Archive: August 2006
Toasting Peace
In planning and suggesting local activities, we Gurus try to keep our eyes out for interesting and cool events (see Julia's post on the Genesis cover band). I like to find events that blend random different interests into one affair....
By Erin | August 31, 2006; 04:18 PM ET | Comments (1)
Nightlife Agenda Pick of the Week
As consistently disappointed cheerleaders of local music, we hold these truths to be self-evident: that D.C. based hip-hop artists and go-go music will never become national phenomena. And just when we're convinced of that declaration, one new voice on the...
By Fritz Hahn | August 31, 2006; 10:00 AM ET | Comments (11)
Bringing Genesis to Life
We scope out more than our fair share of strange local events here at Guru Central, but yesterday, we came across one that really caught our attention. Witness The Musical Box. This Canadian group re-creates entire Genesis concerts from the...
By Julia Beizer | August 30, 2006; 05:53 PM ET | Comments (4)
A Night at the Hotel
Joe Englert and his partners plan to open eight bars on H Street NE, and they're halfway there. This past weekend, in the neighborhood that he may revitalize almost singlehandedly, Englert unveiled his biggest venture: the Rock and Roll Hotel....
By David Malitz | August 28, 2006; 06:32 PM ET | Comments (3)
Top This
Piola, the international Italian pizza chain, opened up today in Rosslyn. Located next to Cafe Asia, the restaurant has an industrial style, spruced up with two chandeliers and dozens of brightly colored glass wall sconces that lend a near theatrical...
By Erin | August 28, 2006; 03:18 PM ET | Comments (10)
Sweet Relief
It's been nearly a year since Hurricane Katrina battered the Gulf Coast, but there's still a lot of work to be done. You can do your part next week simply by choosing to splurge on a huge dinner. Share our...
By Erin | August 25, 2006; 06:17 PM ET | Comments (3)
Make-A-Date
In yesterday's edition of Got Plans?, a reader wrote in seeking a third date destination that is authentically D.C., delicious and low-key. Truthfully, I find this to be a complex issue. The destinations and activities you choose for your dates...
By Erin | August 25, 2006; 12:02 PM ET | Comments (4)
Nightlife Agenda Pick of the Week
Back in May we welcomed Gypsy Eyes Records, a new local label that launched with an impressive showcase at the 9:30 club, featuring Americana-tinged acts Shortstack, Revival, These United States and Brandon Butler. In the months since then ... not...
By Fritz Hahn | August 24, 2006; 10:30 AM ET | Comments (2)
More Brews at the Zoo
The Friends of the National Zoo's annual Brew at the Zoo takes place on Thursday and if you don't have a ticket for the celebration of local restaurants and beers, you may want to stop dithering -- FONZ says just...
By Fritz Hahn | August 23, 2006; 10:40 AM ET | Comments (4)
Cod Almighty
The long-awaited Eamonn's A Dublin Chipper from Cathal Armstrong of Restaurant Eve softly opened its doors last night, but it wasn't more than a few minutes before it was packed to capacity. I arrived around 6:45 to a mob-scene of...
By Erin | August 22, 2006; 11:36 AM ET | Comments (8)
Time for a Pop Quiz!
Neal Racioppo has a loyal following for his Quizzo trivia night, which packs the Pour House on Capitol Hill every Tuesday night. Staffers, wannabe "Jeopardy" stars and barflies all come out for the weekly dose of pop culture, trivia and...
By Fritz Hahn | August 21, 2006; 10:08 AM ET | Comments (1)
Expanded Week-ness
I just returned from vacation and, while I had the time of my life romping around and trying new dishes including kudu and ostrich, I was sorry to have missed a huge portion of Restaurant Week. For those of you...
By Erin | August 18, 2006; 10:51 AM ET | Comments (6)
The 'Snakes' Are Here
Let's get one thing straight: "Snakes on a Plane" is a not a great movie. The acting is consistently one-dimensional. The premise, as the title suggests, is beyond ludicrous. And the musical score is so unsophisticated that it makes the...
