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Brit About Town Best of Washington DC 2014 Awards

12/26/2014

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This year, your intrepid Brit About Town and her lovely wife, in between Perfect Liars Club shows, have been reveling in the delights of the brilliant things Washington DC has to offer, and writing about them in the Brit About Town blog to help you enjoy them too. And so, as 2014 comes to an end, we have brought together our very favorite things in the Brit About Town Best of Washington DC 2014 Awards. These are our picks of what has charmed us most in DC out of all the things we've done in 2014. Of course there are other excellent things in Washington that we haven't yet had a chance to enjoy - so bring on 2015! And in the meantime, sit back, and enjoy. 


Restaurant of the year: 
Rasika West End
Rasika is consistently excellent, with great service, ambience and food, with a particular shout out to their palak chaat dish which is unmissable. It's a great mix of occasion-y and relaxed, and even if you can't get a table, you can usually squeeze in at the bar for the same menu. Mmmm. 

Runners up
Rose's Luxury: For their popcorn soup (RIP), their amazing bread, their imaginative menu, and for ensuring nobody can be rude about staid or uninspiring DC dining again.
Cork: Superlative avocado bruschetta, impressive wine list, comfortable and cool.
Sona: All things cheese are unsurprisingly amazing, but then so are their salads. And wine...
Jaleo: Adore their pan cristal con tomate, and their Jose's Choice gin. Relaxed ambience.

Honorable mentions: Ezme, Compass Rose, Iron Gate

Cocktail bar of the year: The Gibson
The Gibson delivers consistently delightful cocktails with skill, finesse, and a relaxing, occasion-ish ambience. Alas it's a bit of a hassle to get a booking. Internet bookings please!

Runners up
McLellan's Retreat: Newcomer to the cocktail circuit has already proved its worth!
Harold Black: Home of spicy cocktails, cocktail flights, and speakeasy coolness. Fab decor.
Passenger (RIP): Wonderful cocktails, cool ambience, alas that it's closing. We also love the Columbia Room, moving to Blagden Alley in some form in 2015.

Honorable mentions: Slipstream, the Basilica martini at Unum, as prepared by Dmitri

Wine bar of the year: Dicksons wine bar
Dicksons is inexplicably overlooked: it's a delightful wine bar with a nice wine selection, decent food, very classy decor and ambience, and is the loveliest wine bar in which to hang out in the city. 

Runner up
Sona: More of a cheese place but they have some excellent wines, and this is a delight of a restaurant in which to hang out drinking wine and munching on cheese.

Coffeeshop of the year: 
Filter (Dupont Circle)
What Filter lacks in ample tables, it makes up for in cool ambience and excellent coffee. 

Runners up
Dog tag bakery: Great social mission, handy location, comfortable and relaxing.
Baked and wired: Wish it had more tables, but coolest coffeeshop in town.
La Colombe: Hipster central, with excellent coffee, and a pleasantly pretentious vibe.

Grilled cheese sandwich of the year: Glenn's Garden Market
Have it alone, or as a combo with soup, somehow Glenn's have found the recipe for the perfect grilled cheese sandwich.

Runners up
Ris at Union Market: best for fancy grilled cheese with things like poblano peppers in it
Righteous Cheese at Union Market: a deliciously simple example of the genre
GCDC: Excellent all round grilled cheese finesse. 

Dessert of the year: Central Michel Richard
Central Michel Richard is unsurpassed for desserts in the entire city (though if others wish to contest this, please call me up and offer me free samples to change my mind.) Huge, luxurious, witty, and delicious - these desserts are the best part of going to the nearby Landmark E Street cinema. 

Going out in DC app of the year: Sosh 
There are lots of DC folk 'curating' the city's coolest things to do and for me, other than of course the wonderful Brit About Town blog, this year it's all about Sosh. They have an uncanny knack for finding cool things that nobody else has, and presenting them beautifully, for your entertainment pleasure.

Runner up
Goldstar: I buy pretty much all my theatre tickets on this app now, with great discounts. 

