Pete's Apizza opening Monday

If you've lived in DC for a while, at some point, an acquaintance from Long Island has bitched to you about the lack of good pizza in this city. Someone from New Jersey or -shudder- Philly then chimes in, and a heated debate ensues over which region can claim pizza supremacy over the Northeast. They might have to make way for Connecticut with the opening of Pete's Apizza on Monday. The restaurant, located right over the Columbia Heights metro next to Potbelly's, will serve New Haven style pizza made from organic ingredients. I can't say I know exactly what New Haven style pizza is, but the owners say here that key elements are the cooking time and temperature, which produce a crust that's crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Yalie? In their post on Columbia Heights News (link above), they say "Above all else, let us know if you've got a NEW HAVEN connection. We'll treat you real special."

Terra DC

Terra’s spring fashion event is featuring 15%, munchies from Gazuza and Dolci Gelato, and most importantly…mojitos. RSVP to hello@shopterra.com by tomorrow to secure your spot. You'll find some eclectic fashions, accessories, book, and even baby socks (?).

April 30
6:30-8:30pm
1706 Connecticut Ave. NW

"Pay What You Can" at Improv

Washington DC Metblogs relayed the info that DC Improv has begun a monthly “Pay What You Can” night. The first one will be April 30th for the Marc Maron show. Show up that night and if there are seats available, you pay what you can. No 2-item minimum either.

Wine Tasting at Cork

If you’ve been waiting to check out Cork when it’s not massively crowded, Saturday could be your day. Grappoli wines will be on hand to pour some Italian whites and reds wine and talk about each type, its region, and the wine makers.

Saturday, April 26, 2008
Cork Wine Bar
1720 14th Street, NW
3 to 5 p.m.

Sierra Club Hike

Sierra Club MWROP organizes all sorts of interesting outdoors events around DC/VA/MD. One that may be of particular interest-

Easy 7-mile hike through Glover Archibald Park, along the C&O Canal towpath; return via Battery Kimble Park. Kids who can walk 7+ miles over hilly terrain are welcome. Bring beverage and light snack. Meet at 1 pm on south side of Van Ness Street NW, 100 yards west of Wisconsin Ave. Leader: Jim Finucane, 301/365-3485 (before 9 pm) or jim.finucane@yahoo.com.

Should wrap up around 5pm.

OF NOTE- MWROP suggests that each event participant make a $2 donation to help defray MWROP expenses (the organization is wholly self-supporting).

beauty is as beauty does...

Aveda is throwing a fashion show to benefit the Potomac Conservancy this weekend. On Sunday night from 6-9pm, there will be a silent auction, cocktail reception, and (derrr) fashion show for a super duper non-prof dedicated to protecting the Potomac.

$75- VIP ticket- Reserved Seating, private viewing of silent auction items + swag bag
$25- advanced ticket purchase
$30- at the door ticket purchase
$10- student ticket

To register, call 703-535-8254
Aveda Institute Washington D.C.
713 7th Street NW

Walking Tour Weekend

Free walking tour day strikes again. Cultural Tourism DC is bringing 80 free walking tours (and a few bike tours) to 18 neighborhoods across the city. I did one of Georgetown last year and it was quite interesting- WAY WAY too crowded but interesting. The tour guide was very perky and when she couldn’t remember information, she had her notes ready. We ended up jumping off the tour early since with so many people, walking from stop to stop was becoming excruciatingly slow and drank beer and had a late lunch instead. Here are a couple that look interesting. Check out the schedule for more.

Peirce Mill to Turn Again
Saturday 10 am - 12 noon
Meet and end at Peirce Mill, Tilden Street and Beach Drive, NW
Peirce Mill, the last standing mill in the District, is nearing completion of a $1 million restoration program that will enable the 200-year-old mill to grind grain again. A visit to the mill will reveal the fish ladder at the dam that allows herring to migrate upstream for spring spawning and Cloverdale, a historic home once owned by the Peirce family. Led by Steve Dryden and presented by Friends of Peirce Mill.

Drawing Wisconsin
Sunday 11 am - 12 noon
Meet and end at the Corcoran College of Art + Design, Georgetown campus, 1801 35th Street, NW
Reservations required: 202-661-7581 or reply@CulturalTourismDC.org
Wisconsin Avenue in Georgetown is a lively mix of historic architecture, greenery, intriguing shops, and people from near and far – an ideal subject for sketching! The tour guides will offer lessons in observational drawing suitable for beginners and more experienced sketchers. Materials provided. Presented by the Corcoran College of Art + Design.

