Since 1954
THE
georgetowner.com
GEORGETOWNER VOLUME 58, NUMBER 16
MAY 2–15, 2012
MODERN FAMILY:
Jack and Michele Evans FEATURE:
THE 84TH GEORGETOWN
GARDEN TOUR ARTS:
'NABUCCO' SUCCEEDS IN BEING GRANDIOSE AND CLOSE SOCIAL SCENE:
WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS' WEEKEND
Georgetown, DC
Kalorama, DC
Michael Rankin 202.271.3344
Julia Diaz-Asper 202.256.1887 Russell Firestone 202.271.1701 Michael Rankin 202.271.3344
Georgetown, DC
Julia Diaz-Asper 202.256.1887
Amidst rows of stately federal townhouses sits this prestigious and stately mansion. Built in 1916 by a prominent doctor, this enduring residence embodies Georgian-Colonial architecture. The doctor set out to produce a classic home of gracious width and breadth drawing on the best building practices of the day. Completely detached, this approx. 8000 sf home boasts striking entertaining spaces. $6,500,000.
Mass Ave Heights, DC Georgetown, DC
Stately Massachusetts Avenue Heights residence with 6 BR, 5 full-baths, 2 half-baths, and 4,400 sf of living space. An embassy-sized foyer, gourmet kitchen and living and dining rooms with 12 ft. ceilings make this an ideal home for grand entertaining. French doors throughout the main rooms open onto a picturesque terrace overlooking an expansive green space, including a 1/3 acre lot, perfect for a tennis court & pool. $3,995,000.
Sophisticated Federal in the East Village, ideal for grand entertaining. Restored with extensive improvements. Excellent scale, large formal rooms, high ceilings & 4 fplcs. Inviting front library, formal DR, chef ’s kitchen and a 2nd level double-parlor LR with adj sunroom. 4 BR with 4 full & 2 half-baths. Backyard features private patio & garden. Excellent views from the upper BR. 1 car garage & extra parking. $3,995,000.
White Plains, MD
Kent, DC
Palisades, DC
Branka Sipcic 202.236.0678
Theresa Burt 202.258.2600 Michael Rankin 202.271.3344
Diana Hart 202.271.2717 Bill Abbott 202.903.6533
Alexandria, VA
Georgetown, DC
Palisades, DC
Georgetown, DC
Robin Waugh 703.819.8809
Julia Diaz-Asper 202.256.1887
Bill Hounshell 202.271.7111 Michael Fowler 202.812.0272
Gary Wicks 202.486.8393 Mary Fox 202.316.9631
Spectacular Federal with 4 levels in the East Village. Impeccably designed and restored. Double parlors, formal dining room, full master suite with sitting room and en suite bath. Chef ’s kitchen with French doors leading to a private garden. 6 fireplaces, original hardwood floors, 5 BR, 4 baths, 2 powder rooms, elevator and private drive for tandem parking. $3,798,000.
Constructed c. 1855 & recently renovated. Lovely Victorian in historic Old Town features grand entertaining spaces & exquisite period details on 4 levels with an elevator servicing all floors. Luxurious amenities include a chef ’s EIK, smart house tech, audio sys w/ pvt media rm & dual staircases to pvt rooms w/ roof balconies. 2 master suites w/ marble spa baths, wine tasting cellar & charming rear garden w/ parking. $2,495,000.
Located just off Embassy Row, this Grand BeauxArts style residence features a 1st floor formal reception room and library, a 2nd floor formal LR and separate DR, and a spectacular kitchen with adjoining family room with walls of French doors opening to private landscaped garden and luxurious pool. $4,450,000.
The Fox Lair Farm – dedicated to breeding & training Hanoverian horses & offering beauty, privacy & refinement. 50+ acres of rolling hills featuring a collection of structures, charming pond, guest house, 2 barns, stables & facilities for staff & equip. The main residence is well suited for both grand entertaining & quiet relaxation. The focal point of the equestrian facilities is an exquisite covered dressage Arena. $3,295,000.
Charming brick 1812 Federal in the West Village. Features an elegant hall entrance, den, kitchen, dining room & staff quarters. A 2nd level living room opens to the terrace & garden. This 5 BR, 3 full-bath residence comes with 3 fplcs w/ original mantels, random width floor boards & an abundance of sunlight. Terrific location close to all of Georgetown’s finest amenities: parks, stores, restaurants, cafes & galleries. $2,040,000.
www.ttrsir.com
Honor Ingersoll 202.297.9681
This 6 BR residence is sited across from beautiful Battery Kemble Park on Chain Bridge Road, an exclusive and sought-after street in Kent. With a recent addition and exquisite renovations, this residence offers over 6,000 sf of living/ entertaining space on four finished levels, and a shared tennis court and pool. $2,975,000.
Beautiful 6 BR, 5.5 bath home with elevator located in the picturesque Palisades neighborhood. A well appointed lawn with great landscaping welcomes you to this charming home filled with modern amenities, designer touches & custom painting throughout. Quiet neighborhood feel, yet near all that DC living has to offer. Mins to shopping & dining. $1,990,000.
Downtown, D.C. 202.234.3344
Georgetown, D.C. 202.333.1212
Jonathan Taylor 202.276.3344
This sensational brick, cedar and glass home with 4 BR and 4.5 baths is hidden behind a quiet façade within a secret garden. Sited on a stunning landscaped bluff overlooking the Potomac Valley, this home offers a lifestyle of simplicity and beauty just minutes from the heart of downtown Washington. $2,495,000.
The incomparable 3303 Water Street – the most sought-after address along the Georgetown Waterfront. Two, large 1 BR residences featuring clean architectural lines, the finest finishes & expansive C&O Canal views. A discreet, full service community with dramatic common areas, spectacular city & river views, rooftop pool, sun decks, doorman, concierge. $895,000 - $1,049,999.
McLean, VA 703.319.3344
Chevy Chase, MD 301.967.3344
© MMXII Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. All Rights Reserved. The Sound, used with permission. Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity . Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated.
TTR Georgetowner 05.12.12.indd 1
2 May 2, 2012 GMG, INC.
4/30/12 5:15 PM
VOL. 58, NO. 16
SINCE 1954
CONTENTS N EW S
ON THE COVER Jack and Michele Evans. Story on page 16. Photographer: Philip Bermingham www.philipbermingham.com Jack Evans’s wardrobe: Shirt - Hart Schaffner Marx blue gingham shirt - $89.50 Tie - Hickey Freeman navy pin dot bold strip - $135 Pants - Hickey Freeman bone color 100% pima cotton chino - $245 All items provided by Streets of Georgetown.
4
Up & Coming
5
Web Exclusives
6-7
Business
8
Editorial /Opinion
9
Town Topics
The Growing Acclaim of Charlottesville’s Wine 18-21
THE AR T S 22 ‘Nabucco’ Succeeds in Being Grandiose and Close 23
Mount Fuji’s Fleeting Immortality
DIRECT ORY
REAL ES TATE 9
Real Estate Sales
10
Historic DC
11 Mortgage
PAGE 22 ‘Nabucco’ is at the Kennedy Center.
IN COUNTRY
24
Classified/ Service Directory
BODY & SOUL
/ Featured Property
12
Le Decor
14
Real Estate Spotlight: Beasley
15
84th Georgetown Garden Tour
COVER 16-17 Modern Family: Jack and Michele Evans
Between the Sheets: College Kids Don’t Know How to ‘Do It’ 25
FOOD & WINE 26-27
Dining Guide
27
Seasons for Imagination: A Brunch
28
Latest Dish/Mother’s Day Brunch Guide
SOCIAL SCENE 29-30
Social Scene
GEORGETOWN MEDIA GROUP, INC.
1054 Potomac St., N.W. Washington, DC 20007 Phone: (202) 338-4833 Fax: (202) 338-4834 www.georgetowner.com The Georgetowner is published every other Wednesday. The opinions of our writers and columnists do not necessarily reflect the editorial and corporate opinions of The Georgetowner newspaper. The Georgetowner accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs and assumes no liability for products or services advertised herein. The Georgetowner reserves the right to edit, re-write, or refuse material and is not responsible for errors or omissions. Copyright, 2012.
RECYCLE THIS PAPER
FIND US ON FACEBOOK
The Georgetowner
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER:
Thegeorgetownr
“The Newspaper Whose Influence Far Exceeds Its Size” — Pierre Cardin
MEET THE PRESS THIS WEEK MARIT FOSSO Spring 2012 Intern
When I was a little girl growing up in Bergen, Norway, I used to dream about becoming a journalist, as I have always loved writing and talking to different people. As I grew up and it was time to apply for universities, I temporarily put my journalism dreams aside to go to law school. After almost three years of pouring over heavy law books, I decided it was time to leave the safe career path of a law degree to follow my dreams. I started to study journalism at the University of Bergen, and as a part of that came here to Washington to attend a journalism program at American University. Lucky for me, I also got the chance to be an intern at The Georgetowner this spring, which has boosted my confidence that working in media is something that I want to do.
GMG, INC. May 2, 2012 3
Calendar
UP & COMING strations with celebrity chefs and important health information. Located at the Sylvan Theatre on the National Mall.
MAY 7
MAY 5
The Virginia Gold Cup Celebrates 87 Years One of the nation’s largest steeplechase races where 50,000 people will gather to see the finest horses in the world compete over the lush green course. Features six hurdle and timber horse races, Jack Russell Terrier races, tent, tailgate and hat contests and 30 vender booths for shopping. | $85 for a car pass (up to 6 passengers). Great Meadow 5089 Old Tavern Road The Plains, Va. Parkmont Poetry Festival The Festival is celebrating its 30th anniversary. That’s 30 years of young voices from grades 6-12 finding fierce expression on the page and at the podium. That’s three decades of bringing students together from all parts of the District to express themselves through the creative word. For more information, email poetry@parkmont.org. Parkmont School: 4842 16th St., N.W. The National Cinco de Mayo Festival The Maru Montero Dance Company and LULAC are celebrating 20 years of hosting the festival with a free concert by Luis Enrique, health screenings, and healthy food demon-
Green Door Remarkable Journeys Gala Please join us for an evening celebrating the work of Green Door. Honorees include House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer and Donald E. Graham, chairman and CEO of The Washington Post. The event will feature a performance by Grammy Award winning musician Judy Collins. Tickets are $500 per person and for more information, email: development@greendoor.org JW Marriott Hotel, 1331 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.
MAY 8
Alzheimer’s Association Washington Monuments Luncheon The Washington Monuments Luncheon, a 15-year tradition of the Alzheimer’s Association National Capital Area Chapter, honors individuals, companies and organizations making a significant difference in the fight against Alzheimer’s. A reception and silent auction begin at 11:30 a.m. The luncheon begins at 12:30 p.m. Tickets are $125 and for more information, call 703-766-9014. Grand Hyatt Washington, 1000 H Street, N.W.
MAY 13
A Serene Sunday - Mother’s Day At 1:00PM on Mother’s Day, treat mom to a special retreat at Hillwood. This is one of the select Sundays Hillwood is open during the year. Enjoy a stroll through the spring gardens, Mansion and special exhibition,
The Style that Rules the Empires: Russia, Napoleon and 1812. Sunday, May 13 from 1-5 p.m. Suggested donation, Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, 4155 Linnean Avenue, NW.
MAY 15
Trees for Georgetown Spring Celebration Please join Trees for Georgetown on Wednesday, May 16, at the home of Patrick McGettigan, a house with a history. Trees for Georgetown plants, cares for and maintains residential street trees in Georgetown and has planted over 2,000 trees. Just one new tree costs $900 to purchase plant and provide protective tree box fencing. We need your help to keep Trees for Georgetown growing. For tickets and information contact: Betsy Emes, betsyemes@aol.com.
MAY 16
Haitian-Dominican Friendship Concert Join the National Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian Latino Center in a celebration of the music of Dominican Republic and Haiti in a friendship concert that presents African-derived musical traditions of the two island countries. Baird Auditorium, National Museum of Natural History, 10th & Constitution Ave NW, DC. For more information, visit lreid@us.serex.gov.do.
MAY 18
Old Print Gallery: Capturing the Verve Opening Reception On Friday, May 18th from 5 to 8 p.m., The Old Print Gallery is pleased to present
CorCoran
Continuing Education Make the Most of your suMMer With a Class at the CorCoran
Capturing the Verve: Prints and Bronzes by Robert Cook, which opens on May 18, and runs until July 14. Works in this one-man show span over 30 years of the artist’s drive to interpret motion. With a secure grasp of the human and animal form, Cook, using the lost-wax process, transforms his subjects into pure and potent representations of their own energy and power. 1220 31st Street, NW. 2012 Bee & Bubbly Bash Fun, food and philanthropy will be the buzzwords at Academy of Hope’s 2012 Bee & Bubbly Bash on Friday, May 18. The event will feature an elegant cocktail reception, followed by our exciting spelling bee competition. A delectable dessert reception will round out the evening. Cyneé Simpson, ABC7/WJLA-TV’s anchor, will be the emcee. Tickets: $150. Early Bird rate: $125 if purchased by 5/1/2012. For more information, contact 202-269-6623 or events@ aohdc.org. Katzen Arts Center at American University,4400 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.
