Archive: January 2008
February Mixtape
There should be a little something for everyone on this month's mixtape from jazz (Robert Glasper) to country (the Wrights) to soul (Anthony David) to hip-hop (Sole & the Skyrider Band) to rock (Jason Isbell) to local indie rock (the...
By David Malitz | January 31, 2008; 05:19 PM ET | Comments (5)
Nightlife Agenda Pick of the Week
The House of Sweden occupies a place of pride on the Georgetown waterfront, and while it's used as a exhibition space for rotating exhibits by Swedish artists, the Swedish embassy is launching a series of cultural events called the House...
By Fritz Hahn | January 31, 2008; 12:00 PM ET | Comments (0)
Comings and Goings
Japanese themes pop up again this month with the Kennedy Center's Japan! Culture + Hyperculture festival. Concerts, performances and screenings make for a complete cultural program, but several small exhibits lend a feast for the eyes. I'm most looking forward...
By Julia Beizer | January 30, 2008; 07:42 PM ET | Comments (3)
News to Digest: The Valentine's Day Special
If you're a lover who dreams of cuddling up to your honey on Valentine's Day, feeding one another spoons of gooey chocolate cake or foie gras, here are a few restaurants whose special menus you might want to check out....
By Erin | January 30, 2008; 12:57 PM ET | Comments (0)
The African Cup of Nations Runneth Over
I really envy people who work in Silver Spring. It must be so nice to look up at the clock, realize it's lunchtime and slip out to Roger Miller Restaurant over on Bonifant Street and watch some of the best...
By Fritz Hahn | January 29, 2008; 01:59 PM ET | Comments (9)
Free and Easy
Every Monday, the Going Out Gurus suggest ways to enjoy Washington's cultural scene without spending any money. Have an idea for us? Send it to events@washingtonpost.com. Monday Redemption Ritual at the National Theatre Honoring poets ranging from James Weldon Johnson...
By Fritz Hahn | January 28, 2008; 01:00 PM ET | Comments (4)
Smokin' Sips
In yesterday's edition of Got Plans?, a reader wrote in seeking a smoking hot beverage: Dear Gurus, I've been craving some seriously spicy hot chocolate in this fair city of ours. Do you know where I can satisfy my chocolately...
By Erin | January 25, 2008; 01:19 PM ET | Comments (2)
Art in Motion (and a Spooky Video)
Paintings, photographs and sculpture: they can be easy art forms to love. You can breeze by even the most complicated, controversial painting and just appreciate its aesthetics with a passing glance. Video and performance art are generally more elusive mistresses;...
By Julia Beizer | January 25, 2008; 12:27 PM ET | Comments (0)
U2 3D: Even Better Than the Real Thing
I am a major U2 fan and an unabashed admirer of Bono. But I will try to bring a measure of restraint to my assessment of "U2 3D," which opened yesterday at the Samuel C. Johnson Imax Theater at the...
By Jen Chaney | January 24, 2008; 11:06 AM ET | Comments (42)
Nightlife Agenda Pick of the Week
We haven't talked about Jukebox the Ghost (listen) too much, but it's not because we're ignoring them. It's because we have a bit of a conflict of interest: Guitarist Tommy Siegel was a City Guide intern a few semesters back....
By Fritz Hahn | January 24, 2008; 11:00 AM ET | Comments (0)
News to Digest
Februrary is famous for one particular amorous night, but local restaurants have found plenty of other reasons to cook up a feast next month. If you only have eyes for Valentine's Day, rest assured that we'll pick out a few...
By Erin | January 23, 2008; 04:22 PM ET | Comments (2)
Big News From Behind the Bar
In a major shake up of Washington's mixology scene, Gina Chersevani of Rasika and Will Earls of Hudson have both parted ways with their employers in the last week....
