Thursday, January 31
SHOP/DRINK: The people at Ginger Root Design are trying to have it both ways with their
Valentine’s Day Shopping Party/Anti-Valentine’s Day Drinking Party. So either go buy your special someone a super nice, thoughtful gift, or get tanked
in the corner off drinks provided by Bourbon Outfitters. Maybe you’ll meet your soulmate.
Free. 6 PM.
VENT: So 1920 DC knows you have issues and that, for some reason, venting them to a close
friend is not sufficient. That’s why it created
You Know Really Grinds My Gears, which is “karaoke for complainers.” I prefer to just call it an open mike with a
particularly pessimistic or angry theme. Anyway, head over there and air your grievances
for everyone to hear. Free. 8:30 PM.
DRINK: Marion Barry, a bunch of Georgetown bros, and other various socialites will be at
George tonight for the opening of its back bar. If you don’t have the credentials to get
into the “black card only lounge,” tonight’s your only chance—it’ll be open to the
public for one night only. Cost: your dignity. 10 PM.
Friday, February 1
DOUGHNUTS: For some reason, doughnuts are DC’s new thing, as people (thankfully) move on from
cupcakes. Get a sneak peek at Dupont Circle’s
Cool Disco Donuts Friday between 10 AM and 2 PM before its official opening later in February.
DRINK: If you’ve never tried the sugary goodness of a pisco sour, Friday’s your time—Cuba Libre will serve up $5 pisco cocktails, $4 sangria, and $5 ceviche for national pisco sour
day. Chile and Peru have a long-running blood feud over who invented the grape-based
spirit. I’m team Chile, but Peru wins at Cuba Libre, which will be serving Peru’s
Porton brand. 4:30 to 6:30 PM.
EAT (A LOT):
DC Meat Week is coming to a close, but any carnivore would be remiss to not seize the chance to
determine who’s got the best mobile meat. BBQ Bus, PORC, Carnivore BBQ, and Curley’s
Q BBQ trucks will face off in a battle of the brisket—$49 gets you tastings of eight
meats (generally pulled pork and brisket), eight sides, and three PBRs to wash it
down. Bacon punch, which is something I hope to never ingest, will be served at the
bar for $7 a pop. Tickets ($49) are available through LivingSocial. 6:30 PM.
DANCE: Bring your glowsticks and a sense of adventure, because you are definitely getting
separated from your friends at the
Avicii concert at the cavernous DC Armory. The 23-year-old Swedish deejay has quickly become
one of the most popular electronic music producers in the world for his undeniable
ability to get thousands of people to go nuts at once. Tickets ($27.50 to $97.50)
are available through Ticketmaster. 8 PM.
BEER: Alexandria’s
Port City Brewing Company has been going strong for two years now, and it’s time to celebrate with a brand
new strong, dark ale called Two. Party in the brewery’s tasting room all night—the
first-ever keg of Two will be tapped at 3 PM and will be on special until 9 PM.
Saturday, February 2
GROUNDHOG DAY: If you are both A) a masochist and B) believe in and/or play along with stupid traditions,
head over to Dupont Circle at the ungodly hour of 7:30 AM to check out whether the
groundhog
Potomac Phil sees his shadow or not. This year the event is not really necessary because I have
preemptively decided that with the warm weather of the last few days, spring has sprung.
Put your coats in storage. Free. 7:30 AM.
CABARET: For the past year, Black Fox Lounge has been putting on
La-Ti-Do, a weekly spoken word cabaret/musical theater night. For its one-year anniversary,
the event moves to Saturday, taking over both levels of the bar, hiring a deejay,
and serving up La-Ti-Do-Tinis. $5. 6 PM.
FUNK: People in New Jersey and New York are still reeling from Hurricane Sandy.
Potomac Groundswell has gathered three bands (all of them funky, all of them on Eric Hilton’s hip ESL
label) to play a benefit party. Come ready to dance and, if you want, bid on art at
a silent auction. Tickets ($20) are available through Eventbrite. 7 PM.
ROLLER DERBY: The
DC Rollergirls are back to shove one another around on skates—if you’ve never been to a roller derby,
it’s time to rectify that. Plus this might be the first time in 20 years that there
have been back-to-back cool events at the DC Armory. Who knows when it’ll happen again?
You’ll check out two bouts—the Majority Whips take on the DC DemonCats and the Cherry
Blossom Bombshells will, ummm, derby against Scare Force One. Tickets ($12) are available
online or at the door. 4 PM.
Sunday, February 3
SUPER BOWL (SPANISH STYLE): You should probably just be an American and sit in front of the TV housing chips
and guac and pigs in a blanket while being force-fed slightly more amusing advertising
than usual. But if you need a place to check out the Super and/or Puppy Bowl, Vinoteca
is serving up $5 glasses of wine all night and will have specials on decidedly not-American
small plates such as pan con tomate. 5 to 11 PM.
SUPER BOWL (AMERICAN STYLE): If you prefer to celebrate the U-S of A way, Jack Rose has the whole American bar
food thing down. During the game, you can drink $5 pints, hot punch, and whiskey drinks,
and all the food, including chili and cornbread, Buffalo wings, and sausage and peppers,
is free. 6 PM. For more places offering game-day specials, check out our roundups
on After Hours and Best Bites Blog.
CANADA: If you’re into more Canadian sports, the
Caps also take on their rivals the Penguins at 12:30. But if the team doesn’t start winning
soon, that rivalry will soon fall into the “doesn’t matter” category. Tickets ($77
to $425) are available through Ticketmaster. 12:30 PM.
Know of something cool going on around town? E-mail Jason Koebler at jasontpkoebler@gmail.com,
or find him on Twitter @jason_koebler.
