Tom’sTakes MICHAEL TEMCHINE FOR THE WASHINGTON POST
Falafel, eggplant puree and fava bean saute at Bistro LaZeez in Bethesda.
BISTRO LAZEEZ (Unrated)
8009 Norfolk Ave., Bethesda. 301-652- 8222.
www.bistrolazeez.com. Grilled dishes, $9.99-$15.99 With the debut of his first restaurant, Re- da Asaad likes to tell people he has moved from “feeding brains to feeding stomachs.” If the Syrian native’s concurrent job teaching Arabic at the Washington International School and the British School of Washington is anything like his zesty falafel or smoky egg- plant dip, I want to sign up for classes. No less pleasing at LaZeez is the maiden restau- rateur’s signature grilled chicken medley: a thigh, drumstick and wing whose sunny fla- vors come from brush strokes of lemon, olive oil and garlic applied before the pieces leave the kitchen. “What I cook in the restaurant is what I cook at home,” says Asaad, who co- owns the eatery with his wife, Nadia Abourizk Asaad, a native of Lebanon. Raves over the years from his dinner guests prompted the educator to expand his curriculum with the stylish 30-seat dining room in July. His wife is responsible for turning a former pet-grooming shop into something chic. Teardrop lights
door, $18 in advance; Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra, Monday, $7; Angela Johnson, Thursday, $18 at the door, $15 in advance. 2003 11th St. NW. 202-299-0800.
www.bohemiancaverns. com.
DC9 Liberation Dance Party, Friday, $7; AutoRock and Danny Harris, Saturday, no cover charge; Pierced Arrows, Sister Ex, 7 Door Sedan, Sunday, $10 at the door, $8 in advance; Women, DD/MM/YYYY, Black Telephone, Monday, $12 at the door, $10 in advance; Diamond Dead, Tuesday, $10; Agnostic Front, Mother of Mercy, Product of Waste, Alpha & Omega, Thursday, $15. 1940 Ninth St. NW. 202-483-5000. www.
dcnine.com.
MANDARIN ORIENTAL HOTEL Paige Martin Quartet, Friday; Big Joe Maher and the Marshall Keys Quartet, Saturday; Nicki Gonzalez Trio, Thursday. 1330 Maryland Ave. SW. 202-554-8588. www.
mandarinoriental.com. No cover charge.
9:30 CLUB Built to Spill, Revolt Revolt, Friday, $25; Southern Culture on the Skids, the Fleshtones, Saturday, $20; Peter Kruder and Richard Dorfmeister, MC Earl Zinger & Ras MC T-Weed, DJ Thomas Blondet, Monday, $45; Deerhunter, Casino vs. Japan, Ducktails, Tuesday, $20; Boom Boom Satellites, Vampires Everywhere, Wednesday, $20; Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Wednesday, $25; Ingrid Michaelson, Guggenheim Grotto, Thursday, $25. 815 V St. NW. 202-265-0930.
www.930.com.
ROCK & ROLL HOTEL The Cascade, Satori Trova, Tereu Tereu, Dance for the Dying, Friday, $10; DJ Lemz, Ratt Moze, Chris Nitti, Phillip Goyette, Friday, no cover charge; the Deadmen, Olivia Mancini & the Housemates, Stripmall Ballads, Saturday, $12 at the door, $10 in advance; DJs Keenan and Metaphysical, Saturday, no cover charge; We Were Promised Jetpacks, Bronz, Sunday, $15; Avi Buffalo, Motel Motel, Bearshark, Monday, $14 at the door, $12 in advance; the RiverBreaks, Thursday, $10. 1353 H St. NE. 202-388-7625. www.
rockandrollhoteldc.com.
with see-through shades, stained-oak tables and a butter-colored banquette make an at- tractive backdrop for baby fava bean salad, shawarma and rosewater-laced ice cream. Some dishes could use more practice; grilled beef kafta, part of a sampler called the Em- peror, proved a bit tough on my visit. But ev- erything else about the plate — the lemony chicken kebab, the sweetly spiced lamb, the fluffy basmati rice — is a class act. (Pre- viewed Sept. 8 in Food)
CARMINE’S (Unrated)
