Washington, D.C

Best Dishes Eater Editors Ate This Week: August 12

Published

3 hours ago

August 12, 2024

Best Dishes Eater Editors Ate This Week: August 12

With Eater editors frequently dining out all over town, we come across lots of standout dishes, and we don’t want to hold back any secrets. Welcome to Eater DC’s new rotating roundup of the best things we ate as of late.

Fugazzeta arrives with a whipped ricotta dip.

Tierney Plumb/Eater DC

Fugazzeta at Mercy Me

Tucked inside D.C.’s Yours Truly hotel lies Mercy Me, a South American-styled escape from bustling downtown. Fugazzeta is Argentina’s answer to a deep-dish personal pizza, built with Comté, provolone, and squirty, ruby-red roasted tomatoes that scream summer. The popular order currently plays a starring role on its summer Restaurant Week tasting menu. During a weekend visit, I thought my heaping helping of chaufa (fried rice, shrimp, and heirloom corn) did the Peruvian dish justice. A big central bar made of marbled cosmic swirls is a prime place to soak up the lobby-level setup surrounded in swaying palms, giant disco balls, and a vinyl record studio. Follow the neon green-lit toucan in the back to stumble upon Tropicalia, a dreamy outdoor cocktail garden led by Minibar alum Al Thompson. 1143 New Hampshire Avenue NW — Tierney Plumb, Eater DC editor

Oysters at Petite Cerise

Plump oysters on ice are featured in Petite Cerise’s new tasting menu.

Between its Olympics and Bastille Day celebrations, Shaw’s year-old Petite Cerise is having a hot French summer. Window paintings of the Eiffel Tower recently led the way into the chic corner brasserie, where flickering votive candles and fresh flowers help set the mood at each table. Chef Jeremiah Langhorne, who runs Michelin-starred the Dabney a few blocks away, gives diners a close-up view of prepping and plating from a long open kitchen planted in the middle. His new four-course menu ($58) feels like a quick trip to Paris, starting with juicy Island Creek oysters dressed in diced golden beets and a yellow Chartreuse mignonette. Fluffy ricotta gnocchi got a summery upgrade with sweet corn and cherry tomato. A beautiful bowl of zucchini “noodles” also swings seasonal with help from Chesapeake blue crab. Black garlic-infused escargots double as its logo (and reminder to slow down); a gold snail-shaped paper clip attached to the tab was a cute cause for pause. 1027 7th Street NW — T.P.

Buñuelos at Pascual

Big buñuelos happen to resemble a Michelin star (hint, hint).

I finally checked out Capitol Hill’s months-old Pascual, award-winning chef Isabel Coss’s polished love letter to her native Mexico City fueled by an open-fire hearth. Fabulously fresh guac paired with tostadas was a great way to start. As was a symmetrically pleasing plate of sliced Asian pears and sunflower seeds doused in guajillo oil, followed by a vibrant bowl of yellow squash blossoms, minty herbs, dollops of pureed avocado, and hearty tomatoes. From there, I skipped over the meaty mains and went straight for dessert. Coss flexes her pastry muscles with colossal cinnamon-dusted buñuelos, which arrive as advertised alongside delicious chocolate and caramel sauces served with adorable wooden spoons. Down in the pretty pastel-pink bathrooms, it’s hard to miss Coss’s latest accolade: a blown-up Food & Wine cover naming her one of America’s best new chefs in 2023. 732 Maryland Avenue NE — T.P.

Cheeseburger by Steeze Burger

I’ve had my eye on Steeze Burger ever since Tim Carman named it his favorite burger last year; the photo (from Eater’s own Rey Lopez) just made it look like my platonic ideal of a cheeseburger: the gooey American slices, the pickles, the soft sesame bun, the crispy smashed patties. But while the operation is generally mobile, they spend more time in Maryland than anywhere else, which is kind of a trek for me to grab a burger. Luckily, they recently did a pop-up at Arlington’s Sloppy Mama’s BBQ, so I made my way there to sample the burger. It hit all the right notes — if I had one suggestion, I could use a touch more seasoning in the patty itself, but a complete bite with the bun and toppings struck just the right balance. Plus, the location meant an excuse to take home some pork rinds and smoked turkey (the best of the barbecued meats) for another meal. Multiple locations — Missy Frederick, Eater cities director

Roast beef sandwich at Ned’s New England Deck

The tricky thing with beloved regional dishes (celebrated in our No Taste Like Home package last week) is that they can be hard to find outside the region they’re from. I’d heard of North Shore roast beef sandwiches due to our Boston site, but I don’t spend a lot of time there so I’d never tried one — until I made my way to Ned’s New England Deck in Fairfax. Their version is great: the roast beef has the thin slicing of an Arby’s sandwich, but with better quality and a delicious sauciness. This was also my first encounter with “fluffy” lobster bisque — its butter-drenched appearance surprised me a little, but it definitely was rich and nuanced in flavor. They make a mean lobster roll, too — love that they offer the buttery Connecticut-style, but given I’d had enough butter in my soup, the Maine-influenced, lightly mayo-dressed version worked just fine for me. 10655 Fairfax Boulevard, Fairfax, Virginia — M.F.

