Slow Food

Welcome to a new year with all new food adventures! Our NEIGHBORHOOD GEMS series features emblematic meals from around the world. This series shines a light on local restaurants and is designed to bring together inquisitive foodies and dishes that are unique and oh so worth a trip on roads less traveled! Join us for a memorable evening at ***Beteseb Restaurant*** \- one of Tom Sietsema's top 40 Restaurants in the area \(October 2025\)\! **Washingtonian (Jan 2025)** Lately, we've gravitated to this homey SIlver Spring dining room for our injera fix. The vegetarian platter is a gorgeous color wheel showcasing tumeric - spiced cabbage, vibrant sauteed greens, and three kinds of lentils, each distinct and delicious. Green salad, often an afterthought, gets a zippy dressing. Omnivores: Add the excellent beef tibs to your platter. Even if you upgrade to the juicy rib eye, Beteseb offers incredible value. **Washington Post (October 2025)** Declaring “the best” Ethiopian restaurant in a region overstocked with them is a challenge. While their menus tend to read alike, they distinguish themselves with fine points. Let’s just say Beteseb Restaurant in Silver Spring is where I think about going most often when I need my kitfo and vegetable fix. No other Ethiopian spot of my acquaintance has a more compelling physical menu. It comes in the shape of a round of injera, with lush, life-size photos of some of the dishes you can order. My current fascination is dullet: boiled, ground beef tripe seasoned with cardamom, jalapeño and mitmita — a torch song trilogy rounded out with garlic, onion and butter. I like to pair the offal with one of the top vegetable combinations around, a garden of delights gathering lentils in three colors: near-melting cabbage, garlicky collard greens and an orange puddle of shiro, chickpea flour stew shot through with onion, garlic and berbere. Thought has gone into the 50-seat storefront, a wall of which reflects a shade of yellow lentils and a corner of which displays woven baskets and wine. A silver-toned silhouette of Addis Ababa adds to the interior appeal. Beteseb translates from Amharic to “family,” which sums up both the business owned by chef Darmyelesh Alemu and her brother, Aynalem Zeleke, and the chef’s philosophy. “We want you to feel like family when you come in,” she says. Done! **Check out the menu** [here](https://www.betesebrestaurant.com/menu-1) Separate checks will be arranged in advance. All diners will settle their own tabs. We ask that ALL folks honor their RSVP. If you are unable to attend after sending in a YES, please update your status so that others may join and help us support local businesses. In the event our group incurs a fee for no-shows / late cancellations, your ability to RSVP for future events will be restricted. Thank you in advance for your understanding. To enhance the opportunity for great conversation, we will continue to limit the group size. Please feel free to sign-up to meet us along with up to 3 friends. **\*\*** **WAITLIST:** Meetup does not allow waitlists for paid events. *If this event fills and you would like to be added to the waitlist, please send a note to the host through the Meetup app. **\*\**** In the future, we will vary the days of the week and the types of restaurants to keep events interesting. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU ARE COMMITTED TO GO WHEN YOU RSVP FOR THIS EVENT. Feel free to make suggestions for future meet locations. \*\* The small non-refundable registration fee helps us share the cost associated with the Meet-Up platform ($360/yr) and reduces the likelihood of no-shows, allowing us to better plan our events and accommodate all participants. Meetup charges $0.51 and Paypal charges $0.53 on the $2 registration fee. Thanks in advance for your understanding!\*\* If you are unable to join us in January, we hope you'll stay interested and join us for a meal in the future. Looking forward to catching up with you for delightful Ethiopian dinner at Beteseb Restaurant!

Mondays just got delicious! Join us at **Divino** for **Wine Mondays: 50% off our entire wine list**—all day, every Monday. From crisp Italian whites to bold Barolos, it’s the perfect excuse to explore something new or revisit a favorite. **Less Monday stress...More Wine!** FREE PARKING

Hosting a casual online meetup to talk about backpacking experiences — first trips, favorite trails, mistakes made, lessons learned, and what people actually enjoy (or hate) about multi-day backpacking. This is a chill discussion, not a lecture. Come share your experiences, listen to others, ask questions, and connect with people who enjoy being outdoors and spending time on the trail. No experience level required — just an interest in backpacking and the stories that come with it.

