CREATIVE COSTUME? CHECK. Fake cobwebs and bowls of candy? Check and check. Halloween cocktails for your big bash? You might need some help with that. Area restaurants and bars are offering Halloween and fall cocktails, and some local mixologists have advice on how to make cool Halloween drinks at home.
TenPenh has the most elaborate Halloween cocktails, as Brennan Adams has three special drinks — the Jack O'Lantern (a persimmon cocktail served in a pumpkin filled with dry ice), Candy Corn (it doesn't taste like the ubiquitous treat but is made with sake and orange, and layered to look like the waxy little bites) and Candy Apple (spiced apple cider with a stick of cotton candy). The $10 cocktails are available through Saturday.
"When you go towards fall, with heavier foods come brown liquors, like scotch, bourbon and dark rums," Adams said, adding that herbs and spices are popular for fall beverages. "I take a cooking approach to cocktails and go for balance. ... I also use blood oranges, which go well with brown liquors."
Continue Reading "Drinks Chilled, Or Chilling?: Halloween-Inspired Cocktails" »
WEDNESDAY: Do you miss Arrested Development as much as we do? Despite rumors of a movie spin-off, we doubt it'll be coming out any time soon. Sorry. If you really need your fix now, check out David Cross (Tobias Funke) at the Warner Theatre Wednesday night.
In addition to the hilarious and sexually confused, Tobias, Cross has brought us comedic gems like the 90's comedy Mr. Show and liberal radio show host, Russ Lieber, who frequents the Colbert Report. Don't worry: Cross is just as funny when he's writing his own material.
» Warner Theatre, 13th and E streets NW; Wed., Oct. 21, 8 p.m., $35; 202-783-4000. (Federal Triangle)
Written by Express' Sarah Mimms
Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images
FRIDAY: Local D.C. legend Chuck Brown is coming back to the birthplace of go-go music for the final concert of the Live! On Woodrow Wilson Plaza performance series.
Often referred to as the Godfather of Go-Go, Brown played an important role in the creation of this soul-infused subgenre of funk in the '70s — a development originating in D.C.
While he had an early hit with "I Need Some Money," his song "Bustin' Loose" is now known by locals as the homerun celebration song for the Nationals.
So go enjoy the end of what's been a star-studded free concert series — there's outdoor seating, there are plenty of nearby restaurants and it's fall in our nation's capital. Sounds perfect to us.
» Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW; Fri., Sept. 25, 5 p.m., free; 202-312-1300. (Federal Triangle)
Written by Express' Janice Leary
Photo by Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post
UPDATE: From the National Gallery's Web site:
Due to circumstances beyond the Gallery's control, the screening of Hiroshima mon amour has changed. Je t’aime, je t’aime (Alain Resnais, 1968, 91 minutes) is shown instead.
SATURDAY: Summer is ending, and with it our seemingly endless supply of free movie screenings. It's OK — this is D.C., and you can always depend on the National Gallery.
We're excited about their whole series on French director Alain Resnais, but we're especially stoked for "Hiroshima Mon Amour," an exquisite movie that also heralded the birth of the French New Wave.
God, we're pretentious. Sorry. But go see it!
» National Gallery, 600 Constitution Ave. NW; Sat., Sept. 5, 2 p.m., free; 202-737-4215. (Federal Triangle)
Photo from Asianamericanmedia.org
WHAT A SWELL party it is to spend time with Noel Coward's witty, well-dressed 1920s bohemians in the Shakespeare Theatre Company's "Design for Living."
Sure, the 70-plus years since the Brit bon mot-slinger penned the comedy have diminished its power to shock but taken away none of the pleasure of watching its artistic freethinkers trade witty barbs and jump in and out of the sack with each other.
The setup is simple: Three twentysomething pals — Otto, Leo and Gilda — hang out, drink up and hook up in Jazz Age Paris, London and New York. Their creative pursuits — Gilda's an interior designer, Otto's a painter, and Leo's a playwright — provide some of the play's juice. The scandal comes from continual partner-swapping. What starts off as a Gilda-and-Otto romance morphs into every other imaginable pairing short of a threesome.
Continue Reading "Mad About the Boys: 'Design for Living'" »
'Monsieur Verdoux'
Charlie Chaplin stepped away from his silent comic persona and into controversy with 1947's dark comedy "Monsieur Verdoux." Part Bluebeard tale, part modern serial-killer story, this feature comes to the National Gallery of Art on Saturday.
» National Gallery of Art, 600 constitution Ave. NW; Sat., May 23, 2:30 p.m., free; 202-842-6799. (Archives-Navy Memorial)
Boyle Before the Oscar
Danny Boyle is known for splashy films with a big heart, like a little thing called "Slumdog Millionaire." But the British director's lower-budget days produced small gems such as 1994's "Shallow Grave," showing on Friday and Sunday (through May 28) as part of AFI Silver's Films of Danny Boyle showcase.
» AFI Silver, 8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring; through July 1; 301-495-6700. (Silver Spring)
THURSDAY: So you missed the celebrity-soaked premiere of "Night at the Museum 2" last week. We've got something cooler for you: a midnight show at the IMAX theater in the Museum of Natural History.
You won't see Ben Stiller, but you'll get that insider thrill from being inside the Smithsonian after it's closed. The screening is preceded by a short film, "Pulse."
» National Museum of Natural History, 10th Street and Constitution Ave. NW; Thu., May 21, 11 p.m., $15; 202-633-3030. (Federal Triangle)
Photo courtesy 20th Century Fox
THURSDAY: Meet General George, left; General George, meet your public. The National Aquarium in the Department of Commerce building is one of D.C.'s gems, and its new star is this fella right here, an Arothron hispidu, or stars and stripes puffer fish. Drop by and help the General feel at home in his new digs — a sunken replica wing and prop engine of a World War II F4U-1 Corsair, and a whole lot of coral.
» National Aquarium, 14th Street & Constitution Ave. NW; $7 general admission; $6 seniors and military; $3 children ages 2-10; younger than 2, free, 202-482-2825. (Federal Triangle)
Written by Express' Arion Berger
V-Day Cooking Class
Do you and your boo like to get hot and heavy in the kitchen? The Oz in the Doubletree Inn in Bethesda is featuring a couples cooking class taught by executive chef Timothy Jones this weekend, with a focus on preparing healthy, simple foods using local ingredients. Learn how to work with aphrodisiacs like oysters, figs, asparagus and chocolate. The class includes complimentary refreshments, recipe cards and a special gift.
» 8120 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda; Sat., Feb. 7, 2-5 p.m., $50; 301-652-2000. (Bethesda)
Continue Reading "Eat It Up for Valentine's: Feast On Flirting" »
FRIDAY: Though he won't be taking a job as "Climate Czar" in the new administration, Al Gore's still a Washington power player. He bounced back from what-might-have-been-a-defeat-but-let's-face-it-probably-not and spread the gospel of global warming across the land, turning himself from a failed candidate to an eco-movement celebrity in no time. He'll be hosting the Green Inaugural Ball at the Smithsonian American Art Museum the night before Barack Obama is sworn in — but it's invitation only, and it's definitely sold out.
Worry not! Event Emissary, D.C's green-friendly event planning company, is giving their own "green tie" event — and yes, they invited Al Gore, though he may be busy saving the whales or something. Attendees can munch organic food, watch a live performance by Wyclef Jean and feel really good knowing their plates will be recycled at the end of the night.
Tickets can be purchased here.
» Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW; Fri., Jan. 16, 8 p.m, $500-1,000; 202-367-5575 (Federal Triangle)
Photo Courtesy Mark Mainz
Written by Tahirah Hairston
Addison Road