Events: Chefs for Equality

For its third year, HRC's Chefs for Equality will take place on Tuesday, September 23, to raise funds and awareness in the fight for marriage equality, this year with focus on Virginia. The event has cemented itself as one of the best food and restaurant events on the calendar, and this year will be no exception. With over 100 participating chefs and restaurants and a dozen-plus mixologists, you'll be hard pressed not to find your favorite chef to fawn over.

The Ritz-Carlton West End will host the event once again, with organizer David Hagedorn at the helm. Chef tables for the event are still available, with 5-course meals from the likes of Mike Isabella, Vikram Sunderam and Jamie Leeds.

General admission tickets are $150, with after party passes at $50, again this year at Kapnos.

The Ritz-Carlton West End: 1150 22nd St, NW, Washington DC.

Dish: Pizza Marinara

I've started to cut out dairy from my diet, at least to the best that I can. Coffee at home it's coconut creamer, if I'm craving a burger I'll skip the cheese. These are easy maneuvers. I still however crave a slice of pizza from time to time, I'm not talking your Papa John's or Pizza Hut, I don't need to break my no dairy rule for those, even after a drink or two I'm well behaved. Rarely can I eat a whole pizza, nor do I want to. It's a sharing dish, but it's not easy finding someone who will be happy to share a pizza sans cheese, at Ghibellina I think I've found the slice.

The Marinara at Ghibellina is worthy of a mention. I think we can all agree that the pizzas here are amongst the best in the city - brick oven roasted, slightly burnt crust, topped with razor-thin slices of garlic and fresh basil in a sea of rich tomato sauce. Delicious. More notably, during their happy hour which runs daily from 4-6:30, at $6.50 a pizza paired with a $5 glass of wine it's perhaps one of the best deals around.

If I made good choices we wouldn't be having this conversation, but I don't.

Ghibellina, 1610 14th Street NW, Washington, DC (closest metro: U Street)

Events: Lambrusco Week

Unlike fetch, Lambrusco is happening, at least where The Partisan's wine director, Brent Kroll is concerned. Forget restaurant week, this week it's all about Lambrusco at the meat-centric restaurant in Penn Quarter. Over the course of the week, August 11-17 the restaurant will be featuring seven different "meat-friendly" wines from the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy.

Each night Kroll and his team will offer a different Lambrusco at $6 a glass, alternatively you can select a flight of three, five or seven Lambrusco and Charcuterie pairings for $18, $27 or $35 respectively.  With pairings including a Vecchia Modena from the Chiarli Winery in Northern Italy and a Mortadella from Red Apron (my personal favorite) or a Rossa Viola paired with a Sweet Bologna there is plenty to choose from. And if you get the chance to snag a few minutes with Kroll you'll be a little more the wiser on this underrated wine.

The Partisan, 709 D St, NW, Washington DC (closest metro: Gallery Place or Penn Quarter)