Food Technology

Mama Lucia's in Rockville has half priced bottles of wine on Weds. They also have the best pizza and my favorite type (NYC-style). They have great pasta dishes too. If it's nice, we can sit outside. Have a look at their menu: [Mamma Lucia Menu | Order Pizza, Pasta Online Delivery & Pickup](https://mammaluciarestaurants.com/menu/) All aboard mates!

# Old Town Ace Hardware Group Grow Event No backyard? No problem. Join us at Old Town Ace Hardware for a beginner-friendly indoor gardening event where you’ll learn how to grow fresh herbs, greens, and vegetables indoors year-round using simple hydroponic and soil systems. Whether you live in an apartment, condo, townhouse, or just want fresher food closer to home, this event will show you practical ways to grow indoors using modern grow lights, compact systems, and easy starter methods. ## What You’ll Experience ✅ Live indoor gardening demos ✅ Beginner-friendly hydroponic systems ✅ LED grow light education ✅ Seedling starter bundles ✅ Harvesting & maintenance tips ✅ Soil vs hydroponic growing explained ✅ Community Q&A with local growers Modern indoor systems make it possible to grow herbs and greens year-round in compact spaces using LED lighting and vertical growing methods. *** ## Featured Indoor Growing Systems You’ll see: * LetPot countertop growing systems * Elfsys vertical hydroponic systems * Beginner seedling bundles * Indoor LED grow light setups Indoor Garden Market currently offers seedling bundles and year-round growing systems designed for small-space indoor food production. *** ## Perfect For • Apartment & condo residents • Beginner gardeners • Families & kids • Wellness-minded locals • Sustainability enthusiasts • Anyone curious about hydroponics *** ## What You’ll Learn -How much light indoor plants really need -Beginner-friendly crops to start with -How seedling bundles speed up success -How to harvest continuously indoors -Soil vs hydroponic growing basics Leafy greens typically need 40–50 watts of grow lighting per square foot, while vertical hydroponic systems help maximize production in small indoor spaces. *** ## Why Indoor Food Growing? Small indoor systems can help households grow fresh herbs and greens year-round while reducing dependence on outdoor space and seasonal weather. Even compact spaces can support productive indoor gardens using LED lighting and efficient systems. *** ## Community-Focused & Beginner Friendly This event is designed to help local residents: ✅ Learn together ✅ Ask beginner questions ✅ Explore systems hands-on ✅ Connect with the indoor growing community The goal is simple: Help more people learn how to grow food indoors successfully. *** RSVP today and join the Group Grow movement. Visit **[indoorgardenmarket.com](https://iwantagreenthumb.com)** to learn more, and RSVP now for a fun afternoon of herbs, learning, and indoor gardening! Thank you, Clift --- Chief Community Grower at indoorgardenmarket.com

Penn West has a fast growing startup ecosystem, and entrepreneurs here are lucky to have so many resources available to help them in their journey. At this in-person event, we will gather entrepreneurs and investors to discuss beyond the buzz words and the AI hype - Discover Real AI Business Use Cases!. This event is all about learning what is possible today and available for business use. Real cases, immediate solutions offered. **❯ Guest Speakers include:** * Guc Ozenci (Program Director, FI Washington DC) * Arash Sahebe, PhD (Founder & President Sahebe Alliance Enterprises (SAE)) * Gokhan Erdogdu (CEO, CloudOffix) **❯ What You'll Learn:** * Local Solutions to get use for your business * Organizations to help launch and grow your startup * Little-known resources that benefit your industry * Beyond the Myth and Hype, discuss real cases ### **❯ About the Ecosystem Organizations:** * CloudOffix : www.cloudoffix.com Building a scalable foundation for Business AI by bringing disconnected apps and siloed data into one unified operational core that enables secure, real-time AI execution. * AI Collective : www.aicollective.org Building the human layer for the AI era – uniting people in forums worldwide to navigate the rapid acceleration of technological progress. **❯ HOST of the Event:** Sahebe Financial Sevices: www.sahebe.com Business advisory solutions help reduce costs, business risk and increase overall performance. Financial literacy campaign flagship partner and leader Sahebe is guiding the community to a more productive and less risky business methodology. **❯❯ This is an in-person event, so be sure to RSVP at [https://fi.co/e/392693/meetup](https://fi.co/e/392693/meetup) to secure your spot and receive further details.**

Join Social Sips & Bites for our Wednesday Happy Hour. Great drinks, easy conversation, new faces, familiar faces, and that signature SSB energy that turns a simple night out into something memorable. https://www.capitalonecenter.com/the-perch

