Going Out Gurus

Local R&B singer (and Grammy nominee) Wayna pays tribute to Billie Holiday during a pair of shows at Blues Alley. (Courtesy of the Bloom Effect)

Howard University's homecoming weekend brings a number of hip-hop and R&B stars to D.C. for the weekend, including the Clipse, Common, Kid Cudi and Brian McKnight. But there are plenty more options this week, including a tribute to Billie Holiday, parties at the Swedish Embassy and the Corcoran, the awesomely shambolic garage punk of Lovvers, a fundraising happy hour in Bethesda, block-rocking DJs and a new event focused on French music (and half-price champagne).

Wednesday morning update: Hirshhorn After Hours is now sold out.

Normally, with just a few days left before the National Zoo's Boo at the Zoo, the Hirshhorn's After Hours party or the Corcoran's Fall Fete, we'd be telling readers: "Sorry, they're sold out. Try buying tickets earlier next time." And yet, as I write this, it's still possible to buy tickets for all three of these perennially sold-out events.

Certain tickets are gone: Boo at the Zoo, which runs nightly from Friday through Sunday, is completely full on Saturday night, and the pricey VIP tickets for the black tie-optional Fall Fete, which include pre- and post-parties at bars, have already been snapped up. But everything else is surprisingly still available.

Why the change this year? There was some incredulity in our office that the Hirshhorn was charging $18 not to see a big-name band but Fatback, an excellent local DJ crew that spins for free at Liv every month. And given the current economy, we assume some people will find it hard to front $100 for a night of dancing at the Fall Fete, even if that price includes four hours of open bar and a tour of the Corcoran's "Sargent and the Sea" exhibit.

A number of the Gurus have been to these events in the past, and we recommend them wholeheartedly. And this year, we're excited to be able to recommend them to readers as last-minute options, too. If you think you'd enjoy them, we still suggest buying your spots ASAP.

Have you gone to the Fall Fete or Hirshhorn After Hours in the past but aren't buying tickets this time around? Tell us about it in the comments.

-- Fritz Hahn

Rejoice, trivia fans: Quizzo, the one-time king of local quiz nights is back. Kind of.

Quizzo, which ran at the Pour House from September 2001 to until ending in January 2008, became one of my favorite test-your-knowledge events thanks to a wide-ranging set of questions, snappy pace and the wit and wisdom of both host Neal Racioppo and the fanatical regulars, who'd arrive at the bar well before the start time.

Racioppo is still in retirement, but the new version of Quizzo, which takes place on the first three Tuesdays of the month at Capitol Hill's Union Pub, has a familiar feel to it. "Scorebabe" Rebecca Scott, who kept score at the old Quizzo (and who is now married to Racioppo), reads the questions, tallies the points and throws out zingers the whole time. What's different is the new format.

The Cherry Carry Out on Georgia Avenue NW is one of the off-the-tourist-trail images featured in Paul Feinberg's "Another Washington" exhibit. (Paul Feinberg)

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.

Wednesday, Oct. 21
'Over Africa! Low and Slow With the Kenya Wildlife Service' at the National Air and Space Museum
One of the most effective tools to prevent the poaching of African elephants and rhinos is the use of airplanes, which fly "low and slow" over the plains to look for poachers. Stunt pilot Patty Wagstaff went to Africa to teach the Kenya Wildlife Service the correct methods of flying, and director Miles O'Brien tagged along to document the trip. After a screening of "Over Africa!," Wagstaff and O'Brien will discuss the program and take questions from the audience.

Thursday, Oct. 22
'Paul Feinberg: Another Washington' at the Katzen Arts Center
Feinberg's photos of Washington capture drag queens, storefronts, greasy spoons and personalities that populated D.C. in the 1970s. If you're a D.C. native (and especially if you're not), make a point to visit the exhibition, which closes Sunday.

Friday, Oct. 23
Piazza d'Italia at the Hilton Washington
The National Italian American Foundation's Piazza d'Italia features Italian producers of wine, gelato, olive oils, fashion and other products showing their wares and offering free samples, Italian musicians performing and Italian cooks presenting free demonstrations. Friday's events include a free seminar on Italian food and wine from 2:30 to 4 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 24
Mid City Artists Fall Open Studios
One way to keep up with the city's constantly shifting art scene is to visit the artists in their natural environments. This two-day open house, which includes the Logan Circle, Dupont Circle and U Street neighborhoods, allows you to bounce from studio to studio, see works in progress and chat with painters, sculptors and other artists.

Sunday, Oct. 25
Kids Euro Festival
The European Union's Kids Euro Festival aims to bring the best children's entertainment and events from one side of the Atlantic to the other, and there are dozens of events happening across the city. In one day at the French Embassy, for example, children can hear musical stories from Finland, see a version of "Pinocchio" with Italian puppets and listen to tales from ancient Greece. Events are free, but they may require reservations -- check the Web site for a full schedule and more information.

Update: We moved the events we wrote about earlier in the week to the bottom of the post. This way, it's easier for you to find our Free and Easy picks for today at the top.

Monday, Oct. 19
'Red Roses and Petrol' at Flashpoint
Dublin's award-winning Fishamble Theatre Company focuses on performing new Irish plays. Local Irish arts group Solas Nua is sponsoring a series of staged readings of Fishamble's recent works; tonight's features this dark comedy by Joseph O'Connor.

Tuesday, Oct. 20
'From Orchids to Octopi: An Evolutionary Fantasy' at the National Library of Medicine
In honor of Charles Darwin's 200th birthday, the National Institutes of Health presents this play, a collaboration between Boston's Underground Railway Theater and MIT. Though it's ostensibly about evolution and "The Origin of Species," the play explores what happens when "a muralist's work is derailed by hallucinations, pregnancy and dinosaurs." Before the show, look for complimentary drinks and snacks, beginning at 5:45 p.m.

-- Fritz Hahn

Sam Adkins joined the staff of Jackie's over five years ago -- well before the Silver Spring hot spot even opened. But the chef won't be there to toast its anniversary this month. Monday was his last day in the kitchen.

Was he fired? Did he resign? "I didn't resign," Adkins told me today. He described his departure as "a large disappointment."

While owner Jackie Greenbaum was effusive in her praise for the 34-year-old chef, calling him one of her "personally dearest friends" and crediting Adkins for "making this restaurant what it is," she added that "five years is a long time to be at one establishment."

If she liked the guy so much, why is he gone? "I think we reached the limitations of expression with one another," the restaurateur says.

Greenbaum has a replacement in mind, but she isn't prepared to name names yet; she's still discussing the direction of her restaurant with that person. As for Adkins, he says he's now "looking around" for another gig.

Not everything is changing. Greenbaum promises to keep fried chicken, pork riblets and Jackie's signature nachos on the menu. The last time the restaurateur tried to take off the vegetarian chips, their fans began a petition to bring the dish back -- on a cocktail napkin.

-- Tom Sietsema

Tom Sietsema's 10th annual Dining Guide has arrived.

We've got your photos. We've got your video (below). We've got Tom's lists of ten top tables, desserts and cocktails. We've got a contest where you can win dinner for two with Tom. But we know what you really want to see: the heart and soul of the guide, Tom's reviews of Washington's 50 best restaurants. (I can also tell you this: the guide looks absolutely fantastic in the upcoming Sunday magazine, too.)

So, now for everyone's favorite parlor game: Are there any local restaurants that you think should have been included on this list? Let us know in the comments below or in his weekly discussion, Ask Tom. He'll be chatting about all things Dining Guide on Wednesday, Oct. 21 at 11 a.m. ET.

-- Julia Beizer

It's chat day, so that means you only have a few more hours to submit your "how do I have fun without going out in this miserable weather?" questions. We'll also be venturing off the beaten path with info on the most delicious hush puppies in the city, must-hit spots on H Street and where to find sweet jukeboxes. What else do you guys want to know? Submit a question or comment and let us know.

Today is also the day that Tom Sietsema's much-anticipated annual Dining Guide launches. Want to be the first to see which restaurants earned four stars? Sign up for our newsletter (just click the box next to Going Out Guide under Arts and Living), and we'll shoot you an e-mail when the special section is live.

See you guys at 1.

-- Stephanie Merry

Turntable adventurer Kid Koala will be DJing from four decks simultaneously on Friday night. (SekondHandProjects)

The Red Derby and Brazilian Rhythms celebrate two years of brews and samba, respectively, DJ stars Kid Koala and Francois K bring their eclectic sounds to different clubs on Friday night, a D.C. bartender offers free cocktail lessons (and samples), and Broadcast, Built to Spill and Ryan Gosling lead to hard choices on Saturday night.

Patsy's is the name Great American Restaurants is considering for its 11th dining room in Northern Virginia next fall, and for the first time, the locally owned company is looking beyond the U.S. for inspiration. Italian cooking, including breads and pastas made in-house, will be the focus of the future menu, says Randy Norton, Great American's chief executive.

The 248-seat restaurant is expected to open next September at 11880 Grand Commons Ave. in Fairfax -- just a block away from Coastal Flats, one of the company's seafood establishments. (The proximity to one of his own was the primary reason Norton thought something completely different taste-wise was in order.)

Norton likes the double meaning behind the title he's mulling: Patsy is a nickname for Pasquale, and Patsy is also the name of Norton's wife (who has yet to agree to the idea of so much publicity), he reports.

The executive and his team have traveled to Boston, Chicago, New York and Philadelphia to get ideas for their next project. The restaurateur tells me that the intimate Mercato, a cash-only BYOB eatery in Philadelphia, left an especially strong impression on his group.

Developing an Italian accent isn't the company's only departure from the norm. Great American Restaurants typically hires from within its ranks; for Patsy's, the group is looking outside. "Ideally," says Norton, "we'd like to hire someone soon, and get them on board."

Do I hear the tap-tapping of fingers on keyboards polishing up resumes?

-- Tom Sietsema

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.

Friday, Oct. 16
Chris Hillman at the Library of Congress
As an original member of the Byrds, guitarist Chris Hillman helped develop the group's signature jangly folk-rock sound, and with Gram Parsons, he shaped country rock on albums like "Sweetheart of the Rodeo." Hillman talks about his storied career during a lunchtime lecture in the James Madison Building's Mumford Room.

Saturday, Oct. 17
'Man from London' at the National Gallery of Art
A mysterious briefcase full of money is at the heart of this moody crime noir film, based on a 1934 detective novel by the Belgian writer Georges Simenon and directed by Bela Tarr. It screens at the National Gallery as part of the "New Films From Hungary" series.

Sunday, Oct. 18
Bethesda Row Arts Festival
Almost 200 artists display drawings, sculptures, ceramics and other works on the streets of Bethesda during this annual juried show. When you get tired of browsing, there's live music on outdoor stages.

Update: We moved the events we wrote about earlier in the week to the bottom of the post. This way, it's easier for you to find our Free and Easy picks for today at the top.

Monday, Oct. 12
'The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later, an Epilogue' at the Lincoln Theatre and the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
Eleven years ago, Matthew Shepard was tortured and killed in Laramie, Wyo., because he was gay. On the anniversary of his death, theaters across the country will host readings from "The Laramie Project," which examines how the town reacted to the crime.

Tuesday, Oct. 13
Solar Decathlon on the National Mall
Through Sunday, teams of college students from around the world display and demonstrate solar-powered homes on the Mall. Between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Tuesday, you can tour the buildings and see all the technological innovations on display. (Houses are closed on Wednesday, Oct. 14.)

Wednesday, Oct. 14
Tom Collins Tasting at Room 11
Room 11 owner Dan Searing teaches the curious how to make the perfect Tom Collins cocktail. (The 19th-century classic includes gin, lemon juice, club soda and simple syrup.) This class is sponsored by Bombay Sapphire, so you can expect free drink samples and giveaways along with your lesson.

Thursday, Oct. 15
Cornel West at Busboys and Poets
The provocative Princeton University professor, culture critic, social justice advocate and author of "Race Matters" speaks about his new memoir, "Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud."

-- Fritz Hahn

Thanks for coming to last night's happy hour at Capitol City Brewing Company! Rhome threw down some trivia questions at the end, and we handed out a bunch of prizes, including a $100 gift certificate to Cap City, a handful of iPod shuffles and the big prize, two pairs of tickets to the Capital Food Fight. Enjoy pictures from our regular ace photographer, Dakota Fine. More after the jump.

The second winner of those tickets is Chris Oberlin. Congratulations, Chris!

We're glad you could celebrate with us, and we're looking forward to seeing you at next month's happy hour on Nov. 12.

-- Anne Kenderdine

Another day, another dating chat. We talked about making conversation with strangers on the Metro and beyond. We also talked about bars for birthday girls, places for Patriots fans and grub in Georgetown. Read the full transcript here.

One comment came in after the chat that I thought would be handy for your planning this week. There is, in fact, a temporary Halloween costume store in Bethesda. It's at 7016 Wisconsin Ave.

Feel free to keep chiming in on any of our topics from today, either in the comments section or in next week's discussion.

-- Julia Beizer

Three years after she acquired space for her eponymous restaurant at 23rd and L streets, Ris Lacoste is finally preparing to open her dining room in the West End.

"Can you believe it?" the chef exclaimed over the phone this afternoon. Construction on the restaurant, known as ris, ("I'm the big 'R'") is expected to wrap up later this month, says Lacoste. She blames the epic wait on fundraising and lease negotiations, but a November debut is now a real possibility, she forecasts.

"I'm glad I wasn't opening a year ago. Someone was watching over me, truly. "

As long planned, the 170-seat ris will be neighborhood-focused and open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Ed Kwitowski, a protégé of chef Jeff Buben, who most recently cooked at Bistro Bis on the Hill, will serve as Lacoste's No. 2 in the kitchen. Her business partner in the venture is Mitchell Herman, a former executive with Shoppers Food and Pharmacy.

I see pigs flying!

-- Tom Sietsema

We'll miss you, Ben Ali. The man who 51 years ago put chili on a hot dog gave Washington a food identify that stuck. As we've heard today, the founder of Ben's Chili Bowl on U Street died last night of congestive heart failure at his home in Washington. He was 82. Read about it here, see this photo gallery of scenes inside his famous restaurant or watch the video:

We're not looking to discuss the nutritional demerits of half-smokes and cheese fries, just good times and late-night food and Ali's culinary legacy, if you will. Selling them at the Nationals' ballpark seemed like a shrewd move, didn't it? Tom Sietsema wrote about Ben's in 2004, when it was recognized by the prestigious James Beard Foundation as one of four restaurants designated that year as America's Classics for its timeless appeal.

Share your memories here.

-- Bonnie Benwick

It's Thursday, so that means it's time to spend an hour with us during Got Plans? What's on your mind this week? Looking for the best ways to spend some gorgeous fall days? We'll do our best to steer you in the direction.

Today's not just any Thursday, though. Come join the Gurus from 6 to -8 p.m. tonight at Capitol City Brewing Company on Capitol Hill. Drink specials include $3.50 beers on tap, including seasonal brews Oktoberfest, Pumpkinator and Organic Belgian Tripel. We'll be giving away a $100 gift card to Capitol City Brewing Company and two tickets to the Capital Food Fight on Nov. 11. Plus, there will be free food specials including Southwest keg rolls with Thai chili sauce, vegetable spring rolls with sweet and sour sauce, Chesapeake Bay mini crab bites, and chicken wings in Atomic Barbecue, Golden Barbecue and teriyaki flavors.

Be warned -- if there's one thing we've learned from past happy hours it's that free food disappears fast. So get there around 6 if you want some of that gratis grub.

-- David Malitz

There are three new reasons to go bar-hopping this week: the Brickskeller celebrates 53 years in business with (what else?) discounted and rare beers, cocktail fave Punch Club finds a new home at Room 11 (which is also also offering free gin for everyone tonight) and a new bar called Maddy's has replaced Timberlake's in Dupont Circle.

Fort Knox Five's new album isn't out until next month, but we're betting you'll hear some tunes from it when they play on Tuesday night. And even if you've never heard them before, we bet it will make you dance. (John Falls)

Our week kicks off with happy hours and a date auction, and winds through multiple Oktoberfest parties (including one hosted by the Gurus), swaggering New Orleans jazz, a pre-CD release party with the Fort Knox Five, the return of Dinosaur Jr., the last-ever Taint, a new DJ night on H Street NE and Nadastrom's final D.C. appearance of 2009.

If you read last week's Nightlife Agenda, you saw Rhome raving about a Saturday night appearance at Eighteenth Street Lounge by Daz-I-Kue, the genre-bending DJ from soulful dance music favorites Bugz in the Attic.

We know some of you might not have been able to make that gig, so we wanted to let you know that Daz will be making a special guest appearance at the Main Ingredient tonight at Marvin, where he'll rock the turntables alongside resident DJ Jahsonic. The party starts at 9:30 and there's never a cover charge.

Here's Rhome's preview of the ESL appearance:
For the last couple of years, Daz-I-Kue (listen) has been residing in Atlanta and gradually infecting the U.S. with the brand of jazzy, frenetic, soulful dance music that he pioneered in London with Bugz in the Attic. So now, in addition to devouring his remixes, bootlegs and original productions, we get to see Daz rock live around these parts more frequently: there's this set at Eighteenth Street Lounge, for example. Daz-I-Kue's sets encompass a journey through U.K soundsystem culture, from rare grooves and roller-skating boogie through drum 'n' bass and the trademark West London broken-beat sound.

While I was roaming the city the other night, I made pit stops at a pair of lounges: the two-week-old Reserve on L Street NW, where you'll find an extended happy hour and live jazz targeted at downtown office workers, and the month-old Social in Columbia Heights, a homey place for cocktails with a lively atmosphere.

The Reserve
1428 L St. NW
Quick take: The former Ollie's Trolley has been remade into a tapas lounge and bar. The change is evident before you even approach the front door, since the façade now resembles a Baltimore rowhouse, thanks to a coating of what looks like Formstone. Inside, the two levels are done up in the shiny-mahogany-and-sconces look that Marc Barnes's lounges made so famous. (Barnes, of course, has admitted to borrowing the idea from D.C.'s high-end law firms: who wouldn't want to get their drink on in a fancy office?)

The decor is sparse: there's a bar with a pair of flat-screen TVs behind it and along the wall, pairs of low leather loveseats that serve as booths. (On weekends, they're prime seats for bottle service, complete with $600 bottles of Cristal.) The biggest visual may be the open kitchen tucked into one corner of the first floor, directly across from the bar.

Drinks: The biggest appeal of the Reserve, for me, is its happy hour, which runs from 5 until 9 every weekday, and includes $5 cocktails, bottled beers and selected wines by the glass. The $5 for a "rail" drink sounds unremarkable, but the Reserve's rail is actually a step up from most after-work destinations: Order a plain-old gin and tonic, for example, and your drink is made with Tanqueray. (Outside of happy hour, when a "rail" is closer to $8-$12, this may be a budget-buster, but not at happy hour.

When both of the women I was with ordered wine, the bartender poured a small taste into the glass, swirled it around, and told them to try it before he poured a full serving. If only more places did that. Social has a decent wines-by-the-glass list, mainly French and New World varieties, which cost $6-11 per pour.

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.

Monday, Oct. 5
Mac McCaughan at Crooked Beat
Mac McCaughan had a dual role in the indie rock revolution of the 1990s. As the frontman for Chapel Hill icons Superchunk, he wrote some of the genre's smartest, sharpest songs. He was also the co-founder of Merge Records, home to the Arcade Fire, the Magnetic Fields, Spoon, Superchunk, Neutral Milk Hotel and Butterglory. The new book "Our Noise" tells Merge's story. McCaughan appears at Adams Morgan's coolest record store to read from the book and play a few songs.

Tuesday, Oct. 6
Karaoke at Sticky Rice
One of the hippest karaoke nights around starts late (10 p.m.) and doesn't let up until last call. You'll hear everything from punk to Whitney Houston while watching vocalists dance on tables. Drink specials are available if you need liquid courage.

Wednesday, Oct. 7
'War Child' at the Capitol Visitors Center
The award-winning documentary "War Child" tells the story of Emmanuel Jal, a Sudanese child soldier who became an international hip-hop star. This screening, held in the Capitol Visitors Center, includes welcoming remarks from U.S. Representatives Donald M. Payne (D-N.J.) and Frank Wolf (R-Va.) and a post-screening panel with director Karim Chrobog. Reservations are recommended; see the event Web site to RSVP. (Learn more about Jal in this 2008 Washington Post profile.)

Thursday, Oct. 8
'Star Wars' at the Outer Space Outdoor Movie Series
One of the most-loved and most-influential outer space moves of all time is the perfect choice to wrap up the "Outer Space" film series at the Capitol Riverfront. Bring a blanket and a picnic and enjoy the power of the Force.
Update: Organizers sent out a press release on Monday afternoon saying that "due to lowering fall temperatures," they were canceling the screening of "Star Wars." Boooo. Instead, we offer these ideas for Thursday night:
Going Out Gurus Happy Hour at Capitol City Brewing Company
The Going Out Guide staff hosts an Oktoberfest-themed happy hour with raffles and free food, including Chesapeake Bay mini crab bites and several varieties of chicken wings and spring rolls. Beer will also be $3.50 a pint.
and
Shorts at Asylum
Before you pack your summer clothes away for the season, give your shorts one last workout at Shorts, the only DJ night that requires everyone to be wearing jorts, Daisy Dukes, cutoffs or Umbros to get past the bouncers.

Friday, Oct. 9
Nine on the Ninth at Busboys and Poets
The monthly open-mike night at Busboys and Poets celebrates its fourth birthday with poet-in-residence Derrick Watson Brown, special guest hip-hop poet Bomani Armah and anyone else who wants to share their work.

Saturday, Oct. 10
Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition Semi-Finals at the National Museum of Natural History
Each year this prestigious competition shines the spotlight on a different instrument. In 2009, 15 promising young bassists compete for more than $100,000 in scholarships and prizes, including a recording contract. The judges include Ron Carter, Charlie Haden and Christian McBride. The finals concert will be held at the Kennedy Center on Sunday, but tickets cost $35-$75. Why not check out the same rising stars for free on Saturday afternoon? The competition begins at noon; free tickets will be distributed beginning at 11 a.m.

Sunday, Oct. 11
'Flora: Growing Inspirations' at the U.S. Botanic Gardens
Enjoy it while you can: The Botanic Garden's soon-to-disappear summer exhibit features colorful living sculptures by artists from across the United States and Zimbabwe.

-- Fritz Hahn

Yesterday's discussion touched on one of my favorite topics here in town: How to meet new people.

Single Girls Everywhere...: My friends and I are late-20s early 30s and single. Once we find a bar to meet quality men, what do you recommend as a conversation starter? There has to be something better than "come here often?" or "sure is getting cold!" Any ideas?

Fritz gave an answer and readers chimed in with a bunch of helpful solutions. Read the transcript for the full conversation. A few good responses came in after the chat closed. Here they are:

Washington, D.C.: I'm glad you're posting these conversation starters; I wish people would use them with me! If I'm not being hissed at, one gem I got was "Hey, you have any kids?"

Columbia Heights: Wait, girls actually approach guys? I guess I've been hanging out at the wrong bars...

Got some good conversation starters to add? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to hit us up for next week's chat.

-- Julia Beizer

There's a new look for this month's mixtape. Instead of links to individual MP3s, take a listen to songs in the embedded playlist above. It's a good month for fans of old-school pop savants as Marshall Crenshaw and Nick Lowe come to town. The quiet and loud sides of shoegaze are represented by Hope Sandoval and Ringo Deathstarr. And there's always plenty of rock: Future of the Left, Thee Oh Sees and Dinosaur Jr. make this an awesomely loud month.

See details for all of our picks on the October Mixtape Best Bets list.

-- David Malitz

Forget about Scott Conant taking over the vacant Olives space at 1600 K St. NW. The New York chef has shelved his plans to open another of his popular Scarpetta restaurants in what he calls "a world-class location."

"It's such a shame," the 39-year-old chef told me this afternoon. "I was so looking forward to moving into the market down there."

So were D.C. foodies. For his lusty Italian cooking at the original Scarpetta in Manhattan's Meatpacking District, Conant received a three-star rave from the New York Times last year.

Conant had architectural designs in hand and a management team lined up for the project. So what happened?

The timing is awful, says the chef, who has a second Scarpetta in Miami. In addition to taking on a couple new restaurant and TV projects, he has a pregnant wife. She's due in February -- around the same time he hoped to open his third Scarpetta here.

Conant says any plans to try again in Washington would be on the "back, back burner."

-- Tom Sietsema

Multiple bars and restaurants in the Cleveland Park neighborhood suffered acts of vandalism and break-ins early Thursday morning. The glass window in the front door at Palena was broken, but according to chef/owner Frank Ruta, no valuables were taken and nothing was out of place. He speculated that perhaps the thieves vandals were scared away by a Palena employee who arrived early in the morning. Ruta anticipates Palena will be open tonight; a glass vendor has been called in to fix the door. This is the first incident of vandalism he's experienced in 10 nearly nine years at this location.

"We were one of the lucky ones," Ruta says. Investigators told him that there were break-ins at three other nearby restaurants along Connecticut Avenue. Zoo Bar's day manager Diane Danielek reports that the Woodley Park pub was burglarized had a break-in. She says video recordings show two men in their 20s -- with nothing to disguise their faces -- breaking open the glass door around 3:15 this morning and headed straight for the cash register, which was empty. "I feel like we were somewhat fortunate," she says. Nothing was stolen and none of the liquor bottles were smashed.

A man who picked up the phone at Byblos Deli confirmed that there had been a break-in there this morning but didn't want to talk further. The person who answered the phone at Nam Viet also confirmed that there was a break-in but declined to comment on the damage.

-- Julia Beizer

This month brings a Broadway blockbuster, the musical remake of a cult classic and an eclectic festival of dance.

October kicks off on a high note with the premiere of "Jersey Boys" at National Theatre. The Tony-winning musical follows the life of Frankie Valli and his hit-making group, the Four Seasons. Some of the golden oldies on parade include "Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry" and "Can't Take My Eyes Off You." (Oct. 1-Dec. 12)

The Washington Ballet will perform Edwaard Liang's "Wunderland" for the VelocityDC dance festival. (Carol Pratt)

D.C. has a new dance festival that kicks off this weekend. Inspired by the Fall for Dance festival in New York, VelocityDC will include two days of performances by the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, CityDance Ensemble, Nejla Yatkin and others. Anyone who caught the Washington Ballet's performance of Edwaard Liang's moving "Wunderland" in May has something to look forward to: the company will be revisiting that performance during the festival. (Oct. 2-3)

New exhibitions are spanning the globe this month with works from Africa, Japan, the Middle East and other locales on display at local museums and galleries. Better yet, a slew of famous faces are coming to town to discuss their own work and the art of others.

Tim Gunn comes to town to discuss a new exhibition at the Hirshhorn. (Virginia Sherwood)

Irreverent artist William T. Wiley's work will be on display in two local exhibitions. The American Art Museum's show, "What's It All Mean" includes Wiley's artistic incarnation of a pinball machine, while Marsha Mateyka gallery's "Trust Us for Just Us" includes new watercolors. ("What's It All Mean": Oct. 2-Jan. 24; "Trust Us for Just Us": Oct. 2-Nov. 14)

To usher in "Edward Burtynsky: Oil," the Corcoran is inviting the artist and ecological economist William Rees (whom you can thank for the term "ecological footprint") to discuss the show. The photos in the exhibition include shots of a landscape populated with countless rigs in California, pipelines bisecting a forest in Alberta and the chaotic lines of a refinery against a gray sky in New Brunswick, Canada. Meanwhile, Rees will be talking about ways to live more sustainably and the effect human dependency on oil has on the environment. (discussion: 4 p.m. Oct. 3; exhibition: Oct. 3-Dec. 13)

If it's Thursday, that means it's ... time for another edition of Got Plans, where the Going Out Gurus and readers discuss local arts, nightlife and dining. So far, we've received questions about Oktoberfest, the best places to watch college football, karaoke and D.C. theater happenings among other topics. Have your own questions, or want to weigh in on our responses? You can submit queries in advance, or join us at 1 p.m. and watch the fun unfold live.

See you then.

Free Night of Theater is coming back to Washington and, if you want in on the action, you should try to snag tickets as soon as they open to the public Thursday at noon. Tickets go fast and the lineup of free shows is great, so an Outlook reminder would probably be in your best interest.

Among the up-for-grabs performances is Synetic Theatre's haunting restaging of "Dracula," Shakespeare Theatre Company's production of the satire "The Alchemist" and Broadway musical "Show Boat" at Signature Theatre.

All you have to do is visit D.C's Free Night of Theater web site and book up to two tickets for any of the listed performances.

-- Stephanie Merry

Hmmm... The guy from Wavves, wearing a Bad Brains T-shirt, holding a Kenny Loggins record. And all the words are backward ... so now that lo-fi slacker rock makes sense! (Joseph Allen)

This week is one of the busiest for live music in ages, with must-do concerts across the board: the fuzzy, lo-fi indie of Wavves, Mayer Hawthorne's throwback soul, the Pains of Being Pure at Heart's perfect guitar pop, a new album from anthemic local rockers Middle Distance Runner, and the hip-hop-meets-electron promise of the "All Killer, No Filler" showcase. But then there are Oktoberfest beers to be drunk, the revival of the once-popular Sinatra night with live swing and free martinis, multiple chances to help charities at happy hours, and a night where you can meet new people over cocktails and games of Uno and Twister.

So, you're going to the U2 show at FedEx Field tonight. And you haven't left yet?! Stop reading this post and get in the car -- now!

OK, I'm exaggerating a little. Is getting to and from FedEx Field a bit of a logistical nightmare? Yes. Can you make it there without popping a vein in your forehead? Yes. Just know your exit. As I drove to last month's Paul McCartney concert (from D.C.) there was an enormous line at Exit 17. This is the first exit coming from D.C. that has signs directing traffic to FedEx Field. Naturally, everyone started to exit.

Do not make this mistake.

There are numerous other ways to get to FedEx Field. You will experience less traffic, emptier parking lots and will have an easier time getting out. In fact, on the official press release about directions provided by Live Nation it says the following about exit 17: THIS WILL BE THE BUSIEST EXIT TO THE STADIUM AND SHOULD BE BYPASSED IF AT ALL POSSIBLE. (Live Nation used the caps lock and bold.)

Timing details: The parking lot opened at noon. The box office will open at 3 p.m. for people who need to pick up tickets at will call. [Update: You can also still buy tickets to the show.] Doors to the stadium open at 5 p.m. Opening act Muse will take the stage at 7 p.m. Expect U2 on stage around 8:45 p.m. The concert is supposed to be over by 11 p.m.

For those taking Metro, the Morgan Boulevard Metro Station is running extended hours, and the final train will depart at 12:24 a.m. Make sure that you will be able to make your connecting trains, though. For all of your driving info -- and again, there are dozens of routes -- straight from the source, check after the jump. Then get in the car and go!

