I’ve written before about the work Share Our Strength does to combat childhood hunger. I am on the volunteer committee for the DC Taste of the Nation 2009 fundraising event, which will be held March 30, and feature the best of Washington’s chefs and bartenders. For those of you in the Washington area, I wanted to announce that tickets have gone on sale today, with a special discount on tickets purchased before the end of the year. Buy now to save $10 off a general admission ticket or $25 off VIP tickets. All ticket proceeds go directly to local grant programs.

You can also invite your friends via the Facebook page or follow @TOTNationDC on Twitter for updates as the event approaches.

Outside of DC? Check for an event in your town, and follow @ShareStrength for other hunger news.

If you missed out on pre-ordering your heritage bird, EcoFriendly reports that they will be bringing a limited quantity of turkeys to the Courthouse (Saturday) and Dupont Circle (Sunday) farmers markets, first-come, first-serve.

If you prefer your turkeys still free ranging, bundle up and take a hike at Turkey Run Park off the G.W. Parkway!

Speaking of markets, Fairfax County Markets have closed for the season, except for Mount Vernon which ends Tuesday. Alexandria’s Del Ray and Old Town are going strong, and Dupont Circle is year-round as well. Warm up after your market visit with Andrea’s Roasted Acorn Squash with Apples and Sage.

Get a head start on your Christmas shopping at Mount Vernon, where former White House pastry chef Roland Mesnier is creating a gingerbread replica of George Washington’s home and signing books Saturday and Sunday at 1 and 4pm.

Keep warm and support your local winter markets!

Last week I attended a FoodBuzz publishers dinner at Michel Richard’s James Beard winning Central in Washington, DC. Together with eight other DC bloggers, we enjoyed good wine, food, and conversation about food, of course.

We started with the much lauded gougeres. While they were enjoyable, I was wishing for a slightly more pronounced explosion of cheese upon biting in. This may just reflect my personal cheese addiction, though.

As an entree, I had the braised beef cheeks with tagliatelle and carrot puree. The carrot was topped with crispy carrot ribbons, a nifty contrast in texture. The beef cheeks were rich, falling apart tender and flavorful. I sampled another person’s brussels sprouts, which were sweet and creamy and appropriately loaded with bacon, of course.

For dessert, I took the advice of our waiter and ordered Michel Richard’s chocolate bar, a rich chocolate bar paired with decadent hazelnut ice cream and caramel sauce. Truly not to be missed. Overall, I thought the food was outstanding. Sort of like the comfort food your mom would have made, if your mom were a classically trained French chef.

Thank you, FoodBuzz! And thank you to Olga (Mango and Tomato) and Rivka (Not Derby Pie) for organizing the dinner. Photos thanks to Anna of Meals from the Girl in the Little Black Dress. And also attending were Lauren from Capital Cooking Show, Quinn from Daily Moderation, Maddy from Cook Like Mad, Matt from Foodphoria, and Taresa from Cook and Book. Check out their blogs for more pictures and reviews.

Around Town: Looking for a good meal next week? Open Table’s Appetite Stimulus Plan offers $24 lunches and $35 dinners at participating restaurants Nov. 17-21. Capital Spice created a terrific Google map of participating DC restaurants, to help you map out which ones you can comfortably hit up on your lunch hour. (This deal is being offered in all of Open Table’s cities, including NY, Minneapolis, Seattle and San Francisco.)

There are big foodie events in Washington, DC, this weekend, with both the Green Festival and the Metropolitan Cooking & Entertainment Show taking place at the Washington Convention Center. Both have kids’ zones, and the Green Festival will offer eco-foodies natural, vegetarian dining and an organic beer garden. The Green Parent, Jenn Savedge, will be speaking Saturday at 2pm and Diane MacEachern, author of Big Green Purse, on Sunday at 5pm. At the Metropolitan show, Lauren DeSantis of Capital Cooking will be demonstrating Thanksgiving appetizers and her new apron line, so look for her at booth #404.

Alexandria Market Report: Del Ray Farmers Market officially ends the first weekend in December, but Smith Meadows, Toigo and Tom the Cheese Guy will be coming through the winter, as long as customers keep showing up. The Old Town Market is year round, and as Tiffany has reported, Bigg Riggs Farm will be bringing their frozen summer produce so you can enjoy it throughout the winter!

Alexandria Dining News: Also in Alexandria, dine for a good cause next Wednesday, November 12, at Indigo Landing, anytime between 5pm and 10pm, to support the Alexandria Community Trust. And I’d like to point out that while Georgetown Cupcakes may have won the hotly-contested Washington Post “Cupcake Wars” taste-off, Alexandria’s Buzz Bakery won the popular vote handily. Buzz currently features seasonal pumpkin, donnybrook chocolate stout, and the moistest caramel apple cake I’ve ever had (pictured), though the caramel frosting is ridiculously sweet.

Support your year-round markets and eat well this weekend!