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Restaurant Week Menus
Staying Cool This Summer
Happy Hour Finder
Great Outdoor Bars
Thursday, August 13: This week’s after-hours event at the Phillips Collection will feature local food from FreshFarm Markets as well as libations created by the DC Bartenders Guild. Expect peach sangria, artisanal cheeses, and—wait for it—gazpacho shooters with red-pepper swizzle sticks. Admission is by donation, but beer and food tastings are extra.
We love beer. We love local businesses. So it goes without saying that we’d love a local-beer competition being held tonight at Bar Louie in DC’s Gallery Place. The $5 admission will get you beer samples, a domestic draft, and the right to vote for the winner. 7 PM.
Former presidential candidate Howard Dean is at Politics and Prose to discuss and sign his book Prescription for Real Healthcare Reform. 4 PM.
Friday, August 14: If you don’t know about our love for local piano popsters Jukebox the Ghost by now, well, you’ll just never ever know us. The lively rock group plays the third-anniversary party for the Rock & Roll Hotel, along with other great local acts such as Title Tracks, Tereu Tereu, and Bellman Barker. 8 PM; $12 in advance, $14 at the door.
Bring a blanket and catch a free movie on the lawn at Strathmore in North Bethesda. This year’s lineup includes The Dark Knight (August 15), Slumdog Millionaire (August 20), and for the kids, Kung Fu Panda (August 16) and Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (August 21). Donations will be accepted to benefit the National Institutes of Health Children’s Charities. Movies start at 8:15; the grounds open at 6:30. Get the full roster here.
Ho ho ho and a bottle of . . . well, you know how it goes. Get your rum on this weekend when Café Atlántico kicks off its first-ever rum festival. The fun starts tonight with a free tasting from 4 to 6 PM, and special rum cocktails will be served throughout the weekend. Check our Sunday listing for a special rum-focused dinner at the restaurant. More at Café Atlántico’s Web site.
Saturday, August 15: Hippies should head to the Mall today for the Woodstock 40th Anniversary Celebration. Hear the Paul Green School of Rock Music play covers of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and the Grateful Dead, and then jam to artists such as Led Zeppelin, who were invited to perform at the original event but never made it. Slyvan Theater, on the grounds of the Washington Monument. 10 to 6. For more information, click here.
The 61st Montgomery County Agricultural Fair is in full swing this weekend, complete with all the adorable farm animals, funnel cake, and fun activities you could want. It’s well worth the trip out to the Montgomery County Fairgrounds (16 Chestnut St., Gaithersburg). 10 AM to midnight; $8 adults; $3 children ages two to seven; free under age two.
Can you believe that Mousetrap, the popular Brit-pop dance night at the Black Cat, has been around for ten years? It’s true, and it’s celebrating tonight with a big bash. A $10 admission will get you into one of the best local dance parties. 9:30 PM.
We all know girls rock. Now Girls Rock! DC, an organization that uses music to help build confidence in young women, is proving it. The group is hosting a showcase that’ll feature performances from its summer-camp stars at the 9:30 Club. The early start time (10:30 AM) will be worth it to see these young ladies rocking out. Buy tickets here.
The 9:30 Club hosts an equally awesome female musician at night. Bat for Lashes, the British singer/songwriter, plays everything from the autoharp to the guitar to the harpsichord, and her ethereal rock is mesmerizing. 8 PM; $15. Get tickets here.
Sunday, August 16: Café Atlántico winds down its rum weekend celebration with a four-course dinner. Join the Ministry of Rum’s Ed Hamilton for island- and rum-inspired dishes from chef Terri Cutrino. The meal will be paired with such cocktails as the Navy Grog and rum punch, and a selection of sipping rums will accompany dessert. The dinner, $75 per person (tax and tip not included), begins at 6:30. Call 202-393-0812 for reservations.
Former Top Chef contestant Spike Mendelsohn’s series of afternoon cookouts at the Capitol Skyline Hotel have been so popular that the events will now include movies in the evenings. This Sunday, it’s Anchorman. The movies will start around 8 PM, but the doors to the daylong event open at noon. If you get in before 4, the $10 cover price includes a burger.
Did you know that Washington’s first-ever Beer Week kicks off today? Exciting, especially because Washington is really coming into its own as a beer town. Loads of domestic and international breweries will be serving their goods at bars and restaurants all over the area as well as hosting special events. To kick the week off, head tonight to the Rock & Roll Hotel, where $20 will get you ten four-ounce sample pours of craft beers plus live music. 2 to 8 PM.
Sarah is the Editor-in-Chief of Washingtonian Bride & Groom, and writes about weddings, fashion, and shopping. Her work has also appeared in Refinery29, Bethesda Magazine, and Washington City Paper, among others. She is a Georgetown University graduate, lives in Columbia Heights, and you can find her on Instagram at @washbridegroom and @sarahzlot.
