Wine Tasting Benefit at Marx Cafe

My wine consumption is usually limited to leaning against the kitchen counter and finishing bottles of Three-buck Chuck (with some help) while I'm cooking with it. I've been meaning to learn more about it and possibly develop slightly more sophisticated drinking habits but it's been slow going. But not only is help on the way for the clueless and thirsty, it's for a good cause. Mount Pleasant Mainstreet is holding a wine tasting at Marx Cafe on March 18 from 7-9. Proceeds will benefit residents of an apartment building on Mt. Pleasant Street that went up in flames on March 12. While you're at it, you can drop off donations of food and clothing for the building's residents at Neighbors' Consejo at 3118 16th St. And what better way to take advantage of your resulting acquired taste and good karma? Some shiny new wineglasses from the shiny new Target.

Marx Cafe is located at 3203 Mt Pleasant St. RSVP to karen@mtpmainstreet.org .

Gallery Opening

(hello my first contribution piece)

If you have thought about it, there is probably a blog about it. Which is how I stumbled onto The Sartorialist.

Soooooo, I may have complained once, twice, 8 thousand times, about the lack of fashion in DC. Yes, I have hated on Anne Taylor. Yes, I own things from Anne Taylor. So I started looking for a blog to be my inspiration for things I can wear (ahem, working on a budget, not a model body), and look good. I wanted inspiration from REAL people. And so began my daily clicking away at The Sartorialist website. The Sartorialist photographs people on the streets around the world, lookin' good.

And FINALLY MY POINT: Google reader, while I love it, surely does not do justice to many of the photographs on the blog. And, so, let there be a gallery opening!

The Sartorialist
March 15th - April 26th, 2008
Adamson Gallery
Opening Gallery Reception:
Saturday, March 15th
6:30 - 8:30 pm

p.s. the whole "on a budget" and "for a non-model body" requisites don't necessarily apply all the time to The Sartorialist, but whatevs, it is a cool blog.

Ella's Pizza

I found my Ella’s pizza choice. The Norcia is SO good. For meat eaters, it consists of salami, fresh mozzarella, roasted peppers, and tomatoes. Try it next time you are there for lunch or at…

Happy Hour! It’s 4-7 at the bar. Pretty good sangria, Allagash White on tap! Sangria- 3.50 for a glass 15.00 for a carafe. One dollar of American drafts. Personal pizzas are only $5 (including the norcia, quattro fromaggi, and verdura).

Environmental Film Festival

Many many many movies. Many are free.

http://www.dcenvironmentalfilmfest.org/home.php

I recommend searching by date to find out what's playing on the night you have free. There are some that you have even heard of like "Arctic Tale" and "The 11th Hour."

Pap and Petey's

Pap and Petey's just opened on H St.

Check out one of the below. Looks like all sorts of fun! Extra bonus that happy hour goes until 8pm, allowing people to get over to H St and still enjoy a bargain. Located at 421, it's about 7 blocks closer to Union Station than the other bars down the street (and as always, the X2 is super easy from Gallery Place).

http://papandpeteys.com/Home_Page.html

Happy Hour
*Every Day from 5pm - 8pm
*Variety of specials

Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Election Results Watch Party (MS)
*Drink Specials--"Blue State" and "Red State" Themes
*Returns begin coming in around 8pm

Friday, March 14, 2008
The Mike Gillespie Trio
*Jazz Flute with accompaniment
*Performing from 9:00pm to Midnight
*Drink/check minimum: $15.00 per seat (no cover)

Sunday, March 16, 2008
Gordon Kent - Unplugged!

*DC Jazz-Blues-R&B Virtuoso
*Performing from 6:30pm to 9:30pm
*Audience Requests Taken
*Drink/check minimum: $15.00 per seat (no cover)

Monday, March 17, 2008
Return Engagement: Timmy Sparkles with Abu
*Acoustic Guitar & Drums
*Performing from 9:15pm to 11:15pm
*St. Paddy's Day Fun!
*No cover/check minimum

"M" is for Merlot, it's good enough for me.

Check out the Duplex Diner (18th & U) tonight. Items on the menu starting with the letter “m” are half price. That means that meatloaf, mac & cheese, mashed potatoes, margaritas, and merlot are all half off! Not a bad deal.

Once

I’m a sucker for the movie “Once.” Totally totally. (Also props to E Street Cinema- when I saw it there, the sound was out for approximately 5 minutes in the very beginning, and the management gave everybody a free movie pass for another visit.) If you missed it in the theatre, check out Washington Film Institute's St. Patrick's Day Party and Irish Film Night at the Goethe-Institut on Saturday the 15th! Go at 6pm to eat a meal’s worth of hors d’oeuvres and check out the film at 7pm or 9pm. The reception (including one drink) is $10 and the film is $10.

http://www.dcfilminstitute.org/INVITE/main.php

this spring so far

Things I have tickets for and am excited about (in order of date)-

The Hives and The Donnas (tonight!)

The Complete History of America (Abridged)

Grande Fete de la Francophonie 2008

Major Barbara

Morcheeba

The Flying Dutchman

Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks

Wizards game

LAS VEGAS

Shecky’s Night Out (technically excited about open bar for five hours)

NAPA

hello there strangers

Okay, I’m back to blogging. Midwinter blues, a non-functioning internet connection at home and too much to do at work have kept me from writing up all the exciting things to do in the city! The weather is finally getting marginally warmer! Soon we’ll be able to drink outside, picnic on the mall, you get the idea.

Thoughts from the winter-

Argonautika at the Shakespeare Theatre was fabulous. Funny, dramatic, inventive. The ending dragged on but besides that, two thumbs up for Mary Zimmerman. I wish I had been writing here because I would have recommended you get a ticket immediately.

The Kogod Courtyard at the National Portrait Gallery is fantastic. One of my (relatively) new favorite spots to meet up with a friend, have a glass (okay actually two) of wine, and chat. Some of the garbage cans say “thank you” when you deposit your trash.

Museums on the weekends in winter (and especially over three day weekends) are insane with small children. But the people watching is priceless.

If you don’t want to dodge small children and the strollers they should ride in, stick with quieter ones like the Freer and Sackler, African Art, and ones that cost some money. Save the monsters (Natural History, Air and Space, NGA) for a day you take off of work to treat yourself to what DC has to offer.

Seriously, take a day (or at least an afternoon) off, convince a friend to meet you for a long lunch, go to a museum, go to E Street to take advantage of matinee prices (warning-no alcohol is served there on weekdays until 5pm. Lesson learned the hard way!). You will be happy you did it.

Making mini pizzas on pita with lots of veggies is a quick and easy dinner for one. Do not make one when you are really drunk and put your hand in the toaster oven and burn the crap out of your finger. That kind of thing has potential to put you off mini pizzas forever.

I highly recommend getting a facial at the Aveda Institute. Because they are students, the facials are cheaper than going to spas. For $45 my facial lasted 1.5 hours. And they use terms like “sensory journey”- you can’t lose.

I had a pretty good restaurant week experience at Acadiana. Refreshing after years of terrible Restaurant Week experiences.

Sit at the bar at Red Rocks and eat too many olives.

Take advantage of Netflix Instant Watching. It’s unlimited now. Exactly what I need is more time in front of the computer.

Heritage India serves monster glasses of wine at happy hour.

Tonight

Tonight- I’m going to see Brazilian Girls and Cake. If you aren’t seeing that show, you should be seeing Le Loup because they are awesome (Black Cat- 8pm). And if you don’t want to do that either go see Across the Universe for a $1. (9:50PM).