MAY 19
The Strawberry Festival Join us for the best Strawberry Shortcake in town. The 22nd annual Strawberry Festival will feature a silent auction, local artists and vendors, children’s games and activities, bake sale, attic treasures and almost new clothing, toys and sports equipment, and much more! The PUMC Strawberry Festival draws in close to 1,000 members of the local community. Proceeds from the daylong event support the mission work of The Methodist Church. For more information, visit www. potomac-umc.org.★
AreAs of study
Academic studies and Art History Botanical Art and Illustration Art education Ceramics digital Media design drawing Graphic design Interior design Jewelry Painting Photography Photojournalism Printmaking sculpture tyPes of Courses & ProGrAMs
Credit courses Non-credit courses Master Workshops Professional development Intensive summer sessions
Pre-College Programs
1801 tHIrty-fIftH street NW WAsHINGtoN, dC 20007 WWW.CorCorAN.edu/Ce (202) 298-2542
4 May 2, 2012 GMG, INC.
Find these on the web at www.georgetowner.com: ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ SUBSCRIBE TO OUR ONLINE NEWSLETTER
To receive breaking news and web-exclusive articles, sign up at www.georgetowner.com for free!
NPR’S FRIDAY NIGHT SPIN PARTY On the eve of this year’s White House Correspondents Association Dinner, NPR “Friday Night Spin” was star-studded in preparations for the event.
Photo: Actor Colin Hanks and NPR White House Correspondent Ari Shapiro at NPR’s Friday Night Spin Party held at Gibson Guitar in Washington, D.C., on Friday, April 27. Photo by John Rose / NPR
Long & Foster Georgetown Sales Office
The real estate market is in full bloom. So many flowers in the garden, No two flowers are alike, No two houses are alike, We understand the
UNEXPECTED...
JOAN MIRÓ: THE LADDER OF ESCAPE Joan Miró: “The Ladder of Escape,” in its final and only venue outside of Europe, will be on view at the National Gallery of Art from May 6 through August 12.
Photo: Joan Miró: “Figures at Night Guided by the Phosphorescent Tracks of Snails,” Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Louis E. Stern Collection, 1963
AVENUE SUITES BRINGS NEW YORK CHIC TO PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE Conrad Cafritz, chairman of Modus Hotels, welcomed guests to a preview of Avenue Suites and the West End’s newest outdoor cocktail destination, A Bar.
Family, Neighbor & Community Focus Looking for a Career Change?
Call Stacy Berman, Manager 1680 Wisconsin Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20007
Office: 202.944.8400
Photo: Maria Trabocchi and Jim Kimsey GMG, INC. May 2, 2012 5
BUSINESS
Affordable Health Coverage to the Rescue.
Ins & Outs
Don’t put you and your family at risk by trying to get by without health care coverage. We offer Health Coverage for: • Individuals without Group Coverage • Independent Contractors • Dependents and Students • COBRA/Alternative
Broker Name 000-555-1212 or Toll-Free 800-555-1212 Wally Greeves Apply Online: 703.888.8003 www.brokercompanyname.com
• Self-Employed • Small Businesses
AU T H O R I Z E D I N D E P E N D E N T AG E N T
Wally Greeves [BROKER NAME] is an independent authorized agent in VA for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield. Anthem's service area is Virginia, excluding the city of Fairfax, the town of Vienna, and the area east of State Route 123. HMOs are not available in all areas of Virginia. Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is the trade name of Anthem Health Plans of Virginia, Inc. Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and its affiliated HMOs, HealthKeepers, Inc., Peninsula Health Care, Inc. and Priority Health Care, Inc. are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. ®ANTHEM is a registered trademark. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield names and symbols are registered marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. For exclusions, limitations, terms under which the policy may be continued in force or discontinued, costs and complete details of the coverage, call or write your insurance agent or the company, whichever is applicable.
Great times.
Jyoti Mukherjee of the newly opened butcher shop, owned by Jamie and Josef Stachowski, at P and 28th Streets. Photo by Sonya Bernhardt
STACHOWSKI MARKET AND DELI OPENS AT 28TH & P Stachowski Market and Deli has opened in the former Griffin Market space at 1425 28th Street (at the corner of P Street). Jamie Stachowski has been selling his sausages and other meats at nearby Rose Park and elsewhere. The shop is sparsely decorated for now but offers sandwiches, including Italian sausage, pastrami and kielbasa. Its cases displays various cuts of beef, duck and pork. Chairs, coffee and other sundries are on their way. It is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Good friends.
Call us for a tour 202-338-6111
Assisted Living for independent peopLe Publication: The Georgetowner | Ad size: 10.25 in x 6.125 in (1/2 page horizontal)
6 May 2, 2012 GMG, INC.
News reports and Facebook updates flashed: fashion designer Betsey Johnson’s chain of stores went bankrupt April 26.Most of the 63 freestanding boutiques will close. The fate of the M Street store is uncertain, according to a store employee, but it does not look good. “Johnson won’t be losing her job — but as many as 350 store workers will after the May 8 liquidation,” reported the New York Daily News. Women’s Wear Daily reported
People who care.
Distinctive retirement living
Private Suites • Fine Dining Social & Cultural Activities Chauffeured Sedan Assisted Living Services No Entrance Fee
BETSEY JOHNSON DECLARES BANKRUPTCY; M STREET STORE LOOKS TO CLOSE
2512 Q Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007 www.thegeorgetown.com
BUSINESS
Join Thomas Circle on May 15th for an Interactive Roundtable & Resident Discussion. Please RSVP by calling (202) 470-6620 today.
NEW RESTAURANT COMING TO GLOVER PARK: The empty space at
MOVED: MERIDIAN HEALTH & RELAXATION moved from The Shops at Betsey Johnson publicist Jenny Zinn, front and center, and other employees made the M Street Betsey Johnson store a must-see and fun destination. Photo by Robert Devaney
the designer will retain control of the Betsey Johnson clothing label. The flashy, pink and fun scene near the Old Stone House may soon close. Stop by this week to say good-bye.
TASTE OF GEORGETOWN MOVED TO JUNE 2 The popular Taste of Georgetown, usually held in October, will next set up its serving tables along Wisconsin Avenue on June 2, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Participants include many of the best and most liked So, be sure to tag the date in your calendar. Visit www.GeorgetownDC.com or TasteofGeorgetown.com for details.
Georgetown Park to Book Hill on 1673 Wisconsin Ave., N.W.
URBAN DADDY D.C. PICKS ALL GEORGETOWN SHOPS FOR DERBY DAYS The hip, up-to-date website, Urban Daddy, listed shops for Derby Day clothes last week. All the shops it cited are in Georgetown: “The Right Clothes for Derby Day . . . you might be headed to the Gold Cup. Or you might ensconce yourself at a downtown hotel bar to take in the Derby. Either way, horses will be involved. (Also: bourbon.) And you’ll want to look the part. No, not like a jockey. With this stuff.” The UD list: Rag & Bone at 3067 M St., N.W.; Vineyard Vines, 1225 Wisconsin Ave., N.W.; Jack Wills, 1097 Wisconsin Ave., N.W.; Lost Boys, 1033 31st St., N.W.; Brooks Brothers, 3077 M St., N.W.
Keep Your Teeth for Life! Family & Cosmetic Dentistry
Gentle dentistry in the most relaxed and caring envionment.
In-town Senior Living
LIMITLESS
2317 Wisconsin Ave., N.W., which once held Margarita’s, is slated to become a District Noodles. The Vietnamese restaurant is owned by Jennifer Hoang and her fiancé, Marc Farmer. Next to the Tennis Zone store and Fresh Fields, the eatery will serve sandwiches along with rice bowl dishes and should open in four or six months.
Life in the heart of Washington, DC is part of your plan for the future. It’s the neighborhood you love. Dining and entertainment around Dupont and Logan Circles. The charm of 14th Street. Cultural attractions in our nation’s capital. From this circle radiates a vibrant lifestyle filled with enjoyable moments, rewarding pursuits and the laughter of friends. It’s your lifestyle—independent and active—and you’ll find it at The Residences at Thomas Circle, where the opportunities are limitless for engaging, inspiring in-town senior living. Discover the very best value in senior living in the heart of the District. Call (202) 470-6620 today.
1330 Massachusetts Ave NW Washington, DC 20005 (202) 470-6620 www.ThomasCircle.com 692619
FRAXEL DUAL LASER: RESULTS YOU CAN SEE AND FEEL Keep Your Skin Looking Fresh and Healthy Through 2012 Sun damage, wrinkles, acne scars. It doesn’t matter! Fraxel’s revolutionary, non-invasive DUAL laser delivers results with little downtime.
Fraxel DUAL laser treats: • Eye wrinkles • Sun damage • Acne scars • Surgical scars • Skin discoloration • Precancerous skin spots
Receive a 10% discount with your scheduled appointment! To set up your FREE consultation, contact us at 202-822-9591, or check us out online at www.dcdermdocs.com Dr. Dale Isaacson & Dr. Marilyn Berzin 1828 L Street NW Suite 850 Washington, DC 20036 (202) 822-9591
4840 MacArthur Blvd. NW Suite 101 Washington DC 20007
www.drfattahi.com GMG, INC. May 2, 2012 7
EDITORIAL / OPINION
D.C. Theaters as Economic Engines
NO TO EXTENDING LIQUOR-SERVING HOURS, BUT YES TO SUNDAY STORE SALES
T
here’s an old operetta song that basically encourages and celebrates the joy of drinking. It’s called “Drink, Drink, Drink.” Maybe on Sunday. But to all hours of the morning? Really? Mayor Vincent Gray, always in search of surplus revenue, has proposed extending operating hours for bars and restaurant from two to three a.m. in the morning on weeknights, and from three to four a.m. on Friday and Saturday, easily the busiest drink, drink, drink nights of the week. There is also a proposal that liquor stores in the District of Columbia be allowed to
operate on Sundays, as they are currently in Virginia and Maryland. To the first, we say: seriously? To the second, we say, okay, why not, what’s good for Maryland and Virginia shouldn’t be that bad for the District of Columbia. But more opportunities to be further inebriated into the early morning hours--is that a good idea? For Georgetown--where the restaurant and bar activity is high profile, as well as for such areas as downtown DC, Logan Circle on P Street, 14th and U, Adams Morgan and Dupont Circle, that just doesn’t seem like a good idea. All of these neighborhoods feature a bar
and restaurant scene that doesn’t always align smoothly with its residential areas. Muggings and thefts, especially at closing time, are often a feature and consequence of that scene, when customers make their way to their cars, or in the case of Georgetown University students, to their dormitories or apartments. It hardly makes sense to us because extending hours also extends opportunities for mischief and crime and further disturbs the peace of the residential areas. The potential human costs of such an extension, it seems to us, offsets whatever increase in the coffers of restaurants and the District’s tax revenues. ★
Bioterrorism: One Monkey Short of 12? BY JOHN F E NZ E L
James Cole: Look at them. They’re just asking for it. Maybe the human race deserves to be wiped out. Jeffrey Goines: Wiping out the human race? That’s a great idea. That’s great. But more of a long-term thing. I mean, first we have to focus on more immediate goals. – “Twelve Monkeys”
I
f you’re ever looking for an intelligent science fiction movie that has a timeless and cogent-- if terrifying--message, “Twelve Monkeys” is a classic. Replete with great actors like Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe and Brad Pitt, “Twelve Monkeys” was produced in 1995 about a convict (James Cole, played by Bruce Willis) living in a post-apocalyptic future who’s sent back in time to stop a deadly plague released by a terrorist organization known as “The Army of the Twelve Monkeys.” If a remake of the movie were made today, the opening scene might have Bruce Willis’s character returning to alert a governmental committee about a laboratory-constructed virus that kills 60 percent of all its victims. The scene would have him warning of a plan to openly publish the recipe for the pathogen—a virus with all the virulence of the seasonal flu, and vastly more lethal than the 1918 pandemic that killed more than 40 million people. In his testimony, Willis would warn (in colorful language) that open publication of the study would be tantamount to providing Al Qaida with the operational blueprints for a nuclear weapon. Ultimately, though, his concerns would be dismissed “in the interest of scientific research,” and the recipe for the deadly pathogen would be published openly for all to see. As entertaining as such a remake would be, the story would likely now be dismissed by studio executives for requiring little suspension
of disbelief—because all of the story elements are now actually transpiring. The virus? Avian Flu, or H5N1--a pathogen that the United Nations Coordinator for Influenza warned could cause a pandemic with the potential to kill 150 million people. The government committee is also real: The National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB)—a panel of experts formed after the 2001 anthrax attacks that advises the government about “dual use” research with legitimate public health purposes, but also potentially used as a bio-terror threat. Paul Keim, current NSABB head, and a world renowned authority on anthrax, recently said of H5N1, “I can’t think of another pathogenic organism that is as scary as this one. I don’t think anthrax is scary at all compared to this.” The World Health Organization recently reported that of the 566 confirmed human cases of H5N1 to date; 332 have died. That number has been kept low up to now only because H5N1 does not spread easily between humans. And yet, the possibility that it could mutate to a more virulent form continues to keep government leaders awake at night. Yi Guan, the virologist at Hong Kong University, recently stated what he would do if the highly infectious H1N1 virus combined with the extremely deadly H5N1 virus: “If that happens, I will retire immediately and lock myself in the P3 lab. H5N1 kills half the people it infects.” In November, Ron Fouchier of the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam reinforced that a combined H5N1-H1N1 strain of flu is “probably one of the most dangerous viruses you can make.” He made it anyway. In an effort that went largely unnoticed until recently, and using very simple steps, Fouchier successfully mutated the H5N1 bird flu virus PUBLISHER