Cinema of the year: Tie:
Angelika pop-up at Union Market for coolness of venue
Landmark E Street Cinema for best choice of films
West End Cinema for best value (only DC cinema currently using the Dealflix app)

Theatre show of the year: Brief Encounter, Shakespeare Theatre Company
This show, a British import, was part charm, part suspense, part love, and all style.

Runners up
Little Dancer at the Kennedy Center:
best musical of the year 

Carrie at Studio Theatre: energetic, compelling, devastating, and fab
Grounded at Studio Theatre: disturbing, fascinating, and very relevant

Honorable mentions: War of the Worlds by Picnic Theatre Company, Sleeping Beauty by Pointless Theatre Company

Book event of the year: Sue Monk Kidd, Invention of Wings at Sixth and I
Politics and Prose put on many amazing events but their top authors usually find their way to Sixth and I. I hadn't even read the book when I went to see Sue Monk Kidd. She was brilliant, the evening was fantastic, and when I bought the book, it's probably the best one I read all year.

Runners up
Pamela Paul, NYT Review of Books at Politics and Prose
Emma Donoghue, Frog Music at Politics and Prose
Washington City Paper DC Stories at Politics and Prose

Storytelling show of the year: Tie: 
Storytelling Showdown, SpeakeasyDC, Dance Place: SpeakeasyDC does great shows all year round but this themed gameshow pulled out all the stops and it was fresh and fun and hilarious.
Story League Presents Presents, Kennedy Center: With storytellers from DC and NYC, the stories were sharp, funny, compelling, and nicely curated: the best Story League show I've ever been to.

Art show of the year: Think with your Hands, Artisphere
Artisphere is potentially closing in 2015 and this would be a terrible loss to Washingtonians, some of whom haven't really noticed how important it is. Think With Your Hands was one of the most innovative art shows I've seen in years. Small, ambitious, free, merging the page with technology to create something truly beautiful. The best use of iPads in art I've ever encountered. I loved this.

Local musician of the year: The Sweater Set
The Sweater Set are all ukulele charm and delight, and they wrote our theme song too! 

Comedy show of the year: Second City
Part improv, part scripted, Second City has consistently delighted us this year when they come to town with their intelligent, hilarious skits.

Runners up
Capital City Showcase second Tuesday 'roasts': I like that they try to come up with clever and original jokes that aren't about sex, a topic that gets very old indeed. 
DC Science comedy: They've just started, but the demand is massive! Once they've sorted crowd control, this is intelligent comedy with some real gems. A great comedy experience. 

Outdoorsy activity of the year: Paddleboarding at Key Bridge Boathouse
There is possibly nothing nicer in the world than stepping onto a paddleboard and heading upriver, away from DC and into what feels like the forest. My loveliest, happiest DC moments have been on a paddleboard.

Runners up
Hike Roosevelt Island: Lovely 40 minute walk along the water, through the woods, with beautiful seasonal changes.
Hike Glover Archbold Trail: A surprise delight, feels like you're deep in the forest.
Hike Valley Trail, Rock Creek Park: Long and lovely, with lots of beautiful sections alongside the creek.

Top 10 random great things we are glad exist in DC

Kenilworth Aquatic Garden: Perhaps the coolest, most interesting unpretentious boardwalk and garden to walk through in DC, this place is sufficiently off the beaten track that there's hardly ever a tourist. Entrance is free, so invest in an Uber. Gaze contemplatively across the water. Watch the herons. I like this place so much more than the neighboring Arboretum.

Museum of the Department of the Interior: Winning a special shout out for museums in random places, inside this government office lies a sweet, tiny, quirky museum. I felt like an adventurer. And I liked their park poster exhibition. 


DASER: In a town of politics and silos, there is something genuinely heartwarming about participating in art/science mashup events. Plus, they're really interesting and smart and thought provoking. Bravo, National Academy of Sciences. 


Smithsonian at 8: The Smithsonian Associates put on lots of really interesting events, with a preponderance of pensioners, but this is their 'young person' arm and they do excellent events in Smithsonian museums. Their Postal Museum one was by far the best


Capitol Hill Arts Workshop (CHAW): I have gone to lots of formal art classes in our nation's capital, and wished that I could find a homey local arts center to take arts classes... then I did. The classes are great, they're good value, and you don't need to be a crazy high achiever to take them. 