425 Seventh St. NW. 202-737-7770. www.
carminesnyc.com. Dinner entrees, $19.50-$28.50 Everything about this 20,000-square-foot
restaurant, which employs 250 workers, is super-size. As I make my way to one of Car- mine’s nearly 700 seats, no fewer than a half- dozen staff members shower me with wel- comes. Scanning the list of Italian possibili- ties on one of Carmine’s mounted, billboard- big menus, the server advises me that even the appetizers could be split with my com- panions. “We’re happy to pack up leftovers,” he says. The selections in Washington are identical to those offered in New York (the original Carmine’s opened on the Upper West Side in 1990): Eggplant Parmesan, manicotti, chicken marsala and veal scaloppine suggest Sunday supper at an Italian grandmother’s house. No way can this kitchen pull off pleas- ing so many appetites, I think to myself. But I end up eating my words. The fried calamari brings a barge of seafood, but it’s crisp and tender and served with a chunky marinara sauce that tastes homemade. Similarly, a main course of pasta with shrimp reveals lin-
TWINS JAZZ Kenny Werner Quartet, Friday-Saturday, $20; Lina Allemano Four, Wednesday, $10. 1344 U St. NW. 202-234-0072.
www.twinsjazz.com.
U STREET MUSIC HALL Red Fridays with All Good Funk Alliance, Thomas Blondet, Jimi Wes, Friday, $10, free for age 21 and older before 11 p.m.; Gavin Holland, Steve Starks, Nacey, Saturday, $10; Maurice Fulton, Reggie Dokes, Solomon Sanchez, Jay Simon, Sunday, $15, $10 with Facebook RSVP; the Board Administration featuring UCB, Tuesday, $10; Classixx, Will Eastman, Deep Sang, Wednesday, free, $5 for ages 18 to 20; Stacey Pullen, Thursday. 1115 U St. NW. 202-588-1880.
www.ustreetmusichall.com.
VELVET LOUNGE DJ Bill Tod, Friday, no cover charge; Modern Man, the Jean Marie, Friday, $8; Where Winston Stood, Powder Kegs, Robert Blake, Saturday, $8; Joe Jack Talcum, Samuel Locke Ward & the Boo Hoos, the Public Good, Animal Genital, Tuesday, $8; Deb Felz, Ace Elijah, Wednesday, $8; Foul Swoops, Wild Wild Geese, Thee Lolitas, Thursday, $7. 915 U St. NW. 202-462-3213. www.
velvetloungedc.com.
ZOO BAR Mike Flaherty’s Dixieland Direct Jazz Band, Sunday. 3000
Restaurant recommendations from Post food critic Tom Sietsema
13
KATHERINE FREY/THE WASHINGTON POST
Carmine’s appealing (and super-size) offerings make you feel as if you’re eating at Grandma’s house, even if the restaurant’s decor says “chain.”
guine with some bite supporting fat and juicy seafood. My only quibble is roasted red pep- pers garnished with anchovies; the palm-size peppers would be easier to eat if they were sliced. “We worked hard not to have a chain mentality,” says Jeff Bank of the Alicart Res- taurant Group, which owns the behemoth. The effort shows in the careful cooking, less so in the setting, which includes a gift shop near the front door (you know, to buy a Car-
Connecticut Ave. NW. 202-232-4225.
www.zoobardc.com.
MARYLAND
CROSSROADS Strykers’ Posse, Thursday. 4103 Baltimore Ave., Bladensburg. 301-927-1056.
www.crossroadsclub.com. No cover charge.
FLAMING PIT Blake Pace, Friday-Sunday; Bud Studly, Monday; Ray Green, Tuesday; Tim Droulette, Wednesday; Karen Devitt, Thursday. 18701 N. Frederick Rd., Gaithersburg. 301-977-0700.
OTTOBAR Tim Barry, Josh Small, Friday, $10; Triptykon, 1349, Yakuza, Tolerance for Tragedy, Strong Intention, Friday, $24.99, $50 for VIP; Brad, Happy Chichester, Saturday, $16; Enter Shikari, Haste the Day, Sleeping With Sirens, Mswhite, Lights Go Blue, Tuesday, $13; Black Veil Brides, William Control, Motionless in White, Wednesday, $13. 2549 N. Howard St., Baltimore. 410-662-0069.
www.theottobar.com.
RAMS HEAD LIVE The Roots, Friday, $45; Corey Smith, Saturday, $20 at the door, $15 in advance; 1999 — the Tribute (tribute to Prince), Thursday,
mine’s cookbook). (Previewed Aug. 25 in Food)
Coming Sunday: Tom reviews 14th Street’s Estadio in The Washington Post Sunday magazine.
On
washingtonpost.com: Don’t miss “Tom Sietsma’s TV Dinners” video segments with The Post’s restaurant critic at
www.washingtonpost.com/tvdinners.
$15. 20 Market Pl., Baltimore. 410-244-8854.
www.ramsheadlive.com.
