Photo by AWard Tour

FOOD & DRINK: Zentan(1155 14th Street NW) is hosting a five-course dinner featuring dishes from Chef Susur Lee that received high marks in the most recent season of Bravo’s Top Chef Masters. A sampling of the menu includes: Singapore Slaw with salted plum dressing, Roast Chicken Curry, and Korean Beef paired with sake and champagne. Reservations are available from 6-9 p.m. (call (202) 379-4366), though the price is steep, at $140 per person (plus tax and tip).

CHARITY: N Street Village, a D.C. nonprofit that supports homeless women, presents N Street Village Night Sessions at the Rock & Roll Hotel (1353 H St. NE). The event will include an open bar, food, and live music from Evan Bliss, Tom McBride, and Ro Sham Bo. 7:30 p.m.-midnight, $35.

FESTIVAL: The Smithsonian Folklife Festival kicks off today on the National Mall. Tonight, from 6-8 p.m., see Bhangra and Giddha perform Folk Dances of Punjab at the Asian Fusions Stage. Free.

TALK: The National Archives (Constitution Avenue between 7th and 9th Streets, NW) hosts a panel discussion tonight in the William G. McGowan Theater on “Washington, DC, During the Civil War.” Hear from Edna Greene Medford, associate professor of history at Howard University; Benjamin Franklin Cooling, professor of history, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, National Defense University; Garry Adelman, senior vice president, Center for Civil War Photography; Hari Jones, curator and assistant director, African American Civil War Memorial; and Anthony S. Pitch, author of They Have Killed Papa Dead. Free, 7 p.m.