Sixth and I: DC oddly lacks versatile venues, which is why Sixth and I is an unusual gem. Music, comedy, storytelling, literary death matches, book events... we love their enthusiasm for bringing really well curated, eclectic programs to their stage, alongside their religion-focused programs. 


Capital Bikeshare: Nothing is more liberating than zooming through the streets of DC, the wind in your hair, the pretty houses flashing by, the knowledge that you're probably going to get to your destination faster than a car, bus or train... 


Hillyer Art drop-in life drawing: There's something excellent about knowing you can just drop in, pay $10, and silently draw life models on a Tuesday night. It makes me feel I'm in art school or something. 

London's National Theatre Live at Sidney Harman Hall: Our friends rarely know about this, but it's always sold out, so somebody knows! They screen plays from the National Theatre in London and so far, they have all been extremely high quality. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time was better than anything I saw live all year. 


TSNY: It feels like the flying trapeze is some crazy thing circus people get to do while we ooh and ah. It seems so unlikely that we can pay $55 and get to do it too, pretty much any day of the week, no matter how incompetent we are. I did it this year. It was terrifying. But also quite brilliant. 


10 Things we want to do more of in 2015

1. Check out the new reading series at Kramer Books

2 and 3. Go to more movies at the Angelika Pop-up at Union Market, and the AFI in Silver Spring

4. Go to the upstairs cool whisky bar at Ri Ra Georgetown more, and keep an eye on cool events in their function room (they've had book events and storytelling this year - plus lots of music)

5. Enjoy the lovely and gloriously versatile Slipstream for coffee, lunch, dinner and cocktails

6. Keep a better eye on the Kennedy Center's free Millennium Stage performances and actually go

7. Do more free classes with Knowledge Commons (did collage and medical Spanish this year!)

8. Explore more of DC's cocktail speakeasies

9. Get all-access passes to some of the film festivals and see far more films 

10. Fool our lovely audience for an entire year at Perfect Liars Club (the majority of you only guessed the liar twice in all of 2014! 
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Top picks for cool things to do in DC this week

12/17/2014

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I was in Scotland for most of last week, but I hear from my lovely wife that Second City's Nut-Cracking Holiday Revue was hilarious and brilliant, so be sure to get tickets for that! 


I managed to dash off the plane just in time to catch the Washington Gay Men's Chorus, which I'd been excited about, but contrary to last year's charming, camp and witty dance and costume routines, and contrary to its 'Rockin' the Holidays' title, while beautifully sung, it couldn't  have been more staid and serious. We chuckled at the 'dance captain' title in the program - there was almost zero movement on that stage. 


We did enjoy Georgetown Glow, a cool weekend-long festival of light installations all over Georgetown. However, my lovely wife was deeply unimpressed by Pinstripes in Georgetown, where her office had planned their holiday party. Pinstripes told her they don't take reservations, but assured her and her team on several occasions that they'd be able to turn up and get some lanes - inexplicably failing to mention they'd hired out the entire place to another organization! The office turned up en masse, only to find that their party had to be cancelled. Pinstripes failed to remedy their error or try to find a solution. Unfortunately, this is where Pinstripes and Brit About Town part ways. Embarrassing, unacceptably poor service and regard for your customers, Pinstripes.


But onwards: what's cool to do in DC this week?

Thu 18 Dec - Be sure to get tickets for SpeakeasyDC's Jewish-themed show at Sixth and I, My So-Called Jewish Life. Your very own Brit About Town Layla will be telling a never-before-heard story about her experiences traveling to Israel with the Birthright Program! Expect amusement... 

Fri 19th and Sat 20th Dec - If you haven't seen them yet, get tickets for Second City's Nut-Cracking Holiday Revue!

Sat 20 Dec - It's back to Sixth and I for Chanu-comedy - some Jewish-themed comedy by Rachel Bloom and Danny Jolles. 

There's also a lot of festive improv on all this month. Details and tickets here. 


