 Super Bowl: Where to Watch
Sun., Feb. 5
Amid the frenzy that is the Super Bowl hype machine, a game will actually be played on Sunday at 6:30—and we offer some of our favorite spots to see the gridiron matchup…and party beforehand.
Bar Dupont (1500 New Hampshire Ave. NW; doylecollection.com/dupontcircle) opens its patio to tailgaters for a themed brunch just in time for the game (noon to 6 p.m.). You can’t miss the big beer truck and the huge grill bordering the patio of the bar, complete with two 70-inch and two 50-inch TVs for prime viewing of the big game. A patio DJ completes the evening. Head there before the game for brunch. Bites include buffalo chicken wings, chicken quesadillas with extra guacamole and slow-cooked barbecue pork ribs. Look for themed shots of booze (“Be a Manning,” with Tanqueray, blue Curacao or “Golden Boy’s Revenge,” with Goldschlager and Baileys; each $5).
Need something warm? Enjoy either of the dueling chowders at Virtue Feed & Grain (106 South Union St., Alexandria, Va.; virtuefeedandgrain.com), where chef Ryan Wheeler pours a New England chowdah (we had to), a traditional cream-based chowder with bacon, potatoes, celery cockles, mussels and roasted fish, and also the “Manhattan,” a Portugese-influenced chowder with tomato, cockles, mussels, calamari and house-prepared linguica. Opt for the drink pairings, too.
For a cheap date, consider Buffalo Billiards (1330 19th St. NW; dc.buffalobilliards.com), one of the city’s best sports bars, for $3 Miller Lite and Coors Light Drafts, $1 burger sliders and wing specials $5 for 10 wings, $10 for 20 and $15 for 30. Enter to win a flat-screen TV, too. For some classy specials, Bourbon Steak’s (2800 Pennsylvania Ave. NW; fourseasons.com/washington) die-hard Giants fan chef Adam Sobel preps his menu with specials on Feb. 5, including a 24-hour smoked pork shoulder sandwich with assorted pickles and fried jalepeños ($16) and foie gras steamed buns ($24).
Head to just-opened Fuel Pizza (1606 K St., NW) for a tête-a-tête between themed Super Bowl pizzas, flat-screen TVs and a wing-eating competition. From 4:30 p.m. to 11 p.m., attendees can compete in the “To Hell and Back” hot wing competition, where contestants will have 10 minutes to eat as many hot wings as they can with no water and no condiments ($10 to enter, $100 winning prize). Choose your side wisely—Giants fans can nosh Nonna’s lasagna pizza, and Pats fans can chew on a clam-bake pizza. Wash it down with $3 frozen margaritas and frozen spiked lemonades.
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 Family-Friendly Fun
Sat., Feb. 4 and Sun., Feb. 5
Celebrate Black History Month during the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s (8th and F Streets, NW; amerart.si.edu) Family Day Sat., Feb. 4. Kick the month off with a day of craft activities and live music. Throughout the day, make family books, participate in a contemporary pop-art cereal box collage (free gift at the end, too) and make funny faces in the photo booth. Full schedule of events here. In the Kogod Courtyard; no tickets required.
Bring the tykes to the National Gallery of Art (4th and Constitution Ave., NW; nga.gov) in the East Building Concourse auditorium for the “Monster Mash,” a series of short, animated flicks featuring fun-loving monsters of all kinds. The lineup includes “The Gruffalo,” based on a picture book by Julia Donaldson, an adaptation of “Where the Wild Things Are,” and “The Silence Beneath the Bark,” among others. The hour-long presentation seats on a first-come basis; no registration required. Saturday and Sunday at 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., respectively.
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 Ice Cool, Baby
Sat., Feb. 4
You’ll be glad it’s a little warmer out during this weekend’s 5th Annual Freezin’ for a Reason Virginia Polar Dip, which takes place Sat., Feb. 4 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Lake Reston. Think this is just your average dip? This one requires participants to jump into Lake Anne, attracting more than 100 jumpers each year (note the snow from last year’s photo; frozen molecules we used to experience in these climes). Check out the costumed folks, who jump to raise money for Camp Sunshine, a year-round retreat for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. Can’t dive in? Opt for the “chicken dip,” which nixes the water immersion—just your feet need to touch the water. Through pledges or self-sponsorship, each participant raises a minimum of $100—register here.
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 Sale Away
Sat., Feb. 4
Beat the winter blahs and revamp your closet during two cool fashion events this month. The 7th annual Old Town Boutique District Warehouse Sale is on Saturday, with high-end boutique merchandise at the George Washington Masonic Memorial from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. We suggest you get there early to snag deals from like likes of Apple Seed, Diva, Fornash, Hysteria, Mint Condition, Zoe Boutique and The Shoe Hive, among many others. For a full list of participating merchants, click here. Plus, enter to win early entry into the Warehouse Sale by checking out the Facebook page here .