Look for a review on Post Rock early tomorrow morning; leave your reviews of the show there.

Get on the good foot with Moneytown's funky mix of vintage soul and R&B. (Evy Mages - For The Post)

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.

Thursday, Oct. 1
Guido van der Werve at the Hirshhorn
Dutch artist Guido Van der Werve, whose short films are currently showing at the Hirshhorn's Black Box, discusses his career and video installations.

Friday, Oct. 2
Moneytown at Dahlak
The November October edition of the monthly soul-and-funk fest should be even more fun than usual, thanks to guest DJs from other great D.C. nights like Fatback and Brazilian Rhythms.

Saturday, Oct. 3
Art on the Avenue in Alexandria
Full of arts and craft vendors, this neighborhood festival boasts food vendors, activities for children, a pie-baking contest and three stages of music featuring rock, salsa, zydeco and honky tonk.

Sunday, Oct. 4
Takoma Park Street Festival
Takoma Park's Main Street turns into a giant block party with live music -- including acts like the Nighthawks, Chopteeth, the Grandsons and Tom Principato -- plus food vendors, local artists, crafts and family activities.

Update: We moved the events we wrote about earlier in the week to the bottom of the post. This way, it's easier for you to find our Free and Easy picks for today at the top.

Monday, Sept. 28
'Studs' at Solas Nua's 'Irish Popcorn!'
On the fourth Monday of the month, the Irish arts group Solas Nua screens a contemporary Irish film at the Flashpoint gallery and offers up all-you-can-eat popcorn. The 2009-10 season begins with "Studs," a comedy about a hopeless amateur soccer team. It stars Brendan Gleeson, also known for his role as as "Mad Eye" Moody in the "Harry Potter" films.

Tuesday, Sept. 29
'No Limit Vs. Cash Money' at Expo
Party to the catalog of the Dirty South's biggest rap dynasties -- including Juvenile, Mystikal, Snoop and Master P -- at a special night from Nick The 1da and DJ Forge.

Wednesday, Sept. 30
'Open Spaces/Collective Spaces' at the Art Museum of the Americas
You have one last chance to see this show, dedicated to innovative Colombian architect Rogelio Salmona, who was known for his gorgeous brickwork. Drawings, photos, video and scale models are all included.

-- Fritz Hahn

The Post's freshly redesigned magazine is here for your reading pleasure, and guess what? The Going Out Guide is a part of it. Along with Post critics, we'll be picking the best events for each week, including one for kids.

You'll be able to find our picks here, too, as we'll turn them into these handy-dandy Best Bets lists for movies, museums, music and theater. We've also got a bonus restaurants list of the best cheese plates in town and intel on next week's best kid-friendly activity. So after you check out our picks for this weekend, you can get a jump on the week to come.

-- Anne

Judging from our chats the last two weeks, everyone in this city is going to the U2 concert and needs to figure out transportation. Luckily, David has your answers.

We also talked about Cavalia, manly cocktails, birthday brunches, whiskey and where to pick up guys in Arlington. Read the full transcript here. Got comments? Leave 'em below or submit them to next week's discussion.

-- Julia

Around this time of year, we know chatters love to ask us about things to do that truly let you soak up fall in all its glory. And so we're ready for you. We've piled up our ideas in our new Fall Guide. Check it out for tips on unique seasonal dates, winery tours, the best bars for watching football, Oktoberfest events and lots more.

But what isn't there? What's something you love to do that can only happen in these pre-Halloween and Thanksgiving months coming up? And where are you off to this weekend? Let us know in today's Got Plans? chat, coming up in just a few more minutes.

Talk to you soon.

-- Anne

D.C.-based DJs Jesse Tittsworth and Will Eastman have spun records and gotten audiences dancing across the globe, from divey bars to the biggest nightclubs, so you can figure they know a lot about what makes a great party spot. By early next year, they'll be starting up one of their own.

The U Street Music Hall is slated to open in early 2010 in the old Cue Bar location at 1115 U Street -- a basement-level space that can hold 250 to 300 people. Eastman says the place will have "a rock-club atmosphere with a high-end sound system. No bottle service or any of that."

"The whole place is going to be a dance floor. There will be a few booths and bar stools, but it's a dance club. It's for dancing, not sitting."

In addition to free pizza, you can also snag some free produce from this pickup truck at tomorrow's give away. (Courtesy of HomeMade Pizza Co.)

HomeMade Pizza Co. locations began popping up in our area late last year. The Chicago biz offers freshly prepared pizzas (that you can then bake at home) and a slew of salads, cookies and ice cream flavors. (Read Food editor Joe Yonan's take on the chain here.)

Tomorrow, Sept. 24, to celebrate the opening of the Arlington location at 4514 Lee Highway, the company will be giving away free samples. Stop by between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. and you'll get to taste the company's pizza, fresh off the grill. Then from 1 to 8 p.m., the shop will be open, offering free samples of pizzas, salads, ice cream and cookies.

-- Julia

In today's Food section, art critic Blake Gopnik ponders whether avant-garde cuisine can be considered avant-garde art. His exploration begins with a meal at Spain's world-renowned elBulli restaurant and also focuses on one closer to home, an afternoon with Jose Andres at Minibar. In the clip below, videographer Jennifer Carpenter takes us inside the meeting of chef and art critic -- and delivers some mouth-watering shots of Minibar creations.

-- Julia

Cover band extraordinaire Gonzo's Nose returns to its Clarendon stomping grounds this week, bringing $1 beers and over 30 percent off on New Year's Eve party tickets. (Joseph Allen)

A tribute to Patsy Cline, a celebration of Mystikal and the No Limit soliders, a happy hour with $1 beers and a band cranking out cover hits, outsider electronic music, charity happy hours and the tasty musical gumbo of the Cornel West Theory are high on our agendas this week. Don't miss two chances to see Eighteenth Street Lounge Records' newest artists: A German hip-hop duo named Ancient Astronauts.

Jerry Bailey and Barbara Pelle get close during a cooking class for couples at Cookology in Sterling. (Dominic Bracco II - For The Washington Post)

Every few months, the Going Out Gurus like to offer you some season-specific date ideas. With crisp afternoons and evenings on the way, we thought we'd offer some ideas tailored to the cooler fall weather. If you have good ideas of your own to share, join us every Thursday at 1 to chat about them during our Got Plans? discussion.

Apple-picking is a no-brainer for this time of year. There's something homey and fall-like about a drive out to the country, a jaunt around the farm and coming home with more fruit than you'll ever need for pies and crisps galore. We like Butler's Orchard, but there are plenty of other options near town.

Fall weather is also great for tooling around town on bikes. If you don't have a bicycle, there are plenty of places to rent, like Thompson Boat House in Georgetown. Grab a bite to eat before heading out on a ride up the tow path or the Capital Crescent Trail. Afterward, reward yourselves with a post-ride treat.

Take the Going Out Guide with you.

Today, we happily hand you our new and improved Going Out Guide mobile site. (To check it out, just go to goingoutguide.com from your mobile phone.) Search restaurants, bars and movies the same way you do on our online site -- by address, by Metro station, by city, neighborhood or zip or by just about any keyword you can dream up (say, cupcakes, wine bar or Bradley Cooper). If you're looking for ideas, you can browse options like currently playing movies, restaurant cuisines or editors' picks, to name a few. Best of all, it's really fast.

Because it's from us, you know you'll have a carefully edited selection of the city's best places with constantly updated expert reviews. Hanging out with friends at dinner and want ideas for a place to go to next? Use our mobile site to see what's nearby -- we'll give you the area's top establishments.

Want to hit up that hot lounge that just opened, but you forget exactly where it is? Come to us; 411 will never have its address listed, but we'll have that -- and our early thoughts on the place, too.

For you iPhone or iTouch users, you have two great choices. You can use our mobile site when you want movies, or you can stick with our app for bars and restaurants. Like the mobile site, it's always being refreshed with the latest reviews, but it also uses GPS to show the places closest to you right now.

Give it a whirl and let us know what you think. E-mail your feedback to goingoutguide@washingtonpost.com.

-- Anne

Heath Ledger is the Joker in "The Dark Knight," the finest Batman film and the final outdoor movie in Crystal City this summer. (Reuters)

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.

Sunday
'Since Darwin: The Evolution of Evolution' at the Natural History Museum
In honor of Darwin's 200th birthday and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his groundbreaking "On the Origin of Species," a new exhibit examines the way his theory of evolution has helped unify biological sciences.

Monday
'The Dark Knight' at Crystal Screen Summer Film Series
Crystal City's outdoor movies wrap up for the season with a screening of Heath Ledger's Oscar-winning performance.

Tuesday
Sonic Circuits Festival Opening Night at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
The first night of this annual festival devoted to all forms of experimental electronic music features performances by multi-instrumentalist Elliot Sharp, singer Thomas Buckner, composer Annea Lockwood, BLK w/BEAR + VJ Poppins, and the improv duo Never Work.

Wednesday
'The Johnstown Flood' at the National Archives
Watch and discuss Charles Guggenheim's Oscar-winning documentary about the 1889 catastrophe that killed more than 2,000 people.

Thursday
NEA Heritage Fellowship Awards at Strathmore
The National Endowment for the Arts' Heritage Awards honor folk musicians, artists and dancers from across the country. A number of this year's winners will perform at this free concert. Six tickets can be reserved per household.

Friday
Chuck Brown at Live! on Woodrow Wilson Plaza
The Godfather of Go-Go performs at an after-work concert to wind up the season's longest outdoor music series.

Saturday
National Book Festival on the National Mall
The ninth annual festival hosts readings, discussions and book-signings with dozens of authors, including Judy Blume, John Grisham, Ken Burns, George Pelecanos, Sue Monk Kidd, John Irving, Paula Deen and James Patterson.

-- Fritz

So you want to see some free music on Sunday night in D.C. Fair enough. Let us present with two choices, very different.

As you likely know by now, neo-psych breakout starts MGMT are closing out the D.C. stop of the Kia Soul Collective Tour at a Warehouse Space on New York Ave. NE. The catch is that the only way to see the show Sunday night show is to test-drive a Kia, which from my understanding is against certain religions. The test drives are available all weekend, but the lines are going to be long. Very long.

The Warehouse opens at noon, so if you really want to see MGMT, our best advice is to get there early and be prepared to wait. Some of the city's best DJs will spinning all day -- Stereofaith, Reed Rothchild and Chris Burns on Friday, Nouveau Riche DJs Gavin Holland, Steve Starks and Nacy on Saturday, DJ CA$$IDY and Dave Nada on Sunday -- so at least you'll have good tunes while you wait. And there are no-strings-attached free performances from Wale and Dan Deacon on Friday and Saturday, respectively. There will be a shuttle service running to and from Union Station all weekend.

If you like your music with less corporate sponsorship and a lot more classical Indian-Afghan sounds, well, Local 16 has you covered and then some. Ustad Eltaf Hussain Sarahang will give a free performance there Sunday night. You can expect some seriously trippy sounds made on instruments you didn't know existed. And lots of rugs. The video below should give you a good feel for what the evening will be like. Local 16 opens at 5 p.m. and the performance will start around 8.

For a couple of hours last night, Got Plans? was at the tippy-top of our list of most viewed articles on the entire site. Crazy, right? You didn't want to read about Michelle Obama at the FreshFarm Market, ACORN, the Mystics or Obama's plans to scrap a Bush-era missile defense system quite as much as you wanted to hear us dish about Oktoberfest, pick-your-own farms, coffee shops, football bars and public displays of affection.

For those of you who missed it, here's the link to the transcript. Got comments? Let us know below or hit us up in next week's discussion. And for your viewing pleasure, here's the first lady at downtown's newest farmers market.

-- Julia

In case you missed the Folger's well-received and extra bloody production of "Macbeth" last year, another chance is coming your way on Sunday. The theater will be screening the film version of Shakespeare's tragedy that was created and directed by Teller (as in Penn &).

But you have to act fast -- the theater is requesting that people RSVP online for the 1 and 4 p.m. shows before noon Friday.

-- Stephanie

We'd *love* it if you chatted with us at 1 p.m. (Melina Mara - The Washington Post)

So, I think these people are adorable.

They're at a bar (specifically, Old Town's Light Horse) and just sharing a sweet little kiss over a couple of pints. Our internal caption data tells us they're married and were celebrating his birthday this night in May. Cute, right?

This innocent picture of a public display of affection sparked quite the debate among the GOGs last night. Is bar PDA ever okay? Resident barfly Fritz Hahn says when he's at bars, he sees "a lot of people sloppily making out." His take: "If you wouldn't do it in front of your mom, don't do it." Maybe it's because of my freewheelin' college years, but I've got a pretty high tolerance for this stuff. If I can't see tongue, you're okay with me.

What do you guys think? Weigh in below and let us know your thoughts in time for our 1 p.m. live chat. Maybe we can come up with some sort of universal PDA rule. A set of Standards We Washington Bar-goers Can Live By. Keeping it real around here.

-- Julia

Oktoberfest begins in Munich on Sept. 19, but Berlin got its party underway -- complete with one-liter beer glasses -- on Sept. 9. (Fabrizio Bensch - Reuters)

If St. Patrick's Day is the day when everyone is at least a little Irish, then Oktoberfest is the time when everyone acts just a little German. The namesake celebration in Munich -- which celebrates the 1810 marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese -- runs from Sept. 19 to Oct. 4, though parties in America tend to run a little longer.

Whether you want to sample traditional German beers, taste local brewers' takes on the malty lagers, dance to a polka band or sample German cuisine, you'll find a growing list of parties on our list of the Best Bets for Oktoberfest. And it's not just about lager: There are family-friendly celebrations with petting zoos, crafts and other surprises.

Prost!

-- Fritz

Mmmmm. Lettuce. (Julia Beizer - The Washington Post)

You've seen this scene before.

You're at happy hour at any number of pubby establishments, and you order a plate of deep-fried bar eats to sate your growling stomach. Why, oh, why, do they arrive on a bed of lettuce? This particularly egregious example comes to us courtesy of the Post Pub. I mean, that isn't even a bed of lettuce. That's like four strips of greasy, wilted iceberg that has shriveled under the heat from the mozzerella sticks.

So, Post Pub, you have the floor. Why the lettuce?

"I have no idea," said manager Kathy Caparatto. "I think it's decoration. Presentation, I suppose." Well, they're missing the mark on this particular plate. And no, no one ever asks for a side of Thousand Island and eats the lettuce. Only one of the pub's two chefs employs this garnish tactic, but he's not alone. The lettuce phenomenon has happened to me at places much nicer than the divey Post Pub. Why do restaurants do this? Commenters -- got an answer?

Hat tip to Post Rock for the inspired headline.

-- Julia

John Forte's shown a new maturity since spending seven years in prison for drug trafficking. (Fiona Aboud)

Local artists rule the scene this week, whether we're talking about hip-hop showcases, album release parties, free concerts or DJ duos with new videos. Our picks include the return of the popular Uncle Q's Living Room hip-hop night, a no-cover performance by Baltimore's Dan Deacon, a rare show by John Forte or a night starring English drum 'n' bass pioneer Andy C.

"The last thing I wanted to become was that 10 percent statistic," says Orlando Hitzig, who, up until Sunday morning was the chef at the new Columbia Firehouse in Old Town. He is now unemployed.

When Hitzig met this weekend with two of the principals of the Neighborhood Restaurant Group, which own the establishment, he thought they were going to discuss the chophouse part of the recipe. Instead, he was let go.

Did he have any idea he was about to be axed? "My costs were in line and the reviews were good," responds a surprised Hitzig.

So there was no earlier sign that he wasn't long for Columbia? "I think they might have been skeptical from the beginning" about hiring a chef who had also been a restaurant owner, says Hitzig. (Previously, he cooked and ran the late Mark and Orlando's in Dupont Circle.)

Michael Babin, the co-owner of NRG says only: "While Orlando is a good guy, it wasn't the right fit."

Babin is currently looking for a new head chef at the Firehouse.

-- Tom Sietsema

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.

Sunday
Grandparents Day at the National Zoo
Here's the perfect excuse for Grandma and Grandpa to visit with the kids: This event features a full morning of special animal feedings and demonstrations and a shuttle that runs through the zoo. For $4.95, add a pancake breakfast.

Monday
"The Tale of Shuten Doji" at the Sackler Gallery
The ancient tale of a battle between a noble samurai and a horned, blood-drinking monster plays out across 70-foot handscrolls, folding screens, fans and wood-block prints.

Tuesday
"above under inbetween" at the Embassy of Austria
Austrian choreographer Willi Dorner is known for his unusual techniques -- his "Bodies in Urban Spaces" involved dancers cramming into spaces in alleys or under walkways in public places. He's also known for creating modern pieces for the Vienna State Opera Ballet. His latest work, "above under inbetween," had its premiere in Linz in July, with music by experimental composer Bernhard Lang. See the new piece for yourself at the Austrian Cultural Forum; RSVP by 4 p.m. Tuesday.

Wednesday
Local Wednesdays at Local 16
Local 16 has a great rooftop deck, but the inevitable weekend crush means you can't enjoy the outdoor space as much as you should. Instead of fighting the crowds, drop by midweek for Local Wednesdays, where DJ Chris Burns and guests spin dance tunes from 6 to close, and beer specials run until 9 p.m.

Thursday
"From the Barber of Seville to Guglielmo Tell" at the Embassy of Italy
Maestro Michele Mariotti, a prizewinning Italian conductor, takes time out from directing the Washington Opera's production of "The Barber of Seville" to discuss the operas of Italian composer Gioacchino Rossini. Joining him will be Monica Lapenta, the publisher of the Paramica opera books for children. RSVPs are required -- e-mail iicwashington@esteri.it or call 202-518-0998, Ext. 1.

Friday
"Burning the Capitol" at the Library of Congress
When the British burned the Capitol building during the August 1814 invasion of Washington, they destroyed the fledgling Library of Congress. (The collection was replaced the next year with the purchase of Thomas Jefferson's entire library.) Mark Dimunation, chief of the library's Rare Book and Special Collections Division, discusses the burning of the Capitol and the acquisition of the new library in a special lunchtime talk.

Saturday
Buck Hill and smalltrio at the New Deal Cafe
Tenor saxophonist Buck Hill, Washington's "Wailin' Mailman," is into his 80s, but he can still blow audiences away with his soulful, expressive playing on ballads or bop standards. It's easy to see why he's played with such greats as Dizzy Gillespie and Shirley Horn.

-- Fritz

We're gearing up for Oktoberfest celebrations in coming weeks -- the party in Munich begins Sept. 19 -- but this is also a big month for one of our favorite American spirits. Back in 2007, the U.S. Senate declared September to be National Bourbon Heritage Month, and our national spirit -- yep, also named by an act of Congress -- can be celebrated all month long.

At Bourbon, mixologist Owen Thomson has come up with a special menu that features a rotating "Bourbon of the Week" for $5 (right now, it's Sam Houston, and changes to the lovely Evan Williams Vintage on the 15th). There are also four bourbon-based cocktails, ranging from a straight-up Manhattan with an aged Old Fitzgerald ($8) to a bourbon and ginger ($6) that pairs Old Forester with Thomson's spicy house-made ginger ale. Personally, I'd lean towards the simple old fashioned ($6), which uses the smooth, fruity Jefferson, simple syrup, bitters and a hint of lemon zest -- perfect for bringing out the natural taste of the bourbon.

Over at Old Glory, which has an impressive bourbon selection of its own, they're celebrating on Sept. 23 with a four-course "Sip 'N' Smoke" dinner with small-batch bourbon flights and cigar pairings. Tickets are $45 from www.oldglorybbq.com.

-- Fritz

Game on at Public Bar. (Dakota Fine)

In yesterday's chat, there was some debate about how easy it is to strike up a conversation with new people at our happy hours, so I'm curious -- what did you think? Did the fact that the Gurus were wearing Going Out Guide T-shirts help you pick us out? Did anybody try to meet someone new?

At least a few of you showed it can be done and came up to us last night to chat. I personally had a great time learning from you about things going on in the city -- special thanks to Michelle for the tip on the gymnastics classes.

Maybe it was the sports bar vibe at Public Bar, but overall I felt like it was a pretty laid-back affair. There were Steelers fans in jerseys as well as people in suits and work clothes, and because of the multiple floors, the crowds were pretty evenly spread out, which meant conversation was easier to hear.

At the end of the happy hour, we gave away a $50 bar tab to Public Bar, plus a $100 gift certificate to Hank's Oyster Bar in Dupont. We're excited to say that the pair of tickets to see U2 on Sept. 29 goes to the lucky Samantha Austin!

If you couldn't make it to this one, we're hoping to see you next month. Our happy hours are always the second Thursday of the month, and we're keeping our fall theme going with an Oktoberfest happy hour, Oct. 8 at Capitol City Brewing Company across from Union Station.

-- Anne

P.S. Check back later on today to see pictures from last night.

We bid summer adieu with a chat that touched on all of the big fall fests this weekend. We also talked about birthday parties at bars, football food, activities for 6- and 7-year-olds and, oddly enough, haberdashers (the existence of).

Read the full transcript here. Got comments? Leave 'em below or submit them to next week's discussion.

-- Julia

Stavros Aktipis is doing everything he can to avoid the curse of two failed dining rooms at 1700 K St. NW, the address where he'll be opening Kellari Taverna as early as mid-October.

"Everything you remember that was dark" and suggestive of a steakhouse is gone, the restaurateur told me during his site visit to Washington this week. The future dining room for his first Greek seafood restaurant outside of New York, will be lighter, brighter and evocative of the Greek countryside, he says. Envision limestone floors in the bar, oak in the dining room and lots of wine displayed in cabinets and crates: kellari is Greek for "wine cellar," after all. The restaurant expects to offer more than 100 Greek labels.

It will also put a treasure trove of fish and seafood on display in the center of the room. In addition to turbot, Dover sole, octopus and pompano, the selection will include harder-to-find lithrini and fagri from Greece. The former comes from the sea bream family, says Aktipis; the latter is similar to pink snapper.

Manning the charcoal grill: Anthony Acinapura, who last cooked at the nearby Potenza and is currently in New York watching how things are done at Kellari Taverna and Kellari Bistro. Aktipis's mantra: Keep it simple, just olive oil, salt and herbs ("no butter!") to dress up his fish, which will be sold by the pound. The owner says the chef's Italian-American background is a plus. "Our cuisines cross over a little bit." Traditional Greek spreads, plus lamb and beef, will flesh out the menu.

Aktipis, who says he hopes to someday relocate here, has been looking for a site in Washington for more than two years. He hopes he has it with the former home to the short-lived Restaurant K and Jimmy's on K St. "I'm keeping my fingers crossed."

-- Tom Sietsema

Fiery Norwegian rock-and-roller Ida Maria comes to the 9:30 club on a tour sponsored by ... Perez Hilton? (File Photo)

First things first, come hang out with the Going Out Gurus while giving yourself a chance to win U2 tickets. Also this week: "Oh My God," Ida Maria is in town; acoustic jazz takes over Bohemian Caverns and the Velvet Lounge goes from full-throttle metal to sleepy indie-folk in just a few hours.

Move over, Eamonn's. Watch out, CommonWealth. To hear Mark Weiss describe it, fish and chips and bangers and mash have never had a home in Washington as fashionable as what the entrepreneur is prepared to unveil to the public Oct. 27 at 1099 New York Ave. NW. Among other details, his gastropub, Againn, will be outfitted with 130 individually lighted and personalized lockers for Scotch, which patrons can reserve for $500 a year.

First on my list of great shows to see this month is Flashpoint's new exhibition of works by Bradley Chriss, entitled "Visions from the End of the World." The dreamy watercolors portray both lyrical and literal images of death and apocalypse, and many of the works have what appears to be a floating eye. (Through Oct. 3)

Along with the Pink Line Project, Flashpoint is kicking off a new discussion series to coincide with its exhibitions. Pink Panels will give gallery-goers a forum to talk about the works on display as well as art in general, and the first one focuses on Chriss's exhibition. (Begins Sept. 23)

Watch the Washington National Opera while enjoying a picnic in the outfield grass at Nationals Park. (Gerald Martineau/The Washington Post)

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.

Sunday
National Symphony Orchestra Labor Day Concert at the U.S. Capitol
Emil de Cou conducts the National Symphony's annual Labor Day concert on the Capitol's West Lawn. Bring a picnic: Gates open to the public at 3:20 p.m.

Monday
Glen Echo Park Irish Festivities and Labor Day Art Show
The park will be abuzz Labor Day weekend, thanks to two concurrent events: the Labor Day art show, which features paintings, photographs, ceramics and jewelry by more than 100 artists, and the Irish festivities, with traditional Irish musicians and dancing.

Tuesday
'The Tsars and the East: Gifts from Turkey and Iran in the Moscow Kremlin' at the Sackler Gallery
See arms, armor, bejeweled drinking vessels and other lavish gifts that the rulers of the Persian and Ottoman empires gave to the Russian czars in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Wednesday
'Satchel Paige: The Life and Times of an American Legend' at the National Museum of American History
Hall of Fame pitcher Satchel Paige, who was one of the best Negro leaguers before he made his major league debut at the age of 42, is the subject of journalist Larry Tye's new biography. Tye discusses his book with the National Museum of African American History and Culture's director, Lonnie Bunch, and Washington Post staff writer Wil Haygood.

Thursday
The 50 Worst Songs of the '80s at Halo
The '80s gave us many great pop tunes. It also gave us a lot of dreck: For every "Billie Jean" or "Sweet Child o' Mine," there's Cher's "If I Could Turn Back Time" or the New Kids on the Block's "Hangin' Tough." DJ Jason Royce, who runs Halo's weekly '80s night, has been conducting a poll to find the worst songs of the decade, and he'll be counting down the "winners" between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m. Ease your suffering with a five-minute open bar at the top of every hour and drink specials throughout the night.

Friday
Jazz in the Garden at the National Gallery of Art's Sculpture Garden
Another sign that summer is over: It's the final night for this outdoor series. It closes with acclaimed local pianist Robert Redd, followed by the U.S. Navy Band's Commodores, the service branch's big-band jazz ensemble.

Saturday
Opera in the Outfield at Nationals Park
Most opera tickets to the opera can be expensive, but not this time. The Washington National Opera's opening night performance of "The Barber of Seville" will be simulcast on the huge 4,500-square-foot, high-definition scoreboard. Gates open at 5:30; arrive early to snag the best seats and watch a screening of the Bugs Bunny classic "The Rabbit of Seville." You can also register for free VIP seats on the Opera's Web site.

-- Fritz

It turns out plans to open a D.C. iteration of the New York barbecue spot Hill Country could affect more than just the local food scene. The building where the restaurant will soon reside is undergoing renovations, which is leaving two local galleries that are located upstairs -- Civilian Art Projects and Touchstone Gallery -- without a space, at least temporarily. To make matters worse, Jayme McLellan, director of Civilian Art Projects, says that once the renovations are complete, the rent will be raised. McLellan hasn't been given a concrete number yet as far as rent is concerned, but the increase could mean finding a new location altogether. This comes on the heels of other galleries like Zenith and G Fine Art closing their doors.

Luckily, Civilian will be able to occupy its current space long enough for its next two slated exhibitions, "Love Letters" and "Debriscapes."

New York-based Marx Realty, which owns the building, was unavailable for comment, but I'll post updates as I have them.

-- Stephanie

Yesterday, we asked you to tell us the strangest (legal) thing you've ever done for money. You didn't disappoint. For those of you who missed it, find great tales of pet-sitting for chickens, collecting cicadas and selling plasma in the chat transcript. (And hey, cicada winner, give us a shout at events (at) washingtonpost.com! We want to give you your prize.)

We also talked about Labor Day plans, the Buzz reunion, the Shakespeare Free For All, bottle service and birthday dinners. We'll be back again next Thursday. Submit your questions.

-- Julia

Teenagers and college students are heading back to school, where they'll grumble about next week's history test or try to avoid a literature quiz. Meanwhile, some of us go out of our way to find bars' trivia nights where we'll be tested on how well we remember Shakespeare or the periodic table. If you want to get that back-to-school feeling, here are four of our favorite contests.

Today's Got Plans? discussion has a bonus to help you have an even better Labor Day weekend. Not only will we be talking about great ways to spend your extra day off, we'll be giving away two pairs of free tickets to the Old Ebbitt Grill Block Party on Saturday. Those are worth $75 each, friends, and they come with five food and five drink tickets.

Get your thinking caps on: here's what you have to do to win them. In the spirit of Labor Day, tell us about the most unusual job you've ever had. Or, as Julia puts it, the craziest thing you've ever done for money. Per usual, creative answers and things that makes us laugh will smiled upon. (Just keep it legal, okay?)

Now, even if you don't win the tickets in the chat, you can still get a sweet deal on the block party. Buy your tickets on the Old Ebbitt Web site, and put in the special promo code GOGBLOCK09, and you can save $10 off the $75 tickets.

Got it? We'll see you in the chat in a second.

-- Anne

Familial angst and famous faces are headed our way this month when an Oscar winner and a slate of old favorites signal that the slow days of August theater are over.

Billy Crystal comes to National Theatre for "700 Sundays." (Carol Rosegg)

The first celeb to descend on Washington is Billy Crystal, who will be performing his one-man show "700 Sundays" at National Theatre. The autobiographical show follows Crystal's life from his childhood in New York to his rise to fame, and the production gives the comedian a chance to do what he does best: inhabit all kinds of roles. (Sept. 8-17)

Signature Theatre is showing its appreciation of a standout Broadway songwriting duo with "First You Dream." The performance of tunes by John Kander and Fred Ebb will include songs from "Chicago," "Cabaret" and, perhaps the pair's most famous ditty, "New York, New York." (Sept. 10-27)

The chef-owners of Inox in Tysons Corner have distanced themselves, but only by a matter of yards and only because they want to enhance their patrons' experience. So say Jonathan Krinn and Jon Mathieson, who opened the contemporary American restaurant in February as co-chefs and jointly decided to move Krinn out of the kitchen and into the dining room in July.

Both men deny personality conflicts -- "We always had one voice," insists Krinn -- and both say the change is best for business.

"Jonathan always had great rapport with guests," both at 2941, which he opened in 2002, and at Inox, says Mathieson, who just launched a new menu for fall. (Sneak preview: spiced venison with Savoy cabbage and chestnuts, and monkfish with lobster mushrooms and a ginger broth).

"People are very interested in our facility," says Krinn, who now has time to introduce customers to Inox's wine cellar, private party areas and snazzy exhibition kitchen. "Ours is a very interactive restaurant."

His transition occurred around the same time Rissa Pagsibigan, Inox's service director, left the restaurant.

Mathieson was the sole cook representing Inox at a dinner prepared at the James Beard House in June. Why wasn't Krinn there, too? Sombody had to be in the restaurant that night, explains the man who swears he doesn't miss cooking.

-- Tom Sietsema

Just in time to ease the post-Labor Day blues, Science Club has announced a September stimulus plan: Happy hour will run from open until close Monday through Thursday as well as the usual 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday.

