things to do: fall festivals

Tony and I are out on H Street fairly regularly, but it's different every time we're there. We were up there again last weekend for the H Street Festival and walked from 14th Street to 8th Street and noticed a handful of new restaurants. Like Cusbah -- where'd that come from? The Yelp reviews look pretty good -- we may have to check it out and see for ourselves.

So it's the time of year for fall festivals. In theory, I really like festivals. As soon as I read about a festival or fair, I put it on my calendar and make a point to go if I can. But then, when I get there, the reality sets in: the crowds are dense, and the lines are so long. 

And the H Street Festival definitely was crowded. The line for the beer garden was laughably long. Although we did do some good people watching. 

Like this lady in a lifeguard-type chair, who was dressed like a gypsy and was telling people's fortunes for free. Tony took the bait. He pulled the fool card, but don't worry -- she assured him that's a good thing.

And here's a guy who was doing flips on a pogo stick. Not something you see every day.

And this dude was using a magnifying glass to meticulously burn/carve a buffalo into the wood. Also not something you see every day.

For the festival lovers among us, we have three options for this weekend. 

• Barracks Row Fall Festival/D.C. State Fair. As you know, Tony has a history with state and county fairs. I have a feeling he'd be super disappointed in this urban area's attempt at a state fair. He says a fair, in order to be legit, has to have (1) cows; (2) funnel cakes; and (3) a ferris wheel. Yeah, he's definitely going to be disappointed. Website.
• National Book Festival. Avi. Lois Lowry. R.L. Stine. Awesome. Website.
• D.C. VegFest. There's a photo of a person wearing a giant carrot suit on the website. I hope that human carrot is back again this year. Website.

dining out: star and shamrock

Husband's birthday requests: liverwurst and bourbon. I mean, the liverwurst part was pretty disgusting, but any birthday celebration that includes bourbon is A-OK by me.

First stop of the evening: Star and Shamrock on H Street, where said liverwurst was procured. Birthday Boy's sandwich also included coleslaw, bacon and onions. In case you were curious what such a sandwich would look like (or want proof that someone actually would order that for his birthday dinner), here you go:

The food isn't fancy, but it's tasty. I'm a big fan of Star and Shamrock. It's a pub and a deli. It's Irish and Jewish. It's got a nice big bar to sit around, and it has a cool neighborhood pub vibe. Every time I've been there, it's been low-key, and that was especially the case when we were there for Tony's birthday, which was on Monday. Trivia was starting as we were wrapping up our meal. Tony and I considered playing, but we abandoned the idea after hearing the first question. (We didn't understand about half of the words in the first question.) Trivia, clearly not our strong suit. Unless it's a question about a movie, director, or actor -- then Tony's your man. Total movie geek.

With full bellies, we made our way back home, where we spent the rest of the evening sipping a selection of fine Kentucky bourbons. I think it's clear the two of us were made for each other, isn't it? Happy birthday, Tone <3

dining out: granville moore's & atlas arcade

A year ago, I was boarding a train to Philadelphia with Tony, Jamie, Mike and Jen, kicking off a 30th birthday weekend celebration for Jamie that included dinner at Eric Ripert's restaurant, one too many beers, and assorted adventures befitting the transition from your 20s to your 30s. It was a grand and memorable 30th birthday celebration, a proper sendoff to Jamie's formative decade. 

Fast-forward one year, which means Jamie's 31st birthday is upon us. And, it seems to me, 31st birthday celebrations are as mature as 30th birthdays are grand. The five of us reunited for a birthday dinner at Granville Moore's, which was definitely the right locale for a grown-up birthday. 

Granville Moore's is one of the best restaurants on H Street. It's also small, and it doesn't take reservations on weekends, so it's not always easy to get a table. Maybe it was the rain that kept people at home Saturday evening, or maybe the birthday gods were on our side Saturday, because we waited just a half hour for a table. Which was just enough time to enjoy some Natty Bohs next door at the new Atlas Arcade. More on the arcade in a minute. 

The five of us held court all evening at a large table near the back of the bar. Candle light. Johnny Cash on the stereo. Food that didn't disappoint and unexpected beers that kept coming from a waitress who knows an impressive amount about Belgian beers. 

It's a Belgian restaurant, and mussels are its signature dish. Here are the bleu cheese mussels Jen ordered: 

And one of the many Belgian beer bottles that crossed our table that night:

I don't usually order dessert when we go out to eat, but, hey, Jamie only turns 31 once. I present the chocolate fudge tart that was the highlight of it all: 

<3

As I mentioned, while we were waiting for our table, the five of us ducked into Atlas Arcade, the new H Street bar where you can play classic arcade games while you enjoy your beverage. It reminded me of a smaller, slightly cramped version of Barcade, the appropriately named bar-and-arcade establishment in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn. For one thing, the aforementioned Natty Bohs set the hipster tone for the bar.  

And you know what? I like Atlas Arcade. No, I love Atlas Arcade. I played Galaga for the first time in maybe seven years. When Tony and I started dating in college, we went to see a lot of movies at the local movie theater, which had a Galaga machine in the lobby. We'd show up early to movies to get in Galaga time. He taught me how to play, and over the next three years, until I graduated and moved away, I got darn good at that game. So, yes, any bar that brings back those memories, you get an A+ from Jessi. I'm sure the nostalgia is the allure for a lot of folks here.

Here's Tony, Jen and the lovely Galaga machine.  

All that said, I have somehow lost all of my Galaga skills in the past seven years. Because I made it to the second level before getting 86ed by one of those little aliens that swirl down and hit you. Which just means Tony and I will have to go back to Atlas Arcade, so I can brush up on my skills.  

d.c.: the storm

As The Storm and its 70-mile-per-hour winds approached D.C. on Friday evening, I heeded the advice of the TV weatherman, and I moved myself to the dining room in center of the house, as far away from the windows as possible. Meanwhile, Tony and my brother-in-law Ian, who was in town for the weekend, clearly didn't worry so much and grabbed the window seats at Biergartenhaus on H Street and watched folks outside run for cover and try to catch cabs. Mercifully, after living for part of the week without AC in 100-degree temperatures, the power stayed on at our house during The Storm; 1.5 million other houses in the area weren't so lucky.  

When we got out of the house Saturday morning, trees and branches were all over the place. This poor car, which was parked on 12th Street Southeast near Frager's, had a tree limb through its windshield.  

Apparently Mother Nature does not listen to sassy bumper stickers.