MONDAY, AUGUST 15
FOOD & DRINK The summer edition of Restaurant Week runs Monday through August 21. Whether you sneak away from the office for lunch or have a big night out with friends for dinner, you’ll get to try a three-course, prix-fixe meal from some of the area’s buzziest restaurants, including Rasika, Ambar and Zaytinya. $22 Lunch, $35 Dinner
MUSIC Ginkgoa gets the crowd dancing at Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage. Parisian Antoine Chatenet and New Yorker Nicolle Rochelle bring their backgrounds together for a unique blend of French jazz, big band, electro and pop that’s equal parts lively and authentic. Free, 6:30 PM
TUESDAY, AUGUST 16
THEATER Learn about the life of Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe, known by his stage name, Jelly Roll Morton, at Signature Theatre’s revival of the 1992 musical Jelly’s Last Jam. LaMothe—a pianist, bandleader and composer—is largely responsible for bringing jazz to the masses; his “Jelly Roll Blues” is the first-ever published jazz composition. You can catch performances until September 11, but on Tuesday you’ll get a special post-show discussion. $40-$94, 7:30 PM
ICE CREAM Shaw shopping complex the Shay’s latest installment of Tuesdays on 8th brings a necessary reprieve to this sweltering heat wave in the form of free ice cream. Enjoy live music and extended shopping hours at participating stores with your free scoop—one lucky winner will also receive $1,000 toward the area’s food and clothing retailers. Free, 5 PM
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17
NIGHTLIFE Get into the spirit of the Olympics without hopping a plane to Rio with the Newseum’s after-hours party, Newseum Nights: Go For Gold. Your ticket gets you an open bar, Brazilian-themed snacks, a live performance by the Afro-Brazilian drum group Batala Washington, access to the museum’s exhibits, and more. $40, 7 PM
MUSEUMS Take a deep dive into the cool history of gelato and sorbetto with historian Francine Segan in a discussion at the Smithsonian’s S. Dillon Ripley Center. Sweetening the deal is the post-discussion tasting featuring flavors like “lolly,” or lemon-flavored sorbetto on a stick. $50, 6:45 pM
