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Great Country Farms is still open through Sunday; better yet, it's pumpkin chunkin' time, so bring your old jack-o-lanterns and dispose of them in style: by dropping it from a 40-foot lift or setting fly on a zip wire.  It's in Loudoun too, so well within your two-hour window.

Ethiopic is on the less populated end of the H Street strip, so if you want to stay down on that side, I'd probably say Toyland. Plus you can play Connect Four.

Well, you can't go wrong with the Oval Room for dinner. The Tabard Inn is nice, especially their brunch if you happen to be around on the weekend (make reservations). You aren't too far from J&G either, if you are craving steak. And that's ignoring the bounty of Dupont Circle which is right at your doorstep. I wouldn't overlook Pizzeria Paradiso's great pies and impressive beer list, Agora's Turkish small plates, BGR's burgers or the seafood at Pesce. Feel like splurging? Get reservations at Obelisk. Really, there is so much there that its hard to narrow it down without feeling like I'm cheating you out of some of your options.

Chatters, where would you eat if you had one meal in the Dupont area?

You'll see as many vendors out on Saturday at Eastern Market, and despite the cooler temps, the hours haven't changed.

My go-to growler spot is Franklin's in Hyattsville -- I never head up around that area without planning on a stop there for a fill-up. You can also hit up one of the DuClaw locations; my roommate has a growler from there, but I can't vouch with any first-hand experience.

I think the Mad Fox Brewery in Falls Church will fill growlers as well.

The Passenger? But really, Kushi has one of the best Sake selections in the city. Assuming that you mean drinking, I wouldn't pre-game too hard before heading there.

For post-KenCen dinner, I usually head to Afterwords in Dupont, which should fit the bill. If you want to go more casual, then Tackle Box in Georgetown could work.

Just talked to them. Its not on now. They say its a daily call, and the weather has to be solidly in the 40s before the fire it up.

As for other fireplaces, Fritz likes to recommend Sonoma, and the new Pizzeria Paradiso in Alexandria has a big gas fireplace complete with fireside rocking chair.

Happy Diwali! I really wanted to dig something up for you, but it seems the big mela locally took place last weekend at Patriot Center (I didn't even notice with all the other stuff going on). Do any readers know of Diwali events going on this weekend?

 If all else fails, gather up friends or family and go out for celebratory Indian meal at some place nice, like Masala Art or Indique Heights or even Tiffin -- I do that a lot, and there are always  plenty of folks celebrating with dinner or lunch out. 

I see we were on the same wavelength Mad Fox-wise. Dined there on Tuesday this week -- pretty good onion rings, seriously good beer.

Sage advice.

Let me direct you to our Pizza best bets list.

Babe's Billiards used to be a huge, grimy, dark and smoky pool hall where you saw all types: underage kids sipping sodas before 9 p.m. (when they were allowed to be there, if I recall) newly-minted 21 year-olds learning how to hold their booze, pool sharks, designer-jeaned Ed Hardy types, people who thought they were good at pool but weren't and lifers who seemed to spend every waking minute there without ever picking up a pool cue.  It was a terrific gathering spot with a great jukebox, and when it closed, Northwest lost a real treasure. I still remember being there on that place's last night. ANYWAY -- if true, this is good news, but I hope the new place maintains the spirit of Babe's 1.0 and doesn't go upscale.

I'm heading to Oklahoma tonight, too, and was having the same debate (when I thought I had time for dinner, which I don't, alas). Unfortunately, there aren't many options in that area, so my plan was to do Matchbox or Ella's in Chinatown/Penn Quarter, because they're also on the Green Line.

There's definitely nothing rude about specifying a choice of a preferred spirit -- I do it all the time. Tanqueray would be a good choice.

Yes absolutely. I love Rasika, but Bombay Club is quieter and more intimate. Some people call it stuffy, but I think the table cloths and old school DC dining culture won't be at all inappropriate all for a big birthday. Before hand you could check out the new P.J. Clarke's at 16th and K. Its only a couple blocks away and they make good classic cocktails.

Gogol Bordello announcing a New Years Eve show at 9:30 Club settled that debate for me, but I'm always more interested in doing a concert/play/comedy show on NYE than one of the big Downtown Countdown type things. Plenty more on this very topic to come in the next few weeks, we promise.

And that sound absolutely perfect today.

Another suggestion for pre-Oklahoma dining....

Here are a bunch of options for weekend fun. Personally, I'd do something related to Fall Fringe (here are some suggestions for what shows to see) or FotoWeek.

This changes somewhat frequently, but right now I would say Oohhs and Aahhs, Queen Makeda and (is this cheating because its in Arlington?) El Charrito Caminante.

I love Chix and its neighbor the Greek Spot along with the Dupont Circle Alero on Connecticut.

I'm going to second Steph's recommendation for Greek Spot; it's seriously that good, and the gyro platter is enough for two meals at just $10. Also on my list: the banh mi at Pho 14: $9 for the sandwich, an appetizer and a cup of soup (or $4 if you just want the sandwich).

Rest assured that will be changed soon. On the Restaurants page its still one of the featured items. In the meantime, if you need it, here is the link.

We can't hit 'em all, but that's an excellent suggestion.

Bar Pilar immediately comes to mind, since it's my current favorite spot to grab dinner along 14th Street. There's always Churchkey/Birch and Barley if you're looking for a good beer selection.

Hmm, given the size of your group and your preference for booze and (I'm guessing) a desire not to wait an hour for a table, I'm going to recommend Meridian Pint. Saturday brunch is from 10 to 3.

David wears a scarf -- what are you saying? Female chatters who don't care about politics and love burgers: Where are you hiding? My guess is ... everywhere except Capitol Hill and a vegetarian's convention.