Upcoming Events: Oktoberfest Reston, Masa 14 White Party and More!

Black Restaurant Group Chefs/Owners Jeff and Barbara Black are excited to host the one-year anniversary celebration of their vibrant 14^th street dual restaurant, Pearl Dive Oyster Palace and Black Jack, on September 20, 2012.  Tickets are priced at $150 (pre-sale until September 1st) and include unlimited fresh seafood with signature dishes from Pearl Dive’s delicious menu, live music entertainment, and an open bar. 

Blue Crab Summit:  Attention all Capital crab lovers! Johnny’s Half Shell is hosting an Annual Crab Summit on Friday, September 21 and Saturday, September 22 from 5-10pm.  The summit will feature five Maryland Blue Crabs barbequed “Sartin’s Style” and served with fresh, local corn on the cob, potato salad, as well as a choice of either an ice cold pitcher of beer or two glasses of rosé wine. Tickets are $60 a person (tax and gratuity not included) and a full cash bar will be available.  For reservations and additional information please call (202) 737-0400 or visit http://www.johnnyshalfshell.net/.

Fête de la Gastronomie Française Champagne Dinner on September 22nd:  Always wanted to visit France but can’t afford the plane fare? Ici Urban Bistro will be hosting a Fête de la Gastronomie Française Champagne Dinner at the Sofitel Hotel in Washington, D.C. Fête de la Gastronomie Française translated literally means “Festival of French cuisine.” Executive Chef Loquet has designed an exceptional menu reflecting this year's festival theme "terroir" or “local.” In France, soil and roots are at the heart of French cuisine and this is exemplified in each dish. Dishes include foie gras de canard poêlé and apricots veneziana with caramelized almonds. Of course, you can’t celebrate French cuisine without champagne, so each course is paired specially with select cuvée Laurent-Perrier Champagnes. Dinner for two costs $200, excluding tax and gratuity. Come and enjoy the exquisite food and Champagne! To make a reservation, contact Vincent Gernigon at vincent.gernigon@sofitel.com or at 202-730-8418.  

Masa 14, the lively Latin-Asian inspired neighborhood restaurant located at 1825 14^th Street, NW, 20009, is pleased to host a “White Party” the last Saturday of each month.  The premier “White Party” will take place Saturday, September 29th from 10:30 PM to 3 AM in the main dining room of the restaurant and will feature dancing and live music courtesy of DJ Danny House.  Guests are encouraged to wear white in order to receive one complimentary specialty cocktail that evening.  Specialty cocktails will change monthly, and may include standouts such as Strawberry Lemonade made with house vodka, strawberry puree, and fresh muddled lemons, or assorted flavors of mojitos including Bacardi Peach Red, Torched Berry, and Rock Coconut, made with fresh muddled mint and lime.

Through Rosé Colored Glasses”:  Johnny's Half Shell is  featuring ten choices of estate bottled Rosé wines from around the world, available by the bottle or by the glass at a 25% off discounted price throughout September.  Selections include wines from Spain, Lebanon, Italy, France and the United States, which can be paired with Johnny’s regular menu or with the “Suggested Small Bites” pairing menu.  

Tater Tot Happy Hour at Food, Wine and Co.:  The Bethesda eatery is launching a new Happy Hour revolving around the popular bar bites where diners can snag a plate of the crispy, fried tots for only $1. Food, Wine & Co.'s new Tater Tot Happy Hour will be available Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. - 6:30 p.m throughout the month of September.

Oktoberfest Reston is produced by the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce and is Northern Virginia’s largest fall festival at Reston Town Center featuring the best in autumn brews with delicious traditional Oktoberfest fare from area restaurants. Enjoy food, wine, beer, live entertainment, a carnival and the Anthem Great Pumpkin 5K, presented by the Greater Washington Sports Alliance.   Oktoberfest Reston will take place on October 5-7, 2012 at the Reston Town Center at the following times:
Friday, October 5: 3PM – 11PM
Saturday, October 6: 11AM – 11PM
Sunday, October 7: 12PM – 8PM

Fall Mixology Classes:  Spice up your ‘at-home’ bartending skills by attending Ripple’s Fall Mixology Classes on Saturday, October 13 or Saturday, October 20 from 3:30 – 5:00pm.  Ripple’s mixolog.ist, Josh Berner, will instruct guests about the fat-washing process to make three delicious cocktails from Ripple’s menu—Play It Sam, Chile Manteca y Ducle, and Basil Exposition.  These cocktails feature oil-infused gin, bacon-infused mexcal and olive oil-washed vodka.  As part of the class, guests will enjoy these cocktails as they learn, as well as have the opportunity to try Ripple’s grilled cheese bar.  Cost for the class is $45, which includes the cocktails.  For reservations, please call 202.244.7995.  Visit Ripple at www.rippledc.com for more information.  

Bandido Hour:  Tried of the same old happy hour?  Try something new with “Bandido Hour” at Bandolero Sunday through Friday from 4 to 7pm with $4, $5, and $6 food and drink specials.  Reduced price menu items include Bandolero favorites such as tacos, Crazy Corn, El Bandolero margarita, and Shrimp Cocktail.  Visit Bandolero at http://bandolerodc.com/ for directions and menu items.

Wake the Dead Party:  Who says the party stops on Halloween?  Continue the festivities by celebrating the Mexican holiday, Day of the Dead, at Bandolero’s Wake the Dead Party on Friday, November 2.  The festivities start at 10pm with a popular-vote costume contest, $9 cocktail menu and a DJ spinning tracks loud enough to wake the dead.  No reservations required.