What's on in DC for new year that discerning grown-ups like us might enjoy? Please comment below with your suggestions, to contribute to a Brit About Town New Year's Eve special! What are the most enjoyable, comfortable, interesting ways to spend New Year in DC this year? Tell me!

And don't forget Perfect Liars Club is back on Jan 7th. Tickets here!

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What's cool in DC this week... and what's coming up

12/8/2014

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Brrrr it suddenly got really cold. So there would be a temptation to devote significant column space to the hours spent huddled upstairs in my apartment watching The Truman Show, Pleasantville and The Big Tease (all of which are excellent movies; the first of which is on Netflix, and the other two require actual purchase to stream them from Amazon - shocking). But worry not, we did brave the chill for some fun about town.


It's been a fab week for storytelling. Perfect Liars Club was fab - and only 7 people in the entire audience spotted the liar. For shame, Washingtonians. Pics and description here. Our next show is Wednesday January 7th so start your year off shrewdly and get tix here. 


But we were only one of several cool things going on. Every year SpeakeasyDC puts on a show where two storytellers extend their usual 7 minutes into a longform storytelling extravaganza. This year the shows were last weekend... and this coming weekend. Keith Mellnick's 50 min-long slot, 'I'm not crazy' about his experiences with Peace Corps in Kazakhstan is up first, and is really excellent: engaging, fascinating, funny, sad, and entirely relatable. Worth going for him alone. 


We were also excited to attend Story League's brilliant free show at the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage, or rather, in its Theatre Lab. The theme: inappropriate holiday gifts. They brought half the storytellers from New York which always delivers a certain je ne sais quoi... and the stories were largely fantastic. Plus some quirky songs. And this is cool: if you missed it, you can watch it online right now!


Our final fun event of the week was to go see a special presentation of The Imitation Game, as part of the AFI's European Union Film Showcase, on now. "What, Silver Spring?" I hear you moan (unless you live near there, in which case you're saying "Well, obviously."). Every time I go to the AFI I love it and beat myself up for not going more often. As regular readers know, usually I enjoy a matinee, followed by a superlative brunch at Jackie's, and cycle home down Rock Creek Park: an excellent day. This was embarrassingly my first evening AFI experience. Seems it's only a 5 min walk from the red line station. And afterwards we got to try out a long-imagined dream: Jackie's Sidebar. I don't mean to alarm anyone... but this bar is possibly cooler than any bar in central DC. The decor, ambience, cocktails, and food are all a delight. If this was near me, it would indisputably be my local. I felt like I was in London. If you haven't been, this may be the moment for you!


Finally, festive fun! First, a walk through the National Zoo's Zoolights was as kitsch and delightful as ever. Recommended! Then the Jingle All the Way 5k was the most hilariously festive run I've ever spectated. My lovely wife had excellent festive headgear but it paled in comparison to the lycra Santa suits, gingerbread men, and entire Santa's sleigh complete with full complement of reindeer... all running down Pennsylvania Avenue on Sunday morning. Fun.


What's coming up this week: Picks of the week

This is a brilliant week for shows and cool stuff - so just after buying a million tickets, I found I had to go to Scotland and miss them all. My loss is your gain though, expecially if you want to buy our Gay Men's Chorus tickets for Sunday? (email us with an offer)

Tue 9 Dec - SpeakeasyDC's monthly show is about Childhood Beliefs. I'm missing it.

Wed 10 Dec - Have you been to Mortified? It's a rather hilarious show where adults read out embarrassing bits of their writings from their angst-filled teenage years, like diary entries, poems etc. Adam Ruben runs it. I'm hoping to participate sometime. It's on tonight! I'm missing it. If you have time before, at 6pm there's a weird festive free tuba event at Kennedy Center... 

Thu 11 Dec - It's the fab art/science mash-up DASER. This month's topic: art and ecology. I'm missing it.

Fri 12 Dec - Tonight a run of the brilliant Second City's Nut-Cracking Holiday Revue kicks off at the Arlington Drafthouse. It's bound to be excellent. I'll have to get someone to join me on another date... Or else head to the Bier Baron for Nutcracker Burlesque!

