Going Out Gurus

Free and easy events

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:40 -0500

Want to ride on a zipline, learn about step dancing or hear from authors of a book on D.C.'s hardcore scene? You can do all that (and more) for free this week. Step Afrika offers a dance history lesson on Friday night. (Step Afrika!) Monday, Nov. 9 "Ruined" at the Kennedy Center's Terrace Theatre The winner of the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for drama, "Ruined" tells the story of a Congolese mining town torn apart by civil war. The staged reading of the play is followed by a panel discussion with playwright Lynn Nottage, Congolese journalist Chouchou Namegabe and John Prendergast of the Enough Project, which is working to end genocide in Congo. Pick up free tickets at the Kennedy Center box office, or reserve them by calling 202-467-4600. There's no service charge. 7:30-9:30 p.m. 2700 F St. NW. www.kennedy-center.org. Tuesday, Nov. 10 "Midnight Ramble" at the Anacostia Community Museum In

Making progress at Arena Stage

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:40:22 -0500

The time is nearing for Arena Stage to move out of its temporary Crystal City digs and into the new 200,000-foot facility at Maine Avenue and Sixth Street SW. True, the center won't be ready until Arena's 2010/2011 season, but judging from this exclusive time-lapse video, there's been major progress since construction began in January of '08. The design team apparently drew inspiration from jellyfish (which is appropriate given the theater's waterfront location); one facade is composed of 35,000 square feet of glass, and the dramatic roofline has undulating lines. What do you all think? Your Browser DoesNot Support IFrames. -- Stephanie Merry

Got Plans? Redux: We hate service charges, too

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:00:07 -0500

We talked about crowds at new bars, U street establishments, French restaurants for first dates and Fotoweek DC. We also talked about the 9:30 club's upcoming switch from Tickets.com to Ticket Fly. New agency, same service charges. Bummer, man. Read the full transcript here. Got comments? Let us know below or in next week's discussion. -- Julia Beizer

All aboard the Passenger for cocktails

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:39 -0500

Derek Brown and his older brother Tom have almost 40 years of bartending experience between them: most recently, the two have won acclaim at the Gibson and Cork, respectively. But except for a few private events, they have never worked at the same bar. Until mid-November, that is, when the Browns will transform the bar at the Warehouse Theater (1021 Seventh St. NW) into the Passenger, a neighborhood bar and lounge. "I think that Derek and I have always wanted to do something together -- it was just finding the right place," Tom says. "There have been fits and starts, and it took a while, but now it's not us working together for someone else." The Warehouse Theater is undergoing a big transformation. The bigger-than-a-black-box theater is moving its entrance around the corner, Civilian Art Projects is moving onto the block and there are plans to turn the former Warehouse

Join us for Got Plans? at 1

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:58:10 -0500

If you haven't ever joined the Going Out Gurus for our weekly live discussion, check us out ... soon! We're just about to begin this week's installment of our Thursday-at-1-p.m. tradition, where you ask away and we give you our take on new places, where you should go for date night or happy hour and the best events happening around town. So if you want to talk about Fotoweek, who's going to Le Loup or where to watch the season finale of "Mad Men," chime in. -- Anne

Hot tickets

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:44:22 -0500

Tickets are on sale now at Tickets.com for these shows at the 9:30 club: • Switchfoot, Dec. 13 ($20) • Lee "Scratch" Perry with See-I, Dec. 14 ($25) • The Greyboy Allstars, Dec. 18 ($25). Tickets go on sale Friday at noon through Ticketmaster (202-397-7328) for these shows at the Birchmere: • Burlesque-A-Pades! starring the World Famous Pontani Sisters, Feb. 14 ($29.50) • Gaelic Storm, March 3 and 4 ($35) • Sweet Honey in the Rock, March 21 and 22 ($45) Tickets go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. through Ticketmaster for: • Jeff Dunham, Jan. 21 at the Verizon Center ($46.50). Tickets go on sale Monday at 10 a.m. through Ticketmaster for: • Sesame Street Live: 123 Imagine! with Elmo & Friends, Dec. 17-20 at the Patriot Center. -- Amy Orndorff

Featured Advertiser

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:44:22 -0500

Leftover Halloween (eye) candy

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:05:44 -0500

One of Washington's most popular restaurateurs did his best to channel Julia Child October 31. We have no idea if he nailed her voice, but the get-up is mighty convincing. Any idea who's behind the apron and pearls? Guess away. -- Tom Sietsema

Coming to Dupont: Kababji Grill

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:46:06 -0500

Kebab alert: The Beirut-based Kababji Grill is poised to open its first U.S. restaurant in the the District later this month. In a phone conversation this morning -- Starbucks my time, lunchtime there -- founder Toufic Khoueiri, who owns "around 30" similar establishments abroad, told me his next project will be at 1351 Connecticut Ave. NW (in the same building as Hello Cupcake). At least two more area restaurants are expected to follow next year. The focal point of the 140-seat dining room in Dupont will be a charcoal grill and a brick oven (Kababji is making its own pita bread for table service). On the menu: skewered beef and chicken, of course, but also vegetable dips, meat pies, semolina cake and two kinds of kebbeh, or steak tartare. One, flavored with mint, basil and onion, reflects the northern style; the other, spiked with chili pepper sauce, is preferred in

