Restaurant 3 8/21/10

Got a dinner for the close of restaurant week at Restaurant 3 in Clarendon. Great place, got a table out in the cool patio and ordered some good drinks first. Having never been there before I was relieved that they had a good beer list. As I get older I like the old standards (Bud Light & such) for sports and happy hours but if I want to enjoy myself I want to pair the dish with some quality brew. The calimari appetizer was awesome. Way to big for an app though and I had to take a bulk home. I got the Peach BBQ glazed pork chop with the mashed potatoes and although they acaully put peaches on my food it did taste good (of course I wiped off the peaches first.) The dessert was a warm bread pudding that until recently I had never tried. All in all great resuarant and good way to cap off a great food week in Clarendon!

DC Coast 8/19/10

Got in the first restaurant of the year at DC Coast on the corner of K & 14th Streets in the District. Going in for lunch with the twins was pretty easy and the reservations helped because that place was packed. At 1pm during the week! I guess all the K Street heroes gotta get that power lunch in before they go back in to work and screw our country up. Oh well. The food was great and I survived a mushroom soup that was a grayish green color and a baby food texture. It looked like something witches eat but it was surprisingly good. I also got a great jambalaya for the main course. It was a rice based meaty concoction that was hot and spicy and full of flavor. I believe the guys at DC Coast also run Arcadiana up the street that the twins took me to last year. To cap it off I had an Anchor Steam brew, straight from the tap. Great success!

DC Restaurant/Beer Week

So DC's restaurant week is in full swing and hopefully I'll be making it out to somewhere this week. It's a great event and luckily I'm off in the days so I could probably swing going out somewhere for lunch. I love eating out and drinking beers which leads into next weeks festivities! I have never heard of DC having a beer week or that many bar crawls but since they are having one I better check it out! Hopefully someplace new with good beers that I can add to the good to go list. Also the Washington Post is putting a guide to a few neighborhoods in the area that are worth checking out in August. I got the family out for a trip to one of DC's best areas on the 8th of August to check 14th and U. They call it midcity (I guess not to confuse with midtown) and they even have a web page: www.midcitylife.com. It was a good trip, especially for mom because she got to see some cool furniture stores that she's read about. Made for a great day and hopefully I can continue this trend. Until then make sure you hit at least one spot this week and ate least two next!

Spoon/Arcade Fire 8/6/10

Well we finally got out to Merriweather this season for an outdoor show and we picked a great night to do so. Thursday's monsoon got me a little nervous for possible rain Friday or at least mud in the lawn but instead it was very nice out. No rain and no mud just two of indie rocks best live acts the last couple years to come to the area and play to kick start a great weekend. After a few Bud Light Limes in the parking grass we got inside the venue to catch Spoon, already in progress. Spoon's a great band from Austin that has put out a number of good albums lately including one earlier this year. They had a good showing and despite being the "opener" they had a large crowd cheering through the whole set. After a break we ventured throughout the place and got reseated on a corner of the lawn and set up chairs and beers for The Arcade Fire to blow our minds. These guys can play and the have a full on sound that reminds me of Bruce & E Street as many players bringing different sounds and showcasing their talents on each song. I've been a fan since "Funeral" came and have continued to follow their careers but I finally got the chance to see them live. The new album sounded good, despite a drum machine problem, their were no interruptions in play. Having just previously played at Madison Square Garden I am glad they continued their awesome wave of power through the DC area. Hopefully more people will want to come and do big festivals here in this area so we can compete with the likes of Chicago, Austin, and hell even NYC. Until then I'll just settle for a free Virgin Fest coming to Merriweather next month. Great show once again and it reaffirmed my affinity for live music. Word.