RAMS HEAD TAVERN Acoustic Alchemy, Friday, $29.50; Tyrone Wells, Andrew Belle, Crown Point, Saturday, $20; Luka Bloom, Saturday, $24.50; the Subdudes, Sunday, $35; Pegi Young, Monday, $15; Victor Wooten, Tuesday, $49.50; Blood, Sweat & Tears, Wednesday, $49.50; Jackie Greene, Michael Waskey, Thursday, $20. 33 West St., Annapolis. 410-268-4545. www.
ramsheadtavern.com.
SONAR Ruiner, To Live in Discontent, Killing the Dream, Defeater, Cloak/Dagger, Make Do and Mend, Pianos Become the Teeth, Saturday, $10; DJ Black {OP}, Saturday, $12 at the door, $10 in advance; Nuclear Assault, Arsis, Black Anvil, Acrassicauda, Krass Judgement, Strong Intention, Waking the Monolith, the Blackshire, Ambition Burning, Sunday, $20 at the door, $18 in advance; You, Me, and Everyone We Know; Man Overboard; Take Cover; Bright & Early; Brightview, Monday, $12 at the door, $10 in advance; Unearthly Trance, Suma, Putrid Servant, Mind as Prison, Tuesday, $8; KingHellBastard, Wednesday, $15 at the door, $10 in advance; Solar Powered Sun Destroyer, Office of Future Plans, Birthing of Millions, SPSD, Thursday, $8. 407 E. Saratoga St., Baltimore. 410-783-7888. www.
sonarbaltimore.com.
VIRGINIA
BIRCHMERE The Subdudes, Andy Friedman, Saturday, $25; Najee, Sunday, $35; Raul Malo, Shannon Whitworth, Monday, $29.50; Tower of Power, Tuesday, $49.50; Victor Wooten, JD Blair, Wednesday, $35; Carolina Chocolate Drops, Luminescent Orchestrii, Thursday, $25. 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. 703-549-7500. www.
birchmere.com.
MELISA MELO Stripmall Ballads is at the Rock & Roll Hotel on Saturday.
GALAXY HUT Thee Lexington Arrows, the Safes, Monday. 2711 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. 703-525-8646. www.
myspace.com/galaxyhut. $5.
IOTA Juniper Lane, No Second Troy,
Emily Greene, Friday, $12; Hoodoo Gurus, Saturday, $20; Olof Arnalds, Monday, $15; the Mumbles, Channing and Quinn, Tuesday, $12. 2832 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. 703-522-8340. www.
iotaclubandcafe.com.
JAMMIN’ JAVA Tyrone Wells, Andrew Belle, Crown Point, Friday, $15, $22 for VIP; Buskin & Batteau, David Glaser, Saturday, $20; Mambo Sauce, the Five One, Saturday, $15 at the door, $12 in advance; Drumming for the Song featuring Ben Tufts, Brian Shanley, Mike Smirnoff, Sunday, $10; Pegi Young, Cletus & Lori, Steven Gellman, Sunday, $15; Fives, Make Love & War, ZeroShift, Grand Revival, Tuesday, $10; the Sweetback Sisters, Tommy Rueckert, Wednesday, $13 at the door, $10 in advance; the Alternate Routes, Barefoot Truth, the Kin, Thursday, $15. 227 Maple Ave. E., Vienna. 703-255-1566. www.
jamminjava.com.
JAXX 36 Crazyfists, Straight Line Stitch, Behind the Madness, No Stars Over California, Sachpit, Friday, $14 at the door, $12 in advance; Mac Miller, Henny, Uptown XO, DJ Rhetorik, Mista DMV DJ Rob, Sunday, $20 at the door, $15 in advance. 6355 Rolling Rd., Springfield. 703-569-5940. www.jaxxroxx. com.
JV’S RESTAURANT Hey Norton, Friday; the Santmyer Family Show, Saturday; Oz and the Revue, Saturday, no cover charge; Dave Chapell and his band, Tuesday, no cover charge; Tribute to the Women of Country Music, Thursday. 6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church. 703-241-9504. www.
jvsrestaurant.com.
STATE THEATRE Trihexyn, Apothys, Immortal Decay, Deranged Theory, Friday, $12 at the door, $10 in advance; Cobra Collective, Bellman Barker, Screen Vinyl Image, Sansyou, Saturday, $10. 220 N. Washington St., Falls Church. 703-237-0300.
www.thestatetheatre.com.
TIFFANY TAVERN The Lisa Kay Band, Friday; City Farm, Saturday. 1116 King St., Alexandria. 703-836-8844. www.
tiffanytavern.com.
THE WASHINGTON POST • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2010
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