Sonya Bernhardt Robert Devaney FEATURE EDITORS
8 May 2, 2012 GMG, INC.
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Renee Antosh Kelly Sullivan
Aaro Keipi Jeff Malet Neshan Naltchayan Yvonne Taylor
Adra Williams
Please send all submissions of opinions for Gary Tischler consideration to editorial@georgetowner.com Ari Post
ADVERTISING
Charlene Louis
IN COUNTRY & ADVERTISING
Evelyn Keyes
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Jen Merino
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Aaro Keipi
T
his week, I want to focus on the arts, which is timely both because it is a budget priority of mine and because I recently presented a resolution recognizing t heat r eWashi ngt on’s “Theater Week” at the Helen Hayes Awards. I am proud to celebrate the legacy, excellence and cultural contribution of theatre in the District of Columbia, and Theater Week provides a great opportunity to do that. Everyone knows that the District of Columbia is a center for tourism. We as a city must build on this strength by attracting visitors as well as residents into our world-class arts venues. There are 44 professional theater companies operating in the District of Columbia, making us the second most prolific theatre town in the United States based on the number of productions per year. While the theater landscape has grown, I am concerned that dwindling funding could have an adverse impact on potential future growth. Neighborhoods throughout D.C. have been transformed by establishing and promoting theaters within their communities. From the Arena Stage in Southwest, to the Tivoli Theatre in Columbia Heights, to the Shakespeare Theatre in Penn Quarter, to the renovation of the Atlas on H Street, N.E., and the Studio Theatre in Logan Circle, it is clear that the arts are not simply relevant from an aesthetic or cultural standpoint. The arts provides economic engines for the community, capable of revitalizing entire neighborhoods. I am proud that the District was also the major donor to Arena Stage, the Shakespeare Theatre, Ford’s Theatre and many other performing arts groups like the Washington Ballet and the Washington Performing Arts Society. The theater industry supports more than 11,000 full-time equivalent jobs in the District, and arts and culture organizations spend over $600 million annually throughout the region. The nearly 2 million audience members that attend theaters in the District annually also generate more than $100 million into the District’s economy -- demonstrating that theater is a critical part of the economic engine with benefits flowing directly back to area businesses. I am committed to advocating for the arts and reminding my colleagues that the arts are integral to the fabric of our neighborhoods and city. Their importance cannot be overstated, and I will keep working to ensure that our arts community continues to grow and thrive. I have had conversations with the mayor, the chairman and my council colleagues and will be promoting amendments to the budget to move us in the direction of a quantity of funding that will more adequately sustain this important facet of our city. ★
WEB & SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING & ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
in his laboratory, creating an airborne form of the virus that spread swiftly among laboratory ferrets--the standard animal model for human influenza research. Fouchier sent his research paper to the NSABB and the journal, Science. The NSABB quickly branded it too dangerous to publish, demanding entire sections of the report redacted to prevent the recipe for the virus falling into the wrong hands. Keim explained the rationale as a buying-time maneuver, to “slow down the release of the specific information that would enable somebody to reconstruct this virus and do something nefarious.” But soon, the scientific community mobilized and scuttled the NSABB’s best-laid plans, crying foul over government censorship of science. “It is essential for public health that the full details of any scientific analysis of flu viruses be available to researchers,” said Philip Campbell, editor-in-chief of Nature. Late last month, after a two-day meeting, the NSABB reversed its decision and supported open publication of the research once the report clarified that not all of the laboratory ferrets died from Fouchier’s H5N1 strain. Still, onethird of the panel members refused to endorse full publication. “Rational Man” theory has generally been cited to discount the potential for bio-terrorism. With a pathogen’s inability to be precisely employed or controlled as a weapon, viruses have traditionally been viewed as unlikely weapons of choice. Since the 9-11 attacks, however, lone wolfs like Bruce Ivins, and terror groups like Aum Shinrikyo and Al Qaida have forever shattered those assumptions. With HHS approval secured last week, the editors-in-chief of Nature and Science plan to publish the research and mutated H5N1 recipe without redaction. ★
BY JACK EVANS
CONTRIBUTORS
Mary Bird Linda Roth Conte Jack Evans
CONTRIBUTORS (CONT’D)
Donna Evers Amos Gelb Lisa Gillespie Jody Kurash Ris Lacoste David Post Alison Schafer Bill Starells
REAL ESTATE SALES Address
Georgetown Real Estate
Sales Provided by
Washington Fine Properties. LLC
Style
BR
BA
List Price
Close price
Close Date
3214 RESERVOIR RD NW
Federal
3
2
$1,499,000
$1,465,000
04/25/12
3225 GRACE ST NW #223
Contemporary
2
1
$545,000
$535,000
04/05/12
1519 31ST ST NW
Traditional
5
3
$1,785,000
$1,550,000
04/30/12
3007 P ST NW
Other
4
4
$1,995,000
$1,995,000
04/20/12
3225 GRACE ST NW #107
Contemporary
2
1
$479,500
$456,500
04/23/12
3120 R ST NW #202
International
2
2
$650,000
$635,000
04/20/12
4046 MANSION DR NW
Federal
4
3
$1,325,000
$1,237,500
04/11/12
2111 WISCONSIN AVE NW #617
Traditional
2
2
$475,000
$460,000
04/06/12
1015 33RD ST NW #505
Contemporary
2
2
$649,000
$650,000
04/03/12
2715 O ST NW
Colonial
2
1
$905,000
$865,000
04/20/12
1632 30TH ST NW #3
Traditional
1
1
$530,000
$540,000
04/05/12
2704 N ST NW
Federal
2
1
$650,000
$635,000
04/20/12
TOWN TOPICS
News Buzz BY RO B E RT DE VANEY
Landmark Healy Tower Clock Hands Stolen
There are two kinds of robberies: the ones that are serious and the ones that are not.
ANC Report: Crime, Traffic and Runs
Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 2E held its monthly meeting for May at Georgetown Visitation Prep April 30. The two Sunday armed robberies at Five Guys and near Serendipity 3 were noted by commissioner Ed Solomon, who advised once again all to be alert and lock up. [See news story below.] Commissioner Jeff Jones, the ANC lead on the O and P Street Project, said its completion date is Aug. 24 with fill-in work for trees to continue. The District transportation department’s Paul Hoffman gave an update on Glover Park’s Wisconsin Avenue make-over with concerns expressed about traffic and safety. (Expect more on this project.) Dates were approved for Bike DC on May 13, National Triathlon on Sept. 9, the Best Buddies Challenge on Oct. 20 and the Marine Corps Marathon on Oct. 28. Also noted was the new date for the Taste of Georgetown: June 2. [See “Business Ins & Outs.”] Commissioners also expressed their worries about too much development at WilliamsAddison House at 1645 31st Street to architect Dale Overmeyer, who assured them that new plans would keep the mansion a singlefamily home. The issue will go before the Old Georgetown Board.
2 Restaurant Robberies on Wisconsin Avenue;
When a handgun is involved, it’s always serious. When the hands of a clock are stolen, chances are it’s not serious--it’s tradition. (All right, one might fall from the clock tower.) Handguns were involved in two robberies at or near restaurants Sunday, April 29. An armed suspect, dressed in black, described as light complexioned, robbed the popular Five Guys restaurant on Wisconsin Avenue of an undetermined amount of cash just before midnight. Earlier that day around 1 p.m., two employees of Serendipity 3 Restaurant on M Street, taking a cigarette break outside the restaurant were robbed by two men who approached them asking for a cigarette. One of the men pulled a gun and demanded the victims’ wallets and phones. According to the Metropolitan Police
Department, the two men were described as black males between 25 and 35 years old with medium complexions and thin builds. One man was described as wearing blue pants and a yellow shirt. The second man was described as having brown eyes and brown hair and wearing a black hat. Elsewhere, a timely crime was visible to everyone, it being an iconic symbol for all of Georgetown. Over the weekend, it was discovered that the Healy Tower’s clock hands were missing, front and back, and not for the first time, either. As these are the end days of Georgetown University seniors, it was suspected that some upperclassmen may have absconded with the hands in a towering act of not quite derring-do. There is a tradition for this kind of dark-of-night theft in which the hands are then mailed to the Vatican stamped “Returned to Sender” -- at least, according to Wikipedia -- perhaps with a Latinate postmark. The last time the clock hands were stolen was in 2005. (Investigations are ongoing, and offenders can get suspended from school or worse.) Will they ever return? Their fate is still unknown, poor old clock hands.
Zoning Board Approves Redesign of G.U. Athletic Center
On April 26, the D.C. Zoning Commission unanimously approved the Georgetown University’s revised plans for a new athletic training complex to be built on the tennis courts adjacent to the McDonough Gymnasium, according to the Hoya. “The design for the Intercollegiate Athletic Center was originally part of the 2000 campus plan,” the student newspaper added.★
GMG, INC. May 2, 2012 9
HISTORIC DC
Riding through Washington
State of $avings.
Civil War generals still survey the battleground on horseback from our city squares and circles
C
Get discounts up to 5-40%.* Saving money is important. That’s why you can count on me to get you all the discounts you deserve. GET TO A BETTER STATE™. CALL ME TODAY.
Geoff Collins, Agent 2233 Wisconsin Ave NW, Ste 224 Washington, DC 20007 Bus: 202-333-4134
*Discounts vary by state. State Farm, Home Office, Bloomington, IL 1101282.1
B Y D O NN A EVER S aptured in bronze, forever surveying the field of action and gearing up for battle, the Civil War generals are with still us. They are, of course, all Union generals. The brilliant Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson are not here because “to the victor goes the spoils”. Also, to the sculptor goes the spoils, since many of these projects were competitions with good pay for the winning artist. One of the most dramatic statues is of Philip Sheridan, whose action pose dominates Sheridan Circle on Massachusetts Avenue. “Little Phil” as he was known to his troops was indeed short and had long arms, which prompted President Lincoln to remark that Sheridan’s arms were so long that if his ankles itched, he wouldn’t even have to bend down to scratch them. Cast in bronze by Gutzon Borglum in 1908, Sheridan sits astride his faithful horse, Rienzi, who took him through 85 battles, including the one portrayed here. Sheridan had left his men in the Shenandoah Valley to attend to matters in Winchester, when Early attacked and almost won the day. Sheridan rode hard for twenty miles to get to his troops, saying, “if I had been with you this morning, boys, this would not have happened.” In the statue, he is shown bending down and waving his hat at his men, urging them on in battle. His success in the Valley campaign, coupled with Sherman’s
AMERICAN HANDYMAN Our team of professionals is eager to turn your home, business, or construction project into a job well done.
American Handyman of DMV, LLC specializes in remodeling, painting, and handyman services for residential and commercial establishments. Whether you are looking to remodel the kitchen, bathroom, or entire structure; upgrade the office environment, or just have the office repainted, we can help. We operate with a professionally trained staff and employ only the best tradesmen. We are a licensed, insured, and bonded company that goes the distance to provide quality workmanship you can count on. We offer competitive prices, computerized estimates, and guarantee customer satisfaction by exceeding industry standards with our limited warranty on every project. • Residential and Commercial Construction • Remodeling/Renovations • Custom Finished Basements • Handyman Services • Home Inspections • Facilities Management Serving Washington, DC, Virginia, Maryland, and Surrounding Areas
202.581.0911 10 May 2, 2012 GMG, INC.
success in Georgia, is credited with turning the tide for the Union’s victory. Another diminutive general, George McClellan, was the Commander of the Army of the Potomac from the beginning of the war in 1861 to November 1862. Many historians argue
Philip Sheridan atop his horse in Sheridan Circle that he should have been removed a lot sooner, because of his recurrent reluctance to send his soldiers into battle. Lincoln said he had a case of “the slows,” but kept him on for almost two years, because he was a great strategist and an even better recruiter. The reluctant general, however, thought a lot of himself, as evidenced in his letters to his wife, where he frequently describes himself as the savior of the nation. This is also clear in his equestrian statue by sculptor Frederick MacMonnies, at the intersection of Connecticut Avenue and Columbia Road, where McClellan sits squarely on his horse, chin up and right hand placed confidently on his hip. At Pennsylvania Avenue and Seventh Street, the tall majestic statue of General Winfield Scott Hancock pays tribute to his victory at the Battle of Gettysburg, where he continued to lead his men successfully against a gigantic Confederate assault, even after being shot off his horse. On Thomas Circle, the beautiful statue of General George H. Thomas shows him sitting at ease, pulling the reins with on hand, holding his horse’s head high and surveying the field of battle, probably also capturing him in one of his finest moments, at the Battle of Chickamauga. The leader of the infamous march to the sea, William Tecumseh Sherman, is found on
the elaborate monument at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and Fifteenth Street. The bold general has one hand on the reins and the other holding his field glasses. He has probably just looked toward his goal of reaching the sea, ready to destroy everything in his path if it would bring the Union victory. Dominating McPherson Square, and portrayed also with binoculars in hand and uniform scruffy from his and Sherman’s long march, is the statue of General James Birdseye McPherson. His statue was cast from Confederate cannons captured in Atlanta. At Logan Circle, the statue of John A. Logan sits on horseback with his sword in hand, commanding a view of the beautiful residential circle where he himself lived for so many years, and where he got the idea of preserving one day a year to honor the war dead, the special day we call Memorial Day. Finally, there is the largest and most important Civil War monument of all on the east end of the Mall honoring Ulysses S. Grant, the general who was able to bring the Union to victory and the war to a close. In a greatcoat and broad brimmed hat that perpetually keeps his eyes in shadow, Grant sits calmly and impassively on his horse, Cincinnatus, among the two sets of massive statuary honoring the cavalry and artillery soldiers. This ambitious project was the work of a little-known sculptor, Henry M. Shrady. As James M. Goode says in his book, “Washington Sculpture”, in 1902, when Shrady won the competition over 23 other well-known artists for the $250,000 project, his competitors demanded an investigation. Nevertheless, he ended up with the job and devoted the next twenty years of his life to the creating the monument, which was brilliantly executed with exquisite and painstaking attention to detail. But, when the dedication of the monument took place in 1922, Shrady was not there to take a bow. He died two weeks earlier from the strain and exhaustion of having to complete a project of such astounding magnitude. ★ Donna Evers, devers@eversco.com, is the owner and broker of Evers & Co. Real Estate, the largest woman-owned and run real estate firm in the Washington area; the proprietor of Twin Oaks Tavern Winery in Bluemont, Va.; and a devoted student of Washington history.
