April 7 is National Beer Day, commemorating the signing of the Cullen-Harrison Act, which legalized the sale of beer, on March 22, 1933.
Red’s Table (11150 South Lakes Dr., Reston) will celebrate National Beer Day from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. by offering discounted draft beer specials for lunch and dinner. Eight draft beers from local craft breweries will be offered at a discounted price of $4 each. On Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., Red’s Table will host a beer dinner featuring craft brews from Mustang Sally Brewing Co., the largest brewing facility in Fairfax County. The cost of the dinner is $65 per person.
On Tuesday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Takoda Restaurant & Beer Garden (715 Florida Ave. NW) will host a beer dinner featuring craft brews from Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Hardywood Park Craft Brewery and others. Tickets are $45 per person. Reservations are required.
April 8 is National Empanada Day. Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar (801 Ninth St. NW) will celebrate with a dollar happy hour from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. with four different empanadas priced at $1 each.
Grilled cheese is back at Ripple (3417 Connecticut Ave. NW) during happy hour and every night in the restaurant’s bar area. Two selections are available — a Sottocenere (truffle-infused Italian cheese) with aioli, and a Morbier grilled cheese with short rib and horseradish cream.
Speaking of grilled cheese, April 12 is National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day. Bastille (606 N. Fayette St., Alexandria) is celebrating by offering several versions of the classic sandwich with French twists, available at lunch in the bar and cafe, priced from $11 to $13.
For the entire month, Bastille presents an “April in Paris” menu celebrating the diverse cultures of France. (Almost a quarter of France’s population is either foreign-born or second-generation from foreign-born families.) The menu includes falafel with harissa aioli, osso buco and magret de canard l’orange.
April 16 is Easter. Bourbon Steak (Four Seasons Hotel, 2800 Pennsylvania Ave. NW) will host its second annual Easter Bottle Hunt in the hotel’s courtyard, where ribbon-wrapped bottles of WhistlePig Whiskey are planted in place of Easter eggs. The hunt starts at 3 p.m. and is complimentary for brunch guests. The three-course prix fixe brunch menu will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Children can go downstairs for a candy-filled egg hunt from 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m. and meet the Easter Bunny.
The Willard Intercontinental Hotel (1401 Pennsylvania Ave. NW) Easter Brunch will be served with seatings at 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., and 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $100 for adults and $55 for children. In the hotel’s Round Robin Bar, cherry-themed cocktails and Japan-inspired dishes are available until April 16.
Every day between Monday and April 16, chef David Guas bakes sour cherry hot cross buns at his Bayou Bakery, Coffee Bar & Eatery (1515 N. Courthouse Rd., Arlington). Legend has it that Father Thomas Rocliffe in 1361 baked spiced fruit buns, marked them with a cross representing the crucifixion and the resurrection, and distributed them to the poor. With every two-dozen buns sold before Easter, Bayou Bakery will donate a dozen to A-SPAN, a nonprofit that helps the homeless.
Sakerum (2204 14th St. NW) has begun a Bento Box Brunch service on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Six Japanese-style bento boxes, priced at $29 each, showcase Latin and Asian ingredients. Each box is accompanied with mixed green seaweed salad, bacon-jalapeno home fries and fried plantains.
Every Monday, Masala Art (1101 Fourth St. SW) features a menu from a specific region of India, with vegetarian dishes priced at $24 and meat dishes at $27. For April, the Monday menu will focus on Garhwali cuisine from the northern mountainous region of India.
From 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. every Sunday through the summer, 701 Restaurant (701 Pennsylvania Ave. NW) welcomes guests in the lounge with a “Love Thy Neighbor” offering of complimentary bar snacks with beer, wine and featured cocktails for $7 each. A three-course $35 dinner will be available exclusively on Sundays from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The Oval Room (800 Connecticut Ave. NW) has introduced a special seasonal three-course tasting menu priced at $55, or $75 with three wine pairings, every Friday throughout the summer.
The Blue Jeans Ball, which raises funds for the Capital Area Food Bank, will take place at the Marriott Marquis hotel (901 Massachusetts Ave. NW) on April 23, with a VIP reception at 5 p.m.; tastings, cocktails and a silent auction at 6 p.m.; and the program and live auction at 7 p.m. Tickets and sponsorship details are available at capitalareafoodbank.org/blue-jeans-ball/.
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