SHAKE IT
As the summer comes to an end, so will the free outdoor dances at the Bethesda Metro Center Plaza (1 Bethesda Metro Center in Bethesda). For only three more Fridays, some of the best bands in town will provide music so you can shake what your mama gave you.
From 6 to 9 p.m., the Beat Hotel and Bellhop Horns, a 10-piece band with a three-piece horn section, will transport you to New Orleans at Mardi Gras with its swamp funk music. On Aug. 24, Cityscape will play rock, Motown and soul, and on Aug. 31, Jennifer Rose and the Mixx will close the season with country and classic rock.
Parking is available for $2 during the concerts at Monument Parking under the plaza.
SPIELEABEND
A game of strategy and politics seems like something Washingtonians would come up with, but in this case it was Germans. In the game Bohnanza, created in Germany in the late 1990s, players posing as farmers buy and sell cards with different types of beans on them.
From 6 to 9 p.m., competitors can play Bohnanza and several other games Germans invented at the Goethe-Institut (812 Seventh St. NW). Players can also show off their skills at Asara, Settlers of Catan, Lost Cities and Carcassonne, and you can bring your favorite game to share. The German museum will provide German wine.
Tickets are $5, and you can reserve your place at the table by emailing [email protected]. The institute is hosting game night through a partnership with Labyrinth Games & Puzzles, a store near Capitol Hill.
SOFT-SHELL CRABS
Take full advantage of the last share of a summer delicacy at BLT Steak’s farewell to soft shells. Executive Chef Jon Mathieson will offer a special soft-shell crab menu from Saturday until the end of August and teach a soft-shell crab cooking class on Saturday.
The menu at BLT Steak (1625 I St. NW) will feature the crustaceans in a rotating menu of side dishes, including pan-seared soft-shell crab with spring vegetable ragout and crispy soft-shell crab with warm chickpea hummus and za’atar emulsion.
From 12:30 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Mathieson will teach students how to serve the crabs, including cleaning, preparing and cooking a variety of recipes, and then he’ll serve them his own four-course lunch. Reserve a spot in the class for $100 by calling Lindsey Greenbaum at 202-689-8989.