Science Club's happy hour specials are comparable to other downtown spots -- $3 Yuengling, $4 Guinness, Amstel and PBR, $4 rail drinks and $5 red and white Chilean wines by the glass. But the laid-back atmosphere, choice music selection and cool staff set Science Club apart from nearby happy hour venues like Rumors or Sign of the Whale -- it's the kind of place where I'd enjoy settling in with a date for an after-dinner drink as well as meeting up with the office crew at 5:15.

Okay, maybe not all the specials are such great deals; I realize that $4 for a PBR is the upper end of the market, and that's why I'd rather order a rich glass of Carmenere -- one of those $5 Chilean wines -- than a $4 can of beer.

In any event, if you haven't stopped by Science Club in a while -- especially on weeknights when DJs rule the back room -- then this is a great excuse to visit.

One final note: While Science Club is usually closed on Sundays, there will be a DJ spinning this weekend for a Labor Day-eve party. And yes, you'll be able to get the cheap drinks then, too.

-- Fritz

There ain't no party like a Fatback party, because a Fatback party don't stop. This month, go-go legends Trouble Funk and Chico Mann join the fun at the 9:30 club. (KC Higgins)

There's a long weekend on the horizon, and we have a huge stack of options in this week's column. The return of Buzz, with a reunion of the cult Dubtribe Soundsystem. An outdoor "Ferris Bueller" screening followed by an '80s dance party. A super-sized Fatback with live go-go and electro-funk bands. A DJ from the Happy Mondays. (No, seriously.) An alt-country doubleheader with two of the genre's biggest names. A roast for basketball star (and Takoma Park native) Steve Francis with former teammates. A flip cup tournament with cheap beer.

Restaurant Week officially ended last night, but some area eateries are keeping the prix-fixe special alive for additional days and weeks. Most of the restaurants that are extending will offer the $35.09 dinner and $20.09 lunch through this weekend. Dino, Grillfish, The Heights, Logan Tavern, Oya and Sei will keep Restaurant Week prices around through mid to late September. See this Go Out list for the names of 30 participating restaurants and the date through which they're offering the deal.

-- Julia

A Very Hungry Caterpillar has been spotted in Woodley Park. See him before he turns into a butterfly. ((c) 1969 and 1987 by Eric Carle)

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.

Sunday
Dancing Under the Stars at Fort Dupont Park
Hand dancing is a smooth social form of swing dancing that lived on in Washington's African-American community long after the jitterbugs faded away. Learn the basics and watch some of the area's top dance ensembles at this outdoor party in Fort Dupont Park, part of the annual Dance D.C. Festival, which begins at 5 p.m.

Monday
'From Bugs to Beasts' at the Stanford in Washington Art Gallery
Attention, fans of "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" and "Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?": This is your last chance to see collages and watercolors by artist-author Eric Carle -- including the famous larva -- at the Woodley Park gallery.

Tuesday
Metropolitan Ballet Theatre and Academy Open House
Need a refresher on your pointe? The Rockville dance studio, which teaches ballet, jazz and modern styles to children and adults, offers free classes and performances during its annual open house. Kids can try on tutus and make tiaras, and everyone learns how ballerinas get their hair in perfect buns.

Wednesday
Atlas District Open Mic at Sova
Poets, musicians, comics and storytellers are invited to perform at Sova's open mike, and the evening's top act gets a $50 prize. There are 15 slots available; sign-up begins on a first-come, first-served basis at 7:30.

Thursday
Fiesta de las Americas at the Smithsonian American Art Museum
Spend your happy hour dancing to live salsa music with vocalist Meñique, the Verny Varela Project and DJ Earl International.

Friday
My Space on 7th Closing Party and Wine Tasting
The Touchstone Gallery's annual non-juried show for emerging artists finishes its three-week run with a special wine-tasting party offered by the Washington Wine Academy.

Saturday
Page to Stage Festival at the Kennedy Center
Dozens of local theater companies, including Signature, Washington Shakespeare, Rorschach and Theater J, will present staged readings and open rehearsals of upcoming plays and musicals. A full schedule is available on the Kennedy Center's Web site.

Hey, Michael Landrum! Is it true you're opening another Ray's Hell-Burger and it's going to be in Adams Morgan?

"The Washington Business Journal is a bunch of doo-doo heads," the provocative restaurateur told me this afternoon, following publication of a false report in that paper today. "I'm content with what I have now, except for a good night's sleep and maybe a week off" from three eating establishments In Arlington and Silver Spring, he says.

The idea of a Landrum-inspired burger joint in the big city isn't totally unimaginable. His Arlington landlord oversees the vacated Ghana Café in Washington, purportedly Landrum's landing spot, according to the WBJ. But the restaurateur says the "declining streetscape" and lack of parking and security in Adams Morgan need to be addressed before he would consider such a project. "I'm not anywhere close to doing another deal," says Landrum.

Ray's Hell-Burger was envisioned as "a fun little side project that has taken over and consumed my life," in the wake of President Obama's lunch run to the eatery in May. The operation currently serves 6,000 hamburgers a week, and they're made as they've always been, says the proud owner: with hand-trimmed meat and without mechanical presses.

-- Tom Sietsema

Here's the news Dupont Circle pizza and beer fans have been waiting for: Pizzeria Paradiso opens tomorrow at 2003 P St. NW -- just down the street from its original location.

The biggest change is a bigger space -- more than 80 seats in the new building as opposed to 35 in the old townhouse. This means there's also room for a 15-seat bar that will mimic Birreria Paradiso, the popular beer bar at Georgetown's Pizzeria Paradiso. Bar manager Greg Jasgur says there are 180 bottles, 12 draft lines and one English-style cask ale. Here's the cool part: "Right now, there's no overlap [between the beer lists in Georgetown and Dupont]," he says. So if you want to try the Bear Republic Nor Cal, a limited "California bitter," or the new Allagash Fluxus 09, a saison brewed with sweet potato and black pepper, then you'll have to go to Dupont Circle.

Sometime next week, a 12-table patio will be added, but it's currently closed because of construction work being done to the building.

The hours at the new location will remain the same: 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and open until midnight on Friday and Saturday. Sunday hours are noon to 10 p.m.

Oh, and as always, there are no reservations taken -- seating is first-come, first served.

-- Fritz

Spike Mendelsohn at the Capital Skyline Hotel. (Photo by Jonathan Ernst)

This is unofficially the next-to-last weekend of summer but the weather doesn't seem like it will cooperate with those looking to enjoy some outdoor fun. That doesn't bode well for Spike'd Sundays, the weekly party hosted by Good Stuff Eatery's Spike Mendelsohn. But for those wishing to keep the summer feeling going, Mendelsohn offered up a play list of some of his favorite seasonal songs. Maybe you'll hear one at the pool.

"When You Were Young" - The Killers: Loving this song from them. Their last album hasn't left my car since I got it.

"Mad World" - Adam Lambert: I'm a fan and I'm not ashamed to admit it.

"Panic Switch" - Silversun Pickups: I threw a party with them at the Capitol Skyline Hotel pool this summer. They played, I BBQ'd, it was one of the best afternoons of the summer.

"I'm in Miami" - LMFAO : Even though it's a little "clubby" compared to what I usually listen to, I heard it on the radio while crusing D.C. and can't get it out of my head now. Radio still works for me!

"Beat It" - Michael Jackson: I'm still heartbroken over MJ! Love love love all his songs. And if you don't know, I'm known to bust a move here and there.

(More after the jump.)

During yesterday's chat, we talked about karaoke bars, where to meet 30-something singles, mechanical bulls, luxe getaways, Shakespeare Free for All and FreeFest. Read the full transcript here.

We also got a few late questions and reader suggestions that I wanted to throw up here.

1) Washington, D.C.: Do you know anything about the Columbia Heights restaurant, Social, at 14th and Meridian? They are way past their June opening. The downstairs bar and one floor of the restaurant look done. I walk by it twice a day so am very curious about it.

We do! I got the chance to peek around the new spot a few weeks ago. It's got a loungey vibe -- even in the upstairs dining room -- and the menu will consist of lots of shareable plates. (The coolest part? The photos of family and friends that the owners were decking around the walls.) The restaurant officially opens Saturday night. May be worth checking out after Columbia Heights Day -- if you can get in to the small space.

2) Fairfax, Va.: He's showing them Maryland Show your parents Virginia! Take the parents out toward Leesburg or Purcellville for a wine-tasting tour and check out a few of the beautiful plantations out there. Bonus if you rent a small limo for a few hours (not that expensive) to take you from winery to winery. Extra bonus if you take them to Magnolias at the Mill for lunch or dinner.

An excellent suggestion for the girl who was looking for weekend plans for her visiting parents. Want more intel about Virginia wineries? Check out this story by our girl Lavanya Ramanathan in the Weekend section.

And finally 3). We'll let this dude have the last word on D.C. dating.

Venn diagrams of D.C. social scene: You could put the guy complaining about having a hard time striking up conversations in one bubble and the woman looking to meet "good guys" in another, but it wouldn't quite answer the question. As pointed out by the GOG (can we just shorten that to the G?) social skills do seem to be lacking. But, I also get the impression that people that are "trying" might also be putting up some barriers of their own, as in, "(S)he's gotta be xyz." Every single couple that I know that has had a happy marriage/partnership is a couple that initially didn't find each other attractive, or attractive enough (although a lot deny that sentiment now). So here's my plea for chaos, dogs and cats living together tall women and short guys, Republicans and Democrats...have fun, and keep your mind open.

Be sure to join us next week!

-- Julia

Whether you got tickets for Sunday's Virgin Mobile FreeFest or not, you'll want to know about the Virgin FreeFest Kickoff Party on Saturday night at the 9:30 club: The free late-night party features DJ sets by Pat Mahoney of LCD Soundsystem (aka "the guy who's not James Murphy"), Ursula 1000, who has a new album out on Eighteenth Street Lounge Records, and local hotshot Will Eastman of Bliss.

There's no cover charge when you RSVP at http://uptheantics.com/vfest, and the Antics crew -- sponsored by Toyota -- will be onsite printing up free custom T-shirts. Doors open at 11 p.m., and the music goes until 3.

-- Fritz

Thursday is my favorite day of the week. Why? Well, it used to be because that was the day "The Cosby Show" was on, but now it's the anticipation of all the fun to be had during the coming weekend. And if you need plans to look forward to so that you too can appreciate the beauty of Thursdays, then join us at 1 p.m. for our weekly chat.

We'll be discussing dress codes, free Shakespeare, Restaurant Week and, most likely, Labor Day (for all you on-the-ball early planners). Chat with you then.

-- Stephanie

Is it just me, or is it kind of deserted out there?

Sei wasn't quite this empty during Restaurant Week, but the restaurant wasn't packing 'em in either. (Scott Suchman)

Two days in and I've had two Restaurant Week dinners in half-full restaurants. To be fair, diners trickled into PS 7's at around 8 last night, but at 7:15, empty tables dotted the landscape. Sei never came close to reaching full capacity for the entire time we were there on Monday.

Not that I was at Sei for all that long. The servers had us in and out in 53 minutes. I know Restaurant Week is supposed to be all about turning tables quickly, but under an hour felt too quick. I tucked into my bowl of watermelon-wasabi gazpacho only to have a server re-appear within minutes to ask if I wanted her to "get that out of the way" for me. I didn't.

But hey, on to the food. The restaurant's got a pretty extensive Restaurant Week menu: six appetizer options, five entrees. The watermelon gazpacho was a bit too waterlogged for my taste -- I know you're in there, flavor! -- but the wasabi guac was as good as I remembered it from a previous visit. I opted for the short ribs entree and I'm glad I did. Miso provided a subtle complement to the tender meat. My date ordered the California roll and nigiri entree and I think that's a good bet for hungrier diners. With six pieces of nigiri and the roll, it felt like a more full plate. The orange miso bread pudding should not be missed. (The restaurant will continue to offer Restaurant Week pricing through Sept. 30).

My PS 7's expectations weren't that high to begin with after a not-so-great meal there long ago, but last night's dinner was a good one. Like Sei, PS 7's had a lot of options. Saffron and tomato blended beautifully in the broth for mussels. The warm spinach salad was small, but the tumble of wintry flavors piqued our interest in the next course. For me, the pork loin was the winner: stuffed with leeks and bacon, topped with strips of parmesan and surrounded by a sauce with only slight hints of thyme. Both the pork and the beef tenderloin came in normal-size portions -- a bonus during RW. Dessert's strongest temptation was the rich chocolate-peanut butter concoction, essentially a candy bar for grown ups. (PS 7's will offer Restaurant Week pricing through Sept. 5.)

So, I've told you mine, let me hear from you. What are your Restaurant Week hits and misses? Let your fellow diners know in the comments below.

-- Julia

It's been a week since "Top Chef" debuted, but tempers are still simmering around these parts about one of our local cheftestants. With regard to a clam-shucking competition, Zaytinya's Mike Isabella said, "There's no way -- no offense -- but a girl shouldn't be at the same level that I am." (Watch the video above for the full clip.) Chatters in Tom Sietsema's discussion today were none too pleased, so Tom called the chef to get his side of the story. Sietsema reports:

"I'm a very sarcastic person," Michael Isabella told me this morning. The news that some viewers are upset with his comment (to fellow contestant Jennifer Carroll of Philadelphia) is "disheartening," he says. "I've been friends with Jen since before the show."

He thinks "Top Chef" producers wanted to "hype it up" in advance of tonight's segment, which pits the male and female chefs against one another.

Did he mean what he said, though? Isabella says he doesn't. "Half my staff is female," he says.

His boss's advice: Focus on the challenge and "don't read the blogs," counseled Jose Andres.

Survey time. Let us know what you think and leave your comments below.

-- Julia

These United States celebrate the release of "Everything Touches Everything" -- their third album in less than two years -- at the Black Cat Saturday. (Photo by Sarah Law)

Local hip-hop takes over the Brightest Young Things pool party, No Scrubs moves up to the 9:30 club, online fashion mag Panda Head rounds up some of D.C.'s most interesting indie bands and These United States bring a new album into the world -- again.

Guests at the Mandarin Oriental will be among the first to get a taste of the replacement for the Asian-themed Café MoZU, which is quietly opening Sept. 8 for those staying in the hotel and officially serving the rest of us beginning Sept. 14, announces Eric Ziebold.

The chef of CityZen, the Mandarin Oriental's luxury retreat, is taking some ribbing for the name of the new venue: Sou'Wester. "We wanted a nautical theme," explains Ziebold, who last month was forced to abandon his original choice, South by Southwest, when officials of the Austin-based music festival of the same name complained.

Happy Birthday to Hello Cupcake. (© 2008, John Healey Photography)

Hello Cupcake turns one year old tomorrow and to celebrate, the Dupont shop will be giving away free cupcakes while supplies last. It's one per person, so, no, you can't send your intern out to bring back cupcakes for the office. You also couldn't even pay for one if you wanted to; the only cupcake transactions that day will be giveaways. Owner Penny Karas is baking all of her best sellers for the celebration. She's hopeful that the cupcake supply will make it through most of the day, but it couldn't hurt to stop by early. Free cupcakes go quickly in this town.

-- Julia

During Columbia Heights Day, you can try your hand at Guitar Hero, sample treats from local restaurants and visit a petting zoo. (Sergio Herrera)

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.

Sunday
Alexandria Cambodian Community Day Festival at Ben Brenman Park
A celebration of Cambodian culture with folk and classical dance performances, live music, traditional food and children's entertainment. Don't miss the scale model of Angkor Wat.

Monday
Game Night at Pharmacy Bar
Board games from Battleship to Bingo are handed around from 7 to 10, and the bingo caller begins at 10:30. It's free to play, and Miller High Life is $2 all night at this quirky Adams Morgan bar.

Tuesday
'Six in the Mix: Selections by Renee Stout' at Hillyer Art Space
Time is running out for this exhibit of six "underexposed" D.C. and Baltimore artists, whose works were curated by local painter/sculptor/photographer Renee Stout. It's worth a visit -- especially because Hillyer stays open until 7 between Tuesday and Friday, allowing office drones to grab some culture after work.

Wednesday
'Meet the Parents' at Stead Park
The Friends of Stead Park wrap up the outdoor summer movie series with the 2000 Robert DeNiro/Ben Stiller film. Bring a blanket and a picnic.

Thursday
'Taming of the Shrew' at Sidney Harman Hall
This year, the Shakespeare Theatre Company's annual summer "Free for All" series moves from the Carter Barron Amphitheatre to the (indoor) Sidney Harman Hall. The good news: It's been extended to 21 performances, which run through Sept. 12. Tickets for "Shrew" -- a revival of the lauded 2007 production -- are available two hours before the curtain.

Friday
'Death Note 2' at the Embassy of Japan's Japan Information and Culture Center
The D.C. Anime Club sponsors this screening of "Death Note 2," the second live-action film based on the wildly popular manga series. Costumes -- a.k.a. "cosplay" -- are encouraged, as long as you're not carrying anything metal. RSVP to jiccrsvpsummer09@embjapan.org.

Saturday
Columbia Heights Day Festival at Harriet Tubman Elementary School
The funky neighborhood puts its best foot forward with a full day of live music, vendors, free yoga sessions, a Best Pet show, Guitar Hero games, a petting zoo and other attractions for children. After 7 p.m., the action moves to various neighborhood bars with entertainment and specials.

-- Fritz

If you needed a barometer for the current economic climate consider this: Midtown Loft, the latest nightspot from Michael Romeo, the owner of velvet rope-and-bottle service places like Lotus Lounge, gives out free beer for an hour every weekday, and it offers free pool, free shuffleboard and free foosball.

Midtown Loft, which opened upstairs from Midtown (another of Romeo's clubs) on Monday, is everything his other bars are not. It has exposed brick walls and $20 buckets of beer (your choice of Miller Lite, Corona and Yuengling), neon beer signs and a pair of free Megatouch bar-top video games tucked in an alcove. (These are the premium adults-only versions, too, with Erotic Photohunt and Penthouse Video Strip Poker.) Cover bands like Road Soda and Plastic Parts perform on a low stage on Friday nights, and Doug Segree, the guitarist known for hosting Suicide Sundays at the Starboard in Dewey Beach, plays acoustic at the "From Dewey to D.C." party on Tuesdays.

But perhaps most shocking: the lack of any sort of cover charge and dress code. Shorts and flip-flops are "welcome," which is quite a change from the clubwear required at Midtown downstairs. The beachy atmosphere is reflected in the fact that draft beer (Miller Lite, Peroni, house amber) sells for $4 and there's a daily cattle call: no-strings-attached free beers from 5 to 6.

Now, it's not that Midtown Loft has abandoned all the trappings of its sister bars, which include Fur Nightclub and Tattoo. The high communal bar tables are easily outnumbered by low-slung couches, which can double as booths for bottle service on weekends. Flip over the list of $4 drinks, and you'll find a menu pushing bottles of Grey Goose for $120 and $300 Patron tequila. Or look in the hilariously labeled "Bourbon" section for $300 bottles of Crown Royal or $250 bottles of Jack Daniels. (Note: Neither of those is a bourbon.)

If your tastes run stronger than beer, you'll pay an eye-opening $10 for a bottom-of-the-shelf "rail drink," and $2 more for "premium cocktails," which, the menu notes, can be made with "fresh lemon or lime" on request.

There are six flat-screen TVs, which will come in handy this weekend for a Redskins-Steelers viewing party tomorrow night. For Saturday's game, the real attraction will be the "power hour" drink special on draft beers: $1 from 7 to 9, $2 from 9 to 10 and then $3 until 11.

-- Fritz

Yesterday, we dished about dining in Dewey, seats at Nats Park, single-gal excursions and bars with '80s music. We also talked tap dancing. You chatters turned out to be excellent resources on where to take lessons locally. Read the full transcript here. Got comments? Leave 'em below or submit them to next week's discussion.

And now, for your viewing pleasure, a little Nicholas Brothers awesomeness. (It gets really good during the last minute.)

-- Julia

We've heard a bunch of you tell us that one of the main ways you use the Going Out Guide is through our e-mail newsletter (see a sample). Today, we're changing up our e-mail to make it quicker to read and scan our top picks. In addition to receiving our regular Thursday newsletter, you'll also get one on Mondays to help you plan the week ahead.

Our Thursday e-mail puts the spotlight on our weekly live discussion and lets you be the first to read the latest Washington Post restaurant and bar reviews. Every week, you'll also get our Best Bets for the most noteworthy events of the week.

On Mondays, we'll send you the popular Free & Easy column, where Fritz Hahn shows you how to have fun for free every single day of the week, as well as the Guru event picks for some of the quirky, under-the-radar events you might not know about.

And once a month, we'll send you a special e-mail with details about our monthly happy hour, always held on the second Thursday.

If you're not getting our e-mail yet, sign up! Just click the box next to Washington Going Out Guide in the Arts & Living section of our e-mail newsletter options.

When you get the new e-mail, let us know what you like and don't like about it. Put your comments below or e-mail us.

-- Anne

My Outlook reminder tells me that we're creeping up on Thursday, 1 p.m., which, of course, is Got Plans? time. Not that I actually need the Outlook reminder, but I have one set anyway. We'll be here to answer questions about whatever may be on your mind as summer winds down. Tonight I'll be going to the Black Cat to check out Vandaveer and Roofwalkers, a couple of local bands with new albums out. We just put up this post where they interviewed each other -- check it out.

Talk to you all in a few...

--David

Mark Charles Heidinger and Rose Guerin celebrate the release of the new Vandaveer album Thursday at the Black Cat. (Courtesy Romo PR)

On Thursday the Black Cat hosts a mighty fine all-local bill. Two of those bands, Vandaveer (above) and Roofwalkers, have brand new albums out. Vandaveer's "Divide & Conquer" will be available at Thursday's show; Roofwalkers' self-titled album will be out on Aug. 25, with the official CD release show on Sept. 18 at the Writer's Center in Bethesda. (Really!) Vandaveer is the vehicle of Mark Charles Heidinger; he plays elegant folk songs that are refreshingly earnest, with smart lyrics and smart arrangements. Roofwalkers, helmed by Ben Licciardi, is a six-piece band that specializes in tunes that are dreamy but never sleepy, catchy and complex at the same time. Earlier this week I got the two of them to talk to each other about their new albums, creative process and a little bit of Dylan. Which I swear I didn't even ask them to do.

Ben Licciardi (Roofwalkers): Hi Mark. I've been enjoying "Divide and Conquer" all day. The first thing that hit me about it is how nuanced and beautifully arranged the songs are. I've heard you play a few of them live, but it was only you and a guitar. Did you flesh the songs out in the studio just for the album, or did you always imagine them in this form?

Mark Charles Heidinger (Vandaveer): I think this is the first time I gave myself the time and freedom to let each idea or song fully materialize in a particular way before rushing it to tape, or to hard drive. I don't necessarily feel like the versions of these particular songs that made it onto the record are definitive, but I do feel like they are fully realized ideas.

Recordings are like Polaroid snapshots, I think. Songs live. They breathe. Sometimes they thrive. Other times they putter out. They aren't stagnant things, and a recording is really just a glorified way of documenting something at a certain point. A recording is an artifact, really. I like allowing myself the freedom to release an album of songs recorded one way, but performed live another. May not be the best marketing plan, but it feels right, so...

Vandaveer - "Turpentine"

Roofwalkers - "Chin Music"

(Read more after the jump.)

Will Eastman's Bliss dance party -- shown here back in the heady pre-laptop/iPod days of 2001 -- celebrates its ninth anniversary on Saturday night. (Mark Finkenstaedt - For The Washington Post)

Chuck Brown gets a street named after him, Asylum turns 18 with beers for 18 cents, three local bands are celebrating new releases, Rich Medina does Afropop right, Current and Tattoo give away free drinks, Flashpoint hosts a Twister tournament and author Jessica Hopper shows why girls rock.

Don't forget about Asian Elephant Day at the Zoo -- you know the guests of honor won't. (Joe Elbert/`The Washington Post)

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.

Sunday
Pakistan Festival USA at George Mason University
Pakistani pop musicians, folk singers, dancers, comics and movie and TV stars will be appearing at this day-long celebration of the country's independence day. Vendors dish up curries and kebabs, sell crafts and offer henna tattoos. Look your best: the festivities will be broadcast on television in Pakistan.

Monday
"Luis Meléndez: Master of the Spanish Still Life" at the National Gallery of Art
There's less than a week left to catch this large exhibition of the acclaimed 18th-century Spanish painter's works, which feature tricks of light that dazzle the eye.

Tuesday
Doug Segree at Midtown Loft
Guitarist Doug Segree, known for hosting the Suicide Sunday parties at Dewey Beach's raucous Starboard, brings his mix of infectious, Dave Matthews-esque alternative rock to a brand-new Dupont Circle bar and lounge. There's no cover or dress code, and draft beer is free from 5 to 6.

Wednesday
"Lost and Found: 15 years of the 2.D.K. LAB" at Miss Pixie's Furnishings & Whatnot
This unique show of art, photography and sculpture features works by famed D.C. graffiti artists, including Cool "Disco" Dan and Borf, as well as works from the D.C. Urban Arts Academy.

Thursday
"Slumdog Millionaire" at the Mansion at Strathmore
Held on Strathmore's huge lawn, the family-friendly Comcast Outdoor Film Festival showcases popular films, including the 2008 Best Picture winner "Slumdog Millionaire." Admission is free and you're welcome to bring a picnic; however, concession sales benefit NIH Children's Charities.

Friday
Arlington County Fair
The closest fair to Washington that lacks an admission fee, Arlington's annual gathering includes midway rides that you do have to pay for. But there's no charge for the outdoor screening of "Twilight" or to watch a "Dating Game"-style event with "Rock of Love" winner Ambre Lake.

Saturday
Celebrate Asian Elephants at the National Zoo
Learn about a day in the life of a zoo elephant as the National Zoo's largest residents are bathed, trained and weighed. The Sri Lankan homeland of the zoo's elephant Shanthi is honored with traditional dances, craft displays and free Ceylon tea.

-- Fritz

Craft beer bars like Birreria Paradiso, Brasserie Beck, R.F.D. and Granville Moore's have helped turn Washington into a capital-B Beer Town in recent years, but it's always been a sum-of-the-parts collection of microbrew-friendly destinations instead of a unified front.

That's about to change, though, with the launch of D.C. Beer Week, a six-day celebration of beer that involves taverns and restaurants across the city, from high-end hop havens to laid-back neighborhood bars.

And while beer lovers can get their fix of rare Belgian styles, limited-edition Dogfish Head concoctions and tasty cask ales, there's more than just boozing on the agenda -- try live music, cheese tasting, a freak show and even baseball.

Scott Weinstein, the friendly fishmonger at BlackSalt, will leave his post this fall. (Charma Le Edmonds)

Attention, shoppers: The city's top fishmonger is leaving his iced display case in the Palisades. BlackSalt's Scott Weinstein -- the gangly dude behind the retail counter in the front of the seafood restaurant -- says he'll be leaving the job at the end of October.

He and his boss, restaurateur Jeff Black, are parting on good terms, and Weinstein, 30, says he wants to leave the five-year-old gig while he's still having fun. That said, "I'm definitely going to do my own thing," the chef tells me, "and it will definitely be seafood-oriented." A Bethesda native, the fishmonger hopes to remain in the area, too.

When Weinstein started at the restaurant, he peppered Black with queries. "Now, he's so good," reports Black, "I ask him the fish questions." During Weinstein's tenure, it seemed he could locate all kinds of obscure watery ingredients, from rose fish to live abalone, and he brought them to BlackSalt. Weinstein even began sourcing fish and seafood for wholesalers in the area.

"He's a fixture" at BlackSalt, says Black. "He'll be tough to replace."

The search is now on for a fresh face. Since Weinstein's replacement will be dealing with shoppers, Black says he's looking for someone with "a cooking background and a Type-A personality." One of the perks of the day job: "No nights."

-- Tom Sietsema

Mmmm ... Georgetown Cupcakes. (Dakota Fine)

A big thanks to everyone who came to happy hour at Clarendon Ballroom last night. We hope you got there early enough to get one of those ridiculously delicious cupcakes courtesy of Georgetown Cupcake. They were tasty.

One lucky winner went home with a gift certificate good for a dozen of those scrumptious cupcakes. And lots -- lots -- of people went home with t-shirts and assorted board games. That was certainly the longest giveaway portion of any Going Out Gurus Happy Hour. Our final prize goes to Rob Ramey, who wins two nights at the Bellmoor Inn in Rehoboth Beach, Del. Congrats, Rob!

Our next happy hour will be on Thursday, Sept. 10 at Public Bar. See you there! For now, enjoy pictures from last night, all by our ace photog, Dakota Fine.

Quick getaways are on everyone's minds this August. In yesterday's chat, we dished about day trips to Frederick and Charlottesville, nightlife in Warrenton, where to find sweet potato pie, unique date-night ideas and rock clubs for 15-year-olds.

Read the full transcript here. Got comments? Leave 'em below or submit them to next week's discussion.

-- Julia

Great beats and a house-party atmosphere made Uncle Q's Living Room one of the hottest hip-hop parties in D.C. in the mid-2000s. (Michael Temchine for The Washington Post)

Uncle Q's Living Room, one of the city's most celebrated weekly hip-hop parties of this decade, is set to return to Bourbon next month. We've loved the few reunion events they'd held here and there, and we're thrilled that the party will is coming back on a weekly basis.

DJ Dredd, known for his classics-filled Close to the Edge and Prince-themed parties at the Black Cat, will be spinning everything from Michael Jackson and the Time to a Tribe Called Quest and Jay-Z. Other hands on the decks will be DJ Harry Hotter and DJ/host Daryl "Uncle Q" Francis, who also serves as the greeter, hypeman and social facilitator.

"I think musically right now, people are getting back into funk and soul type of parties, and that's provided an energy to the scene," Francis says. "And besides," he says, laughing, "once a week, someone is in my ear about bringing the party back. If you can get the team back together, and the people want it, why not?"

But more than the music and dancing, though, Uncle Q's Living Room was about the laid-back vibe. With Francis wandering the floor and introducing himself to strangers, the place had a house-party-with-a-bar vibe that proved difficult to replicate. (Even Francis' other project, which finds him spinning hip-hop at Bourbon on Fridays, is more of a laid-back club night than anything else.) With the original team together, though, I suspect they'll pick up where they left off with no problems.

The first one kicks off Sept. 17 with happy hour drink specials from 8 to 10, followed by dancing until 2 a.m. The cover charge/admission is still up in the air, but expect it to be along the lines of the old Living Room -- $5 for men and free for ladies.

-- Fritz

Today's a big day here at Going Out Gurus HQ.

First, at 1 p.m., we'll have our weekly Got Plans discussion, where we'll discuss pool parties, Restaurant Week, new exhibits, upcoming concerts and other fun ways to spend the remaining dog days of summer.