Maxwell Park is 4 blocks from the Mt Vernon Sq/7th St-Convention Center. 🍷 RSVP Please: --Thee are a limited amount of spots and if you are on the "going" list it means we are holding a space for you. --**If your plans have changed, please edit your RSVP (even if you are on the waiting list),** so that someone else gets sufficient notice to attend in your place. --We track our attendees list, and a late drop or no show might affect your participation at future events. **Waitlisted Friends!** \*PLEASE\* keep an eye on this page and your messages, especially close to the day of the event. Thanks! *Note start time of 6:15 PM!* Please plan to arrive on time. 🍷 What is blind wine tasting? In a blind tasting you use your sense of smell, sight, and taste to try to deduce which variety(wine grape) is in your glass. 🍷 Do I need to be a wine professional? Definitely not - this group is experience diverse and we welcome both wine newbies and wine pros (and everyone else in between). 🍷 How does this work? --Please arrive slightly before 6:15pm to grab a seat. --Maxwell Park will serve us two wine flights: 3 white wines around 6:20 pm and 3 red wines around 7:30 pm. Each flight is $20. Food and other wines are also available for purchase. --We will discuss each flight as a group and try to reach somewhat of a consensus. Then comes the *big reveal* where we discover if our guesses were right. Full vaccination is required, masks are optional. Unfortunately, while we will try to be as careful as possible, we cannot promise that this will be 100% Covid risk free, please keep that in mind when deciding whether or not to attend. Stay home if you are experiencing any symptoms of Covid 19. Please keep an eye on this event for possible changes. Hope to see you there ! \~ Linda Lists of possible wines: [White Wine Varieties](https://www.mastersommeliers.org/sites/default/files/ES%20Tast-CMS%20Probable%20List%20of%20Examinable%20White%20Grape%20Varieties-NEW_2015.pdf) [Red Wine Varieties](https://www.mastersommeliers.org/sites/default/files/ES%20Tast-CMS%20Probable%20List%20of%20Examinable%20Red%20Grape%20Varieties-NEW_2015.pdf)

Please join us. We are a group of 6-12 people who come together weekly on Mondays for an hour of silent meditation, walking meditation. No RSVP needed; just show up! We all need more silence and peace in this world. We end with tea and snack and a poem with sharing. Our guiding teacher has practiced Zen meditation for 25 years, but we all share leadership. Beginners or anyone interested in silent meditation and fellowship are welcome. We sit in chairs, have a reading or brief instruction, a bell and silent meditation for 10 minutes, followed by walking meditation, a bell and 20 minutes of silent meditation. We end with an offering of tea and a snack, conversation and a poem and reflections. A warm and welcoming group. Free, please join us. We meet in the sanctuary In [Rockville United Church](https://www.rockvilleunitedchurch.org/) in Twinbrook, MD. Plenty of parking. Enter the main door and look for a green sign. ***This is a good place to rest and refresh on the way home from work and before dinner.*** Free. Try it.

🎲 Join Us for a Bunco Night! 🎲 Join us for an exciting evening of Bunco, where all are invited to come together for fun, laughter, and friendly competition! Please bring $5 to play! 🌟 No previous Bunco experience necessary! This is a fun, luck-based game of dice perfect for groups. With table rotations and a bell to signal rounds, it’s easy to learn and guarantees great fun for everyone. **Game Plan:** Each attendee needs to bring $5 cash to play. Cash will be converted to quarters for playing prior to the first round. 25¢ per round; Each player will contribute a quarter for every round we play. Don't worry; the winners of each round get to keep their quarters! The remaining money from each round will go into our collection jar. At the end of the year, we'll donate these funds to an agreed upon local non-profit which helps those facing food insecurity. ***\*\*Please send organization suggestions via DM message in the Meetup App prior to the inaugural Bunco event in January 2026 so the group can discuss and make a selection\*\**** Let’s make our Bunco nights not only fun but also impactful! **Attendees are also asked to bring one of the following:** A wine or beverage of your choice A fun nosh to share The host will provide glasses, wine openers, plates, and napkins **What to Expect:** Friendly games and an introduction to the house rules Opportunities to meet new people and connect with fellow enthusiasts Light snacks and refreshments to keep you energized Don’t miss this chance to dive into the fun of Bunco while supporting a great cause! Bring your friends or come solo—everyone is welcome! We’ll reconfirm RSVPs before the event to avoid no-shows and ensure that those on the waitlist have an opportunity to join. **WAITLIST:** Meetup does not allow a waitlist for paid events. If this event fills up and you’re interested in being added to the waitlist, please send the host a message through the app. Note: The small non-refundable registration fee helps us share the costs associated with the Meetup platform ($360/year) and reduces the likelihood of no-shows, allowing us to better plan our events and accommodate all participants. Meetup charges $0.51 and PayPal charges $0.53 on the $2 registration fee. Thanks for your understanding. We look forward to a fantastic night filled with laughter and camaraderie!

