The Willard InterContinental, one of Washington, D.C.’s most historic hotels, celebrates the 143rd Kentucky Derby at its 31st Annual Bonnets and Bow Ties Party on Saturday, May 6, from 4pm to 7pm. Known as one of Washington’s most exclusive Derby-centric parties, Bonnets and Bow Ties brings a taste of Churchill Downs to Pennsylvania Avenue. The all-inclusive admission features an afternoon of complete derby coverage, mint juleps, unlimited beer and wine, Southern-style bites, casino-style gaming, live jazz, and prizes for “Best Derby Bonnet,” “Fanciest Bow Tie,” and “High Roller” casino winner.
A long-standing tradition at the hotel, Bonnets and Bow Ties celebrates “The Run for the Roses” in the legendary Willard Room. New to the event this year is the addition of The Paddock, a specialty area where Jim Hewes, a renowned bartender at The Willard for over 30 years, will be distilling the history of bourbon and the mint julep, a traditional beverage served at the Kentucky Derby and the hotel’s signature drink.
Guests to the event will also be able to enjoy a Southern-inspired menu curated by Executive Chef Peter Laufer and Pastry Chef Jason Jimenez. Dishes include a pimento cheese and benedict dip station, stone-ground grits with choice of bourbon cheddar cheese, sautéed shrimp, or bourbon-braised short ribs, a slider station, as well as a variety of appetizers such as hot brown turkey sandwiches, Louisville’s most famous dish. Desserts offered will include dark chocolate pecan derby tarts, mint julep anglaise shooters, whiskey vanilla bean crème brûlée and hummingbird cake bites.
Donning one’s derby best, attendees to Bonnets and Bow Ties have the chance to win dinner for four at Café du Parc for “Best Derby Bonnet” and “Fanciest Bow Tie.” Guests can also try their hand at the event’s various casino games such as Texas hold’em, roulette, blackjack and craps, and have the chance to win a $200 gift certificate to the Round Robin Bar.
Lastly, after Bonnets and Bow Ties, “The Race to the 200th Cup” begins. Upon selling 200 mint juleps in the Round Robin Bar, The Willard will release 100 limited edition commemorative Round Robin Bar Mint Julep cups. Handcrafted from the highest quality pewter by Woodbury Pewter, this cup pays tribute to the famous drink and its historical significance to The Willard as the mint julep was first introduced to Washington by Kentucky Statesman Henry Clay in the hotel’s bar in the 1840s. The lucky purchaser of the 200th mint julep will receive the first commemorative cup. Each cup will have its respective number engraved at the bottom. The Round Robin Bar’s Commemorative Mint Julep Cup will be available for purchase with The Bicentennial Mint Julep, a specialty julep made with Makers Mark 46, in the Round Robin Bar for $50.
All-inclusive tickets to The Willard’s Bonnets and Bow Ties Kentucky Derby Party are now available and can be purchased online at www.washington.intercontinental.com/special-offers for $89 through April 21 and $99 any day after. Tickets are nonrefundable.
Stay “In the Know” regarding the Willard InterContinental’s Bonnets and Bow Ties Party by following the hotel on Facebook (WillardInterContinental), Twitter (@WillardHotel) and Instagram (Willard_InterContinentalDC).
Disco Dance Party
7 p.m. -12:30 a.m. (Great Hall)
Gloria Gaynor Live: Disco Dance Party
The Library of Congress opens the doors of the Thomas Jefferson Building for LOC Disco Night, a celebration of the Library’s collections and the music of Gloria Gaynor, with an once-in-a-lifetime disco dance party in the historic Great Hall. Guests will have the opportunity to explore the Main Reading Room, meet curators, view special treasure displays, explore the Library’s exhibitions, and dance the night away. Gloria Gaynor and her band will kick off the evening with a live performance. Appearances by DJ Mike Simonetti and DJ Adrian Loving.
Free, tickets available, visit www.loc.gov/concerts/disco for more information.
