Arts & Entertainment
Calendar: events through Jan. 16
Parties, support groups, concerts and more for the coming week
A lithograph by artist Caroline Thorington on display now through the end of February at BlackRock Center for the Arts in Germantonw, Md. (Image courtesy BlackRock)
Friday, Jan. 10
Gallery B (7700 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda, Md.) holds an opening reception for its new exhibit “New Works on Paper” from 6-9 p.m. this evening. The exhibit features artwork by local artists Cathy Kwart, Catherine Levinson, Bonny Lundy and Virginia Mahoney. The exhibit runs all month. For details, visit bethesda.org.
Women in Their 20s, a social discussion group for lesbian, bisexual, transgender and all women interested in women, meets today at The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W., Suite 105) from 8-9:30 p.m. All welcome to join. For details, visit thedccenter.org.
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. 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.
TempTation, D.C’S biggest new gay dance party, is tonight at Howard Theatre (620 T St., N.W.) from 11 p.m.-2 a.m. Doors open at 11 p.m. Music by DJ Mike Reimer. Tickets are $15. Admission is limited to guests 21 and over. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit thehowardtheatre.com.
Saturday, Jan. 11
BlackRock Center for the Arts (12901 Town Commons Dr., Germantown, Md.) holds an opening reception for its new exhibits “Forma Reliquias” and “Between Two Portraits” today from 3-5 p.m. There will be a brief artist talk at 4 p.m. Admission is free. For details, visit blackrockcenter.org.
The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W., Suite 105) has free HIV testing from 4-7 p.m. today. For details, visit thedccenter.org.
Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) hosts “DIRTY POP with DJ Drew G” tonight at 10 p.m. Drew G plays electro-pop music all night long. Cover is $8 from 10-11 p.m. and $12 after 11 p.m. Drinks are $3 before 11 p.m. The drag show starts at 10:30 p.m. Admission is limited to guests 21 and over. For more information, visit towndc.com.
Sunday, Jan. 12
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.
Burgundy Crescent, a gay volunteer organization, volunteers for D.C. Central Kitchen (425 2nd St., N.W.) from 9 a.m.-noon. Volunteers will cook alongside chefs who are graduates of D.C. Central Kitchen’s job training program. To volunteer, RSVP at [email protected]. For more information, visit burgundycrescent.org.
Number Nine (1435 P St., N.W.) hosts “Sunday Oneday: A Onesie Party” from 4-7 p.m. Rail drinks are $1 from 4-5 p.m. for anyone in a onesie. No cover. For details, visit numberninedc.com.
Monday, Jan. 13
The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W., Suite 105) hosts coffee and conversation this morning from 10 a.m.-noon for the senior LGBT community. Older LGBT adults can come and enjoy complimentary coffee while engaging in a discussion facilitated by Ron Swanda, a member of Mayor Vincent Gray’s Advisory Committee for LGBT Affairs, about what is important for older adults in D.C. For more information, visit thedccenter.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, Jan. 14
Lord Fairfax Community College (173 Skirmisher Ln., Middletown, Va.) hosts a Veteran’s Hiring Event and Conference today from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. in its Community Development Center. There will be workshops and hiring representatives. Admission is free. For more details and to register, visit lfccworkforce.com or call 540-868-7021.
D.C. Bi Women hosts its monthly meeting in the upstairs room of Dupont Italian Kitchen (1637 17th St., N.W.) from 7-9 p.m. tonight. For more details, visit thedccenter.org.
SMYAL (410 7th St., S.E.) provides free and confidential HIV testing drop-in hours today from 3-5 p.m. For more information, visit smyal.org.
Wednesday, Jan. 15
Big Gay Book Group meets tonight at 1155 F St., N.W. Suite 200 at 7 p.m. to discuss ”Dreadful: The Short Life and Gay Times of John Horne Burns” and “The Gallery” both by John Horne Burns. The first book is Burns’s autobiography and the second is a novel that examines gay life in the military. Newcomers welcome. For details, email [email protected].
The Tom Davoren Social Bridge Club meets at the Dignity Center (721 8th St., N.E.) at 7:30 p.m. tonight for social bridge. No partner needed. For more information, call 301-345-1571.
Capital Area Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce hosts its “January Women’s Wednesday” at Godiva (1143 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) tonight from 6:30-8:30 p.m. The lecture will be on the legend of how an 11th century woman influenced a master chocolatier while networking with prominent female business leaders. The event is free for Chamber members and $25 for guests. For details, visit thedccenter.org.
The Mayor’s Office of GLBT Affairs has a forum today called “Protecting Our Diversity: A Criminal Justice Forum” from 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. at 441 4th Street, N.W. In celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, the forum will focus on various criminal justice issues that impact the LGBT community in Washington including hate crimes, domestic violence, wage theft and visas for non-immigrant witnesses. For more information, call 202-727-9493.
Also today, the Mayor’s GLBT Advisory Committee has its first meeting of the new year from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the City-wide Conference Room on the 11th floor at 441 4th Street, N.W. Those attending will have two minutes to speak during a public comments section at the beginning of the meeting. For more information, call 202-727-9493.
Thursday, Jan. 16
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.wordpress.com.
The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W., Suite 105) hosts its monthly Poly Discussion Group at 7 p.m. People of all different stages are invited to discuss polyamory and other consensual non-monogamous relationships. This event is for newcomers, established polyamorous relationships and open to all sexual orientations. For details, visit thedccenter.org.
The D.C. Center and Professionals in the City host speed dating for women in their 20s and 30s at Chi-Cha Lounge (1624 U St., N.W.) tonight from 7-9 p.m. Dating is approximately one hour. After enjoy a mixer with fellow speed daters. Cash bar. Check in is at 7 p.m. and dating begins at 7:20 p.m. Complimentary valet parking offered to anyone who purchases two drinks or other items from the bar or restaurant. Cost is $30. For details, visit thedccenter.org.
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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