A Musical Tour of Mount Pleasant
Sunday 2 - 4 pm
Meet across from Columbia Heights Metro station on 14th Street in front of CVS
End in Lamont Park
Discover DC’s historic popular music scene – from country/western through rock ‘n’ roll, mariachi, and punk. Starting on 14th Street in Columbia Heights, wind your way through Mount Pleasant to see where music makers lived and played, and hear the tour guides recreate their music! Led by Mara Cherkasky, with Natalie Avery, Olivia Cadaval, Wayne Kahn, and Janelle Treibitz.

H Street NE Alley Tour
Sunday 10 am - 12:30 pm
Meet outside New York Avenue Metro station (south exit at M Street, NE)
End at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1300 H Street, NE
This tour traces the development of the H Street neighborhood along the railroad, and discusses how alleys became locations for stables, industry storage, and housing. The tour includes a stop at two occupied alley dwellings. Led by Richard Layman and presented by Rebuilding Place in the Urban Space blog, Frozen Tropics blog, and the Citizens Planning Coalition.

DC 8 WARDS EcoTour (Bike Tour)
Sunday 9 am - 1:30 pm
Meet outside Eastern Market Metro station plaza
End at Tenleytown Metro station
Reservations required: www.WholenessforHumanity.com or 202-686-9813
This 21-mile bike ride through all eight wards of DC will raise awareness of projects that enhance the health of the Anacostia Watershed. Visit active service projects and learn about successful environmental projects along the way. Led by Ronald Austin, clean city coordinator, Office of the Mayor, and presented by Wholeness for Humanity, U.S. EPA, Service for Peace, Downtown DC BID, Friends of the Earth, DC Department of the Clean City, DC Department of the Environment, and Office of Planning.
Special instructions: Please bring your own bike.

Free lecture and what's at market

If you’ve got spring eating on the mind (as I obviously do), RSVP immediately for “Urban Gardening: Spring Menus from an Urban Kitchen Garden.” Ed Bruske, president of DC Urban Gardeners, will walk you through seasonal vegetables, fruit cultivation, and harvesting.

Saturday, April 26, 2008
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
The Historical Society of Washington, DC (801 K St NW)
Admission: Free
Reservations: Required
Phone: 202-383-1828
Email: rsvp@historydc.org

On that note, FRESHFARMS notes that the following are available at the market-

Apples, Arugula, Asparagus, Basil, Beets, Bok Choy, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Cilantro, Cucumbers (greenhouse grown), Dandelion Greens, Escarole, Frisee, Green Garlic, Honey, Kale and Stirfry Mixes, Leeks, Lettuce and Salad Mixes, Mustard Greens, Mint, Mushrooms (including Morels), Spring Onions, Parsley, Potatoes (new whites and reds), Radishes (French breakfast variety), Ramps, Spinach, Sweet Potatoes, Swiss Chard, Tomatoes (grape and slicing varieties, both greenhouse grown), Turnips and Watercress.\

Last week at Penn Quarter I got some excellent Loudon lettuce and persian cucumbers.

The Washington, DC International Film Festival

The Washington, DC International Film Festival is upon us. It runs from April 24 to May 4th. Two major festival focuses this year are Politics & Film and New Latin American Cinema.

A couple of films I think might be of interest are below. I pulled directly the info straight from the website and only included the first sentence of the synopsis to keep this post from taking up the whole page-

I Just Didn’t Do It- Soredemo boku wa yattenai

MASAYUKI SUO- Japan, 2007, 143 minutes, Color

It was a surprise that Masayuki Suo made nothing for 10 years after Shall We Dance?, his hit comedy-drama about the closeted world of Japanese ballroom dancing. Even more surprising, he has broken his long silence with this impassioned drama about the structural weaknesses and blatant hypocrisy of Japan's legal system. In Japanese with English subtitles
Tuesday April 29 8:15 PM Landmark's E Street Cinema
Wednesday April 30 8:30 PM Landmark's E Street Cinema

Jade Warrior- Jadesoturi/Yu Zhanshi

ANTTI-JUSSI ANNILA-Finland, The Netherlands, China, Estonia, 2006, 104 minutes, Color

Jade Warrior is an often bizarre, bracing, and wildly successful mixture of a traditional Chinese martial-arts film and laconic Finnish auteur cinema that nails its central conceits so perfectly that it feels entirely natural for a contemporary Finn to be fighting an ancient demon in medieval China. In Finnish and Mandarin with English subtitles
Wednesday April 30 8:00 PM Avalon Theatre
Friday May 02 8:30 PM Landmark's E Street Cinema

Late Bloomers- Die herbstzeitlosen

BETTINA OBERLI- Switzerland, 2006, 90 minutes, Color

In the "determined underdog" tradition of The Full Monty, Calendar Girls, and Chocolat comes this rich Swiss confection about realizing your dreams—no matter what they are, how long it takes, or how much they may offend local sensibilities. In High German with English subtitles
Friday May 02 6:30 PM Avalon Theatre
Saturday May 03 9:00 PM Regal Cinemas Gallery Place