BRABO Tasting Room is flexing its happy hour ‘mussels’ with a spring patio party on Sunday, May 7 from 3:30-6:30 p.m. Newly-appointed Executive Chef Sebastien Rondier invites all Old Town Alexandrians to the restaurant’s picturesque courtyard for an al fresco happy hour featuring a one-day-only menu created for the special afternoon! While listening to lively music, ticket holders will have the opportunity to meet new friends and neighbors, and enjoy as many oysters, mussels, frites, and refreshments as they desire.
Patio sips will include microbrews from Port City Brewing and 21st Amendment Brewery as well as a variety of international and domestic rosé wines from BRABO Tasting Room’s new “Around the World in Eight Rosés” menu. For those looking for a more low-key Sunday, house-made ginger beer and nitro draft coffee will be available on tap.
French-born Chef Sebastien, turned Alexandrian resident, will greet guests throughout the party and share stories from his globetrotting career. Each guest will receive a special invitation card to try the new happy hour ceviche. Chef Sebastien’s patio-party menu reflects BRABO Tasting Room’s casual and neighborly atmosphere. It includes the following:
Hors d’oeuvres
- Virginia oysters in a mint and cucumber gin gelee
- Mini veal burgers
- Cerdonia Farms crispy pork belly with local ramps and a blackberry & pepper reduction
- Freshly-shucked oysters on the half shell
Mussels
- Port Town – mussels with Port City beer, whole grain mustard butter, and herbs
- Harissa – mussels with harissa broth, grilled scallions, sautéed red onions, and red bell peppers
- Salumi – mussels with salumi broth, herb butter, roasted tomatoes, and serrano chips
Frites
- Espelette pepper frites
- Parmesan and truffle frites
- Garlic and parsley frites
Tickets for the BRABO Tasting Room patio party are $50 each, all inclusive of food and beverage, and available at https://brabopatioparty.eventbrite.com.
A Taste of Lettuce features:
Reception
- Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab, Alaska King Crab, Shrimp Cocktail, Lobster Roll Bites on Brioche, Beef Tenderloin Sliders| Chef Chris Morvis
- Summer House Santa Monica, Ahi Tuna Tostadas with watermelon and thai chili; Real Cali Roll with king crab, avocado and cucumber| Chef Matt Delano
First Course
Wildfire, Wildfire Chopped Salad with avocado, bacon, blue cheese, chicken and citrus vinaigrette
Second Course
- RPM Italian, Strozzapretti Cacio E Pepe with pecorino, black pepper, parmesan brodo; Cavatelli Bolognese with a short rib ragu; Main Lobster Ravioli with spinach pasta and chili flakes
Main Course
- RPM Italian, Whole Roasted Branzino with salsa verde; Pork Arrosti with roasted heirloom carrots and pea greens; Chicken Parmesan baked in the wood oven
Dessert
- Mon Ami Gabi, Salted Chocolate Caramel Tart with chocolate ganache and vanilla chantilly
WHEN: Monday, May 8, 2017 at 6:30 pm
WHERE: RPM Italian DC – 650 K St. NW, Washington, DC 20001
COST: $85/per person, plus tax (gratuity not included)
Sarah Koenig and Julie Snyder take audiences behind the mic of their record-smashing, award-winning podcast, Serial, on Thursday, May 11, 2017at 8 p.m. in the Music Center at Strathmore. Launched in 2014 from the talents behind This American Life, Serial is credited with bringing mainstream attention to the podcast format and has been downloaded more than 175 million times, making it the most listened-to podcast in the history of the form. Among other honors, Serial won the 2014 Peabody Award, the first time it has been given to a podcast. The success of Serial helped Koenig and Snyder launch Serial Productions, which released its latest project, the buzzed about S-Town, in March 2017. For more information or to purchase tickets, call (301) 581-5100 or visit www.strathmore.org.
Serial tells one story—a true story—over the course of a season. Thus far, the podcast has resurrected a real crime drama in Baltimore and revisited the experience of a U.S. Army soldier held captive by the Taliban. Each season, the creators follow a plot and characters on a winding journey, leading to unexpected revelations and unsuspected endings.
