SEE DC: October Culinary Events
DC’s culinary landscape comes alive next month, with a multitude of wine festivals and restaurant events starting now through and going into October! As always, Reston Limousine can take you and your family and friends to any of these events in style; visit www.restonlimo.com to reserve your vehicle!
Oct. 2
Mount Vernon’s Wine Festival & Sunset Tour
Tickets on Friday and Saturday of this popular event already have sold out! Enjoy live blues and spectacular views of the Potomac River while sampling wine from 16 Virginia wineries. Visitors learn about the successes and failures of our Founding Father’s wine endeavors, enjoy live blues music, and meet “George and Martha Washington” on the Mansion’s piazza. Guests experience an evening tour of George Washington’s home and are invited to visit the rarely-open basement where he stored his wine.
Oct. 3-16
National Harbor Restaurant Week
Sample some of the best in National Harbor dining during this week when establishments will be offering prix fixe lunch for $20 and three-course dinner menus for $35.
Oct. 8-10
Taste of DC
This Columbus Day foodie weekend features more than 80 of Washington DC’s best restaurants and eateries, wine and beer pavilions, musical acts, and a family-friendly zone — all on historic Pennsylvania Avenue.
Oct. 8-9
Alexandria West End Art and Wine Festival
Cameron Station and Ben Brenman Park play host to 90 juried artists from all facets of art, 25 quality handcrafters, 15 local restaurants representing an ethnic “Taste of the West End,” 100 sponsor booths and displays, and a wine garden.
Oct. 9
Italian Festival – Festa Italiana
Festa Italiana 2011, the largest Italian festival in the DC area, takes place at The Holy Rosary Church, Casa Italiana and on 3rd & F Streets, NW. Come celebrate Italian culture with a street festival featuring delicious Italian food, live music, dancing, crafts, trade demonstrations, games, performances and events for children and much, much more!
Oct. 14-16
The Shenandoah Valley Hot Air Balloon, Wine & Music Festival
A fun-filled, action-packed, three-day family celebration unfolds with the 15th anniversary of the Shenandoah Valley Hot Air Balloon, Wine & Music Festival. Held on the spacious lawns and rolling fields of historic Long Branch in Clarke County, Virginia, the festival brings balloonist and their colorful airborne craft from far and wide to delight spectators of all ages. In addition to the balloons, our annual event provides a wide variety of entertainment over the weekend, including live music, Pumpking Glow on Friday night, a Kiddie Korner, and more.
Oct. 15
Taste of Georgetown
The 18th Annual Taste of Georgetown will showcase the spectacular cuisine of thirty of Washington, D.C.’s finest restaurants, highlighting Georgetown’s culinary personalities and feature nearly sixty delectable dishes to sample, as well as wine pairings and the jazz talents of Blues Alley. This year’s jazz line-up includes the Michael Bowie Trio, Blues Alley Youth Orchestra, Jacques Johnson and Friends, and Sandra Y. Johnson Quintet.
Congratulations to Reston Limo’s BEST Dad!
Pictured from left are Sarah Marchetti, daughter;
Tripp Kelly, future son-in-law; Brian Marchetti, son;
Pam Marchetti, wife; Jeff Marchetti, Best Dad.
Congratulations to Jeff Marchetti, father to 25-year-old Sarah and 21-year-old Brian, who was the winner of Reston Limousine’s recent BEST Dad contest!
Reston Limousine presented Jeff wth four hours of limo service on Father’s Day; an after-hours, in-store fitting for four at Lost Boys Men’s Store; and a $100 Gift Certificate to Martin’s Tavern. To celebrate on June 21, Jeff took his party of four, which included his wife Pam, on a night on the town – Georgetown, to be exact.
Beginning with their pickup at their Clifton home, their driver took the Virginia native and his party on a leisurely drive to their destination during which everyone swapped stories about Georgetown spy stories. “It was so much fun for (our driver) John (Byram) to treat us like foreigners from out of town and give us a sightseeing tour.”
At Martin’s Tavern, they had a light supper of crab cakes, soft shelled crab, white wine and dessert – all while chatting up the friendly waiters about the rich history of the 75-year-old restaurant. From there, it was on to Chadwick’s for drinks to wrap up the evening.
Throughout the evening, “John was our master of ceremonies,” Jeff says. “He would be present when you needed him, and absent when you didn’t. We enjoyed our whole evening, it was a boatload of fun!”
This wasn’t Jeff’s first experience with Reston Limousine on Father’s Day, though. Last summer for Father’s Day he rented a bus to take friends and family to a Tom Petty concert, according to his daughter Sarah, who sent in the letter nominating him for the contest.
“My dad is THE BEST dad in the whole world,” wrote Sarah, a global capital markets and client relations analyst with JER Partners. “Not only are we celebrating Father’s Day this month, we are also celebrating my dad’s 50th birthday. Furthermore, in exactly one year from father’s day weekend this year, he will be walking me down the aisle in my wedding. I believe he absolutely, without a doubt deserves a loving salute from his family and Reston Limo.”
Sarah shared Jeff’s Best Dad Qualities, painting a vivid portrait of a man who raised his children with a bounty of love and humor. Here are some excerpts from her letter:
- He has instilled family loyalty, love and support. He helped us realize and believe that nothing is more important than family. It is even rumored that one time he dunked a man in the neighborhood pool who teased his young children and who had dunked us in the pool. (I didn’t say he was politically correct, I said he was the most loving, loyal, supportive Dad)!
- He gets up extra early every morning to take care of his puppies and takes them on Sunday “field trips” to visit me. These puppies are referred to as the “grandpuppies”!
- He has been happily married to my mom for 27 years. As a child and now a grown woman, this means more than words can express.
- He uses music to express is love and support for us and to commemorate special moments in life (Jimmy Eat World’s The Middle after a tough day in school; The Beatles’ Birthday Song for EVERY birthday we share together). Please note, we think it should be known that this song isn’t just played nicely to celebrate your bday, but it is played as loud as the stereo allows, and he pulls out tambourines and whistles to wake you up the proper way!
Reston Limousine wishes the best to Jeff and Sarah as they prepare for another celebration close to Father’s Day next year. In closing her letter, Sarah noted that this is “our last year together before he walks me down the aisle in my wedding (note well, I have been coaching him on how to make it down the aisle without flooding the chapel in tears of love!).
Congratulations to Jeff — and Sarah — Marchetti!