Love Sushi has a 4.5 rating! Get their signature 'Crush on you' roll (Yummy!). They are a fusion Asian place serving mostly Japanese, some Thai (Curried coconut chicken is great and Dam Dam noodles are spicy and really good), and they have really good Chinese won ton soup. Besides raw fish in Sushi and Maki there's cooked food like tempura and teriyaki. I love eating at "Love Sushi" as they make really good Sushi, Sashimi, Tempura, and Teriyaki, and they have Nigori Sake! Let's meet and greet over some good Asian food in Gaithersburg! Menu: http://lovesushirockville.com/menu.html All Aboard, Mates!

It’s been a few months since our last get together. An early thaw is on tap this week. This community of Pizza people have never visited Boogy and Peel, currently the number 3 ranked pizza joint in DC on yelp, It is a quick walk near the Dupont Circle metro, with fun shops near by (Help me find something useful rather than used vinyl). So come on by for some fellowship, a slice and some respite from the darkest days of winter.

Join us for a laid-back Sunday Brunch. The Brunch is All-You-Can-Eat buffet and a bottle of Champagne (750 ml) with Orange Juice. You make your own mimosa. Just only for $ 35.00 per person without tax & gratuity! It includes French toast, pancakes, waffles, omelettes made to order, Pasta, Salads, Roast Beef, Pork Ribs, oyster bar, cheese bar and Salmon, plenty of fresh fruit, yogurt, cakes, cookies, and pudding....mmmm! After brunch, we mingle and socialize. http://photos2.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/7/8/e/8/600_400350952.jpeg http://photos4.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/7/c/e/e/600_400351982.jpeg

To secure your spot, grab your discounted ticket, at your earliest convenience from this link (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sunday-brunch-tickets-23897417820). Join us for a laid-back Sunday Brunch. The Brunch is All-You-Can-Eat buffet and a bottle of Champagne (750 ml) with Orange Juice, we make our own mimosa - only for $ 45.00 per person including tax & gratuity! The price increases to $ 55 on March 29th and $ 65 on April 10th, 2016. The party continues and after brunch, we mingle and socialize at the Happy Hour, which is organized as in collaboration with the Brunch. METRO & PAKING INFO : Closest Metro Station is U Street Cardozo (Please take 13th St. Exit). Please take into consideration Metro's weekend truck work and allow enough time for your ride. Check it on http://www.wmata.com/ and plan accordingly. Street parking might be difficult. However, if you plan to drive, there is a parking garage, Franklin D. Reeves Center Garage,[masked]th Street NW, Washington DC). They are open up until 3 am and it costs $ 15 plus tax. Tel : 202-265-0010. http://photos4.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/2/b/2/2/600_400271042.jpeg Payment Instructions : 1. You should login from a PC to see the 'Pay Now' button, after RSVPing. Then hit the button 2. Verify correct dollar amount for number of people you're paying for. 3. If you don't have a Paypal account, click "Pay with a Debit or Credit Card". 4. If you have a Paypal account, simply log in, and pay as you normally would via Paypal. http://photos3.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/2/b/a/e/600_400271182.jpeg Refund & Ticket Resell All sales are final. We only refund the full amount, if the event is canceled. If it is rescheduled, we will send an email to those who RSVPed 'YES' advising that. A full refund will be given to those that let us know within 2 calendar days of the update email, if you are unable to make it on the new date. No refunds will be given after that time. However, you can sell your ticket to someone else if you are unable to attend. Please, feel free to post in the comment box for the event, that you have a ticket for sale. Work out payment between yourselves, and have the seller only send the organizer a "message" through their Meetup profile (do not comment in the comment box of the event posting) letting us know the full name and Meetup profile URL (if a member) of the person taking your spot. You must let us know two hours before the RSVP close time, on the day of the event.

Join us for Slow Horses and a Book Exchange! In addition to our usual chat about the book, we’ll be exchanging books. Bring two books you’re willing to part with and we’ll exhange books. \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- Welcome to the thrilling and unnervingly prescient world of the slow horses. This team of MI5 agents is united by one common bond: They've screwed up royally and will do anything to redeem themselves. This special tenth-anniversary deluxe edition of a modern classic includes a foreword by the author, discussion questions for book clubs, and an exclusive short story featuring the slow horses. London, England: Slough House is where washed-up MI5 spies go to while away what's left of their failed careers. The "slow horses," as they're called, have all disgraced themselves in some way to get relegated there. Maybe they botched an Op so badly they can't be trusted anymore. Maybe they got in the way of an ambitious colleague and had the rug yanked out from under them. Maybe they just got too dependent on the bottle-not unusual in this line of work. One thing they have in common, though, is they want to be back in the action. And most of them would do anything to get there-even if it means having to collaborate with one another. When a young man is abducted and his kidnappers threaten to broadcast his beheading live on the Internet, the slow horses see an opportunity to redeem themselves. But is the victim really who he appears to be?