Pita at Yellow

I only got one chance to stop at Yellow’s Navy Yard location before it closed, so I’m going to try to make more of an effort to patronize its Georgetown outpost for great pastries and interesting coffee drinks (the peanut dalgona is an excellent combo of sweet and creamy). But the thing I keep thinking about is the pita bread. Soft, chewy, and dusted with za’atar, it’s the perfect complement to a morning sandwich stuffed with soft scrambled egg, salad, kashkaval cheese, and labneh (the half pita-sized breakfast sandwich is also the right amount to keep you full but not overly so). It’s worth the $15 semi-splurge to bring a six-pack of the breads home with you — I’ve already filled some with turkey kofta and pumpkin hummus, and see some sesame za’atar cutlet sandwiches in my future. 1524 Wisconsin Avenue NW — M.F.

Yellow just added a new location in the Union Market district.

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Washington, D.C

41 Things to Do in the DC Area This Week and Weekend

Published

10 hours ago

August 12, 2024

Press Room

41 Things to Do in the DC Area This Week and Weekend

Photograph courtesy of Arlington Strategy.

Happy Monday, DC!

It’s Summer Restaurant Week. Satisfy your taste buds with local bites and good deals at hundreds of area restaurants. Or, dance along to Michael Jackson’s greatest hits at the local opening of MJ the Musical.

Best Things to Do This Week and Weekend

August 12–August 18

1. Summer Restaurant Week. Catch brunch, lunch, and dinner deals during DC Summer Restaurant Week at more than 300 participating eateries. You can visit new dining rooms such as Mallard, Pastis, Cucina Morini, and Namak for discount bites. Or, stop by longtime favorites like Central or Rasika for more delicious options (Mon-Sun, $25+, various participating locations).
2. Future and Metro Boomin concert. Atlanta rapper Future and producer Metro Boomin bring their brooding beats and rhymes to Capital One Arena to promote two recent collaborative albums, We Don’t Trust You and We Still Don’t Trust You (Sat, $134+, Capital One Arena).
3. “MJ the Musical.” The highly-anticipated MJ the Musical arrives at National Theatre after a Tony award-winning stint on Broadway. The touring show created by Christopher Wheeldon and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage will run in DC for a few weeks, bringing Michael Jackson’s electrifying hits back to the stage (Tues-September 8, $45+, Downtown).
4. Arlington County Fair. Arlington County Fair is back this summer at Thomas Jefferson Community Center with a ton of festive fun for all ages. Kids can exercise and venture through obstacle courses on the Kids Court, families can groove to local bands in the entertainment tent, and there’s hotdogs, seafood, and ice cream at Food Truck Alley (Wed-Sun, free, Arlington).
5. “West Wing” cast at Sixth & I. To mark the 25th anniversary of The West Wing, cast members Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack will discuss the show’s impact at Sixth & I (Sat, $40 for ticket and signed book, $12+ for virtual, Downtown).
6. Alexandria Restaurant Week. More than 90 eateries and lounges are serving multi-course dinner menus for Alexandria Restaurant Week. Foodies can dine at neighborhood places such as Beeliner Diner, Cheesetique, and Don Taco, for prices starting at $27.50—a nod to Alexandria’s 275th birthday (Fri through August 25, $27+, Alexandria).

Want More Things to Do?

