Parklife DC

Food Park: Soft Opening @ El Camino, 11/5/14

Food Talk

Mickey McCarter

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November 6, 2014

Food Park: Soft Opening @ El Camino, 11/5/14

Bloomingdale residents have long been anticipating a splash of new restaurants opening in their rapidly gentrifying neighborhood, and El Camino (108 Rhode Island Ave., NW, DC) became the latest to welcome them last night.

The section of Rhode Island Ave. NW in Bloomingdale, labeled by at least one observer as “Hipsters Row,” is cultivately what I consider to be a wonderfully cozy selection of bars and restaurants, and in this aspect El Camino doesn’t disappoint. You walk into the restaurant/bar under a sign that still advertises the space as a uniforms outlet, but once inside, you are greeted with warm browns, reds and blacks adorning a comfortable dining space.

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Don’t Miss: Le Butcherettes @ Rock and Roll Hotel, 11/5/14

Live Review

Mickey McCarter

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November 5, 2014

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Don’t Miss: Le Butcherettes @ Rock and Roll Hotel, 11/5/14

Le Butcherettes (Photo courtesy Speakeasy PR)

Drop into the Rock and Roll Hotel (1353 H St. NE, DC) tonight to see Le Butcherettes, opening for Antemasque.

Le Butcherettes are a female punk rock duo, formed by frontwoman Teri Gender Bender (born Teresa Suárez). Hailing from Guadalajara, Mexico, Ms. Gender Bender found a home for her band in Los Angeles–and it’s little wonder once you hear them.

Earlier this year, the band released a new album, Cry Is for the Flies, where Gender Bender sings, sneers and struts in the tradition of some of the glammier punk bands. She plays guitar and synths in addition to singing while bandmate drummer Lia Braswell fills out the sound on drums.

Check out the video for their single, Demon Stuck in Your Eye.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3iLwOrUmGM]

Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, formerly of The Mars Volta and now of Antemasque, produced both of the full-length albums from Le Butcherettes to date, and he plays bass for the band as well.

Tickets are available online or at the door.

Le Butcherettes
Antemasque
Rock and Roll Hotell
Wednesday, Nov. 5
Doors @7pm; Show @8pm
$20
All ages

Don’t Miss: The Concert for Valor @ The National Mall, 11/11/14

Jeremy Bailey

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November 5, 2014

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(Photo courtesy of Matthew Hurst)

To honor our veterans this coming Tuesday (11/11/14), HBO, Starbucks and Chase have teamed together to present a free concert on the National Mall.

The lineup of The Concert for Valor looks impressive. The Black Keys, Bruce Springsteen, Dave Grohl, Carrie Underwood, Metallica, just to name a few.

There will also be appearances by Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, Meryl Streep and more.

Admission if FREE and it starts at 7pm. The Mall will no doubt be packed and crazy. You might want to get there early. Plan ahead.

Hopefully DC has learned a thing or two about organizing big events on The Mall, especially after 2010’s Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear brought in far more people than expected.

The Concert for Valor

http://www.theconcertforvalor.com/

The National Mall
Tuesday, Nov. 11
Starts @7pm; The Mall opens to all @10am
Free
All ages

Stars and Bars: Last Call @ Duffy’s Irish Pub — 11/4/14

Stars and Bars

Mickey McCarter

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November 5, 2014

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Stars and Bars: Last Call @ Duffy’s Irish Pub — 11/4/14

The first clue that something was going to happen at Duffy’s Irish Pub (2106 Vermont Ave. NW), for me, came yesterday when the Satellite Room (2047 9th St. NW), the diner located behind the 9:30 Club, announced it would start giving a free shot of Jameson to anyone who produced a 9:30 Club ticket stub after seeing a show when they bought a beer.

Hey, I said, they stole that idea from Duffy’s.

Except PoPville already reported rumors that Duffy’s was set to close at midnight last night, and other sources indicated that owner Andy Duffy couldn’t afford to keep the place afloat any longer. Duffy would offer $5 beer and free wings, long rated the best in the city by the Washington CityPaper’s Best of DC readers poll, as long as they lasted.

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Around Town: Upcoming Beer Festivals

Around Town

Jeremy Bailey

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November 4, 2014

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If you are like me, you like to drink beer.

If you like to drink beer, why not sample as much as possible in one go?

DC has had its fair share of beer festivals in the past few years. From Savor to Snalleygaster to the almost weekly fests during Summer and Fall, DC is always ready to sample.

So get ready for November.

For my money, I want to hoist many 2 ounce pours at the DC Craft Beerfest on November 22nd.

The others may hold promise. Sample away!

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Music Park: Smallpools @ 9:30 Club — 10/31/14

Live Review

Mickey McCarter

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November 4, 2014

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Music Park: Smallpools @ 9:30 Club — 10/31/14

Smallpools (Photo by Dan Monick)

Smallpools would have you know that their name has nothing to do with killer whales.

Soon after their founding, the indie pop quartet uncovered protests from Internet activists who disapproved of the treatment of killer whales in captivity, decrying their hold in small pools as described in the documentary Blackfish.

In tribute to the concept, they named a new song “Killer Whales,” released in July, eluding to miscommunication with a love, who apparently was out saving killer whales.

The song gave the band a setting through which to demonstrate their high-energy performance at the 9:30 Club on Friday, Oct. 31, particularly as they tossed several prop “killer whales” into the audience — one of which had a saddle intended to carry a passenger through crowdsurfing waves.

Smallpools aren’t afraid to have a little fun with a concept.

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Stars and Bars: Monday Night Beer Club @ Pizzeria Paradiso — 11/3/14

Stars and Bars

Mickey McCarter

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November 4, 2014

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Stars and Bars: Monday Night Beer Club @ Pizzeria Paradiso — 11/3/14

Sam Fitz and Matt Pollard of Pizzeria Paradiso

I’ve long been a fan of the Pizzeria Paradiso chain and its beer program in particular.

I was a fixture on Wednesdays at the beer bar in the basement of the pizzeria’s Georgetown location (3282 M St. NW, DC) for many years after its inauguration. I drifted from the Georgetown location to the Dupont Circle location for the past several years, but new beer director Sam Fitz has given us good reason to visit Georgetown.

On the first Monday of the month, Sam hosts the Monday Night Beer Club, where Pizzeria Paradiso offers the chain’s happy hour deal from 6-10pm. Beers on tap are half price, and small pizzas are $10. Sam likes to give the Monday Night Beer Club a theme — it could be built around a type of beer or a brewery.

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