Borderstan Weekend September 12/13

Here are some suggestions of things to do during the weekend in Borderstan, really close by or in the city. Remember that Arts on Foot is this Saturday in Penn Quarter (7th & F NW) and that it is Adams Morgan Day on Sunday.

Commissary, located at 1443 P Street NW, has become a great neighborhood restaurant with excellent prices. Inside it has a wonderful casual atmosphere and is a perfect place for any occasion. Commissary offers an incredible brunch during the weekends. The outdoor patio facing P Street NW is always a good spot to watch people during the summertime.

La Frontera Cantina at 1633 17th Street NW is your basic Tex-Mex restaurant with all your favorites. It will never disappoint you unless you are looking for a real Mexican flavor. It has had very mixed reviews; some people consider it wonderful, others quite poor.

Cafe Salsa Grill at 1712 14th Street NW is a new addition to the neighborhood and is always a good bet. Their food is inventive and keeps its Latin roots. We have eaten there twice: once for dinner and it was great; and recently for breakfast with an even better.

Billy Crystal’s “700 Sundays” at the National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW: “An autobiographical journey in which Billy plays numerous characters that have influenced who he is today. It deals with his youth, growing up in the jazz world of Manhattan, his teenage years, and finally adulthood. It is about family, and fate. It is hilarious, personal and touching as he takes us through moments of love, laughter and loss.”

“Moonlight” at the Studio Theatre, 1501 14th Street NW: “As a stern patriarch lays dying, his wife desperately tries to bring his two estranged sons to his bedside. Holding the two sides
of the family together is the dead girl haunting all of their memories. Both comical and melancholy, Moonlight hovers in the space between life and death, family and isolation.”

“Cosi fan tutte Goes Hollywood” is part of the The In Series at the Source Theatre, 1835 14th Street NW: “Mozart & DaPonte’s most perfect opera–an irreverent comedy about women’s infidelity, contains some of the most beautiful music ever written. Cosi fan tutte means ‘All Women Do It’ and the opera was considered highly immoral in Mozart’s time.”

PT Walkley, Sunday September 13 at the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center, 2700 F Street NW: “An opener for Coldplay, the New York folk rocker plays music from Mr. Macy Walks Alone, a concept album about trust fund kid Audrey Macy, her evil record executive father, and the songwriter he exploits, Calvin the Coroner.”

Latin American Harp Festival at the Rosslyn Spectrum, 1611 North Kent Street, Arlignton: “Teatro de la Luna presents four master interpreters of the Latin American harp, Juan Aquino from Venezuela, Celso Duarte from Paraguay, Daniel Rojas from Colombia and Ruben Vasquez Dominguez from Mexico. Under the artistic direction of renowned Paraguayan concert artist Berta Rojas, these superb interpreters and composers will showcase the talents that have brought them acclaim throughout Latin America.”

ZZ Top plays September 13 & 14 at the 9:30 Club, 815 V Street NW. Celebrating their 40th anniversary, the band will be playing their hits for what surely will be a fun time.

Opera in the Outfield at Nationals Park, Saturday, Septembe 12, 7:00 p.m. (gates open at 5:30 p.m.) at Nationals Park, 1500 South Capitol Street SE. Enjoy the Washington National Opera for their season opening with a free live simulcast from the Kennedy Center of “The Barber of Seville.” The running time is approximately three hours with one 20-minute intermission. Sung in Italian with English supertitles. You can sit in the outfield or choose your seats in the stands and enjoy it on the big high-definition screen.

Arts on Foot is Saturday, September 12, 7th & F Streets NW in Penn Quarter. Celebrating its 17th anniversary, it is four blocks of fine art market, cultural corridors, restaurant sampling courts, wine area and entertainment stages.

31st  Adams Morgan Day Festival is Sunday, September 13 on 18th Street NW: “The Longest Continuous Neighborhood Festival in DC! First held in 1978, this nationally known regional event showcases the international and cultural diversity and creativity that is the hallmark of Adams Morgan. This Festival celebrates the dynamism and innovation that arises from the melting pot of cultures and their interaction together. This regionally known DC Festival always produces consistently large attendance in the 25,000 range. The compact 4-block area allows different venues & locales advantageous to sponsors, vendors, and visitors, not to mention local residents.”