Sarah Koenig began her career as a newspaper reporter—her first reporting job was at her weekly hometown paper. She lived in Moscow, Russia for several years, where she worked for The New York Times, and once she returned, went to work for the Concord Monitor in New Hampshire covering crime and politics, the same beats she’d go on to cover at The Baltimore Sun. In 2004 she became a producer at This American Life, which she has guest-hosted several times. She has also produced and reported some of the show’s most popular episodes, including “Switched at Birth,” “Dr. Gilmer and Mr. Hyde” and “Habeas Schmabeas,” a Peabody Award-winning show about Guantanamo Bay. Koenig is co-creator and executive producer of S-Town, a 7-part non-fiction podcast from Serial Productions hosted by Brian Reed.
Julie Snyder has been the guiding force behind two of the most successful ventures in audio broadcasting—she is the co-creator of the podcast Serial and, for many years, was the senior producer of the public radio show This American Life, where she is now a contributing editor. Snyder began working at This American Life in 1997, almost from its inception. Along with host Ira Glass, she has set the editorial agenda for the program, winning four Peabody Awards along the way. She has produced many of This American Life’s most entertaining and memorable episodes, including “24 Hours at the Golden Apple,” and “Notes on Camp.” In addition, Synder has also headed the show’s most ambitious and topical programs, notably episodes covering the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, health care reform, and urban violence in Chicago. In 2013, Snyder approached Koenig about trying something new—a different kind of storytelling—which led the narrative journalism of their podcast, Serial.
About Strathmore
Strathmore presents and produces exemplary visual and performing arts programs for diverse audiences; creates dynamic arts education experiences; and nurtures creative ideas and conversations that advance the future of the arts. The organization’s hallmark is the Music Center at Strathmore, with a 1,976-seat concert hall and education complex. Its core campus also includes the historic Mansion at Strathmore, which features an intimate Music Room and art galleries. Most recently, Strathmore opened AMP, a 250-seat cabaret-style venue located just up Rockville Pike from the core campus in the burgeoning Pike District of Montgomery County. Strathmore’s signature education, mission-driven programs include the Strathmore Student Concerts and the Artist in Residence program.
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Strathmore is supported by a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency dedicated to cultivating a vibrant cultural community where the arts thrive. An agency of the Department of Business & Economic Development, MSAC provides financial support and technical assistance to non-profit organizations, units of government, colleges and universities for arts activities.
Strathmore is also supported in part by the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County.
Strathmore Presents
Backstage with the Creators of Serial
Binge-Worthy Journalism with Sarah Koenig & Julie Snyder
Thursday, May 11, 2017
8 p.m.
Tickets $25-$75
Music Center at Strathmore
5301 Tuckerman Lane
North Bethesda, MD 20852
For additional information or to purchase tickets, visit www.strathmore.org or call (301) 581-5100.
Pop Up Flower Bar …
Got ice? On Friday, May 19, VIDA Fitness’ Penthouse Pool Club on U Street will host its Third Annual ALS Silent Auction fundraising fete. Morning talk show hosts Tommy McFly, and Kelly Collis from 94.7 Fresh FM’s The Tommy Show will emcee the event and auction themselves off to the highest bidder in a chilly Ice Bucket Challenge. In the past two years, the VIDA Fitness ALS Silent Auction Event has raised a combined total of more than $50,000.
The poolside, rooftop cocktail party will include a silent auction to benefit Augie’s Quest, a nonprofit research initiative dedicated to finding a cure for Amyotrophic Laterals Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
The ALS event will run from 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. and feature complimentary food from the Penthouse Pool Club’s new menu designed by Sean McIntosh. DJ Danny House will spin house tracks while guests bid on silent auction items donated by DC area retailers and businesses including an autographed soccer ball from DC United, a round of golf at Congressional’s Blue Course, tickets to the annual Bacon & Bourbon festival and a Kirk Cousins autographed football. Cocktail attire is required for this public event.
Tickets are $30 and can be purchased here. Guests may also sponsor the event for $1000. The sponsorship includes 10 event tickets and access to a cabana suite with a complimentary bottle and bottle service all night long.
