Updated: Aug. 1, 2014 at 9:42 p.m.
This post was written by Hatchet staff writer Jeanine Marie.
Dance, drink and eat your way through the first weekend of August with events like Restaurant Week in Baltimore and Mad Decent Block Party at Merriweather Post Pavilion. But if the predicted thunderstorms roll in, keep your weekend open for Americana modern art and food specials.
Friday
![After torrential rains soaked attendees, a festivalgoer slides in the mud between performances at the Sweetlife Festival last year. Hatchet File Photo](https://blogs.gwhatchet.com/btb/files/2013/06/sweetlife2_DW-300x206.jpg)
Mad Decent Block Party: If you like electronic music but would rather avoid the furry-boot-clad crowd, take a trip out of the city and to Merriweather Post Pavilion. Dillon Francis and Sleigh Bells join acts like the abstract Norwegian DJ Magnus August Høiberg (Cashmere Cat) and Joey Youngman of Wolfgang Gartner to bring a dance party to Columbia, Md. Diplo, who also has a set Friday, started the block party in Philadelphia in 2008, and it has grown into an annual, nationwide tour. Purchase general admission tickets here.
Made in the USA: For art lovers and those with a bit of patriotic spirit, head to The Phillips Collection for an exhibition featuring more than 200 works by American artists. The gallery claims that these artists are “the standard bearers for the modern spirit, whose work reflects the changing nature of American art in the 20th century.” Decide for yourself before the exhibit closes Aug. 31. Free entry.
Saturday
Baltimore Summer Restaurant Week: Eat cheap at swanky Maryland restaurants Aug. 1 to 10. Pair real Shoyu Ramen noodles with pork belly at Dooby’s (802 N. Charles St.), or try decadent sushi at Matsuri (1105 S. Charles St.). Two-course lunches are just $15, and three-course dinners are $20 or $30 (depending on the level of swankiness). See the BSRW website to make a reservation at participating restaurants.
Hill Country Happy Hour: If you’d rather stay local for eats (and drinks) this weekend, check out Hill Country at 410 Seventh St. NW. Nosh on brisket and ribs in the festive restaurant, and make sure you’re around for happy hour with $5 rail drinks and $20 margarita pitchers, 3 to 7 p.m., and after 10 p.m.
Sunday
![Photo by Flickr user Fæ / CC BY-SA 2.0](https://blogs.gwhatchet.com/btb/files/2014/08/oysters-300x200.jpg)
Seafood brunch: Logan Circle may not be any closer to the Atlantic Ocean than Foggy Bottom, but one of D.C.’s most talked-about restaurants takes you right to the sea. Pearl Dive Oyster Palace (1612 14th St. NW) has a brunch menu that includes a gulf shrimp po’ boy and dive fries with cayenne aioli for $14, sweet potato-Andouille hash for $13 and a selection of fresh oysters. The real kicker? Pricey specialty cocktails, particularly one called the “Pearl Cup,” a refreshing summer blend of mint, cucumber, lime and Bombay Sapphire.
Keyshia Cole at The Fillmore Silver Spring: The R&B artist, who recently announced a new album, is coming to The Fillmore. Tickets are only $27.50, and the venue is on the Red Line.