To Do List

Photo by Tom Lawler.

I cannot wait for September on the Hill.  Starting with the H Street Chalk Walk, sliding into the H Street Festival all the way through Barracks Row Fall Fest and bridged by the inaugural Hill Fest, there is all kinds of fun happening.  But you know what’s going on right now?  Nothing.  And I love it.  These last two weeks of August, especially, seem like a good time to do some porch sittin’.  But it doesn’t make for a very lively To Do List.  However, two city-wide events — Restaurant Week and DC Beer Week — have Hill participants that will help give you a little nudge to get out and about if you’re feeling directionless.

If you want to sample the fixed price menus at participating Hill restaurants, we have six Restaurant Week options for you to choose from:  Belga, Bistro Cacao, Charlie Palmer Steak, The Monocle, Montmartre and Smith Commons.  How does one choose?  You don’t have to because you have until Sunday to hit them all.  My suggestion?  Go to Schneider’s and pick up an indulgent bottle of American wine (or two) and go to Charlie Palmer for an indulgent meal.  There’s never a corkage fee on American wines.  Or stretch the boundaries a bit further and go to NoMa to check out Todd Gray’s latest, Watershed, at 1225 First Street, NE.

Food is good and all, but I’ve been scouring the DC Beer Week calendar for my entertainment options.  While I was a little saddened not to see Troegs at Red Palace again this year (we’re amassing quite the respectable collection of their pint glasses), that lasted about two seconds when I saw the other neighborhood options.  No meetings this afternoon?  Start at 11:30am today at the Argonaut with a Widmer Citra Blond. At 5pm, stroll over to Smith Commons for Northeast Brewery Night to sample beers from seven northeast states (thank you, Maine, for Allagash!)  At the same time, Union Pub will be serving up flights for $10.  As for me, 5:30pm will find my contingent at H Street Country Club for the Flying Dog Hole in One tasting.  When you get hungry, Liberty Tree has a five course Sam Adams dinner at 6pm.  Its $65 and reservations are recommended. Please call 202 396 8733 or email them for a spot.  Power on through until 8pm tonight and swing by Wisdom for a blind beer tasting.  Test your taste buds against 12 brews and win a prize for your expertise.  Tickets are $25 in advance through Gintender.com, or $35 at the door (through Saturday).

That’s just a sampling of what’s going on tonight.  Throughout the weekend, Belga also has specials including Friday night 1/2 price flights, the Pour House has Cask Beer tapping events through Saturday, there are more regions to explore at Smith Commons, Rock and Roll Hotel has 3 Stars Brewing, Capitol Lounge is bringing Trinity Brewhouse to DC for the first time on Friday, the homebrew crowd is spending the afternoon at Red Palace on Saturday, and Trusty’s has put together a Beer Brunch menu starting at 10am on Saturday and Sunday.

The mind boggles, so check out the full schedule here.  And just tell your boss you have a doctor’s appointment or something.