Noodle kugel. (Photo by Meal Makeover Moms)
This week’s food events
The upcoming food and drink calendar features an epic beer festival, bites from around Georgetown, the next act from a rising chef, and more.
Return of the Snallygaster
The annual beer festival with the most fun name on the block is here this Saturday. Neighborhood Restaurant Group presents Snallygaster 2017 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Yards Park (355 Water St. SE). There’s a list of over 350 beers and ciders from a massive group of brewers for revelers to sip the day away with. Online ticket packages are available through midnight tonight for $35 and $60. Both include admission to the festival, food and drink tickets, and some other goodies and perks. Otherwise, $10 admission and tickets can be purchased the day of the event for pours and snacks. Admission proceeds benefit Arcadia, a local non-profit committed to building a more equitable and sustainable food system in the D.C. area.
Taste around Georgetown
This Sunday, Taste of Georgetown will be held on K Street NW between Wisconsin Avenue and Thomas Jefferson Street from 11 a.m. through 4 p.m. More than 30 restaurants will be serving up tastes from temporary tables set up under the Whitehurst Freeway, with each bite costing around $5 depending on whether you buy taste tickets in bulk or just a couple at a time. Several places have the dishes they will have on order already listed. Look out for porchetta sliders from Via Umbria and The Sovereign’s dressed Belgian liege waffles.
A Kugel party
As we ring in the Jewish New Year, a Monday night fundraiser celebrates a dish that will be served at Rosh Hashanah dinners and Yom Kippur break fasts everywhere: kugel. A new, local legal services non-profit hosts their first Eat Well, Do Justice Celebrity Chef Kugel Cookoff. Toques Michael Friedman, Kyle Bailey, Alex Levin, Danny Lee, and Pati Jinich, will each put forth their rendition of the versatile staple. The dishes will be judged by the likes of Jewish foods writer Joan Nathan and journalist David Gregory, as well as each attendee who will submit their own ballots. Tickets start at $180 plus fees, though they are half that for public interest and public sector employees and students. All proceeds benefitTzedek DC to address justice gaps for local residents. The event takes place Monday night, September 25 at 6:30 p.m. at the UDC Student Center (4200 Connecticut Ave. NW).
Dine for earthquake relief
José Andrés’ Oyamel (401 7th St. NW) will host a special happy hour on Tuesday, September 26 to benefit the Mexican Red Cross in the wake of this week’s earthquake. The ‘Hora Feliz,’ held in conjunction with the Mexican Embassy and the Mexican Professionals in DC Association, will contribute 100% of proceeds at the door (there’s a suggested $15 cover charge) to the relief organization. Oyamel will pass bites, and drinks will go for happy hour prices during the 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. event.
Openings
Get your reservations in now. One of fall’s most anticipated openings, Bresca (1906 14th St. NW), is open for diners, starting today. The space will showcase the work of Ryan Ratino, a young chef who drew enough attention at Masa 14 and then Ripple before it closed to win the RAMMY award for rising culinary star of 2017. Bresca is just off of the busy 14th and U Street intersection. Ratino, known for his inventive tasting menus and use of changing, seasonal ingredients, is the executive chef and part owner of the restaurant. He is bringing a new term into the local dining lexicon: modern bistronomy. The Bresca website defines it as “casual fine dining where experimentation becomes the everyday.” The opening menu bears this out with all sorts of mind popping combinations you’ll want to get to the bottom of,including sea urchin linguine with truffle, chili, and yeast butter, and lacquered duck breast with “blue” berries.
Dio Wine Bar (904 H St. NE), a spot to sample natural, bio-dynamic wines opened on Wednesday in the Atlas District. Owner Stacey Khoury-Diaz left her desk job in international development to open her airy, organic loving space named after Dionysus, the Greek god of the grape.
Plan Ahead
Gourmet Symphony’s next event, an opera vs. hip hop battle with support by the D.C. Commission for the Arts & Humanities, is sold out for next week. So get a jump on their next available event, scheduled for October 19. Volksfest D.C. is the Symphony’s second annual Oktoberfest celebration. Set to the tune of live chamber music, the event at Shaw’s Tavern (520 Florida Ave. NW) will include passed small plates and seasonal Atlas Brew Works beer, wine, and the encouragement of costumes and festival attire. Tickets are $39, all inclusive.