Then, at 6 p.m., we're hosting our monthly happy hour at Clarendon Ballroom. It's a very special occasion, as we'll be celebrating the birthdays of Jen, Rhome, David and Stephanie on the Ballroom's huge rooftop deck. There will be cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcake and free food, like nachos and quesadillas.

Make sure you pick up a raffle ticket at the front door, as we'll be giving away a two-night stay in Rehoboth Beach, a gift certificate to Georgetown Cupcake and some surprise prizes, too. We'll see you there.

-- Fritz

Local piano-pop trio Jukebox the Ghost performs at the Rock and Roll Hotel's weekend-long anniversary party. (Shervin Lainez)

Celebrate 10 years of D.C.'s busiest Britpop dance night and three years of the Rock and Roll Hotel, learn more about rum at two free tastings, explore a new H Street bar, watch "Anchorman" at a pool, get down to top-flight local DJs and join the Going Out Gurus for a rooftop birthday party.

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.

Sunday
Ecuadorian Festival at Barcroft Park
The 17th annual festival features live music from singer Roberto Zumba and the band Sentimiento Andino, traditional dance performances, crafts and food.

Monday
"Rebel Without a Cause" on the Mall
The final movie to be shown at Screen on the Green this year is the 1955 James Dean classic, a favorite of restless teenagers everywhere.

Tuesday
Tabi Bonney at the Library
Known for his work with Raheem DeVaughn and Wale, this rising hip-hop star performs as part of the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities' Art Unplugged series.

Wednesday
Sensual Wednesdays at Eyebar
Congrats: The week is half over. Celebrate at Eyebar, where there's no cover, women drink free from 10 to 11, and copious drink specials include $2 shots and $3 Coronas. DJ Geometrix spins mash-ups and hip-hop on the main floor, while DJ Chris spins salsa and Latin hits upstairs.

Thursday
Going Out Guide Happy Hour at Clarendon Ballroom
Join The Washington Post's Going Out Gurus (and a few hundred of their friends) at a party with a chill roof deck, free food and a chance to win a getaway to Rehoboth Beach, Del., or gift certificates to Georgetown Cupcake.

Friday
Uncle Q at Bourbon
Uncle Q spins a hip-hop history lesson every Friday night on the upstairs dance floor. You'll hear tunes from the old-school, Golden Age and Native Tongues eras to Jay-Z, Kanye and current standard-bearers.

Saturday
"In Honor of the President: Mr. Lincoln's Music" at the Surratt House Museum
Listen to the music of the 1860s -- particularly, songs that were favorites of our 16th president and songs written for him -- in a tavern once owned by Mary Surratt, the woman hanged for being a conspirator in his assassination.

-- Fritz

So, apparently you guys are really into Tori Amos. Or at least you were way back in the day.

During yesterday's Got Plans?, we staged a contest to give away a $75 gift certificate to Legal Sea Foods. The idea was simple: write in with the name of your first CD and tell us a story about it. The responses came flooding in. Read some of our favorites in the transcript.

As promised, I'm posting a few more after the jump. But first, let me draw your attention to this response that came in after the chat ended. Someone backs me up on my Silk obsession.

Re Julia: OMG, "Freak Me" by Silk. I LOVE that song. That and "Ditty" by Paperboy. I was in 8th grade listening to Silk on a tape I made off the radio since no way was my mom going to let me buy that. I had such a crush on the guy with the deep voice (I had an MTV ban, so no idea what he looked like.)

You'll find more after the jump. Add your faves in the comments and don't forget to join us next week.

-- Julia

On a warm day, there's nothing like a Dark and Stormy: The Bermudan drink hits all the right notes with its mixture of dark, molasses-y rum and jarringly sweet ginger beer, a soft drink with a kick of ginger.

My favorite summer cocktail has been undergoing a renaissance lately; upscale cocktail bars like Bourbon and the W Hotel's P.O.V. have been crafting their own versions with fresh, housemade ginger. They're delicious, but they often highlight the ginger's sharpness over everything else.

To get the kind of Dark and Stormy you'd sip on the beach in the Caribbean, try the Islander Restaurant on U Street, where chef Addie Green makes her own ginger beer, a drink so popular with regulars that it's sold by the pitcher. It's candy-sweet but balanced nicely by the tangy spice. Ask for a Dark and Stormy, and the bartender retreats to the kitchen and returns with a tall glass of ginger beer. A hearty portion of dark rum is then drizzled on top, creating black-and-tan-style layers; you have to mix the ingredients yourself. The result has a nice tang, especially when brightened with a wedge of lime. But watch out: This refreshing thirst-quencher is potent.

-- Fritz

Meryl Streep gets things cooking in "Julie & Julia." (Jonathan Wenk)

Thanks to the trailers and commercials, you've already seen portions of Meryl Streep's nearly dead-on portrayal of Julia Child in "Julie & Julia," opening in theaters tomorrow. You also may have guessed that Amy Adams gives every bit of everywoman cuteness she's got to the part of blogger/Child worshipper Julie Powell.

But what else do you need to know about this celebration of cooking, self-discovery, strong marriages and bucketloads of butter before heading to the cineplex? Here are five things to keep in mind:

1. Eat Before You Go ... Then Plan on a Snack Afterwards: This one is important. All those shots of simmering beef bourguignon, rich raspberry Bavarian cream and perfectly frosted chocolate cake (with shaved almonds sprinkled along the edges!) will make your stomach growl. And the way Streep, Adams, Stanley Tucci (who plays Child's husband, Paul), and Chris Messina (Powell's spouse, Eric) moan happily over every bite will only fuel your appetite. These are professional actors, people. They know how to pretend they're eating the most delicious dish ever, even if they're just chewing on air. So don't wait to eat dinner afterward, unless you want to have a breakdown midway through the movie and start chomping on the back of the stadium seat in front of you. (To make this one easier, check out our own Julia's find of eats inspired by the film, served at the Avalon's cafe.)

2. Don't Be Freaked Out By the Adams/Ryan Effect: At some point during the movie, you will find yourself thinking: "Hey, this is a Nora Ephron film. If she had made this 15 years ago, Adams's part would have been played by Meg Ryan." Do not be alarmed. You are not alone.

3. Don't Feel Guilty If You Think Streep Needs to Occasionally Dial It Down a Notch: We all know that Meryl Streep is an acting master, the holder of 15 Academy Award nominations, essentially a cinematic goddess. You can still adore her -- and even adore much of her performance in "Julie & Julia" -- but still think that her joie de vivre could sometimes stand a little less joie. It's okay. Your mother-in-law -- the one with a Streep shrine in the spare bedroom -- will still love you. And you'll still be able to appreciate the movie.

4. Leave Your Cynicism at the Door: Don't go into "Julie & Julia" with an anti-chick flick chip on your shoulder. Because, yes, this is an unabashedly female film, but one with more intelligence than most. Accept the fact that there will be more than one weepy scene, a lot of discussion about feelings and multiple comedic kitchen mishap moments. Make peace with that and you'll find it much easier to embrace the happy sweetness of it all. (P.S. Count your blessings. You could be sitting through "The Proposal" or "The Ugly Truth" instead of this.)

5. Give Ephron Her Props: No matter how you feel about "Julie & Julia," you will undoubtedly like it more than her last directorial effort: 2005's painful "Bewitched." If that's the case, write a reader review afterward that says so. Or head over to "24-Hour Movie People" and tell me and Ann Hornaday about your favorite cooking movies. Then, when you're done, do yourself a favor and hunt down a heaping, juicy bowl of beef bourguignon.

-- Jen

We've got "Julie & Julia" on the mind this weekend. So much so that we're seeing those names (and variations of them) everywhere we look. But that's a good thing, since it nicely corresponds with some of the best entertainment options over the next week. We can only hope "The Time Traveler's Wife" is similarly inspirational.

Since it opened in April, the Avalon Theatre Cafe has generally stuck to the basics (sandwiches, salads, popcorn), but even it's going a little gaga for Julia Child in honor of the film. Cafe manager and Julia Child devotee Kirsten Poole will serve Child's recipes for boeuf bourguignon (the classic French stew of beef, wine, onions, bacon and mushrooms) and chocolate cake with almonds. The stew is $9, and a slice of cake is $5. The shop also sells beer, wine, pastries, quiches, Moorenko's ice cream and M.E. Swing coffee. You don't have to purchase a ticket to sup on the dishes, but if you choose to see the film you can take any of the cafe food into the theater.

Another Julia worth celebrating tonight is Julia Nixon, whose soulful, powerful voice easily led her to a Helen Hayes award in 2007 for playing the title role in Studio Theatre's musical "Caroline, or Change." In addition to performing a free show at Signature Theatre's open house Saturday afternoon at 1, she and her band are opening for Rose Royce at the Fort Dupont Concert Series Saturday night. The show marks Nixon's first appearance at the concert series in over more than 20 years -- "since my son was a baby," she says. Expect to hear songs from her 2007 solo album, "Keepin' on Track," some covers and an always-in-demand "Dreamgirls" number, a nod to her role as Effie in the musical's first run on Broadway. And definitely, she says, since Rose Royce will be there, "I'm going to have to bring the funk."

Julian Schnabel fans can check out an array of the multitalented artist's work this week and next. Schnabel the painter is on display at the Phillips and the Hirshhorn, the latter of which is displaying "Portrait of Andy Warhol" -- an oil painting on velvet -- as part of its "Strange Bodies" exhibition. You can see how Schnabel's artistic sensibilities translate to the big screen with a viewing of his 2007 movie "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" during the next Phillips After 5. The award-winning movie tells the story of Jean-Dominique Bauby, who was paralyzed after a stroke but learned to communicate using just his left eyelid.

Juliette Lewis is certainly not the first actress to get into the music game. To say she's one of the best is a bit of a backhanded compliment. (We made it through the Scarlett Johansson album. Almost.) But you can't fault her for going halfway whole hog with the rock star thing. As a frontwoman, she's a stage-stalking, hair-twirling, always-howling dynamo in the Janis Joplin mold. The bluesy, old-fashioned rock-and-roll band she fronts won't win too many points for originality, but as opening act for the Pretenders and Cat Power, she's setting the bar high when it comes to pure energy.

-- David, Julia, Anne and Stephanie

We're just about to start our weekly chat today, but before we do, we wanted to give you a little extra time to prep. We're giving away a $75 gift card to Legal Sea Foods, and to win it, you'll have to tell us the tale of how you got your first CD -- and what it was.

Of course, we'll be talking about other kinds of music -- namely, shows you'll want to hear, plus, from the looks of your questions, birthday parties, spots for a girls night out and a gazillion questions just for Fritz, who is back from vacation. So throw in your questions or your potentially embarrassing musical purchase -- we'll start it off at 1 p.m.

-- Anne

Erykah Badu joins D.C. go-go institution Chuck Brown at Merriweather Post Pavilion on Friday. (Marvin Joseph - The Washington Post)

Spend the weekend rocking out at Velvet Lounge, catch "the best hip-hop group of all time" (according to Rhome), celebrate Wonderland Ballroom's five-year anniversary with music and drink specials, hit a surfing-themed party to raise money for charity, bring your dog to happy hour and hear soul goddess Erykah Badu as she joins Godfather of Go-Go Chuck Brown.

Silver Spring's Nicaro restaurant reopened today, under new management and with a new executive chef at the helm. Luis E. Martinez, a veteran of restaurants like Potomac Grill, Red Rock Canyon, the Cheesecake Factory and McCormick & Schmick's, and his team have taken the reins of the restaurant, which was previously run by chef Pedro Matamoros until his iteration of Nicaro closed on July 5.

"People who know food tell me I have big shoes to fill," said Martinez. The restaurant will now offer fusion cuisine, drawing on European flavors along with Latin and Cajun accents. "I try to make it so you can get a different texture in every bite," says the chef, 48. General Manager Anthony Talavera says the restaurant will reach out to the neighborhood with deals like $5 martinis on Wednesday and half-priced bottles on wine on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Expect live music nights to come in the near future.

As Tom Sietsema reported in a recent online discussion, Matamoros is moving to another location: 8407 at 8407 Ramsey Ave. in Silver Spring. Partner Nancy Mola says that she and Matamoros are working on the design and menu of the new restaurant and hope to open in October, pending permitting approval. In the meantime, fans of Matamoros can check out the Silver Spring FreshFarm market for a taste of his cooking. Dates aren't yet finalized for his future appearances at the market, but Mola says they'll add those dates to the 8407 Web site when they are.

-- Julia

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.

Sunday
Asian Festival at the Lake Newport Tennis Facility
The pan-Asian festival offers three stages of music, comedy and dance performances, including DJs, "lion dancers" and an Indian dance contest. There will also be an Asian beer garden and dozens of food vendors selling traditional dishes.

Monday
'Reflections/Refractions: Self-Portraiture in the Twentieth Century" at the National Portrait Gallery'
Andy Warhol, David Hockney and Jacob Lawrence are among the 75 artists whose self-portraits are included in this revealing exhibition about identity and self-awareness. The museum's late hours are conducive to after-work visits.

Tuesday
Chad America's Birthday Party at the Black Cat
The Black Cat's longtime bartender celebrates his birthday with a free show featuring garage-y punk rockers the Electricutions and the heavy-indie-rock sound of Suns of Guns.

Wednesday
Wes Anderson Film Series at Asylum
For the past month, Asylum has been giving Wednesday nights over to a retrospective of movies by director Wes Anderson. Tonight, it's time for "The Darjeeling Limited," the 2007 film that follows three brothers on a journey across India. The film screens in the upstairs bar.

Thursday
Big Hillbilly Bluegrass at Lake Anne Village Center
One of the finest bluegrass bands in the Washington area, Big Hillbilly Bluegrass has toured Eastern Europe and the Dominican Republic to spread American music at the behest of the State Department. It's just that good.

Friday
Release at Ibiza
Sneak out of work a couple minutes early and make your way over to Ibiza. While the club usually isn't hopping until midnight, a new end-of-the-week happy hour features an open bar from 5 to 6 p.m. (drinks go up to half-price from 6 to 7) and a complimentary buffet.

Saturday
Signature Theatre Open House
The Arlington venue kicks off its 20th season with performances from upcoming shows, live music, classes and family activities.

-- Fritz Hahn

The Washington City Paper's Tim Carman reports that the Neighborhood Restaurant Group could open its long-awaited Birch & Barley project by late September. The project has been delayed significantly over the years -- the original opening date was supposed to be April 2008 -- so, you know, don't hold your breath. But still, since this question is a recurring one in Got Plans?, we wanted to keep you abreast of the latest.

-- Julia

Lots of today's questions focused on Paul McCartney's big show at FedEx Field this weekend. We also talked about Dog Days, kebabs, bachelorette parties and where to go dancing.

Read the full transcript here. Got comments? Leave 'em below or submit them to next week's discussion.

-- Julia

A few things have bubbled up across The Washington Post universe over the last few days that we think might be of interest to you, dear GOG readers. Just passing these along in case you missed them.

* Our colleagues in the Food section undertook a serious challenge: Scour local seafood restaurants to find the best example of a crab cake. Here are their top picks.

* In his discussion yesterday, Tom Sietsema invited readers to submit nominations for the most maddening restaurant Web sites around town. I compiled these into a handy online survey and we'd love to see your vote. So far, Rasika is blowing away the competition.

* Finally, our friend and colleague Anna Uhls asked a bunch of bartenders around town to weigh in on the beer selections for tonight's Beer Summit at the White House. Check out their opinions in this super cute vid.

-- Julia

If you're thinking that the month following the insanity of the Fringe Festival will give you a little breather from theater, guess again. This month, a trio of great comedians take the stage, free Shakespeare returns to Olney Theatre and you can get your chance to take a piece of Studio Theatre home with you.

First up is the back-to-back theater extravaganza on 14th Street this weekend. Saturday, head to Studio Theatre for the annual garage sale. Props, costumes and furniture will be on sale, so if you've had your eye on that fantastic wicker peacock chair from "The Year of Magical Thinking," you might just get the chance to own it. But not if I get there first. (Aug. 1)

The next day, find another can't-miss event just down the street. Source is having its open house, so stop by for light-saber training, Spanish song and dance and a DJing workshop. (Aug. 2)

Source will also play host to Washington Improv Theatre's Neutrino Video Project, which combines improv, filmmaking and editing. After polling the audience for suggestions, WIT will head outside to various locations, shoot video and then screen it for the audience. If you thought the 48-hour Film Project sounded bonkers, then this will be certifiably insane. (Aug. 7-Sept. 25)

Just got word that Thievery Corporation will be the opening act for Saturday's Paul McCartney concert at FedEx Field. It won't be a full band performance; it will be a DJ set from the local downbeat duo of Rob Garza and Eric Hilton. That should get everyone nice and loose for Macca and his parade of hits.

We'll be talking more about that show and the logistics of getting to FedEx Field in Got Plans? See you in there shortly.

This month, Blue Ridge Restaurant started a new happy hour that's bringing in the BabyBjörn set. Held every Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m. on the restaurant's back patio, the event gives parents a chance to hang out at one of the new restaurants in town and sample its food -- they and their kids can tuck into specially priced items from chef Barton Seaver's menu. Last week, when I went to see who was wheeling on in, about 20 to 30 moms and dads were there, despite the evening rain. They sipped wine and cocktails while chatting about their neighborhoods, their backgrounds and, of course, the munchkins strapped to their chests.

If the work hanging on the walls at local museums feels like it's been around a while, it may be a good time to take a walk outside. What August lacks in new exhibitions, it makes up for with art parties, festivals and street fairs.

If you've never hung out in the Bloomingdale neighborhood, a good time to check it out is Saturday during First on 1st. The street festival spotlights local artistic talent alongside live musical performances. It also happens to coincide with the opening reception for a new exhibition at 87 Florida. Pick up programs for the event at Big Bear Cafe, and make sure to complete the art hunt, which is good for free drinks and discounts at local hangouts. (Aug. 1)

If you love to stay up-to-date on the next big thing, then head over to Conner Contemporary. For the ninth year in a row, the gallery is celebrating the best that local MFA grads have to offer with "Academy 2009." The artists from these academy shows have gone onto great things, from exhibiting work at the Hirshhorn to showing their art at the British Museum in London, so this could be your chance to say "I saw that artist way back when...." (Aug. 1-Sept. 12)

Catch the captivating '80s-inspired rock of the Veils at the Rock and Roll Hotel. (Rough Trade Records)

Get an early start on football season with the Redskins cheerleaders, sample some limited-edition beers at Birreria Paradiso, get woozy with Cass McCombs and watch local rockers form temporary supergroups as Run For Cover returns to the Black Cat.

Mark Bucher with one of his 15-pound burgers. (James M. Thresher - The Washington Post)

Bethesda's BGR: The Burger Joint took home the top honors in the First Feedbag Burger Summit, a burger competition held at the Summit Food and Wine Festival in Summit, N.J., yesterday.

UPDATE:(10:20 a.m. July 28) The official word is in from Ivan Ruiz, an organizer of the Summit Food and Wine Festival. In a three-way tie, BGR, Wildwood Barbeque and Stand4 all shared first place in the competition.

The shop's patties even defeated those from heavyweight New York restaurants like Perry Street and Le Bernardin.

Less than 24 hours after returning from New York, owner Mark Bucher's still on a high about the win. "Here in D.C., we hold up with the big contenders," he said, referring to fellow patty purveyor Spike Mendelsohn's win at the South Beach Burger Bash earlier this year.

Chefs from each restaurant were required to make burgers in four categories: haute/gourmet, slider, classic and specialty. Bucher entered his bacon cheeseburger with mojo sauce for the classic category and his Wellington burger for specialty. For haute/gourmet, he entered a burger topped with guacamole, fire-roasted tomatoes and tortilla strips. A big factor in the win was his slider submission; the miniature version of the shop's Greek burger earned 128 of 130 possible points and pushed the BGR team's total point count ahead of all other contenders.

The restaurant has competed in burger bashes before but never one of this stature, said Bucher. "Oh my gosh, we were nervous. It's intimidating. These guys are set up with teams of people," he said. "We're just winging it in D.C., in a sense."

Each entrant was allowed to bring his or her own beef blend to the competition, and Bucher thinks the ground meat his shop uses might have been what put his burgers over the top. Expect to see more competitions from BGR; the shop has been invited to participate in three others.

-- Julia

UPDATE (7:59 p.m. July 27): Conflicting accounts of the Grand Champion award have arisen. When Bucher and I spoke this morning (and up until I called him regarding the comment below 5 minutes ago), he was under the impression BGR had taken home the top honors alone. Stay tuned for more from the organizers.

The Neighborhood Restaurant Group has hired Steve Mannino to replace the recently departed Frank Morales at Rustico in Alexandria. The company also announced plans to open a second branch of the neighborhood restaurant, at 4075 Wilson Blvd. in Arlington, next June.

Mannino, 36, is no stranger to the area, having opened Olives in Washington a decade ago. In 2004, he left the city to cook at Olives in Las Vegas. Later, he helped Philadelphia restaurateur Steven Starr open Buddakan and the Continental in Atlantic City.

Michael Babin, co-owner of the Neighborhood Restaurant Group, didn't have to look far to find his new executive chef: Mannino's been employed by the restaurant company in a catering capacity since November. "We needed to see if we liked each other," jokes Mannino.

His intended style at Rustico? "Not too many ingredients," says the chef. "If there's mushroom ravioli, you'll know it has mushrooms." He was drawn to the job in part because "this is the food I like to eat."

Coming soon at Rustico, says the fresh hire: Chicken wings -- and also foie gras.

-- Tom Sietsema

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.

Sunday
'The Gaucho' at the National Gallery of Art
Silent-screen stars Douglas Fairbanks and Lupe Velez team up for a swashbuckling Argentine adventure. Pianist Ben Model accompanies the film, freshly restored to its 1927 glory.

Monday
Afro Bop Alliance at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage
The award for best Latin jazz recording at the Latin Grammys went to Annapolis's own Afro Bop Alliance, a seven-member band that fuses familiar jazz forms with Brazilian and Afro-Cuban musical styles and infectious percussion.

Tuesday
Cartoon Afternoons at the Lincoln Theatre
Kids of all ages will enjoy the Lincoln Theatre's animated matinees, which mix classic Looney Tunes cartoons and the more recent "Happily Ever After," an HBO series of updated fairy tales voiced by Will Smith, Eartha Kitt and Marc Anthony.

Wednesday
Chincoteague Wild Pony Swim at Assateague Island
Here's an excuse to call in sick: Hundreds of wild ponies swim from Assateague Island to Chincoteague Island during this annual festival. Once in Chincoteague, foals are auctioned off to benefit the local volunteer fire department. The day includes a carnival with games and live entertainment. (The actual time of the swim depends on tides, but it usually takes place by noon.)

Thursday
'Mingering Mike: Prints and New Work at Hemphill Fine Arts
Mingering Mike is one of D.C.'s outsider art heroes: a man who designed dozens of fake rock and soul records with intricate sleeves, labels and credits that track his shining '60s and '70s "career." If you've never experienced Mike's cardboard dreams, this is a good place to start; also on exhibit is Judy Pfaff's latest series of elaborate prints.

Friday
'E.T.' at Gateway Park
Steven Spielberg's moving story about an alien stranded on Earth became one of the most loved films of the '80s -- and the highest-grossing movie of the decade. The screening begins at dusk, and there are games and prizes for early arrivals.

Saturday
Kids at DC9
The DJs behind DC9's monthly Kids night are known for spinning electro jams and Baltimore club hits at the Nouveau Riche and $weat$hop events, but tonight they toss those MP3s aside for hip-hop classics, party anthems and the latest radio bangers. Admission -- and Olde English malt liquor -- is free before 10 p.m.

-- Fritz

"Beyond Dark Corners," which had its final Fringe performance earlier this afternoon, featured two solo performers on the theme of being black gay men. Their styles contrasted: Christopher Prince was questioning and troubled, weary but proud. Terry Sidney was consistently fierce from the moment he entered, twirling his silk shirt overhead like a fabulously defiant matador.

Prince had the opening half of this hour-long show at the Warehouse Next Door, and his frank musings were often gripping. His topics ranged from men on the down low (see today's obit and appreciation of novelist E. Lynn Harris) to stepping up and getting organized, and while his poetic language sometimes meandered, it often gleamed. Prince's onstage persona is compelling -- laid-back but direct -- and it might be interesting to see him in a sharper production.

Sidney's act was a more straightforward statement of pride, even though he briefly resorted to more showbizzy techniques. He warbled a bit ("Is That All There Is," with a feather boa, no less), and then brought in singer Nikita Vann for quick, mood-setting music. Like Prince, he waxed poetic on issues of identity, but his centerpiece was a long story that omitted what seemed like the most interesting turn of events.

-- Nelson Pressley

Make your reservations now, kiddos. The official D.C. Summer Restaurant Week list is up for your perusal. Dates are Aug. 24 to 30. As usual, some of the more expensive tables in town (Central, Beck, etc.) aren't participating, but it could be a good time to check out some newcomers. The recently opened Eatonville and the Columbia Firehouse are top choices for me.

Let us know in the comments where you'll be booking tables; I love a good Restaurant Week frenzy. We'll be updating this post with links to our reviews of participating restaurants so that you can browse them before you make reservations.

-- Julia

UPDATE: Sorry folks, as soon as I posted, the list was taken down.

UPDATE AGAIN (4:54 p.m.): So here's the deal. I happened to Google at an opportune moment and found the list or at least part of it. Here's what I scraped from the site before it was taken down. I'll continue to update it as things change. And it appears that they're likely to up until noon on Monday, when the page is supposed to be official. Many of the usual Restaurant Week suspects are not listed here, so I'd be willing to be that they'll join the list next week. Restaurateurs, holler at me at julia(dot)beizer (at) washingtonpost.com if you need an update.

LAST FRIDAY UPDATE (7:27 p.m): I've pasted the ever-growing list of restaurants after the jump (with links to WaPo reviews, where available). I'll keep updating this post as things change.

MONDAY UPDATE (1:01 p.m.): Now that the list is official, I've updated this blog post with the changes. The official list isn't too much different than what I posted Friday night, but I indicated restaurants I changed or added with an asterisk. Happy dining.

Forget about the pralines, layer cakes and other Southern sweets that pastry chef David Guas was poised to serve at the former Murky Coffee location in Clarendon. The owner of Damgoodsweet Consulting and his would-be employer -- the owners of nearby Liberty Tavern, which took over the popular coffeehouse in April -- have parted ways, both sides told me today.

Following the usual public script, Guas and Liberty Tavern co-owner Stephen Fedorchak complimented one another, although Guas says he was "taken aback," given the four or so months both parties had been working together to open Bayou Bakery. "I have nothing but respect for David, and I'm sure his bakery will be a great concept," says Fedorchak. He hinted that creative differences were at the root of the separation when he said, "Bayou Bakery is best served as a chef-owned concept."

Guas says he gets to keep his concept and his logo, and he's already looking for a new space and investors for a business of his own.

Fedorchak says he's taking the weekend to come up with a new name for a replacement business, which will focus on coffee and also offer sandwiches, salads, house-made soft-serve ice cream and a few surprises. ("Fish is the new pork," he predicts.) He and his team, including chef Liam LaCivita from Liberty Tavern, hope to "welcome back vacationers and college students" by mid-September.

-- Tom Sietsema

The harmonies are fine in "The A Cappella Party," an original musical in which the songs are indeed performed without instrumental accompaniment.

The frat-house plot is a bit of a chore, though, as two a cappella singing groups dis each other like hotheaded contestants on a low-grade reality show. Seems there is an old rivalry at the fictitious Timbucktu U. between the Timbucktones and An Achoired Taste. One's a snooty elitist outfit, while the other styles itself as more laidback but every bit as talented. It only matters because the show's sweet-singing love interests accidentally find themselves on opposite sides of the divide.

The young cast and creators spend too much time on what they hope will be a refreshingly rowdy plot instead of aggressively exploring ways for the music to create moods and ideas. But as hour-long novelties go at the Fringe, it's not bad -- just surprisingly sophomoric, even for a college gang. The singing is generally good, and the huge ensemble at the Warehouse Theatre clearly has a high old time.

-- Nelson Pressley

Landless Theatre had quite the hit during last year's Fringe Festival with its musical about a zombie rock band. Lucky for us, the company's back with another installment: "Diamond Dead (Continued...)."

The performance has all the things fans loved last year, including great (if somewhat gross) songs like "Necrophilia," the star-crossed relationship between the living Aria DeWinter and zombie Dr. Diabolicus, plus a new wacky plot involving an undead Sarah Palin in a star-spangled bikini, and a gun-toting Carrie Prejean. I must say that 6 p.m. on a Wednesday is not the ideal time for this kind of show (especially when it's scorching hot outside and there's no AC in the Baldacchino), but that shouldn't be a problem at the next and last performance Saturday night.

After all, if Diamond Dead can get a post-work audience to its feet, sweatily swaying to the music, doesn't that say something about the quality of the performance? To quote the zombies' newest arch-nemesis: You betcha.

-- Stephanie

When I first moved back to Washington, I was living in a sweet apartment in Dupont. A friend of my mom's generously let me crash in a spare room of her penthouse in exchange for only my company and the occasional carton of cigarettes. The ceilings were high, views were spectacular, life was good.

But that wasn't what made me happiest as I trudged up and down Connecticut Avenue each day for my low-paying, glorified copy editor job. It was a skinny guy who hung out by the Cosi and told me that I had a nice smile. Or a nice "strut." Or some other equally, surprisingly not-creepy compliment. He was known as the Compliment Man.

His time in this town dates back to my junior high days -- as you can see from this long-ago City Paper account -- and even though I feel like everyone I know is aware of this guy, it occurs to me that some newcomers probably aren't. Long story short: he ruled.

This weekend, two college kids will be cavorting around town doling out compliments to passers by on the Mall, in Dupont and in other assorted locations around town. Apparently, the duo made some sort of YouTube splash and now Kodak is supporting their Brightside Tour of the East Coast this summer. I've only seen the video below, but I'm sad to say, as earnest as these guys are, they don't hold a candle to D.C.'s own. He had soul, you know? Check out this annoyingly un-embeddable video of him for comparison's sake. And where is the Compliment Man now? Has anyone seen him lately?

Anyway, a compliment's a compliment, so if you see these guys around, that's the deal.

UPDATE: Could this be the latest of the Compliment Man?

-- Julia

The Something Sweet crew offers handy carryout boxes for its cupcakes. (Julia Beizer - The Washington Post)

About a half hour after it opened its doors for the first time, there was already a line at Something Sweet, D.C. newest dessert shop. Girls in pretty dresses were all lined up yesterday to check out the latest contender in the District's dessert-boutique scene.

I picked up a few samples for us to nibble on before Got Plans? yesterday. Guru consensus: the newcomer's off to a great start.

Yesterday, we dished about Keno machines, Eastern Market, bachelorette parties, bocce and neighborhoods like Takoma Park and Gainesville. Read the full transcript here.

