Since DCist's resident gastronaut Kanishka Gangopadhyay is off to St. Louis this week for work-related business, he delegated the weekly task of food commentary and critique to someone with an un-trained, un-sophisticated palette. After all, he wouldn't want someone one-upping him, would he? Much like last week, Capitol Hill seems to have cornered the market for food-related news. Barracks Row Dine Around: Barracks Row, the newly-renovated and ever-so-hip stretch of Eighth Street SE, is celebrating... more ›

We at DCist, by and large, agree with Fritz Hahn's sentiments. St. Patrick's Day is a great day to enjoy a traditional celebration with friends and relax; it's also strictly amateur hour at the bars, where the crowds pile in and pay cover charges to consume incorrectly poured pints of Guinness and listen to Irish music for the first (and often only) time in the year -- not to mention befouling our woefully unprepared streets. And if you've lived in D.C. for, say, ten minutes, you probably know where to go if you want a pint of black and a green party favor. The list is pretty easy to throw together: Fado (which is owned by Guinness), The Four Provinces locations in D.C. and Falls Church, Nanny O'Brien's, The Dubliner, Ireland's Four Courts in Arlington, Finn MacCool's on Barrack's Row (where the beverage is Beamish, not Guinness), and a number of other nominally "Irish" spots where the wood is dark and the lights are dim. Not that we have anything against Irish bars (we had our Happy Hour at one) -- we just try to avoid them on March 17th. With that in mind, here are our picks for unique non-Irish spots to enjoy a drink this evening. more ›

The third annual Barracks Row festival will be held this Saturday from 11-5, on, you guessed it, Barracks Row. The festival will feature musical performances; a dog show; and over 70 vendors selling art work, gift items, and food. If you haven't been to Barracks Row and are curious, this is the perfect opportunity to see what some have (perhaps a little prematurely) called "the next Georgetown." The Barracks Row strip (the 500-700 blocks of... more ›