By Jen Chaney | August 18, 2006; 12:48 AM ET | Comments (66)
Nightlife Agenda Pick of the Week
Combining zany activities and philanthropic work is all in a day's work -- or in a day's drinking -- for SMASHED. Best known for the Idiotarod, which had teams of twentysomethings racing through D.C.'s streets pulling shopping carts sled-dog style,...
By Fritz Hahn | August 17, 2006; 10:30 AM ET | Comments (2)
New Kids on the Block
Anyone wondering what's new on the contemporary art scene need look no further than three Washington galleries this month. Work by newly minted BFA and MFA graduates are on view at Irvine Contemporary, Project 4 and Conner Contemporary. There are...
By Julia Beizer | August 16, 2006; 08:49 AM ET | Comments (1)
'Plane' Prep
Only two more days until what has to be the most anticipated snake-related event in human history: The release of the movie "Snakes on a Plane." Rumors are swirling about big groups descending on the first screenings on Thursday night....
By Jen Chaney | August 15, 2006; 11:42 AM ET | Comments (9)
Popularity Contest
You voted in droves, and today we announced the winners of our fifth annual Best Bets awards, the contest where readers name their favorite places in 48 categories. In a blog post after last year's contest, we addressed the fact...
By Anne | August 14, 2006; 05:09 PM ET | Comments (13)
Sophistication on the Cheap
In my line of work, "happy hour drink specials" usually means discount Miller Lite or rail vodkas that are closer to paint stripper than Snow Queen. When wine is marked down, it's often from one of those commercial Australian wineries...
By Fritz Hahn | August 14, 2006; 01:00 PM ET | Comments (8)
Don't Believe the Hype
Here's a cautionary tale for interns and happy hour fans, especially those who read today's Metro section story about young people networking at happy hour while seeking out $2 beers. To find the best deals, they pass around an Excel...
By Fritz Hahn | August 14, 2006; 11:23 AM ET | Comments (4)
Where the Boys Are
Yesterday, a reader wrote into Got Plans? asking about the best bar to meet "great guys" ages 26-32. It was sort of late in the chat and though we responded to this question -- and a couple follow-ups -- I...
By Julia Beizer | August 11, 2006; 04:53 PM ET | Comments (26)
We're Only Watching the Skies
How's this for a date idea: Would you like to lie on the ground in some dark and remote location and watch a once-a-year light show? The Perseid meteor shower couldn't fall at a better time. It's as if Mother...
By Anne | August 11, 2006; 02:19 PM ET | Comments (1)
Nightlife Agenda Pick of the Week
A new monthly mixture of DJs, art installations and late-night dancing, the Friday debut of Mixed Signals at Duke's City has us intrigued. With techno DJs running from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. -- including the Motor City's Detroit Techno...
By Fritz Hahn | August 10, 2006; 09:00 AM ET | Comments (13)
'World Trade' vs. '93'
It may seem crass to pick apart a pair of movies that confront the grief and horror of the Sept. 11 attacks. But let's be honest: If you saw Paul Greengrass's "United 93," it's nearly impossible to watch Oliver Stone's...
By Jen Chaney | August 9, 2006; 10:11 AM ET | Comments (4)
Starr Power
During yesterday's Got Plans? chat, a reader from Arlington wrote in to ask where they might find Starr Hill beers in the Washington area. I'm a fan of the Charlottesville-based microbrews, having tried them at local beer festivals and on...
By Fritz Hahn | August 4, 2006; 03:37 PM ET | Comments (8)
Let the 'Sunshine' In
Suicide attempts. Dead bodies. Beauty pageants featuring hundreds of little Jon-Benets. Teens taking vows of silence out of deference to Friedrich Nietzsche. These ingredients don't exactly sound like the recipe for a typical, riotous summer comedy. But then few things...
By Jen Chaney | August 3, 2006; 11:26 AM ET | Comments (5)
9:30's Sleater-Kinney Show Postponed
Last night's Sleater-Kinney show at the 9:30 club came to an abrupt end before it even really got started. According to the club's message board: "As soon as Pepco and the Fire Department ascertained that [the billowing, smelly smoke] wasn't...
By Julia Beizer | August 2, 2006; 11:06 AM ET | Comments (2)
