Attention, Class of 2012! RIS is opening especially for you on Saturday, May 19, at 10am for Brunch. Our full a la carte Small Plates Brunch and Bottomless Mimosas will be available. A special Prix Fixe dinner menu will be offered beginning at noon. Saturday is projected to be 77 degrees and sunny, and our patio is here for your al fresco celebrations as well. Large groups are welcome. Call for reservations today!

Show some love for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Metropolitan D.C Chapter by joining Chef Ris at Chefs in the City on Monday, May 14. The event will take place at the NAHB Building, beginning at 6pm with cocktails and a silent auction, followed by a 7pm dinner.

CHEFS IN THE CITY is a uinique annual fundraising event that brings the area’s top chefs together for an exclusive evening to offer their signature cuisine to a limited number of guests in an intimate setting. Each chef, designing their own menu, prepares a five-course dinner, complete with complimentary wines for one table of 10 guests.

During the cocktail hour, a random drawing will take place that pairs the guests’ tables with their chef for the evening. With each table having a different chef, menu and decor, it promises to be a beautiful and mouthwatering culinary experience! THE Dish :Last year, D.C.’s finest restaurants were represented including; Citronelle, Evo Bistro, Zentan, Redwood, Matchbox, and many more. This year will not disappoint - to find out who will be dreaming up their unique menu for this event, visit their website .

One of the true signs of Spring for me is when the markets bloom with fresh colors and flavors. Two of my favorites are asparagus and strawberries!

Every month, the RIS Lunch Club Series features a 3-course, themed lunch menu for $25. This month, RIS brings the market straight to your lunch table with our Asparagus & Strawberries Menu.

Start with Asparagus and Gingered Grapefruit Salad with sesame and miso vinaigrette, or Fresh Ricotta Gnudi on asparagus pesto with prosciutto and lemon salt. For the main course, try our Braised Veal Cheeks on risotto Milanese with asparagus and gremolata sauce. Or enjoy the Mustard Crusted Salmon on a spring vegetable ragout of asparagus, fava beans, English peas and mushrooms with artichoke cream and mustard seed vinaigrette. End your meal with a sweet finish featuring either house made Strawberry Sorbet with strawberry salad and a lemon sablé cookie, or Strawberry Shortcake. 

The only thing sweeter than this menu is the RIS Lunch Club Card deal... Enjoy six lunches in one month and the seventh one is on us. Join the Club!

RIS is a proud partner of the Zoo's annual fundraiser, ZooFari. ZooFari has been called D.C.'s "foodie event of the year," and the lineup features more than 100 of the area's finest restaurants. Add fine wines, fabulous entertainment, animal demonstrations, and a great silent auction, all in the wild setting of the Smithsonian's National Zoo, and you have the recipe for a delicious evening. Join us this year on Thursday, May 17! Find out more at fonz.org/zoofari.htm.

In collaboration with RIS Walk 60, RIS is hosting a GW Heart Dinner to benefit the GW Women's Heart Center at The George Washington University Cardiovascular Institute. Heart disease is the #1 killer of women in the United States regardless of race or ethnicity.

The Women’s Heart Center at the GW Cardiovascular Institute has a mission to support excellence in women’s health care, advance cutting-edge research, foster community initiatives, and educate women about heart disease. They intend to improve cardiovascular health through prevention counseling, education and screening.

Join us for a special dinner featuring special wines from exclusive private wine cellars, paired with a fresh Spring menu from Chef Ris. This is a wonderful opportunity to treat yourself and give others the gift of heart health. We still have a few spaces left, RSVP today to GW/Jessica Johnson at jjohnson@mfa.gwu.edu.

Menu

RIS is pleased to welcome Elk Cove Vineyards, one of Oregon's oldest and most respected wineries, for a wine dinner on Monday, April 23. Elk Cove Winery has been making wine since 1977, and it shows! They have won many awards and the critic's acclaim as well.

Family owned and operated, winemaker Adam Godlee Campbell joined forces with his parents in 1995 to continue producing outstanding Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris, and now Pinot Blanc. Chef Ris has created a menu that celebrates Spring and these delicious wines. This is a wonderful opportunity to taste West Coast wines without the trek to Oregon! 

Spaces are still available! RSVP to natalie@risdc.com with the number of guests.

Spring has arrived in DC and Easter is just around the corner on Sunday, April 8. 

RIS will be offering our Sunday best, beginning with brunch from 10am to 3pm. Our full Sunday Brunch menu will be available, and we're coloring our bottomless mimosas in Spring flavors of Strawberry Rhubarb and Mango Tea.

Easter Dinner will be served from noon to 9pm. Our full a la carte menu, as well as a fresh, Spring Prix Fixe menu from Chef Ris. Call for reservations today! Families and groups are welcome. 

Easter Sunday Dinner

First Course

Entree

Dessert

Join RIS for a special five course wine dinner on Tuesday, April 10, 2012 at 6:30pm.

This event will feature Cass Winery and Thacher Winery, two small production, estate wineries located in Paso Robles, California.  The owners of each winery, Ted Plemons of Cass and Sherman Thacher of Thacher, will be our guides for the dinner. 

The evening will begin with an opening reception featuring an exclusive 'winery only' sparkling Grenache from Cass Winery.  Chef Ris’ spring menu will be paired perfectly with the Rhone varietals, such as Viognier, Roussanne and Syrah. 

Cost is $125 per person, plus tax and gratuity. Spaces are limited!  To sign up, call Natalie at 202.730.2508 or email events@risdc.com.

Easter is just around the corner on April 8! Bring the family for brunch on Easter Sunday starting at 10 am. Easter Dinner will be served from noon to 9pm. Call for reservations now! Chef is preparing a special menu with lots of delicious Easter treats that will be released later this week.