The Pope's Toilet- El bano del papa

CESAR CHARLONE , ENRIQUE FERNANDEZ- Uruguay, Brazil, France, 2007, 97 minutes, Color

The Pope is coming to Melo, a poor Uruguayan village on the Brazilian border, and everyone's getting ready. In Spanish with English subtitles
Visit any Latin Concepts Restaurant including Ceviche or the Chi Cha Lounge for a free appetizer or cocktail with your Latin Cinema ticket stub throughout the Festival, $10 value. www.latinconcepts.com
Saturday April 26 9:30 PM Landmark's E Street Cinema
Sunday April 27 5:30 PM Landmark's E Street Cinema

The Tracey Fragments

BRUCE MCDONALD- Canada, 2007, 77 minutes, Color

"My name is Tracey Berkowitz, just a normal girl who hates herself." The troubled teen, played by white-hot Juno star Ellen Page, is anything but ordinary: she's a runaway in search of her younger brother as a blizzard bears down on the unnamed Canadian urban wasteland.
Friday April 25 6:30 PM Landmark's E Street Cinema
Saturday April 26 7:30 PM Landmark's E Street Cinema



**Actually I’m just going to stop now because I keep finding ones that look interesting. Go here and take a look yourself.

Saturday at The Pug

Already covered in the Post, but thought I’d give it an extra mention here. This Saturday, head over to The Pug from 7-9 for open draft beer and open rail liquor for $10 to benefit the Whitman Walker Clinic. On tap is Red Hook ESB, Hegaarden and Bare Knuckle Stout so we are not just talking Miller Lite or Bud Lite. Try Granville Moore’s if you haven’t been before or check out the relatively new Napa 1015.

Slow Food USA

If you are feeling up for a splurge and benefiting a good cause, check out this info on Slow Food Benefit Dinners-

For $75, you get a four-course meal with biodynamic wine pairings, restaurant gift bag and your copy of "Kitchen Memories" by Alexandra Greeley. Proceeds from the dinner will benefit the DC Chapter of Slow Food USA. Pretty good price for everything that’s included. Reserve by calling Jeanne Hommel at 703.507.9071 or email at jeanne@threelockharts.com.

Slow Food Dinner Schedule:

~ Monday, May 12, reception at 6:30pm and dinner at 7:00pm at Mio Restaurant featuring Chefs Stefano Frigerio (Mio), Todd Gray (Equinox), Anthony Chittum (Vermilion) and Josh Short (Buzz Bakery).

~ Monday, June 2, reception at 6:30pm and dinner at 7:00pm at PS 7's Restaurant featuring Chefs Peter Smith (PS 7's), Kevin Reading (Nage), Heather Chittum (Hook) and Cathal Armstrong (Restaurant Eve).

Slow Food USA envisions a future food system that is based on the principles of high quality and taste, environmental sustainability, and social justice –in essence, a food system that is good, clean and fair.

You can also support Slow Food USA by subscribing to GOOD Magazine (which is super interesting and always provides you with dinner time conversation points!)

Free Beer, Maybe?

So I don't have all the details, but I heard through the grapevine that Local 16 is having an event tonight (happy hour-ish time) sponsored by Peroni, and all Peroni is FREE. Clearly, you are taking a bit of a risk on this one. If it ends up that I'm wrong, don't let it ruin your evening. If you decide that Local 16 is a little out of your price range, I recommend crossing the street and heading to the Alero happy hour. All margaritas and appetizers are essentially half-off before 6pm. Plus, a margarita just makes everything better.

Local 16
1604 U Street, NW
6-8ish (i think...[sorry])

AFI: A Dream in Doubt

The AFI hosts a number of old, new, indie, bizarre...well, practically every type of movie. While E-street Cinema does a great job with their weekly art-house films, in addition to their almost main-stream indie collection, AFI defines the phrase "art-house cinema". Plus they got some of those regular movies too! If you haven't ever had a chance to check out the Silver Spring AFI, or if you are like me, and going back is on your list of things to do, tonight is a great night to make that a reality.

This evening (Monday April 21), the AFI is having a free screening of A Dream in Doubt. The movie focuses on a close-knit community of families who experienced a wave of frightening hate crimes in the aftermath of 9/11. Rana Singh Sodhi, a 36-year-old Indian immigrant, finds his life forever altered by the 9/11 terror attacks because his turban and beard became symbols of the terrorists who attacked America. Rana's eldest brother, Balbir—who also was bearded and wore a turban—was America's first post-9/11 hate crime murder victim, gunned down at his gas station by a man who claimed he was rooting out a terrorist.

AFI
7:00pm
(just off the Silver Spring metro)
FREE