Discover Indian Lake and Lake Stonycreek, PA approximately three hrs. from Georgetown; a resort type community with two private lakes, two golf courses (one is “Arnie’s first”!) Enjoy a lodge with restaurant, marina, an ATV vehicle park close-by and three major ski resorts within 45 to 60 mins. Indian Lake Realty specializes in waterfront and golf properties; LAKEFRONT HOMES starting at $450,000. Visit our web site for a complete list of properties!
Indian Lake Realty 814.754.4224
indianlakerealty.com
FEATURE PROPERTY
MORTGAGE
Not Out of the Woods Yet
T
BY BILL STA RRE L S he real estate market and mortgage rates have come together, forming a perfect time to be buying a home in Georgetown or in greater D.C. The nation’s economy is still recovering from the recession of a few years ago. If one remembers, the housing sector crashed, which was one of the catalysts for the collapse of Wall Street. Credit came to a halt and the Federal Reserve Board of Governors slashed interest rates in an effort to keep the economy from going into a depression. As a result, house prices collapsed in many markets (including some outlying areas of the Washington metropolitan area). Interest rates fell and continue to drift lower. Overall, the housing markets are showing some signs of recovery nation-wide, but the Fed’s statement warned that the housing sector still remains depressed. The D.C. market remains more stable then most. In the Federal Reserve Board’s most recent meeting in late April, the Fed did not deviate from its more recent statements on the outlook for the economy. The Fed is holding firm on interest rates. According to Merrill Lynch, the markets are not looking for any rate hikes until May 2014 at the earliest. Typically predictions longer than 24 months out are very rare and very hard to forecast. Mortgage rates continue to flirt with his-
toric lows. As we close out the month of April, 30-year purchase mortgage rates ranges in the Freddie Mac Survey showed 30-year fixed rate money averaging 3.8 percent with 0.7 of a point, and 15-year money averaging 3.18 percent with 0.6 of a point. Conforming money is for loan amounts up to $417,000. High conforming purchase money (up to $629,000 for conforming money and $729,000 on FHA money) rates are higher. Jumbo money rates are still higher. Rates on ARMs (adjustable rate money) are around 3 percent or lower. If one is buying a home with firm plans to move in the next four or five years, an ARM can be an attractive option. With house prices close to historic lows, and mortgage rates close to historic lows, it is a perfect time to look at buying a house. The cost of housing is very attractive. Housing prices are likely to go higher in the future. In order to get approved, a customer has to be able to show income documentation and source of funds. Low documentation loans are not available. With decent credit, some cash for a down payment (3.5 percent down for an FHA loan to $729,000) one can take advantage of today’s perfect storm. ★
★
3106 N ST NW This classic detached East-Village Federal is just steps away from all that Georgetown has to offer. The expansive floor plan features 6 bedrooms, and 7 ½ baths with one of the bedrooms is an apartment above the 3-car garage. Stunning rare offering! Classic detached East-Village Federal steps to all that Georgetown has to offer. Featuring: Large rear garden with pool Open gourmet kitchen Hardwood floors 5 Fireplaces
$3,750,000 Washington Fine Properties Mark McFadden E-Mail: mark.mcfadden@wfp.com Office: 202-944-5000
Bill Starrels is a mortgage loan officer who lives in Georgetown. He specializes in purchase and refinance mortgages. He can be called at 703-625-7355, email, bill.starrels@ gmail.com
Georgetown Smile
Evers & Co. Real Estate TimeleSS TreaSure
Dr. A. Jacob Peretz | General and Cosmetic Dentistry www.georgetownsmile.com | 202.333.0003
Kalorama. Gilded era gem. 6 BRs. Over 5,000 sf of living space. MBR w/sitting rm & frpl ensuite. Sweeping grand salon. 5 frpls. Dazzling light & exquisite details. Pkg for 3 cars. $2,250,000
* Compassionate Painless Dentistry * Spa-like Environment * Massage Chairs & Laughing Gas * Convenient Evening & Weekend Hours * Most Insurance Accepted * Office with State-of-the-art Equipment Specialist On Site * Kid Speciali * Preferred Invisalign Partner * Immediate Emergency Appointments Available * Open on Saturdays * The Washingtonian Best Dentists & Specialists 2011
Taxi service available from Rosslyn.
Dr. Friedman is a clinically trained Periodontist. She earned her medical degree from New York University School of Medicine doc and doctorate in dentistry from Columbia University. She specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of gum disease and in the surgical placement and maintenance of dental implants.
Lucinda Treat- 202-251-4000 Penny Mallory- 202-251-6861
Mary Lynn White- 202-309-1100
JuST righT!
Georgetown. Sun filled two bedroom gem in the desirable West Village. Kitchen w/Bosch & GE appliances. 2nd flr offers monument views. Hrwd floors, frpl. Lovely brick & slate patio. $775,000
Leslie Suarez- 202-246-6402
4400 MacArthur Blvd, NW Suite #200 Washington, DC 20007
claSSic elegance
Chevy Chase, DC. Expanded & renovated Colonial. Large gourmet kitchen opens to sun-filled family rm addition & deck. 5-6 BRs, 4.5 BAs.Finished LL. Front porch. 2 car garage. Walk to Metro. $1,499,000
SpaciouS & Sunny
McLean Gardens. Walk to shops, restaurants, easy commuting. Sunfilled 1 BR w. renovated kitchen, hrdwd floors. W/D, On site pool. Lovely views of Cathedral. $329,000 Catarina Bannier-202-487-7177 Marcie Sandalow-301-758-4894
Dupont 202-464-8400
Chevy Chase 202-364-1700 www.EversCo.com GMG, INC. May 2, 2012 11
LE DECOR
Spring Is in the Air, and So is Garden Care BY MAR IT F OS S O
W
ith wonderful days of spring ahead of us, why not use the nice weather as an excuse to spruce up your outdoor areas? Whether you have a nice, big garden or a cute, little balcony – here are some ideas for turning it into an even more inviting, tranquil place for relaxing, entertaining guests and enjoying the fresh air.
Montclair Outdoor Patio Chaise, $2,399, Macys www.macys.com
Knotted Melati Hanging Chair, $498, Anthropologie www.anthropologie.com
12 May 2, 2012 GMG, INC.
Miniature Olive Tree, $49.99, Sur La Table www.surlatable.com
Basketweave Placemats, $1.95$2.95, CB2 www.cb2.com
Missoni Margot Throw, $1,345, Saks Fifth Avenue www.saksfifthavenue.com
Luigi Bormioli Belly Pitcher, $32, Bloomingdales www.bloomingdales.com
Kettlegrill Outdoor Pizza Oven Kit for 22.5’’, $199.95 www.kettlepizza.com
Photo Credit Here
®
Arlington, VA
$1,649,900
Dramatic new construction! 4,630sf 5BR/5.5BA, 4 car garage! Chef’s kitchen with breakfast enclave. Captivating open floor plan, 10’ ceilings, and beautiful views. Optional elevator ready! Outdoor deck, side patio & front porch. Ivana Pelikan 202.203.8600/ 202.483.6300 (O).
Bethesda, MD
$1,249,000
5 bedrooms, 4 1/2 BAs custom-built home with a 2-story foyer, granite kitchen, family room with stone fireplace, large sunroom and an elegant DR. Spacious LR, MBS with sitting area, fully finished lower level with recreation room and bonus room. Friendship Heights Office 202.364.5200.
Bethesda , MD
$1,499,000
A wonderful blend of old charm and new construction, this comfortable colonial set in the desirable Bradley Hills neighborhood sits on just under an acre of land. No detail overlooked with charm and convenience in mind. Chevy Chase Office 202.363.9700.
Fairfax, VA
$1,649,000
Arlington, VA
$1,199,000
Gorgeous Manor home with over 8800 finished sqft sits on almost 2 acres. Includes a stunning chef’s kitchen; octagonal great room; two master suites; a 7 car garage and energy efficient geothermal heating. Deck & screened Gazebo. Lilian Jorgenson 703.407.0766/703.790.1990 (O).
We invite you to tour all of our luxury listings at
Chevy Chase, MD
$888,000
New listing of sun splashed Mid-century modern brick contemporary w/treetop views. Features 5BR & 3BA, cook’s kit, two family rooms, 2 fireplaces, private yard, attached garage & circular driveway. Quiet setting near Rock Creek Park. Chevy Chase Uptown Office 202.364.1300.
Georgetown, DC
Bethesda, MD
www.ExtraordinaryProperties.com
$1,799,000
Four finished levels, five bedroom, 4.5 baths, landscaped garden. Double living room,family/ dining room. Master bedroom suite, in-law suite with separate entrance. Derry Haws 202.285.6702/ 202.944.8400.
$1,199,000
Elegant Colonial in wooded setting w fabulous patios and walkways. 5BR/3.5 BA, LR w FP, TS Chef’s Kit, private screened porch, LL in-law suite & rec room. One car garage. Close to Spring Valley shops/restaurants. Miller Chevy Chase 202.966.1500.
Fantastic opportunity to own an outstanding newer luxury home near Ballston. Premium amenities: 8 area sound system, gourmet kit w/ 48’’ professional range, two Bosch dishwashers, two deluxe wet bars, library built-ins, wood floors. Marty Merriam 703.795.0099/ 703.522.0500 (O).
Mount Pleasant, DC
Kent, DC
$1,085,000
Kent, DC
$2,495,000
Chevy Chase, DC
$2,800,000
Bethesda, MD
$1,150,000
Bright, home w/a lrge open flr plan. Kit, DR, Family Rm designed for fun & relaxation. Located on private cul de sac. New kit. SS appliances, granite counters. MBR Ste. Finished lower lvl. Deck & fenced yard overlook the park. Garage. Scott Polk 202.256.5460/ 202.944.8400(O).
Grand opportunity to own a great home in Chevy Chase Village. Sited with views of the Chevy Chase Country Club. 6BR/3FB/2HB. Generously proportioned rooms with good flow. Close to Friendship Heights, shops, restaurants, upper NW, METRO. Foxhall Office 202.363.1800.
Outstanding residence in sought after Kent neighborhood beautifully designed & built by Samuel Pardoe with approx. 5,500 sf features fabulous floor plan & grand updated interiors on private 13,000+sf lot. 7BR, 5FB, 2HB. Miller Spring Office 202.362.1300.
Masterfully expanded and renovated. 4 bedrooms, 3.5 luxury baths, ultimate Chef’s Kitchen, dining room seats twelve. Two car oversized heated garage. This home has it all – turn key condition. Welene Goller 301.229.4000/ 201.320.5064 (O).
Woodley/Cathedral, DC
$1,092,719
The 2006 renovation of this 4 lvl home created 2 master suites, 2 add’l BR’s, 2 BR terrace lvl flat. Close to every amenity, this sun-filled urban oasis has soaring ceilings, E/W exposures, decks at every lvl, and a 2-car garage. Foxhall Office 202.363.1800.
$3,050,000
The ultimate Urban Enclave. Custom built in 2007, 7BR, 7+BA, 6 FPs, separate entrance au pair/ in-law level, 2 car garage + 4 spaces, elevator, gourmet 3 oven kitchen. Prime for gracious living & elegant entertaining. Miller Spring Valley Office 202.363.1300.
All Properties Offered Internationally Follow us on:
www.ExtraordinaryProperties.com
GMG, INC. May 2, 2012 13
SPOTLIGHT
REAL ESTATE SPOTLIGHT: BEASLEY REAL ESTATE Letting the Client’s Property Shine BY M ARIT F OS S O
B
easley Real Estate, the boutique property brokerage firm that started up Feb. 1 this year, has a clear vision of how it can give its clients the best service. “Our clients come first, and our brand comes second,’’ said founder and managing partner Jim Bell. After only three months in business, Beasley has already sold more than 40 properties in the Washington area. The properties sold range from $300,000 condos to $6-million houses. Already, with the launch of its new mobile application and a strategic partnership with auction house Bonhams, Beasley Real Estate has expanded its client services in old and new ways. Jim Bell’s background is in banking and finance in addition to a number of years in real estate brokerage with Washington Fine Properties. Bell said he believes that it was time for a company model to be focused on the client and the client’s properties. “We want to be the foundation for our client’s success and absolutely everything we do is based on that,’’ Bell said. Beasley’s advertis-
ing is a perfect example of how they do things differently compared to other companies, he added. Instead of having the brand name on top, with many small photos under with the same size for each property, Beasley Real Estate have chosen to highlight two or three properties in its ads, using larger photos and only having the brand logo down in the right corner. ‘’So many of my clients in the past has come to me and said, ‘Hey, Jim, where am I? Where’s my house? I can’t find it.’ I had a really tough time with that,” he said. “Now that it’s not about the company but about the client, you visually see our client’s properties in our advertising,” said Bell enthusiastically. “I feel very strongly about that, and that’s one of the core reasons why Beasley was created.’’ Beasley was his grandfather’s name. “I didn’t want the name to be about me,’’ he said, emphasizing the importance of putting the clients interest first. Although it cost more to advertise fewer houses in each ad, Bell pointed out that in doing so they make their client’s houses shine.
Discount
R AT E S
without discount
SERVICE. It’s no accident more people trust State Farm to insure their cars. Call today.
