Borderstan

Axis Bar & Grill, 1340 U St. NW. (Photo: Luis Gomez Photos)

Cafe Luna, 1633 P St. NW. (Photo: Luis Gomez Photos)

JJ's Cheesesteaks, 1939 14th St. NW (Photo: Luis Gomez Photos)

Axis Bar & Grill at 1340 U Street NW is a nice nice place to meet for drinks. They have a menu that will allow you to choose between sandwiches, pasta and more upscale dishes. We have never eaten there but have enjoyed time with friends at Axis. They have a great beer list.

Cafe Luna at 1633 P Street NW has been in the neighborhood since 1988. Luna has great specials Sunday and Wednesday: half-priced pizza, which is very good. Mondays are $5 Pasta night and on Tuesdays Luna has half-priced wines by the bottle.

JJ’s Cheesesteaks at 1939 14th Street NW recently opened. Although I am not an expert on American cheesesteak sandwiches, I like this place. It is cheap and satisfying and makes a good addition of fast affordable food in the hood. I do think, though, that JJ’s needs a little more time to get up and running at full speed.

"Of Mice and Men" at the Church Street Theatre, 1742 Church St. NW. (Image: keegantheatre.com)

"The Fall of The House of Usher" at H Street Playhouse, 1365 H St. NE. (Image: scenatheater.org)

"Lost in Yonkers" at the DCJCC, 1529 16th St. NW. (Image: washingtondcjcc.org)

“Of Mice and Men” is at the Church Street Theatre, 1742 Church Street, NW: “Set in California during the Great Depression, ‘Of Mice and Men’ is the tragic story of two displaced ranch workers traveling from place to place and job to job as a result of the economic recession. The unlikely friends are united by their dream of someday settling down on their own piece of land and finding a better life. We watch as George and Lennie flee the scene of a terrible misunderstanding and move on to face a world marked by loneliness, misunderstanding, and callousness. Though the scope is narrow, the theme is universal: it is friendship and a shared dream that make life meaningful.”

“The Fall of The House of Usher” is at The H Street Playhouse, 1365 H Street NE: “Fantastical tale of the impossible that manifests the crumbling nature of Roderick Usher’s inner decay …” Don’t miss Usher bemoan “… the cry of the wind, (and) ancient things groaning under the weight of age.” Usher is both, “A death, (and) a resurrection”. (Poe and Performance, Berkoff). Poe’s masterful story of insanity lures us into a surreal and occult dream world, blurring the boundaries between life and death, body and soul, and beauty and decay.”

“Lost in Yonkers” is at the DC Jewish Community Center, 1529 16th Street NW: “In a remarkable coming-of-age story that won 4 Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize, two brothers are left to fend for themselves in a dysfunctional household with their formidable immigrant grandmother, sweet but simple-minded aunt and a hoodlum of an uncle. This classic American tale is simultaneously comic and poignant.”

"Portraiture Now: Communities" at the National Portrait Gallery, 8th & F Sts. NW. (Image: npg.si.edu)

"The Real Story of the Superheroes," Photography by Dulce Pinzon, Smith Farm Center, 1632 U St. NW. (Image: smithfarm.com)

FOTOWEEK DC's opening event is at 3338 M St. NW. (Image: fotoweekdc.org)

“Portraiture Now: Communities,” is at The National Portrait Gallery, 800 F Street NW: “Each of the three painters selected for ‘Portraiture Now: Communities,’ explores the idea of community through a series of related portraits of friends, townspeople, or families.”

“The Real Story of the Superheroes,” Photography by Dulce Pinzón, is at the Smith Farm Center, 1632 U St. NW: “The Real Story of the Superheroes introduces the Mexican immigrant in New York in a satirical documentary style featuring ordinary men and women in their work environment donning superhero garb, thus raising questions of both our definition of heroism and our ignorance of and indifference to the workforce that fuels our ever-consuming economy.”

FOTOWEEK DC’s opening night is at 3338 M Street NW in Georgetown: “Smile. FotoWeek DC is back. Our annual competition received over 3500 amazing entries from 39 states and 28 countries. As for the rest of the celebration, now just around the corner, it’s going to be even bigger and better this year, filled with powerful international exhibitions, thought provoking lectures, and, of course, the chance to have your own portfolio critiqued by experts. In short, FotoWeek DC – a non-profit organization – has planned a total photographic immersion, featuring the latest in documentary, fine art, and every genre of photography – and feel free to overindulge, because most of these events are free.”

The Warsaw Village Band, Saturday at National Geographic, 1600 M St. NW. (Image: events.nationalgeographic.com)

Mariza on Sunday at The Lisner Auditorium, 730, 21st St. NW. (Image: Lisner.org)

Milton Nascimento, Nov. 11, 7:30 p.m., The Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. (Image: miltonnascimento.com)

The Warsaw Village Band performs Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at National Geographic, 1600 M Street NW: “Defying easy categorization, the sound of this acclaimed group has deep roots in the richness of Polish tradition, with elements of reggae, blues, African music, and dance club flavor to get your heart racing and put your feet in motion. After winning Best Newcomer category at the BBC’s Radio 3 Awards for World Music in 2003, the group has thrilled audiences on four continents with their captivating sound.”

Mariza performs Sunday at 7 p.m. at The Lisner Auditorium, 730, 21st Street NW: “In a few short years, Mariza has established herself as the new face of fado. The emotional cousin of the blues, tango and flamenco, Portugal’s fado music fuses seemingly incompatible worlds: impossible pain and fervent joy, life’s cruelty and love’s intensity. Mariza walks the fine line necessary to communicate fado’s genuine traditions while imbuing them with modern freshness—her performances capture the raw emotion that characterizes the soul of fado.”

Personal Favorite: Milton Nascimento plays Wednesday, November 11 at 7:30 p.m. at The Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Avenue, Alexandria. If you like Brazilian music this is a concert not to miss. Nascimento is one legendary figure of Brazilian music. (I will be there.)