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By Lynn Norusis, Stefanie Gans, Rachael Keeney and Michael Balderston
DIY Framed Wood Sign Workshop
For Christmas, I painted a family name sign for my boyfriend’s mom, and to my surprise she actually put it on display. One of her relatives saw it and asked that I make one for her son and now daughter-in-law, and after sharing with my own mother what the final products looked like, she put in a request for one as well. Now that I’ve made art for others, I’m ready to keep some for myself, especially since I’ll be moving into a new apartment soon and want to change up my bedroom decor. I have my eye on AR Workshop’s botanical framed signs, and this weekend HGTV Magazine is sponsoring workshops and giving away gift bags, too. –RK // AR Workshop: 107 N. Fairfax St., Alexandria
Trivia on the big stage
While I will probably never appear on Jeopardy!, I enjoy doing weekly trivia games to test what I know and hopefully learn a thing or two that I might not (mostly in the science and math areas). This week I think I’ll check out the biggest trivia game in town when NPR’s Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me sets up at Wolf Trap. I may not actually be competing against the celebrity contestants—including Alonzo Bodden, Helen Hong and Mo Rocca—but I can keep score to myself and maybe take some unofficial bragging rights back to my weekly game with friends. –MB // Filene Center: 1551 Trap Road, Vienna
Easy Cooking Creations
I admit it. I am falling for the title of this class. I can make food, and if given enough time and space for concentration, I can whip up some, dare I say, pretty good dishes, but from a night-by-night standpoint, meals in my house tend to lean common: seasoned salmon on a salad. So Chef Jill Siena’s Easy Cooking Creations class focusing on seafood has me hoping for some new entree options to throw into the rotation. –LN // The Spice & Tea Exchange: 320 King St., Suite 112, Alexandria
Chef Will Artley returns to NoVA with pop-up at Bastille
After a little less than a year in Florida, chef Will Artley returns to the region and will preview the menu from the upcoming D.C. restaurant Scotts Restaurant & Bar at Bastille. Artley cooked all over Northern Virginia, most notably at Evening Star and Pizzeria Orso, and will bring back his signature dish, the BLT gnocchi, along with popcorn agnoloti in a ham hock broth and sea bass with succotash and horseradish in a five-course, $55 tasting menu. –SG // Will Artley pop-up at Bastille, July 19-29; 606 N. Fayette St., Alexandria
