What's Happening In Washington DC: May 9, 2016

We are lucky to have an exploding food scene in D.C., a scene that makes it hard to choose what event to attend each week. You can go carb crazy for biscuits and vote on your favorites, sit around a comfy table and dine on upscale campfire food, make your plans for an embassy chef cooking throw down, and watch cinematic greats come to life on the screen while munching on Southern classics. Seems like a good week of dining and drinking in the District.

Art and Soul to Host Third Annual Biscuit Bash
Better mark your calendar if love buttery biscuits because Art and Soul is hosting their Biscuit Bash again on Thursday, June 16, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. We know it's a bit early to make the announcement, but the tickets sell out so quickly we wanted to make sure you had enough notice to try and score a few. This year, 11 talented local chefs are competing to see who makes the best biscuit and fixins and the public gets to judge the entries and choose a winner. Make an evening of it and nosh on biscuits for dinner, sample cocktails from acclaimed mixologists Derek Brown of Drink Company and Gina Chersevani of Buffalo & Bergen, and then end the evening on a sweet note with mini cones served by Victoria Lai from Ice Cream Jubilee.

Want to get one of the best dining deals in D.C.? Buy the Early Bird tickets for $43.19 per person by May 15. After that date, the price goes up and the tickets may sell out. If you attend, you can also pat yourself on the back because some of the money from the event goes to support D.C. Central, which fights local hunger by recycling donated food, provides chef's training to at-risk, unemployed adults, and helps urban food systems meet the needs of local communities.

Bonfire Opens in Dupont Circle and Brings Campfire Cooking to the Capital
If you have fond memories of meals cooked over an open fire surrounded by nature then you may find Bonfire hits the spot. A new project from the Social Restaurant Group, the restaurant just opened a few days ago and the owners are creating a new dining experience featuring smoky cocktails, cast iron skillet dishes, and campfire focused foods that make you feel like a kid again. Think of it as "glamping" indoors. Executive chef R.L. Boyd and pastry chef Ellen Diekemper are serving rustic foods prepared with local ingredients like day boat scallops, rockfish, and wild mushrooms accompanied by an extensive s'mores menu.

Embassy Chef Challenge Returns
In D.C., foodies and culture buffs eagerly wait for May's arrival because it signals the arrival of the annual D.C. Passport Festivities, including the exciting and delicious Embassy Chef Challenge. At this popular event, chefs from embassies in D.C. compete for the title of Best Embassy Chef, and this year the competition will be held at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center on Wednesday, May 25, from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

More than 15 embassy chefs will compete accompanied by international drinks and live music hosted by a diverse mix of embassies from around the globe. Celebrity chefs will judge the dishes prepared by the embassy chefs and award the Judge's Prize. There will also be a People's Choice Award selected by the guests. The price is $65 per person and tickets sell out quickly. We will update you with more details as they come in, but visit the event's website to find out more about the participating countries, etc.

Macon Bistro & Larder Unveils Sunday Evening Movie Classics Night in the Magnolia Room
If you love class movies, great food and drink, and don't want to sit in a crowded theater, then you may want to consider heading to Macon Bistro & Larder. Make it a Sunday ritual and spend the entire evening with all the fab folks there. Beverage director Andra "AJ" Johnson has created some craft cocktails to enjoy, is offering a selection of beer of $5 each, and is pricing discounting special wines by 50%, and they all pair well with cocktail chatter snacks like Essie's biscuits and deviled eggs or the Sunday supper menu available in the Magnolia Room.

Sunday movies begin at 5 p.m. and the Magnolia Room will be open for food and drink until midnight. On May 8, three movies from celebrated director John Waters are on the marquee and include Serial Mom, Pink Flamingo, and Cry-Baby. On May 15, you can see three films by Hollywood legend Elizabeth Taylor including Butterfield 8, Cat on A Hot Tin Roof, and Cleopatra; May 22 features three movies starring Carey Grant including His Girl Friday, Notorious, and An Affair to Remember; and then May 29 ends with a bang and includes three films from one of our greatest actresses, Katherine Hepburn, starring in A Philadelphia Story, The African Queen, and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. Reservations are recommended for booking a table for the featured flick, which will be shown on the 55-inch flat-screen TV above The Magnolia Room bar.

For more Washington DC dining and travel news, click here.

Summer Whitford is the D.C. Editor and a food, drink and travel writer at The Daily Meal. You can follow her on Twitter @FoodandWineDiva and on Instagram at thefoodandwinediva.