Dec
31
Wed
Downtown Countdown New Year’s Eve Party @ Washington Hilton
Dec 31 2014 @ 7:00 PM – Jan 1 2015 @ 2:00 AM

Lindy Promotions, DC 101, Hot 99.5, and Coors Light are teaming up once again for the 18th annual, Downtown Countdown New Year’s Eve Party at the luxurious Washington Hilton!

The Downtown Countdown has been the premier New Year’s Eve celebration since it’s first year, and that tradition continues into 2015! Your all-inclusive ticket includes a 5-hour premium open bar, full dinner buffets, multiple bands, DJs, comedians, live band acoustic karaoke, and the largest Midnight Balloon drop in the District!

The featured performers have always been the backbone to the Downtown Countdown, and this year will be no different. One the greatest bands of the late 90’s and early 00’s, Third Eye Blind will rock the stage as the clock strikes midnight! If that’s not enough, VH1’s “You Oughta Know” artist of the month, Delta Rae, will be there as well. If live bands aren’t your thing, then you can dance the night away in Club ’15 with Hot 99.5 & DJ Dirty Elbows! There will also be multiple comedians, and live acoustic karaoke to help you live out your very own rock star fantasies!

If you would like to make your New Year’s experience even more special, VIP tickets are available!

VIP ticketholders will enjoy their own registration and check in area, complimentary coat check, and an additional hour of a top shelf open bar. VIP members will also gain exclusive access to VIP lounges, complete with extra seating and higher bartender to guest ratios. Most importantly, Third Eye Blind and Delta Rae will be performing an exclusive VIP only acoustic performance!

Tickets are on sale now with General Admission tickets selling for just $109 and VIP for $175. Guests also have access to exclusive discounted room rates, starting at just $189 at the Washington Hilton.

To purchase tickets, make reservations, or find out more about the Downtown Countdown, go to www.downtowncountdown.net

Gypsy Sally’s Americana New Year @ Gypsy Sally's
Dec 31 2014 @ 7:00 PM – Jan 1 2015 @ 2:00 AM

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 31
AN AMERICANA NEW YEAR!

featuring

YARN

Nora Jane Struthers & The Party Line

South Rail
Grammy-nominated YARN is leading a roots music revolution!  One of the hardest-working and harder-touring bands out there, YARN is inspiring a generation of fans (the “Yarmy”) who want fresh music they can believe in and follow.  Yarn’s first four albums were recognized by the AMA’s and R&R radio charts, spending time in the top 5 at their highest point. Their most recent album, Almost Home, was produced by Bil VornDick, whose credits include Alison Krauss, Ralph Stanley and Bob Dylan among others.
With a delightful stage presence and rich storytelling (she’s an NYU-educated ex-English teacher), not to mention a killer band (The Party Line), Nashville’s darling,NORA JANE STRUTHERS produces a modern mash-up of tradition and innovation. She’s been described as mesmerizing, arresting and haunting, all attempts to characterize her winning combination: magical lyrics, masterful vocals and deft instrumentation.  There’s a reason she took first place at Colorado’s prestigious Telluride Bluegrass Festival in 2010, just after the release of her solo debut Nora Jane Struthers — she is that special.
Honing their sound in and around the Washington DC area for the last two years, SOUTH RAIL has built a reputation on the quality of their live performance.  Their self-titled EP released in 2013 was ranked as DC’s 6th Best Release of the Year in any genre by Brightest Young Things. Their most recent EP, Stars,released in May 2014 was produced by Don Was (current president of Blue Note Records) and led to a summer of festival appearance alongside nationally recognized acts. South Rail is on the move!
SHOW INFO

WHERE: GYPSY SALLY’S
             3401 K Street NW 20007
             (under the Whitehurst Freeway in Georgetown)

WHEN:   Wednesday December 31

TIME:     Doors 7 PM / Show 8:30 PM
FULL DINNER MENU AVAILABLE BEGINNING AT 7 PM
PRICE:   ADVANCE TICKETS: $45 Standing
                                          $55 Reserved Seating (FCFS)
                   DAY OF/DOOR: $50 Standing
                                          $60 Reserved Seating (FCFS)

TICKET INCLUDES MIDNITE CHAMPAGNE TOAST
Jan
23
Fri
Art Soiree’s 5th Annual Political Cartoon Exhibit featuring Tom Toles of The Washington Post @ Ritz Carlton Georgetown
Jan 23 @ 8:00 PM – 11:30 PM

Against the backdrop of a region steeped in politics, with a touch of art, style and humor, Art Soiree presents 5th Annual Political Cartoon Exhibit featuring Tom Toles of The Washington Post. This will be a solo exhibition for Tom Toles presenting a retrospective of his work as Washington Post’s editorial cartoonist over the past twelve years.  The one night only exhibit will take place Friday, January 23 at 8pmat the Ballroom of the Ritz-Carlton, Georgetown 3100 South Street NW, Washington DC.  Guests will get to mingle with the exhibiting cartoonist and enjoy live musical performance by his local journo-band Suspicious Package. The pop-up exhibition is ticketed at $20 with a percentage of net proceeds benefiting Charlie Hebdo.

Tickets are limited and available online only at https://politicalcartoonexhibit.eventbrite.com

Artist will be available on site for interview. High Resolution images available upon request.

ABOUT TOM TOLES: Tom Toles is the Pulitzer prizewinning Editorial Cartoonist for the Washington Post and is widely syndicated nationally. He has covered government, politics and society in six cartoons per week for the Post since 2002. Previously he has been Editorial Cartoonist for US News and World Report, The New Republic, The New York Daily News, The Buffalo News and the Buffalo Courier-Express. He has also drawn a comic strip, Curious Avenue and a comic panel, Randolph Itch, 2am. In his spare time he sings and plays drums in two Washington DC based bands, Suspicious Package and Lethal Bark. He has written a musical comedy, Catapult Love featuring the original music of Lethal Bark. He also enjoys dancing all night long. http://www.washingtonpost.com/people/tom-toles

 

Feb
4
Wed
A Sugar & Champagne Affair @ Ronald Reagan Building
Feb 4 @ 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

The annual Washington Humane Society dessert and champagne reception returns Wednesday, February 4, 2015 to the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. This event honors our local animal crusaders while raising critical funds to help care for the homeless pet population in our nation’s capital and is presented by Trade Center Management Associates, the operator of the Ronald Reagan Building.

NEW this year, hosts Chef Todd Gray and Ellen Kassoff Gray will kick off the event with an Exclusive Experience, open to only 50 guests! Guaranteed to please, this interactive experience starts at 6:00 p.m. If you love knowing how it’s made, join host Chef Todd Gray as he delights Exclusive Experience guests with a liquid nitrogen “dip-n-dots” demonstration station. Grab a scoop of freshly made dip-n-dots and see how nitrogen works to create these much-loved beads of confection. This Exclusive Experience also includes sugar pulling demonstrations by Co Co Sala, the opportunity to hand craft truffles with the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center’s own pastry chef, Shane Goettlicher, exclusive drinks from Cava’s very own mixologist Jason Gehring, and more! Tickets are $250 each, which also includes entry to both the VIP and general receptions.

The VIP Chefs’ Tasting Room provides guests with an elite savory gathering from 6:00pm – 8:00pm. Exquisite samplings will be prepared by the finest chefs in the region. A limited number of tickets are available for $150 each and include entry to the main event.

Doors to the general reception open at 7:00pm and tickets are $90 each. The area’s most talented pastry chefs will dazzle the senses with visionary works of edible art, gorgeous gourmet desserts, champagne, and some of the finest sparkling wines until 9:00pm.

Throughout the event, guests will be able to purchase Golden Tickets for the chance to win amazing once-in-a-lifetime prizes. Golden Tickets are just $50 each and only 250 will be sold onsite at the event.

To purchase tickets and to see the lineup of culinary talent, visit www.sugarandchampagne.org.  As always, leashed dogs are welcome and encouraged to attend (no retractable leashes please). All proceeds will directly benefit the animals and programs of the Washington Humane Society. This event is for guests aged 21 and over, please bring a valid photo ID.

This event will sell out! Visit www.sugarandchampagne.org for more information and tickets.

Feb
6
Fri
PRAVA Festival @ Pike & Rose
Feb 6 @ 6:00 PM – Feb 7 @ 2:00 AM

Pike & Rose, the new pedestrian-oriented, urban-minded neighborhood in the heart of Montgomery County, Maryland, and a key component in the revitalization of the White Flint District, is pleased to announce the first-ever Pike & Rose Audio Visual Arts (PRAVA) Festival. The free-to-attend event on Saturday, February 7, 6PM – 2AM, is a one-night immersive art experience featuring international, national, and regional artists.

Artists from Washington, D.C., Baltimore, New York, Boston, and the Netherlands will present musical performances and art installations spanning 40,000 square feet over three floors of office space at Pike & Rose. The event is open to guests 18 and older and is free to attend with online registration at www.PRAVAFest.org.

PRAVA is curated and produced by Nuit Blanche New York (NBNY) in partnership with Materials & Methods.

Featured PRAVA artists include:

 Allard Van Hoorn, a Netherlands-based sound, installation and performance artist will collaborate with Baltimore’s Charm City Roller Girls to turn the 6th floor of the office building into a choreographed roller arena. Van Hoorn will create electronic music live by recording and remixing the sounds of the roller skates as they move around and through the audience.

 Matmos, an experimental duo originally from San Francisco and now based in Baltimore, incorporates odd, unusual, and ‘found’ sounds into its rhythmic music, sampling sounds ranging from cards shuffling to a frozen stream thawing in the sun.

 Mal Devisa will perform songs from her EP, For Daisy with Honey, and her most recent album, 4U. A solo artist based in Amherst, MA, whose music draws from indie favorites, jazz notes, and lo-fi rock, Mal Devisa plays the bass, keyboard, and drum. A sound-reactive light show will illuminate the audience with each kick she gives the bass drum on stage.

 Johnathon Monaghan, a DC-based artist, will present his video, “Office,” which depicts a highly-realistic office space containing an elaborate Baroque sculpture framed with blue neon tubing. As the video continues, the sculpture of a long-dead aristocrat explodes in slow motion across the uninhabited office. Set to tinkling music, the video progresses with a hypnotic pace.

 Brian Chase, the drummer for the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, and Ursula Scherrer, a New York City-based video artist, will collaborate to create an improvised audio-visual piece. Responding to Chase’s performance, Scherrer will use multiple projectors to create a mesmerizing, visual landscape.

 GEMS, DC’s dream-pop duo, will perform new songs and their debut EP, Medusa. The duo makes romantic, heartbreaking music: Clifford John’s supporting, low voice balances Lindsay Pitts’ haunting pitch as they effortlessly weave their voices with hazy guitar sounds and lush synthesizers, all punctuated by a strong, danceable beat.

Feb
7
Sat
Sweethearts and Patriots Annual Gala and Silent Auction @ City Tavern Club
Feb 7 @ 9:00 PM – Feb 8 @ 1:00 AM

Promoting patriotism, historic preservation and supporting America’s service men and women are some of the many reasons young members join the District of Columbia Societies of the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution (DCSSAR and DCDAR).  Volunteer efforts focused on helping our servicemen and their families have been a high priority in recent years for young members of the non-profit, non-political service organizations.

DCSSAR and DCDAR cordially invite you to the 2nd Annual Sweethearts and Patriots Gala and Silent Auction benefiting Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) on February 7, 2015, from 9pm-1am. The patriotic black-tie (optional) gala will be held at the historic City Tavern Club (CTC) in the heart of Georgetown. Attendees will enjoy an open bar, desserts, dancing, socializing and the opportunity to bid on incredible items at our silent auction. Attendees of the gala are invited to attend the post-gala party hosted at Chi Di of Georgetown.

The annual Sweethearts and Patriots gala is organized jointly by young members of the District of Columbia Society of the Sons of the American Revolution and members of the District of Columbia Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Each year the gala benefits a different local organization that supports Veterans – chosen by the Founders Committee. Founders Committee members include Carl Bedell, Reid Collins, Andrew Dye, Kate Henvey, Julie Kinzer, Carina May and Leslie Ogden.

TAPS offers compassionate care to all those grieving the death of a loved one serving in our Armed Forces. Since 1994, TAPS has provided comfort and hope 24 hours a day, seven days a week through a national peer support network and connection to grief resources, all at no cost to surviving families and loved ones. Learn more at http://www.taps.org/.

Feb
11
Wed
James Beard Foundation’s Celebrity Chef Tour Dinner @ Del Campo
Feb 11 @ 6:30 PM – 11:30 PM

Washington, D.C. chef and grill master Victor Albisu will host a James Beard Foundation’s Celebrity Chef Tour dinner at Del Campo, his nationally recognized South American grill, on Wednesday, February 11. Albisu will team up with 10 other culinary talents from North and South America for an evening of spectacular food. The East meets the South with Asian passed hors d’oeuvres followed by a South American seated dinner. Proceeds from the event will benefit The James Beard Foundation.

“It’s an honor to host and cook along side so many talented chefs, and a personal privilege to highlight some of the world’s great, unheralded cuisines,” said chef/owner Victor Albisu. “My mother’s side of the family is Peruvian, so South American cooking is one of my passions. I’m honored that talented chefs from North America and Buenos Aires will be cooking under one roof for this very special dinner.”

Passed hors d’oeuvres will be prepared by celebrated D.C. chefs Erik Bruner-Yang of Toki Underground, Scott Drewno, executive chef of The Source by Wolfgang Puck, Haidar Karoum, chef/partner of Doi Moi, Estadio and Proof, Jonah Kim, chef/partner of the forthcoming restaurant Yona, and Danny Lee, co-owner of Mandu. Cocktails will be provided by Del Campo bar manager, Mary Kelly and Mike Isabella Concepts beverage director, Taha Ismail.

Six acclaimed chefs from North and South America will share in the creation of the evening’s five-course menu:

  • Chef Victor Albisu of Del Campo (Washington, D.C.)
  • JBF Award Winner Chef Jamie Bissonnette of Coppa and Toro (Boston, MA)
  • Chef Chris Ford, Corporate Pastry Chef of Bryan Voltaggio Restaurants (Frederick, MD)
  • Chef Anthony Lamas of Seviche (Louisville, KY)
  • JBF Award Winner Chef Michael Schlow of Tico (Washington, D.C.)
  • Chef Antonio Soriano of Astor Bistro (Buenos Aires, Argentina)

The Celebrity Chef Tour showcases the culinary artistry of James Beard Foundation Award winners and celebrity chefs in restaurants, resorts, and other exclusive venues around the country. Like dining at the James Beard House, guests have the rare opportunity to interact with the participating chefs throughout the evening and savor specially designed tasting menus complete with wine and beverage pairings.

WhenWednesday, February 11, 2015

Where: Del Campo, 777 I St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001

Time6:30pm

Price: $195 inclusive of tax and gratuity

Tickets are on sale now at http://www.celebritycheftour.com/events/Del-Campo-Washington-dc.html and by calling the restaurant at 202-289-7377.

Feb
12
Thu
Heartbreak Hotel at POV @ W Hotel POV Lounge
Feb 12 @ 7:30 PM – 11:30 PM

POV Live presents HEARTBREAK HOTEL For all you lovers and love-haters out there, join us for a special dance party to kick off the Valentine’s Day weekend featuring some of the area’s buzziest bands. Featuring local artists: Furniteur Pleasure Curses Outputmessage

$10 cocktail specials!

Feb
17
Tue
BlackJack’s inaugural Capital Cocktail Competition on Mardi Gras @ BlackJack
Feb 17 @ 9:00 PM – 11:59 PM

Black Jack will host an inaugural Capital Cocktail Competition on Mardi Gras, an evening benefitting the Black’s Family Foundation that will pit eight teams of top bartenders from across the city against each other in a secret ingredient style challenge. The judging panel will be comprised of Duane Sylvestre, lead bartender, Bourbon Steak DC, Svetlana Legetic, founder, BrightestYoungThings.com and Scott Drewno, regional executive chef, The Source by Wolfgang Puck. In addition to having the opportunity to sample auctioned drinks from each competing bar team, guests will enjoy a welcome cocktail, Mardi Gras-inspired passed bites including freshly shucked Barren Island oysters compliments of Congressional Seafood, BBQ pulled pork sandwiches on Addie’s rolls, crawfish hushpuppies, Black Jack’s signature duck nachos, and shrimp campeche from chef Colleen Conrad. Drink specials such as $2 pours of Abita Amber and Flying Dog, and $2 Bacardi hurricanes, both frozen and on the rocks, will also be available for purchase, in addition to Black Jack’s full bar menu.

Each bar team will be shown a secret ingredient, given two minutes to plan a cocktail and five minutes to execute two identical drinks. One cocktail will be judged by appearance, flavor and technique/creativity, while the other will be auctioned off to the crowd for charity. Drinks will be scored and a winner will be chosen to move to the next round until the 2015 Capital Cocktail Competition winner is crowned.

The line up of competing bar teams includes:

D.J. Suan & Frank Manganiello, Black Jack/Pearl Dive Oyster Palace

Noah Broaddus & Pete Sit, Café Saint Ex/Bar Pilar

Torrence Swain & Rachel Vistica, Founding Farmers/Farmers Fishers & Bakers

Jo-Jo Valenzuela& Bryan Tetorakis, Gypsy Soul

Jason Strich & Mike Saccone, Hank’s on the Hill

Trevor Frye & Justin Hampton, Jack Rose

Taha Ismail, Mike Isabella Concepts & Scotty Holland, Kapnos 

Christine Kim & Anthony Marlowe, TICO

All ticket purchases include entrance to Black Jack, which will be closed to non-ticket holders, drink specials, and complimentary passed bites. DJ Brandon Duff will be spinning for the duration of the event and bar manager E. Jay Apaga will emcee the festivities.

 

Feb
18
Wed
10th Annual Turn Up the Heat Gala @ Ronald Reagan Building
Feb 18 @ 6:00 PM – 11:00 PM

WHAT :  The 10thAnnual Turn Up the Heat: A Celebration of Women Chefs celebrates the talents of renowned women chefs and supports the work of the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance. Attendees enjoy a live auction, and a tasting from the top women in the industry, featuring nearly 60 women chefs, restaurant owners and mixologists.

Attendees include cancer survivors, supporters of the Alliance, corporations and leaders in business, health care and oncology. This year the gala celebrates its 10th Anniversary: ten years of delicious food, celebration, and support to those touched by ovarian cancer.

WHERE: Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20004

WHEN: Wednesday, February 18, 2015   6:00 PM

WHY: Turn Up the Heat is an important fundraiser for the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance and allows us to continue our vital work on behalf of ovarian cancer survivors. Ovarian cancer is one of the most common cancers for women, and is the deadliest gynecologic cancer. This gala allows the Alliance to provide support to women who are diagnosed, educate the public about ovarian cancer and speak up for our community on Capitol Hill and throughout the country.

WHO: 60+ WOMEN CHEFS, RESTAURANTEURS & MIXOLOGISTS

Our participating chefs come from every corner of the DMV. From food trucks to fine dining, they represent the wealth of women working in our region’s restaurant industry. As we mark our 10th Anniversary, our number of chefs taking part reaches a record high. Several chefs are themselves ovarian cancer survivors or have personal connections to this cause. Visit our gala website or contact the Alliance for the most recent list of participating chefs.

CONTACT: For more information about the Gala, to view a list of participating chefs and to purchase tickets, visit www.ovariancancer.org/gala .