🍻 [World Product Day](https://www.mindtheproduct.com/world-product-day/) is about more than product — it’s about the people who build them. Join **ProductTank DC** for a celebration bringing together product professionals to connect, reflect, and recharge around this year’s theme: **Resiliency**. Product people are no strangers to change. We adapt, learn, and keep building—together. This evening is an opportunity to step back, celebrate that resilience, and recognize the shared challenges and wins that define our craft. Expect thoughtful conversation, practical insights, and a chance to reconnect with the product community in person. Whether you’re an experienced product leader, a new PM, or simply curious about product management, this meetup is a space to learn, contribute, and celebrate the people doing the hard work of building what’s next. **Special thanks to our host:** Clyde's of Chevy Chase! *Please note: Attendees are responsible for their own food and drink purchases. Food and drinks will be available directly from the venue*

**NEW GAME LOCATION at The** Let's play board games. Not the ones your ancestors played but the really cool ones of the new millennium. We play everything from fun, social games to light to heavy strategy games. Don't know how to play? Not a problem - we're happy to teach. It's a great chance to learn new games or play your favorites with non-competitive people who like to laugh. You can build a railroad, eradicate a plague, or explore the far reaches of the galaxy in one evening. While many will bring their own games, you can show up gameless and still play. We play at the Ballston Quarter mall basement food court on Wednesday from 6:30-10:00. It's within walking distance from the Ballston metro and there's evening parking in the garage for $1. **Find us at the tables with the boadgames.** Look for a group that has containers and carrying bags with multiple games.

♠️😲♠️ W.O.W. Spades Night ♠️😲♠️ Washington on Wednesday (W.O.W.) - 3rd Wednesday Spades in DC 🌟Spades in DC! 😀 Hang out with a friendly and welcoming group. Meet new people and have a great time! ✅️ No partner needed! Find one onsite. All skill levels are welcome. 📌 Nando's Peri-Peri Chicken - Navy Yard 300 Tingey St SE #150, Washington, DC 20003 ❤️ **Posted in multiple groups. So, expect a nice crowd.** 🚌 One block from Navy Yard Metro Station 🚗 Street and Garage Parking available. 🍷 Alcoholic beverages are available! 🍗 Please support the business by purchasing food/drinks. 🌟 The fun starts at 5:30pm! RSVP today.

Our first Technoverts meetup had a great turnout, so we're doing it again, this time with an optional conversation theme: **How people are actually using AI in everyday work and life**. This is not a panel or presentation, and I do not have a fixed agenda, it's just a relaxed coffee conversation for people in tech (or tech-adjacent fields) who are curious about practical AI use cases, useful tools, workflow hacks, weird experiments, and what's generally helping people right now. *Topics might include:* * AI tools people actually use at work * Productivity and automation * Prompting successes and failures * Writing, coding, research, analytics and creative use cases * What feels overhyped vs. genuinely useful. No expertise is required. It's completely fine to come mostly curious, skeptical, or just interested in meeting thoughtful people in tech. *What to expect:* * Low pressure conversation * A mix of tech talk and normal conversation Location: (Subject to change as I do more research) High Point Pub Tyson's Whole Foods, 1635 Boro Pl. (This is the cafe space on the second floor of the Whole Foods at the Boro, Tysons. Parking is free in the garage with validation). Time: 11 am (this is when the cafe opens). Everyone covers their own coffee/snacks. I'll arrive early and grab a table and will post details about location in the event discussion. Address: 1635 Boro Pl. Whole Foods 2nd Floor Cafe

If you’re in town, let’s meet up for early dinner at Maru. It has a unique variety of Korean/Japanese cuisines including ramen, Chinese bao buns, etc. https://ratebava.com/index.html