For more information on this event, please visit: 3rd Annual ALS Fundraiser & Silent Auction
WHO: Penthouse Pool & Lounge at The Yards
ALS Silent Auction Fundraiser
WHAT: Proceeds to Benefit ALS Foundation Augie’s Quest
Live Entertainment by DJ Danny House
Cocktail Attire Required
Public Event / Cash Bar
Tickets $30 / Available at: http://tinyurl.com/ALSevent2017
WHEN: Friday, May 19
6:00 – 10:00 p.m.
WHERE: Penthouse Pool Club at U Street
Rooftop Pool & Lounge
1612 U Street NW
Washington, DC 20009
The 2017 Events DC Embassy Chef Challenge presented by TCMA (A Drew Company) will highlight dishes and flavors from all around the world. Embassy chefs will gather on Wednesday, May 24 in the Atrium of the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, where they will show off their skills and compete for the People’s Choice and Judges’ Choice awards.
The Events DC Embassy Chef Challenge not only encourages culinary diplomacy, but also celebrates the arts of many cultures and highlights some of the area’s amazing musicians, dancers and singers. Throughout the evening, cultural dances and artists will grace the stage along with the headlining band, City of the Sun, an instrumental post-rock trio from Brooklyn, New York.
“We are honored to bring together some of the world’s most culturally-distinct talents in the culinary and performing arts for the second-consecutive Events DC Embassy Chef Challenge,” said Erik A. Moses, senior vice president and managing director of sports, entertainment, and special events at Events DC. “May is International Cultural Awareness Month in DC and we look forward to both celebrating and advancing the city’s cultural diplomacy through cuisine and entertainment.”
Patrons can expect to taste traditional dishes from cultures both common and impossible to find in Greater-Washington such as salmon ceviche and merquén mussels curated by Chef Guillermo Muñoz of Chile. Haitian Embassy chef Cynthia Verna will be preparing a full-spread comprised of creole chicken, yellow basmati rice served with pigeon peas, Roma tomatoes and coconut milk; and a beet and carrot salad with homemade lime dressing. Representing the Embassy of Barbados, Chef Damien Leach will offer a unique spin on tropical fish with his piña colada mahi mahi filet.
Chef Red Garcia of the Philippines will be defending his title with a dish that uses a classic wrapping method called “binalot” – which is a way of wrapping foods with banana leaves, derived from the word ballot, which means “to wrap.” He will have a variety of foods to wrap such as rice, meat, fish, eggs and pickled vegetables. Dishes like kottu roti from the Embassy of Sri Lanka may be new to American diners and guests will have a chance to taste the dish and speak with the embassy’s culinary team about how it is prepared. Chef Anuradha Wijesinghe explains kottu roti as being made with godhamba roti, vegetables, egg or meat and spices.
Embassies will also be offering various native cocktails, beer, and wine to be sampled throughout the evening. Singapore will be serving up the city’s famous “Singapore Sling,” while the Embassy of Bolivia will have a selection of Bolivian wines for patrons to taste. The Embassy of Azerbaijan will be offering a variety of both red and white wines from their emerging high-altitude growing regions.
Chefs from every corner of the globe will be competing, including:
| ASIA | AFRICA | EUROPE | THE AMERICAS |
| Afghanistan Azerbaijan Bangladesh Indonesia Iraq Nepal Pakistan Philippines Qatar Saudi Arabia Singapore Sri Lanka Uzbekistan |
Ghana Kenya Mauritius Morocco Rwanda |
Belgium Cyprus Germany Greece Malta Moldova |
Bahamas Barbados Bolivia Chile Dominican Republic El Salvador Ecuador Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Paraguay Peru |
TICKETS: Purchase your tickets and join the cultural event. General admission tickets are $75 and will include all global sips and bites and access to all live entertainment. For $125, VIP guests can enjoy a one-hour early entry to meet all chef’s and network with embassy community elites. For ticket purchases and more information about the event, please visit www.eventsdcembassychefchallenge.com.