By Fritz Hahn | January 22, 2008; 03:04 PM ET | Comments (30)
Free and Easy
Every week, the Going Out Gurus suggest ways to enjoy Washington's cultural scene without spending any money. Have an idea for us? Send it to events@washingtonpost.com. Tuesday 'Plan 9 From Outer Space' at Dr. Dremo's Taphouse It seems somehow appropriate...
By Fritz Hahn | January 22, 2008; 01:21 PM ET | Comments (0)
Restaurant Week: Clearly the Word Is Out
For Friday lunch, I decided to book a table at Spezie. The restaurant has touted a full menu offering and I was intrigued to see how it could handle feeding such a large menu to the converging masses: those who...
By Erin | January 18, 2008; 04:00 PM ET | Comments (0)
A 'Cloverfield' Q&A
After soaking up months of Internet chatter about "Cloverfield," the J.J. Abrams-produced monster movie for the YouTube generation -- the flick is finally here. You can see it starting tonight, around the midnight hour. Given all the mystery surrounding this...
By Jen Chaney | January 17, 2008; 10:15 AM ET | Comments (1)
Restaurant Week Begins
We are three days into Restaurant Week, that biannual charge of bargain-seeking diners eager to pack restaurants beyond capacity. In past years, I've filled my week with daily lunch and dinner reservations to survey how different restaurants stack up. Though...
By Erin | January 16, 2008; 03:06 PM ET | Comments (23)
New Nightlife Agenda Podcast
A Buffalo Tom reunion has the Gurus feeling nostalgic for "My So-Called Life." (ABC) The latest edition of the Nightlife Agenda podcast went online yesterday (Jan. 15), featuring Rhome, David and me talking about six concerts taking place in the...
By Fritz Hahn | January 16, 2008; 02:12 PM ET | Comments (63)
Into the Great Wild Open
The National Museum of Natural History -- a favorite of school kids and tourists alike -- isn't exactly known as a hip place to spend your weekend. But until April 27th, a special exhibition is worth a visit for us...
By Julia Beizer | January 15, 2008; 02:59 PM ET | Comments (0)
A Tonic for the Neighborhood
As I posted last Thursday, the Foggy Bottom branch of Tonic is finally serving alcohol, only seven months after the restaurant first opened. They're celebrating "the end of prohibition" with a weekday happy hour that should interest anyone who works...
By Fritz Hahn | January 14, 2008; 05:17 PM ET | Comments (2)
Free and Easy
Every Monday, the Going Out Gurus suggest ways to enjoy Washington's cultural scene without spending any money. Have an idea for us? Send it to events@washingtonpost.com. Monday The Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet at the Kennedy Center These four singers have...
By Fritz Hahn | January 14, 2008; 03:40 PM ET | Comments (0)
The Future of Dr. Dremo's
There are only two weekends left for Dr. Dremo's Taphouse, the Arlington landmark that's closing for good at 2 a.m. on Sunday, January 27, to make way for a high-rise condo building. With time running out, I thought I'd check...
By Fritz Hahn | January 14, 2008; 12:45 PM ET | Comments (15)
What's in a Date?
Washington, D.C.: I'm sure you get this all the time, but I have a first date this weekend. We're both 30-somethings who haven't dated in a while. I'm not feeling hip, but I'd like something more interesting than a suburban...
By Julia Beizer | January 11, 2008; 01:37 PM ET | Comments (29)
Finally, Beer in Foggy Bottom
Here's some news that George Washington students (and Foggy Bottom office workers) have been waiting for: Tonic at Quigley's has finally received its liquor license and will begin serving alcohol tonight....
By Fritz Hahn | January 10, 2008; 04:42 PM ET | Comments (2)
Nightlife Agenda Pick of the Week
We're counting down the minutes until 2 a.m. on January 27, when Dr. Dremo's Taphouse closes its doors to the public forever. Allow us to get nostalgic for a second: The place opened in 1993 as Bardo Rodeo, one of...
