Upcoming Events
Sake 101 and Wagyu
Rice Market @ricemarketdc and Logan Circle Mains treet @logancirclems jointly host a fundraising event to support our community.
Join us for a special dinnerat in collaboration with @the.wagyu.sommelier featuring a Sake101 Class & Tasting by @sakedistrict + A5 Wagyu Dinner by chef @mikeys_first_steps of @katsumirestaurant.
We are excited to present 2 opportunities in 1. To learn more about sake through a tasting and comparing side by side from Scott Movens, sake expert and certified sommelier. Follow by a 3 course meals featuring 2 cuts of A5 Wagyu beef, Top Round and Striplopin by chef Mike Kang and sake pairing by Scott. It's live cooking that you would also learn more about the Wagyu beef and how best to cook and eat it too.
This event is limit to 10 pp at chef counter only. No dietary accomodation or substituion for this dinner. Please contact us for food allergies before purchasing the ticket. Thank you.
All proceeds go to support Logan Circle Main Street Program.
For the sake 101 portion, I’ll be pouring 5 sakes to cover a wide range of styles and flavors of sake. I’ll discuss the basics of sake - what it is, what to look for when buying a bottle, and answer any questions you have.
Tickets available here: https://events.ticketleap.com/events/ricemarket
Sake District x Snow Crane Collaboration
Join us for a special one-night only collaboration between Snow Crane and Sake District.
Snow Crane is a Japanese-inspired frozen dessert and beverage brand based in the DMV, built on the intersection of Japanese craft culture and Maryland's finest seasonal ingredients. Founded by Takeshi Nishikawa — a chef with over 20 years of Michelin-level culinary experience, including his time as Culinary Director at Rose's Restaurant Group — every scoop is made in small batches with precision and intention, rooted in tradition, expressed through season.
Scott Movens of Sake District is a sake expert and certified sake sommelier based in Washington DC with years of experience teaching about and pairing sake. He also grows his own koji to make sake, miso, soy sauce, and many more Japanese ferments.
Guests will be treated to a welcome drink and a 4-course pairing menu. Each course will feature both a savory and a sweet dish created by Takeshi, paired with sake selected by Scott. The dishes have been created in tandem with the sake selections and are made to highlight Scott’s Japanese ferments including koji, mirin, and miso.
After the seated tasting, starting at 7:30, Rice Market Taste Kitchen will open for walk-ins and transform into a sake and ice cream social. Guests will be able to purchase ice cream from Snow Crane and sake from Sake District a la carte, or in select pairing sets. No advance purchase or tickets necessary.
Please inquire about any dietary restrictions before purchasing a ticket.
Tickets available here: https://events.ticketleap.com/events/ricemarket
Sake Day DC
World Sake Day, celebrated every year on Oct. 1, marks the traditional start of the sake brewing season in Japan. More than a calendar milestone, World Sake Day honors the rich history, craft and cultural significance of sake—a drink deeply woven into Japanese rituals, cuisine and daily life.
Washington DC’s World Sake Day is hosted by Reiko Hirai of DC Sake Co.
We’ll be pouring a wide variety of sake alongside some specialized, educational content.
Tickets available here: https://resy.com/cities/washington-dc/venues/dear-sushi-at-love-makoto/events/dc-sake-co-hosts-kanpai-to-sake-day-in-d-c-2026-10-04
Japanese Spirits Tasting Soiree
Join us this summer for DC Sake cō’s third annual Japanese Spirits Tasting Soirée, an afternoon dedicated to exploring the rich traditions and craftsmanship of Japanese distillation.
We will be helping DC Sake Co for this event, pouring a wide variety of shochu and other Japanese spirits for attendees. Come join and stop by to try some shochu and say hello!
Event information and tickets: https://dcsake.com/products/japanese-spirits-tasting-soiree
The Koji Table: A fermentation-centric dinner with Sake Pairings
Join Michelin-starred chef Brad DeBoy and sake expert Scott Movens for a one-night dinner built around the deep, savory, and sometimes surprising world of koji and fermentation. Each course will explore how koji transforms ingredients, builds flavor, and connects food and sake in delicious ways.
