Out and About: Weekend Picks
FRIDAY:
>> Get in your first Friday Art Night while you still can, people. D.C. galleries in the summer can be like ghost towns. Openings of note include Avish Khebrehzadeh at Conner Contemporary (6 to 8 p.m., her work Theater is pictured) and Steven Cushner and John Watson at Hemphill Fine Arts (6:30 to 8:30 p.m.). Also note openings for Jeff Spaulding and Ledelle Moe at G Fine Art are on Saturday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
>> ¡Viva México! It's Cinco de Mayo, the celebration of the Mexican victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla. We could recommend that you spend the holiday at some god awful pubcrawl designed for the sole purpose of plying young people with cheap, terrible, mix-based margaritas that can only lead to hangover city. But we wouldn't play you like that. We've got too much respect for our readers. But finding authentic margaritas in the District is hard. We think the quality ritas are actually in Arlington: try Guajillo, Taqueria Poblano, or Mexicali Blues. And we're dying for other suggestions -- leave 'em in the comments.
SATURDAY:
>> What goes better with the Kentucky Derby than Bourbon? Both bars (Adams Morgan & Glover Park) will be serving up Mint Julep specials and showing the race on all screens. TV coverage starts at 5 p.m.
>> Last time DCist went to see Phoenix at 9:30 Club, our intrepid reviewer described their set thusly: "An incredibly smooth blend of soul, rock-synth, and chugging guitar pop topped with a dash of hip hop, the act had the normally staid 9:30 Club audience dancing in no time." Plus, despite their name, Phoenix are from France. And any opportunity to both see the good rock and employ the greatest blog comment comeback ever is not to be missed. $15, with La Rocca.
>> We'd be remiss if we didn't mention the Montana-inspired Rocky Mountain Oyster Festival at the American Legion in Arlington. Have a ball!
>> Also, Saturday is Free Comic Book Day. Look out for a guide to local comic book stores participating in the festival tomorrow morning from DCist Matt.
SUNDAY:
>> Satyajit Ray isn't just the first big Indian filmmaker to cross over into Western mainstream consciousness -- he's probably one of the most influential figures in world cinema. Partha Mitter, a friend of Ray's and a professor at the University of Sussex, will be at the National Gallery of Art to celebrate 50th anniversary of Ray’s 1955 film, Pather Panchali (the first in the "Apu Trilogy"), for a screening and lecture called “The Poetic Reality of Satyajit Ray” at 4 p.m. Free.