Arts and culture:

Check out paintings, prints, and other artworks from “Golden: Fifty Years of New Classics” at MOCA Arlington (through September 8, free, Arlington).
Author Briana Pegado inspires readers to Make Good Trouble. Learn self-care tips from her at Solid State Books (Mon, free, $21 for the book, H Street Corridor).
Discover DC’s unique places and hidden gems with author JoAnn Hill at the library (Tues, free, Northeast DC).
YouTuber Brian Tyler Cohen visits Sixth & I with his debut book, Shameless: Republicans’ Deliberate Dysfunction and the Battle to Preserve Democracy (Wed, $20+ for in-person, $12+ for virtual, Downtown).
Create-your-own leaf rubbing print at Shop Made in DC (Wed, $30, Georgetown).
Evan Friss surveys the country’s book industry in his new book, The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore (Wed, free, Northwest DC).
View short documentaries and narrative films from local producers and creatives at the DC Black Film Festival at Miracle Theatre (Thurs- August 25, $15+, Eastern Market).
Artist Tuan Andrew Nguyen makes a DC debut with the multimedia installation “The Island” (Fri-May 4, 2025, free, Smithsonian American Art Museum).
Make a new friend, or lover, at WHINO’s Single’s Mixer. There’s bingo, speed dating, and a live DJ (Sat, $12+, Arlington).
Sneaker Con returns to Walter E. Washington Convention Center for a two-day showcase of the trendiest kicks (Sat-Sun, $30+, Mount Vernon Square).
Attend a collaging workshop with artist Helina Metaferia at the Phillips Collection (Sun, $20, Dupont).

Community and heritage:

Learn about historic sewn objects from DAR Museum experts (Tues, free, but registration is encouraged, virtual, Downtown).
Learn about the Civil War and its connection to Western medicine from author Carole Adrienne (Tues, $10, virtual).

Theater and shows:

Explore the themes of music, family, and Greece in this revival of Mamma Mia! (Tues through September 1, $49+, Kennedy Center).
Centerstage Academy for the Arts performs In the Heights (Thurs-Fri, $60, Bowie).
This lively event invites concertgoers to sing-along to a movie screening of The Sound of Music (Fri, $29+, Vienna).
Comedian and actor Ben Schwartz performs with friends at the Anthem (Fri, $49+, Wharf).

Music and concerts:

Pianist Five for Fighting plays soft rock music at Lincoln Theatre (Tues, $35, U Street Corridor).
Supreme Commander, Cryptid Summer, and Drivel rock the library with a rooftop punk concert (Wed, free, MLK Library).
Go-go groovers The Experience Band & Show perform at Rock the Dock (Wed, free, Wharf).
Rock out to AFI’s hardcore-punk rhythms at Merriweather Post Pavilion (Thurs, $25+, Columbia).
’90s and ’00s beats keep the party vibes going at You Know the Vibes Social Pop Up (Sat, free+, Dupont).

Get involved:

Participate in a vegetation cleanup of Rosslyn Trail (Tues, free, Arlington).
Eat sausages, dance to live bands, and go to a foam party for a good cause. Sausagefest at Wunder Garten is helping to raise funds for the new DC LGBTQ+ Community Center (Sat-Sun, free, NoMa).

Bites and beverages:

The Yards’ first-ever Bark Crawl invites humans and their four-legged companions to bar-hop at area restaurants such as Trouble, La Famosa, and Emmy Squared (Wed, free, Navy Yard).
Celebrate all things tomato at Common Good City Farm’s Tomato Party (Thurs, free, but donations welcome, Shaw).
Bourbon connoisseurs and beer aficionados can sample drinks at Virginia Bourbon and Beer Festival (Sat, $40+, Fredericksburg).

Budget-friendly:

Stroll through the scenic US Botanic Gardens after hours for ice cream and mocktails (Thurs, free, Southwest DC).
Shop candles, clothes, and other goods from small businesses at the Unique Markets summer pop-up (Sat, free+, Union Market).
There’s good energy, music, and food trucks at Sandlot Georgetown’s day party (Sat, free+, Georgetown).

Plan ahead:

Jerry Seinfield arrives at Wolf Trap to perform two shows (August 19-20, $55+, Vienna).

Things to do with kids:

It’s the final week to attend the 75th Montgomery County Fair (closes Sat, $12+ for adults, free for ages 11 and under, Gaithersburg).
Take your kids to a horse show at Prince William County Fair before it closes (closes Sat, $25 for adults, $15 for children, Manassas).
There are rides and attractions for kiddos at the Clarke County Fair (closes Sun, $10 for adults, free+ for children, Berryville).
Students can pick up school supplies and play games at this community field day (Sun, donations welcome, Anacostia).

If you enjoyed these events, please don’t forget to share this post with a friend on social media, and sign up for our newsletter for more things to do.

Briana A. Thomas is a local journalist, historian, and tour guide who specializes in the research of D.C. history and culture. She is the author of the Black history book, Black Broadway in Washington, D.C., a story that was first published in Washingtonian in 2016.

