Vapiano Mini Dolce

Sometimes you just need a little bite of sweetness to finish off your dinner, but $7 bucks for a giant slab of cake can be excessive for your wallet and your waistline. Vapiano has rolled out three small desserts for just $2.50 each- tiramisu, panna cotta, and strawberries with mascarpone- that should do the trick.

Vapiano M Street
1800 M Street N.W.

Free Movies in Mount Pleasant

When summer hits, it seems like sunset finds a classic movie playing in every park in the city. Now Mount Pleasant's joined in with a series in Lamont Street Park. You've already missed E.T., but you can still catch Blanca Nieve (Snow White, in Spanish with English subtitles) on July 12, and Raiders of the Lost Ark (with Spanish subtitles) on August 9. Films start at 9, but there'll be music before Raiders starting at 8, and starting at 7 before Blanca Nieve there's raffles and games celebrating independent businesses.

Bliss/Ladytron afterparty at Redeem

Brightest Young Things is hosting an afterparty on Saturday at Redeem for the Thievery corporation / Ladytron / Seu Jorge and TV on the Radio concert at Merriweather and the Bliss show at the Black Cat back stage. You'll have to wait until 1am if you don't have a ticket stub from the Outernational Music Tour or a Bliss dance party hand stamp, hopefully the free booze won't run out first. RSVP here. Once you get in, you're sure to forget the producers are "fueled by Toyota Matrix."

Bliss/Ladytron Afterparty
Saturday, June 28

Redeem
1734 14th St NW
Washington, DC 20009

FREE: Dolcezza Bethesda

Dolcezza sells its delicious Argentine gelato at its Georgetown store, where you can also get Counter Culture Coffee and a churro if you're in the mood for something a little more warming, Cowgirl Creamery, and at various farmers' markets. On Thursday between 6 and 11, in celebration of the grand opening of their Bethesda location, they're giving out free gelato until they run out. This week's long list flavors include blackberry, coconut dulce de leche, grapefruit Campari, and Valrhona Chocolate Amargo. You can read about their construction woes, favorite gelato spots in other cities, and their process for selecting new flavors and ingredients on their blog.

Dolcezza Bethesda Row
7111 Bethesda Lane
Bethesda, MD 20814

Grand Opening Thursday, June 26, 6-11

FREE: fro-yo

TangySweet the newest edition to the Dupont outskirts (it's on P-street people) opens today. And to celebrate their grand arrival they are giving away FREEEEEE samples, and relatively generous ones! They have three flavors: (1) normal, (2) green tea, and (3) pomegranate. And then you get to add a topping which could include anything from frutti pebbles to kiwi. And it is all natural and fat free, and (on yeah!) delicious.

Plus, despite the growing line, my server was incredibly nice - added bonus. So, if you are in the area, celebrate Friday and cool off with a visit to TangySweet. I have to say, though, now that I have it, I'll definitely be dropping bank at this place.

Tangysweet
2029 P Street NW
(between 20th and 21st)
www.tangysweet.com

Starbucks card

When I'm close to home I stick to Mayorga, but when I'm further afield Starbucks often serves as my substitute office, library, and meeting room. Now they've rolled out a slew of benefits for customers who register their giftcards on the company's site. In my office, those puppies seem to sprout up at every corner, though not as much now that our Lexis rep changed (Jennifer? I miss you!). If you go to the site and set up a profile, you'll get perks like free refills on drip and iced coffee, free syrups and other customizations like soy milk, and two hours of free WiFi from AT&T each day. It looks like the drink benefits require payment with your card, and to get the WiFi you have to use the card at least once a month. If you're a die-hard customer or are trying to keep track of how much money you spend there, you can also sign up for automatic balance reloads.

Horton Hears a Who

Who didn't love Dr. Seuss as a child? Or doesn't now?

Tonight, Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse is hosting a special $1 viewing of the latest Dr. Seuss inspired cinematic installation - Horton Hears A Who. I saw this film in theatres and you will leave feeling happy about life. And for $1, who can complain?

Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse
2903 Columbia Pike
Arlington, VA 22204
Showing begins at 5:45
Thursday, June 5, 2008

http://www.arlingtondrafthouse.com/default.aspx?page=event&eid=662

Don't just eat mixed nuts for dinner! Read this blog instead!

The New York Times, this week, published an article on the 1385432434 twenty-somethings living in New York on a budget...a budget for many of them meaning peanut butter sandwiches for lunch and no dinner (let me just make it clear right now that i love pb&js...but i also love dinner). "Every year around this time, tens of thousands of postcollegiate people in their 20s flood the city despite its soaring expenses. They are high on ambition, meager of budget and endlessly creative when it comes to making ends meet"...and I was one of those people, except strike New York and replace it with Washington DC. In fact, I have to say that I think DC, excluding real estate, gives New York a run for its money when it comes to expenses. While food carts are quickly popping up (see Anne's posting below), but they are far fewer cheap food options here, and there is much less of a competition when it comes to sales.

The supposed endless creativity of these neoteric New Yorkers is more of a laundry list on how to skimp on meals, name-brand clothes, getting strangers to buy drinks, and yes, tapping the friend-keg. And, I say, why be the DC-equivalent? Why just eat grapefruit for lunch? Especially, when you can read this blog. :) But I guess if you are reading this posting, you are in fact, reading this blog, so way to go you.

...there is something, something great, about finding a good deal and knowing that you have a few extra dollars to buy one more drink (or whatever) later. To read the article, click here.

Jazz in the Garden

Okay, okay. So you probably know this already...Jazz in the Garden at that National Gallery of Art is one of the many great things about living in a city like DC. But, now it is your responsibility to R.E.M.E.M.B.E.R. I feel like Jazz in the Garden is one of the those things - because it happens so frequently throughout the summer - that you put off and you put off again, and snap! Somehow you let another year slip by and you didn't take advantage of this great FREE(!!!) event.

It is partly sunny, with a high of 82, so start the summer of right.

Also, I would just to use this reoccurring event as an opportunity to remind you about the GoneOutDC calendar. You can subscribe to it, and it will automatically update your personal google calendar. We won't blog about events like this every week, but they will appear in the calendar for easy access. Enjoy!

Jazz in the Garden
National Gallery of Art
5:00pm-8:30pm
7th Street & Constitution Ave NW
http://www.nga.gov/programs/jazz/

Benefit for the victims of Cyclone Nargis

I have noticed that the media, the American news media sources in particular, have been covering the issue less and less, but the relief effort in Burma is far from over, and in some ways just beginning. The Burmese government is finally letting aid workers into the country, and hopefully into Irrawaddy Delta, where the cyclone did some of the worst damage. On Wednesday, May 28, 2008, Cafe Meze is sponsoring a happy hour to benefit the victims of Cyclone Nargis. A $15 donation will get you the following:

• One complimentary beer or wine
• Raffle entry to win door prizes
• $4 beer and $5 wine drink specials (all night long)

Yes, normally, 15 bucks for one drink and a raffle entry may not be the cheapest deal around town, but think about the warm feeling in your heart...think...feels pretty good just thinking about it, right? Plus, Cafe Meze is supposed to be really good, and now you have an excuse to check this place out.

For ongoing coverage of Cyclone Nargis, click here.

6pm-9pm
Cafe Meze
2437 18th Street
Washington, DC