ARTS

DCArtswatch

BY RICHARD SELDEN

ATLAS INTERSECTIONS FESTIVAL

The 11th annual Intersections Festival, which “presents work that impacts our society, culture, and world,” will run from Feb. 19 to March 1 at the Atlas Performing Arts Center on H Street NE. The festival will feature music, dance, theater, film, spoken word and comedy, with highlights including a launch party with Malinda Reese, a conversation with Laura Coates, a youth summit, a performance of the oratorio “Considering Michael Shepard” and a screening of the 1925 silent film “The Lost World” with live accompaniment.

Courtesy of Atlas Performing Arts Center. Gus Casely-Hayford. Photo by Franko Khoury. Courtesy National Museum of African Art.

CASELY-HAYFORD RETURNING TO U.K.

After two years as director of the National Museum of African Art, Gus Casely-Hayford will leave the Smithsonian Institution in March to become inaugural director of the Victoria and Albert Museum’s V&A East, a museum and research center under construction in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on the East London waterfront, site of the 2012 Summer Olympics. V&A East will open in 2023 with a two-year-long exhibition co-curated by the Smithsonian, representing a less extensive partnership than originally announced.

BUILDING MUSEUM TO REOPEN The National Building Museum, housed in the Pension Building, designed in 1881 by Montgomery Meigs, closed for renovations on Dec. 2 and will reopen in March with the exhibition “Alan Karchmer: The Architects’ Photographer” and, from March 26 to 29, the Architecture & Design Film Festival: D.C. The project includes replacement of the deteriorated concrete floor of the Great Hall and construction of a new visitor center and a ground-floor classroom. The museum will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2020.

NEW KREEGER CURATOR, REGISTRAR

The Kreeger Museum, a modern art collection in a Philip Johnson-designed building on Foxhall Road NW, named Danielle O’Steen curator and promoted Joanna Baker to registrar. An independent curator since 2009, specializing in postwar and contemporary art, O’Steen has a B.A. from Colby College, an M.A. from George

Washington University and a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland. Baker, who has a B.A. from Vanderbilt University and an M.A. from Georgetown, is currently enrolled in GW’s museum collections management program.

FREER, SACKLER GALLERIES REBRANDED

The Smithsonian’s attached Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery have rebranded as the National Museum of Asian Art. Since 1923, the Freer Gallery has displayed Charles Lang Freer’s collection, including not only Asian art but paintings by Whistler and his American contemporaries and Whistler’s Peacock Room. Its mostly underground neighbor, containing Arthur M. Sackler’s Asian art collection and special exhibition space, opened in 1987, the year Sackler died and nine years before his family’s pharmaceutical firm began to market OxyContin. Many institutions’ recognition of Sackler family philanthropy has been criticized due to its links to the opioid crisis.

Inside view of the National Building Museum. Photo by Phil Roeder.

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Dining Guide

WASHINGTON DC’S FINEST RESTAURANTS

THE OCEANAIRE SEAFOOD ROOM 1201 F ST., NW 202–347–2277 | theoceanaire.com The Oceanaire blends a sophisticated atmosphere with simple, seasonal and regionally-inspired cuisine – the result is “the ultra-fresh seafood experience”. From our wines and cocktails to our seafood, steak and desserts, our commitment to sustainable and locally-sourced ingredients is apparent in everything we do. Reserve your table today for an extraordinary dining experience.

ENO WINE BAR 2810 PENNSYLVANIA AVE., NW 202–295–2826 | enowinerooms.com HAPPY HOUR: Offered nightly Tuesday - Thursday from 5 - 7 PM & Sunday from 4 - 7 PM. Enjoy select $7 wines on tap. Join us on Wednesday’s for College Nights from 9 - 11 PM and Sunday’s for 30% off bottles. Our delightful wines are best enjoyed with local charcuterie, cheese and small plates.

CAFE BONAPARTE 1522 WISCONSIN AVE., NW 202–333–8830 | cafebonaparte.com Captivating customers since 2003, Cafe Bonaparte has been dubbed the “quintessential” European café, featuring award-winning crepes and arguably the “best” coffee in D.C.! Other can't-miss attractions are the famous weekend brunch every Saturday and Sunday until 3 p.m. and our late-night weekend hours serving sweet and savory crepes until 1 a.m.

