• Tonight, Friday, March 12 through Sunday, March 14: Everyone knows that independent films are much better than regular films, regardless of how good they actually are, and thankfully you can catch a whole lot of them this weekend at the Washington DC Independent Film Festival. Tickets are $10. [DC Independent Film Festival]
• Tonight, Friday, March 12 through Saturday, May 22: The lesson of the week, brought to you by the musical Little Shop of Horrors now playing at Ford’s Theater, is don’t trust anyone or anything that presents itself as meek or incompetent, because in reality, it will eat you ALIVE. [Ford's Theater]
• Tuesday, March 16 through Sunday, March 28: As we all learned from Al Gore, films about the environment can be boring, lengthy, and semi-interesting, which is why everyone should be super excited for the Washington DC Environmental Film Festival. It features 155 films and its primary focus is on how the food you’re eating is killing the earth, a topic we’re sure will make Michelle Obama proud. [Environmental Film Festival]
• Thursday, March 18: Even though we’ve had quite a bit of entertainment this week from dear old Congress, not every week is this exciting. If you enjoy a weekly comedy fix, head to the the Capitol Skyline Hotel on Thursdays for their stand-up comedy nights. Admission is $5, and drinks and food will be available for purchase. [Capitol Skyline Hotel]

Places in DC that will offer you much more than just a drink:

• Iron horse Tap Room: This new(ish) bar in Penn Quarter has 20 beers on tap, big screen teevees, lots of them in fact, and most importantly, its basement has four shuffleboard tables, two skee-ball machines, buck hunter, and multiple foosball and pinball machines. The fun may be relegated to the basement, but the nice part is that you don’t feel like you’ve left a nice establishment to go play.
• The Front Page: Ever wanted to play with a Wii, but, shucks, you can’t afford one on your measly salary? Look no further than the Front Page in Ballston. Monday and Sunday nights, from 8PM to closing, are Wii nights when you can bowl, or play tennis or golf to your heart’s desire.
• Rock and Roll Hotel: This venue offers a lot more than just drinks, or rather it offers you fun activities to do while drunk like, listen to music, play Jenga, spell at their Friday night Spelling Bee, or play ping pong at their Monday night ping pong tournaments.
• H Street County Club: Drinking should always be accompanied by the opportunity to play mini golf, shuffleboard, and skee-ball, just as it is at the H Street Country Club. It offers plenty of fun activities for your enjoyment, as well as delicious Mexican food.
• The Red Derby: At this dive bar in Columbia Heights, worshiped by hipsters for its extensive beer can offerings, you can play DJ, pool, and/or just about any board game you want, including our personal favorite, Connect Four, though we wish they had Stratego, your Wonkabout’s childhood board game of choice.
• Comet Ping Pong: Not only can you enjoy pizza and beer and this restaurant, but, as the name implies, the place also has ping pong tables. Just don’t get stuck playing on the kids table; it’s not quite as conducive to showing off your awesome backhand.

• Today, Wednesday, March 10 through Sunday, March 14: You only have four more days to enjoy ridiculous amounts of tequila, for free, grown-up style at Oyamel’s Tequila and Mezcal Festival. It’s a dream come true for anyone who likes alcohol, or tequila. [Oyamel]
• Thursday, March 11: Charity had been reduced to eating out on a random day in March. That is,  you can heal the world this Thursday by participating in Dining Out For Life, when some, all, a bit, who knows, of the proceeds from your very meal will go to buy female condoms for starving children in Africa. [Dining Out for Life]
• Monday, March 15: Drinking wine makes you say and do things that some people find funny, others find embarrassing, and Michael Gelb finds worthy of being adapted into a book about wine, wine culture, and wine-induced creativity. He will be speaking at Zola Wine & Kitchen and a $60 ticket gets you a copy of his book, wine, appetizers and the chance to learn all about how drinking wine makes you smarter, skinnier and all around just better. [Hooks Book Events]
• Drinks That Cost Less Than A $1: In 1967 Occidental Grill Seafood sold Vodka Collins, Planters Punch, Side Cars, Stingers and Gin Rickeys for only 95 cents. And because 2010 is so 1967, they are offering these cocktails throughout March for just 95 cents so long as you also purchase any item off the bar menu. [Occidental Grill and Seafood]
• Food To Look Forward To: There’s nothing wrong with wanting to have more serendipitous moments in your life, and now you can as Serendipity 3, an ice cream shop famous for its huge portions and frozen hot chocolate, is slated to open in Georgetown by the end of Spring. [We Love DC]

Masa 14 may be a small plates restaurant, but, we swear, you can get enough food for not a ton of money. Plus the atmosphere is very fun and modern without being overly ridiculous.

The menu is divided between cold food (including sushi and salads) and hot food (including flatbreads, meats, seafood, noodles, rice, and vegetables). We will now take you on a journey though the hot food section of the Masa 14 menu.

When you call a pizza a flatbread, it no longer qualifies as Italian food, it’s now Latin/Asian fusion food! This is the Thai Chicken Flatbread and it’s made with hoisin peanut sauce, red onions, cilantro, carrots, and everyone’s favorite, bean sprouts. It’s large, feeds at least four people, and only costs $8. Another delicious option is the Wild Mushroom Flatbread which is made with Oaxaca cheese, red peppers, and avocado. Masa 14: gay, straight, and vegetarian friendly!

Our journey now takes us to the seafood portion of the hot foods menu. Behold: the crispy crab won ton rolls. Only $9 for four good size rolls filled with crab, cream cheese, mushrooms and spicy ponzu sauce.