We also answered a frequently asked Got Plans? question:

Arlington, Va.: Hi Gurus! I am leaving D.C. next week for grad school in the Midwest. So, if you had one weekend left in D.C. (like me), what's the one thing you would want to do---a farewell tour if you will? Thanks for making my 3 years in D.C. so fun :))

We gave a few answers yesterday afternoon, but I'd love to hear what you guys think. Let us know in the comments.

-- Julia

I couldn't sum up "Captain Squishy's Yee-Haw Jamboree" better than the guy sitting next to me during the show. Sometime after he started giggling but before the guffaws set in, he leaned over and whispered, "It's like 'Hee Haw' on acid."

"Captain Squishy's Yee-Haw Jamboree" revels in its own ridiculousness. (Capital Fringe Festival)

How else could you describe a country variety show featuring a once-frozen World War I German spy, an ode to bacon and a sketch titled "The Dead Kitten Tea Party"?

The production intersperses scenes from the television show with glimpses of what happens off-camera, and all of it is equally zany. A lot of the jokes are based on the fact that words like "Tarnation!" and oddball Southern aphorisms are inexplicably funny. But some of the easier jokes are bolstered by the entertaining physical comedy, impressive singing abilities of the cast and catchy musical numbers. Case in point: I haven't been able to get the song "I'm Going to Clog Till You Love Me (As Soon As I Learn How to Clog)" out of my head for days.

Nick Greek is especially memorable as Guy Texas, the aforementioned German spy with a penchant for poisoning cupcakes, but really everyone in the cast holds their own. My only gripe is that the show was a little longer than it needed to be. Even so, this is the type of show that will tickle you with its unabashed inanity and leave you as happy as a dead pig in sunshine.

-- Stephanie

Don't be put off by the title of "The Comic Roach: A Roadhouse Picture Show." It's actually a nifty way to catch a flick at the Fringe -- old silent pictures from producer Hal Roach, with new musical scores played live by D.C.'s Snark Ensemble.

Three short comedies are projected via laptop at the Warehouse Theatre, and the movies are classic knockabout farces. One of the lighthearted little sagas involves a cute kleptomaniac ("Stolen Goods"), another is a clever pileup of jealousies ("Too Many Mammas") and the third chronicles how a milquetoast becomes a He-Man ("Boobs in the Woods"). These charming diversions have inspired whimsical music and inventive sound effects from three different Snark composers.

This is Snark's niche: the original scores can be heard on two silent film collections released on DVD (samples are available on Snark's Web site.) The six-member group sounds like a New Orleans jazz combo out on a lark; the melodies slide and lumber during melodramatic moments and zing merrily when accompanying visual shtick.

The instrumentation includes piano, reeds and antic percussion, plus novelties like seal horns and duck whistles, and they gives these black-and-white pictures a colorful range of sounds. Chanteuse Tracy Lynn Olivera plays hostess and joins the band between films for a few smoky tunes, also Snark originals.

-- Nelson Pressley

Maybe it's because you all know Fritz and Rhome are crazy soccer fans, but we've already got a bunch of questions about this weekend's big match in Baltimore. We'll also be talking about the usual: brunches, kid-friendly activities and what to do on H Street. Today's chat begins at 1 p.m. See ya there.

-- Julia

Looking for wine in Columbia Heights, exotic beers in Dupont Circle or rooftop margaritas in Glover Park? Here's a quick update on three places that should be on your radar in the coming weeks.

Visit Room 11 on August 10

For months, we've been awaiting word on Room 11, the new Columbia Heights wine bar run by Dan Searing (formerly of Temperance Hall), Paul Ruppert (of the Warehouse Theater), Nick Pimentel (Gypsy Eyes Records) and Ben Gilligan (most recently of the Warehouse Cafe). The intimate little space at 3234 11th St. NW was supposed to open last fall, but it just received its certificate of occupancy on Monday.

Searing says they're "throwing the doors open" on Monday, Aug. 10, so neighbors can get a look around. Expect two dozen wines by the glass -- eight white, eight red and eight dessert or sparkling -- to complement a menu of paninis, small plates, cheese and charcuterie. Dessert comes from Paisley Fig, which also supplies pastries to Cork.

Expect demand to be high in the early days: there are only 20 seats inside and another 28 on the patio. But with quality wines by the glass starting at $6, it should be worth the wait.

Here Comes Another Paradiso for Beer Fans

Pizzeria Paradiso has finally set an opening date for its new, larger restaurant at 2003 P St. NW, which is just steps away from its current Dupont Circle location. Diners will get their first glance on Aug. 17, but more important, beer lovers can check out the new mini version of Georgetown's rave-worthy Birreria Paradiso. Expect 12 draft beers, a cask engine for English-style ales and about 150 different bottles or "as much beer as I can fit," says Birreria beer expert Greg Jasgur. About half the drafts will be the same as those at the Georgetown Birreria, but "we'll switch it up a bit" with the rest, Jasgur adds. "It's not going to be exactly the same."

It's important to note that while the Birreria occupies its own floor on M Street, the new Pizzeria Paradiso will just have a large bar area, so beer lovers will rub elbows with patrons waiting to get a table in the restaurant or on its patio."It's got a cozy feeling -- low ceilings and a lot of beer," Jasgur says.

Rooftop Drinks at Surfside

After a long battle with Glover Park's Advisory Neighborhood Commission, the beachy Surfside restaurant can now serve alcohol on its rooftop deck. This is a great development for those of us who had to sit inside on a sunny day if we wanted to wash down our mahi mahi tacos with a margarita or cold Mexican beer. Need a new happy hour destination? All drinks are half-price between 5:30 and 6:30 every weekday, and there's no food purchase required if you want to sit outside.

-- Fritz

A little bit of Woodstock at the Fringe: that's what you get with the party-ready "Dizzy Miss Lizzie's Roadside Revue -- The Saints."

This is storytelling via rock and roll. The band of musicians who had a hit last summer with an electrified "Oresteia" are now reviving it at the Church Street Theater, and their amped up, laid-back carnival routine still makes them as cool as anything at the festival.

Again, the original songs are by guitarist Steve McWilliams (who also serves as MC) and keyboardist Debra Buonaccorsi (who also works the accordion, guitar, and mandolin). Their blues-based tunes tell the tales of various Biblical saints, from Augustine (played in cowboy gear by bassist Jason Wilson) to Francis of Assisi (a very hippy-dippy Jordan Klein).

This being rock and roll, it's all done with equal parts devotion, subversion and wit. The Virgin Martyrs get a honky-tonk number, St. George sings a country ballad, and the range of styles surprise and amuse. The band also rocks, which means the crowd in the Baldacchino tent spontaneously claps along. As before, Dizzy Miss Lizzie looks so fine: the muscular, high-spirited music and appealingly casual atmosphere has no trouble creating new converts.

-- Nelson Pressley

The Crystal Stilts carry the torch for shambolic '80s-influenced shoegaze and indie rock. They're from New York, of course. (Lauren Bilanko)

Catch a trio of indie rock bands that span the decades; hear up-and-coming local hip-hop and soul acts; relax at a "Big Lebowski"-themed pool party; show your strength by arm wrestling and tossing empty kegs; check out the opening of a hip-hop inspired art exhibit; slam dance to DJs; celebrate "The Golden Girls" or toast Peruvian Independence Day with a pisco sour.

We know you all are dying for those D.C. Restaurant Week details. You've been writing into Got Plans? about the dates and restaurant list for a while. Okay, so the list isn't out yet and likely won't be until early next week. In the meantime, we wanted to make sure you restaurant lovers marked some other dates on your dining calendars.

Bethesda-Chevy Chase Restaurant Week kicks off on Monday, July 27. Unlike its city-side counterpart, the prices for these meals vary from restaurant to restaurant. Two-course lunches are $12 or $15. Three-course dinners range from $25 to $30. You can find a full list of restaurants here. I love any excuse to go to Tako Grill and Jaleo.

Baltimore Restaurant Week gets going on Aug. 7, and 90 area restaurants are participating. Need recommendations on where to go? Several that earned good marks in an recent Ask Tom chat are on the list -- Pazo Restaurant, Black Olive and The Wine Market among them.

Readers, help your fellow diners out and chime in with favorites in the comments. As for D.C. Restaurant Week, we'll let you know the details as soon as we hear 'em.

-- Julia

It turns out that Sears catalogs can cause real destruction. How else can you explain a devoutly religious rodeo clown's fall from grace?

In "Riding the Bull," one of the Fringe Festival's more captivating shows, the main character's love for the pretty ladies in their Sears' get-ups sets in motion all sorts of sordid events, starting with his excommunication from the Catholic church and ending with his sudden appreciation for a nativity scene that was rearranged into an orgy.

Kate Debelack and Jason McCool star in "Riding the Bull." (Colin Hovde)

If the premise of "Bull" sounds a little off-the-wall, well, it is. But the two-person play proves to be a rewarding, entertaining, occasionally shocking 90 minutes. After all, we can't blame Sears entirely for derailing GL, the former rodeo clown. There's also his girlfriend, Liza, whose post-coital clairvoyance (she shouts out the names of the next day's bull riding champions) makes the pair wealthy almost overnight. Couple their newfound fortune with GL's mommy issues and you can expect a pretty twisted outcome.

"The Girls Inside," Leayne C. Freeman's drama about life in a detention center for women, is so new and unfinished that it's only 35 minutes long. (You can get that kind of thing at Fringe.) Still, it's a good start -- better than expected, really -- because Freeman has worked at a detention facility in Laurel, and the voices she channels ring true.

Freeman gets it off to an action-packed start as four young women each get apprehended by unseen authorities, snarling and resisting all the way. "Why me?" they wail, and Freeman then has them tell their stories to the audience, sometimes in hip-hop style.

The performers are passionate, and they're ably directed by Anastasia Wilson. Freeman oversimplifies the issues, of course, because her goal is simple for now: she wants you to hear these girls and like them a little. If you need an introduction to the hard choices faced by the young women who land inside juvie, you could do worse.

-- Nelson Pressley

The upcoming week or so is a great one for dine-o-philes. Urbana's celebrating a birthday. Asia Nine's celebrating the moon. And Columbia Heights restaurants and bars band together to contribute to a local fest. Read on for the deets.

Ah, the lilt of Irish literature. Polly MacIntyre uses the writing of Edna O'Brien for her solo show "She Moved Through the Fair," and the result is a respectably acted but unexciting string of melodic monologues.

All four sketches concern one woman's intimate interactions with various men, from the eye-opening weirdo she recalls in the first monologue to the married man she's about to lure into a psychological trap. It's a bit hard to believe these are all the same woman, though: has the blushing colleen of the first piece really transformed into the randy dame of the second?

MacIntyre vanishes between each monologue, so the awkward transitions are no help. Even the music that underscores each scene is turned off.)

The tales themselves vary from lovely and funny to a little snoozy. Sounding Irish to her core, MacIntyre (an experienced performer from Philadelphia) is at her best in the second piece, playing a free-spirited woman being wooed by a cocky rock and roll drummer who isn't really up to the job. The misadventures here are racy and told with a good deal of tart sarcasm; it's a story an actress can play.

The other vignettes are more introspective and subtle, without much strategy for energizing them theatrically. So little happens on stage that when MacIntyre arranges flowers in the final piece -- the one about the married man -- a single red bloom begins to seem fraught with dangerous portent. A little more of this might go a long way.

-- Nelson Pressley

What could be better than seeing local-boy-made-good Benjy Ferree under the stars at Fort Reno? Seeing Benjy Ferree at Fort Reno with lots of free cake. (Bryan Whitson)

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.

Sunday
Artscape
Sunday's highlights include a performance by blue-eyed soul singer Robin Thicke, tricks from the Acrobats of China and the finals of the city's male and female jazz vocal competitions.

Monday
'Babe' at Columbia Town Center's Lakefront Summer Festival
It's a big night for outdoor movies -- Screen on the Green returns to the Mall and the Crystal City Superheroes series continues -- but if you have the kids in tow, the best destination is Columbia. The sloping lawn allows even the smallest viewers to see the screen.

Tuesday
'Moving Perspectives: Shahzia Sikander and Sun Xun' at the Sackler Gallery
Pakistani painter Shahzia Sikander and Chinese printmaker Sun Xun started in traditional forms of art, but they are taking their talents into the realm of video.

Wednesday
Uke Fest 2009 at the Music Center at Strathmore
Featured performers include Grammy winners Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer, who play traditional folk and country on ukuleles instead of the usual guitar and mandolin; the jazzy pop songs of Victoria Vox; Bruce Hutton, who performs songs dating back to the Renaissance; and James Hill, whose new album, "True Love Don't Weep," ranges from blistering instrumentals to old-time gospel and folk.

Thursday
Benjy Ferree at Fort Reno
His new record, "Come Back to the Five and Dime, Bobby Dee Bobby Dee," finds Ferree with a glammed-up swagger, but we expect his songs will sound perfect under the stars. This is the outdoor concert series' annual "Night of 1,000 Cakes" potluck; generous types bring baked goods to share.

Friday
B2B at Friday Night Live
Tickets for Jimmy Buffet's two Nissan Pavilion shows are currently selling for over $120. If you want to get to Margaritaville without that kind of drag on your wallet, Richmond-based band B2B has the easygoing vibe down on a variety of Buffet classics. The group also covers acts from the Beatles to Kenny Chesney. The band takes the stage on the Herndon Town Green tonight as part of its weekly outdoor concert series. Let's hope the beer trucks stock Corona, or at least Landshark Lager.

Saturday
The Capital Hip-Hop Soul Fest at Marvin Gaye Park
Catch a mix of D.C.'s hip-hop and soul veterans and a rack of up-and-comers: Look out for conscious rapper Bomani Armah, soulful siren Teisha Marie and out-there Baltimore native Labtekwon, whose material swings between thumping club hits and neo-soul.

-- Fritz

Frank Morales tells me he resigned on Wednesday from Rustico and its parent, the Neighborhood Restaurant Group.

"We have parted ways," confirmed Michael Babin, co-owner of the organization, who declined to go into specifics about the chef's departure. "I have tremendous respect for Frank and we appreciate everything he did at Rustico."

Morales returned the bouquet in a telephone interview: "It's a wonderful restaurant."

So why is he leaving after two years, especially with no other job lined up? "I did all that I could do" there, he says. "The good news is I'm not leaving town."

Part of Morales' role had been to help the Neighborhood Restaurant Group develop new businesses; one idea he leaves unfinished is Birch & Barley on 14th St. NW. The two-story, beer-themed restaurant and bar was originally scheduled to open last summer with Morales at its helm, but major structural issues have delayed the launch.

"It's coming, it's coming along," says Babin -- now eagerly searching for a chef to replace his former employee.

-- Tom Sietsema

Squash blossoms fill this quesadilla and a handful of other dishes as part of Oyamel's annual festival. (Julia Beizer - The Washington Post)

Squash blossoms make a brief appearance around these parts in midsummer. And when they do, the chefs at the Penn Quarter restaurant Oyamel are ready to celebrate. The restaurant's in the middle of its second annual Squash Blossom Festival, a two-week event that pays tribute to the edible flowers with a handful of special dishes priced between $8 and $14.

A soft corn tortilla wraps around gently melted Oaxaca cheese, squash blossoms and zucchini in the quesadilla de flores de calabaza. In another dish, the delicate blossoms are stuffed with goat cheese that's flecked with poblano chile and epazote. These creamy pods sit atop a tomato-based sauce. Its blend of olives, capers and pearl onions nods to the Spanish influence on Mexican cooking.

"When you're down in Mexico, they're a very common ingredient," says Oyamel chef Joe Raffa. "Seasonal, still, but very common." He goes on to describe a soup so full of the flowery squash tops that it would cost $500 to make in this country. "Here, we have to be more careful about how we use them."

The small plates are available through July 26.

-- Julia

If you have a bit of surly gunslinger in you, it might be drawn out by "Billy the Kid: First Exhumation.

Directed by Jackson Phippin, this moody experimental piece is based on the legend of Billy the Kid. Using some clever Old West cutouts on the stage and echo-y guitar work and electronic noise from Steven Leffue, the cast roughs in the outlaw's history and acts out a few of the highlights.

But the loose exploration of Billy also includes what seems like personal confessions by the actors, who then play themselves as they describe instances of petty crime and hair-trigger fights. They tell these vivid tales directly to the audience, using their own names (Tim Pabon, Bolton Marsh, John Benoit), and Benoit's story leaves you wondering if he really did have an unexpected hand in the death of an old man.

Why do they share these anecdotes? Actors being actors -- and this being a certain brand of collaborative theater that's not really interested in text -- eventually they look within themselves for personal connections to the story, and their own inner Billys come tumbling out. Pabon and Benoit are particularly compelling, and Leffue's live accompaniment is an invaluable partner in this intriguing excursion.

The members of Redd Shifft are well-versed in the techniques they are using, and moment by moment, the show holds the stage. You can tell you're in the hands of pros, which, of course, isn't always the case at Fringe.

-- Nelson Pressley

To answer the obvious questions about "Bare Breasted Women Sword Fighting," a) indeed they are, and b) yes, they do. Which is why no one under 18 is admitted to this bawdy vaudeville at Source.

Not that toplessness is all there is to the act; after all, a savvy group of women aren't just going to do that, are they? What the performers of Dog & Pony DC have created is both a burlesque and an anti-burlesque: they'll show some skin, but this ain't yer daddy's strip club. They're going to play with conventions and make you think about it.

That attitude leads to some of the most sophisticated comedy I've seen so far on the Fringe, especially when an emcee dressed like Marlene Dietrich (men's tux) and dripping with Mae West innuendo saucily warms up the crowd. The acts that follow are a weird, canny blend of degrading and empowering, with the first -- "The Amazing Rubber Woman," who bounces back with a chirp and a smile each time her man slugs her -- making it impossible to view anything else as a mere playful display.

There's a rasslin' match between a Warrior Princess and a Damsel in Distress, a pair of half-nude Amazons glowering and wielding swords, and a string of classic dirty jokes told by a three-headed figure embodying the stereotypical virgin-mother-whore view of womanhood. The entire evening is awfully skillful: the comic timing is polished, and the cast banters winningly with the crowd throughout the evening. The women generally keep the irony dialed pretty high, and the control is impressive as they play these overdrawn types to the hilt, egging the audience on in a peculiar high-spirited conspiracy to have women flirting, fighting and exposed.

-- Nelson Pressley

Transplant "The Office" to a government bureau and you get "GS-14," a wonky comedy from Jason Ford that drew a full house to the sweaty upstairs Bodega venue Wednesday night. (And it was even at the wonk-friendly time of 5:30 -- right after work!)

Ford has done a stretch or two in federal government jobs, so his procedural jokes about a scheming project manager get plenty of knowing laughs. Plotting isn't his long suit, though, and director Catherine Aselford does practically nothing in terms of staging. (The same can be said, incidentally, for the Two Mormons Walk Into a Bar production of Four Dogs and a Bone, John Patrick Shanley's acidic Hollywood satire: the performers show up and act fast, and that's about it.)

The "GS-14" actors know their lines (pretty much), but the show is largely carried by Ford's writing: He gives a merrily Machiavellian manager named Hank lots of snappy lines as the character pushes the envelope of right and wrong. The main story is about how Hank tries to secure a project that might actually help save lives.

What's more interesting is the subplot that comes from the colorful gallery of characters Ford's created. The office staff includes a competent new guy named Theo who, on principle, shows up to work in women's clothing.

"I hope this job will be a nice mix of useful projects and social justice," says Theo, played with appealing dignity by the tall, strapping Ricardo Frederick Evans. Ford makes this figure intellectually compelling -- he's rebelling against the tyranny of gender roles, and Ford knows this rhetoric, too -- while getting good comic mileage from the challenge he poses to the office.

The bulk of the show, though, deals with the politically incorrect manager Hank as he manipulates his minions (namely Theo and the attractive young Megan) while fighting off grievance charges from the local union lawyer.

Though Ford keeps the pace brisk at 90 minutes, the comedy is eventually similar to its bureaucratic target: confused and bloated.

-- Nelson Pressley

In true summer fashion, we spent a lot of this week's chat discussing bars with patios and roof decks. We also dished about must-see Fringe Festival plays, decent local beignets, locations for pre- and post-wedding parties and the P.O.V. rooftop bar at the new W Hotel (Fritz, in favor; Julia, slightly opposed).

Read the full transcript here. Got comments? Leave 'em below or submit them to next week's discussion.

-- Julia

Body, race, gender: The Saartjie Project dives deep into these fraught issues at the Fringe Festival in "Deconstructing the Myth of the Booty." It's one of those rare shows that is utterly worthwhile even though the performance is sometimes shaky; this nine-woman collective goes beyond mere attitude and finds plenty of illuminating things to say.

The group takes its name from the true history of Saartjie Baartman, the 19th-century South African woman who was crudely displayed in Europe for pronounced physical features that were deemed hypersexual and exotic. The performance channels Baartman's story and spirit, expressing outrage at her treatment and leaping into moody demonstrations of how the stereotyping persists today.

It's not a plot-driven show -- it's poetry, song, a few sketches, and one particularly riveting dance. Drama is the weak point: for instance, how, in five or so minutes, can you meaningfully suggest four stark types (from suffering kerchiefed matriarch to strutting mini-dressed hip-hop gal) for contemporary black women to play? The dialogue meanders and the idea simply isn't fleshed out.

The poetry and monologues tend to hit faster and harder. One woman tells about the white man who came onto her (generically, saying he'd never been with a black woman), which inspires a long, fascinating riff as she imagines what, precisely, the attractions would have been for him. Even more provocative is the recorded voice-over of thoughts as a nude model poses in an art class; the model contemplates everything from Baartman to a flip insult from her art teacher, and eventually the poses become a fluid, arresting dance.

The troupe never lacks for ideas or understanding, which was emphasized by the unusually engaging post-show discussion Wednesday night. Their expressiveness is still under construction -- apparently three segments were brand-new that evening -- but when it works, it's terrific.

-- Nelson Pressley

It's pretty amazing that a play called "Pepe! The Mail Order Monkey Musical" could be based on actual events, but such is the life of Washington Glass School founder Tim Tate. As it turns out, when he and his brother were kids, they ordered a monkey from a comic book, throwing their neighborhood into a tizzy. And also setting up the premise of a funny and strange mixed-bag of a musical.

But "Pepe" is less about the monkey and more about life in suburbia, including housewife malaise, bridge tournaments, social climbing and drinking excessively, especially while pregnant. The unexpected plot direction wasn't a bad thing, what with fun choreographed housewife dances and a bridge party musical number. But so much of the fun of the play was derived from scenes with the brothers that I found myself thinking about what might have been.

The snaking line at Market Lunch. (Susan Biddle for The Washington Post)

I've never been big on breakfast, but I think one of my best meals in recent weeks was a Styrofoam container full of buttery, fluffy pancakes.

It was a Thursday. The sun was shining brilliantly at just before 9 a.m. and I sat alone at one of Eastern Market's few outdoor tables and chomped mouthful after deliberate mouthful. There was no one to talk to, nothing to read; just me and a plate of delicious, oddly uniform plain pancakes.

This Market Lunch special made up just one of the many meals I enjoyed while reporting one of the sweetest assignments I've had in a while. My charge was to cruise around Eastern Market and its newly re-opened South Hall, eat, write. Check out the rest of my faves in a story for this week's Weekend section.

With only 800 words at my disposal, I had to limit my scope somehow and I did that my focusing on only ready-to-eat foods from the South Hall and the vendors in front of the aquatic center. But since everyone approaches a place like Eastern Market differently, I thought it would be cool to get readers' suggestions for must-buy eats at Eastern Market. Add your favorites to the comments below.

-- Julia

According to radio reports, the last of Al Gore's clones has died and Japandia has a new prime minister. Welcome to the year 3009. This is the world where "May 39th/40th" takes place and things have changed quite a bit -- except when they haven't.

James Finley and Lindsay Hayes star in "May 39th/40th." (Capital Fringe Festival)

For example, human beings have no interaction 1,000 years in the future, but when they do manage to secretly meet up, men are still from Mars and women from Venus. The upside of this whole isolation thing is that diseases don't spread and people can't murder. Of course, the negatives are pretty obvious. And so, when people start craving a nice cuddle, they have to break the rules. And that's how Sam and Louisa meet on May 39th. The premise is great so far, right? The problem is that the characters, living in a world so different from our own, seem all too familiar.

Sam has a one-track mind and a tendency for aggression. And we've seen Louisa before too; she's a mix of uptight and easily irritated. There's a long back-and-forth involving the possibility of a "purple exemption" (so that the two, who have just met, can live together) and the debate gets frustratingly repetitive. After a while, things start to get creepy, which turns out to be a welcome change from the tiresome conversation. The final minutes of May 39th are a smart blend of humor and pain.

Surely "Bargain Basement Game Show" is the most generous event in the Fringe Festival: T-shirts were liberally handed out during the pleasantly interactive 80 minutes, and I won a prize!

It's just a flash drive with the show's logo printed on it (this was for fifth place, I think), but the take-home loot appears to be real: a substantial bookstore gift card went to the winner. The game itself is more fun than expected, or at least it was Friday night. And the competition and the skits between rounds all change with each performance, so you can forget about learning the answers and passing them on to a friend.

The theme Friday night was the 1980s, and the trivia mainly involved pop culture and politics. Some of the questions were slam-dunk easy, but the game grew nicely challenging as it went on, and the brain was definitely teased. The goofy skits stuck to the '80s, too (early MTV, "Back to the Future"), and while host Rob Perkins and hostess Maureen Shanahan couldn't be more genial, let's just say the show really needs the game. It turns out to be great that they don't really mock the much-parodied form: they seem to genuinely like it. There's no guilt in this guilty pleasure, and the "What do we have for our contestants?" enthusiasm is infectious.

-- Nelson Pressley

Admit it: You've been meaning to compare and contrast the 1623 Folio version of "Hamlet" with the 1603 "bad" quarto for years, right?

Rest easy. With "Bad Hamlet," the Adequate Players have done it for you, cutting Shakespeare's long tragedy down to an hour yet taking the whole thing seriously. How, you ask? Two actors play Hamlet simultaneously -- and there are two Ophelias, two of Laertes, etc. Where the scripts tally, the lines are the same: both melancholy Danes mutter the familiar "thy name is woman" and "the play's the thing," for instances, but otherwise differences are indeed highlighted in John Geoffrion's side-by-side edit.

Despite subtle clues here and there in the traditional black costuming, it takes a bit of effort to keep the dueling editions straight, so this is an awful place for "Hamlet" newbies to start. Nor is the earnestly acted show a nuanced consideration of the implications on character and theme -- but that's OK. Geoffrion isn't out to scramble your sense of "Hamlet"; he just wants you to sample the variations, and this lickety-split demo does the trick.

-- Nelson Pressley

Nigerian singer King Sunny Ade brings four decades of experience and more than 100 albums worth of material to the 9:30 club on Friday. (Robert Lyons)

Like the great outdoors? We have multiple rooftop happy hours this week, plus the grandfather of Afrobeat music, pioneering DJs from the Detroit techno and Chicago house scenes, '80s dance parties with happy hour, Belgian Independence Day parties with beer specials and an English band that David likens to "standing in front of a cannon right before it releases its payload." And yes, that's a good thing.

During the Fringe Festival's lively, cerebral performance piece "A Tactile Dinner," a theatergoer's most vital accessory is a napkin.

When you arrive at the Fringe venue, a Ninth Street NW storefront rowhouse, silent and grimacing waiters supply you with eccentric dinner jackets and escort you to tables. Over the next hour or so, you're exposed to a banquet of both the palate and the mind. Waiters circulate with dishes of artful whimsy: the first course, for instance, is a paper cone filled with little comestibles. The cone sits on a silver stem, and at its base is a little music box. On a cue from an actor on a video screen, guests are commanded to simultaneously eat and turn the crank on the box. (What they serve - -and why -- is meant to be a surprise; suffice to say that you will not be fed in hunger-satisfying portions.)

I know it sounds a little precious. But as experiential theater goes, this effort, by the D.C.-based banished? productions and artistic director Carmen C. Wong makes for a giddy little refreshment. The point? There actually is one: "A Tactile Dinner" is a kind of homage to futurism, the early 20th-century art movement born in Italy that embraced the application of technology to all aspects of life, including gastronomy.

"Skywriter" follows the story of an inspirational teacher in a crumbling urban school, so of course my first thought was, "haven't I seen this somewhere before?" Luckily, it becomes clear that there's more to Angry Young Theatre Company's production than its predecessors. After all, Morgan Freeman doesn't wear a light blue lycra superhero costume under his suit in "Lean on Me." But middle school teacher Frank Fletcher does.

Before you continue reading, here's a tip: Open up another tab on your web browser and buy tickets to "The Sin Show" before the thing sells out, because it's only a matter of time. It's that good.

Seaton Smith takes on envy in "The Sin Show." (Alexander Morozov)

All done? Okay. Now I'll tell you why, if you go to a single Fringe performance this year, it should be this one. SpeakeasyDC, the organization that reveres the ancient art of storytelling above all else, is back at Fringe with yet another winner.

This year the show is focusing on the deadly sins: seven actors lay themselves bare on stage to describe their own battles with gluttony, sloth or greed. Each story is impeccably written, blending the humor and sadness that comes with the self-awareness of hindsight.

That was fast! Hired in May to boost business at the struggling Carlyle Club in Alexandria, Rahman "Rock" Harper was dismissed -- via e-mail -- on Friday. "They couldn't afford me anymore," says the 32-year-old chef, a season three winner on the reality TV show "Hell's Kitchen" who came to the Carlyle from Next Door on U Street.

DJ Dimitris George keeps people moving at the monthly Hipster Overkill party at Steve's Bar Room. (Garai Rice)

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.

Monday
The Fringe at Steve's Bar Room
Ever wonder where the cool kids hang out on a Monday night? They're probably among the packed crowds at Steve's Bar Room until the wee hours, listening to DJ Tru and Dimitris George spin electro and remixes. This time around, local DJ Harry Dixon is the guest.

Tuesday
The Best of Artomatic at Fraser Gallery
Did you miss Artomatic, the month-long celebration of D.C. art and artists? Maybe you just couldn't make your way through all seven floors? Bethesda's Fraser Gallery is showingdozens of works from Artomatic in this retrospective exhibit.

Wednesday
Ladies Night at Bedrock Billiards
Every Wednesday from 7 to midnight, women play pool, shuffleboard and Nintendo Wii games free at the subterranean Adams Morgan pool hall. (Usual rates start at $6 per person per hour; men still pay full price.) Drink specials are offered, too.

Thursday
"Countdown to the Moon Day" at the National Air and Space Museum
It's been 40 years since American astronauts first walked on the moon. To celebrate, the Air and Space Museum is hosting a day of activities: You can see a 3-D model of the lunar landscape, touch rocks from the moon, experiment with robots and learn about rockets.

Friday
Sunset Sessions at Champps Americana of Reston
Local DJs spin house and electronic music on Champps Americana's patio. Get there early for free beer, courtesy of Miller Lite.