Dine with Tom: Halfway there

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:43:17 -0500

The submissions for our Dine With Contest have really picked up over the last week and a half. We have more than 70 photos in our photo gallery as of this writing. Some of you have been goofy; some have been artsy; all have been fantastic. Keep 'em coming, folks. We love seeing where you're dining around town. Remember, here's the deal. You have until 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 20, to submit photos to this gallery (after checking out the official rules, of course). We'll select 10 finalists and then let you know where to vote for your favorite during the week of Nov. 30. After the voting is over, one winner will score dinner for two with Tom. -- Julia Beizer

Nightlife Agenda

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:30:22 -0500

Newly minted Rock and Roll Hall-of-Famer DMC brings the old-school hip-hop on Saturday to raise money for charity. (Tobin Grimshaw - AP) An old-school soul revue, a show by hip-hop pioneer DMC, a new album from local rockers Le Loup, a night of mini-golf for charity and a "Mad Men"-themed party are just a few of the items on our agenda this week.

Fresh start: Chef Hitzig pops up at Creme Cafe

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:00:14 -0500

Let go from Columbia Firehouse in September, just a month after he started, Orlando Hitzig tells me he's finally returned from "a long vacation I didn't want to take." Tonight marks the chef's kitchen debut at Crème Café in Washington. Unlike "the huge beast" he left in September, Crème Café, with fewer than 50 seats, is "a small restaurant," he says, so it's "more like coming home." He sees his job as making the U Street dining room more competitive and breathing fresh life into a restaurant that hasn't changed its menu since its launch in 2005. The owners have given him "wide berth to play," says Hitzig, who initially will be testing diners' interest in his food via nightly specials. Crème's signature shrimp and grits and pork and beans will stay on the American menu, however. When I asked this afternoon what he was whipping up for tonight, he

November Mixtape

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:46:23 -0500

Rap greats Public Enemy, seen here performing at Virgin Mobile FreeFest in August, remain a vital live act. (Kyle Gustafson - For The Washington Post November Mixtape--> If you're looking for the Next Big Thing, it might just be one of the artists above. Maybe it's Philadelphia singer-songwriter Kurt Vile, who offers both meditative fingerpicked acoustic songs and sludgy psych-rock freakouts. Maybe it's Alela Diane, a young singer-songwriter who plays songs with a simple beauty. Or maybe it's locals Le Loup, who expand their sonic palette on sophomore album "Family." Music veterans will also make their presence felt this month: in town will be rap legends Public Enemy, dancehall superstar Capleton and reunited sludge rockers the Jesus Lizard. See details for all of our picks on the November Mixtape Best Bets list. -- David Malitz

Up next: November arts

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:00:07 -0500

What do you get when you combine China's Terra Cotta Warriors, Pacman and crossbred chickens? That would be the local arts scene this month. Here's the rundown: The Terra Cotta Warriors march into Washington this month. (Wang de Gang) The 20th anniversary of the Berlin Wall is not going by unnoticed, what with dance performances, a Newseum family day and various art exhibitions. Among those is Iconoclash!, which sounds particularly promising. The Goethe-Institut show looks at vandalism via East German icons that were altered after Germany's reunification. (Nov. 4-Jan. 8) After traveling to Germany, head to the Hirshhorn to get all but transported to the flat landscape of the Midwest, thanks to Directions: John Gerrard. The artist, who garnered rave reviews during the Venice Biennale, takes photos of scenes from various angles and uses 3-D gaming software to replicate the feeling of actually being there. (Nov. 5-March 28)

On stage in November

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:00:39 -0500

If it's November, it must be time for...Fringe Festival? Plus, holiday favorites hit area stages and "Ol' Man River" will soon be taking up residence in your head. Show Boat sails at Signature Theatre this month. (Chris Mueller) The musical Show Boat heads to Signature Theatre this month. The Tony-winning drama (featuring that earworm "Ol' Man River") tells the story of the characters who live and work on a Mississippi river boat from the 1880s to the 1920s. (Nov. 10-Jan. 17) For theater outside the mainstream, check out three Fringe favorites that are being resurrected this month during Fall Fringe. The productions "Fool for a Client," "The Terrorism of Everyday Life" and "Splitting the Difference" are being staged to raise funds for the fifth annual festival coming our way next summer. (Nov. 11-22)

Free and easy events

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 03:18:56 -0500

John Thornley of U.S. Rotalty hosts an acoustic jam session at Solly's on the first Monday of the month. (Helayne Seidman--For The Post) This week, our ideas for how to have fun on no money include a live show with members of popular local rockers U.S. Royalty, free champagne tastings, an all-night long DIY photo shoot and more ideas -- enough for every day of the week. Monday, Nov. 2 John Thornley and Friends at Solly's U Street Tavern Hot off their appearance at CMJ in New York at the end of October, John and Paul Thornley of rising local indie band U.S. Royalty bring their monthly hootenanny-style show to the upstairs of Solly's U Street Tavern. Expect an acoustic mix of covers originals, plus appearances by special guests. (Last month, singer-guitarist Marty Royle of Washington Social Club took the stage.) Tuesday, Nov. 3 Free champagne tasting at Bistrot