By Fritz Hahn | January 10, 2008; 11:01 AM ET | Comments (1)
Fake and Bake
Today's Food section explores the wild and crazy world of mock meats. No longer limited to school cafeterias, mock meats -- most made from gluten -- are becoming more popular and bearing stronger resemblances to the real thing. Though I've...
By Erin | January 9, 2008; 12:18 PM ET | Comments (8)
News to Digest
Since last week's News to Digest focused on this year's upcoming openings, I thought it fitting to point out a few recent closures around town, along with a departure. Shaw's Pyramids, which was open late on weekends, serving fragrant Moroccan...
By Erin | January 9, 2008; 11:21 AM ET | Comments (8)
Final Jeopardy
A mix of irreverent trivia questions, a heavy dose of pop culture and a sharp-as-a-tack audience of Hill wonks have made Quizzo my favorite weekly quiz night in D.C. since September 2001, but founder, quizmaster and former "Jeopardy!" contestant Neal...
By Fritz Hahn | January 8, 2008; 02:07 PM ET | Comments (4)
Eight Flicks is Enough
Aside from the Oscar-caliber films currently toiling for moviegoers' (and award-givers') attention, almost everything in cineplexes at this time of year is complete dreck. (Look no farther than "Meet the Spartans" for evidence of this fact.) But fear not, desperate...
By Jen Chaney | January 8, 2008; 09:54 AM ET | Comments (0)
On Stage in January
This month, local theaters show us a hard look at the police force as well as the No Child Left Behind initiative. Two brothers struggle to understand one another with the help of rhythmic poetry, and in a world premiere,...
By Erin | January 7, 2008; 03:47 PM ET | Comments (0)
Free and Easy
Every Monday, the Going Out Gurus suggest ways to enjoy Washington's cultural scene without spending any money. Have an idea for us? Send it to events@washingtonpost.com. Monday Alex Hassan at the Kennedy Center Pianist Alex Hassan calls his act "Novelty...
By Fritz Hahn | January 7, 2008; 03:32 PM ET | Comments (0)
Comings and Goings
Usually, exhibits with Japanese themes build to a crescendo around Cherry Blossom time, but this year, it looks like the celebration came early. Several of January's most promising exhibitions highlight Japanese techniques, but obsessive artwork, collector-selected pieces and live frogs...
By Julia Beizer | January 7, 2008; 11:01 AM ET | Comments (0)
January Mixtape
This January is an unusually rich month, thanks in large part to a solid Millennium Stage lineup that features folkie Jenny Owen Youngs, roots rockers Hoots and Hellmouth and the "Italian Tom Waits," Vinicio Capossela. Also be sure to check...
By David Malitz | January 4, 2008; 02:42 PM ET | Comments (2)
Nightlife Agenda Pick of the Week
DJ Will Eastman's calendar already includes a Friday night residency at Metropolitain, the champagne bar underneath Adams Morgan's Napoleon bistro, and the long-running Bliss indie/electro monthly at the Black Cat, but we're always glad when he can squeeze one of...
By Fritz Hahn | January 3, 2008; 03:00 PM ET | Comments (1)
The 2007 Nightlife Hot List
The Hot Neighborhood Hint: It's not H Street, U Street, Clarendon or Columbia Heights. Nightlife is moving back downtown, with bottle service-focused nightspots increasing clustered on 14th and K streets NW, right around McPherson Square. The four-story Park at 14th...
By Fritz Hahn | January 3, 2008; 09:00 AM ET | Comments (21)
Erin's Meal Plan for 2008
The new year makes me giddy with anticipation of new restaurants. The horizon holds plenty of seafood, a gastropub, a healthy BBQ joint and, hopefully, a new venture for one of my longtime favorite chefs....
By Erin | January 2, 2008; 03:35 PM ET | Comments (6)
On the Walls in 2008
Great exhibits are surely on the horizon in 2008, but the real highlight of the year has to be the opening of three new (or recently shuttered) museum spaces. In fact, we might as well call 2008 the year of...
By Julia Beizer | January 2, 2008; 11:33 AM ET | Comments (0)