For five nights (Feb. 7−11), head to Crystal City (1750 Crystal Dr., Arlington, Va.) for the annual Crystal Couture, with more than 40 designers such as Stella & Dot, South Moon Under and the Aidah Collection under one roof (formerly the Crystal City food court), ready to hawk their winter and spring styles at a discount. Live runway shows and free makeovers every night round out what’s bound to be a fun week. Expect a live DJ and lots of flowing wine. For a list of full designers and schedule, check website here.
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 Planning Ahead: Valentine’s Day Bites
Tues., Feb. 14
Looking for a Valentine’s Day dinner your sweetheart won’t forget? Try out some area restaurants for any of their prix-fixe meals for what’s sure to be a memorable evening. Reservations are going fast.
For the ultimate aphrodisiac in action, check out Hank’s Oyster Bar (1624 Q St., NW), which dishes a special seafood-lovers sampler Mondays and Tuesdays this month. For $32 per person or $60 per couple, diners can nosh a half-dozen freshly shucked oysters with two lobsters (a pound a half each)—add in a half bottle of champagne for $30. On Valentine’s Day, sip on “My Bloody Valentine,” a specialty libation with rye whiskey, blood orange juice and clove syrup.
Decadence is the name of the game at Fleming’s Steak House (1960 Chain Bridge Road, McLean, Va.; flemingssteakhouse.com) with specialty entrees (in addition to the a la carte menu), such as filet mignon and prawns, prime New York strip and king crab and a North Atlantic lobster tail with lobster mac ‘n’ cheese. Split the dessert—red velvet cake with espresso truffles ($9.50). Plus, dine from Feb. 12−14 and receive a $25 gift card for a future night out with your sweetie.
Get the best of both worlds with a His & Hers menu at Lincoln (1110 Vermont Ave., NW; lincolnrestaurant-dc.com). There are two four-course options for $55 per person ($72 with wine pairings). The male version skews toward heavier dishes, such as a roasted heirloom carrot salad, coffee-rubbed lamb saddle and a peanut butter crème brûlée, while the ladies choice is decidedly lighter—think a poached-pear salad, pan-seared rock fish and a passion fruit soufflé. Don’t like those options? There’s a third “gender neutral” choice for each course as well.
Need a little extra spice? Head to Nando’s Peri Peri (locations in Chinatown, Dupont Circle and Bethesda) for a dinner for two—a whole Nando’s chicken with a special extra-secret hot sauce made from African bird’s eye chile, two sides, a bottle of vino and a chocolate spoon cake (to share, of course) for $39.99.
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 Planning Ahead: Valentine’s Day Events
February
Looking for a new way to celebrate Valentine’s Day? From unusual bar bites, an anti-Valentine’s Day bash and a sweet way to show veterans you care, the options are endless.
We love Urbana’s (2121 P St. NW; urbanadc.com) twist on the usual heart-stopping specials around Feb. 14. Chef John Critchley serves bar snacks—in the forms of hearts, cheeks and tongues—in an offal-centric bar menu. The delicacies, available Feb. 11−14, include hearts of palm with citrus and Serrano chili ($8), braised pork cheeks with Vidalia onion ($12) and calf hearts, among other choices.
If pink and red hearts induce eye rolls and an urge for strong drinks, head to Bar Pilar (1833 14th St. NW; barpilar.com) for its second annual Anti-Valentine’s Day party on Feb. 14, where singles can mingle at the restaurant before it reopens later this spring. Order from a menu of (bitter)sweet nothings, such as Tuff Love with rye whiskey, house-made peach bitters and lemonade or Hemingway’s Ex-Wife with rum, house-made cherry bitters, ginger beer and lime (all Bitter Cocktails $10). Desserts include bittersweet chocolate terrine with burnt orange sabayon or a lemon and ricotta with salted caramel sauce.
Fancy a cup of Joe this month? Through Feb. 9, visit any Tynan Coffee & Tea location (Columbia Heights, Friendship Heights and NoMa area) to show your veteran support. With the “Valentines for Veterans” program, each visitor at a Tynan locale can receive a complimentary Valentine with his or her coffee and write a message of appreciation for a veteran, which will be delivered Feb. 10 to Walter Reed National Medical Center and the Armed Forces Retirement Home. Make more military-themed Valentines at the Smithsonian Postal Museum (2 Massachusetts Ave. NW; postalmuseum.si.edu) on Feb. 4 from 12 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.; all materials supplied, and the museum will even mail it for you.
Think your love life is tough? What about the star-crossed lovers of Islamic radicals? Hear the tale of al-Quaeda militant, whose love may have been martyred after their tragic breakup among others from Ken Ballen, author of “Terrorists in Love,” during his presentation at the Spy Museum (800 F St. NW; spymuseum.org) on Tues., Feb. 7 at 6:30 p.m. based on his interviews with several terrorists and radicals about their requited and missed loves ($9; available here). Plus, grab the museum’s Love a Spy promo package for two tickets to the museum and a special love-themed gift from the museum store; good throughout February except for Feb. 18−19.; $29.95 buy them here.
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