Recently in Wine & Dine Category

"Beer activist" Chris O'Brien, author of Fermenting Revolution: How to Drink Beer and Save the World, leads a "tutored tasting" of beers that have been brewed in ways that support their surrounding communities and the environment. Beers on tap include offerings from DC Brau Brewing Company, Flying Dog Brewery, Port City Brewing and Chocolate City Beer. Thursday, Jan. 12, at 7 p.m. Sixth & I Historic Synagogue. 600 I St. NW. Tickets are $20 in advance or $23 day-of. Call 202-408-3100 or visit sixthandi.org.

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The Red Palace offers the first in a series of cocktail classes with a look at the creation and development of the American martini. But it's not just a dry exercise -- full-size tastings are included. Sunday, July 31, at 8 p.m. Red Palace, 1212 H Street NE. Tickets $25, includes three cocktails. Call 202-399-3201 or visit redpalacedc.com.

Dupont Circle Main Streets presents the annual Taste of Dupont 2011 tonight, Tuesday, June 21, from 6 to 10 p.m. Create your own progressive dinner with $5 individual tasting tickets redeemed at any one of the participating dining establishments. A five tasting ticket package is available for $20. Tickets purchased online today will be held at Will Call at the Dupont Resource Center at 9 Dupont Circle, the one story brick building that lies between CVS and PNC Bank. Tickets are also available for purchase at the Dupont Circle Resource Center tonight starting at 5 p.m. For more information, click here. For a complete map of the participating restaurants, click here.

On 15 consecutive nights at the bar, Central Michel Richard's chef de cuisine Arthur Cavaliere gives away free samples of a different new dish each day, eliciting commentary and critique on flavor, presentation, marketability and value. Those dishes getting the highest totals will help shape a new 2011 tapas menu for one of D.C.'s finest restaurants. And all comment cards will be entered into a drawing for a free dinner for two. Included among the taste test: Tuna Nicoise deviled eggs, chili and cheese steak fries, mini lobster rolls with tarragon mayonnaise, French onion soup with dumplings and BBQ spare ribs with cole slaw sauce. Sommelier David Hale will offer specially priced drinks to pair with each sample. Every night until Dec. 21, at 9:30 p.m. Central Michel Richard, 1001 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Call 202-626-0015 or visit centralmichelrichard.com.

Pianist Glenn Pearson and special guests from Washington theater stages perform an evening of showtunes, with a portion of the proceeds from specialty cocktails and featured appetizers benefiting The Helen Hayes Awards, D.C.'s preeminent theater awards organization. Tonight, Tuesday, Dec. 14, from 7 to 10 p.m. The Quill Bar at the Jefferson Hotel, 1200 16th St. NW. Free. Visit helenhayes.org.

"Organic" and "vegan" may not be phrases that fire up the appetite like "deep fried" or "golden brown." But they might once you've tried Cafe Green. Who wants spinach flax and kelp noodles when humanity has invented chili cheese fries? At Cafe Green, you get both. It may be vegan chili and cheese, but you're not likely to feel deprived. Actually, along with the range of traditional raw and vegan fare, the uninitiated can indulge in all sorts of favorites, from a "steak and cheese" sub to "mac n cheese" to gelato. All this, and brunch on Sundays! Located at 1513 17th St. NW in Washington, D.C. Call 202-234-0505.

Pictured: Mango Kale Salad. Photography by Todd Franson

Explore the new restaurants of Mount Vernon Triangle by dining around the neighborhood tasting appetizers, entrees, drinks, and desserts from seven different eateries! Participating restaurants in the Taste of Mount Vernon Triangle are Busboys & Poets, Taylor Deli, Kushi, Mandu, Henry’s Café, Papa Johns, and Buddha Bar. Buy a master ticket for $15 in advance; $20 at the door to participate in this event, held Saturday, Aug. 21, from 2 to 5 p.m. Tickets can be purchased in advance through PayPal at mountvernontriangle.org or on the day of the event at 5th Street Ace Hardware, 1055 5th Street NW. This event takes place rain or shine.

Perched on the border of the Adams Morgan and Dupont Circle neighborhoods, Eric Hirshfield's 18th & U Duplex Diner has long served as a lively and casual gathering spot for D.C.'s gay movers and shakers. You might well call it the Gay Palm. The dining room is as social as the bar, with much table hopping and hobnobbing. The food is classic American comfort -- a generous meatloaf, a spectacular twist on the mac and cheese, and unbeatable pork chops -- all adding to the at-home-with-friends feel. The restaurant is celebrating its 12th anniversary tonight at 10 p.m. Located at 2004 18th Street NW. Call 202-265-9599 or visit duplexdiner.com