Arts & Entertainment
Calendar: Events through Oct. 24
Parties, exhibits, concerts and more for the coming week
This year’s Capitol Pride musical performer Emeli Sandé performs at Meyerhoff Symphony Hall Saturday. (Blade file photo by Tyler Grigsby)
Friday, Oct. 18
DJ Joe Gauthreaux spins at Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) tonight. Free rail vodka drinks from 11 p.m.-midnight. Cover is $10. Admission is 21 and up. For more information, visit cobaltdc.com.
Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) hosts Bear Happy Hour tonight from 6-11 p.m. There is no cover charge and admission is limited to guests 21 and over. For more information, visit towndc.com.
Bachelor’s Mill (1104 8th St., S.E.) holds a happy hour from 5-7:30 p.m. tonight with all drinks half price. Hip music begins at 11 p.m. Enjoy pool, video games and cards. Admission is $5 after 9 p.m. Must be 21 and over. For more details, visit bachelorsmill.com.
Saturday, Oct. 19
British singer-songwriter Emeli Sandé performs at Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (1212 Cathedral St., Baltimore) tonight at 7 p.m. Tickets range from $29.60-$40. For details, visit bsomusic.org.
The Birchmere presents 2CELLOS, a cellist duo, at the Lisner Auditorium at George Washington University (730 21st St., N.W.) tonight at 8 p.m. Tickets are $55. For more details, visit lisner.gwu.edu or call 202-994-6800.
The Bethesda Row Arts Festival runs today in downtown Bethesda (4841 Bethesda Ave., Md.) from 11 a.m.- 6 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Enjoy work from artists and crafters, listen to local music performances and participate in kid-friendly activities. The festival benefits NIH Children’s Charities. Admission is free. For details, visit bethesdarowarts.org.
Burgundy Crescent, a gay volunteer organization, volunteers today for the Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation at the Falls Church PetSmart (6100 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church, Va.) at 11:45 a.m. today. You will be paired with a dog on a leash to walk around and play with. Wear casual clothes. For more information, visit burgundycrescent.org.
The Arlington Gay and Lesbian Alliance (AGLA) hosts its monthly brunch event at Freddie’s Beach Bar and Restaurant (555 S. 23rd St., Arlington, Va.) today from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. The brunch is an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffer with made to order omelets and Belgian waffles with coffee, soda or juice. Cost is $9.95. Fore details, visit agla.org.
The Hamilton (600 14th Street, N.W.) hosts a free screening of the cult classic “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” tonight at 10 p.m. Doors open at 9. Go here for details.
Sunday, Oct. 20
Organist Ken Cowan performs at First Baptist Church of Washington (1328 16th St., N.W.) today at 4 p.m. Admission is free but contributions accepted. For more details, visit firstbaptistdc.org.
Perry’s (1811 Columbia Rd., N.W.) hosts its weekly “Sunday Drag Brunch” today from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. The cost is $24.95 for an all-you-can-eat buffet. For more details, visit perrysadamsmorgan.com.
Adventuring, an LGBT outdoors group, hosts its “Great Falls Difficult Run” hike through Great Falls Park (9200 Old Dominion Dr., Mclean, Va.) at 9:15 a.m. today. Alternately you can meet at the Tenleytown Metro (4530 40th St., N.W.) at 8:30 a.m. to carpool. The hike is 5.1 miles with an elevation gain of 250 feet. The walk has a view of the Falls from the Virginia side as well as the Potomac as it rushes through Mather Gorge below the Falls. The Difficult Run Trail has sustained flood damage and is steep and narrow. Bring water, snacks and bug spray. Cost is $2 for trip fee, $4 for the park entrance and $2 to reimburse the driver if you are carpooling from Tenleytown. For more information, visit adventuring.org.
Nellie’s Sports Bar (900 U St., N.W.) hosts the final day of its silent shoe auction today. Come make your final bids on sneakers decorated by the community toe benefit the AIDS Walk. For details, visit nelliessportsbar.com.
Special Agent Galactica is at L’Enfant Cafe (2000 18th St. N.W.) tonight at 7 p.m. with Peter Fields. Details at pinkhairedone.com.
Monday, Oct. 21
Rainbow History Project presents “Prejudice and Pride,” a panel discussion about discrimination against African Americans in the D.C. LGBT community in the 1970s and 1980s, at the Thurgood Marshall Center (1816 12th St., N.W.) today at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, visit rainbowhistory.org.
Us Helping Us (3636 Georgia Ave., N.W.) holds a support group for gay black men to discuss topics that affect them today, share perspectives and have meaningful conversations. For details, visit uhupil.org.
Tuesday, Oct. 22
Genderqueer D.C. holds a discussion group at The D.C. Center (13181 U St., N.W.) at 7 p.m. tonight. The group is for anyone who identifies outside of the gender binary as bigender, agender, genderfluid or any label outside of cisgender. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.
Whitman-Walker holds free HIV testing at Panam Supermarket (3552 14th St., N.W.) tonight from 7-9 p.m. For details, visit whitman-walker.org.
SMYAL (410 7th St., S.E.) hosts a “Rap Group” today from 5-6:30 p.m. Discuss stressful issues like school, bullying, getting into college or finding a job in this support group. For more details, visit smyal.org.
Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore will read from her memoir “The End of San Francisco” this evening at Busboys and Poets (1025 5th Street, N.W.) at 6:30 p.m. in the Cullen Room. More information at mattildabernsteinsycamore.com.
Wednesday, Oct. 23
The Lambda Bridge Club meets tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Dignity Center (721 8th St., S.E.) for duplicate bridge. No reservations required and new comers welcome. If you need a partner, call 703-407-6540.
