Live Q&As

Both Hank's on the Hill and The Eddy (Gina Chersevani's new bar within the restaurant) will open July 23. 

My favorite Irish pub in Arlington remains Ireland's Four Courts, for the discounted drinks at happy hour, the solid fish and chips and the multi-bar layout, which means you can move around easily. I'm also partial to Ri-Ra, which, despite being a chain, has a great little balcony above the bar where you can watch all the action below. It does get a little crowded, though.

On the Pike side of Arlington, the massive P. Brennan's can be hit-or-miss, but when it's on, it's a lot of fun.

I'm still working on the massive list of bars hosting parties and happy hours, but one place that sounds promising is Open City, which is turning its little sunroom/patio into a Olympics viewing pavilion, with TVs, food and drink specials, misting fans, etc.

The best part is that they'll let you make reservations for the broadcasts of events you don't want to miss, like table tennis.

A couple of thoughts -- since the weather's unpredictable today, I might steer you away from a rooftop or outdoor event and toward a cool theater event, like "Beertown" at Woolly Mammoth tonight; you could get a head start nearby at Cuba Libre's Hemingway's birthday party. Both feel boozy, but high minded at the same time.  Since the weather is supposed to improve this weekend,  I'd add the Purcellville Wine and Food Festival on Saturday (the town is teeming with wineries, so it should be an intimate, very locavore experience), or BYT's event at the new Union Market space.

You've basically just described Boundary Road, which has a cool (and fast-changing) menu of small plates and one of the street's best cocktail lists. It's also worth trying to get into Atlas Room, where the food is sophisticated and modern and the cocktails are inventive twists on the classics. 

Congrats! Are you planning the celebration for just the two of you or are there parents involved? And how high-end do you want to go with the food? If you're looking at Restaurant Eve and a tasting menu is what you're looking at, how about Marcel's? 

That's what we're all about -- getting people out of the house to try new things. Thanks for sharing, and we're glad it all worked out.

Some advice from Amy Orndorff, the editor of the GOG Kids newsletter:

1. Get tickets to the "How to Train your Dragon Live Spectacular" at Verizon Center.  

2. Spend the rest of the day around Chinatown either at the National Building Museum mini-golf course (Be sure to read Fritz's review first) at the Smithsonian American Art Museum (check out "The Art of Video Games") or at the National Portrait Gallery (go for a scavenger hunt through the Luce Foundation Center for American Art, one of my personal favorite places in the city) 

3. As for food, there is a Potbellys, Matchbox, California Tortilla and Five Guys nearby. All are reasonably priced, kid-friendly and within walking distance. They should be safe bets for picky eaters.

It's not really a museum, but man, I love the Frederick Douglass House in Anacostia -- it's a gorgeous mansion, on the top of a hill overlooking the city, and it's packed with artifacts from Douglass's life. They give great tours (the Obamas have even visited). I also think it might be fun to check out the Phillips during one of its events, which is a totally different way to experience the museum, with performances, food, drink and more. The next Phillips After 5 is Aug. 2. A fave of mine is the AU Museum at the Katzen Arts Center, which frequently has really modern work. Of course, there is Artisphere, which is really similar in terms of having really cool stuff from emerging artists. And finally, Stephanie recommends the Art Museum of the Americas, which has a great show of installations up right now. 

I think it's just "eh" these days. On the Hill, you can get a better burger-and-shake combo at Ted's Bulletin.

I love the toasted marshmallow shake at Good Stuff by itself but would agree with Fritz and steer you toward Ted's if you're staying on Capitol Hill. 

I've gone with BTI in the past and had no complaints. Others might be just as good but it's the only one I can speak of with experience. Chatters, any other good Harper's Ferry tubing experiences? 

Everyone I know who has been to the mini-golf course has had the same experience as me: It's packed with kids and large family groups and lines. Either go when it opens at 10 a.m. or wait until one of the late-night events (July 26 and August 23), when the course will be open until 9 and I'm expecting the vibe to be more grown-up.

That's not a bad idea, especially if you're a party of four or fewer and are willing to kill some time in a nearby bar before your table is ready. It's probably too late but you might also give a call over to Thai Xing to see if they can squeeze you in. 

I haven't been this year, but Planet X Cafe is always a place to find cool vegetarian dishes in Rehoboth. I do also love Nage for whipping up dairy-free -- but there's really cool news this year! The awesome, super-veggie-friendly  chef there, Hari Cameron, just opened a new restaurant, Muse, in Rehoboth and is pledging to continue to do vegetarian at the beach. Can't wait to try it.

That's really high for Citizen (which is the Belgian ale, btw -- Public is the pale ale). I usually see it around $10-$10.99, which is about what it costs at the Brewery. 