MARTIN’S TAVERN 1264 WISCONSIN AVE., NW 202-333-7370 | martinstavern.com Fifth generation Lauren Martin learns the family business from her dad, Billy Martin, Jr. Since 1933, the warm atmosphere of Martin’s Tavern has welcomed neighbors and travelers looking for great food, service and years of history within it’s walls. Fourth generation owner Billy Martin. Jr. continues the tradition of Washington’s oldest family-owned restaurant.

FILOMENA RISTORANTE 1063 WISCONSIN AVE., NW 202–338–8800 | filomena.com A Georgetown landmark for over 30 years featuring styles and recipes passed through generations. Balanced cuttingedge culinary creations of modern Italy using the fresh ingredients and made-from-scratch sauces and pastas. Seen on The Travel Channel, Award-winning Filomena is a favorite of U.S. Presidents, celebrities, sports legends, political leaders. “Don’t miss their bakery’s incredible desserts” - Best in D.C.

ROCKLANDS BARBEQUE 2418 WISCONSIN AVE., NW 202-333-2558 | rocklands.com This original location has served barbecue since 1990. We now have more space for you to sit down with family and friends at our new dining room Driving or walking up Wisconsin Avenue, you ask “mmmm, what’s that aroma??” That’s pork, beef and chicken coming out of our wood-only smoker, falling off the bone and ready for a dousing with our Original Barbeque Sauce.

Wisconsin Ave. Cafe Is Now Lutèce by Bonaparte

BY STEPHANIE GREEN

Patrons at Georgetown’s Cafe Bonaparte, at 1522 Wisconsin Ave. NW, have savored its cozy continental vibe and assortment of crepes for 16 years.

But after a recent renovation, the eatery is doubling down on its Frenchness by eightysixing the crepes, according to new chef Martin Senoville, a Paris native who ran restaurants in his native city before moving to Washington last summer.

Senoville tells us that the new Cafe Bonaparte, now called Lutèce by Bonaparte, will mirror the more authentic French eateries one sees on the streets of Paris. And that, apparently, means adieu to the crepe — unless it’s a Crepe Suzette.

Lutèce, by the way, is the ancient name for the City of Light, and the moniker of a former French restaurant in Manhattan, frequented by the smart set.

This new iteration means a more Parisian price tag, as the ingredients and wines that Senoville uses are imported from France, driving up menu costs. This seems to play into the restaurant’s new goal to be more aspirational.

In addition to overhauling the cafe’s menu and name, the place also has a new look, complete with an open kitchen. It’s quite charming to see Senoville hunched over, sprinkling fromage on his dishes with such Gallic intensity.

This is the kind of place Julia Child would love — but what about those regular customers who would prefer a ground beef crepe over escargots with black garlic cream?

“It was time for a rebirth,” explains Omar Popal, who manages the cafe, along with the Berliner on K Street and Lapis on Columbia Road.

Popal says he recruited Senoville because he wanted Cafe Bonaparte to truly reflect the fine Parisian dining he experiences when traveling to Europe. There was only one way to do that, and that was to hire a

Chef Martin Senoville.

French chef with a French cuisine pedigree. Popal let Senoville make the necessary changes.

“When we started Cafe Bonaparte, we told people it was Paris without the airfare. Now we think we really have that,” he says. What about those crepes? Did they really have to go? His response: “We’re thinking about opening a crepe eatery next door, but for now we’re happy with the new menu.” The fries, Popal assures us, are even better under Senoville. And — in a nod to mass appeal — the menu has been updated with a burger.

Breakfast and lunch will still be served, but dinner will likely remain the target mealtime. The main courses include salmon with leeks and sorrel sauce, duck breast with sweet potato purée and lobster French toast. On the appetizer list are foie gras and hand-cut beef tartare.

French onion soup and avocado toast are also offered as starters. The latter is available for breakfast, along with warm croissants and brioche.

The Cafe Bonaparte sweet crepes have been replaced by a decadent melange of elegant desserts like coconut and passion fruit mousse.

Popal says the cafe will change its menu seasonally. He hopes longtime fans will give the new Bonaparte a chance, even for sentimental reasons.

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