Michele Conley
Agent Name 4701 Wisconsin NW Street AddressDC 20016 Washington, City, State Zip 202.966.6677 x10 Phone www.micheleconley.net E-mail
State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (Not in NJ), Bloomington, IL P040034 12/04
14 May 2, 2012 GMG, INC.
Jim Bell of Beasley Real Estate and Martin Gammon of Bonhams at the George Town Club
“The best agents, the best properties, the best results’’ is the company motto. To ensure that all clients get top-quality services, all agents at Beasley must have a minimum of ten years experience before they start and a minimum of $10-million annual production. The company has a worldwide presence as well. At the moment, 60 percent of its clients are actually from Europe. Beasley currently has four agents based in Washington. ‘’We will also have a London representative soon, hopefully by the fall. We want a person there to help our clients in the United Kingdom with their needs,’’ Bell said. To tune with its international connections, Beasley and the auction house Bonhams celebrated their partnership at the George Town Club April 5 with a Bonhams exhibit, “The Mapping and Discovery of America.” Antique maps, manuscripts and books were on display at the club before heading to New York. Martin Gammon, D.C. regional head of Bonhams, said he was more than pleased to partner with the real estate group and its clients. “I love Bonhams,” Bell said. “When I really started strategically mapping out the company, a lot of my clients over the years have always come from London. So, it was logical for the number of people in Washington that had properties in and around London and the U.K. to have that connection. Bonhams is worldwide partner of us, they branded very well with the opening of our Washington office.” “I’ve been a Bonhams client for a number of years,” he continued. “We have the same client
base. So, it’s a real treat for our clients to have direct access to an auction house. We introduce our clients to Bonhams and our clients are very much using their services. At the end of the day, that’s what the collaboration is there for: to be another service for our clients.” Also, an online presence has always been a big part of what Bell does. “Making it visually appealing to people is really important,” Bell said. The website has had 240,000 hits since Feb. 1. “We’re only three months old,” he added. “So, that’s incredible. We’ve got 3,400 unique visitors, which is an incredibly high number. Those are people who are on our site every 48 hours looking for information.’’ A couple of weeks ago, the company launched the Beasley Real Estate application for smartphones and tablets. The app combines information about properties with Google Earth technology. If you are walking around with the map function on, the map will populate the neighborhood around you as you walk. First of all, the map will show you which houses are for sale around your location. Then, you can click on it and view information and photos. Second, you can also see what other properties in the same area sold for. The map will also show you rentals and commercial properties. “It’s not just information about Beasley properties,” said Bell, who appeared on Fox 5 Morning News a week ago to explain the app as he stood in front of a P Street house. “With this app you can become a market expert. It’s a great tool for consumers to help them know what they’re doing and to make the best decisions.” ★
FEATURE
84th Georgetown Garden Tour: Our Not-So-Secret Gardens of Invention BY AL ISON S CHA F ER
them up and put them back where they should be. Do they stay there? Not necessarily.” That’s the reason why the garden tour is so interesting, she says. Some of these homeowners are “fearless gardeners,” Schafer adds, happy to try new ideas, new plants, new ways of looking at the world in their backyard. After all, the word, “paradise,” comes from a Persian word for walled gardens. The tour runs Saturday, May 5, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. You can get tickets for $35 at GeorgetownGardenTour.com, or call 202-965-1950.
S
ome of them are small, and some of them are grand. Some are architecturally intriguing, some full of plants with exotic names, like chocolate mimosa (you don’t drink it) and Cambodian buddhas. The 84th Georgetown Garden Tour takes place Saturday, May 5, and it is all about the eight paces, large and small, tucked behind high walls. One of the recurring themes of the tour is how inventive Georgetowners can take a tiny space and turn it into a dynamic and interesting outdoor “room.” The garden tour, which is, after all, an urban garden tour, focuses on the problems inherent in small, enclosed gardens: the neighbors, their trees, their children, sun, the lack of it. It is impressive what people can do with small gardens. They create spaces on different levels, they “borrow” views, install marvelous statuary from exotic lands, put in charming water features, plant masses of very dark purple foliage (almost black). All of these are on show in this year’s tour. One such garden is 3200 P Street, according to long-time garden tour organizer and local tyrant Edie Schafer. “It is extremely interesting, it has everything in it, they’ve got a water feature and they’re really into the plants. It is a small space, but they’ve done a lot with it,” she says. That’s part of what draws a crowd to the tour. These gardens don’t necessarily start out with beautiful bones and knockout views; their owners have to work to turn them into something special. There are plenty of big, grand gardens as well. Bowie-Sevier house, which stretches from Q to P Street, has old boxwoods, a pool and a play area for the young family which lives there. You could get lost there, the space is so vast. The garden on the corner of 28th and Q is also attached to a stately old house, and the trees there
Christ Church, 31st and O Streets, N.W., will serve as headquarters for the tour. In addition to purchasing tickets at the Church, you may also peruse the unique Garden Boutique which will offer beautiful topiaries, fine porcelain vases, and unusual gardening tools for sale. Included in your ticket price is an afternoon tea served at Keith Hall, Christ Church, 2 to 4 p.m. The not-to-be missed tea features cookies, tea sandwiches and sweets, all handmade by members of the Georgetown Garden Club. ★
BUY MOM THE PERFECT GIFT have probably seen more intrigue than your average member of Congress. Some houses interact so well with their gardens that you can’t really see one without engaging with the other. A house on 28th Street boasts a low curving wall, a windowpane mirror and a terrific, multi-trunked Kousa dogwood. But what’s really alluring about the space is the way the big light-filled living room opens into the garden. It makes you want to grab a book and sit in the sun, though the house’s owners might have other ideas. For a Georgetowner, one of the best parts of the tour is the authorized snooping. The neighborhood is full of pleasant little houses and vine-covered walls. But when you get behind the front walls, it really gets interesting. Spectacular secrets lie in wait, swimming pools, Balinese dancers, rare cacti. To the outsider, Georgetown is closed up, has its street face on. To tour goers, all is revealed. Gardens are always changing, Schafer says. “When you put a vine on a house it often has its own plans, like taking off all over the place or refusing to climb where you want it to climb, and ends up somewhere you don’t want it to be. This is also true of low-growing perennials and groundcovers: you put them in a bed and the next thing you know they are all over the lawn, not what you had in mind at all. So, then you dig
With the gift of a Four Seasons Gift Card, mom gets to decide how to enjoy her gift Give mom the gift of possibilities: Hotel Spa Dining
86 Hotels in 35 countries
www.fourseasons.com or Call 202-342-0444
GMG, INC. May 2, 2012 15
COVER STORY
Modern
Family
Jack & Michele
Evans
Photo by Philip Bermingham
Michelle and Jack Evans with their children on their wedding day
O
BY G A RY T IS CHL ER n Mother’s Day––coming up May 13––you get images in your head. Donna Reed unruffled. Soccer moms relieving the family SUV of soccer kids, soccer balls, soccer goals and soccer dogs. The beloved Irish mom: “Me mother was a saint, don’t you know.” The mom in “Leave It to Beaver.” These days, there are single moms, working moms, political moms, first lady moms and first lady moms-in-waiting. Maybe we shouldn’t call it Mother’s Day at all. Or Father’s Day. Maybe we should call it kid’s day. Or the family dog day. Maybe we should just have a family day. America needs another quasi-holiday anyway. And what better place to start with a family day than the household of Jack and Michele Evans. It’s got all the ingredients. 16 May 2, 2012 GMG, INC.
19.
Mom: check. Michele Seiver Evans. Dad: check. Jack Evans. Kids: check. Sam Seiver, 22; Madeline Seiver, 19; Jack Seiver,
Kids: check again. Katharine, John and Christine Evans, 15. Dog: check. Golden Retriever Kelly. Now, put the ingredients, once separate, together by marriage. Then, only a short time after the September 2010 wedding, begin a major renovation of the Evans home at 3141 P Street, then put it on the 2012 Georgetown House Tour, just for good measure. “Jack stayed, and the kids stayed upstairs during construction,” Michele Evans said. “I rented a town house. So, actually, we haven’t been together as a family until late last year, right around Thanksgiving.”
“Lots of people have made the obvious references to ‘The Brady Bunch,’ ” she said, as she led the way into the downstairs part of the house, where she’s created a picture board of photographs of all of the new family’s children, 15-year-old triplets Katharine, John and Christine Evans and Michele’s children, Sam, Maddy and Jack. Friends have compared her to the Brady mom. She laughed. “I think sometimes I feel more like Alice, the housekeeper.” She certainly doesn’t look or act like Alice. Vivacious, creative, an interior designer by profession and inclination, she designed the major part of the Evans homestead renovation, which opened up the first floor living room, creating the illusion of a larger space by creating a flow that connects to the outdoor patio, and gracefully furnished in a style that merges tradition with con-
COVER STORY
a public figure. “That was different,” she said. “I’m a naturally friendly person, I think, outgoing. But being in the public eye, you have to be a little more careful with what you say.” “I think the kids know that,” the father and council member said. “It’s just something you learn. It’s like ‘your dad’s on tv, or they hear somebody say something that’s not particularly flattering or it’s critical, they hear and read things. I just tell them--think before you say something to someone.” Evans’s political resume--re-elections to his Ward 2 council seat almost as a matter of course, a failed, but nonetheless very classy and professionally managed run for mayor--is thick with experience, and hardly complete. In other words, the obvious question comes up: does he still want to be Mayor of Washington, D.C.? “Absolutely,” he says, emphatically. “I think the prospects for success are better these days than they were then, and if the occasion arises where I think I have a good chance, I’ll run.” As a leader on the city council and a Georgetown resident, his profile is already high throughout the city and among his neighbors. If he chooses to run at some point in the future, he’d be running as the head of one family, once two separate families, the father who knows, if not best, certainly a lot about raising a family, and about being a parent. And he’ll present a richer, more complete and complicated persona and Photo by Philip Bermingham Photo by Philip Bermingham identity to the public, something larger than his identity as the government’s pretty lucky in one sense: my children are spaced and council’s most experienced leader. temporary motifs smoothly into the outdoor patio. He is also the man who can take a large part of the credit for lead“Didn’t have a thing to do with it,” said Jack Evans, arriving in apart -- there’s the oldest, the middle child and the youngest. With triplets, it’s all at once, which presents different challenges, differing the way in transforming downtown Washington and for bringa dark suit from his District Council work late on a Friday mornent joys and requirements. I can just imagine how hectic things ing baseball to Washington, among numerous accomplishments. ing. “It’s all Michele.” The newly constituted Evans family almost didn’t happen. “I Evans had been a single dad for seven years, and Michele could get for Jack, doing everything as a single dad.” What he did, for instance, was to organize laundry bags: all asked her out twice,” Evans said. “And she said no.” (then Michele Seiver) had been a single mom for six years. The the socks in one bag, t-shirts and underwear in another, and so The third time, as it turned out, was the charm. “We ran into two married September 18, 2010, after dating for two years. forth. “That wouldn’t have worked for me, but I could see it was each other at a party, and I started to go out the door and I turned Evans, by looks, reputation, demeanor and profession, seems around and I thought, if I don’t try again, it’s never going to hapa man least likely to embrace drama--the Ward 2 councilman and necessary for them.” “You learn a lot about each other in that first year,” Jack Evans pen.” longest continuous member of the District Council looks like the said. “When you’re a single dad, you have to be organized like He did and she said yes. The first date? “He took me to a master of the budget that he is, a little buttoned down and serious that. It can’t be done any other way, for me.” Nationals game,” she said. “I loved it.” expert. But he can fool you: he mastered the shaky Less conventional was a date in which Evans took and sometimes emotional art of raising triplets in his future wife on a drive-by tour of African-American his own way after the death of his first wife, Noel. “I asked her out twice,” Evans said. “And she said no.” churches in Ward 2. His office is something of a man cave, full of not Michele Evans grew up in Wyoming and came to only the usual politician’s photographs with other The third time, as it turned out, was the charm. Washington to work in the office of then Sen. Malcolm elected officials, presidents, family and momentous Wallop (R-Wyo.). Before merging her family of three occasions, but sports stuff, actual fussball games children--Sam Seiver 22, now living in Santa Ana, Calif., and Redskins, Caps and Nationals memorabilia and Madeline Seiver, 19, now at the University of South signs. Recently, Evans was on the stage at the Helen Carolina, and Jack Seiver, 16, a junior at Gonzaga College High Hayes Awards, praising the D.C. theater scene with eloquence, Michele Evans laughed, remembering the first Thanksgiving School--lived in Spring Valley. embracing the spotlight when it hit him like a thespian. the two families shared. “Being a single parent -- and we both know this for a fact -- is Still, marrying and merging two families and renovating your “I had prepared a whole meal based on a family recipe, very hard work, period. It doesn’t matter who you are,” Jack Evans house is inviting drama into your life. But it appears to be drama elaborate, gourmet, complicated,” she said. “They were used to said. “If you’re a stay-at-home parent, it’s hard work. If you’re a of the enlivening, good sort, as opposed to chaos. single parent and working, it’s hard work. We both know that for “Perhaps, it wasn’t the easiest way of doing things,” Michele and quite happy with cranberry sauce, out of a can.” “With my children, the triplets had a chance to deal with older a fact and from experience.” ★ Evans said. “We married in September 2010, and a week later, the sisters and brothers,” she added. “I think in some ways that’s my renovation started.” Jack Evans’ wardrobe provided by Streets of Georgetown: “The most difficult thing is the merging of the families,” role with the girls, too, I’m more like an older sister in addition to Shirt: Hart Schaffner Marx blue gingham shirt - $89.50 being a mother to them.” Michele Evans said. “You have to negotiate, compromise, and you Tie: Hickey Freeman navy pin dot bold strip - $135 “I think Jack approached being a single dad by creating a can’t really actually bring everything you have together. You have Pants: Hickey Freeman bone color 100% pima cotton chino - $245 sense of order, which is necessary, and I think I bring a little more to figure out what to do with six sets of skies, for instance, and Gray Suit: Hickey Freeman peak lapel grey prince of wales plaid suit $1495 your schedules have just sort of doubled. He and I have different color and creativity to things. “ she said. She was merging her life and family not only with another ways of parenting out of each of our particular situations. I was family but with the family of an elected official, a politician and GMG, INC. May 2, 2012 17
IN COUNTRY
Grapes of Jefferson’s Dreams
The Growing Acclaim of Charlottesville’s Wine BY ARI P OS T
W
hen he planted a vineyard at his home in Monticello some 200 years ago, it was Thomas Jefferson’s dream that vineyards and wines from his native state would one day stand with the great wines of the Old World. Jefferson’s vision remained unfulfilled in his lifetime, but in the 21st century his dream has become reality. Virginia wine country, long developing under the radar of connoisseurs and enthusiasts, is now an international libation destination. The nation’s fifth largest wine producer and seventh largest producer of wine grapes, Virginia wine sales reached a record high last year with nearly half a million cases sold, an increase of more than 11 percent over the previous year. Wine contributes almost $350 million to the state on an annual basis, with around one million annual visitors to the state now including local wineries among their travel destinations. Wine Enthusiast magazine even named Virginia as one of the ten best international wine destinations this year, alongside regions in California, New Zealand, Chile, Spain and France. And while the success might seem like so much glitz, it is really a testament to the decades of sweat, blood and tears that Virginia winemakers have poured into the land. Flying under
MEADOWKIRK INN & RETREAT Middleburg, Virginia • $16,000,000
the radar of the international wine community, these devoted servants of the grape explored varietals best suited to the area—which they could only do through trial and error during the summer growing season (and grape vines take years to mature)—experimenting with almost every available grape, all while developing farming and harvesting patterns to meet with the rigorous needs of the region’s effusive, inconsistent climate. Fittingly named, the Monticello Viticultural Area (AVA), surrounding Jefferson’s old home, is recognized as the most prominent of Virginia’s winegrowing regions, with over 20 area wineries producing fine wines of international acclaim. It’s impossible to explore them all in one visit, but here’s the scoop on two top Charlottesville wineries, perfect to grease the skids and wet the palettes of viticultural locavores, as well as to showcase the best wines this region has to offer.
