Ma Petite Liste – January 23-29

It’s Chinese New Year, time to unleash the dragon!! There’s a lot going on throughout the week, like the awesome Toki Underground pop-up with Chef Thang Le of Momofuku Noodle Bar and The Source‘s Scott Drewno (on the 24th and 25th respectively, Toki is actually closed for the New Year on Monday… but it doesn’t matter, both nights sold out very fast.) You can still get your Chinese New Year/Scott Drewno on at Whole Foods P Street. The grocery store will have a dragon dance Monday as well as a cooking demonstration by Chef Drewno (both at 6:30PM). You can also take a more literal approach to the year of the dragon with a screening of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo at the Lincoln Theater followed by cheap chinese take-out at Dragon Express on 7th and U. The film only runs until the 26th! Then celebrate at Ping Pong Dim Sum throughout the week. 

TUESDAY JANUARY 24
Not only is it $2.5 margaritas and half price bottles of wine at U Street’s Ulah Bistro, but they are also hosting the launch party for D.C.’s newest international, art, lifestyle, business and fashion magazine, Ça Va magazine. A suggested $5 donation is required at the door for the benefit of St. Jude Children’s hospital and there will be a fashion show by designer Katya Leoncio of La Dolce Vita Swimwear, international house beats and light complementary hors-d’oeuvres. The event will be held on the 2nd floor, RSVP to Amanda Minnie at rsvp@cavamagazine.com. Also, the Oscar nominations are announced that morning, so I myself will be busy compiling my annual list of spot to watch all the potential winners 😉 

Like Celine Dion, Garou, Corneille and many other singers from Quebec before her, Beatrice Martin (aka Coeur de Pirate) crossed over the Atlantic and took France by storm. Her song “Comme des Enfants” (I love this acoustic version) received the price for best original song at Les Victoires de la Musique (the French Grammys) in 2010 and her new album Blonde is up for Best Song Album in a few weeks. Her North American tour takes her to her native Quebec, bien sur, but also to a few select US cities like Philadelphia, New York, Boston and… Washington, D.C. where she will perform at the 9:30 Club. I’m excited, I simply love her songs!

Close out the week with some of my favourite things: music, French and food! Barrack Row Main Street is sponsoring a Culinary Education Crawl on 8th Street SE.  Ten Barracks Row chefs are participating in this all-day Culinary Education Crawl that includes The Art of the Pizza by Matchbox, learning to shuck oysters from the folks over at Senart’s Oyster and Chop House and (my personal picks) a champagne comparison at Chat’s Liquors and a cooking and drinking session with Chef Bart of Belga Cafe complete with beef short ribs and Stella, Leffe and Hoegaarden. Now that’s my kind of marathon and the best part is most classes are only $10-20!  At the end of the day, don’t miss Stephane Wrembel at the Birchmere. Fresh off his success working on the excellent Midnight in Paris soundtrack, the guitarist is returning to Washington, D.C. to play the songs that put the Paris jazz scene on the map (tickets are $29.50 + fee.) Oh yes, and the official Chinese New Year Parade and Festival in Chinatown is that day too. The giant firecrackers will be lit up at 3:45PM.