Saturday
'Lawrence of Arabia' at the National Archives
Peter O'Toole stars as the controversial British adventurer T.E. Lawrence in this 1962 epic, which won seven Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor. The noon screening is in conjunction with the ongoing "Big" exhibit.

-- Fritz

Although this theater company's name may seem less than creative, Trio, made up of Gabrielle Fisher, Noah Kelly and Pardis Parsa, delivered some original fun on Saturday. The sketch comedians took on cooking shows, therapy, baby rental services (!) and yoga, with a dash of dance party thrown in for good measure.

The comedians of Trio bring "Soup" to Fringe Festival. (Capital Fringe Festival)

The funniest of the six sketches in "Soup!" revolved around a hit-man's need for zen. A mobster, played by Kelly, follows his sister to a power yoga class because he wants to tell her about his job angst, while the woman between them cluelessly continues on with her downward dogs. Kelly's contagiously funny facial expressions and Gumby-like body made him a standout throughout the show, but this sketch really played to his strong suits. I loved the combination of his Jersey accent, glum demeanor and the way he gets into tree pose with a cigarette dangling from his mouth.

Meanwhile, "Lotus" found a woman, who had recently undergone surgery, justifying her actions to her nether regions. I should also mention that said area had a name (Lucy), a lot of attitude and a man's voice. The premise alone is ridiculous, so you can only imagine the conversation that follows.

Trio works best in this type of all-out farce; the more real-life the sketches appeared, the less funny they usually were. "Remedy," for example, consisted of a woman's conversation with her doctor. Even though the ending was a little strange, the meandering lead-up didn't justify the pay-off.

But any slowness was forgotten by the time "PANDEMIC!" rolled around. The three-person dance party played to the three actors' strengths of physical comedy and, best of all, the short performance delighted in utter silliness.

-- Stephanie

(Images courtesy of Capital Fringe Festival)

You may have noticed that we're going all out on the blog to cover the Fringe Festival this year. Peter Marks, Nelson Pressley and I will be posting multiple reviews each day to guide you to the best shows that the theater smorgasbord has to offer. So check the theater category of the blog daily for new reviews, look at our promising picks from the Fringe preview and read up on Fringe fanatic Mike Riley's two cents on six can't-miss shows during this year's festival. We also have tips on fan favorites returning from last year to entertain you.

After that, all that's left to do is check out the full schedule of shows and get your tickets.

-- Stephanie

When you're spending all day going to performances in an unjuried theater festival, you can bet that not everything is going to be a winner. Fringe is, after all, really a celebration of the theater craft -- from the writing to the rehearsing to the final performance -- and so the actors might be getting as much out of Fringe as the audience. In the case of "The Devil's Christmas Carol," though, the actors probably got more out of the production than the audience.

OutOftheBlackBox Theater Company's world premiere response to Charles Dickens' holiday classic was full of good intentions. The Greenbelt theater group's succinct summary even sounded amusingly intriguing: The devil forces his captives to perform "A Christmas Carol" for eternity and dangles a carrot of freedom to get them to give their 647th performance the old college try.

But the premise turned out to be more muddled. The performance got started with a "Lost"-style flashback about a man abandoning his wife after she gives birth to a crippled baby, which explains why Tiny Tim ended up in Hell in the first place. Beyond that, the story was a mishmash of characters searching for stage props, reunited family members, homages to the source material, an ornery director who may have a Napoleon complex and -- out of nowhere -- a love story.

Unfortunately, the script wasn't the only thing that needed more work. The whole performance seemed more rehearsal than finished product. There were missed cues, premature stage entrances and forgotten lyrics. Meanwhile the background music (which sounded like a discordant call-and-response between a bassoon and a glockenspiel), was so loud it was often impossible to hear the actors on stage.

There were redeeming qualities. A huge one was Kayla Dixon, who played Tiny Tim's daughter Gabriela. Her voice was in a class of its own and her stage presence and poise were well beyond her middle school years. Even so, one 8th grader can't be expected to prop up an entire musical.

-- Stephanie

Remember the line from "The Elephant Man" about John Merrick's deformed head being so big because it's full of dreams? Turns out they're Broadway dreams, baby!

"Elephant Man -- The Musical " is a one-joke show mainly for buffs eager to spot the loving song-and-dance rip-offs ("Gypsy" to "Les Miz") in the final batch of tunes. This deliberate travesty only takes four actors to pull it off, though the New York-based No. 11 Productions' quick-paced staging also includes a hilarious video chronicling the modern-day Merrick's Broadway audition.

"Fantastic," one of the producers says after Merrick sings. "Now let's see if you can move."

The stars of "Cabaret CooCoo." (Capital Fringe Festival)

The leggy cigarette girls are your first clue to the throwback aura of Cabaret CooCoo, a gentle exercise in vaudeville pluck by the locally based Happenstance Theater. Before the show starts, women stroll the aisles selling items you can't actually consume in the low-ceilinged auditorium at Mt. Vernon Place United Methodist Church (Fringe calls this venue The Mountain), while two musicians plink out cute old tunes on accordion and ukulele.

It's awfully winsome, so delicate you fear it might fall apart. By design, these yesteryear troupers barely have their act together: the headliners haven't arrived, the master of ceremonies disappears, and heck, nobody's even manning the spotlight. (When someone finally gets to it, the beam keeps hitting the wrong spot.)

Time for a wing and a prayer, right? Surely this charming band of entertainers has a little something up its collective sleeve.

Sarah Kane's "4.48 Psychosis" comes to the Fringe Festival. (Capital Fringe Festival)

"Is this the line for the suicide play?" a young man asked on Seventh Street at the Fringe last night.

It was, and it was a very good line to be in. The "suicide play" is Sarah Kane's 4.48 Psychosis, a harrowing piece of writing from the mind of a talented but deeply depressed woman. The British playwright was 28 when she killed herself in 1999, shortly after completing this drama, and the play's insight into the anger and guilt of the truly desperate will leave you deeply rattled. Yet the brilliance of the Factory 449 production (at the Bodega, a rough upstairs space that's perfect for this show) may also leave you exhilarated.

It was 10:30 on a Friday night and I was sitting in a pew with an impressive crowd of theater-goers hoping to worship at the altar of funny. I kicked off Fringe Festival on a risky note called improv with "Slow News Day," a satirical local news show where the anchors are a far cry from the polite Joe Krebs and the composed Barbara Harrison.

The performance, courtesy of 4&9 Productions, was broken up into three parts: News segments, commercial breaks and a behind-the-scenes look at a news station that makes Ron Burgundy's crew seem completely mundane. And, since it was improv, a lot of the show was based on audience suggestion. Of course this puts the comedians at the mercy of other people's hilarity -- or lack thereof. To give you an idea of what worked and didn't, here's a couple rules of thumb: A news story about a family being slaughtered? Not really that funny. A commercial for a meatsicle? Well, just the word meatsicle is funny. Of course sometimes the comedians squandered opportunities (An inappropriate new mascot for the Redskins? They should have been able to do that one in their sleep.), but they also made the most of suggestions that would have stumped most people. Who knew pipe bombs could be hilarious?

So the spotty show jumped from occasionally hysterical to strange-yet-amusing with sporadic bouts of slowness. The commercial segments were pretty consistent, however, and I could have used more ad time in place of the other two segments; thankfully, there was no TiVo. One bright spot of the behind-the-scenes segments was J.W. Crump, who played an office minion with a Southern accent and a quirky habit of writing down everything anyone said. Crump was also one of the three actors starring in the commercial segments -- one of the key reasons those were so strong.

I had really high hopes for the show after the Fringe preview last week, and even though it tended to drag at times last night, there were enough promising moments to make me believe that it will turn out to be a crowd-pleaser. The cast just needs to work out some of its early-run kinks.

-- Stephanie

Washington restaurateur Ashok Bajaj served me two heaping helpings of food news this afternoon.

Scoop No. 1: Bajaj has tapped Nicholas Stefanelli to be his executive chef at Bibiana Osteria-Enoteca, a 120-seat Italian restaurant expected to open at 1100 New York Ave. NW in early September. Best-known for having worked in the kitchen of the late, four-star Maestro in Tysons Corner, Stefanelli most recently cooked at Mio downtown.

The decision to take the job was an easy one for the 29-year-old chef, who says Bajaj "has a long and successful track record in D.C." Further, "D.C. really needs a good Italian restaurant." Bibiana will focus on simple flavors and rustic preparations -- spaghetti carbonara, offal, pizza -- although Stefanelli will also offer a tasting menu (and hopes to squeeze in white and black truffles when they're in season).

The physical changes to the restaurant space are moving forward, too. "We're closing the ceiling today," says Bajaj. "The pizza oven came yesterday."

Update: Tim Carman reported in February that 701 will temporarily close this summer for renovations. Today Bajaj gave me the planned start date and news of a new chef there.

Scoop No. 2: Bajaj says he's temporarily closing 701 for 10 days starting Aug. 2. The Penn Quarter restaurant will get its first major renovation since 2000 and a new chef in the process. Adam Longworth, the former chef de cuisine of the acclaimed Gotham Bar & Grill in New York, is replacing Bobby Varua.

Construction workers and others will work in three shifts to prepare the restaurant for its quick reopening. "You won't recognize the place," promises Bajaj, who has scheduled new carpets, window treatments, color schemes, bathrooms, private rooms and an overhaul of the kitchen. A semi-enclosed lounge will also take the place of 701's caviar bar.

-- Tom Sietsema

"Magnum Opus" updates the saga of 19th century composer Robert Schumann. (Capital Fringe Festival)

With Fringe you get a bit of everything -- even serious opera. Take Michael Oberhauser's Magnum Opus, which freely updates the saga of 19th-century composer Robert Schumann, who died in a mental institution at age 46.

Oberhauser focuses on a modern Robert trying to write on his laptop amid the beer bottles and pizza-box-wreckage of his room. He's blocked, but a pair of timeless muses glide in to help -- or perhaps to drive... him... mad!

"Magnum Opus" isn't as melodramatic as all that, despite a plot that only roughs in its hairpin-turn jealousies and suspicions; you can't always believe it when these likable characters suddenly steer themselves toward the rocks. Robert is a critic trying to write a play, but he's distracted: attentions are being lavished on his talented wife, Claire, by an ambitious composer. When Claire ardently sings the composer's sappy serenade -- well, what's a paranoid husband to think?

When Les Halles closed suddenly last year, it meant the end of the traditional Bastille Day waiters' races -- or so we thought.

This year, those who want to do some racing have two choices: The French maid races in Adams Morgan at L'Enfant, one of several Bastille Day events that Julia and I wrote about earlier, or a more traditional competition at the Sofitel, as part of its "SOphisticated SOcial Hour" from 7 to 9 on Tuesday night.

The Sofitel's races will take place on the sidewalk on 15th Street NW outside the hotel, explains Lisa Byrne, the hotel's director of catering and conference services. The format will be similar to the old races at Les Halles: You have to speed-walk while carrying trays of full glasses of water. The only real difference is the length of the Sofitel's course: "It's a little less than a block, so we have people go back and forth a few times," Byrne says. Anyone can enter, and bottles of wine will be awarded to the winners.

Not racing? The evening starts with a free tasting of French wines, and bartenders will be making drinks with French ingredients (Domain de Canton ginger liqueur, Emperor vodka) both inside the hotel's art deco Le Bar and on its patio. Capacity for the party is limited, so RSVP to pamelaspunch@aol.com to get on the list.

-- Fritz

I decided to begin my Fringe journey this year at "Titus X," a rousingly deranged piece of entertainment that answers the question: What gruesome classical play would be voted least likely to make it as a musical?

Yes, this is a punk-rock version (by Shawn Northrip) of Shakespeare's "Titus Andronicus" -- you know, the dainty tragedy in which young Lavinia has her tongue cut out and hands chopped off, and Titus serves up his adversaries for dinner, a la Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter in "Sweeney Todd."

Lavinia's tongue must have been set firmly in her cheek before it got sliced off, though. The show is a punk parody with an eardrum-piercing band and a fixation on the f-word. There are funny facets to the mayhem, especially when Northrip and director Shirley Serotsky send up Shakespeare and musical theater conventions at once.

We all got a bit of the golden touch in the sunshine. (Dakota Fine)

Last night's happy hour on the rooftop of BLT Steak was far and away our favorite yet. It was our biggest -- and highest -- space, it drew big crowds on a perfect night weather-wise and our accommodating hosts let us keep the party going until well after dark while Fritz's iPod kept the tunes going.

We gave away two prizes last night -- $100 gift certificates to BLT Steak and CommonWealth -- and today's prize goes to Emily Freilich. Emily wins two nights at the Bellmoor Inn in Rehoboth Beach, Del. Congratulations, Emily -- we'll be in touch with you to get you the goods.

There's one more summer month to win that awesome prize: join us at our August happy hour on another rooftop at Clarendon Ballroom.

More of Dakota Fine's photos from BLT Steak after the jump.

-- Anne

Thursday's chat, was, well, weird. Apart from a few wholesome issues (like ideas for Annapolis restaurants or dancing at JR's), the conversation was mostly about what not to do. An amazing number of you knew where to find Photo Hunt -- the erotic version. Some people know why is it definitely not okay to take a flask into a bar. And the best location for holding a break-up talk? Answering that was not hard to do; we asked for your take, and you delivered. Read the full transcript here.

Have more to say on any of these topics? Leave your comments below or submit them to next week's discussion.

-- Anne

L'Enfant Cafe's annual "French Maid Race" is a highlight of the restaurant's Bastille Day celebrations. (Anthony Smallwood)

Every July 14, France marks the beginning of the French Revolution with a day of parades and fireworks. Here are some of our favorite ways for Washingtonians to get into the spirit this week.

Friday, July 10
Bastille Day isn't until Tuesday, but the Alliance Francaise is getting the party started Friday -- a welcome state of affairs for anyone who has to work on Wednesday. Petanque classes are offered in the afternoon, and includes a show of vintage Citroën cars outside, free champagne, crepes and cheese, live music by the funk-rock band Dimestore (listen) and a mix of French dance music from DJ Herve. Admission is $45 ($30 for members) and includes the chance to win round-trip tickets from Washington to Paris on Air France. Important note: Reservations are required, and you must call 202-234-7911 to RSVP, or buy tickets in advance from francedc.org.

Saturday, July 11
If you're celebrating a French holiday, you might as well be on French soil, right? The annual Bastille Day party at the French Embassy's La Maison Française gets an older, dressier crowd than some of the other parties around town -- that could be perhaps because general admission tickets costs $85. (To be fair, that price includes an open bar, food from local French restaurants and a dessert -- tasting, and proceeds go to charity.) Entertainment comes from can-can dancers as well as traditional songs performed by singers and accordionists.

In honor of the holiday, Fontaine Caffe & Creperie is bringing a bit of Parisian street life to Old Town Alexandria's quaint corridors. Stop by the restaurant this weekend and snap up a crepe from an outdoor street cart. Savory ham-and-cheese and sweet Nutella-filled creations are on the menu and cost $5. Inside the restaurant, staffers will give out prizes every hour for diners who answer trivia questions about French culture and history. The restaurant will be celebrating on Tuesday by offering $12 flights of French (alcoholic) cider. Tuesday through July 18, there'll be a special menu that includes two courses and a cup of cider. It's $15.95 at lunch and $19.95 at dinner.

The Planet Chic events crew is marking Bastille Day weekend with Soiree Bastille Chic, a celebration of a few of the things that make France great: fashion, art, film and dance music. Mix a runway of eco-friendly clothes by designer Christine Marchuska, an exhibition of drawings by Algerian-born D.C. resident Lamine Hamdad, a screening of a documentary by French filmmaker Yann Arthus-Bertrand about the damage humans inflict on ecological systems, and French tunes spun DJ Sebastien C. There's a lot to fit in, so arrive at Darlington House close to the 9 p.m. opening. Admission is $10 when you RSVP to info@planetechic.com.

(More events after the jump)

Four classics will be screened on the green, starting later this month. (Tyler Mallory)

As all of you alert readers already know, Screen on the Green has been saved and will return to the National Mall on July 20. Yesterday, the organizers finally confirmed this year's complete line-up of films, which is listed below. Take special note of that "On the Waterfront" screening on Aug. 3, a nice homage to the late Karl Malden, who died last week at the age of 97.

July 20: "Close Encounters of the Third Kind"
July 27: "Dog Day Afternoon"
Aug. 3: "On the Waterfront"
Aug. 10: "Rebel Without a Cause"

Ryan Leslie has gone from producing hits for Beyonce and Cassie to making them on his own. He "hosts" a party at the Park on Thursday. (Helayne Seidman For The Washington Post)

R&B star Ryan Leslie, talented breakdancers and L.A. punks visit D.C., the area's French (and Francophone) community gears up for Bastille Day, the Going Out Gurus host a rooftop happy hour, rockers and DJs throw a house party in a historic 16th Street mansion, local musicians honor the late J Dilla and Wilco hits the big (outdoor) screen.

How's this for old school? This photo from the Post's archives shows Nathans patrons reacting to the O.J. Simpson civil case verdict in 1997. (Aris Economopoulos - The Washington Post)

A Georgetown institution for 40 years, Nathans is closing its doors for good after last call on Sunday, July 12. Tim Carman and Ruth Samuelson of Washington City Paper have posted owner Carol Joynt's goodbye letter and an exploration of some of the restaurant's lease drama.

D.C. barflies, take note. Nathans would like to see you again. Writes Joynt, "We hope over the next week you will find the time to come in and enjoy a last drink and meal with us. We wish we could give it away, but economic reality is that we need your dollars. Also, if I may, I ask you to please be generous with the staff."

-- Julia

Chef Clay Miller (left) with owners Victoria and Stefan Trummer at their new restaurant in Clifton. (Bronwyn Jimenez)

After a $2 million makeover, the former Hermitage Inn in Clifton will reopen on July 13 as Trummer's on Main. The modern American replacement in the 19th-century building was conceived by former New Yorkers Stefan and Victoria Trummer, who chose Victoria's hometown rather than Manhattan to open a restaurant of their own.

The first floor of Trummer's on Main features a bar and lounge and room for the restaurant's 8,000 or so bottles of wine. Go one flight up for the kitchen and two dining rooms: the Loft, with seating for 45 patrons, and the larger, glass-enclosed Winter Garden, which Stefan Trummer describes as resembling "a big greenhouse." The top floor, the Gallery, will serve art instead of food: it's designed to be a showcase for local artists to display and sell their work.

Robert Taylor demonstrates breakdancing moves in 1984's "Beat Street." Watch the classic film, then see the current generation of B-boys and B-girls show off their moves at Friday's "Freshest of All Time" competition. (Michael Ginsburg/File Photo)

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.

Monday
'An Antiquity of Imagination: Tullio Lombardo and Venetian High Renaissance Sculpture' at the National Gallery of Art
This major retrospective of the 16th century painter's work, which both inspired and was influenced by Venetian Renaissance painters, opened on July 4.

Tuesday
'Voices Remix: A People's History of the United States' at the Kennedy Center
Poets, activists, authors and DJs use the spoken word to tell another side of America's history -- that of the progressives, activists and dissenters who worked for change but aren't always featured in history books. This event, part of the Hip-Hop Theatre Festival, will be held in the Terrace Theatre, not on the Millennium Stage.

Wednesday
Kostume Karaoke at Solly's
The twice-monthly Kostume Karaoke will spend part of tonight honoring the late Michael Jackson. Wear your favorite outfit to perform, or borrow props and costumes from the bar's collection before going on stage.

Thursday
Going Out Gurus Happy Hour at BLT Steak
This month's gathering is on the rooftop of BLT Steak, which offers views of the monuments, the White House and other downtown landmarks. As always, there will be free food and drink specials, but you can also meet the editors of the Washington Post Magazine's Date Lab, sign up to go on a date, and get a free consultation from a matchmaker.

Friday
Freshest of All Time at St. Stephen's Church
The B-Boys and B-Girls will be out in force for a full night of poppin' and lockin', as breakdance crews from across the U.S. and abroad battle for bragging rights and a cash prize. The night kicks off at 6 with a screening of the 1984 hip-hop classic "Beat Street," followed by the competition. (Want to enter? Sign up by 3 p.m.)

Saturday
USA/Alexandria Birthday Celebration
If you didn't get your fireworks fix on July 4, head to Alexandria's annual birthday party. The centerpiece is the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra performing Tchaikovsky's famous 1812 Overture, complete with cannon fire, and fireworks at 9:30.

Sunday
Mongolian Naadam Festival
Travel to the other side of the world in Arlington: The annual Mongolian cultural and sports festival features wrestling, throat singing, contortionists, live music, and traditional mask dancing.

Monday
The Fringe at Steve's Bar Room
Ever wonder where the cool kids hang out on a Monday night? They're probably among the packed crowds hanging out until the wee hours and listening to DJ Tru and Dimitrius George spin electro and remixes. This time around, local DJ Harry Dixon is the guest.

-- Fritz

Before the fireworks, cool off with a beer on the Hirshhorn patio. (Julia Beizer - The Washington Post)

Sorry for the late notice, folks, but if you're heading down to the Mall today and are in the mood for a cold, frothy beverage, make the Hirshhorn your first stop. On the Fly, D.C.'s roving band of SmartKart vendors, has set up a beer garden on the Mall side of the museum's patio, with space for a couple hundred people. It will be open until 10 p.m.

All are welcome to make their way within the gates and take advantage of the chairs, but those who want to drink will have to have their IDs checked before they can buy tickets for drinks. Miller Lite, Yuengling and glasses of California chardonnay are $5. On the Fly treats like grilled-chicken sandwiches and hot dogs are also available.

-- Julia

This year's Fringe Festival press conference at RFD turned out to be a mix of play preview, party and marathon. A hefty 28 acts performed monologues, dance numbers, songs and straight-up summaries of what they'll be offering over the coming month.

Fringe director Julianne Brienza was also there to talk about the festival of more than 100 shows. The biggest piece of news was that Fringe has secured a liquor license for its bar inside the Baldacchino tent at Fort Fringe. There are six beers on tap -- Bells Two Hearted Ale, Bells Kalamazoo, PBR, Southampton Double White, Peak Organic Amber, Peak Organic Nut Brown and Flying Dog Doggy Style -- plus many more available in a can (including cheap beer champion Natty Boh!). There's also a bunch of food options, from ginger-teriyaki turkey burgers to BLT paninis. The food and beverages will especially come in handy this year, since Fringe venues are concentrated within a couple blocks of each other but not particularly close to restaurants and bars.

Fringe is also jumping on the green bandwagon by opening a free store. Drop by the Trading Post (a new Fringe venue) to pick up clothing, CDs and other cost-free treasures.

The preview of shows itself was an expected mix of intriguing and questionable. After the jump, catch our top 10 list of the most promising performances based on Wednesday night's previews.

We have all kinds of artsy possibilities coming our way this month, including late-night parties, a rock 'n roll-inspired museum discussion and a chance to see artists in motion -- in a swimming pool.

The National Gallery unveils a major show of Renaissance work: "An Antiquity of Imagination" marks the first American exhibition to spotlight Venetian sculptor Tullio Lombardo. The artist, who worked in the 15th and 16th centuries, took cues from classical antiquity, but he also followed the lead of some of the famous painters of his day with intimate close-ups of non-religious subjects. (July 4-Nov. 1)

The National Gallery takes a look at Renaissance sculpture this month. (National Gallery of Art)

The American History Museum amps up its discussion series with a a talk about the history of the electric guitar. Museum historian Monica Smith describes the birth of the instrument and charts its evolution to a rock band staple. (Noon-12:30 p.m. Thursday, July 9)

We answered a ton of questions about the upcoming holiday festivities, in addition to queries about anniversary dinners, bars for first dates, Fort Reno policies and hookah smoking practices.

Read the full transcript here. Got comments? Leave 'em below or submit them to next week's discussion.

Happy Fourth!

-- Julia

July's live music calendar is highlighted by visits from some Wu-Tang Clan members, Frank Black's newest band and African sounds new and old from Occidental Brothers Dance Band International and King Sunny Ade. Five here, 15 more after the jump.

M. Ward brings his sterling indie-Americana to 9:30 club. (Autumn DeWilde)

"Young Hearts Spark Fire" - Japandroids (DC9, July 8)
This Vancouver duo creates an appealingly crunchy sound with a nostalgic streak ("I don't wanna worry about dying/I just wanna worry about those sunshine girls").

"Paper Bombs" (MySpace stream) - Lo Moda (Fringe Festival, July 10)
The Baltimore art-rock group plays quirky, low-key pop that on this track recalls the Vaselines.

"Staten We Go Hard" - Raekwon (Merriweather Post Pavilion, July 12)
Wu-Tang's Raekwon responds to Jay-Z's toast to Brooklyn by praising his own borough, and, of course, the Clan: "S-H-A-O-L-I-N, we kill again."

"The Quitter" - NOFX (Merriweather Post Pavilion, July 14)
The pop-punk torchbearers have been playing snotty, hook-filled songs for 25 years. That makes the band approximately twice as old as some of the kids who will be pogoing during the set at Warped Tour.

"Confetti" - Young Mammals (Velvet Lounge, July 15)
This Houston band sounds like '90s-era Flaming Lips -- gleeful, psychedelic, noisy, catchy, weird and fun.

When it comes to theater, Fringe Festival dominates the scene this month with 100+ performances across the city. But if you're looking for something a little more mainstream (and possibly more of a sure deal), we're serving up a preview of all of the non-Fringe theater July has to offer.

The Tony-winning rock musical "Spring Awakening" comes to the Kennedy Center this month. (Paul Kolnik)

But before we move on from Fringe, it's worth mentioning the festival's free preview tonight at RFD. Open to the public, the sneak peek features a taste of about 20 performances. (July 1)

On the heels of its big Fantasia-headlining production of "The Color Purple" (June 30-Aug. 9), the Kennedy Center is mounting another big summer performance. The coming-of-age story of "Spring Awakening" took the Tonys by storm in 2007, and you can get your chance to see why this show, with a score by Duncan Sheik earned the honor of best musical. (July 7-Aug. 2)

Make a splash at a holiday weekend pool party. (Dakota Fine/dakotafine.com)

The Fourth of July means a long weekend with plenty of pool parties and late-night throwdowns, but we also have Michael Jackson tributes, stellar lineups of globetrotting DJs, go-go bands and an appearance by Jay Reatard. And hey, if you couldn't get Sonic Youth tickets, the Velvet Lounge offers the next-best thing: a lineup of "noisy, out-there" artists, including a member of Animal Collective.

The competitors -- all of which can be yours for less than a buck each.. (Fritz Hahn/washingtonpost.com)

Last year, I convened a panel of friends and coworkers to taste and rate Caribbean beers. This time around, we took on domestic canned beers in search of the perfect brew for a holiday weekend cookout. We were looking for one with broad appeal, one that people could enjoy all day in the afternoon sun and one that was cheap. How cheap? My only rule was that each individual beer had cost less than $1, or no more than $6 a six-pack.

Okay, so the picnics I wrote about probably won't come in such an adorable basket. But hey, good takeout doesn't require fancy presentation. (Julia Ewan - The Washington Post)

The Fourth of July is a holiday made for picnics. If you plan on taking advantage of the day off on Friday and packing up your own, the Food section's got you covered with a slew of fried chicken and portable dessert recipes. But if you're feeling a little lazy before trekking off to the National Mall's fireworks display, the following nearby restaurants can hook you up with grub, to-go.

It seems pretty un-American to celebrate our country's independence at a French restaurant, but of many downtown restaurants, Cafe du Parc's offerings sound the most intriguing. From 5 to 9 p.m., the restaurant will serve a holiday-appropriate, to-go menu of grilled chicken, hamburgers, pork ribs and french fries from a grill on its patio. Crepes will be available as well. Prices range from $8 to $15. Diners with a little more time on their hands can reserve a table on the outdoor terrace and listen to the sounds of Jumpin' Jupiter.

Good Stuff Eatery is going the all-American route, serving its usual burgers, fries and milkshakes. The restaurant is planning to set up a shorter to-go line that offers a lunch bag with a burger, fries and a soft drink. You can't get a milkshake if you opt for the quicker line, but this is a good option for those coming in from the East.

Hill Country, the big barn of a barbecue joint in New York, is coming to Washington, courtesy of its founder, Bethesda native Marc Glosserman. While the self-service restaurant is still a year away from opening in Penn Quarter (at 410 Seventh St. NW), some of us are already licking our lips in anticipation of a slab or two of the signature dry-rubbed, slow-smoked brisket and ribs.

Like the original in Chelsea, the 250-seat Hill Country in Washington will take its cue (pun intended) from Kreuz Market, the famous barbecue destination in Lockhart, Texas, where the meat is sold by weight at a counter and presented on butcher paper. With his second location, Glosserman is once again aiming for "faithful replication": the wood for the fire will be Texas post oak, the drinks will include Big Red cream soda from Waco, Texas, and the desserts will use Blue Bell brand ice cream.

The secret to good Texas barbecue? "It's not what you put on," says Glosserman, whose father hails from Lockhart, "but what you leave off." Nix any sauce. His meats are simply seasoned with kosher salt, black pepper and cayenne.

Food won't be the only draw at Hill Country, which is expected to debut in July 2010. Along with baked beans "with burnt ends" and PB&J cupcakes, restaurant offerings will include live music by country, blues and southern rock acts.

To which I say, yee-haw (and pass the paper towels)!

-- Tom Sietsema

The fireworks display on the National Mall is always one of the region's most impressive, but the crowds and security restrictions can be a turn-off for some people. If you'd like to watch the festivities without the hassles, try watching from one of these alternate viewing locations.

Did we miss your favorite spot? Tell us about it in the comments.

Rodney Dangerfield gets no respect as a nouveau riche member of an upscale country club in "Caddyshack." (Warner Brothers)

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.

Monday
Salsa at Lima
Head to Lima on Monday nights for free salsa lessons (beginning at 9) and a no-cover evening of dancing to salsa, merengue and other Latin music. Women get free drinks from 9 to 11.

Tuesday
John Dillinger Trivia Contest at the National Museum of Crime & Punishment
How well do you know your gangsters? The National Museum of Crime & Punishment is giving away passes to an advance screening of "Public Enemies," the forthcoming film about John Dillinger starring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale. At 5 p.m., the museum will ask trivia questions about Dillinger and his exploits. Answer correctly and receive passes to a 7:30 screening of the film that evening. (Admission to the museum costs $17.95 for everyone over 12, but participating in the trivia is free.)

Wednesday
Fringe Performance Preview at R.F.D.
With hundreds of performances taking place during the Capital Fringe Festival, it can be hard to figure out what to see. Get a preview of some of the festival's offbeat offerings during a free open house in R.F.D.'s back room.

Thursday
'Caddyshack' and Karaoke at the Capitol Riverfront
The "Best of the '80s" outdoor movie series turns to our favorite Rodney Dangerfield film this week. Audience members are encouraged to wear their favorite '80s golf shirt and arrive early for pre-movie karaoke.