Pollak Vineyards
2011 was a tough harvest in the Monticello AVA. It had already been a very hot growing season, which can hurt wines in reaching optimal acidity. Then, just as the first whites were ready to be picked, cloudy weather set in and lingered right into the red wine harvest window, putting the grapes at risk for sour rot, powdery
PATRICKSWELL
Middleburg, Virginia • $10,500,000
mildew, stunted growth and low sugar levels. But none of this stopped David and Margo Pollak, owners of Pollak Vineyards, from producing an internationally award-winning vintage. “That’s one of the great things about the Pollaks,” says Nick Dovel, general manager of the vineyard. “They’d rather make a small batch of good quality wine than a lot of mediocre wine. We sorted the grapes last year by individual cluster, de-stemmed them and then sorted each individual berry.” David and Margo first began making wine in Napa Valley in the 1970s when they founded Bouchaine Vineyards, planting and producing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The vineyard took off and they sold it in the 80s, but the vintner’s itch soon returned. With their new venture, they wanted to explore a new terrain in the winemaking world. Virginia, they decided, was the Napa of the East Coast. The couple spent five years combing the state’s farmland, looking for a plot with the right sun exposure and optimal drainage for grape vines. They found their current Charlottesville plot in 2001and started planting fruit in 2003. “We don’t buy or outsource any fruit for our wine,” says Dovel. “We grow all our own grapes, and even sell to some of our neighbors, which we’re very proud of. It’s rare to find a winery that does all estate grown wines.
LONGVIEW LANE
Delaplane, Virginia • $4,150,000
358 acres • 8 BR Manor house • 6 FP • Heart of pine floors • 10’ ceilings • Inn w/20 rooms all w/private baths • Conference room • Stone barn can accommodate 120 guests • 3 cottages • Log cabin • Pool & pool house • Observatory • Picnic pavilion • 2 miles of Goose Creek frontage.
264 acres in Orange County Hunt • Main house of stone construction • 4 bedrooms plus an in-law suite • Pool • Tennis court • 20 stall center aisle stable • Farm office • 1/16 mile indoor track • Guest house.
RELIANCE ROAD
HIDDEN BROOK FARM
SNICKERSVILLE TURNPIKE
Custom French Provencal • 5-6 bedroom • 5 1/2 baths • 3 fireplaces • Beautiful finishings throughout that include exotic hardwood floors, towering stone fireplaces, paneled den, gourmet kitchen • Terraced gardens • Pool • Koi pond • 42.42 acres • Great setting with major frontage on Crooked Run • Also available on 158.84 acres for $2,875,000.
25 acres • Bright open floor plan • 1st floor bedroom • Pool • 16 stall stable with apartment • Lighted stone dust arena • Great ride out.
10 acre horse farm • Brick home w/ 3 bedrooms on main level • In-law suite • Pool • Jacuzzi • 6 stall barn • 4 paddocks • 95 x 75 sand & stone arena • Lovely pond & plantings • Great commuter location.
Paul MacMahon
Ann MacMahon
Unison, Virginia • $1,550,000
Helen MacMahon
(540) 454-1930
(540) 687-5588
Aldie, Virginia • $995,000
Ann MacMahon Helen MacMahon
(540) 687-5588 (540) 454-1930
What you taste in our wines is our true terroir— what Mother Nature has to offer our specific property.” Today, Pollak is well known for their Viogniers and Petit Verdots. Their red wines are unfined and unfiltered, with a lot of finesse but a still-present power. “If you put France and California together,” says Dovel, “that’s where we sit: big fruit with great structure—and the character of Virginia’s unique climate makes it awesome.” Dovel isn’t just talking big; judging by the vineyard’s accolades, he’s just telling it like it is. In 2011, he submitted a selection of wines to the Riverside International Wine Competition. “At first I wasn’t going to submit any because of this sort of East Coast wine stigma the industry tends to have—they tend to think less of us and
MARLEY GRANGE
Millwood, Virginia • $2,600,000
Understated elegance • Finely appointed 5600+ sq. ft. home built in 1997 on 75 acres in a private and secluded setting • 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, 2 half baths • 10 stall barn • 224 ft. x 128 ft. blue stone ring • Excellent horse facility and ride-out.
Tom Cammack
(540) 247-5408
RECTORTOWN ROAD
Rectortown, Virginia • $775,000
Quaint village setting • First floor master suite • 2 additional bedrooms • Charming guest home • 3 stall barn • 3 acres • Lovely setting.
Paul MacMahon
(703) 609-1905
info@sheridanmacmahon.com | www.sheridanmacmahon.com
18 May 2, 2012 GMG, INC.
(703) 609-1905
(703) 609-1905
Middletown, Virginia • $1,750,000
Paul MacMahon
Paul MacMahon
c. 1889 masterpiece • Stunning site is unmatched in the region • 15 acres amidst 400 protected acres • Main house has 3 BR, amazing kitchen, limestone floors, mahogany doors, 4 FP • 3 BR guest cottage • 2 BR carriage house • Charming guest quarters • Great location, stunning views, exquisite detail • Rare find, fantastic value.
A bottle of Pollak’s Pinot Grigio
110 East Washington Street | Middleburg, Virginia 20117 (540) 687-5588
(703) 609-1905
Goodstone - Georget. May 2nd ad_Layout 1 4/30/12 1:56 PM Page 1
IN COUNTRY
Condé Nast Johansens Award Winner: “MOST EXCELLENT INN - 2011” / “MOST EXCELLENT INN - 2012” Finalist “MOST EXCELLENT ROMANTIC HIDEAWAY - 2012” Finalist OpenTable Diner’s Choice Award Winner: “TOP 100 BEST RESTAURANTS IN THE USA - 2011”
King Family Vineyard in Charlottesville, Va
rate us low. But when I read that competition was a blind tasting, I suddenly really wanted to do it.” He sent six wines to the competition. All of them medaled. Their Petit Verdot won unanimous gold medals and received the Chairman’s Choice Award, the highest honor of the competition. “The competition named us the best small winery in the world because of that Petit Verdot,” says Dovel. “They all wanted to know if we bought the fruit from some vineyard in California. They couldn’t believe all the grapes we used were estate grown—everyone was just blown away.” Georgetowner.05.01_Layout King Family Vineyards 1
Winemaker’s Year,” which explored the rapid growth of Virginia’s wine industry, King Family Vineyards was featured in a segment where a late spring frost was threatening a vineyard full of budded vines. “That was a scary experience,” says Will Rucker, King Family’s tasting room manager. “So what we did last year was light bales of hay on fire surrounding the vineyard, and then had helicopters hover over the vineyard at night to circulate the warm air.” To Rucker, this annual challenge is the beauty of making wine in Virginia. “With Virginia wine, you’re almost left guessing with each vintage. But that’s why it’s fun—as a pro-
4/27/12 4:03 PM Page 1
continues on next page
In the 2010 documentary “Vintage: The
Enjoy an outstanding Mother’s Day at Goodstone’s award-winning restaurant and breathtaking 265-acre estate. Call now for reservations for Mother’s Day dinner on May 13th and ask about our Mother’s Day Weekend Getaway Package. THE GOODSTONE SPA GIFT CARD: Treat Mom to a gift of total relaxation with a massage or facial. Visit www.goodstone.com for a full spa menu.
WWW.GOODSTONE.COM 36205 SNAKE HILL ROAD, MIDDLEBURG, VA 20117
Please call 540.687.3333 to reserve your guest room or place at our table.
A V IS IT L O UDOU N D ES TI NAT IO N RE S TAU RA NT
P r o P e rt i e s i n V i r G i n i A H u n t C o u n t ry ashland
southwoods
browns lane-waterford
15 wirt street
William Lawrence Bottomley understood Virginia’s architecture when he designed and supervised the major additions and restoration in the 1930’s. This Virginia Country Estate with manor home, guest cottage, farm manager’s residence, stable and paddocks with run-in sheds for over 20 horses on 80 acres, 3 miles west of the Town of Warrenton. $3,400,000
Spectacular 17 room custom brick Colonial boasting over 9500 Sq Ft. of living space on a private lane s 25 gorgeous acres sPalladian windows sWood floorssGrandly scaled rooms with high ceilings sExtordinary quality throughout sFabulous pool surrounded by flagstone terracess Brilliant gardens s Board fenced paddocks sIdeal for horses. Minutes to Middleburg. $2,699,000
Exquisite custom colonial on 17+ acres with spectacular mountain views sHigh ceilings, sun-filled rooms, superior quality and elegant decor with almost 7,000 square feet of living spacesSteam ShowersOffice/GuestSuitesSunRoomsFamilyRoom sGourmet country Kitchen s3 finished levels with 5Bedrooms, 6.5 Baths sMedia Room sIdeal for horses or pool. Motivated! $1,222,648
Exquisite historic manor surrounded by brillant gardens and towering trees in an idyllic setting. Elegant and spacious rooms with high ceilings and gleaming wood floors, grace this 14 room residence, sGourmet kitchen s 4 modern BathssLibrary s 4 fireplaces s sunfilled Porches add charm and warmthsIdeal for gracious entertainings Additional land available with two car garage. $1,195,000
Please see over 100 of our fine estates and exclusive country properties on the world wide web by visiting
www.
THOMAS -TALBOT.com
willowin
westwind
forest hills
mountain shadow
Extraordinary 15 room colonial boasting with approximately 8000 square feet of living space. High ceilings, sun filled rooms, gleaming wood floors and a gourmet country kitchen with top of the line appliances. Features a new stable, riding ring and board fenced paddocks, plus a carriage house garage and attached garage. $1,175,000
This stately brick colonial with spacious rooms for entertaining was renovated to satisfy today’s less formal lifestyle with kitchen/family room addition opening to lovely gardens and pool. Its 20 acres are two separate 10 acre parcels, one of which is in land use. This offers seclusion but with easy access to I-66. $995,000
Custom log home with extraordinary views of the valley in a very private and secluded setting. An open floor plan features soaring ceilings, walls of windows, wood floors and stone fireplace. Wood burning stoves on main and walkout levels, an Aga stove for the true gourmet chef, lots of rooms for office, crafts, exercise, etc., $679,000
Close to the charming village of Orlean, Corner Brook Farm offers a lovely 4 bedroom, 4 ½ bath main residence with garage parking for 5 cars, barns and four board fenced paddocks. This is a well designed 18 acre horse or cattle farm located at the end of a private lane with wonderful trails and ride out. $695,000
Offers subject to errors, omissions, change of price or withdraw without notice. Information contained herein is deemed reliable, but is not so warranted nor is it otherwise guaranteed.