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Washington, D.C

The DC Black Film Festival returns to Miracle Theatre – WTOP News

Published

17 hours ago

August 12, 2024

Press Room

The DC Black Film Festival returns to Miracle Theatre – WTOP News

Filmmakers of color are getting to shine this week on Barracks Row in Southeast D.C. as part of the eighth annual D.C. Black Film Festival.

WTOP’s Jason Fraley previews the D.C. Black Film Fest (Part 1)

Filmmakers of color are getting a chance to shine this week on Barracks Row in Southeast D.C.

“The Garden of Edette” is one of the film screening this week at the D.C. Black Film Festival. (Courtesy DC Black Film Festival)

The eighth annual D.C. Black Film Festival returns to the historic Miracle Theatre on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, followed by a virtual festival extension from Aug. 18 to Aug. 25.

“It’s just been awesome to see how the competition [has grown] in terms of the films, oh my goodness, every year it just gets stronger and stronger,” founder and festival director Kevin Sampson told WTOP.

“We’ve definitely had submissions from all over the globe. The only stipulation of submitting to the festival is that one or more of the above-the-line crew is of African descent, so that helps us to be more inclusive, it’s not exclusive.”

The festival kicks off Thursday, Aug. 15 with the narrative feature “Money Game” directed by Julian Lowenthal.

“It’s set during the COVID-19 pandemic where a young widowed father of two struggles to navigate a broken financial system while fighting to give his daughters the life his late wife promised him,” Sampson said.

“It’s a really good, moving feature. It’s interesting because we know that films are going to show us what we lived during the pandemic and the different struggles of it, so it’s a really good film that I think people will really like.”

The festival continues Friday, Aug. 16 with Ilana Trachtman’s feature documentary “Ain’t No Back to the Merri-Go-Round,” narrated by Jeffrey Wright to chronicle a troubling true story at Glen Echo Amusement Park in Maryland in 1960.

“This is really dealing with five Howard University students that sat on a Maryland carousel in the 1960s — that arrest made headlines,” Sampson said. “It’s dealing with segregation, integration and the 1961 Freedom Riders. … It’s information that is not necessarily hidden but maybe it’s just something that you’ve never heard of before.”

Friday also includes the narrative feature “The Novelist” by prolific D.C.-area filmmaker Harold Jackson III.

“Listen, this one is our Friday night feature film and it has everything you want in a film,” Sampson said.

“It’s a thriller, it’s also a dark comedy, it’s a kind of mystery, so you want to find out what’s going to happen to certain characters. Basically it’s about a woman who steals a manuscript from someone else, then out of nowhere his estranged son comes to seek compensation. It’s just a fun ride and I think people will be talking to the screen.”

Saturday, Aug. 17 brings “A Time to Yell: More Than a Statue” by Eric Newman and Daniel Levin about the infamous “Unite the Right” rally around the Robert E. Lee statue in Charlottesville, Virginia, seven years ago.

“We all remember Charlottesville on Aug. 12, 2017, but one thing you don’t know about what kicked that off is there was a certain catalyst to kind of start those events and ‘A Time to Yell’ really covers that,” Sampson said.

Saturday also brings “Running Our Way: The Story of Chocolate City Relay” directed by Jason Taylor.

“It’s a 60-plus-mile relay crafted to go deep into each of D.C.’s wards,” Sampson said. “This is looking at a group of Black women runners who come together — running brings them together — but they’re also running through the District, so you’ll definitely see some spots that you’ve seen all the time and also some people you might know.”

It all wraps up on Saturday with the closing-night film “ToxiCITY” by filmmaker Felix Wayne Jordan.

“That is about an up-and-coming app developer who really struggles with his past, trying to break free from childhood trauma and trying to balance family, work and love,” Sampson said. “It’s a beautifully shot film.”

Attendees can use the promo code “WTOP” for 20% off individual tickets.

Find more information here.

WTOP’s Jason Fraley previews the D.C. Black Film Fest (Part 2)

Listen to our full convention here.

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Washington, D.C

DC police investigating stabbing in Northeast

Published

1 day ago

August 12, 2024

Press Room

DC police investigating stabbing in Northeast

WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) is investigating after a man was stabbed in Northeast Sunday.

In a post on the X platform shortly after 12:30 p.m., MPD said officers were investigating a stabbing in the 1700 block of 18th St.

Police said a man was stabbed and was conscious and breathing.

House explosion in Maryland kills one and damages surrounding neighborhood

MPD said cameras spotted the suspect, and officers were looking for him. Police said he is around 20 years old and wearing a long-sleeved navy blue shirt, grey pants and black and white Nike shoes.

According to MPD, he was last seen headed northbound on 18th Street, northeast.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.

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