If you missed Honor by August’s 2 nights at Iota in June, or it was sold out before you got there, then you have another chance when they play on Saturday, July 28. If you want to be sure to get there in time, go to the Cafe side of Iota for dinner - the chef is great, the beer selection is solid, and they come around to make sure you get a ticket for the show. Again, I’ll be out of town, but say hi for me.
My favorite local Celtic music played by Ukranian boys - otherwise known as Scythian - are the Thursday night regulars at Fado in Chinatown. And they draw a regular crowd each week. But this week marks their third anniversary at Fado, so try to get out and raise a glass with them. And if you can remember “a flea on a feather, a feather on a bird, a bird in a nest, a nest on branch, a branch on a limb, a limb on a tree, a tree in a bog, and the bog down in the valley-o, you might win a prize.
(Just a hint - they are a lot of fun if you buy them a round of shots.)
You know it’s definitely fall when the beer tasting season is upon us. If you’ve never been to a beer tasting, it’s exactly what it sounds like - either a brewmaster comes to talk you through tasting a variety of beers from one brewery or several brewmasters come and you try many different beers sometimes focused around a region or a theme (hoppy beers, holiday beers). We’re lucky in DC to have two of the premier beer bars and restauarants in the country - the Brickskellar and RFD (which stands for Regional Food and Drink).
They have two immediately upcoming events - one on 16 September (seems to be a popular beer date) in conjuction with the Smithsonian Resident Associates program for Oktoberfest. If tickets are still available, you’d discover that here:
http://residentassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/reserve.aspx?performanceNumber=55007
The other is a first time visitor to RFD, Belgium’s Saint Bernardus Brewery (hmm… also a Belgian theme) on 20 September. They’ll talk, you’ll taste. Tickets are $28 and can be reserved by calling 202.289.2030.
There’s a cider tasting in October, Hops in November and the ever popular Holiday Beer tasting in December. You might want to get on this list. Drop a note to Brickskeller@aol.com.
Go with a friend or two and meet new folks. Everyone’s chatty after a couple of beers. Just don’t be that guy. (You know who you are.)
So, even if you already have plans to head out to the Ukrainian Festival before hitting Jon Stewart at Merriweather Post this Saturday, keep Sunday wide open for some boozing in the woods. No, it’s not high school again - it’s the Maryland Wine Festival! Geez. Who’s reading this blog anyway? Buncha burnouts and stoners…