Most small breweries are raising prices these days. It's a complicated situation that involves hop shortages, transportation costs and other factors. It's getting to the point where $10-$12 is the norm for a six pack of a good microbrew, and while that's tough to swallow, I'd still rather pay that than $8 for a six pack of Amstel.

I think the cabarets are a total "do"-- I went  last summer, and I really love it as a casual, musical way to stay out of the heat in the summer -- pick whatever vibe suits you. Sondheim? They got it. I have to say, Carolyn Cole, a super-cute actress who starred in Signature's "Hairspray" (and won a Helen Hayes award for it) is on my list. She sings tonight and next Thursday. Her voice is chirpy and distinctive, and she's a ball of Bawston energy. (There's also a wine-tasting night.) The nice thing about Signature is you can make a night of it -- eat at Cheesetique or Aladdin, and head over after.

That's a pretty great list, and a technique I use pretty often. (Last night included Blackbyrd Warehouse, Bar Pilar, the Brixton and Lounge of III.)

I might swap Oyamel in for Rasika because it can be so hard to get a seat for a quick bite at Rasika. 

If you're looking for another neighborhood, I might try 14th Street (happy hour at Masa 14, small plates at Bar Pilar, cocktails at Pearl Dive or a glass of wine at Cork) or Adams Morgan (Smoke and Barrel -> Mintwood Place -> Bourbon or Jack Rose).

Chatters: What's your favorite progressive three-stop meal?

Cheaper than ordering drinks at a bar during a marathon table tennis match, that's for sure. 

I would try a few places -- there's Annie Creamcheese in Georgetown, which does carry older vintage, typically labels, however. There's Pretty People Vintage in Alexandria. And I'm dying to go check out the new Amalgamated Classic Clothing and Dry Goods (sounds totally like a typical twee Lavanya shop, haha) -- I just called and they do buy by appointment. I also might try getting in touch with the ladies of Butler and Claypool if the stuff is really cool. They might snap it up for one of their regular sales.

Tom Sietsema has said good things about the new Lunchbox, a casual place from "Top Chef" Bryan Voltaggio, and I'm looking forward to checking it out.

Wow, I know a lot about renting sailboats but nothing about power boats. Can any chatters help?

Well, it's not Penn Quarter, but I just reviewed Pacifico Cantina on Barracks Row. Go for happy hour on the large rooftop deck, stay for the sunset. (That's about all that recommends it, unfortunately.)

If you want to be ahead of the curve, by the way, head to a preview of the refurbished Union Market on Saturday, with oysters, a "lamb bar," pop-up restaurants and, oh yes, a waterslide.

Oh, I'd totally consider Mintwood -- the food is great, and it's super cool. I've found that the barbecue at Smoke and Barrel is really refined (jalapeno gritcakes may be my new favorite food).  Also, I've noticed that the Brixton's still building a dinner crowd, so it might be easy to squeeze in a group. I've heard nothing but good things about the fish and chips. And of course, there's the new Pig on 14th, too, where pork finds its way into everything, including dessert.  Um, I do have to say, a couple of weeks ago, we heard from readers that Bandolero was incredibly hot inside -- and I'd confirm that is totally the case. So I might steer you away from that one.

Thanks. I thought about mentioning Family Meal, but, as you said, it's already got a reputation for lines.

Ah, I really recommend heading out to a place such as Purcellville, where you can hit maybe two or three wineries all within a couple of miles of each other -- I like Breaux for big groups, and Sunset Hills has a beautiful estate, and if you can squeeze in Notaviva, they frequently have music too. You can see a list of those wineries here. Sunset Hills and Doukenie do Friday night parties that are popular, but I prefer wineries by day. You can find a number of events here; just filter for Northern Virginia.

I don't think I mentioned a Wednesday drink special in my review. There's the daily happy hour from 4-7, Monday is $5 margarita night, Sunday is $5 sangria, Tuesday is $1 off all tacos. (But then again, the happy hours at Pacifico have been wildly in flux. A month ago, it was half-price margaritas on Monday, which would make them $4, and half-price tacos on Tuesday, which made them two-for-$5. As you can see, prices are rising already.)

Wow. Some of those tables on the second floor can definitely more than six people. I'll look into that. Thanks for the tip.

All the more reason to go out and watch the Olympics at a bar, but I can bet the cable companies would complain if NBC offered pay-level services for free online.

Our folks have put together a cool gallery of wedding locations here in D.C. You might consider, as long as you're out in Virginia, looking into wineries for a venue --  near Charlottesville, folks can visit Skyline Drive, eat at great restaurants, and visit wineries and breweries when they're not enjoying your big day. Veritas is a beautiful estate - you might start there.