What would a Latin/Asian fusion restaurant be without … noodles! Look at these yummy noodles and the scary looking prawn on top:

Such is our journey though the hot food items at Masa 14, but two more important things remain: dessert and the happy hour. Below is the mango panna cotta. Not only does it taste good, but it also comes with a fancy fruit roll-up type thing.

The happy hour is what we call a great deal: from 5PM-7PM, Monday through Friday, select appetizers including the steamed mussels and tuna hand roll, and select drinks, including their famous strawberry lemonade, are only $4.

Anything else? Right, it’s got a 65-foot-long bar, a kitchen that stays open late, and a calm, adult atmosphere that’s a nice break from the smaller, louder, places on 14th Street.

Masa 14, 1825 14th Street Northwest, Washington, DC 20009-4425, (202) 328-1414

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• Friday, March 5 through Sunday, March 7: The National Archives is hosting free screenings of Oscar Nominated Documentary Features, Documentary Short Subject Films, Live Action Short Films, and Animated Short Films. [National Archives]
• Friday, March 5 through Saturday, April 3: Erotic art may be tacky and gross, but because it has the potential to also be funny, interesting, and enlightening, you should check out “Erotica 2010″ at Moca DC. Tonight’s opening reception, which starts at 6PM, includes a burlesque show, strippers, and cash prizes. [Moca DC]
• Saturday, March 6 through Sunday, March 21: People submit pretty photos to DCist using internet photo tool Flickr. DCist uses said photos to illustrate their posts, and then, because the photos are that awesome, DCist puts them on display at the Long View Gallery for their “DCist Exposed Photography Show.” The opening reception is this Saturday from 6-10PM. [DCist]
• Opening Saturday, March 6: Andy Warhol painted portraits of famous Jews, and pissed off many members of the tribe as a result. Hence Theater J’s newest program, “Andy Warhol: Good for the Jews?” a comedic one-man show about Warhol’s portraits and what makes the chosen people happy (if anything). Tickets to this Saturday’s 8PM show and Sunday’s 3PM show are only $30. The Sunday and Tuesday 7:30PM performances are pay-what-you-can previews, and tickets for the wage laborers (folks under 35) are half-off at every performance. [Theater J]

We suggest you attend one of these Oscars parties:

• Arlington Cinema ‘N’ Drafthouse: The D.C. Film Society is hosting their annual “And the winner is…” watch party at the Arlington Cinema ‘N’ Drafthouse. The event features local film critics, a silent auction for signed movie scripts, an in-house Oscar ballot contest, and a performance by “So You Think You Can Dance” winners. (Ignore that part!) Party starts at 6:30PM. Tickets are $20.
• Maddy’s Bar and Grill: Maddy’s is celebrating the Oscars with happy hour specials and in-house Oscar ballot. The winner gets a $50 gift certificate to an undisclosed location.
• National Museum of Women in the Arts: If you must, MUST go to an Academy-sanctioned viewing party (interestingly, they exist) don’t worry, there’s one in DC — The Oscar Night America Party — and it’s at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. It’s a black tie gala, tickets cost $100 and include an open bar. Oh, and right, there’s of course a charity aspect this: A portion of the proceeds will go to the American Red Cross.
• Goethe-Institut: At the Washington Film Institutes Oscar Party, hosted at the Goethe-Institut, there will be red carpet for your walking pleasure, a wine and beer open bar, and two big screen teevees. Cost is $25.
• Nellie’s Sports Bar Watching the Oscars with the Gays will no doubt be a fun and enlightening experience. There’s no cover and there will be drink specials all night long.

• Today, Wednesday, March 3: Hurry up and get gay married now, as in TODAY, so you can get a FREE cupcake from Hello Cupcake. There’s no reason why the acquisition of a long coveted civil right shouldn’t also be a promotional opportunity for a local sweet shop. [Hello Cupcake via DCist]
• Today, Wednesday, March 3: Happy 6th Birthday BLT Steak means special deals for you all involving the number 3, because the birthday is on the THIRD day of the THIRD month. Get it!? Today only, steaks are $33.04, and select sides, desserts and cocktails are all only $3.03. [BLT Steak]
• Today, Wednesday March 3: Hannah Teter is an American snowboarder who won a silver medal at the Olympics, and she also happens to have her very own Ben and Jerry’s ice cream flavor, Maple Blondie. Today, in honor of her win, scoops of her ice cream are just $1 at all Ben and Jerry’s stores. [Ben & Jerry's]
• Today, Wednesday March 3 through Sunday, March 7: It snowed forever, ruining DC’s economy. The only way this can be fixed is if you get out there and drink enough to make up for all those days when you were weren’t willing to leave your home and risk death by snow by going to a bar for a beer. SHAME ON YOU. Thankfully, Yelp teamed up with a bunch of different DC restaurants and bars and got them to offer drinks specials so you can get out there, drink, and help turn DC’s economy around. The snow will not win! [Yelp Drinks Week]
• Thursday, March 11: Because healing the world shouldn’t involve doing something even moderately extra and/or meaningful, you should participate in Dining Out For Life: You eat out, restaurants donate some or all of the proceeds from your meal to a charity, the world becomes a better place and you get a gold star all because you know how to chew. [Dining Out For Life]
• New Food: Ezme, a small plates restaurant that serves Turkish food just opened in Dupont Circle; Funxion, a health food restaurant that serves healthy booze, is opening Downtown next week; And, yummy seafood spot Tackle Box, is planning on opening a second location Downtown in the coming months. [Ezme, Funxion, Tackle Box via WBJ Top Shelf]