MONDAY, JULY 18
MUSIC Gypsy-jazz musicians The Olivarez Trio play Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage with the help of accordionist Matty Metcalfe. Along with capturing the sound made famous by Django Reinhardt in the 1930s, the Charlottesville-based musicians also bring an eclectic mix of folk, classical and even Beatles melodies, promising a little something for everyone to enjoy. Free, 6:30 PM
FILM Some movies are more enjoyable with audience participation, and the minds behind Night of Horrors Sing-A -Long at the Black Cat totally understand. Head to the venue’s Backstage for a double feature of musical cult-classics Rocky Horror Picture Show and Little Shop of Horrors, where singing along is definitely encouraged. Free, 7:30 PM
TUESDAY, JULY 19
FOOD & DRINK Chef Seng Luangrath, who fronts the smash Columbia Heights Laotian restaurant Thip Khao, is known for her culinary prowess. But is she any good at making a drink? Luangrath, along with five other well-known chefs, will throw down at DNV rooftop for Chefs Behind Bars, a cocktail competition benefitting No Kid Hungry. Judges and attendees will evaluate each chef’s drink, alongside small bites from DNV Rooftop’s Japanese street food-inspired menu. $45 in advance, $50 at the door, 6 PM
FILM Award-winning documentary Havana Motor Club makes its DC premiere at E Street Cinema, courtesy of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. The film explores Cuba’s thriving, passionate underground drag racing culture, a practice outlawed in 1958 by Fidel Castro. $10-$12, 6:30 PM
WEDNESDAY, JULY 20
FOOD & DRINK Belgian National Day is officially Thursday, but the Sovereign’s been celebrating all month. Each Wednesday in July, the Georgetown-area Belgian joint is putting on a Lambic Showcase to show curious drinkers some of Belgium’s best lambic beers. This week, they’re featuring Drie Fonteinen Hommage, a tangy brew blended with raspberries and sour cherries. Because Lambic beers are fermented with wild yeasts and bacteria from Brussels’ Zenne valley, this may be the closest you can get to Belgium without a plane ticket. 5 PM
BOOKS Author and food historian Roger Horowitz goes deep into the evolution of commercialized Kosher products in American grocery stores—and how exactly sticky sweet Manischewitz wine became popular with non-Jews—at Kosher Foods, American Tastes: A Culinary Tale in the Smithsonian’s Ripley Center. Stick around afterwards to purchase Horowitz’s book on the subject, Kosher USA: How Coke Became Kosher and Other Tales of Modern Food. $40, 6:45 PM