Join us at chef Kevin Tien's new Moon Rabbit location in DC! ***Washington Post:*** Anyone looking for restaurant space should chat up Kevin Tien. After his Vietnamese-inspired Moon Rabbit at the Wharf went dark, the chef says he looked at 30 or so spots around Washington, including the vacated Cashion’s Eat Place in Adams Morgan and Seven Reasons on 14th Street NW. It wasn’t until he toured the onetime location of Co Co Sala in Penn Quarter that he found the right fit: an interior that included a bar near the entrance and an open kitchen. “This is it,” he and his team agreed. “I saw what could be our forever home,” says Tien, “or at least for the run of the lease,” he cracks. Let’s hope he stays put for a spell. His previous full-service restaurants — the Japanese-bent Himitsu in Petworth, the cart- and fermented-food-focused Emilie's on Capitol Hill, the original Moon Rabbit in the InterContinental Hotel — didn’t last beyond a few years. His new roost, 100 or so seats spread across a lounge, central dining room and private area, offers lots of dishes I hope to be eating for a long time. Crab rangoon, for instance. Initially, the appetizer, the provenance of so many American Chinese restaurants, sounds out of place. Tien says it’s a nostalgic nod to the block of Philadelphia cream cheese and topping of Tabasco-brand pepper jelly, slathered on Wheat Thins, that his wife’s parents serve him back in his native Louisiana. At Moon Rabbit, the idea is gussied up with a blend of housemade ricotta and robiola cheese topped with local jumbo crab and eaten with wavy sails of housemade scallion crackers. “Chips and dip,” a server says as she drops off the plate. “The cheese is homage to Laughing Cow,” popular in Vietnam, says chef de cuisine Minsu Son, who cooked with his boss when both were at the late, great Momofuku in Washington. Similarly, the spread is also flavored with imitation crab for a memorable “highbrow, lowbrow” experience. The sight and smell you can’t escape on streets throughout Vietnam is grilled meat, sometimes beef swaddled in betel leaves. Tien elevates the idea by wrapping ground Wagyu beef, perfumed with lemongrass and funky with fish sauce, in easier-to-find perilla leaves that give the meat a minty freshness. Pickled shallots make a zingy garnish and labne dappled with housemade sate sauce becomes a dip for a thoroughly modern bò lá lốt. At the first Moon Rabbit, the chef had to be mindful of travelers and tourists. At Moon Rabbit 2.0, Tien and team, including co-owner and chef Judy Beltrano, are free to be more adventurous. Working in a hotel, the kitchen had to deal with room service, a bar and additional amenities. Now, “we don’t have other distractions,” says Tien. Check out the grilled squid, stuffed with boudin (Cajun sausage) made bodacious with pork, chicken livers, Chinese sausage, jasmine rice, and pops from lemon and five-spice. The server who brought out the combination did a nice job of describing it, down to the charred, squid-inked eggplant puree, which he referred to as “best supporting actress.” Ha-ha and down the hatch. Vegetarians won’t be the only diners to swoon over the beautiful and delicious roasted Lodi squash, the scraps of which are fermented and pureed with coconut milk, garlic and lemongrass to create a vibrant yellow curry. Seeds in the center, a nod to Vietnamese sesame seed candy, include candied pumpkin and sunflower seeds. Flash-fried curry leaves complete the dish, which gives Tien, a co-founder of Chefs Stopping AAPI Hate and the creator of the casual Hot Lola’s, a chance to explain his thought process. With his new restaurant, he hopes to broaden the notion of what Vietnamese food is and break through what he calls “the bamboo ceiling.” Floppy rice cakes come with a crumble of dried tofu that mimics the texture of the more traditional dried shrimp, and purple yams lend their color to the city’s most intriguing risotto, ringed in pureed culantro and beefed up with roasted mushrooms. Bánh canh cua, Vietnamese crab soup, is reimagined with chewy dumplings made from sweet potato and tapioca flours — the kitchen refers to them as “f---ed-up gnocchi” — in a tantalizing, tomato-red broth enriched with crab fat. Vietnam’s long associations with foreign entities allow for such fancies as pâté chaud, flaky puff pastry filled with a meaty interior of ground pork, foie gras, chicken pâté and diced jicama for some crunch. Step aside, beef Wellington. Tien says, “I’m embracing the influences.” Diners are as well. Dinner is not an easy reservation, but the restaurant offers first-come, first-serve seating in the lounge, primarily at the bar. The chef’s crew is mostly composed of staff who have worked with him before, but no investors. So a lot of the look of the place was done on a budget. “Stuff from our basement” make up some of the details, says Tien. Note the great cookbooks lining the shelves here and there. The titles explain the chef’s story and his priorities. If a fire broke out, he says he’d grab "Uchi: The Cookbook", “Prejean’s Cookbook” and “My Vietnam: Stories and Recipes” by Luke Nguyen, reflecting places he’s worked or fellow cooks he admires. Lights that look like parachutes or jellyfish were hung by the staff, and the blue accents are inspired by the Vietnamese coastline. The previous restaurant, the British-themed Scotts, was dark; Moon Rabbit is lighter in every way, signifying “a fresh start for us,” says Tien. All but a few dishes — cumin lamb and quail claypot — are small plates. A couple of combinations could use some finessing. The spring roll is presented as upright bundles packed with hearts of palm, daikon and other vegetables. The trouble is, when you bite into the constructions, their filling spills out. But I love the accompanying sauce, an emulsion coaxed from housemade misos (peanut and sweet potato) and stinging with dried chiles. The bookends are noteworthy. Bar director Thi Nguyen whips up such liquid pleasures as Sài Gòn by Night — coconut-rinsed whiskey, sweet vermouth and lemongrass-coffee liqueur — while pastry chef Susan Bae makes endings as exciting as anything served before them. (Both talents deploy fish sauce in clever ways, too.) Consider Bae’s simply billed and delightfully refreshing “Seaweed”: coconut mousse, a suggestion of seaweed confit, panna cotta — green with the almond-suggestive pandan — rising from a base of chocolate crumbles. The frosty halo on top is frozen coconut milk and lime juice. Tien spends the first part of his day in the kitchen, which is why you see him touching tables throughout the restaurant at night. It’s good to see him back in the game, and fun to think about where he might go next with his food — far, I imagine. ***Check out the menu [here](https://www.moonrabbitdc.com/food)*** 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. 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. **WAITLIST:** Meetup does not allow a waitlist for paid events. If this event fills and you are interested in adding your name to the waitlist, please send host a message through the app. In the future, we will vary the days of the week and the types of restaurants so that we can attract many different types of diners. Feel free to make suggestions for future meet locations. All diners will pay their own tab. before departing the event. If you are unable to join us in May we hope you'll stay interested and join us for a meal in the future. Looking forward to catching up with you for a fantastic dinner at Moon Rabbit!

