Juniper Lane, Margot MacDonald, Against Grace at Iota

Last Friday a triple header of great local indie music took over at Iota in Clarendon. Nothing could stop Margot MacDonald's amazing singing and keyboarding, as she was able to maintain composure and the beat even when the power cord popped out of her keyboard. Juniper Lane played next and reminded me why they are one of my favorite local bands of all time. Singer Vivion Smith led the band flawlessly despite being extremely pregnant. Newcomer Against Grace rounded out the night with an impressive performance.

Margot's performance is always mesmerizing

Vivion Smith's vocals and keyboards lead Juniper Lane

Against Grace finished out the night strong

$10 for $20 at Whitlows via Google Offers

Picture via Google.com

Google Offers is currently offering a deal for our favorite local restaurant and bar - Whitlows on Wilson. For the next four days you can buy $20 worth of food for $10.

Mardi Gras Parade Tuesday

This Tuesday Februrary 21 is the annual Clarendon Mardi Gras Parade. Celebrating Fat Tuesday starting at 8pm, this family friendly event features floats and decorated vehicles from many local restaruants and businesses.

Also Tuesday night, IOTA is tapping Ballast Point Brewing Company Sculpin IPA at 6:00pm before the Mardis Gras Parade on Wilson Blvd. Gumbo shots galore!

Charlie and the Contraband & Highballers at IOTA Monday

This President's Day, check out IOTA for a local band's first full show together: Charlie and the Contraband. The Texan alternative/country band is led by Charlie Harrison who played with Justin Trawik's songwriters series. Also that night, enjoy rock/blues tunes by The Highballers. Show starts around 8:30pm Feb 20 and tickets are at the door for $10.

GWU Alumni at Restaurant 3 Feb 22

If you are a George Washington University grad, make sure to drop by Restaurant 3 in Clarendon on February 22 for an alumni happy hour. To celebrate our first president's 280th birthday, there will be food, drinks and cake from 6:30 to 8:30pm. The event is $10 and you must first register online here.

Lime Fresh

Seven salsa dips at Lime Fresh

I had a great dining experience at Clarendon's newest restaurant Lime Fresh. Located on Fillmore Street, the small Mexican diner is filled with staff that seem like genuinely nice people. The food is decilious and already has recieved rave reviews from the local bloggers.

The warm tortilla chips and vast array of dipping sauces was a nice start to the warm and group friendly tables in the rear. Typcially patrons order first and pay at the cashier, then the food is delivererd to your table and it then becomes full service. Since we arrived so late, our waiter decided to take our order from the table and was very helpful in choosing our dishes. I will definately be back!

Odd Bar at Eventide open now

Eventide's Odd Bar in Clarendon

One of my favorite local restuants Eventide recently underwent a moderate redesign. Now dubbed Odd Bar, the interior of Eventide's first floor has been redone to facilite more social interactions with standing-height tables and additional room to move around. The decorations are more industrial-modern, and it seems they are trying to appeal to a younger crowd with the addition of several TVs playing sports channels. The second and third floor have remained unchanged.
 
Eventide also includes a new dishes designed by Executive Chef Adam Barnett. Odd Bar’s menu features classic American fare with a twist like Buffalo Chicken Wings marinated in a slightly south of Buffalo sauce and blue cheese fondue, and new bistro plates like Steak Frites, teres major steak with herb butter and steak jus; Potato Gnocchi with roasted mushrooms and lemon hollandaise; and Virginia Sea Bream with broccolini in a brown, butter sauce.

My favorite features of Odd Bar are their happy hour sepecials until 7pm weekdays: a burger & draft beer for $15, Bucket of fries for $3 or The Bronx cocktail at $5.50.

Brains of J at Mad Rose Tavern Feb 2

This Thursday Feb 2 Mad Rose will be full of live bands rocking the night in retro style. VA Stripper will open the show at 9pm with '90s rock and a few original songs. Then at 10:30 The Vandelays cover band goes on stage, playing modern rock songs ranging from 311 to Outkast. Local Pearl Jam tribute band Brains of J will then go on stage around 11:30pm and close out the night.