Sat 13 Dec and Sun 14 Dec - During the day on Saturday Yelp is hosting a cool festive fair at Monroe Street Market. Then go to Woolly Mammoth to see SpeakeasyDC's annual longform storytelling show, featuring two storytellers. Perfect Liars Club favorite Keith Mellnick is fantastic. Also on 13th and 14th is the Gay Men's Choir with Rockin' the Holidays. 

And looking forward to next week:


Thu 18 Dec - Be sure to get tickets for SpeakeasyDC's Jewish-themed show at Sixth and I, My So-Called Jewish Life. Your very own Brit About Town Layla will be telling a never-before-heard story about her experiences traveling to Israel with the Birthright Program! Expect amusement... 

Sat 20 Dec - It's back to Sixth and I for Chanu-comedy - some Jewish-themed comedy by Rachel Bloom and Danny Jolles. 

There's also a lot of festive improv on all this month. Details and tickets here. 


And don't forget Perfect Liars Club is back on Jan 7th. Tickets here!

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The coolest things to do in DC this week - especially if you like spoken word

12/1/2014

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Well having been on vacation all week, I am nicely suntanned, fattened by guacamole, and don't know what happened in Washington last week. But if you want a beautifully curated list about the coolest stuff to do in Washington this week... you're reading the right blog! Especially if you like spoken word events.

All week long - Zoolights at the National Zoo. This kitsch festive light display captures my heart every year.


Mon 1st Dec - It's the monthly space cafe upstairs at Science Club. It's so cool there isn't a link. But show up at 7pm - this month's topic is astrobiology and they have speakers from NASA and the Planetary Society. Free. 


Tue 2nd Dec - My favorite DC comedy night, the Capital City Showcase DMV Roast is back... and this week the comedians are roasting... Christmas!


Wed 3rd Dec - It's Perfect Liars Club! The highlight of everyone's calendar, this is the last story interrogation on 2014. As I write this, there are still tickets left. Get them now and start getting shrewd! (if tix sell out, there's a limited number available on the door). Or if you want to hear journalists being funny, you could do that instead. Though I'll be sad... 


Thu 4th Dec - It's time to find out who DC's '50 on Fire' are - and your very own Brit About Town, Layla, has been shortlisted. The cocktail-fueled suspense! Or else go learn about cold weather beers.


Fri 5th Dec - Head to the very cool Folger Shakespeare Library (worth it for the venue alone) for a celebration of the short story by Penn Faulkner, with Lorrie Moore, Edward P Jones and Tobias Wolff. Or to the AFI to see The Imitation Game, about Alan Turing.


Sat 6th and Sun 7th Dec - SpeakeasyDC are putting a solo storytelling show featuring Perfect Liars Club favorite Keith Mellnick (most recently: the Panama-woman's-hair-backbend story) and Inga Brege (haven't encountered her before). When they did this format last year, it was fab. Definitely worth checking out... it's on next weekend too! 


Sat 6th Dec - If you're ready to feel very festive indeed, it may be time for the Gay Men's Chorus Rockin' the Holidays show. 


Sun 7th Dec - Story League is putting on a free show at 6pm on the Millennium Stage Theatre Lab at the Kennedy Center. And if you can't make that, they are having a pre-show at the Bier Baron at 3pm with the KenCen storytellers plus others. The theme: inappropriate holiday gifts. Very cool. Also cool is Upright Citizens Brigade bringing their latest improv show to Sixth and I. This always sells out but tickets are currently available as I write this... act fast. 
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    What is this blog?

    Every Friday, Perfect Liars Club MC Layla laboriously curates a list of all the coolest English-accessible things happening in Tokyo for the next week for your delight and entertainment. If you live in Tokyo and like attending great events, you had better sign up.

    How to suggest an event to be included

    Tweet @perfectliarstky or email Layla with details and a link.

    What sort of events does this listings guide include?

    ​Recommendations are biased towards things Layla personally enjoys, like theatre, cinema, sciencey talks, book things, storytelling, comedy, art and random quirky activities.

    Come to my event, Layla!

    You can email Layla to invite her to something cool.

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