Friday
Moneytown One-Year Anniversary at Dahlak
The monthly hotbed of rare funk and soul grooves celebrates its first birthday with drink specials and a guest appearance by Chris "Iceburg" Burgan, a Cincinnati-based DJ who has compiled CDs and curated museum exhibits about Midwestern soul.

Saturday
Independence Day Celebrations
Celebrate America's independence with fireworks and music on the National Mall, a classic car show and Jimmy Buffet tunes in Vienna, a community parade in the Palisades, music and historic tours in Annapolis and many other events. Use our Google map to find the events closest to you.

Sunday
Adult Swim at the Capitol Liaison Hotel
Looking for a place to cool down at the end of a long weekend? A new pool party with DJs, drinks and swimming debuts today on the Capitol Liaison Hotel's roofdeck. RSVP to RSVP@dcpoolparty.com to get free admission between 1 and 3 p.m.; the party goes until 10.

Monday
'An Antiquity of Imagination: Tullio Lombardo and Venetian High Renaissance Sculpture' at the National Gallery of Art
This major retrospective of the 16th century painter's work, which both inspired and was influenced by Venetian Renaissance painters, opens on July 4.

-- Fritz

One day after Michael Jackson's sudden death, a cover band called Who's Bad performed his hits at two sold-out 9:30 club concerts. Post videographer Megan Rossman captured the scene in this report.

From preppy Georgetown clubs to upscale urban nightspots to hipsters on the backstage of the Black Cat, every sort of crowd embraced and danced feverishly to Michael Jackson's classics. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

With yesterday's sad news about Michael Jackson, DJs and promoters are falling over themselves to give the people what they want: parties where they can dance to MJ and celebrate his music.

DJ Dredd has spun plenty of Michael Jackson over the years, whether just at his weekly Friday night throwdowns at Aroma or as part of his packed Prince-themed parties at the Black Cat. ("Prince vs. Michael Jackson" was a popular one.) So if you come out to Dredd's Close to the Edge night of hip-hop and funk classics Friday on the Cat's backstage, expect a tribute to the King of Pop. "I'm definitely going to play an MJ set tonight," Dredd said in a text on Friday morning. "I've got to."

He texted back later to say that he's setting up a bigger Jackson-themed party at Bohemian Caverns on Saturday night called "Remember the Time." Dredd, Undadog and Lance Reynolds will be digging deep into Jackson's back catalog for this one, going from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. There's no cover until midnight, and it's $10 after.

Other DJs are turning their regular gigs into impromptu tributes. It may seem like jumping on a bandwagon -- and actually, kind of morbid -- but it's really hard to resist an evening of Michael Jackson's music. Here's a guide to what's happening over the next few days.

Friday
Stereo Faith's Truth Fridays night at Policy has turned into "the Michael Jackson Memorial Party." (You still have to RSVP for the guest list-only party, though: hit tinyurl.com/TruthFridaysAtPolicy to sign up.)

DJ Deep Sang sent out this message on Facebook to everyone attending the monthly Affair party at the Rock and Roll Hotel: "In light of Michael Jackson passing on, Ed and I are going to be playing every MJ track we have. I feel a little odd promoting the party as "MJ Tribute" in the shadow of his death, but the point is that we're gonna party to the King of Pop's music tonight, so if you want to come dance to some of the best music ever made and raise a glass to the King, then come on down."

DJ Meistro says he will be dropping plenty of Michael Jackson into his monthly set of hip-hop, funk, R&B and reggae at Saint-Ex on Friday night.

Americans aren't alone in mourning Michael Jackson -- the Francophone-centric Planete Chic party will have a special musical tribute to Jackson as part of its new "Sunset in White at St-Tropez" event on Friday. Held at the rooftop pool at the Embassy Row Hilton, organizers had been asking everyone to dress in summer whites -- no sneakers or athletic wear -- to replicate the French Riviera atmosphere. But now, instead of guests just lounging poolside with cocktails, the DJ will be spinning MJ favorites for everyone to dance to. Admission is $10 if you e-mail info@planetechic.com by 7 p.m. to get on the list; women pay no cover before 10.

Probably the weirdest story to come out of this tragedy is the tale of Who's Bad, a Michael Jackson tribute band, which has long been scheduled to play at the 9:30 club tonight. As J. Freedom du Lac relates over on Post Rock: "Seth Hurwitz, the 9:30 club honcho/cupcake czar, says that as of Thursday morning, 600 tickets had been sold to tonight's 9:30 concert by Who's Bad. ... A couple of hours after Jackson's death, the show sold out. The club has since added a late show, Seth says, with doors at 11. Should be an interesting scene, to say the least."

Friday and Saturday
DJ Oso-Fresh, known for rockin' classic R&B and hip-hop at both intimate lounges and large dance clubs, will pay tribute to Jackson on Friday and Saturday nights during his sets on the rooftop of Tabaq. (The retractable glass roof will come in especially handy if it rains.) There's no cover, and the dress code is casual.

Saturday
"Remember the Time" features DJ Dredd, Undadog and Lance Reynolds spinning nothing by Michael-related tunes from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. at Liv, the upper level of Bohemian Caverns. There's no cover before midnight, and $10 after.

Michael Jackson was known for his charity work as well as his music, and a party at Lotus Lounge Saturday night celebrates both. DJ Bikram Keith will be spinning Michael Jackson's hits all night, and all proceeds from the night will be split between Michael Jackson's Heal the World Foundation and the Keep a Breast breast cancer charity. The usual dress code will be in force, though dressing up (white glove, red leather "Thriller" jacket -- is encouraged. Admission is free before 11 for men and free before midnight for women when you RSVP on the Nightlife Agency Web site.

The BYT Summer Camp Pool Party's DJs for the day are Meistro, Deep Sang and Ed Dudes, all of whom played special Michael Jackson tributes on Friday night. I'm told you can expect more of the same at the Capitol Skyline's pool.

Monday
Anyone who has dropped in to Marvin on Monday night knows that DJ Jahsonic has a soft spot for Michael Jackson. And Prince. And Stevie Wonder. (Basically, the classics.) The feel-good vibe should be larger than ever tonight. As Jahsonic put it in a Facebook message: "Monday @ Marvin is going to be all about MJ, so buckle up kiddies." Our own DJ Stylus (Rhome Anderson) will be a special guest at the free party.

Wednesday
As you might expect, D.C.'s '80s nights will be honoring one of that decade's most innovative musicians. The Polyester party at Tattoo next Wednesday should be especially cool, considering that Jackson revolutionized the art of the music video and the club's VJ plays videos. (I'm going to put in a vote right now for the full 13-minute "Thriller" at some point.) The evening starts with a full hour of open bar, giving you ample time to toast Michael's memory.

Thursday
The weekly '80s Dance Party has been running for over 15 years now, and "Michael Jackson's music and videos have always been a part of the '80s Night collection, all the way back to the days when [original DJs] Jim 'n' Jon were spinning," says promoter and DJ Neal Keller. He held an improptu commemoration of Jackson's life Thursday night at 18th and Red, but plans to hold a more prominent memorial at the July 2 edition, dubbed "Kids in America." Keller explains: '80s Dance Party has done the annual 'Kids In America' party every year in honor of the nation's birthday. The theme of the event is based around highlighting the best American artists of the '80s pop and new wave scene. I feel very strongly that Michael Jackson was one of the greatest artists our nation has ever produced." The $5 cover includes a free Bacardi shot, and selected drinks are $3 until 11.

-- Fritz

Yesterday's chat was a good old-fashioned grab bag. We talked about FreeFest tickets, Artomatic picks, Caribbean Carnival and even answered a few questions about next week's Fourth of July festivities.

We also delved into everyone's favorite topic these days: The Real World in D.C. Most of you, it seems, are decidedly against the show's arrival in town. Prompting some (me included) to wonder where all the backlash is coming from. This led to a fuller debate about whether people in D.C. are judgmental and/or haters. Read the full transcript to check out the debate. (You should have heard the Fritz-Julia verbal argument about it during chat time. Awesome as always.)

A few good comments came in after the chat ended. I've posted them after the jump. Weigh in with your thoughts in the comments.

-- Julia

You know this weekend's D.C. Caribbean Carnival has a parade that can stop traffic (in more ways than one), but it also welcomes some of the biggest musical stars from the worlds of soca and calypso.

Alison Hinds, Iwer George, Caribbean Traffik Jam, Patch and Tizzy are some of the biggest stars in town for Carnival weekend. Here's a quick guide to the festival's live entertainment, with a little help from our friend YouTube.

Saturday Performers

Since forming in the early 1990s, Caribbean Traffik Jam has been one of Trinidad and Tobago's most popular bands, possibly because the 11-member ensemble doesn't limit itself to one style of music -- the horn-lead group plays energetic takes on soca, caylpso and reggae, spiced up with elements of salsa and zouk.

Trinidadian singer Iwer George is known for his energetic live shows. Just watch the flag-waving in this video of "Ready" from this year's International Soca Monarch Power Finals.

(more clips after the jump)

Summer is officially here, according to the 90 degrees-and-sunny forecast for Saturday. So the question is, will you be seeking refuge at the pool? Or will you brave the humidity to check out the Folklife Festival, the Caribbean Carnival or a massive barbecue battle?

Join us at 1 p.m. for Got Plans? to discuss your warm weather preferences and weekend shenanigans.

-- Stephanie

It's almost July, which means D.C. is about to get inundated with offbeat theatrics.The Capital Fringe Festival arrives with a new slate of more than 100 shows that will be staged across the city over 18 days. Performances kick off July 9, but tickets are already on sale for the shows. Like last year, a $5 Fringe button is a must for getting into any performance, and tickets for individual plays are $15. Of course, if you think you'll want to hit more than one performance, it might make sense to buy a multi-pack, and Fringe is offering a number of options. The alcohol-inspired promotions start with the foh-ty -- a pack of 4 tickets for $50 and escalate to the six-pack, which includes six tickets for $75. For 10 tickets, check out the 110-proof ($110). Unlimited access comes with a price tag of $300, but sadly no clever name. (Maybe they could have dubbed it the "open bar?")

Delusions of Spandex returns to Fringe with a new batch of ridiculous antics. (Sunny Antrim)

The specials are also good for tickets to Training Factory events -- a series of workshops including Beatboxing 101 -- and FAST, which is the festival's new music series. The eight nights of tunes feature everything from hip-hop to ambient noise to heavy metal, and all performances will take place at the festival headquarters, Fort Fringe.

Fringe is such a mixed bag of hilarious variety shows, touching musicals, mediocre world premieres and cringe-worthy performances, so we're offering some guidance on promising plays after the jump.

A pie and a pint is a match made in heaven. (Julia Beizer - The Washington Post)

Fritz and I played a game of appetizer roulette at Bethesda Rock Bottom last Friday. Famished after two of those happy hour pints, we couldn't resist the starter plates that kept floating past our table. He went for the Basil Pesto BLT Pizza, and I chose the weirdest-sounding dish on the menu, the Tex-Asian Pot Stickers. The pico de gallo topping on mine had a fun jumble of corn, black beans, tomatoes and edamame, but the gummy dumplings were a disappointment.

Thankfully, Fritz let me steal a couple of slices of his pie. BLT's the theme, but Rock Bottom doesn't take it too literally. Instead of leaves of lettuce, you get a few playful drapes of arugula. Boules of fresh mozzerella dot the pesto-covered pie and ribbons of crispy bacon sit on top. Balsamic tomatoes add a touch of complicated sweetness. The pie -- like all appetizers except the sampler -- is $5 between 5:30 and 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays at the Bethesda location.

-- Julia

"Queen of Soca" Alison Hinds performs at the Crossroads nightclub in Bladensburg on Saturday night, and at the D.C. Caribbean Carnival on Sunday. (Courtesy of the Crossroads)

Caribbean music fills the air this weekend, thanks to the D.C. Caribbean Carnival and the D.C. Soundclash, but there are plenty of other reasons to be excited, like the block-party vibe of New York's funky Pimps of Joytime, rockin' art gallery affairs and a rare appearance by Detroit techno legend Richie Hawtin. Find more cool DJ nights, bands to watch, charity happy hours and even a wonky date auction after the jump.

Jamie Foxx is Ray Charles in the Academy Award-winning film "Ray," which screens Wednesday at the NoMa Summer Series. (Universal Pictures)

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.

Monday
The First Fort Reno Concert of the Year
Our favorite outdoor summer concert series kicks off with tuneful indie rockers Pash (listen), the wicked grooves of Will Rast's Funk Ark (listen) and the ukelele-led Americana of the Sweater Set (listen). The show starts around 7:15. Bring a picnic, bring a frisbee, bring your dog, but leave the alcohol and glass bottles at home.

Tuesday
Drag Bingo at Nellie's Sports Bar
Miss Shi-Queeta-Lee, a veteran of the wildly popular drag bingo show at Chaos, runs one of the best bingo games in town, with awesome (and often NSFW) prizes.

Wednesday
'Ray' at the NoMa Summer Screen
DJs spin funk and soul tunes before and after a screening of "Ray," the Oscar-winning biopic of Ray Charles. Admission to the film and dance party is free; barbecue and other food will be available for purchase.

Thursday
The Welsh National Opera at the Millennium Stage
The award-winning opera company, famed for its lavish sets, community outreach and love of lesser-known composers, performs a "greatest hits"-style concert as part of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. (Wales is one of the countries featured in this year's event.)

Friday
D.C. Caribbean Carnival Party at Woodrow Wilson Plaza
The D.C. Caribbean Carnival doesn't start until Saturday afternoon, but you can get into the spirit a day early with live music and dancing at the Ronald Reagan Building.

Saturday
'North By Northwest' at the National Archives
Catch Cary Grant scaling Mount Rushmore and running from a crop-dusting plane in Alfred Hitchcock's classic thriller.

Sunday
'¡Viva Colombia! Costa a Costa' at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival
The Folklife Festival's Sunday night dance party highlights a variety of music from Colombia, including the traditional percussive style of Grupo Cimarron, the marimbas-and-drums songs of Las Cantadoras del Pacfico, and the accordion-driven romps of Estrellas del Vallenato.

Monday
Salsa at Lima
Head to Lima on Monday nights for free salsa lessons (beginning at 9) and a no-cover evening of dancing to a mix of salsa, merengue and other Latin styles. Bonus for the ladies: Women get free drinks from 9 to 11.

-- Fritz

A sign on Breadline's door Monday morning. (Julia Beizer - The Washington Post)

The Breadline, a simple lunch spot that had earned a place in Tom Sietsema's 2006 Dining Guide, is temporarily closed for health code violations. According to a report filed on Thursday, the restaurant was shut down for these reasons: "Operating without a valid license, operating with incorrect hot and cold holding temps for potentially hazardous foods that do not comply with the food code and could not be corrected at the time of the inspection. Failing to minimize the presence of vermin on the premises and operating a food establishment with circumstances that may endanger the public health."

"We are working closely with the District to make all the necessary repairs to bring the Breadline operation up to code," said Morell Marean, vice president of operations for Breadline. He added later, "we're working to remediate all of the issues within the restaurant thoroughly and completely to meet and exceed Health Department standards." According to Marean, his company began architecture and engineering work for a full-scale renovation of the Breadline space six months ago because they wanted to upgrade the aging restaurant.

"I was disappointed when I heard the news," said local bread legend Mark Furstenberg. Furstenberg founded Breadline in the late 1990s, but sold his interest in the company more than two years ago and now has no involvement with it. Located at 17th and Pennsylvania, the restaurant has been a favorite of nearby workers for many years.

Marean hopes to have the restaurant up and running in a few days (pending the Health Department re-inspection), with a larger renovation to follow once permitting is complete.

-- Julia

UPDATE: Breadline has reopened after a clean re-inspection.

"The Real World" begins filming in Washington this week, which means the new cast of twenty-somethings will soon be invading our streets and nightspots with their drama and camera crews. For plenty of people hoping to make a token appearance on the show, this means a shot at 15 seconds of fame. But not everyone -- say, the next generation of politicos -- is going to want the spectacle that comes with this particular show. If you're captured drinking and partying in the background of a shoot, you know that footage could show up again someday when you least want it.

Any place MTV is filming will have to post a sign outside, so you'll always know before you enter a club what to expect. But I wanted to know: would there be any place that would outright ban cameras from coming in? I checked with some people who run bars and clubs near the "Real World" house to find out how they'll be handling the MTV blitz.

Frodus almost certainly wins the award for Most Accidental Reunion. The D.C. post-hardcore/screamo/spazzcore band was one the city's most fiery, unforgettable live acts during the '90s -- and that's saying something -- but had been dormant for nearly a decade after calling it quits in 1999. That was until one night last fall at the Swedish Embassy, of all places. The band members were there for a show by their friends, Swedish rock band Division of Laura Lee. Divsion was having technical difficulties. All of its equipment was feeding back, and they briefly gave up on their performance and left the stage. So the Frodus dudes took their place, played a song, and a reunion was born.

From there the rambunctious, ultra-political group played an official comeback show at Murky Coffee in Arlington, a few shows in Austin during SXSW and a handful other gigs. They also took time to record two new songs, plus a remake of their seminal "The Feelgood Song of the Year," this time with some children singers assisting them during the chorus. (No details yet on the release plans for the 7".) The band makes its way back to the Black Cat on Saturday for its first proper D.C. show in a decade. Expect screaming, sweating, pandemonium and just general chaos. I got screamer/guitarist Shelby Cinca on the phone as the band was mixing its new single and talked about the reunion, the band's credo and differences between Frodus crowds in 1999 and 2009.

What was the impetus for getting back together?
We had no plans to get back together. And we were all at the Swedish Embassy. And we sort of just took over the stage when Division of Laura Lee was having a tough time and left the stage when all their stuff was feeding back. And we were like, huh, that was kind of fun. Spontaneous. And then this label Gilead Media re-released "Conglomerate International" on vinyl. That's the one about corporate corruption and it had lots of societal criticism in it. And that came out around the time the banks were crashing.

So I thought, if there's a perfect time for Frodus to do anything, it's now, with the banks crashing and the record being relevant again and basically the frustration of writing these songs in the '90s. We were 21, 22? It was so long ago. And nothing's really changed as far as the "adults" that are in power, who run corporations. So that definitely fueled it. It was like, OK, we're still [angry], we're not just going to scream because we're getting back together and we're a bunch of dudes getting back together to rock out like old times. It's more like, wow, this is screwed up and these things fell into place. We're feeling that we should do some shows and play behind the record again.

(Rest of the interview after the jump.)

Two themes emerged in today's chat. We asked you to tell us how you entertain visitors and you responded with a bunch of off-the-beaten-path ideas like the Kreeger Museum, Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens and Locke Modern Country Store in Millwood, Va. We also talked a lot about "squeezers," a term coined by chat readers Jimmy and Yvonne to describe Wolf Trap concert-goers who "obtrusively and rudely" push their way into general admission concerts after others have clearly staked out spots. We also talked about parking near Artomatic, vegetarian dining and ice cream stands. Read the full transcript here.

There was one question that came in after the chat ended that I thought was worth posting here to see what you guys thought.

Washington, D.C.: I have a question less about happening events and more about the people who live in D.C. I saw a blurb in the Express [scroll down] and Washington Post about how D.C. is incredibly unfriendly and had my own recent experience with this. I tore my ACL, had surgery and had an enormous brace on my leg for six weeks. I named the brace "Destiny" sure that "Destiny" would help me start endless conversations and meet plenty of new friends or potential dates. In those six weeks of riding the Metro or bus twice a day, only three people offered me their seats but EVERYONE stared at the brace. I also tried to go to a bar one night and asked a girl to give me a seat that she was "saving" with her purse and she declined. I was shocked. What's up with that behavior? Where is the hospitality??? What joints should I frequent if I like nicer behavior?

-Destiny undelivered

Destiny's story struck me as a sad one. Wanted to know what you guys thought. Tell us your tales of kindness and rudeness handed down by strangers. Or let us know why you think Washingtonians are thought of as such an unfriendly tribe. And if you have any bar suggestions for Destiny, let her know. I'd point her in the direction of small neighborhood spots like Galaxy Hut, Tonic or Aroma.

-- Julia

Get ready to party-hop, because this weekend is packed with fun, artsy events. Mark your calendar for poolside multimedia installations, a surf-inspired gala and a graffiti-loving block party. And that's just Saturday.

Thursday, June 18

The duo behind Hyattsville's Design Studio Art Gallery want you to appreciate art. And what better way to do that than to throw a cocktail party at Posh? At the Art Appreciation and Awareness Happy Hour, you'll find $5 summery cocktails, new works on display, including art by Marite Vidales who is currently on view at the gallery, and $5 tapas. (6-10 p.m.)

Conch fritters are a steal during Ceiba's happy hours. (Julia Beizer - The Washington Post)

With one of my girlfriends, plans for a drink after work usually signal a trip to one of two places: Post Pub or Ragtime. Yeah, we're classy like that.

We opted for something a little different earlier this week and found ourselves at Ceiba. With a few cocktails in hand, we tucked into apps from the bar menu. Couldn't resist ordering the summery conch fritters. Dark brown, deep-fried golf balls of conch meat and batter were crispy to the touch and still steaming as we pulled them apart. The salty crust gave way to a moist, doughy inside. The dish came with a slightly spicy cream-colored aioli, but I preferred mine straight. Fritters of all sorts fit pretty squarely in the deep-fried bar-food genre, but when combined with the soft Brazilian music at Ceiba, the conch ones whisked us away to the sea. Food on the bar menu is half-price from 3 to 6 p.m. and 9:30 until close Mondays through Saturdays; signature cocktails are $5.

-- Julia

This occasional feature shines a spotlight on some of our favorite dishes and drinks across town. You know, the ones that are just so good you want to give your friends a taste. Got a tip for us? E-mail us at goingoutgurus [at] washingtonpost.com.

Our recent commutes have gotten us thinking about tourist season. (Getting stuck just outside of Rosslyn in a Metro car full of loud teenagers -- not even an iPod can block that out.) When you have summer visitors from out of town, what are the must-see sights? And away from the Mall, where do you take guests for a glimpse of the real D.C.?

Chime in with your ideas and suggestions during today's chat -- we'll also be taking about the start of the Fort Reno concert series, weekend art openings, barbecue, happy hours and anything else that relates to entertainment in the D.C. area. We'll see you at 1 p.m.

-- Fritz

We're halfway through June and information about this summer's Fort Reno Concert Series is still at a premium. In past years the the concerts have been underway by now. This year, we don't even know which way the stage will be facing. So let's try to dole out some information, courtesy of series organizer Amanda MacKaye, whom I talked to last night.

(Info plus schedule after the jump.)

More than 100,000 people crowd Pennsylvania Avenue for the Barbecue Battle each year. (Safeway National Capital Barbecue Battle)

No one would argue that Washington has the same deep barbecue roots of, say, Kansas City or Memphis, but over the next two weekends, our town's getting a pretty hefty dose of pulled pork. Barbecue plays a supporting role in this weekend's Beer, Bourbon and BBQ Festival at National Harbor; the event's much more about sipping and people-watching. Then on June 27 and 28, the 17th annual National Capital Barbecue Battle returns with two days of ribs, brisket and music. I called up the organizers to get a sense of what booze-and-BBQ-seekers can expect.

Too-hip cover band Nouvelle Vague brings its Americana and bossa nova takes on new wave hits to the French Embassy this week. (Courtesy of Nouvelle Vague)

This week brings your first chance to see influential post-hardcore greats Frodus in D.C. in a decade, a hip cover band at the French Embassy, walls of noise from Harm City's Double Dagger, summer pop music, chic neo-soul, funky house and happy hours for charity.

Let's see ... Older man (Larry David) gets involved with a much younger woman (Evan Rachel Wood). Yep, sounds like a Woody Allen flick (Sony Pictures Classics)

Back in the '70s, Woody Allen had the "Nebbish Guy Playing a Fictional Version of Himself" market cornered. These days, that title goes to Larry David, star of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and, surprise, the new Woody Allen movie, "Whatever Works," which opens July 3.

We have no idea if the movie's any good or not, though based on the trailer it may have its moments.

If you want to make up your own mind about it, Nerve.com and Sony Pictures Classics are hosting a free screening at the Regal cinema at Gallery Place this Thursday at 7:30 p.m. All you have to do is click here to RSVP.

Did hell just freeze over? I ask because yesterday Roberto Donna finally signed a lease for the former Butterfield 9 space at 600 14th St. NW. In a nod to his Galileo restaurants that once graced P Street and later 21st Street in Washington, the Italian chef is calling his next act Galileo III.

The future establishment will be considerably smaller than Donna's second Galileo, with just 75 seats spread throughout a main dining room and a more intimate Laboratorio del Galileo. ("Times are different," says the chef.) A single open kitchen will serve both venues.

Donna plans to be a very regular presence at his next restaurant: "It's going to be my house," he jokes. Helping him out on the food front will be 40-year-old Paolo Boffa, who Donna recruited to be chef de cuisine from Salute! in New York. A native of Milan, Boffa once worked at Centro in Bethesda.

Donna hopes to open Galileo III in October: "my best season to cook," he says.

To which we say, bring on the truffles!

-- Tom Sietsema

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.

Godzilla fights Mothra, a giant lobster and a giant condor in "Godzilla Versus the Sea Monster," screening Thursday at the Hirshhorn. This awesome poster is actually from the first Godzilla film, 1954's "Gojira." ((c)1954 Toho Co., Ltd.)

Monday
Origem at Millennium Stage
Get a taste of Brazil at the Kennedy Center from Origem, a Washington-area band composed of Brazilian-born musicians. They specialize in samba, bossa nova and other styles from the country's Northeast and Southeast regions.

Tuesday
'Urban Fossil' at Cross Mackenzie Ceramic Arts
Artist Paul Di Pasquale creates "very elegant, very creepy" sculptures from deconstructed guns.

Wednesday
Double Dagger at Crooked Beat Records
The Baltimore band (listen) uses only the most basic elements -- voice, bass, drums -- to make intense, dynamic punk rock.

Thursday
'Godzilla versus the Sea Monster' at the Hirshhorn
Everyone's favorite Japanese monster fights Ebirah (a giant lobster), a giant condor and Mothra in this 1966 classic, screened as part of the Hirshhorn's "Summer Camp" film series.

Friday
Beautiful Swimmers at Comet Ping-Pong
Silver Spring's Beautiful Swimmers (listen) make a beautiful pastiche of disco, funk and rubbery late '70s R&B grooves that's a perfect soundtrack for poolside lounging. For this free show in Comet's back room, the duo is joined by similarly inspired artists Andrew Morgan, Mondo and C Rob.

Saturday
Earth First Family Day at the Corcoran Gallery of Art
The free celebration of the environment includes live music, theater, art-making workshops and storytelling, plus guided tours of "Maya Lin: Systematic Landscapes" and the gallery's permanent collection.

Sunday
The Coolout at the Beacon Hotel
DJs Adrian Loving and Harry Hotter set off a soulful afternoon rooftop party. Get there early for drink specials.

Monday
The First Fort Reno Concert of the Year
We're still waiting for the full schedule of summer concerts at Fort Reno to be announced, but at least we know how it starts: tuneful indie rockers Pash (listen), the wicked grooves of Will Rast's Funk Ark (listen) and the ukelele-led Americana of the Sweater Set (listen). The show starts around 7:15. Bring a picnic, bring a frisbee, bring your dog, but leave the alcohol and glass bottles at home.

-- Fritz

At last night's Going Out Guide happy hour at Freddie's Beach Bar, we gave away tickets to Beyonce in Baltimore and also a free champagne brunch at Freddie's. Today we're announcing the grand prize: congratulations go to Jason Powell for winning a free two-night stay at the Bellmoor Inn in Rehoboth.

We do these happy hours -- with free food, drink specials and amazing prizes -- on the second Thursday of every month to continue the conversation from Got Plans? and the blog and hear what you have to say. But hey, we also like to invite you to try out some new places. We'll really be doing that at our July 9 happy hour, which will be held on the roof of BLT Steak -- a space that's not normally open to public parties.

We'll also be continuing part of the beach theme from Freddie's at all our happy hours this summer and giving away that same Rehoboth beach trip at both our July and August parties. So if you're dreaming of an ocean getaway, you won't want to miss it.

Here's looking forward to seeing all of you on the roof on July 9.

Dakota Fine was on photo duty for us last night, and there are plenty of his pics from Freddie's after the jump.

-- Anne

Chef Nicholas Stefanelli and restaurateur Manuel Iguina are parting ways at Mio, both men confirmed today.

They point to the recession as the reason. According to Iguina, business at the downtown restaurant was down 50 percent in April and May. "I want to do 100 lunches a day instead of 30," he says. To that end, the restaurateur has already made his once-trendy menu more accessible, by putting on grilled chicken and chile-braised short ribs.

Stefanelli, 29, came to Mio with a strong resume (he previously cooked at the now-closed, four-star Maestro) and high hopes for offering sophisticated fare. "I'm upset," he says. "A lot of work went into it." Yet both men say the split is amicable. "I want to see Mio succeed," says the chef, who is exploring "a few good opportunities here and there."

Meantime, Iguina has recruited a few food friends to help out in the kitchen. "I'm going to take my time" hiring someone to take Stefanelli's spot, he says.

-- Tom Sietsema

We took a metaphysical trip north during yesterday's chat, dishing on dining options in Baltimore. (Actually, you guys did the dishing. I did a lot of "Good one -- thanks!!") We also talked about dive bars, Yankees bars, Screen on the Green, crabhouses and places where one might watch a UFC fight after a wedding. Seriously.

Read the full transcript here. Got comments? Leave 'em below or submit them to next week's discussion.

-- Julia

Only a few weeks ago, D.C. cocktail aficionados stared glumly into the bottoms of their Sazeracs, wondering what would replace Adam Bernbach's wildly inventive (and wildly popular) drinks once he left Bar Pilar. He said he wanted to take a break from the day-to-day business of bartending and managing a restaurant.

Well, that didn't last long.

Starting July 13 -- after the Tales of the Cocktail festival in New Orleans -- Bernbach will take over as the bar manager at the wine-centric restaurant Proof, where he'll also be responsible for the cocktail list.

"Honestly, I didn't leave Pilar for Proof," Bernbach said today. "I didn't expect to be back in a restaurant with this speed. But the opportunity presented itself and it seemed like a good fit. I've known everyone involved [with Proof] for quite a long time."

Proof's current cocktail list, created by wine director Sebastian Zutant, is a sleeper, full of clever ideas and interesting flavors. Fairly short at six to eight drinks, it's always been dominated by the wine list. Now, that may be changing, and you could see as many people holding a martini glass as a large cabernet sauvignon glass.

Don't walk in expecting to see out-there drinks right away, though. "I don't want to make any stupid changes for the sake of the ego," Bernbach says. "I want it to be part of the restaurant."

