center, The Morris American Cocktail Bar and Unconventional Diner.
Shaw Main Streets invites the entire region to explore some of the best the neighborhood has to offer at one venue, on one special evening. The full list of 2018 A Taste of Shaw host committee members providing sips and noshes include the following bars and restaurants: Beau Thai & BKK Cookshop Espita Mezcaleria Sugar Shack Donuts & Coffee Chercher Ethiopian Cuisine Etete Supra Declaration Gaslight Tavern The Dabney & Dabney Cellar Dino’s Grotto La Jambe Farmers & Distillers Drink Company Pop Up Bar PoBoy Jim Fish Scale Dolci Gelati Service Bar DC The Morris American Bar Seylou Bakery & Mill Unconventional Diner
Tickets are $80 in advance and can be ordered online at www.smsgala18.eventbrite.com. On the day of the event, tickets will be $100. Tickets include unlimited food and cocktail tastings, beer and wine, and complimentary valet parking.
Get an early start to patio season with Barley Mac’s second annual Oysterfest on April 21. Owner Mike Cordero is serving up classic summertime favorites – oysters, chilled white wine, cocktails, beer and whiskey. Guests are invited to taste samples of the restaurant’s locally caught oysters and down drinks from the bar from 1 to 5 p.m. Afternoon highlights include an oyster eating contest, shucking instruction stations and cigar rolling demonstrations. Oyster shooters will be made to order.
Live music from local favorites The Wing-Its, an oyster buffet and open bar will be set up on the patio between 1 and 5 p.m. Guests (ages 21+) will be given a stemless Barley Mac wine glass to sip from and bring home. Shirts will also be for sale.
Barley Mac’s oyster menu features raw oysters harvested from Northern Virginia. Continuing the all you can eat tradition, Barley Mac is serving Raw Oysters, Oyster Rockefellers, Grilled Oysters, Fried Po-Boys, Oyster Stew, Fried Buffalo Batter Oysters and Oyster Ceviche.
The Oyster & Wine Festival is open to all age groups (21+ will be given wristbands and two drink tickets). Tickets are $49 a person, or $59 a person at the door and can be purchased prior to the event here. Event sponsors include Sam Adams, Balvenie and Hendricks. The event will be held weather permitting.
WHO: Barley Mac & Mike Cordero
WHAT: 2nd Annual Oyster Festival
Oyster Eating Contest
Oyster Shucking Instruction Station
Cigar Rolling Station
Purchase tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2nd-annual- barley-mac-oyster-fest-tickets-44815028958
WHEN: Saturday, April 21
1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
WHERE: Barley Mac
About Barley Mac
Barley Mac is an American restaurant offering gourmet comfort foods and an extensive whiskey menu. Located just a few blocks from the Rosslyn Metro Station, Barley Mac brings a love of delicious food, whiskeys and bourbons to Northern Virginia. The innovative twists of American comfort foods will please the taste buds, while the specialty liquor menu is sure to excite even the fiercest cocktail enthusiasts. With an industrial chic interior, plentiful seating and large bar area, Barley Mac is an ideal drinking and dining choice for groups of all sizes.
Get going on your spring cleaning, DC! This Earth Day, VIDA Fitness and DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) are inviting Washingtonians to experiment with the new Swedish-inspired, environmentally conscious fitness trend: Plogging – a fitness combination of jogging while picking up litter that offers a variation of body movements by adding bending, squatting and stretching to the main action of running.
On Sunday, April 22 at 10:00 a.m., Washingtonians may gather together to lessen their carbon footprint and engage in the latest fitness craze. Earth Day’s 2.5 mile Plogging will begin at Raymond Recreation Center at 3725 10th Street, NW and then hit four additional public park and playground locations at: 11th & Monroe Park, Powell Recreation Center, Girard Street Park and Harrison Playground. This event is free and open to the public. The Raymond Recreation Center is accessible by the green and yellow lines at Georgia Avenue-Petworth Metro Station.
Named after the Swedish term ‘plocka upp,’ Americans have begun integrating the trend into their regular workout routine: grabbing an empty trash bag and cleaning up their surroundings during their outdoor runs. The plogging event is the latest opportunity VIDA Fitness is spearheading to encourage locals to get #FitDC and make DC the number one fittest city in the country again.
For three consecutive years, D.C. earned the #1 ranking in the annual American Fitness Index Data Report published by the American College of Sports and Medicine (ACSM), but forfeited the top spot to Minneapolis in 2017. VIDA Fitness and DPR are determined to take back the title in 2018 by engaging Washingtonians with a variety of fitness programs and expos.
Plogging After Party
As Ploggers finish their District tour with full trash bags in hand, the celebration will continue at VIDA Fitness’ U Street location at 1612 U Street, NW, where participants can enjoy complimentary water and taco bowls from neighborhood favorite Takorean.
WHAT: Inaugural VIDA Fitness/DPR Citywide 2.5 Mile Earth Day Plogging Event
WHEN: Sunday, April 22 at 10:00 a.m. (Earth Day).
WHERE: (Locations in chronological order)
- Start: Raymond Recreation Center (Metro access: Petworth/GA Ave. Green Line)
- 11th & Monroe Park
- Powell Recreation center
- Girard Street Park
- Harrison Playground
- End/Celebration: VIDA Fitness, U Street
LINKS: RSVP here!
