Five things to eat, drink, see, hear, and do with your Charm City weekend.

 EAT

Dec. 8: R. House Birthday Bash

R. House, 301 W. 29th St. 6 p.m.-12 a.m. Free. 443-347-3570.

We can’t believe that R. House is only turning one this weekend. Even as the neighborhood continues to evolve, the modern food hall and incubator space feels as if it’s been in Remington all along. How had we ever lived without those Ground & Griddled breakfast sandwiches? In true foodie fashion, the space will be celebrating its first birthday with a medley of eats. Each stall will be whipping up limited-edition bites, with ouzo shrimp at Arba Mediterranean, a breakfast banh mi at Ground & Grilled, spicy salmon temaki at Hilo Sushi, and vegan doughnuts at Stall 11, to name a few. Along the way, enjoy a half-off drink menu at R. Bar, confections from Charm City Cakes, and live music by David Jacober and The Swingin’ Swamis.

 DRINK

Dec. 9: On the Rocks: A Drinks Party

The Walters Art Museum, 600 N. Charles St. 7-10 p.m. $75. 410-547-9000. 

There’s no better way to start off the holiday season than with a fancy night of cocktails. This Saturday, the Walters Art Museum’s beloved Rye Rocks event is returning—but this time, with Russian flair. While the event has featured regional rye since 2015, this year will also highlight vodka and other international spirits in honor of the museum’s new exhibition on Faberge eggs. As you stroll through the galleries and view the exquisitely rare egg-shaped art forms, sip on handcrafted Russian-inspired drinks mixed by Baltimore’s favorite bartenders, including Verde’s Christian Stoddard and R. Bar’s Josiah Dells (who will also be participating in a people’s choice cocktail competition). And while the drinks are fun, it’s also for a good cause as proceeds will benefit bus transportation to the art museum for Maryland Title I school students. 

 SEE

Dec. 10: Charm City Roller Girls: A Battle of Hearty Proportions

Skateland North Point, 1113 North Point Rd., Dundalk. 7-9:30 p.m. $7. 410-282-0223.

Technically, the Charm City Roller Girls are off-season until January, but that doesn’t mean we can’t see them rumble before their home opener. This Sunday, cheer for the women of CCRG as they roll side by side with visiting skaters inside Dundalk’s beloved Skateland. But don’t expect your typical derby—the night is all about a peculiar pasta theme in honor of one of the league’s signature sponsors, Noodles & Company. With teams Spaghetti and Meatballs duking it out with skaters like Pad Thai Grrr and Wisconsin Smack & Cheese, there’s no doubt that you’ll have a heaping plate of fun—even, sadly, though there won’t be any actual carbs. 

 HEAR

Dec. 8: Version with Trillnatured ft. D.K. The Punisher

The Crown, 1910 N. Charles St. 10 p.m.-2 a.m. Free. 410-625-4848. 

We don’t know about you, but we’re already feeling the stress of holiday shopping and the down-in-the-dumps doldrums of winter blues. On Friday night, throw your gift lists to the wayside and unwind with DJ Trillnatured and a night of feel-good tunes. Voted Baltimore magazine’s Best DJ of 2017, she will be spreading the good vibes with her R&B and jazz-influenced club mixes with the help of Grammy-nominated producer D.K. the Punisher, who will be hosting a guest set featuring his new Castle EP. Considered one of the best dance parties in the city, Version will have you feeling like the best version of yourself again in no time.  

 DO

Dec. 8-10: MICA Art Market

MICA Brown Center, 1301 W. Mt. Royal Ave. Thu.-Sat. 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Sun. 12-7 p.m. Free. 

If you decided to skip the crowds of Black Friday or the web clog of Cyber Monday, fear not—this weekend’s Art Market has the local gifts you’ve been looking for. For the 11th year, shoppers and collectors can browse or purchase works made by 275 emerging and established artists from the Maryland Institute College of Art, including patterned totes, printed tees, greeting cards, embroidery art, ornaments, and even wintery dog-patterned wrapping paper. You’ll give your loved ones presents that can’t get on Amazon, but best of all, your purchases will support local creators with a portion of the proceeds going toward scholarships for MICA students. 

Since 2015, local cocktail enthusiasts and art lovers alike have packed into the sculpture court at the Walters Art Museum for its annual Rye Rocks event. There, a handful of bartenders from the Baltimore Bartenders’ Guild (BBG) served various rye whiskey cocktails for guests to imbibe while perusing the museum’s collections.

On Saturday, December 9 from 7-10 p.m., the event is returning to the museum—but with a new twist. Instead of highlighting regional rye, organizers with the Women’s Committee of the Walters Art Museum have decided to feature vodka and other international spirits in celebration of the museum’s new exhibition Fabergé and the Russian Crafts Tradition: An Empire’s Legacy.

“It’s interesting to see a vodka event because people have moved away from vodka over the past few years,” says BBG president Brendan Dorr. “It’s still very popular, but whiskey has overtaken vodka as the number-one spirit right now. It will be interesting to see what everyone comes up with.”

Now named On the Rocks, the evening will offer an array of Russian-influenced cocktails from a dozen BBG bartenders, hearty fare from Catering by Uptown, and an up-close look at the new Fabergé galleries.

The exhibit, which opened earlier this month and runs throughout June 2018, centers around two imperial eggs that were designed by famed goldsmith Peter Carl Fabergé, and given to Russian czars as Easter gifts during the early 1900s. In addition to the rare eggs (the museum estimates that only 50 were ever made), the show displays more than 70 other art objects including lavish jewelry and carved stones.

“This is the first time that the Walters has put all of its Russian stuff in one place like this,” says co-curator Jo Briggs, the museum’s associate curator of 18th and 19th century art. “We’re trying to put the eggs in a much broader context of Russian decorative arts—more than just Fabergé and the czars.”

Even more specifically related to the On The Rocks event is the exhibition’s array of silver and gold drinking vessels, as well as two shot glasses, and an antique vodka carafe in the form of a gryphon with an inscribed Slavonic proverb that reads: “Drinking is not a hindrance, but youth’s diversion.”

“A lot of these luxury drinking objects were used to show off wealth when people would have guests over at their house or palace,” Briggs says. “When you think about Russia, there’s no way you can’t think about vodka.”

In keeping with the theme, On the Rocks will offer plenty of vodkas for sampling. Guild members including Verde’s Christian Stoddart, R. Bar’s Josiah Dells, freelancer Aaron Joseph, and Alex Dang of Ida B’s Table have all chosen from a diverse list of international and domestic spirits to incorporate into their cocktail recipes.

Dorr mentions Cathead vodka, Stoli Elit, Bar Hill gin, Filibuster Bourbon, and St. George’s Spirit vodka as examples of what guests can expect. To add to the fun, there will be a people’s choice competition to see which bartender’s cocktail reigns supreme.

“Vodka is a little more of a white wall,” Dorr says. “You can paint it with any color you want, and therefore it makes it a little more difficult to feature the spirit. But that’s what gets the bartenders thinking outside of the box.”

Proceeds from the party will aid in funding transportation to the Walters for students at Maryland’s Title I Schools. Aside from introducing the exhibition to additional eyes, Briggs says she’s excited to see how art can influence its surrounding community.

“One of the nicest things about working in a museum is you can inspire people,” she says. “That’s always really rewarding—to put it out there and see where they take it.”