A WEARY-LOOKING FAMILY—mother, two children and an aunt—sit in the Tysons Corner Center food court, surrounded by shopping bags. In front of them: Five Guys burgers and fries.
"Totally did not want to eat here, but it's time for lunch and I didn't have any other choice," says mom Carol Couter; her sister nods in agreement. Welcome to shopping season.
The scenario is familiar: after hours lugging bags, wrangling kids or helping your friend finally decide whether to get the red or the green skirt for her sister, you just want food, doesn't matter where or how.
So we rounded up a list of food court munchies that are a little better than the average fare. (This list doesn't include kiosk food — too many to list, anyway — and ignores real restaurants that happen to be attached to malls. With those, you have to pay, like, real money.)
Continue Reading "Diverse Dining: Don't Settle for Food Court Bland" »
CARING ABOUT POLLUTED waters and garbage dumps doesn't seem very metal. But for the French band Gojira, environmental themes are as heavy as they come.
"On [2008's "The Way of All Flesh"] we have three songs that are really about human behavior toward nature," said guitarist-vocalist Joe Duplantier. "For example, the second song is called 'Toxic Garbage Island'; it's a patch in the Pacific Ocean that's twice the size of Texas that's created by a vortex of currents of plastic and waste. It's polluting the ocean really bad. It makes me sick."
You can hear the anger in Duplantier's growled and grunted vocals.
IT'S WELL AND truly winter, and short of free cupcakes, nothing will get you to venture outside. These days, rather than tromping from bar to bar seeking a clientele not composed of Republican staffers crying into their $2 beers, you want to go somewhere warm and stay there for a few hours. There are reasons Oscar-winning movies tend to come out at the end of the year, and one of them is that people want to curl up in a dark theater and forget that the weather outside is frightful.
But sometimes popcorn isn't enough. There are few D.C. theaters where you can get a stiff drink before your friend drags you to "Twilight," but here are some nearby watering holes where you can snag a cheap drink and maybe a snack before embarking on your cinematic adventure.
If you're catching a show at Gallery Place, take a tiny stroll down H Street to Matchbox, the claustrophobic upscale pizza joint. On weekdays between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., sit at the bar for $4 martinis, $2.75 pints of Yuengling and $2 off small pizzas. Yes, it's dark and cramped, but it'll get you in the mood for a movie theater.
Continue Reading "Cheap Drink and a Movie: Pre-Movie Happy Hours" »
TIRED FROM HOLIDAY shopping and festivities? Hop in the car and drive through Watkins Regional Park in Prince George's County to see an annual holiday display that features more than a million twinkling and animated lights.
Brightly lit displays of Christmas trees, dreidels, Santa and trains are sure to bring smiles. Don't forget your camera as well as some canned goods to donate to locate food banks; it'll make you feel extra jolly.
» Watkins Regional Park, 301 Watkins Park Drive, Upper Marlboro; through Jan. 1, 5 p.m. - 9:30 p.m., $5 car or mini-van, $15 mini-bus; 301-699-2456
Written by Express' Hannah Kim
Photo courtesy Maryland National Capital Park & Planning Commission
"THOMAS THE TANK ENGINE." "The Polar Express." "The Little Engine That Could." Toy trains seem to have that magical ability to bring excitement and fun no matter how old you are so re-live your childhood at the B&O Railroad Museum's Holiday Festival of Trains, where displays of different model railroads will stir up your imagination and bring back memories.
New this year are weekend train rides with Santa, who will be giving out candy canes with the help of his elves. Kids can also get some holiday shopping done at Santa's Secret Shop, listen to holiday stories and videos and make crafts.
REGGAE IS HARDLY a niche genre, but Jamaican performer Beenie Man took it one step further and became an international superstar by combining upbeat dancehall with R&B, and by working with hip-hop names.
Catch his worldly blend of genres when he performs at Crossroads Club in Bladensburg on Saturday night.
» Crossroads, 4103 Baltimore Ave., Bladensburg, Md.; Sat., 9 p.m.,$25.; 301-927-1056.
Photo by Jonathan Mannion
THIS FRIENDLY, folk art-style marmalade cat may appear larger on the page. That's because Natasha Beshenkovsky's sculpture and every other work in Strathmore's 75th Annual International Exhibition of Fine Art in Miniature is a tiny slice of heaven.
» The Mansion at Strathmore, 10701 Rockville Pike, Bethesda; through Jan. 3; 301-581-5200. (Grosvenor-Strathmore)
Photo courtesy The Mansion at Strathmore
J.M. BARRIE'S classic children's book sings in Olney Theatre Center's staging of "Peter Pan: The Musical." Join Wendy and the Darlings as the eternal kid Peter Pan whisks them off on a magical adventure.
» Olney Theatre Center for the Arts, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, Md.; through Jan. 4, $25-$43; 301-924-3400.
Photo by Stan Barouh
TAKE ANOTHER TRIP down the rabbit hole with Round House Theatre's "Alice," a new adaptation of Lewis Carroll's classic tale. Just watch your kids' heads (the show is intended for children 6 and up) — the Queen of Hearts is apparently out for blood.
» Round House Theatre, 4545 East West Highway, Bethesda; through Dec. 28, $20-$60; 240-644-1100. (Bethesda)
Written by Express' Jason Koebler
Photo courtesy Round House Theatre
COVERED IN BLOOD, torn furs and leather straps, Finnish headbangers Turisas look like survivors of a vicious battle. But the band is sane, talented and ready to spread its original "battle metal" to the area twice this week: Nov. 24 at Jaxx and Nov. 28 at Ram's Head Live.
The sextet's epic sound mixes electric guitar riffs, accordion solos, the whine of violins, growled lyrics and war chants. It's heavy and its metal, but vocalist Mathias "Warlord" Nygard said Turisas finds the roots of their music in Finnish folk.
"The British media started tagging us as battle metal because they needed to put us in a category, but musically we cross all over," said Warlord — though Turisas' 2004 debut is called "Battle Metal." "We aren't really thinking of what style we're playing; we just play what feels good."
Addison Road