I have a message in to the Smithsonian folks asking about door times, but each theater has a specific entrance you'll want to use for after-hours showings: For Natual History, enter on Constitution Avenue; for Air and Space, enter on Indepdendence Avenue; use the main entrance at Udvar-Hazy. I would estimate that if you want prime seats, you should get there by 10:45 or so. I'll update the blog later today when I hear back from Smithsonian about door times. 

Update: Just heard back from a Smithsonian rep. All Smithsonian IMAX theaters will open at 10 p.m. tonight. Queue accordingly. 

It's really nice and local -- you'll find beers from DC Brau, Lost Rhino, Chocolate City, Port City, etc. All the drafts are $5, too. One of my favorite happy hours on a sunndy day.

The bottle list is pretty similar and microbrew-heavy.

Yeesh. I'm posting this as a public service. (I will say that my golf-date noticed that some of the holes were looking a little worse for wear from suspected kid-damage ON THE FIRST DAY.)

Yep, they wheel a stage into the outfield and the band plays from there. You can watch from your seat 0r pay $20 for a field pass from the center field sales office if you want to get up close to Jakob Dylan and co.  

Hill Country sounds like a nice place for a BBQ sendoff, if you ask me. 

In Bethesda, I almost want to point you to Tandoori Nights, as long as you're looking for spice. For Ethiopian, you almost want to venture to Silver Spring, where there's Bete and Addis Ababa. If spice isn't the main requirement,  anyone is interested in wine, Grapeseed, or Redwood.

I asked GOG Editor and mother-of-two Anne Kenderdine for advice on this, seeing as how I have no experience with the subject. Here's her advice:

Hey, congratulations, and hats off to you for making it through this summer’s heat waves so far and for still wanting to go out. These last date-nights before baby comes are times you’ll relish. On one of the last nights before my first daughter was born, my husband and I went to Blue Duck Tavern and devoured the family-size ice cream bucket they serve for dessert. I also still remember hanging out at Churchkey a week before my second daughter arrived – and the staff there were totally chill when she came back for dinner as an infant as well. I’m sure others have mentioned it already, but we have lots of ideas for how to keep cool this summer. And Fritz is working on a story about house-made sodas that can be served with or without alcohol, so maybe he’ll chime with tips for you on drinks.

Oh, and on those sodas Anne mentioned. I love, love, love the kaffir lime and coconut soda at El Chucho -- and anything with berries and peppers there. The Green Pig Bistro in Arlington has some amazing house-made sodas. Try the hibiscus-lemon or the orange-vanilla-cream.

And my favorite soda right now is at Bourbon Steak, whose entry into the annual Rickey Month contest involves bourbon and a house-made dry cherry vanilla soda. It was so good I asked the bartender for a glass of the soda by itself -- kind of a less-sweet Cheerwine. I'm sure they'll do the same for you.

Glen Echo is a great idea. And thanks for the advice -- there are so many options, depending on the size of your party, and your group. We're not all Building Museum types. 

I wouldn't worry about a place like Graffiato, honestly. The place is bustling with Clash songs and conversation even when it's not Restaurant Week (if you want a serene atmosphere, it's not the place you're looking for) and you don't have to order from the Restaurant Week menu if you're not so inclined (and I'd skip it since the sweet corn agnolotti isn't being offered).

 So, you know how at nice restaurants, you feel like kids are invading your space? When it's mini-golf, the kids are probably thinking to themselves "Who let in all the uptight old people? And why are they so crabby?"   Sorry, but minigolf, like Trix, is for kids. The Building Museum's course was even designed for little ones. We adults are invading their space, so we have to cut them a lot of slack. There are adult nights: On Thursday, July 26, and Thursday, August 23, the course will be open until 9 p.m., which should make it a great date-night/pre-happy hour destination.

Sure. For good or bad, the gin rickey has become the standard rickey, the one that misinformed bartenders "learn" is the "real" rickey, the same way that some assume every martini is made with vodka. Either way, it's just 2 ounces of bourbon/gin, half a lime (with the shell dumped into the glass) topped with soda water. Period. (Unless it's rickey month when everything goes nuts and you get rickeys like I had last night at Pilar, topped with house-made lemon sorbet.)

I'll cosign on this.

We'd normally suggest renting a lockhouse, but looks like there's not enough advance notice for that (unless you don't mind waiting till Aug. 3). On short notice like this -- how about an awesome romantic picnic that you make, full of things she likes (we won't tell if that happens to include a homemade sangria), in a remote spot where you won't be bothered. Fritz thinks Pierce Mill in Rock Creek Park would be a beautiful spot for that.

Yeah, I get you. Sorry I was harsh. I am the aunt of a rowdy little guy -- he takes after his aunt, who still destroys things, mostly computers now -- and I was feeling defensive.