Annual Food & Wine Events
For foodies and wine lovers, DC's annual culinary events make for a perfect excuse to plan a DC getaway.
January & August:
Washington, DC Restaurant Week: More than 150 of DC's top tables offer three-course, fixed-price meals, priced to correspond to the year ($20.10 for lunch and $35.10 for dinner in 2010, for example).
January:
Sugar & Champagne Affair: Foodies and their dogs are welcome at this fundraiser for the Washington Humane Society, featuring sparkling wines, champagne and desserts from top pastry chefs.
February/ March:
Washington, DC International Food & Wine Festival: This large-scale tasting extravaganza takes place in February or March, featuring more than a thousand wines from more than 200 vintners, along with spirits tastings and cooking demonstrations.
March-April:
Sakura Matsuri and "Cherry Picks": During the National Cherry Blossom Festival, DC restaurants celebrate the spring with cherry-infused and blossom-inspired creations. You can also sample Japanese delights and street fare at the Sakura Matsuri, or Japanese street festival.
May:
National ZooFari: The National Zoo plays host to dozens of the area's top restaurants and vintners from around the world for an evening event at one of DC's most popular attractions.
Baco de Mayo: For bacon lovers, it doesn't get better than this annual tribute to all things bacon. Bring a couple of packs of bacon to get in.
May & October:
Mount Vernon Wine Festival: George Washington’s beautiful estate on the Potomac River holds spring and fall evening gathering for wine lovers, featuring sunset tours of the estate, jazz music and wine tastings.
June:
Restaurant Week for Kids:
Destination DC produces this special week just for kids, where kids under 11 pay their age for multi-course meals. A great way to celebrate the end of the school year, learn about healthy and adventurous eating and spend time with the family.
Safeway's National Capital Barbecue Battle: Tens of thousands of barbecue fans take to Pennsylavania Ave. to watch (and taste) the best barbecue teams and restaurants from around the country compete to win cash, prizes and the title of National Pork BBQ Champion.
RAMMY's:
Organized by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington, this annual awards gala celebrates tops chefs, restaurateurs and industry leaders at the cutting edge of the local dining scene.
Virginia Wine Festival: DC’s neighbor to the south is home to more than 100 wineries, and many of showcase their blends at this annual event, held each September in Leesburg.
Maryland Wine Festival: Maryland is home to 27 wineries of its own, and this annual festival, held in Carroll County each September, features pours from many of them.
October:
Taste of Georgetown: Georgetown's top restaurants take to the streets with samples and wine pairings, plus music and entertainment in this day-long event.
November:
Capitol Food Fight: DC's leading chefs face off in an Iron Chef-style cooking competition, with all proceeds benefiting DC Central Kitchen.
DC's Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show: Don't miss Food Network's hottest stars including Paula Deen, Rachel Ray and Bobby Flay along with top local talent Mike Isabella and Cathal Armstrong Nov. 13-14 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Cooking demonstrations by award-winning local chefs, food & wine pairings, extensive wine seminars, hands-on cooking classes for children, tasting & entertaining workshops, cocktail sessions and much more.
FRESHFARM Markets Farmland Feast: an annual celebration of local foods, farmers and farmland. The five-course dinner that benefits FRESHFARM Markets stars local food, local farmers and local chefs as well as an auction of tasty treats.
Cooking Classes & Other Events
Foodies can learn tips and techniques through cooking classes offered by DC’s top chefs and leading figures in the culinary world. Check out these two fantastic spots for interactive, themed cooking and wine classes.
Zola Wine & Kitchen
This one-of-a-kind space located downtown is designed around a state-of-the-art, commercial Test Kitchen, and is home to one of Food & Wine’s Top Ten Chefs, Bryan Moscatello. Check their website regularly for a variety of themed, seasonal cooking classes, wine classes and wine tastings.
CulinAerie
CulinAerie is a recreational cooking school offering a wide range of cooking classes and events including baking and pastry instruction, wine and spirits tastings, series classes, knife skills, cooking technique workshops and international cuisine seminars.
Smithsonian Resident Associates Culinary Programs
This division of the Smithsonian Institution offers great opportunities for education, fun, and community with fantastic culinary arts programs featuring guest presenters like Alton Brown and Lidia Bastianich and local celebrities and historians alike.
Check this site for upcoming foodie events, or check out thelistareyouonit.com for more culinary happenings.
