Happy Funtime Friend Service

Belga Cafe over on Barracks Rows in Eastern Market is a new favorite of mine and one I found through Restaurant Week explorations. Well, that and I’m always looking for an excuse to check out places that serve both Belgian beer AND mussels. And Beglian chocolate pastries (and the pastry chef is cute… but that’s another story).

Back to the beer. This Saturday, 16 September, is Barracks Row Fest and along with the live music and street vendors, the lovely firefighters at Engine 18 / Truck 7 Firehouse will be hosting an Open House (take cookies and say thank you) and Belga will be serving brunch.

But that’s not even the fun part. Monday, 25 September through Sunday, 1 October is Drink Your Beer and Steal Your Glass and the glass is specially designed for each specific Belgian Beer. So go buy, get a kilo of mussels and some beer, steal your glass, and tell the pastry chef I said hi.

And it is - if you’re Ukrainian or of Uke descent which I am. Sour cream goes in the soup, on the pierogis, mixed in with cucumbers and dill, and it even makes a nice facial in the evenings just before bed. Unfortunately, a few of our family food traditions have been lost along with the relatives from the old country so that’s why I always keep an eye out for eastern orthodox church festivals where I can get my fix of pierogis, babkas, and holupki (stuffed cabbage).

And so my calendar is blocked out for this weekend’s Ukrainian Festival at St. Andrew’s Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral in Silver Spring, Maryland (15100 New Hampshire Avenue). Last year, I went for the food, but stayed for the jammed packed outdoor stage o’ dancing, singing and assorted other kosacking. There’s also a small little market where you can pick up all your Uke supplies like egg dying kits and little magnets that say “Ukrainian Kitchen” (a most excellent stocking stuffer). And don’t forget to pop in to the church’s indoor eastern european shop inside where you can pick up super-sized Ukrainian beers, kielbasa and bags o’ poppy seeds. Yes, those slavs like their poppy seeds pastries and, apparently, the inability to pass a random drug test.

St. Andrew Ukrainian Festival, September 16-17, 2006:
http://www.standrewuoc.org/festival.htm

I swear, when I first moved to DC, I went to the Adams Morgan Day Festival along with some friends and we… got… blotto - mainly because the bars allowed us to walk out with beer in plastic cups. I think. I don’t really remember much. I think there was a lot of food too.

Obviously, open container laws being what they are - the street festival is more subdued these days, but it’s still a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon in the city. Stages are set up at various points (the two biggest are at the intersections of 18th & Columbia and at 18th & Florida) with musicians and various performances all day long. Go, grab some Carribbean food, stroll through the art vendors on Belmont and then park yourself at the stage of your choice to take in some bluegrass, reggae, venezuelan drumming, hip hop, chinese dragon dancing and Brazilian martial arts. Myself, I can’t resist the Japanese Komodo dance troupe. Hai!

The Adams Morgan Day Festival, Sunday, September 10 from noon to 7 p.m.
http://www.adamsmorgandayfestival.com

On Saturday, 16 September from noon to 7:00 p.m. the Kennedy Center is hosting an Open House. the list of what they have planned looks amazing including a tour of the arts along the Gulf Coast Highway. The National Symphony Orchestra will perform as will the Blind Boys of Alabama and the Airmen of Note. Local talent Suzanne Farrell Ballet will perform Balanchine and one tent will feature local arts organizations where you can learn about more fun things to do and participate in.

Speaking of participate, they are still looking for volunteers, so if you need a reason to go and want to help make it a terrific day, call 202.416.8301 to request a volunteer application.

It is full on summer harvest time. I know that some folks may wonder what century it is when Alycia and I start talking about making pickles or putting up peaches and making jam, but if you have any desire to get out of the city and think about how food gets on our tables, this is the perfect time of year. As I write this I’m stirring spaghetti sauce made with tomatoes from Butler’s Orchard in Germantown, MD.

It’s still prime season for blackberries, raspberries, and peaches and the apples are coming soon (mmmm…caramel apples). I have forty-seven jars of blackberry preserves and fourteen jars of raspberry jam so far. There was one drawback which may have been because we were raspberry picking in the middle of the day - there were about a million bees trying to get to the same ripe, juicy raspberries we were. There was one bee that was so determined that he stuck his face right into the berry I’d just picked. That’s when Ian came up with the name “Bee Spit Jam.”

Try to look surprised at Christmas when you get jam. And I boil it for a long time. There’s no bee spit left. I promise.