Let’s meet for lunch at Tensuke market. They offer a variety of sushi and other Japanese food. Within Tensuke market is the restaurants Sushi Ten and Tensuke Ramen.

Join us for a guided wine tasting sponsored by Wine Trends, featuring a curated selection of wines paired with individual charcuterie boards. $30 per person paid at venue. RSVP required. Each guest receives a personal board with a curated selection of meats, cheeses, olives, nuts, jam, grapes, and baguette. A relaxed, social way to unwind and try something new. Must be 21+ to attend

Volunteer with Mid-OH Food Collective Mid-OH Market 4041 Gantz Rd Grove City, OH 43123 -fill carts with boxes -help support the various stations inside the Market -help scan groceries at the check-out stand -help repackage groceries into shopping after being scanned -help deliver groceries to customer vehicles Some volunteers will help load groceries into vehicles so dress in layers as needed. RSVP by contacting Renee with name, email, phone # 614-257-9389 or reneelquillet@gmail.com

Join Soft Life Society for a cozy and intentional Cultural Potluck Night centered on community, connection, and culture. This is a potluck-style gathering where each guest is invited to bring a dish that represents their culture, heritage, or a family tradition. We will be tasting and sharing each other’s cultural foods while connecting through conversation, laughter, and soft living. The evening will also include fun games and a prize for the winner. Drinks will be available, but guests are welcome to bring their own favorite beverage if they prefer. This is a relaxed, welcoming space to slow down and enjoy a beautiful evening together. Limited spots available. RSVP required.

Start the New Year off right! Join us as we get together to help those in need at this CMG Gives Back event to distribute food at the Champion Food Pantry! We’ve created a great little community of Movie Group friends! Rather than see a movie this time, we’ll help “Create a better world” by helping serve people in need. Here are complete details and our plan for this event: CHAMPION FOOD PANTRY: The Champion Food Pantry provides needed food to neighbors experiencing food insecurity. For this event, we’ll be volunteering to help with Food Distribution during client pick up times. Our group will receive on-the-spot training from some of their seasoned regular volunteers. PLAN FOR CHAMPION FOOD PANTRY: Please arrive by 2:45pm. Our volunteer time will be from 3:00 to 6:00pm. LOCATION & PARKING: The Champion Food Pantry is located at 1460 S. Champion Ave in Columbus. Parking is located in the lot on Frebis across from the pantry. Please enter through the door marked "Volunteers enter here” on Frebis Ave. A map has been uploaded to the photos. IMPORTANT REMINDER: Our group will be providing the majority of the volunteers on this day so a firm RSVP count is essential. Please only sign up if you are certain you’ll be able to attend. If something unavoidable comes up, please update your RSVP no later than one week prior to the event. No shows or cancelations within 1 week of the event will mak you ineligible for future CMG Gives Back events. I appreciate your understanding as we try to ensure the agencies have the volunteers needed to provide the essential services they provide to the vulnerable population they serve. LINKS & INFO: Below are some links / attachments with additional info/details: • Champion Food Pantry Civil Rights Training: Attached file. • Champion Food Pantry Parking and Entrance: Attached file. • Champion Food Pantry Orientation Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0wI-AwOYLY • Link with Additional Details / Info: https://lss.vomo.org/opportunity/foodpantrieschampion THANK YOU: This CMG Gives Back event provides an opportunity for YOU to get involved in helping others in our community! But the benefits go well beyond the help we give to others. Volunteering can provide a wide range of personal benefits, including positive effects on mental and physical health, reduced stress/depression/anxiety, increased happiness and improved purpose, life-satisfaction and personal well-being! Plus, the opportunity to get involved, connect with others and help those in need. PARTNER AGENCY: This event is hosted by Lutheran Social Services (LSS), which serves thousands of people in need each day in 27 Ohio counties by addressing the four core societal issues of food, shelter, safety and healing. LSS offers food through the LSS Food Pantries, housing and supportive services through LSS Faith Mission and LSS Faith Mission of Fairfield County homeless shelters, domestic violence services through LSS CHOICES for Victims of Domestic Violence, senior living and health care, affordable housing communities, and other services that uplift families and strengthen communities. Thanks for your help and look forward to seeing you there, Dan

Sleep in on Sundays. When you've had your fill of pajama-time, roll out and have some tasty brunch with your fellow Humanists!