This Saturday March 31, (from 11am to 2pm) bring your friends to decorate Easter eggs and Easter themed cookies for our "Excellent Eggs" event to benefit DC Central Kitchen. Children are welcome, and encouraged! As with all of our Saturday Craft Afternoons, a lite menu will be served: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Tomato Soup, Raspberry Coconut Cupcakes, and a Spring ice cream flavor. Suggested donation is $20 per person. Bring your creative side and your appetite to welcome Easter a little early this year. RSVP with number of guests to natalie@risdc.com.  

Chef Thrainn Freyr, World Culinary Cup Winner and Bocuse d’Or competitor, will delight area foodies from Thursday, April 12 – Sunday, April 15, 2012 with his acclaimed Icelandic cooking.  RIS will feature a special four-course menu during “A Taste of Iceland,” designed by Chef Thrainn in partnership with RIS Sous Chef, Sarah Biglan.  Attendees of the four-day event will continue to be inspired by the cool Icelandic cocktail, the “Reykjavik 101.”  The custom-made drink, developed by Bryan Smith, a member of the RIS bar team, features Reyka Vodka, Corsair Gin, and house made vermouth with a Meyer lemon twist.

The Icelandic menu, featuring fresh ingredients sourced locally in Iceland, will be offered for $65.00 and will include:

First

Icelandic Arctic Char
Slow cooked Arctic Char served with pickled cucumber, sprinkled with ground dried “Söl,” Icelandic seaweed and estragon flavored aioli

Second

Wild Caught Icelandic cod
Pan fried lightly salted cod served with glazed carrots, Icelandic “Geysir” rye bread crumbles and citrus sauce

(The “Geysir” rye bread is baked in a geothermal hot spring at the Geysir geothermal area in Haukadal, Iceland)

Main

Icelandic Free-Range Lamb
Wood roasted shoulder of lamb and grilled loin of lamb with glazed Jerusalem artichokes,
dried grapes, roasted almonds and infused dill

Dessert

The Viking Skyr Tiramisu
Icelandic Skyr and cream cheese mousse with spicy cake, coffee syrup and coffee ice cream
(Skyr is a cultured dairy product unique to Iceland - a staple since the Vikings. Skyr is fat free, fresh and creamy, thicker than yogurt and made from nutritive-rich skim milk)

A Taste of Iceland will also feature:

• FREE concert at the Fillmore Silver Spring with Of Monsters and Men, and Lay Low - Saturday, April 14, 2012

• FREE movie viewings of two of Iceland's newest hit films at the AMC Loews Uptown 1 Theater. - Sunday, April 15, 2012

For further information on “A Taste of Iceland” in the Washington, D.C. metro area, visit www.icelandnaturally.com.

Put on your best pinks and celebrate! Today is the first day of the centennial celebration of the National Cherry Blossom Festival! We hope to see you this evening at the sold-out Pink Tie Party.

To commemorate this special occasion, join us here at RIS for our "Cherry Picks", cherry inspired offerings starting today! A brand new entree, the Breast of Muscovy Duck with smoked Spanish paprika, almond wild rice, sweet and sour cherry orange sauce and pan braised endive is arriving on our dinner menu tonight. Or try our Chicken Salad Sandwich for lunch, which is decorated with almonds and cherries for the occasion. We even have a new cocktail that is dressed in pink for the occasion, the Yoshino Blossom. For something different, order a Cherry Tree cider from Original Sin, with flavors of pressed heirloom apples and tart cherries. 

The festival and our menu items have an extended run this year, through the 27th of April, plenty of time to try all three!

Avoid the stuffy sports bars with long lines and enjoy the games in style at our bar! Enjoy Rush Hour specials, drinks and small plates between $4 and $6.30, during all games.

Try our Slider Deuce: one is a Buffalo Chicken Slider with blue cheese and celery, and the other is a Shrimp Tempura Slider with Sriracha sauce and yuzu slaw. How about a steaming Bowl of Mussels, with tomato, chorizo, garlic, herbs and grilled bread. Pair your small plate with a refreshing beverage. For beer lovers, a Schlafly Kölsch is only $4. For a more fruity option, our housemade sangria (with red wine, brandy, port and fruit) is $6.

Visit risdc.com for the full Rush Hour menu. With specials like these and great service from our friendly bartenders, everyone's a winner! 

Les Dames d'Escoffier invite you to the 8th annual Celebrating Food: Women in Gastronomy event on Saturday, March 10. Join Chef Ris and a host of other DC chefs along with Keynote Speaker Chef Sara Moulton. Highlights of the day will include: 

• More than 40 Speakers in 16 sessions
• Hands-on Cooking Classes
• Continental Breakfast and Lunch Included
• Fabulous Culinary Expo with new products, samples, cookbooks, and experts
• Festival of Desserts
• Dumpling and Beer Pairing Finale....

And much much more! Get your tickets here and follow @LesDamesDC on Twitter for more information. Hope to see you there!

It's back again this year, Yelp! Drinks Week, from this Monday, February 27 through Sunday, March 4! Join RIS for one of these three RIS Signature Cocktails:

Grapefruit Basil
Ketel One, Ketel One Oranje, basil and fresh pink grapefruit juice

Spicy Pepino
Milagro Reposado Tequila, cilantro, cucumber, jalapeno syrup, lemon and lime

All of the delicious refreshment for half the price! (which equates to a special rate of $6.50 to you Yelp-ers!) So, bring your friends and mention the secret code words. *(OK, it's not that secret, it's "Yelp Drinks Week".) See you soon! If you miss out on this special event, remember that RIS has Rush Hour Specials every weekday for $4 to $6.30, between 4 and 6:30pm.