The Black Keys 7/26/10

So far this year I've been to small venues and big ones, no outdoor ones yet, and heard some powerful live shows. All have been pretty great but Monday night they were completely blown away by The Black Keys. I saw these guys @ 930 in support of their Danger Mouse produced album "Attack & Release". It was so good I made sure I was on a mailing list for when they were coming to DC to play "Brothers". I actually got tickets on the floor at Constitution Hall which was great and the presale tickets also included the new album so I would be prepared for the awesomeness that is a Black Keys show. To my satisfaction they started the night by getting right into the classic older stuff from the first three albums, I thought I even heard a tune off "Chulahoma" too. These guys have some serious power and the tracks were short and full of energy. Besides Josh Homme I would have to say that Dan Auerbach is the best guitar player out there right now. It's hard not notice his heavy bluesy twang that encompasses each song he plays which stand out all the more because it's just his guitar playing. On his right was the strong and steady Patrick Carney whose drumming was always on point whether the song was loud and fast or soft and slow. After about a half hour the two Black Keys were accompanied by a bass and keyboard player to start performing selections from their new album that had some full band elements reminiscent of "Attack & Release". The new players were very subtle and didn't take much away from the original guitar and drum format that is The Black Keys signature sound. Despite the full on production value of the last two albums the majority of the hour and half set belonged to the simple but full sound formula. These guys can flat out play and I can't wait to see them again. Don't miss these guys, you will be blown away.

Virgin Free Fest/Ticket Fly Hot Mess

While I have normally applauded ticketfly.com for their great service and ease of getting concert info out there quick and releasing tickets early the Virgin Free Fest was a total disaster. I haven't really hated on much on this blog but this was ridiculous! Usually if I want to see a hot show I have found out about them soon but if I know it'll be seated, or in this case free, I'll get my ass up to a phone or computer to make sure I get in the infinite waiting room of online servers to get my tickets before they sell out in mere minutes. I went to Virgin's first local festival with some friends that cost in the hundreds but it had a slew of great bands playing. I saw Wolfmother, Brazilian Girls, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Who, and The Racteouers that year. Not bad for the price despite it being played at Baltimore's dirty Pimilico Field infield. Then last year it went free and I was shut out thanks to Ticketmaster. I've been hounding the Virgin Free Fest fan page on Facebook all week to get a head of the pack and they released their presale code the night before the first attempt to made on the tickets. Needless to say I was ready. CRASH!!!!!! System crashed, what a bummer. Nothing worked, no direct links, nothing. I got back on Facebook and the masses were hot. Eventually at around ten after Virgin Free Fest sent a new link up. Still no dice. After ten more minutes they finally stated they got everything all up and working and I finally got in and got tow tickets. I was even able to call a few people to send them the link too. I checked today and tried but nothing got through. They posted later that 75,000 people tried for close to 35,000 tickets. That's ridiculous. Glad I got hooked up because I have been waiting to hear word on when LCD Soundsystem was coming to DC. I am also grateful that Sleigh Bells, Chromeo, and Neon Indian are coming too since I missed their last go round here. Sorry to vent but the ticket situation is crazy but I can't complain since they're free. Thanks Virgin and Ticket Fly, Love Julian.

Starr Hill Cruise 7/16/10

Did you know there is a dock behind Nats Park? There is and the boat behind it, The Patriot II, takes people out on cruises all year round. Brooke and I happened to take a night time cruise last Friday sponsored by On Tap Magazine, my favorite local *FREE* mag, and Charlottesville's own Starr Hill Brewery. We got onto the boat and it had a bar on two floors and a few cheese and cracker bowls. Not the best food but it'll do. It was a good time considering I do like Starr Hill and even have some still in my fridge and the weather wasn't super hot and the scenery was great. We went from Nats Park past the airport and Old Town and turned around past the Woodrow Wilson Bridge to see National Harbor on the way back. The only bummer, well first bummer, was the live music. Two jokers, guitar and violin(?!), played wimpy Dave Matthews covers on full blast in the downstairs bar area. I mean WTF? Total buzz kill having those clowns blaring in the only air conditioned room downstairs. The bar also had only four styles of Starr Hill and no company reps were there. I have been totally spoiled by Hard Times beer tastings in Springfield but overall it was a great ride. Romantic even!