And as for his weekly Cocktail Sessions, which drew fans to Pilar every Tuesday for one-night-only invention -- those are also on hold.

"There's the possibility that I will do something along the lines of Cocktail Sessions, or have an omakase menu, but I don't know what that's going to be. Honestly, I just want to be involved in a restaurant with a great beverage program."

-- Fritz

Parents, this week you can elevate your family dinner to new culinary heights -- and you won't even need to do any cooking or cleaning up. As Julia told you last month, this Saturday marks the start of Kids Restaurant Week, when about 20 area restaurants are offering special fixed-price menus between 5 and 7 p.m. (Those 11 and younger pay only their age; for everyone else, it's $29.) The promotion aims to get more people into restaurants during those slower early-evening hours, and it seems to be working, as restaurant are already reporting a spike in their reservations.

What can you expect on the menu for pint-sized foodies? At Mie N Yu, the youth choices include tandoori chicken skewers and an organic beef burger; at Firefly, you'll find macaroni and cheese and a decorate-it-yourself cookie. At Art & Soul, there's Mac-N-Chini (a version of the fried risotto balls the restaurant usually serves), a peanut-butter-and-jelly hoecake and "baby cakes." Juniper's menu is sophisticated: there's a salad of arugula, cantaloupe, prosciutto, goat cheese and mint (which should definitely be the starting point for a talk with your kids about unusual flavors) and a lime cheesecake lollipop. Herbs in their dishes are locally grown, too -- they come from the restaurant's courtyard.

The promotion kicks off at a free, kid-friendly festival of food tastings and cooking demonstrations at Eastern Market, which benefits from some of the participating restaurants' proceeds.

-- Lavanya Ramanathan

Hey there, boys and girls: our weekly Got Plans? chat is about to kick off at 1 p.m. We'll be taking your questions about Kids' Restaurant Week, Capital Pride festivities, the recently resurrected Screen on the Green and whatever else you throw our way. (It would be great if any of you could give me another song besides "Knock You Down" to have stuck in my head.)

Talk to you at 1 p.m.

-- Julia

Just last year, Regine Palladin was talking about retiring. Now, it looks as if the 60-year-old restaurateur is about to be busier than ever as she prepares to transfer Pesce, her 35-seat seafood restaurant, to the former Montsouris space nearby. She also wants to add another spot to eat -- and one devoted to meat -- to her slice of Dupont Circle.

This weekend, grab a drink while taking in some concert posters, appreciating the art of fandom and meeting the artists responsible for overwhelming you at Artomatic.

Thursday
We'd love for you to join us at Freddie's tonight for happy hour, but should you end up in a different part of town, there are a couple of other options for you. Flashpoint will be celebrating the opening of
"Gestation" tonight. Completed over the course of 40 weeks, these works by by Ami Martin Wilber consist of 100 small egg-like sculptures that are best viewed while crouching on the floor. (6-8 p.m.)

Over in Alexandria, the Torpedo Factory hosts its monthly Second Thursday Art Night. This time, the theme is Dancing in the Streets, so in addition to music and drinks, there will also be breakdancers from Breakfamous. (6-9 p.m.) While you're there, make a point to check out the opening of Nancy Pane Fortwengler's "Fabrications" at the Art League. Fortwengler's strangely ghost-like paintings of dresses seem to float through the frame. (6:30-8 p.m.)

Good news for fans of Screen on the Green: The Post's Dan Zak is reporting that the outdoor film festival will take place after all, thanks to funds from Comcast and the Trust for the National Mall.

The first film shown will be "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" on July 20, with other movies -- titles TBA -- showing every Monday though August 10.

-- Fritz

Amanda Blank opens for Santigold at a sold-out 9:30 club concert Wednesday, then plays an 18-and-over after-party at DC9 the same night. How cool is that? (Courtesy of Blacksmith Management)

Capital Pride is in full swing with RuPaul and a late-night party at the Hirshhorn, but we've got a packed week of other events, too -- happy hours for charity, cool art openings, Bob Dylan on the big screen, crazy L.A. punks Mika Miko, a chance to hear of one of the world's top electronic DJs for free, gambling with rugby players and much, much more.

It's official, chef Kaz Okochi (Kaz Sushi Bistro) tells me. He and Richard Sandoval (Zengo) intend to open a new place to drink and dine, a 5,000 square foot Latin-Asian establishment north of Logan Circle, in September. They're calling their fusion destination Masa 14.

The two business partners plan to meet in Washington next week to plot a menu and discuss a chef for the project, which includes restaurateur Latif Guler of Jack's in Dupont Circle.

As is the case with so many new restaurants, Masa 14 will feature small plates, gentle prices ($7-$14) and specialty cocktails, says Okochi, who will continue to cook at his 10-year-old Japanese restaurant near the World Bank. His new project, at 1825 14th St. NW, will include a 40-seat bar (but no counter for sushi) and what he describes as a "sleek" interior fashioned from wood, stone and brick.

-- Tom Sietsema

The W Hotel's rooftop patio offers a gorgeous vista that includes the Washington Monument, the Jefferson Memorial and the Mall. (Fritz Hahn/The Washington Post)

Until I walked out onto the rooftop that used to be the Hotel Washington's Sky Bar -- and will soon be the W Hotel's Rooftop Bar -- I had forgotten what a magnificent view it has. The White House is just a stone's throw away (though throwing stones would probably get you in trouble with the Secret Service). The Washington Monument towers overhead. There's the Jefferson Memorial, the Mall, the Lincoln Memorial, the Air Force Memorial -- it's like being inside a Washington postcard.

And now you get to have a mai tai while you take it all in. And not just any mai tai, but one created by Sasha Petraske, the cocktail genius behind New York's Milk & Honey, Little Branch and several others, including the brand-new Dutch Kills. This is, well, the cocktail equivalent of Jean-Georges Vongerichten opening a D.C. outpost, which is also happening in the W.

The cocktail menus aren't finalized, and when I got a tour of the hotel last week, construction was still going on and most of the furniture hadn't arrived But once I walked out on that roof, all the scaffolding was forgotten.

Didn't get to the beach yet this summer? The Gurus are determined to take you there. All you have to do is come to this month's Going Out Guide Happy Hour, and you'll be a whole lot closer to the Delaware shore.

This Thursday, from 6 to 8 p.m., Freddie's Beach Bar & Restaurant will be hosting the monthly party where you can mingle with the Gurus and score free food, drink specials and incredible giveaways. We'll have beachy drinks like Mystic Martini and Mermaid Madras and three prizes: accommodations at the Bellmoor Inn in Rehoboth Beach, tickets to see Beyonce in Baltimore and a champagne brunch for two at Freddie's.

The surfside vibe at the Crystal City gay bar felt like the perfect place to celebrate Capital Pride this week. All are welcome. Freddie's is guaranteed to show us a good time.

-- The Gurus

Buckwheat Zydeco performs on the Mall on Sunday as part of the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival's tribute to New Orleans. (Joseph A. Rosen)

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.

Monday
Paella Festival Kickoff at Jaleo
Enjoy free snacks at a happy hour marking the beginning of Jaleo's annual tribute to paella, the famous Spanish rice dish. The special guest is chef Quim Marques, a Barcelona-based restaurateur and author. RSVPs are suggested -- call the restaurant to reserve your place.

Tuesday
Mechanical Bull Night at Union Jack's Ballston
Ballston's British pub looks to the Wild West on Tuesday, when managers are bringing in a mechanical bull for anyone who wants to take a ride or two. There's no charge to climb on, and drink specials will be offered.

Wednesday
Lululemon's Yoga in the Park at Dupont Circle
The Lululemon yoga store in Logan Circle offers free evening yoga classes in the middle of Dupont Circle on Wednesday evenings. Bring your own mat.

Thursday
Going Out Guide Happy Hour at Freddie's Beach Bar
The Going Out Gurus' monthly happy hour moves to Arlington, with free food, drink specials and your chance to win Beyonce tickets or a hotel stay at Rehoboth Beach.

Friday
Weekend's Weekends at Carter Barron Amphitheatre
The Washington Post's Weekend section is the sponsor of this Friday night concert series, which kicks off with three of the area's finest Latin bands: Orquesta La Romana, Orquesta La Leyenda and Joe Falero and the DC Latin Jazz All Stars. While admission is free, tickets are required. Pick them up at the Washington Post building (1150 15th St. NW) beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, or at the Carter Barron box office beginning at noon.

Saturday
Capital Pride Parade
The Capital Pride Festival organizes this annual parade, which winds through Dupont and Logan circles, mostly along P Street. Watch for floats sponsored by various gay and lesbian bars and organizations, including Mr. and Miss Capital Pride and the famous dancing DC Cowboys. Live entertainment and DJs entertain viewers in front of Whole Foods (P between 14th and 15th) and at the intersection of 18th Street and New Hampshire Avenue.

Sunday
Jazz on the Mall at the Sylvan Theatre
Jazz musicians perform on the Mall on Saturday and Sunday as part of the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival. While we have a tough time choosing between greats like Terence Blanchard (Saturday) and Irma Thomas (Sunday), the inclusion of Buckwheat Zydeco tips the scales for Sunday's lineup. Buckwheat Zydeco starts the day at 1 p.m., headliner Irma Thomas & the Professionals perform at 6:25.

Monday
Origem at Millennium Stage
Get a taste of Brazil at the Kennedy Center from Origem, a Washington-area band composed of Brazilian-born musicians. They specialze in samba, bossa nova and other styles from the country's Northeast and Southeast regions.

The Inn at Little Washington's Patrick O'Connell has extended a discount to members of the armed forces. (James M. Thresher - The Washington Post)

A recent uptick in active-duty service members making reservations at the Inn at Little Washington prompted the chef-owner of the four-star destination to offer them and their parties a 30 percent discount.

Beginning July 1 and running through the end of August, military personnel can feast at the esteemed Inn Mondays through Thursdays for $103.60 a person, instead of the regular $148. (The discount does not apply to alcohol.)

Comments in the restaurant's reservations book and exchanges with patrons made O'Connell aware of the new military traffic in his dining room. In particular, he's seen an increase in reservations from service members who are heading to or returning from tours in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Gelato and coffee, a match made in heaven. (Julia Beizer - The Washington Post)

Coffee lovers, geek out on this: Stumptown coffee -- product of a rave-inspiring, award-winning Portland company -- is now available in the D.C. area. The pair behind Clarendon's Boccato Gelato & Espresso made it happen.

"We're really fired up," said Rob Shelton, a low-key dude who owns the year-old gelateria with the energetic Cristian Velasco. Wanting to raise the bar on the shop's coffee program, they tasted around and settled on Stumptown for the balanced flavor in its beans. The company's so particular about its product that it sent trainer Jules Manoogian from New York last week to train Boccato employees on the fine art of making espresso drinks and its specific processes for buying, washing and roasting beans.

So, how does it taste? I was most partial to the indulgent lattes made with full-fat milk, but you can also order the drinks with soy milk or hemp milk. (The latter's dubbed a "Cheech and Chong"). I also dug the rich, fragrant Hair Bender blend when served out of a French press.

Cups of coffee run $2.50 to $2.75 and espresso drinks are $3.75. You should be able to buy bags of beans in the next week or so.

--Julia

Boccato's espresso machine began serving Stumptown lattes last week. (Julia Beizer - The Washington Post)

To take advantage of one of the most enticing outdoor restaurant spaces in Washington, chef Robert Weland of Poste will be firing up his new wood-burning grill and inaugurating "Poste Roasts" on the garden terrace of the Hotel Monaco this month.

Dramatic columns will set the scene at the new J & G Steakhouse. (Rendering courtesy of the W Hotel)

Washingtonians don't have much longer to wait to sample the handiwork of the acclaimed New York chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. With the July 8 opening of the J & G Steakhouse at the new W Hotel coming up, I chatted with the chef to learn how he's planning to distinguish the Beaux Arts-style restaurant from myriad beef suppliers around town.

"The Hangover" opens in theaters today, but oddly enough, that wasn't what got us talking about these two topics in yesterday's Got Plans? You wanted to know where to pop the question and how to cure those post-indulgence blues. We also dished about swing dancing, talked about area exhibits and gave away some Doves tickets.

Read the full transcript here. Got comments? Leave 'em below or submit them to next week's discussion. And for your viewing pleasure, check out our own Jen Chaney battling Bradley Cooper (meow!) in the Movie Game.

-- Julia

When the temperature rises, the Capitol Skyline's pool is the coolest place in D.C. (Dakota Fine/dakotafine.com)

Even at summer happy hours, Washington enjoys a somewhat stuffy reputation. When the Euronet International group threw a series of after-work pool parties at the Washington Plaza Hotel last year, guests sipped drinks on the deck because they weren't allowed to get into the pool.

This summer's two new pool parties, however, actually live up to their billing.

Designed by architect Morris Lapidus and fresh off an interior makeover, the Capitol Skyline Hotel near the Navy Yard has a huge pool and deck. It's now host to day-long pool parties every weekend, with DJs, food and drink specials and plenty of young(ish) Washingtonians eager to shed their khakis and suits for swim trunks and bikinis.

Golf meets half smokes on the first hole. (Fritz Hahn - The Washington Post)

The Lincoln Memorial had me tearing my hair out. It was just sitting there. All I had to do was knock a little ball up the steps of the monument, into a tiny cup on a ledge at the base of the columns. If I hit the ball too softly, it ran out of momentum and rolled back toward me. Too hard, and it ran past the hole and up the next flight of stairs, where it would also u-turn and wind up at my feet.

I'd been waiting for the H Street Country Club to open for more than two years, and after only four holes, I was ready to break my putter over my knee and chuck it into the nearest pond.

The nine-hole course, set in a extremely deep rowhouse a few doors down from the Rock and Roll Hotel, opened last Wednesday with a lot of hype and large crowds -- waits of 30 minutes or more weren't uncommon on the weekend. It's easy to see why: Washington's only indoor miniature golf course is a lot of fun to play and truly a work of art. If you're going out to putt, here's what you need to know.

Look at those 9:30 club listings. Starting Saturday there's a string of six consecutive sold-out shows. But we have your ticket into the first of those sold-out shows, by Doves (listen), the trio known for its soaring Brit-rock anthems.

We don't just have tickets, we also have passes to the exclusive pre-party at D.C.'s Gibson Showroom (709 G St. NW) on Saturday afternoon. That's an invite-only affair with free food, free booze and photo and autograph ops with the band. Plus, we're giving away the entire Doves discography. Not bad, right?

It all goes down in tomorrow's edition of Got Plans? Here's the prize breakdown:

Grand Prize: A pair of tickets to Saturday's sold-out show at 9:30 club plus two invites to the Gibson Pre-Party
First Runner Up: Two invites to the Gibson Pre-Party
Second Runner Up: Doves catalogue on CD

To enter, just submit a clever sentence using both the words "doves" and "Gibson." For example: I can't believe Kirk Gibson hit two doves with that line drive! We'll pick our three favorites and announce them at the end of the chat. Good luck!

Artomatic got started on Friday with an evening of live music and theater to complement nine floors of art. Yes, nine floors. And over that vast expanse of wall space, you can see the work of 1,500 artists, from graffiti to glass and textiles to impossible-to-explain installations. Opening weekend saw a lot of traffic to Artomatic's newest home in Southeast above the Navy Yard Metro station. More than 6,000 people stopped by on Friday, with a total of 15,000 visitors over the entire weekend. So what should you see when you head to Artomatic? Some popular draws, offbeat selections and upcoming events after the jump.

2008 Miss D.C. Kate Marie Grinold (left) and Miss Virginia Tara Wheeler are hosting a happy hour with free vodka to raise money for the Race for the Cure. (Courtesy of Discovery Communications)

This is a big weekend for pageants and models: Capital Pride gets underway with both the Mr. and Miss Capital Pride and Mr. and Miss Leather D.C. contests; Tyson Beckford of "Make Me a Supermodel" hosts a party at the Park at 14th; and three Miss America contestants sponsor a happy hour to fight breast cancer. Then we've got a concert featuring Wale, a dog-friendly happy hour, anniversary parties for some very popular DJ nights and a scooter rally with three nights of entertainment.

This month's mixtape is oversized, with 25 songs instead of 20. That's because almost half of it is devoted to shows on a single day. I'm going to declare June 11 as the most packed day of music this area has seen in a long while. Taylor Swift, Elvis Costello, Dave Brubeck, Jenny Lewis, Gil Scott Heron, plus up-and-comers Mika Miko, AA Bondy, Blk Jks and the Avett Brothers? Talk about options. There's truly something for everyone. Five here, 20 more -- including the 6/11 motherload -- after the jump.

"Magic" - Wale (June 3, 9:30 club)
Hey, it's everyone's favorite local hip-hop savior/Next Big HUMONGOUS Thing who, we swear, is going to release a proper album one of these days. Oh, we kid. We'd be fine if he keeps dropping irresistible, DMV-referencing singles like this one.

"It Gets Your Body Movin" - Suckers (June 3, Black Cat)
Brooklyn band works its way up to something big by the end of this song. Horns are blasting, lots of voices shouting in unison -- it's big but not overblown.

"Fuzzy Freaky" - David Byrne (June 6, Wolf Trap)
Sure, I could break out an old Talking Heads chestnut, but Byrne's career has always been about moving forward. So here's a new song that's more freaky than fuzzy. But plenty funky.

"Go On Say It" - Blind Pilot (June 7, Black Cat)
Portland, Ore., band has played with the Decemberists, and it's a good fit. Imagine that band when it was still, you know, a band and not some sort of nautical rock musical.

"Sabali" - Amadou & Mariam (June 10, Birchmere)
The Malian pop duo gets all electronic; this song sounds like a collaboration with Ladytron. A pretty awesome collaboration with Ladytron.

Intern season is underway, which means that the bars of Capitol Hill are teaming with a fresher, younger crowd. The Thursday night beat-the-clock happy hour at the Pour House should be packed this week, but most bars don't drive interns directly to their door.

And then there's Gin and Tonic.

Starting tonight, the Glover Park bar is offering "Intern Initiation Tuesdays," complete with a free trip on the Boomerang party bus from the corner of Second and D street SE to Wisconsin Avenue NW. (To board, riders must be 21-and-over and show a valid college ID or a badge declaring their intern status.) Buses leave the Hill at 5:30 and 6:30.

When they get to Gin and Tonic, partiers will find two-for-one drinks all night -- that's everything in the house -- shots, glasses of wine, draft beers, cocktails and pitchers.-- from 5 until 2. Note that anyone can get the deals, not just interns, so expect plenty of older (20s and 30s) G&T regulars scoping out the interns and buying drinks.

(Honestly, though, while the idea sounds kind of sketchy, it's naive to think that's any different than what happens every summer at the Front Page's always-slammed Thursday happy hour or at Capitol Lounge on a Friday.)

The problem with this deal, though, is that the bus doesn't return to Capitol Hill at any point in the night, so interns who make their way to Glover Park will have to find their own way home after they've had a few drinks. Fritz Brogan, the co-owner of Gin and Tonic, paints this event as catering to the crowd that's not bunking down on the Hill; after all, he says, he attended Georgetown and spent his summers interning at the White House and some downtown lobbying firms. "There's very little in Georgetown and Glover Park for the interns ... even though a lot of them are living in the dorms at Georgetown or [George Washington University] or in the townhouses in Georgetown," he says.

Luckily for those who don't live within walking distance, multiple Metrobus lines that service Georgetown, GW and Foggy Bottom stop on that block, and cabs area easy to find on Wisconsin Avenue.

Our usual advice for interns applies here: Just because drinks are two-for-one doesn't mean you need to get hammered and/or start dancing with a dude 10 years older than you. And please put the badges away once you're on the bus.

And whether you're an intern or not, if you're interested in more dirt-cheap happy hour deals like this one, check our Free and Cheap Guide to D.C.

-- Fritz

The minimalist dining room at Blue Ridge. (Julia Beizer - The Washington Post)

"Simplicity was the guiding principle," restaurant vet Eli Hengst said last week during a tour of his newest venture, Blue Ridge. He was talking about the menu at that moment, but he could have been talking about the entire concept for this Glover Park spot, much anticipated as chef Barton Seaver's return to restaurants after almost a year's hiatus. Rustic wooden tables, salvaged church pews and basic wooden chairs are your first clue that this restaurant is nothing like the Busara that preceded it. The decor is so streamlined that even the light bulbs lack adornment. Restaurateurs are fond of saying that diners won't need a glossary for their menu, but this one really doesn't: pork chops, catfish and other just-what-they-say-they-are entrees make an appearance on the dish list (most are priced under $20). The restaurant opened sort of quietly for lunch and is open for dinner tonight. Find a couple more pics of the space below the jump.

-- Julia

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.

Everybody: Chaka Khan is performing for free on Woodrow Wilson Plaza this Wednesday. (Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)

Monday
Cities and Urban Living at the Goethe-Institut
The EuroAsia Shorts film festival kicks off with entries from countries as varied as South Korea and Italy. The movies all follow the theme of urban living, so expect to see everything from Parisian taxi drivers to the crazy lights of Tokyo at night.

Tuesday
J.P. McDermott and Western Bop at Brookside Gardens
Fixtures on the Washington area's rockabilly and honky tonk scene, J.P. McDermott and Western Bop play a 6:30 p.m. concert in Brookside's beautiful Japanese-style gardens.

Wednesday
Chaka Khan at Live! On Woodrow Wilson Plaza
Legendary funk and soul singer Chaka Khan, known for hits like "I'm Every Woman," "I Feel For You" and "Through the Fire," kicks off the summer-long Live! On Woodrow Wilson Plaza concert series with a lunchtime performance.

Thursday
Summer Jamz at Lima
DJ Dirty Hands was behind D.C.'s biggest underground hip-hop party, Soul Camp, before moving on to residencies at glitzy clubs like Love and spinning for celebrities at NBA All-Star Week events. Though he's a partner in the upscale Fly Lounge, Dirty Hands is taking over the turntables tonight at Lima for the debut of the new weekly Summer Jamz party. Admission is free all night.

Friday
The Continentals at the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage
The Continentals are one of the area's best polka bands, featured at numerous Oktoberfest festivals and frequently found on the schedule at venues like Blob's Park. Tonight's rollicking performance at the Kennedy Center includes a free polka dance lesson from 5:30 to 6.

Saturday
Best of "Pancake Mountain" at Artomatic
Once upon a time, we thought seeing Stevie Wonder or Johnny Cash on Sesame Street was as cool as music got on TV for kids. Then came Pancake Mountain, where you might find Ted Leo singing "Wheels on the Bus" and then launching his band into a supercharged "Little Dawn," while the pint-sized audience members pogoed along. Henry Rollins, Fiery Furnaces and Bright Eyes are among the stars that have all appeared on the locally-produced program, which appeals to kids and adults in equal measure. Catch some of the best episodes today from noon to 2 p.m. in Artomatic's screening room.

Sunday
Jazz 'n Families Fun Days at the Phillips Collection
As part of the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival, the Phillips hosts a weekend of live music, family-friendly stories and activities, and an instrument petting zoo. Admission to the museum is free for jazz and art lovers of all ages.

Monday
Paella Festival Kickoff at Jaleo
Enjoy free snacks at a happy hour marking the beginning of Jaleo's annual tribute to paella, the famous Spanish rice dish. The special guest is chef Quim Marques, a Barcelona-based restaurateur and author. RSVPs are suggested -- call the restaurant to reserve your place.

-- Fritz

Here's former chef Carole Greenwood making a rutabaga stew in the kitchen at Buck's Fishing & Camping. (Katherine Frey for The Washington Post)

Rumors about a certain chef leaving her roost have now been confirmed: As of today, chef Carole Greenwood is out at both Buck's Fishing & Camping and the neighboring pizzeria, Comet Ping Pong, says her former business associate James Alefantis, who is now the sole owner of both establishments.

If you have energy for more art after the sensory overload that is Artomatic, then be sure to check the Sackler's version of Hirshhorn After Hours, Irvine Contemporary's look at graffiti art and the Smithsonian's celebration of Welsh culture, among other things.

The first item on the calendar in June is Asia After Dark. The Freer and Sackler are offering an after-hours look at their exhibitions, like the opulent gifts to Russian tsars currently on display. Your $18 ticket will also get you the chance to see a performance by the Silk Road Dance Company, grab a drink at the cash bar, snack on food from Mie N Yu and check out hands on arts activities. (6:30-11:30 p.m. June 4)

This week's Nightlife Agenda column s packed with concerts and DJ nights, but with the start of the weekend just a few hours away, we thought we'd throw out a few more ideas, ranging from beer tastings to DJs spinning on a hotel's rooftop deck.

Friday
The Brewers Association is holding its annual swanky craft beer event Savor at the National Building Museum this weekend, and a lot of the big names in microbrews are in town for the sold-out event. Naturally, your better beer bars are capitalizing on the occasion. Tonight at Rustico, for example, Sierra Nevada co-founder Ken Grossman will be at a meet-and-greet happy hour. Grossman's one of the most important men in the history of craft beer -- Sierra Nevada really paved the way for excellent pale ales -- and he'll be chatting with everyone about the past and future of brewing. Rustico will have Sierra's Pale Ale, Summerfest and the new Southern Hemisphere Harvest Ale on draft, with Torpedo, Bigfoot and Porter in bottles. You'll pay between $4 and $8 per beer, and each one comes in a Sierra logo glass that you get to take home and keep. The party starts at 5 p.m.

Over at Birreria Paradiso, brewers from Stoudt's, Ommegang, Southampton, Anchor and Clipper City will be mixing and mingling from 9 to 11 tonight. (I'm a huge fan of both Carol Stoudt and her beers, so make sure you say hello.) All beers from those breweries will be $5.

The exotic sports cars outside the Shadow Room tonight won't belong to some athlete who booked a table at the velvet-rope club -- the Lamborghinis, Ferraris and Maseratis will be there for you to drool over. Take a look under the hood, then head inside to dance to a mix of Top 40, hip-hop and mashups from DJ Q. Get on the guest list at AbsoluteAddiction.com for free admission until 11 for men and midnight for women.

In "Drag Me to Hell," Alison Lohman's not gonna take it. No, she ain't gonna take it. (Universal)

Only very special movies have the ability to make us gag, guffaw, scream, snort and very nearly vomit, sometimes within the span of a single scene. Let's just say "Drag Me to Hell" is a very special movie.

I started getting pumped for this one after director Sam Raimi unveiled a couple of scenes last July at Comic-Con. But when this foreclosure-crisis-meets-gypsy-curse horror flick got slapped with a PG-13 rating, I thought maybe Raimi would have to sacrifice some of those hilariously delicious shocks that hark back to his work on the "Evil Dead" franchise.

As Dan Kois notes in today's review in the Post, it turns out Raimi didn't have to sacrifice a single spurt of blood. This one pushes the PG-13 boundaries about as far as they can go, but in a good, old-fashioned, B-movie way. "Drag Me to Hell" may be a pseudo-commentary on the current economic crisis, but it's also proof that even in tough times, it's still possible to get what you paid for.

To prove my point, here is a list of things that may or may not be found in "Drag Me to Hell." See if you can find the three items on this list that don't appear in the movie; the correct version of the list, with absent items noted, follows. (P.S. If you're super-sensitive about spoilers you may not want to read further.)

One of our chatters wrote in yesterday with a tale of temptation on the other side of the cubicle wall. A "super-cute, super-sweet" girl caught this chatter's attention, but s/he wasn't sure whether to go for it and ask her out for a drink. Readers chimed in with advice of all sorts, but one recurring theme emerged. Proceed cautiously, cube-dweller. Office romances can be great, but they can also lead to disaster.

We also dished about pool parties, summer concerts and romantic brunches. Read the full transcript here. Got comments? Leave 'em below or submit them to next week's discussion.

-- Julia

Granville Moore's chef Teddy Folkman assists a fellow grill master at last year's Brainfood Grill-Off. (Courtesy of Brainfood)

Food events and charitable causes often go hand in hand in this town. Two such soirees pop up this weekend, with a third on the way June 11. The affairs have hefty price tags -- but also a chance to sample a variety of dishes from some of the city's best chefs. After the jump, we take a look at a pig-focused fest, an annual gala and a grilling competition, all for good causes.

The team from "Up" celebrates at Cannes with a mini-version of the movie's floating house. (Getty Images)

"Up" -- yet another fun, sophisticated and beautifully animated tale from the people at Pixar -- opens in theaters tomorrow. And to celebrate that occasion, members of the public are invited to get high at the Newseum.

No, not that kind of high. Come on, this event marks the arrival of a new Pixar movie, not the triumphant return of Cheech and Chong.

Seriously, if you happen to be visiting the Newseum tomorrow, you could be chosen to take a ride in the "Up" armchair, a cushy seat attached to multiple balloons that floats 40 feet into the air, a tribute to the soaring Victorian house depicted in the movie.

Between 9 and 11 a.m., 10 to 12 Newseum visitors will be randomly selected to sit in the traveling throne. Those who don't get chosen can watch members of the public and media take part in all the helium-filled action. I might even do a little floating myself, as long as that chair has a seatbelt.

Of course, the caveat here is that patrons still have to pay that Newseum admission fee of $20, or $13 for kids between the ages of 7 and 18. But if you've been planning to check out the museum anyway, tomorrow might be the ideal day to do it, especially if you are particularly pumped to see "Up." Which, by the way, you should be. It may be the most moving movie experience you have all year.

-- Jen

This month finds a famous actor returning to D.C. for a Shakespearean role, Landless Theatre giving audiences the chance to ponder the double-meaning of Scooby Snacks and a heart-breaking autobiography-turned-play at Studio Theatre.

First up though is a comedic look at the intersection of mental illness and politics. Keegan Theatre is putting on a play that is so very Washington: "Lincolnesque," about a hapless congressman about to lose his reelection campaign. The only person who can help him is a man who believes he is Abraham Lincoln reincarnate and happens to be an exceptional speechwriter. (June 4-28)

Wednesday
Luis Melendez: Master of the Spanish Still Life at the National Gallery
Spanish still-life artist Luis Melendez had painting bowls of fruit down to a science. Check out the National Gallery's new exhibition of his works, from pears that seem to pop off the page to ultra-realistic bottles reflecting light from some hidden window.

Thursday
Herndon Festival
The Herndon Festival will be kicking off to the sounds of A-ha and Def Leppard thanks to a performance by Washington's favorite '80s cover band, the Legwarmers. Ruthie Foster and Eric Scott will also perform, followed by a fireworks display at 9:30 p.m.

Friday
Artomatic 2009
Celebrating its 10th year, Artomatic gets started on Friday night with an evening of live music, walls upon walls of work by local artists and a theatrical performance of "The Last Days of King Solomon." Screenings of local short films will also be playing from noon to 1 a.m.

Saturday
WalkingTown, DC's Spring Tours
Cultural Tourism DC celebrates spring by offering 120 free tours all over D.C. (including some on bikes). Find out about the history of jazz along U Street, the important Washingtonians buried in the Congressional Cemetery and little-known facts on memorials along the Mall.