Koji - a japanese mold used to make soy sauce, miso, mirin, and sake - is at the heart of modern savory cuisine. This dinner will highlight koji and its role in fermentation, showcasing its delicious effects on both food and sake.
Brad DeBoy is a Michelin-starred chef, fermentation specialist, and culinary consultant with over 20 years of experience across hotels, and restaurant operations around the world. His work focuses on thoughtful technique, operational precision, and creative uses of fermentation, with a particular passion for koji, sustainability, teaching and flavor development.
Scott Movens is a sake expert and educator based in Washington DC with years of experience teaching about and serving sake. He has multiple sake sommelier certifications, including WSET Level 3 with distinction, Sake Scholar, and Certified Sake Professional.
The dinner will feature a 5-course tasting menu by Brad, with each course paired with sake selected by Scott. The pairings will be intentional - developed in tandem with the food menu instead of an afterthought - to showcase koji and its links in both food and sake.
Tickets available here: https://events.ticketleap.com/events/ricemarket
Sake and Oyster Tasting at Nido
Join me at Nido Wine Shop and Market in Mount Pleasant for a collaboration between Sake District and SS Shucking! Gardner from SS Shucking will be serving up oysters while I’ll be selecting and pouring sake to pair perfectly with them.
Rare Aged Sake Tasting
Come taste a variety of rare aged sakes from my private collection! I’ll be pouring sakes from a variety of ages dating all the way back to the 1980s. More event details coming soon!
Spring Sake Festival
DC Sake Co’s Spring Sake Festival
Join us for the fourth-annual Spring Sake Festival at the Washington Marriott Capitol Hill!
In Japan, there is a cultural practice called Hanami, a tradition in Japan that celebrates the beauty of the passing seasons. People gather and picnic under the trees to admire the blooming cherry blossoms, which are seen as a symbol of life’s transience and beauty, all while sipping on those delicious sakes.
This spring, we are continuing the tradition. We are hosting the fourth-annual Spring Sake Festival. The festival is about spring, sake and sake appreciation.
Here is what to expect at this event:
Meet some of the top sake professionals in the US
Try over 100 different imported and craft sakes at your own pace
Including:
Some sakes that are not yet available in DC
Some very LIMITED spring seasonal sakes
Discover your favorite sake
Taste sakes → Wowed by sakes → Order those sakes!
Tickets and more information available here: https://dcsake.com/products/spring-sake-festival
Sakura Masturi
Sakura Matsuri is DC’s Spring Japanese Street Festival, celebrating the cherry blossom season.
We’ll be pouring at the Tachinomi Pavilion. The pavilion operates as a timed-ticketed “mini sake festival,” meaning access is separate from general Matsuri admission and is organized into specific time slots to manage crowd flow and enhance the tasting experience.
Stop by, drink some sake from a variety of breweries, and say hi!
Tickets and more information available here: https://sakuramatsuri.festivalpro.com/form/GjuVsDBdTjUqKJmkncda/0
Hot Sake Tasting
Curious about hot sake?
Join me at Rice Market on 14th Street for a casual hot sake tasting in the market. I’ll be pouring a wide variety of hot sake for you to try, paired with sashimi from Keita Sashimi. There will be some special surprises as well!
Hot Sake Tasting
Curious about hot sake?
Join me at Rice Market on 14th Street for a casual hot sake tasting in the market. I’ll be pouring a wide variety of hot sake for you to try, paired with sashimi from Keita Sashimi. There will be some special surprises as well!
Menri Ikkuu x Sake District Kaiseki x Kanzake Pairing
A one-night-only Kaiseki x Kanzake Pairing Dinner with Menri Ikkuu and Sake District. Menri Ikkuu will serve a full koji-influenced menu, each course paired with different hot sake prepared by Sake District.
Sake for Wine Lovers
Usually a wine drinker but curious about “rice wine”? We’ll guide you through 4 sakes selected to appeal to wine lovers – think the sake equivalent of a fruity white, an earthy red, champagne, and dessert wine. We’ll talk about sake and wine’s differences and similarities, including their ingredients, production methods, tasting notes, and pairings