THOMAS AND TALBOT REAL ESTATE LAND AND ESTATE AGENTS SINCE 1967 A STAUNCH ADVOCATE OF LAND EASEMENTS
Telephone (540) 687-6500
P. O. Box 500 s No.2 South Madison Street Middleburg sVirginia 20117 GMG, INC. May 2, 2012 19
IN COUNTRY continued from previous page ducer and as a drinker. “Honestly, vintage variation is the coolest thing out here,” agrees Dovel over at Pollak. “You can go buy your bottle of California Chardonnay anytime, and it’s the same from year to year. But in Virginia, you make a Cabernet Franc one year and it will be fullbodied like a Bordeaux, and the next year it might be a light, elegant Loire Valley-type.” “We have to adjust our farming practices on a day-to-day basis,” says Rucker. Heavy rain, for instance, makes lighter vintages because you end up with more water in the fruit. Matthieu Finot, the winemaker at King Family, has to craft the wines into something elegant each year. “It’s an exciting and dynamic process. A real and serious challenge, but in the best possible way.” Finot tends toward making Old World European style wines at King Family. “He has experience in Italy, France, South Africa, many of the greatest winemaking regions in the world. And one of the most exciting things about Virginia for him is how effusive the climate is. With the weather so all over the place, there’s a real humanity—a human element—to the wine he makes, because it forces him to alter his practices so frequently. The wine that comes out has his fingerprints all over it.” David and Ellen King came to the area from Houston, Texas, in 1996 with the aspiration of becoming a premium fruit grower for the state’s then bourgeoning wine industry. It didn’t take long for them to turn into winemakers themselves. The tasting room and winery
keswick, virginia 202.390.2323 www.castlehillcider.com events@castlehillcider.com
was opened in 2002 (a ten-year anniversary is on the horizon), and they have since opened an event space, “To host all those winery weddings that everyone wants to have,” says Rucker with a chuckle. King Family’s 2010 Meritage, the current vintage of their hallmark wine, is big and chewy and dark, different from previous years, but wildly tasty. Getting into summer, returning customers are looking forward to their seasonal Crosé, a unique rosé made of Merlot grapes. “It’s a big hit when we host polo matches on Sundays,” says Rucker. “A great wine to drink cold, with a Sauvignon Blanc-esque grapefruit nose. I call it the perfect poolside wine—and it’s great when paired with anything off the grill.” “We’ve got people traveling to this area for the purpose of tasting wine,” Rucker says, “which is enormous headway from this time five years ago. Our vineyards are winning international awards and we’re seeing the attitudes of the international community constantly changing.” Write it off as a growing pain, but the years of dismissal and neglect are no more for Virginia wines. And as its epicenter, the Monticello AVA is the most significant place for a wine buff to sample and explore the dynamic array that Virginia’s vines has to offer. For more information on the wines and sites of Pollak Vineyards and King Family Vineyards, visit www.PollakVineyards. com, or www.KingFamilyVineyards.com. To read up on the greater Monticello AVA and explore its full family of vineyards, visit www. MonticelloWineTrail.com. ★
S t u n n i n g D e c o r at e D M o D e l n ow o p e n
Foxhall RiDge n e w
n ow
l u x u ry
s e l l i n g
t ow n h o m e s
f ro m
t h e
i n
wa s h i n g t o n
$900’s-$1.6
,
d
.
c
.
m i l l i o n
Discover the pinnacle of luxury living at Foxhall Ridge, a new community of elegant townhomes perfectly located between the delights of Georgetown and the natural pleasures of the Palisades. Georgetown | Palisades | Foxhall Prices, amenities, designs, measurements, and features are all subject to change without notice. Please see a sales director for more details.
20 May 2, 2012 GMG, INC.
Contact Sales Director Matt Cheney at 888.310.1850 to Schedule Your Personal Tour
FoxhallRidgeTowns.com/Georgetowner
FEATURE PROPERTY
Rivanna Farm In the heart of Albemarle’s wine country: 675 acres with sweeping Blue Ridge views. Recipient of the 2010 Clean Farm Award & Best Farm Management Practices. A magnificent Georgian-style home with matching petit chateau create the courtyard … set on a peaceful knoll only 5 minutes northeast of Charlottesville. Interiors designed by S. Boudin of Paris (12’ high ceilings and a great entry hall). Formal garden terraces by Charles Gillette. Pool plus cabana with kitchen, gardener’s cottage, farm manager house, barns, etc.
For more information, please call Sharon Donovan, 434-981-7200.
info@rhettassociates.com
Frank Hardy Inc., Realtors Residential Brokers 417 Park Street, Charlottesville Virginia 22902
po box 46, keswick, va 22947 434.296.0047
Celebrate Food & Wine AT
THE
#1
SMALL RESORT IN THE US
KESWICK HALL – Package Rates from $350 per night – 701 CLUB DRIVE | KESWICK, VA | 22947 | 434-979-3440 | 888-778-2565 | KESWICK.COM
GMG, INC. May 2, 2012 21
PERFORMANCE
Sold for $47,600
Sold for $144,000
‘Nabucco’ Succeeds in Being Grandiose and Close
W
Sold for $87,840
Sold for $36,600
What’s it Worth? Receive complimentary estimates at our auction appraisal events Washington, DC Bonhams specialists will be visiting Washington, DC to provide complimentary auction estimates with a view to selling at upcoming auctions in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, London and Hong Kong. May 4 May 4 May 11 May 17 May 18 May 30
Jewelry European Paintings Fine Wine Books, Maps & Manuscripts Furniture & Decorative Arts Modern & Contemporary Art
By appointment only +1 202 333 1696 martin.gammon@bonhams.com +1 540 454 2437 gertraud.hechl@bonhams.com Bonhams Georgetown 2902 M Street NW Washington DC 20007
International Auctioneers and Appraisers – bonhams.com/dc ©2012 Bonhams Auctioneers Corp. Principal Auctioneer: Malcolm Barber. NYC License No. 1183017
22 May 2, 2012 GMG, INC.
BY GARY TISC H L ER e were almost late to the Washington National Opera premiere production of Giuseppi Verdi’s spectacular and inventive “Nabucco” last Saturday because our cab driver drove smack into the crowd scene surrounding the White House Correspondents’ Dinner at the Washington Hilton. Rubberneckers hoping to see George Clooney or Lindsay Lohan lined parts of Connecticut Avenue in the beginning rain. We settled for “Nabucco,” aka Nabucodonosor, aka Nebuchadnezzar, plus his two daughters Fenena, the lovely, and Abigaille, the fierce, plus a host of Hebrews in captivity, a high priest of Baal and a cast of hundreds including a magnificent chorus. I thought about the WHCD a little during the long course of “Nabucco” because director Thaddeus Strassberger (who also designed the sets) brought a two-edged sensibility to the production, a kind of showtime aspect as well a faithful presentation of the kind of opera for which Verdi was famous. Strassberger’s main conceit or invention is to stage the opera as it might be seen on an opening night in Milan’s Teatro alla Scala on March 9, 1842, with the tuxedoed swells and their jeweled ladies in boxes watching from boxes, presaged by marching soldiers. He revisits the concept later in the opera when the stage is transformed, with a large, white-clad chorus assembling to sing the moving “Va, pensiero,” a musical piece so powerful that it became the unofficial national anthem of Italy once it achieved unification. Closer to the front of the stage, you can see a ballerina practicing, men and women milling at a table, and patrons of the time moving about. This apparently approximated performance practices of the times--frequent intermissions, prologues, performances by ballet dancers, a kind of informality that was both grand and intimate. Since “Va, pansiero” is a kind of longing, full-bodied lament on the part of the Israelites in captivity in Babylon for the lost homeland, one might think the business on the stage might distract from the plight. But the opposite takes hold-it becomes a moving, extended moment (which had echoes for a divided and occupied Italy), so moving that it is done again, with the hope that the audiences of the time might join in.
Historically, “Va, pansiero” is a highlight of any production of “Nabucco.” That was true for the WNO production, but Verdi’s music, so expansive and such a boon for the orchestra, draped itself over the principals, all of them in various degrees gifted with requisite vocal and acting skills. While several narrative strands emerge from the opera--there’s Nabucco’s calamitous, blasphemous destruction of Solomon’s Temple, the defeat and captivity of the Hebrews and the effect on their leaders -- a love affair between one Fenena and a handsome Hebrew warrior, the anti-hero and anti-heroine of “Nabucco” are the Babylonian king and his low-born, grandly angry and resentful warrior daughter Abigaille. While there are imposing vocals and star turns by bass Soloman Howard as a venomous high priest of Baal, Turkish bass Burak Bilgili as the Hebrew leader Zaccaria, French mezzosoprano Geraldine Chauvet in a moving performance as Fenena and tenor Sean Panikar in heroic form as Ismael, the burden of the opera has to be carried by Italian baritone Franco Vassallo as Nabucco and Hungarian soprano Csilla Boross, as his usurping daughter as Abigaille. They occupy large chunks of this nearly three-hour opera, sometimes in cross-purposed, combative duets, sometimes by themselves, especially Vassallo as Nabucco moves in and out of madness alone in a prison cells. Boross hits the highest notes possible at the top of the scale in full rage, her bile and resentment boiling over, preceded by lower-level guile as she attempts to manipulate the king. This is Verdi-style grand opera, of course, and not to be mistaken for history, per se, although the scale and sources are somewhat biblical--gods, the Babylonian Baal and the Hebrew Jehovah, are omni-present if not in the flesh. The production--subtle in some of its staging-also means to bowl you over with sheer grandiosity, and it succeeds. Mattie Ullrich’s diverse, eye-pleasing costume designs--the clean white of the Hebrews contrasts sharply with the rich, intricate, gold and greens of the Babylonian hierarchy, mixing in with more spectral presences and the 19th-century evocations of the on-stage onlookers. “Nabucco” is being performed at the Kennedy Center’s Opera House through May 21. ★
ART WRAP
Mount Fuji’s Fleeting Immortality At the Sackler Gallery
T
BY ARI POS T
he epoch of ukioy-e encapsulates the final phase of traditional Japanese history and a time of flourishing cultural arts from about 1600 through the 1860s. Due to the country’s policy of national seclusion (starting in the 1630s for fear of the impact of European colonial expansion on native culture), Japan was a world almost entirely unseen by foreign eyes until the late 19th century. During this period of isolation, Japanese art acquired a singular character with few external influences. The style of ukiyo-e, which means “pictures of the floating world,” blended the realistic narratives of ancient picture scrolls with inspiration from the decorative arts and observation of nature. When these artistic traditions finally reached Europe and North America, their radical approaches to space, color and subject matter shook the Western tradition, revitalizing graphic design and penetrating the consciousness of painters from Monet to van Gogh. Katsushika Hokusai (1760 – 1849), the ukiyo-e’s most prolific and renowned artist, produced an estimated 35,000 works during seven decades of ceaseless artistic creation. His images have matured into icons of world art, most famously his woodblock prints of Mount Fuji and its relationship with the surrounding villages and countryside. At the Sackler Gallery through June 17, “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji” exhibits the full collection of Hokusai’s original prints, showcasing the intricate beauty, intimacy and grandiosity of these masterworks. They will leave you swooning and weak in the knees, enraptured by their ephemeral delicacy like a cherry blossom’s silky petals caught in spring’s first light. Mount Fuji occupies a special place in Japanese culture. The ancient Japanese were sun worshipers and in the bustling city of Edo (modern Tokyo), this 12,000-foot volcano, resting like a lazy giant in the distant landscape, was the first piece of earth to catch light from the rising sun. A lifetime resident of Edo, Hokusai was intimately familiar with Mount Fuji’s snowcapped crest when he finally immortalized it in his print series at the age of seventy. As a teenager, Hokusai apprenticed with a woodblock engraver, but quickly shifted his efforts to drawing and painting. Like most ukiyo-e artists, his career began as an illustrator for yellowbacks—cheap novelettes named for the color of their covers—before moving into illustrations for the major novelists of the day. Hokusai’s work spanned the gamut of ukiyoe subjects: album prints, genre scenes, historical events, landscape series, paintings on silk and privately commissioned prints for special occasions called surimono. Well regarded throughout Japan, his model books for amateur artists were very popular, as were his caricatures of occupations, customs and social behavior. From age twenty until the year of his death, Hokusai illustrated over 270 titles, including several books of his own art. “But nothing I did before the age of seventy was worthy of attention,” said Hokusai, who envisioned his artistry maturing well past his centennial. Indeed, in the last two decades of his life Hokusai produced his finest work, unrivaled within the genre as the apex of the ukiyo-e tra-
Take MeTrobus and MeTrorail To The...
DC JAZZ FESTIVAL JUNE 1–10 2012
JUNE 1-10
Jazz at the Hamilton roy hargrove, Monty alexander, and more
JUNE 3, 4 & 10
Jazz at the Howard dianne reeves and more Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji: Under the Wave off Kanagawa, also known as the Great Wave. By Katsushika Hokusai. ca. 1830-32; Polychrome woodblock print; ink and color on paper. Image credit: H. O Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929, Metropolitan Museum of Art (JP1847).
JUNE 7 Sixth & I Historic Synagogue rising star Concert: anat Cohen
dition. What Hokusai manages to capture in these prints precedes Impressionism in capturing the fleeting wonder of natural phenomena, realizing the texture and mood of atmosphere, seasonality, temperature and light. (It’s worth noting that Hokusai was actually rather familiar with European and Chinese art when he made these prints, as his country had by then opened international trade relations in some capacity, allowing glimpses of foreign artistic traditions.) In studying the mountain Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji: In the Mountains of Totomi Province By KatHokusai (1760—1849) Japan, Edo period, ca. 1831; Woodblock and its relationship to the surround- sushika Image credit: Anne Van Biema Collection, Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution ing world, Hokusai shows us the (S2004.3.211). serenity and violence, the danger, emerges in the background. mystery and allure of our natural world. One of the show’s last prints, “Sunset on Perhaps another aspect of Hokusai’s genius Ryogoku Bridge,” shows a pale grey sky, with was in bringing the tonal reservation and tran- the wine-hued boldness of an unseen sun satusient effusiveness of painting together with the rating the Prussian blue waters and glowing bold, clean linear image-making and stark visual green bridge. Mount Fuji hovers like a deep, clarity of prints. The prints perfectly depict the luminescent shadow behind a cluster of dim external appearances of nature and symbolically houses. An old man stands in his boat, leaning interpret the vital energy forces found in the sea, on his oar and staring at the distant mountain, wind and clouds. as if overwhelmed by the site. It is a beauty he In “The Waterwheel at Onden” and “In the cannot resist. It is also a feeling that viewers can Mountains of Totomi Province,” the sinewy associate with: a sense of floating in time, in a legs and worn bodies of the laborers give way reality beyond what we see before us. to serene facial expressions, a common thread Above all, Hokusai’s prints are studies in throughout the series, as if the physical burden reservation, balance and ritual, mirroring the of the land is but an inevitable accessory to the sentiments of his culture in his ceaseless, patient life it sustains. The agonizing labor plainly and pursuit of Mount Fuji. The confluence of life, literally depicted, inconceivable in the reality of labor and the natural world press on, immortal its strenuousness, goes almost unnoticed in the but impermanent, much like the woodblock works’ overwhelming peace and inner beauty. engravings from which the prints were forged, This cosmic push-pull between man and worn down with each unforgettable printing the larger forces of nature is fully realized in until its sharp-edged clarity vanished into but a the breathtaking “Kajikazawa in Kai Province,” vague impression of its past self. where a fisherman stands dwarfed atop a craggy “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji” is on view rock jutting out from a violent sea, his fishing lines taut against the ocean’s current and caught at the Sackler Gallery through June 17. For in a heavy fog from which Mount Fuji barely more information visit www.Asia.SI.edu. ★
For more information, visit
DCJAZZFEST.org www.eventsdc.com
This tour engagement of Anat Cohen is funded through the American Masterpieces program of Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.