**NEW MEMBERS or 1st TIME EVENT GO-ERS** Before attending your first event, please take a moment to understand how our dinners work and what we ask of members. → **[Learn how DC Metro Dining works](https://tinyurl.com/Landing-Page-DC-Metro-Dining)** → **[Ensure Group Notifications are Setup (Announcements + In on Waitlist/Attending List)](https://app.tango.us/app/workflow/Enable-Meetup-Email-Notifications-3a85109614fc4907940503d096331392)** **RSVP CUTOFF (i.e. Final Change Your Mind if Registered YES)** → **RSVP Cancellation Cutoff for this Event is Sunday 10a, 5/24**. (*Late Cancel applies after this, repeat occurrences can impact membership*) Let’s explore an upscale dining experience that blends West African tradition with modern culinary innovation. We are heading to **Elmina** in Shaw, from Top Chef finalist and Food Network personality Eric Adjepong, known for bringing modern Ghanaian cuisine into a refined dining setting. **FOOD**: Elmina blends traditional West African flavors with modern technique, with a menu that highlights depth, spice, and layered composition. Dishes frequently called out include the jollof duck pot and egusi stew dumplings, both reworking classic Ghanaian staples into more refined presentations. You will also find grilled meats with suya-style seasoning, seafood dishes with balanced heat and acidity, and rotating plates that reflect regional influences. The menu leans bold and savory, with options across meat, seafood, and some vegetarian-friendly selections. Cocktails often incorporate tropical and spice-forward elements that align closely with the cuisine. Most members should expect total spend to land roughly in the 55 to 85 dollar range, depending on beverage participation. → **Explore Elmina's menu:** **[https://www.elminarestaurant.com/menu](https://www.elminarestaurant.com/menu)** **SPACE**: Stylish, modern dining room with a warm, intimate layout. Expect a lively but controlled atmosphere with moderate noise levels, especially on a Sunday evening. → **Visit the restaurant site (scroll half way down to la carte menu)**: **[https://www.elminarestaurant.com/](https://www.elminarestaurant.com/)** * Tax/Tip combo is our required 30% tax/tip policy (see the FAQs for more details). * Limited to 8 slots. See you there! JoeN **CLOSEST METRO**: \***U Street–African-Amer Civil War Memorial–Cardozo station** (Green, Yellow) is the closest stop. Walk east along Florida Ave NW. The walk is about 12–15 minutes \*For directions using the Metro, try using the Plan a Trip feature at the WMATA website ([click on your preferred Metro station](https://www.wmata.com/rider-guide/stations/index.cfm) then at the Station page level click "Plan a Trip". **PARKING**: Street parking in this area can be difficult on weekend evenings. Several paid garages are located within a few blocks along 14th Street and nearby side streets. Plan accordingly. ***Attendance Notes:*** -\* **If you RSVP “YES,” please commit to showing up**. *With 5,400+ members and limited seating, we can’t afford no-shows. It’s not fair to other members or to our relationship with the restaurant.*\* -\*\* New Members / 1st Timers: **Trying to get a slot? Join the Waitlist and check back frequently: spots (*often open up before Noon on the day of the event. You may also receive midweek confirmation emails to reconfirm your RSVP, so please check your Meetup DMs inbox).*** -\* Billing Reminder - Add 30% for tax and tip to your food and drink total.\*\*\* This is part of our group’s expectations and helps smooth out service with the restaurant. Looking forward to dining with you! JoeN

