It's almost time for "Nerd Prom" in Washington, the annual gathering of celebrities and media elites known as the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner. Here are the hottest parties you won't want to miss this year:

This week in DC, Washington bigwigs attended the Citizen Hearst screening at the Newseum, the Capital Club hosted their Shamrock Soiree, ABC's Britt McHenry emceed a fashion show in Alexandria, Gant debuted their Spring/Summer line in Georgetown and more:

Go HERE for more photos by Alex Plank and tag yourself and your friends!

In honor of the arrival of two-season "Top Chef" veteran CJ Jacobson and his new dinner menu at The Mercantile in Hollywood, restaurateur George Abou-Daoud hosted a little soiree Wednesday night where guests were treated to a first taste. From the free-flowing drinks, gourmet bites and music, the night was a celebration of wine, cheese, delicious food and dining with a fantastic ambiance.

Tonight, Nancy Pelosi is set to appear on the series finale of NBC's 30 Rock. According to the New York Times, the House Minority Leader will appear as herself in a cameo where she gives a mock-television interview denouncing Jack Donaghy  (played by Alec Baldwin) as an “economic war criminal.” More»

[More added 1/17--check the last slides] With bars open until 4am and politicos ready to party, there will be a lot going on to celebrate Obama's second Inauguration. Even if you missed out on the official ball tickets from the Presidential Inauguration Committee, there are still a lot of events you won't want to miss (in fact, most of the ones here will be better parties, period)! Balls come and go every 4 years, so pay attention to learn what's hot and what's not for 2013.

The Obamas and Bidens have been invited to basically all of the events listed here. They are only obligated to show up to the two official balls but just might pop in when you least expect them to...

[Carla Hall, Anthony Bourdain, Padma Lakshmi, Andrew Zimmern via Eater DC]

On Monday night, Padma Lakshmi, host of Bravo's Top Chef, was in DC to attend the Capital Food Fight held at the Ronald Reagan Building. The annual charity event benefits the DC Central Kitchen.

According to E!, during the auction portion, a gentleman paid a $1,000 to eat a piece of Ibérico ham off her collarbone. From the pictures, it appears this was a worthy expense for this gentleman. You know, because it went to charity. More»

It's time to put away your Fashion Week wear and find your drawstring pants (or just casually take them out of your top drawer), because the 5th Annual New York City Wine and Food Festival is coming our way, and it's looking delicious. From October 11-14, epicures and Food Network addicts will satisfy their appetites for all things wining and dining with the likes of Bobby Flay, Anthony Bourdain, Giada De Laurentiis, and their culinary counterparts. More»

Last week's Congressional Black Caucus, or CBC, is always a glitzy week in the district--not just for politicos, but also for Who's Who on the DC scene. This annual meeting of black leaders in Washington comes with a great deal of partying, too. Our Ebonie Johnson Cooper was on the ground, and even hosted a CBC party of her own with other DC socialites... More»

'Life After Top Chef', the new reality TV series by Bravo which follows past Top Chef contestants in their normal lives, will feature fan favorites and DC based chefs Spike Mendelsohn, owner of Good Stuff Eatery and We, The Pizza, and Jennifer Carroll, who took over the kitchen at Rogue 24 in February 2012, the famous restaurant by famous DC chef/owner R.J. Cooper. More»

Go HERE for more photos!

Last night, hundreds of stylish Washingtonians joined celebrity make up artist Erwin Gomez for the launch of his newest beauty lounge, Karma by Erwin Gomez, located in the West End at 1104 24th Street NW. Popular for providing DC with a cosmetic hotspot for A-listers and prominent figures, Gomez has styled celebrities such as Eva Longoria, Jennifer Garner, Stevie Wonder, Barbara Streisand, Garth Brooks, Keyshia Cole and Maria Shriver among others. He also did a lot of the makeup for a certain reality show I was in, once upon a time... More»