The DC Jazz Festival® is a project of Festivals DC, Ltd., a 501 (c)(3) non-profit service organization. The DC Jazz Festival is sponsored in part with a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, and by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, an agency supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. NEA Jazz Masters Live is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. © 2012 Festivals DC, Ltd. All rights reserved.
GMG, INC. May 2, 2012 23
CLASSIFIEDS / SERVICE DIRECTORY JOB OPPORTUNITIES
To join other satisfied customers and place an ad in the classified or service directory, email jen@georgetowner.com or call 202.338.4833
FOR HIRE ARE YOU A NEW MOM? Do you need some relief?
Georgetown Media Group is the publisher of The Georgetowner and The Downtowner. We are a bi-weekly tabloid boasting a circulation of 50,000 in D.C. , Northern Virginia and Maryland. The following are opportunities that suit a career minded individual who is seeking exposure to the world of print publication.
MEDIA SALES GMG seeks an experienced sales professional to sell B2B print, web and social advertising. A qualified candidate has experience generating revenue, meeting deadlines and building partnerships with clients to bring the highest quality of service that we’re known for. Work from home with regularly scheduled staff meetings and office support; ideal for stay-at-home people or retirees. Send resume, three references and cover letter outlining why you fit the bill. E-mail Info@Georgetowner.com or call (202) 338-4833.
GRAPHIC DESIGNER Part time: Graphic designer will assist head designer in layout of both publications, photo editing and correction, design ads for current and potential advertisers, upload and edit editorial web content. Requirements include: knowledge of Adobe CS5 (Indesign and Photoshop), availability on Deadline days (every other Mon. & Tues.) a must! Comfortable working in a high energy, deadline oriented environment
Experienced British nanny available to help you with your newborn. Long or short term daytime only excellent references provide. pandrewsdc@gmail.com
CLEANING SERVICE Twentieth Anniversary European Style family owned and operated. Specializing in cleaning your prized antiques and your private residence. Best rates. Excellent referances and insurance. Call for free estimate. 703-869-5629
FOR SALE CUBAN SILKSCREEN MOVIE POSTER SALE!
100+ stunning silk-screens, plus scarce propaganda posters. Fabulous graphics, unusual gifts. $49-$129 For private showing: 202-725-0406, CubanPosterGallery@msn.com Open houses: 10-6 Saturday March 10, April 28, June 23319 “O” Street NW
HOME IMPROVEMENT DC MOULDINGS.
Submit resume and cover letter to jen@georgetowner.com
Interior trim. Crown, casings, pilasters, Built ins, bookshelves, and fireplace mantels. 202-269-3517
COPY EDITOR
MUSIC
For our printed and online publications. Excellent knowledge of AP style is a must, ability to clean up complicated copy, and let the writers voice still be heard. A minimum of two years of copy editing experience is preferred. A background on the DC area and its social scene is a plus. Please send resume to Jen@georgetowner.com
LUCAS CUSTOM TAILOR
PATIENT PIANO TEACHER Happy to help you have fun beginning or advancing your playing. I enjoy making music with both children and adults. Off street parking at my NW teaching studio. 202-234-1837
PET CARE PET CARE
DRIVERS CDL-A: Your current 10-20 have you down? Why not Get Home, Get Paid, 2012 tractors/trailers to boot? 888-219-8040
Georgetown-based overnight petcare available Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s! www.holidaypetsitter.com
ROOFING & HISTORIC RESTORATION SPECIALISTS
1520 W�������� A��. N.W. - W���������, DC 20007 T�������� 202-625-7108 - F�� 202-333-3173
A Cleaning Service Inc Since 1985
Is Your Roof History? Whether it's U.S. Treasury Building in Washington, DC, The Maryland State House in Annapolis, or even YOUR home, Wagner Roofing has an 90-year-long history of quality service. � Copper & Tin � Slate & Tile � Ornamental Metal � Modified Bitumen Hyattsville (301) 927-9030 Bethesda (301) 913-9030 Alexandria (703) 683-2123 Washington DC (202) 965-3175 www.wagnerroofing.com WAGNER ROOFING "Between Washington and the Weather"
Since 1914
24 May 2, 2012 GMG, INC.
Residential & Commercial Insured, Bonded, Licenced - Serving DC, VA, MD
Chapel Hall, restored 1999
Gallaudet University
703.892.8648 - www.acleaningserviceinc.com
BODY & SOUL
BETWEEN THE SHEETS: College Kids Don’t Know How to ‘Do It’ BY DR . DORREE LYNN
F
Quality over Quantity
irst, Rush Limbaugh was shocked that Georgetown law students had sex (much less found time to). Then, just last week, I was giving a lecture to a class on sexuality at Lynchburg University and the students seemed surprised to learn that people are still having sex—often better sex—after 50. There are 6.8 billion people in the world and yet everyone seems taken aback that there are people engaging in sexual intercourse. Face the facts: Most everyone interested in sex is having sex—from the children in high schools that we try to prevent from doing it, to college kids who think that just because they can do it and are doing it that they’re doing it right, to those of us in our prime who know what and how we like to do it. COLLEGE KIDS NEED TO HAVE A MORE RESPECT FOR THE ACT OF SEX!
Keeping with the “rocked my world” train of thought, many guys think the game is over when the girl (or guy) says “yes” to sex. Au contraire! It’s not enough to just have the opportunity to have sex, you need to make it meaningful sex. Sure, a quickie in the morning or a sneak-away study break after lunch is fine, but when one of you reaches a point where you’re just going through the motions and not giving it 100%, it’s time to switch it up a bit. If all you want is an orgasm, you can take care of that yourself. Sex is about the experience…the adventure, and the often forgotten reality of a relationship. Explore each others’ sexual interests and fantasies, divulge in opening up to new ideas, and keep unfulfilling sex out of the game!
Safety vs. SAFETY
Supply & Demand
The younger generation today doesn’t know how to value sex. The boys will try to mount anything that moves (and some things that don’t) and the girls will lift their skirts at the first hot guy that gives them attention. Just because it’s right in front of you doesn’t mean you have to take it. There are thousands
of potential mates in this city, many on your campus, so make the effort to not have “I wish I wouldn’t have slept with ________,” moments and more, “OMG, _______ rocked my world,” moments.
Condoms, birth control, pregnancy, STDs, HIV, AIDS—they’re all common place words that, in the heat of the moment, rarely seem to make it through to the intelligent parts of the brain when hormone-driven sex is at hand. But these are real issues! And there really is no excuse not to use protection. Even the most extreme sexual encounters can be grounded in safety—it doesn’t matter if
you’re having “before bedtime sex” in your apartment on a Thursday evening or if you’re three hours into an all night orgy, you’re good to go as long as you’ve established a safe word, everyone uses protection, and the harness is securely fastened to the ceiling with eye-bolts and anchors. If you want to take it back old school and skip the necessary precautions, you do so at your own risk, but don’t put your partner at risk. Know your status and communicate with your sex partner. There are several places in DC that offer free and anonymous STD and HIV testing, so Google one that’s convenient for you. The bottom line: I’ve been around long enough to know that, regardless of cultural or societal opinions of sex, people will continue to engage in sexual activities. However, there is never a reason to devalue sex. Sex is your birthright—a wonderful, powerful experience shared between two people—sometimes more—and if you’re going to have sex, please, have safe and fulfilling sex…the kind of sex that makes life worth living! ★ Dr. Dorree Lynn, Ph.D., is a psychologist and life coach in Georgetown and author of “Sex for Grownups.” www.DrDorreeLynn.com.
SARAH GORMAN, INC. REAL ESTATE WASHINGTON, D.C.
202.333.1650 IN-HOUSE PERIODONIST
TSAKNIS DENTAL
Cosmetic, Family, Implants & Sedation
John Tsaknis, DDS WWW.DENTALBUG.COM Iman Ayoubi, DDS Indra Mustapha, DDS, MS Richard Fordjour, DDS
HABLAMOS ESPAÑOL
PATIENT OF THE WEEK:
Academy of Gen. Dent. American Dental Assoc. Hispanic Dental Assoc. American Dental Society of Anesthesiology Clinical Instructor Uni. Maryland Dental School • CEREC (same day crown) • Cleaning • Composite White Fillings • Digital X-Rays (low radiation) • Emergencies • Full & Partial Dentures • Implant & Cone Beam • Invisalign
• IV & Nitrous Sedation • Night guards & Mouth guards • Oral Surgery/TMJ • Pediatrics, Periodontics • Root Canal Therapy • Veneers, Crown, Brigde • Whitening
“I’m happy I moved from a big bank to The National Capital Bank.” Michael Hall Madison & Associates
Finding a bank that cares about me makes all the difference. I get answers from someone right here in my community – someone with honesty and integrity who understands my needs. And with NCB’s 23 years of five-star ratings from Bauer Financial, I can trust them to continue to be my bank for a long time to come. That adds up to a comfortable and competent banking relationship and that’s just what I was looking for.
Raymond Weaver with Dr. Tsaknis 703 D St. NW • Washington, DC 202-628-1288 1221 Mass Ave NW • Washington, DC 202-628-7979 • Free Parking
316 Pennsylvania Ave, SE • Washington, DC 20003 • 202.546.8000 5228 44th Street, NW • Washington, DC 20015 • 202.966.2688
www.nationalcapitalbank.com
GMG, INC. May 2, 2012 25
Your Dining Guide to Washington DC’s Finest
1789 RESTAURANT
1226 36th St, NW With the ambiance of an elegant country inn, 1789 features classically based American cuisine – the finest regional game, fish and produce available. Open seven nights a week. Jackets suggested. Complimentary valet parking. www.1789restaurant.com
BANGKOK JOE’S
3000 K St NW (One block from Georgetown Lowe’s theatres) Georgetown introduces Washington’s first “Dumpling Bar” featuring more than 12 varieties. Come and enjoy the new exotic Thai cuisine inspired by French cooking techniques. Bangkok Joe’s is upscale, colorful and refined. Absolutely the perfect place for lunch or dinner or just a private gathering. www.bangkokjoes.com
(202) 965-1789
CHADWICKS
(202) 333-4422
CIRCLE BISTRO
BISTRO FRANCAIS
3124-28 M St NW A friendly French Bistro in the heart of historic Georgetown since 1975. Executive chef and owner Gerard Cabrol came to Washington, D.C. 32 years ago, bringing with him home recipes from southwestern France. Our specialties include our famous Poulet Bistro (tarragon rotisserie chicken); Minute steak Maitre d’Hotel (steak and pomme frit¬es); Steak Tartare, freshly pre¬pared seafood, veal, lamb and duck dishes; and the best Eggs Benedict in town. In addition to varying daily specials. www.bistrofrancaisdc.com
BISTROT LEPIC & WINE BAR
1736 Wisconsin Ave., NW Come and see for yourself why Bistrot Lepic, with its classical, regional and contemporary cuisine, has been voted best bistro in D.C. by the Zagat Guide. And now with its Wine bar, you can enjoy “appeteasers”, full bar service, complimentary wine tasting every Tuesday and a new Private Room. The regular menu is always available. Open everyday. Lunch & dinner. Reservations suggested. www.bistrotlepic.com
(202) 338-3830
(202) 333-0111
CITRONELLE
CLYDE’S OF GEORGETOWN
3205 K St, NW (est.1967) A Georgetown tradition for over 40 years, this friendly neighborhood restaurant/ saloon features fresh seafood, burgers, award-winning ribs, & specialty salads & sandwiches. Daily lunch & dinner specials. Late night dining (until midnight Sun.-Thu., 1A.M. Fri-Sat) Champagne brunch served Sat. & Sun. until 4P.M. Open Mon-Thu 11:30A.M.-2A.M. Fri-Sat 11:30A.M.-3A.M.Sun 11A.M.-2A.M.Kids’ Menu Available. Overlooking the new Georgetown Waterfront Park ChadwicksRestaurants.com
One Washington Circle, NW Washington, DC 22037 Circle Bistro presents artful favorites that reflect our adventurous and sophisticated kitchen.
(202) 333-2565
(202) 293-5390
(202) 625-2150
(202) 333-9180
DEGREES BISTRO
DON LOBOS MEXICAN GRILL
FILOMENA RISTORANTE
2311 Wisconsin Avenue, NW
The Ritz-Carlton Georgetown, Washington, D.C. 3100 South Street, NW, Degrees Bistro features a traditional French bistro menu with an innovative cocktail and wine list. The restaurant design complements the industrial chic style of The Ritz-Carlton, Georgetown, and welcomes diners to unwind in the simple, modern comfort of a neighborhood eatery while enjoying a savory lunch or dinner at the hip bar or in one of the stylish banquettes. www.ritzcarlton.com/ georgetown
26 May 2, 2012 GMG, INC.
(202) 912-4110
Featuring Happy Hour weekdays from 5pm-7pm, live music every Saturday from 8pm12midnight, and an a la carte Sunday Brunch from 11:30am-2:30pm. