IF YOU'VE EVER whipped up pancakes for dinner, then you'll get behind the latest trend at D.C. restaurants — breakfast items on the dessert menu. From French toast to bacon waffles, breakfast desserts give chefs a chance to play around, and diners have an opportunity to eat something beyond standard cheesecake and creme brulee.
"When you work at a fine dining restaurant, you don't have the outlet to do breakfast, and this gives you an outlet," Birch & Barley pastry chef Tiffany MacIsaac says. "If you think of breakfast breads, they're sweet, and they lend themselves to dessert."
Continue Reading "Save Room for Bacon: D.C. Restaurants Serve Breakfast for Dessert" »
LAURA VEIRS HAS spent a long time trying to get your attention. A feminist punk-rocker turned dreamy folk-rocker, Veirs has been releasing amazing albums with Nonesuch for five years. She even counts Colin Meloy of The Decemberists among her biggest fans, but her best efforts to date, "Year of Meteors" and "Saltbreakers," haven't garnered enough mass acclaim for her to be a huge name in the folk-rock community. Then again, no one ever said playing banjo was the easiest way to get respect.
But with her seventh release, "July Flame," it'll be hard to keep ignoring Veirs. The album, written mostly in the barn behind her Portland, Ore., house, is stripped of the heavy layers characteristic of her previous work and not much of a rock album at all, letting violins and organs often stand in for drums and bass, and the result is generally dazzling. It does take a few listens to settle in to the slightly off-key, discordant sounds that pepper the album, but the richness you eventually find is well worth it. Veirs' voice takes some getting used to, especially if the off-key experiments on "July Flame" are your first exposure to it — while not typically lovely, it does have a remarkable charm that doesn't meld with the melodies so much as it lays them in stark contrast.
Continue Reading "Warmth in Winter: Laura Veirs, 'July Flame'" »
THURSDAY: No one can quite do what Erin McKeown does, so how can she make it look so effortless? The singer-songwriter has a quirky appeal and can rock out like a barn afire, swing like a chanteuse with a broken heart and even jazz up the joint like a grizzled veteran. But it's her blissfully crafted pop that gives the Fredericksburg native a homespun appeal. Check out the many voices of McKeown at Iota on Thursday.
» Iota, 2832 Wilson Blvd., Arlington; Thu., Dec. 17, 8:30 p.m., $18; 703-522-8340, Iotaclubandcafe.com. (Clarendon)
Photo courtesy Merri Cyr
ONE JUKEBOX HERO emerged elbow-deep in soapy water. Not the most likely of settings for a would-be rock star, but after an eight-year hiatus, songwriter Freedy Johnston has no qualms about talking up his upcoming album, "Rain on the City," from the middle of household errands in New York City.
After a string of solid studio releases throughout the '90s, characterized by songs about "usual stories of a sad, lonely guy," Johnston went solo, leaving his label Elektra in 2001, only to discover that complete artistic freedom wasn't the easiest path to walk.
"I made this record three times on my dime — yes, three times into the garbage, thousands and tens and twenties of thousands of dollars," said Johnston. "I hate to sound like that bitter kind of [expletive], but I want to be honest about it, for all these young musicians who read this kind of stuff. I spent all my money trying to get to something and failing."
A little help from friends helped Johnston maintain his sanity during those trials, as his side project, '70s cover band the Know-It-All Boyfriends, taught him the value of artistic collaboration and the difficulties of old-school chord structures. He now plays the sage with grace, offering up his painfully learned lessons with a little laugh.
"You learn from your mistakes," said Johnston. "I had a whole lot of this callow feeling that I knew more than I actually did. … I have such a great appreciation for the timely production and release of work. I was scared straight; you can't kind of mess around and look for perfection all the time."
FRIDAY: New in indie bands you should get to know: Fanfarlo. (For some reason we just can't stop saying "Fanfarlo" to the tune of the Ricola song.)
The London-based group sounds like the love child of Arcade Fire and Fleet Foxes and has a thing for Neutral Milk Hotel covers. They just put out their debut album "Reservoir" last year and will be at Iota in Arlington on Dec. 11.
