Pre-Swamp Sweat Fest Fun: The Many Ways To Enjoy DC Spring

Happy third day of Passover to all our Jewish friends and a hoppy almost Easter to "everyone else!" Jews eating matza and the celebration of when Jesus returned to say "howdy" to all his followers before going away again are two exciting occasions that mark fertility, horny rabbits, and most importantly, spring. Before we enter the sweat feast that is D.C. in the summer when thousands of young impressionable political science majors will come to D.C. to flaunt their stapling skills and flocks of fanny-packed tourists will roll around town in their Segways, we get D.C.’s most enjoyable season, spring. This means there is pig to be eaten and patios to be enjoyed.

A refresher on springtime in D.C.:

You’re really fooling yourself if you think that being outside in the summer in D.C. is an enjoyable experience. Even if D.C. is slowly becoming a city that caters to more than the craft-beer-loving crowd, it will always, always be a swamp of despair and misery in the summertime. Seeing as how nasty summer will be, here's some ideas for how to enjoy these nice spring days:

Washingtonians love drinking outside and eating brunch. These restaurants allow for both:

•  Local 16 (this wasteland that caters to the quintessential Bridge and Tunnel crowd happens to serve a great, inexpensive brunch on their upstairs patio)

•  L’Enfant Café 

•  Vinoteca 

•  Hanks Oyster Bar 

•  Belga Cafe 

•  Agora 

•  The Argonaut 

•  Art and Soul 

•  Leopold’s Kafe 

Upcoming pig-focused events:

• Wednesday, April 20: Tonight, Poste will be roasting a happily raised (though now unhappily very dead) pig to celebrate the opening of their courtyard. A plate of pig costs $20 and comes with a beer or a glass of wine. [Poste ]

• Wednesday, April 20: Jackson 20 is hosting an all-you-can-eat “Pig-A-Palooza” (this is why your Wonkabout hates alliteration) in its courtyard. The event features, in addition to slow roasted swine, BBQ ribs, pulled pork, potato salad, cold slaw, smoked corn, cornbread, green bean salad and pies for $35. [Jackson 20 ]

• Thursday, April 21: The only acceptable way to welcome spring is with a Pig Party. On Thursday, from 4-8PM, Restaurant 3 will be celebrating the opening of their patio with... fresh-off-the-pig pulled pork sandwiches as well as bacon–stuffed waffles with bacon ice cream. Oh hey, here's something that makes this lavish consumption of pork slightly more acceptable: proceeds from the event will benefit the Ronald McDonald House. [Restaurant 3 ]

• Saturday, April 23: If you happen to have an $100 laying around and can't imagine living another day unless you know how break down anentire pig, here's your chance: This Saturday afternoon BLT Steak will be teaching the "art" of breaking down a pig as well as how to create "inventive" pork dishes. The class includes a four-course lunch and cooking demonstration. [ BLT Steak (PDF)]

• Sunday, May 1: But spring really officially begins in D.C. when men don sundresses in a celebration of mumus, cheap beer and freshly roasted pig at Wonderland's Annual Sundress Fest Fundraiser. [Wonderland ]

Spring also means Nationals games and D.C. United games, kayaking, the Sweetlife Festival which is May 1, and Jazz in the Garden, which starts May 27. If you are desperate and have no friends — or, conversely, if you have lots of friends and care to round them all up on a weekly basis — there's always spending spring playing kickball on the Mall.