Today we are Steve's Lab. RSVP and you'll be sent the location. It's in Silver Spring. ***Join us for an evening in an electronics lab where we will attempt to run clean scans of graphene and gold samples, and then clean up that data with post processing.*** This is a high sensitivity experiment, and we do not plan on being successful so early. But we've had promising results lately - so we will be putting in the time. We are NOT meeting at our usual location, but rather at Steve's house/lab. If you RSVP, you will get a DM with the address but it's located in Silver Spring. We will attempt full, clean lab - clean tip repeated scanning tests to see what we can learn and improve. We will experiment with online attendees, but if all possible showing up in person is strongly encouraged. Online join link is: - [https://meet.jit.si/mocomakers](https://meet.jit.si/mocomakers) Our community is building (and documenting for other teams) how to build a scanning tunneling microscope using a mix of common and 3D printed parts. This will allow us to scan and visualize a single atom - an ambitious we are doing over the course of a few months. The MoCo Makers community is one of the most innovative and competent groups in Maryland, and we've done everything from [publishing cancer research](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38136356/), to [launching products](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gotim/cozy-curvy-multi-contour-pillow), [winning grants](https://covidinfocommons.datascience.columbia.edu/awards/2014255), and inspiring thousands. Now our biggest challenge yet has appeared. We are building a Scanning Tunneling Microscope, that will allow us to scan and visualize single atoms. To get a better idea of what we are doing, see our reference project here: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7N3OqTEq08g](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7N3OqTEq08g) All starting CAD, code, and reference files should exist. However, let's be the first Maker community to document the build process and share it with learners around the world. We will be publishing our work here -[ https://hackaday.io/project/202816-qt-panda](https://hackaday.io/project/202816-qt-panda) If you need a ride, let us know.

NFT's are here to stay folks! This is a group for like minded people interested in understanding, leveraging, using, creating for, profiting from, trading too i suppose, NFT's.. everything around them, complexity, fear and exploits, best practices and more. **PLUS** This group will talk AI ART tools, techniques, artists, video, audio, prototypes and more in the AI assisted production space- ART specifically, but we can get into any aspect of some of the cooler things happening in AI in general.

Christians in Tech is a community at the intersection of faith and technology. Our meetups are designed to spark meaningful conversations, promote knowledge sharing, and encourage growth—both in your career and your spiritual walk with God. Whether you're an experienced professional or just starting your tech journey, CIT welcomes you. Our Website [https://linktr.ee/citcbus](https://linktr.ee/citcbus) Sponsors and Partners * Improving (Venue Sponsor) * Bethel World Prayer Center (Fiscal Sponsor) * Fruits & Roots (Coffee Partner)

**Important time note:** Please plan on arriving between 5:30 and 6:00 as the elevators lock after 6 and you'll need to message us and we'll need to come get you. The building address is 4450 Bridge Park The entrance is 6620 Mooney St, Suite 400 You will need to scan your ID at the door to get a visitor badge. **Abstract** TBD **YouTube Link** TBD

Join us for a relaxed and enjoyable brunch at 17 Arrows Kitchen and Bar! This is a great opportunity to meet new people, enjoy good food, and ease into the weekend with great conversation. Whether you’re new to the group or it’s your first event, you’ll feel right at home.

* Who Can Attend \* The Central Ohio .Net Developers Group meetings are free and open to the public! All developers; professional, student, and hobbyist are welcome and encouraged to attend. * When we meet \* The Central Ohio .Net Developers Group meets on the 4th Thursday of every month. * Where we meet \* Please check our Meetup group link below for the latest location details! * Join our Meetup Group \* https://www.meetup.com/Central-Ohio-NET-Developers-Group-CONDG/

Who’s up for a pizza night at the highly requested Pizza House? 🍕🍻 Join us at for great pizza, good laughs, and even better company! Come hungry and ready for a cheesy good time.