» Iota Club & Cafe, 2832 Wilson Blvd., Arlington; Fri., Dec. 11, 9 p.m., $12; 703-522-8340. (Clarendon)
Written by Express' Sarah Mimms
Photo by Daniel Perlaky
FRIDAY: There's more to bluegrass than twangy guitars — just check out what wafts from the speakers when The Infamous Stringdusters play.
Known for their complex arrangements and lengthy instrumental solos, the Nashville newgrass and bluegrass sextet is blowing into town on their Nor'Easter tour to play at Iota, joined by special guest the Junior League Band.
Check out some videos below.
» Iota, 2832 Wilson Blvd., Arlington; Fri., Nov. 6, 9 p.m., $15; 703-522-8340. (Clarendon)
Written by Express' Anne Polsky
Photo courtesy Infamous String Dusters
Continue Reading "Bluegrass Boys: The Infamous Stringdusters" »
CREATIVE COSTUME? CHECK. Fake cobwebs and bowls of candy? Check and check. Halloween cocktails for your big bash? You might need some help with that. Area restaurants and bars are offering Halloween and fall cocktails, and some local mixologists have advice on how to make cool Halloween drinks at home.
TenPenh has the most elaborate Halloween cocktails, as Brennan Adams has three special drinks — the Jack O'Lantern (a persimmon cocktail served in a pumpkin filled with dry ice), Candy Corn (it doesn't taste like the ubiquitous treat but is made with sake and orange, and layered to look like the waxy little bites) and Candy Apple (spiced apple cider with a stick of cotton candy). The $10 cocktails are available through Saturday.
"When you go towards fall, with heavier foods come brown liquors, like scotch, bourbon and dark rums," Adams said, adding that herbs and spices are popular for fall beverages. "I take a cooking approach to cocktails and go for balance. ... I also use blood oranges, which go well with brown liquors."
Continue Reading "Drinks Chilled, Or Chilling?: Halloween-Inspired Cocktails" »
MOST KIDS LOVE to dress up, but going door-to-door begging strangers for candy is a lot of work. There's the walking and, worse, the wait: All that sugary sweetness screaming your name, and there always seems to be a few more houses to go. (Not to mention enduring the endless Mom-dictated candy inspection.) But many local eateries offer a chance for little and big sweets fans alike to get their treats now with Halloween-themed foodie events. No trick.
The Horror: Rock Out at EatBar
At EatBar, dress as you are — unless you want to win the best costume contest — to jump to the left and step to the right at a screening of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." This one-night-only event features cocktails such as the "Poisoned Apple" and "The Zombie Punch," and chef Barry Koslow will be stirring up scary eats including deviled eggs, blood sausage and tongue tacos.
» 2761 Washington Blvd., Arlington; Oct. 31, 8 p.m., free; 703-778-9951. (Clarendon)
Continue Reading "Ghoulish Goods: Halloween Treats to Die For" »
SATURDAY: If this picture doesn't make you ecstatically excited for the Red Elvises gig this weekend, then either:
a) You don't realize that these leopard print-clad insane people are, in fact, the Red Elvises.
or b) We don't want to be friends with you.
These Russian rockbilly stars have an energy and a weirdness that, well, you might expect from a Russian rockabilly band. Take a listen at their Myspace page, then head out to Arlington for the concert.
» Iota, 2832 Wilson Blvd., Arlington; Sat., Oct. 17, 9 p.m., $15; 703-522-8340. (Clarendon)
THURSDAY: Negotiating the line between pop and country, sweet and stinging, Nashville and New York, singer-songwriter Mindy Smith makes little musical confections with poisoned lyrical centers.
The Long Islander brings her folky, poppy, countryish neo-troubadour songbook — and her considerable personal charm — to Iota on Thursday.
» Iota Club and Cafe, 2832 Wilson Blvd., Arlington; with Tripping Lily; Thu., Oct. 8, 9 p.m., $20; 703-522-8340, Iotaclubandcafe.com. (Clarendon)
Written by Express' Arion Begrer
Photo by Marina Chavez
Addison Road