Chez Moncef

Thursdays 6-9pm, June 18 - August 27 @ L’Enfant Moderne: Art In The Alley.

June 25 - September 7 @ National Geographic Museum: Kodachrome Culture: The American Tourist in Europe

July 11, 2009 - January 3, 2010 @ National Building Museum: Form and Movement: Photographs by Philip Trager

Wed. & Thu. All Summer @ Grapeseed: $5 Mussels & Fries Lunch special

July 27 - August 9 @ Grapeseed: 2 courses for $12 (lunch) and 3 courses for $30 (dinner)

July 12, July 26, August 9, August 23, September 6 and September 20 @ Patowmack Farm: “Jazz Sundays”. Excite your palate with organic, local, seasonal cuisine, enjoy the view and listen to jazz music. 11:00am-2:00pm. $40.00 per person. 42461 Lovettsville Road, Lovettsville, Virginia.

August 29 - Columbia Heights Day.

• Live Bands All Day
• Dance Performances
• Children’s Games & Rides
• Petting Zoo
• Dog Show
• Exhibitions & Contests
• Artists
• Local Businesses
• Community Organizations

Wednesdays, July 1 - August 26: Happy Hours - Summer In Georgetown. Select restaurants, retailers and salons/spas will be joining together for a neighborhood-wide Happy Hours filled with samplings, specials, previews, discounts, prizes, giveaways and other enticing offers. Click the link above for a list of participating businesses.

Wednesdays, July 8 - August 26 @ Zola Wine and Kitchen. Summer brings an abundance of farmers’ markets to the area, giving them weekly access to fresh, seasonal ingredients from local farmers and artisans. They are showcasing these ingredients, at the height of their seasons, and teaching you how to incorporate them into your summer menus. 6:30pm-8:30pm. $50 per person. 505B 9th Street, NW. For more information, please call 202.639.WINE.

• July 8th: Asparagus (Roasted Asparagus, Chilled Asparagus Soup, Asparagus Risotto)
• July 15th: Artichokes (Artichoke and Sundried Tomato Pasta, Shaved Artichoke Salad, Maryland Crab Stuffed Artichoke Bottoms)
• July 22nd: Strawberries (Sweet Summer Salad, Homemade Strawberry Jam and Strawberries with Zabaglione)
• July 29th: Heirloom Tomatoes (Classic Caprese, Garlic Stuffed Tomatoes, Tomato Jam)
• August 5th: Sweet Corn (Not-so-classic Corn on the Cob, Sweet Corn Pudding and Corn Brulee with Lobster Salad),
• August 12th: Summer Squash & Zucchini (Zucchini Pappardelle, Stuffed Zucchini, Zucchini, Summer Squash & Tomato Tart)
• August 19th: Eggplant (Classic Ratatouille, Baba Ganoush, Fried Eggplant Crisps)
• August 26th: Peaches (Canning, Peach Cobbler, Charred Peach and Mache Salad, Peach and Mint Couscous)

OUTDOOR MOVIES:

Mondays, July 20 - August 10 @ National Mall between 4th and 7th: Screen on the Green. Movies start playing around 8:30, but get there much earlier to claim your spot.

• July 20 - Close Encounters of the Third Kind
• July 27 - Dog Day Afternoon
• August 3 - On the Waterfront
• August 10 - Rebel Without A Cause

Wednesdays in June and July @ L St, between 2nd and 3rd, NE: NOMA Summer Screen. This year’s theme is Music in Pictures, narratives and documentaries about bands and musicians.

• July 22: Scratch
• July 29: Dig!

Fridays, July 3 - August 28 @ corner of Stiles and High Street in Baltimore, MD: Cinema al Fresco. For the 11th year, the Little Italy Restaurant Association - with the help of the Department of Business and Economic Development - will present films every Friday in July and August.  Free popcorn will be provided by Colombo Bank and the films will begin at 9 p.m. Bring your lawn chair and come early to get a good spot.

• July 3: Moonstruck
• July 10: Ocean’s Thirteen
• July 17:  Sleepless in Seattle
• July 24: On the Waterfront
• July 31: Over the Hedge
• August 7: Johnny Stecchino
• August 14: Roman Holiday
• August 21: Under the Tuscan Sun
• August 28: Cinema Paradiso

DCIst has even more outdoor movie links.

Sept. 5-7 @ Ayrshire Farm in Upperville, Va.: Outstanding in the Field. $180 per person, which includes a farm tour, a multi-course meal and wine pairings. Amanda from Metrocurean explains: “It’s like a traveling culinary carnival, led by cowboy-hatted epicurean evangelist Jim Denevan, that rolls from farm field to field in a sleek 1953 bus. With the help of a local chef and farmer, the group hosts elaborate outdoor dinners in scenic spots across the country. The mission: connect diners to the land and the source of their food.”

Check out more events in this previous post.

Here are the most interesting events I came across:

June 5-14: Discover Del Ray Dining in Alexandria, VA. Many restaurants on Mt. Vernon Ave. are offering specials and discounts.

June 6-7: The Food & Wine Festival at National Harbor. $65 for a One Day Pass.

June 6-7: This is the last weekend to check out Foodjects: Design and the New Cuisine in Spain, a collection at Apartment Zero. FREE.

June 5-7 @ HR-57: Latin jazz pianist Chuchito Valdés, son of legendary Cuban pianist, Chucho Valdés. 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. $20.

June 5-7: Capital Jazz Fest @ Merriweather Post Pavilion featuring legendary soul, funk and jazz artists such as Roy Ayers, George Duke, Leela James, Rahsaan Patterson, Swing Out Sister, Raheem DeVaughn, and The Underground Divas (featuring Maysa, N’Dea Davenport, and Caron Wheeler). $49.50.