The D.C. Center and Pros in the City host “Forty Plus Gay Men Speed Dating” at Finn and Porter D.C. (900 10th St., N.W.) at 7 p.m. tonight. Speed dating will last approximately one hour. After enjoy a mixer with fellow speed daters. There will be a cash bar. Check-in is at 7 and dating begins at 7:20. You will be able to contact anyone you meet through an exclusive online messaging system 48 hours after the event. Tickets are $30. Three hour complimentary parking offered to guests who purchase two drinks or other items from the bar or restaurant. For more details and to purchase tickets, visit prosinthecity.com.
The HIV Working Group holds a meeting at The D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) tonight at 7 p.m. The HIV Working Group is a volunteer-driven HIV/AIDS outreach, education, and advocacy initiative of the Center. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.
Thursday, Oct. 24
Washington Blade hosts its “2013 Best of Gay D.C. Party” at The Huxley (1730 M St., N.W.) tonight from 6-9 p.m. Winners of the “Best of Gay D.C.” will be announced. You can also win a pair of tickets to see Cher. For details, visit facebook.com/washingtonblade/
Gays and Lesbians Opposing Violence (GLOV) holds a meeting at The D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) tonight from 7-8:30 p.m. GLOV works to reduce violence against LGBT individuals through community outreach, education and assisting members of anti-LGBT violence. For more details, visit thedccenter.org.
Rude Boi Entertainment hosts “Tempted 2 Touch,” a ladies dance party, at the Fab Lounge (2022 Florida Ave., N.W.) Doors open at 10 p.m. Drink specials $5 and vodka shots $3 all night. No cover charge. Admission limited to guests 21 and over. For more details, visit rudeboientertainment.
The fourth annual Equality Prince William Pride was held at the Harris Pavilion in Manassas, Va. on Saturday, May 17.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
The Washington Blade held its 18th annual Summer Kickoff Party in Rehoboth Beach, Del., on Friday, May 16. Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer spoke along with State Sen. Russ Huxtable, CAMP Rehoboth Executive Director Kim Leisey, Blade Editor Kevin Naff, and Clear Space Theatre Managing Director Joe Gfaller. The event raises funds for the Steve Elkins Memorial Fellowship in Journalism, which was awarded to AU student Abigail Hatting.
(Washington Blade photos by Daniel Truitt)
In some fowl fiction foreshadowing, a gay-owned chicken joint has come home to roost on U Street, taking a page from the chicken window subplot on the HBO show “Looking.”
Last Friday, Lucky Pollo – much more than just a takeout window – stretched its wings atop the busy nightlife corner of 14th and U Streets NW.
Behind the poultry production place is Zach Renovátes, a D.C.-based nightlife operator and managing partner of LGBTQ venues Bunker and District Eagle, as well as the LGBTQ event production company KINETIC Presents.
Renovátes opened Bunker in February 2023 and District Eagle in January of this year. Lucky Pollo is the third in his growing gay empire, though this time there are noshes.
“Lucky Pollo was meant to be fun and a little provocative,” Renovátes said.
Based around its Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken, Lucky Pollo is a quick-service restaurant boasting a small menu of poultry and sides. Renovátes says that the dishes are deeply rooted in Peruvian culinary tradition, “a playful experience alongside seriously good food.”
Lucky Pollo’s signature chicken is steeped in a dozen-plus-spice marinade for 24 hours. The meat is then slow-roasted, rotisserie-style, over oak-wood charcoal. Chicken options include quarter, half, and whole.
Helming the kitchen at Lucky Pollo is Chef Luis Herrera, who brings Peruvian recipes passed down through three generations, including his grandmother Laura’s original creations.
Beyond the full bird, the menu features Peruvian-inspired sides like yuca fries (“I personally love these,” says Renovátes) and fried plantains, as well as comfort classics such as mac and cheese and mashed potatoes, and bowls, wraps, and salads. Herrera oversees development of the multiple sauces (including staff favorite, the “secret green sauce”), crafted in-house using traditional Peruvian ingredients.
Lucky Pollo, in its streetside perch, is an independent concept from District Eagle, open to the public and staying open late (3 a.m. on weekends) to serve both nightlife guests and the wider U Street crowd hungry for late-night bites. However, just beyond the kitchen, tucked in the back lies a vintage 1950s candy machine—labeled “Out of Order,” which serves as the door leading to subterranean District Eagle.
Renovátes notes that when District Eagle is open, security staff will maintain a strict two-line policy, ensuring that those seeking meat to eat will not get entwined with those looking to gain access to District Eagle.
Lucky Pollo unites the need for sustenance with the idea of a bit of fortune, given its motto, “Get Lucky” and the whimsical brand mascot: a leather-booted chicken perched on a horseshoe. Renovátes and his District Eagle business partner had always been interested in opening a restaurant, and the Lucky Pollo space was indeed lucky: It already came with a functional kitchen. Plus, he says, the nearby fast-casual places around 14th and U streets “don’t offer a lot of quality options,” so opening the chicken spot “was a no-brainer.”
The space, designed by NYC creative Jasin Cadic, blends theatrical street-art-style vibes with Keith Haring-inspired wall prints, neon signs, and ceiling-hung chicken figurines —”some edgy, some sweet,” says Renovátes —creating an immersive, playful atmosphere. Lucky Pollo and District Eagle maintain separate amenities for their respective customers.
Lucky Pollo opened last week with a competition to devour a whole rotisserie chicken in the fastest time, with the winner earning $1,000 and a framed spot on the restaurant’s “Wall of Fame.” The opening also featured other games and prizes, and a full crowd spilling out the door.
“We want it to be a great place to eat, but also serve as a playful front for something completely unexpected.” Renovátes says.
On weekends especially, he jokes, the motto will be, ‘Come for the chicken, stay for the cock.’”
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