On Monday, Ryan Ratino, executive chef of Ripple (3417 Connecticut Ave. NW), will serve a five-course tasting menu. Importer Martine Saunier will pour primarily French wines from her selection of international producers to match the dishes prepared by the chef. Dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. with a champagne aperitif, followed by the first course at 6:45 p.m. Tickets for the dinner are priced at $125 per person.
From 5-9 p.m. March 8, Takoda Restaurant & Beer Garden (715 Florida Ave. NW) will host a tasting dinner to illustrate the differences in color, consistency and flavor of whiskeys produced in the United States. Tickets for the tasting and three-course dinner are priced at $55.
In celebration of its first anniversary on March 8, Espita Mezcaleria (1250 Ninth St. NW) will offer a complimentary pour of espadin mezcal with the purchase of an entree. From Monday through March 12, patrons are invited to stop by the restaurant for a congratulatory toast during lunch, dinner or weekend brunch, as beverage director Megan Barnes will be bringing back five cocktails from Espita’s first year.
Espita has introduced a new daily happy hour from 5-7 p.m., specializing in mezcal-infused craft cocktails and traditional Oaxacan cuisine. Happy hour drinks are available in the bar and the dining room; food specials are limited to the bar.
Northern Virginia Restaurant Week runs March 20-27. Red’s Table (South Lakes Village Shopping Center, 11150 South Lakes Drive, Reston) will offer two-course lunch menus with a nonalcoholic beverage for $20.17. Dinner menus will be priced at $35.17.
On March 15 at 7:30 p.m., Red’s Table will host a beer dinner featuring potables from O’Connor Brewing Co., a craft brewery in Norfolk’s Ghent neighborhood. The evening’s menu will highlight classic Irish dishes with a modern twist in honor of St. Patrick’s Day on March 17. Tickets are priced at $65 per person.
The restaurant will celebrate March Madness with six big-screen TVs and happy hour specials from March 14 through April 3. Daily happy hour specials, available from 3:30-7 p.m., include $4 tap beers, $5 cocktails of the day, select wines by the glass and a rotating selection of dishes.
Also on March 15, Bastille (606 North Fayette St., Alexandria), is featuring a five-course wine dinner with Domaine La Ligiere winery vintner Philippe Bernard. Dishes such as crayfish and crab flan, pork and poultry pate, and fennel-ricotta ravioli with duck ragout, will be paired with the vineyard’s biodynamic wines. The meal starts at 6:30 p.m. and is priced at $89.
Chefs/owners Christophe and Michelle Poteaux have put together the French Quickie menu, a selection of dishes available in Bastille’s bar and cafe. The French Quickie includes any two dishes, or a dish and drink, for $15.95. Menu options include a daily selection of wine by the glass and on-tap beer.
Blackwall Hitch (5 Cameron St., Alexandria), will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with signature beverages and traditional Irish fare, such as corned beef and cabbage, served at lunch and dinner. Fiddler’s Fancy will perform Irish melodies from 9:30 p.m. to closing on March 17. Guests are encouraged to wear green to avoid being pinched on this festive night.
The Grill Room (1050 31st St. NW) in the Rosewood Hotel has introduced new fixed-price affordable lunch and brunch specials. The $30 special lunch offers an appetizer and entree, or entree and dessert. Lunch dishes are available a la carte, with prices ranging from $12 to $27. The brunch menu offers an appetizer and entree, or entree and dessert — including a bottle of sparkling wine for every two guests — for $45 per person.
Cherry blossom season is approaching, and from March 20 through April 16, the Hay-Adams Hotel (800 16th St. NW) will honor the Japanese gift of the trees with a gastronomic journey through Japan’s culinary arts. The Lafayette will feature a Japanese-inspired three-course menu, priced at $75 per person.
The Willard InterContinental (1401 Pennsylvania Ave. NW) will host in partnership with Chateau d’Escians winery of Provence, France, an inaugural Rose Romp on April 1 (no fooling), celebrating the National Cherry Blossom Festival and the winery’s rose wines. The event, which will take place from 1-5 p.m. on the hotel’s terrace, features all you can eat and drink, an art walk with cherry blossom-inspired works by local artists and live music by the Bachelor Boys five-piece band. All-inclusive tickets are $89 per person March 1 and increase to $99 starting March 2. To purchase a ticket, visit RoseRomp.EventBrite.com.
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