June 6: Imagination Bethesda. A Children’s Street Festival Celebrating the Arts! 11am-4pm.

June 6-7: Jazz ‘N Families Fun Day at the Phillips Collection. FREE. Here are the PDF schedules for Saturday and Sunday. This is part of the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival, which runs until June 15.

June 6-7: 26th Annual Dupont Kalorama Museum Walk. Celebrate the art, history and culture of two historic Washington, DC neighborhoods and visit the ten DKMC museums featuring FREE admission and special activities for all ages and interests. Here’s a PDF of the Program. Activities include:

• Washington City Paper’s Walk Weekend Photo Contest challenges urban explorers to visit as many Dupont-Kalorama museums as possible. Visitors who submit photographs of themselves taken at five or more sites during Walk Weekend will be entered to win a prize pack valued at over $400 (E-mail photos to contests@washingtoncitypaper.com). The winner will be featured on the Washington City Paper Web site in June.

June 8-21: Jaleo presents the 7th Annual Paella Festival with special guest Chef Quim Marqués of El Suquet de L’Almirall (Barcelona, Spain). Includes:

• Giant Paella at Dupont Circle FRESHFARM Market on Sunday, June 7 @ 11am.
• Kickoff Party at Jaleo Crystal City on Monday, June 8 @ 6 pm. Space is limited. RSVP required. RSVP to crystalcity@jaleo.com or call (703) 413-8181.

June 11-14: Gil Scott-Heron @ Blues Alley. $30.

June 11-13: LOOK3 photography festival in Charlottesville, VA. Tons of exhibits, workshops, and lectures on all things photography. Festival passes are $120, but student and other rates are available here.

June 12: The National Zoo hosts its annual Guppy Gala. This family-friendly event includes animal encounters, yummy food and a variety of fun family activities. 6 to 8:30 p.m. FONZ members: $15, Nonmembers: $25.

June 12: The Brazilians are Coming! The Madison Hotel. 1177 15th St NW (15th & M St), Washington, DC 20005. 7pm-10pm. $25. Legendary Brazilian drummer Duduka da Fonseca, Antonio Carlos Jobim’s longtime singer Maucha Adnet, with bassist Leonardo Cioglia and Chuck Redd on vibes for an all-Brazilian concert.

Every Friday until June 21: Cherry Up Happy Hour @ Equinox. Complimentary snacks include: duck spring rolls with dark cherry sauce, crispy asparagus tempura with green garlic mayo, and white chocolate and cherry bark. All cocktails are $10. 5pm-7pm. 818 Connecticut Ave NW, DC 20006. 

May 1 - June 26: PostSecret: Confessions on Life, Death and God @ Hillyer Art Space.

May 29 - July 5: Artomatic 10th Anniversary. This FREE, month-long art festival features nine floors of visual and installation art, theater performances, dance and comedy, three music stages, street performances such as fire dancing and drum troupes, and a film screening theater. Workshops and seminars are held all month long, as well as special events such as the Washington Post’s Peeps diorama finalists, the Zombie Prom, Box Racing, body paint shows, and a no-holds-barred Art in Fashion Show.

June 20 - August 29: Free Summer Saturdays at the Corcoran Gallery of Art. First free event is Earth First Family Day from 10am-2pm. This all-ages, all-out celebration for the entire D.C.-area community will include art-making workshops, storytelling, music from the award-winning group Milkshake, theatrical performances, and family tours of the Corcoran’s environment-focused special exhibition, Maya Lin: Systematic Landscapes, and permanent collection installation, Nature as Nation.

July 15: Deadline for The Washington Post’s Top Tomato contest for the best recipe featuring tomatoes. The winning recipes will be featured in the August 12 tomato issue.

Every Friday until Labor Day: Aqua Happy Hour @ Capitol Skyline Hotel Pool. 5pm-10pm. Cover: $5 with RSVP: http://dc.metromix.com/aqua or www.lindypromo.com/Aqua/. Otherwise, $10 at the door. All drinks are $5 or less.

Every Saturday this summer: Also at Capitol Skyline: BrightestYoungThings hosts their Summer Camp Party series. Here are the details for today’s party (June 6):

• a special preview of Sonic Youth’s new album and giveaways from Matador/4AD
• local bands playing early 90s covers
• inflatable guitar pool floats and more
• this is an all ages event
• noon to 8pm
• All drinks $5 or under (sponsored by Imperial vodka), yummy food “buckets” - calamari, wings, and falafel for $4 and a full menu for lunch and dinner

Every Friday through September 11 @ the National Gallery Of Art: Jazz in the Garden. 5pm-8:30pm. FREE.

Monday - Friday: Happy Hour @ Taberna Del Alabardero. 3pm-7pm. 50% off tapas and sangria. 1776 I St. NW.

Wednesdays this summer: Crab & Beer Wednesdays on the patio @ Art and Soul. 5:30-10:30pm. This special includes three super jumbo crabs and three sides of corn on the cob, hushpuppies and potato salad. Market price.

(Sources: dcist, Metrocurean, DC This Week)

This post is related to the previous one, where I mentioned bon appétit magazine. When I got home that day, I was puzzled to see the magazine in my mailbox, but then I remembered that a subscription was included with my TastePost membership. For those of you in the DC area, I highly recommend joining TastePost. It’s only $20 per year, and includes many benefits and discounts. I joined about a month ago to go to their Wine & Cheese tasting event, which was $40 for non-members, but only $10 for members and up to 3 of their guests. So, instead of paying $80 for me and my date, I paid $40, including the membership, which I will most definitely take advantage of throughout the year. You can also follow @tastepost on Twitter to find out about exclusive offers and events.