About Washington's Penn Quarter

Yesterday on my way home from Jon Stewart's Rally to Restore Sanity, I noticed a little sign as we passed the Church of the Epiphany with information about the Washington Bach Consort's Noontime Cantata series at the church.

It brought back memories.

Back in the late 1970's, soon after conductor, J. Reilly Lewis, founded the group, I wound up playing second flute with my friend, Penny Fischer, playing principal. It was wonderful.

J. Reilly Lewis gets Bach. And he knows how to communicate with his musicians so that we, in turn, really got Bach. Like the entire orchestra, I learned an amazing amount from this man, and also from playing with Penny, who was very generous with her knowledge of Baroque ornamentation.

I think the Washington Bach Consort may be the best chamber group I ever played and performed with.

Since it's beginnings, the Washington Bach Consort has become a superb Baroque ensemble. They have appeared at many festivals, and they have made three European tours. Here are samples of some of their CDs that you can listen to.

Upcoming events include two concerts, one this Tuesday, November 2nd with organ soloist Victoria Shields, and another December 7th with organist Jeremy Filsell. Both are at 12:10 pm, Church of the Epiphany, 1317 G Street NW - a block and a half from Metro Center.

Their next subscription concert is A Baroque Christmas on Sunday, December 19, 2010 at the National Presbyterian Church, at 4010 Nebraska Avenue NW. They will play music of the Baroque period not only from Europe, but also period composers from Mexico and Latin America. I mean, who knew there were Baroque composers from this part of the world?

For the Noontime Cantata series, admission is free. Ticket information for the Subscription Concerts is on their web site.

And what is this? I just found some ring tones of their music you can download to an IPhone! Now I'll spend the next hour trying to figure out how to do this, and I'll miss Desperate Housewives!

Have you been salivating for some exciting new restaurants, but tend to stick to your old favorites? If so, ditch that grocery list during Washington DC's Restaurant Week and head for the city! Destination DC and the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington are proudly presenting the 16th bi-annual Washington, DC Restaurant Week from August 16-22nd. You can try some interesting food at neighborhood restaurants around the area and, in the process, add some new favorites to your list.

Restaurant Week occurs twice a year during the winter and summer - during the slower seasons. During these weeks, many of D.C.'s finest restaurants are offering awe-inspiring, multi-course meals prepared especially for this gourmet event, at drastically reduced prices. Lunch is just $20.10 for a three-course meal, while dinner is $30.10. This price enables you to get hooked on a pricey Ruth's Chris steak in Fairfax, Tysons, or one of two DC locations at a bargain price.

Even in our challenged economy, the list of restaurants has grown again. This August, 30 more restaurants are participating, bringing the total number to just over 200. This means you'll have more places to take your palate to visit. Since choosing restaurants to visit can be a difficult decision - you're probably wondering where you're going to get the most bang for your buck.

So here's a plan. Washington is a city of neighborhoods and cultures. Restaurant Week offers a great opportunity to try the ethnic restaurants tucked away in the various neighborhoods of DC. Even if you are a "steak and potatoes" type of diner, you can find a place that pleases your palate in a new location. You can mesh your food quest with finding new neighborhoods. I'm betting that if you eat at a place once and love it, the next time you'll be back to see what else is in the neighborhood.

In our next blog, we'll go into more detail about some interesting neighborhood spots you might find, but for now, consider this. Plan your outing with a meal in mind. Suppose you are bound for a sporting event, festival, or concert in Penn Quarter and plan to start or finish the day with a meal at a new resturant. You'll have dozens of choices but here are a few alternatives:

Hungry for seafood? Try Legal Seafood in 7^th or go beyond the pasta and sample D'Acqua at 801 Pennsylvania for Italian seafood.

Hungry for Continental? Go Spanish at La Tasca or Jaleo on 7^th. Go French at Bistro d"OC on 10^th or Ova on 7^th for French with an Asian flair. Or sample the world at IndeBlue on G St. NW.

Hungry for Mexican or Latin? Rosa Mexicano at 7^th at F, Café Atlantico on 8^th, or Ovamel on 7^th should fill the bill.

Websites such as DC Foodies.com offer reviews of many places you might want to try, while many places make their Restaurant Week menu online to help you plan your culinary destination. Additionally, here are some brief pointers to use as a guide when choosing restaurants:

• Avoid "special" menus unless you know exactly what the restaurant is offering (and it actually sounds interesting to you). Otherwise, go for restaurants offering most - or ideally all - of their normal menu for the best deals.
• Confirm with the restaurant when making a reservation that they are in fact participating in D.C. Restaurant Week.
• When choosing a restaurant, consider whether or not they always have a deal similar to the Restaurant Week offer.
• Some restaurants participate in DC Restaurant Week for extended periods - sometimes as long as the entire month! You might consider booking reservations at these restaurants outside of the Restaurant Week period.

Here's something else to keep in mind - although Restaurant Week occurs during the slow restaurant season, due to reduced prices, participating restaurants are extremely busy and tend to get very crowded, very quickly. To avoid disappointment or a wait, you can make online reservations through OpenTable.com, where your reservations are FREE and confirmed instantly 24 hours a day. No matter where you choose to dine, chances are that if you visit any one of them during this week, you won't be sorry!

If you're new to the area or thinking about moving here, one of the first calls you should make for a no-pressure consultation is to Rachel Valentino, DC's "Best Real Estate Agent" as voted by Washington City Paper. Rachel is on top of DC's real estate scene and active in all avenues of the market - including private residences, new construction, luxury markets and the condo and co-op community.