The kitchen is under the guidance of 28-year-old first-time executive chef Eugene Perret, a Peru native who cooked at several high-profile restaurants.

With Peru just having celebrated its own Independence Day, there’s no better time to savor one of the country’s flagship dishes.

Ahead of their CONCACAF Cup clash with Mexico, the U.S. men’s national team got a positive result, topping Peru 2-1 at RFK Stadium on Friday.

Matchbox Coming to the Hill As if we needed any more proof that Barracks Row is flexing its muscle in bringing business to the Hill. But, we have it anyway. Last week’s TomChat gave us the news that Matchbox, the over-popular Gallery Place pizza and mini-burger heaven, has signed a lease for a second location along Barracks Row—521 8th Street SE to be precise. According to Tom, the owner expects the new place to open…

Opera is a serious musical genre, the summa of high dramatic art. For some serious thoughts about the season just concluded by Washington National Opera, you could read the Opera Season in Review from last week. In a less exalted but equally important way, opera is about ostentation, and in that vein, there is one more glittering event that always makes the end of the season final in Washington, and that is the annual Opera…

Personally, I’m going to go in an ale and eggnog coma starting, oh…in seven hours or so, but if you feel like getting up and about, here are some holiday weekend options for you. FRIDAY >> Nothing says Friday before Christmas like…a little Latvian punk-rock. Yup. We’ve heard wild things about both the music and antics of Latvian punkers Macitajs on Acid (and if Latvian musicians can drink anything like our Latvian friends, we’re sure…

TUESDAY We were wondering what the best way to entice you to come hear Maria Arana discuss her new book Cellophane, an alternately hilarious and disturbing tale of her native Peru, but then we remembered it was being held at the Inter-American Development Bank Conference Center Auditorium and we thought, heck, who DOESN’T spend Tuesday night at the Inter-American Development Bank Conference Center Auditorium? 1330 New York Ave. NW. at 6:30 p.m. Free. WEDNESDAY Over…

Last week, I recommended the final production of Washington National Opera’s season to you. Monday night, DCist was in the audience for the second performance of Rossini’s L’Italiana in Algeri, and I can now say confidently that this production is a “smashing success” (as Tim Page described it for the Post). While not perfect as I heard it, the voices and musical performance are all of high quality and the wacky story is likely to…