What: A night filled with more than 25 food-sampling tables, silent auction items, and a fast-paced live-auction finale.
Where: The Ritz-Carlton hotel ballroom in downtown DC.
When: November 2, 6:30 to 10.
Why: To benefit March of Dimes, a nonprofit organization committed to preventing premature birth, birth defects, and infant mortality.
Ticket prices: $200 per person, $2,000 per table.
Who: The evening was a who’s who of the local restaurant scene. PS 7’s mixologist Gina Chersevani, chef Travis Timberlake of Art and Soul, and Restaurant Eve bar wizard Todd Thrasher manned their food stations while ABC 7’s Leon Harris, former Top Chef finalist Carla Hall, and Hell’s Kitchen winner Rock Harper hosted the auction ceremonies. Redskins defensive end Andre Carter was called out from his seat by the audience, and Citronelle and Central’s Michel Richard was rumored to be milling about, though we never saw him.
The food: Oh, God, the food. Big-name restaurants and drink masters handed out small plates, mini-mugs, and barrel glasses of hearty winter comfort food and cocktails. Notable dishes included Dino’s wild-boar stew on three-cheese polenta; Art and Soul’s baby biscuit sandwiches with fig, Virginia ham, and goat cheese; Extra Virgin’s extra-large tiramisu; Central’s butter-drenched miniature chicken burgers with lemon mayo; Jackson 20’s chesnut purée with duck confit; and Bastille’s apple-and-brioche pudding topped with braised pork shoulder. Our favorite from the evening, though, was the Manor House’s scrumptious butternut-squash gnocchi coupled with braised lamb belly and pumpkin mallow, bittersweet chocolate, and whole-wheat-graham s’mores.
“Can you beat an event where you get food like this?” host Leon Harris laughed. No sir, you can’t.
The scene: Guests mingled, drank, and ate their way through restaurant samples until 8:15, when emcee Harris called everyone to the dining room for (yet another) dessert of pumpkin-cream cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcake. The quick-tongued benefits auctioneer, Jim Miller, kept the partygoers bidding on vacation, dining, and celebrity-laden prize packages that drew lots of money (dinner for seven cooked by Carla Hall went for $3,000). The 2009 March of Dimes national ambassador, Katelyn Hall, and her family delivered a heart-warming speech on the importance of prenatal research.
Ratings Boldface names: 3.5 out of 5. Swankiness: 3 out of 5. Food and drink: 4.5 out of 5. Exclusivity: 3 out of 5.
Sarah is the Editor-in-Chief of Washingtonian Bride & Groom, and writes about weddings, fashion, and shopping. Her work has also appeared in Refinery29, Bethesda Magazine, and Washington City Paper, among others. She is a Georgetown University graduate, lives in Columbia Heights, and you can find her on Instagram at @washbridegroom and @sarahzlot.
A Night Out: Signature Chefs Auction
Washington foodies fundraised for infant health with dozens of top-notch restaurant bites.
>> To see more photos from the event, head to our photo slideshow
What: A night filled with more than 25 food-sampling tables, silent auction items, and a fast-paced live-auction finale.
Where: The Ritz-Carlton hotel ballroom in downtown DC.
When: November 2, 6:30 to 10.
Why: To benefit March of Dimes, a nonprofit organization committed to preventing premature birth, birth defects, and infant mortality.
Ticket prices: $200 per person, $2,000 per table.
Who: The evening was a who’s who of the local restaurant scene. PS 7’s mixologist Gina Chersevani, chef Travis Timberlake of Art and Soul, and Restaurant Eve bar wizard Todd Thrasher manned their food stations while ABC 7’s Leon Harris, former Top Chef finalist Carla Hall, and Hell’s Kitchen winner Rock Harper hosted the auction ceremonies. Redskins defensive end Andre Carter was called out from his seat by the audience, and Citronelle and Central’s Michel Richard was rumored to be milling about, though we never saw him.
The food: Oh, God, the food. Big-name restaurants and drink masters handed out small plates, mini-mugs, and barrel glasses of hearty winter comfort food and cocktails. Notable dishes included Dino’s wild-boar stew on three-cheese polenta; Art and Soul’s baby biscuit sandwiches with fig, Virginia ham, and goat cheese; Extra Virgin’s extra-large tiramisu; Central’s butter-drenched miniature chicken burgers with lemon mayo; Jackson 20’s chesnut purée with duck confit; and Bastille’s apple-and-brioche pudding topped with braised pork shoulder. Our favorite from the evening, though, was the Manor House’s scrumptious butternut-squash gnocchi coupled with braised lamb belly and pumpkin mallow, bittersweet chocolate, and whole-wheat-graham s’mores.
“Can you beat an event where you get food like this?” host Leon Harris laughed. No sir, you can’t.
The scene: Guests mingled, drank, and ate their way through restaurant samples until 8:15, when emcee Harris called everyone to the dining room for (yet another) dessert of pumpkin-cream cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcake. The quick-tongued benefits auctioneer, Jim Miller, kept the partygoers bidding on vacation, dining, and celebrity-laden prize packages that drew lots of money (dinner for seven cooked by Carla Hall went for $3,000). The 2009 March of Dimes national ambassador, Katelyn Hall, and her family delivered a heart-warming speech on the importance of prenatal research.
Ratings
Boldface names: 3.5 out of 5.
Swankiness: 3 out of 5.
Food and drink: 4.5 out of 5.
Exclusivity: 3 out of 5.
Total score: 14 out of 20.
More>> Capital Comment Blog | News & Politics | Party Photos
Sarah is the Editor-in-Chief of Washingtonian Bride & Groom, and writes about weddings, fashion, and shopping. Her work has also appeared in Refinery29, Bethesda Magazine, and Washington City Paper, among others. She is a Georgetown University graduate, lives in Columbia Heights, and you can find her on Instagram at @washbridegroom and @sarahzlot.
Most Popular in News & Politics
See a Spotted Lanternfly? Here’s What to Do.
Meet DC’s 2025 Tech Titans
What Happens After We Die? These UVA Researchers Are Investigating It.
GOP Candidate Quits Virginia Race After Losing Federal Contracting Job, Trump Plans Crackdown on Left Following Kirk’s Death, and Theatre Week Starts Thursday
USDA Spent $16,400 on Banners to Honor Trump and Lincoln
Washingtonian Magazine
September Issue: Style Setters
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
Why Can You Swim in the Seine but Not the Potomac River?
This DC Woman Might Owe You Money
Why a Lost DC Novel Is Getting New Attention
These Confusing Bands Aren’t Actually From DC
More from News & Politics
How to Pick a Good Title-and-Settlement Company in the DC Area
Weird Press Conference Ends Trump’s Vacation From Offering Medical Advice, Kimmel Goes Back to Work Tonight, and DC Man Arrested for Shining Laser Pointer at Marine One
Why Can You Swim in the Seine but Not the Potomac River?
Nominations Are Now Open for 500 Most Influential People List
Trump and Musk Reunite, Administration Will Claim Link Between Tylenol and Autism, and Foo Fighters Play Surprise Show in DC
This DC Woman Might Owe You Money
A New Exhibition Near the White House Takes a High-Tech Approach to a Fundamental Question: What Is the American Dream?
Want to See What Could Be Ovechkin’s Last Game in DC? It’s Going to Cost You.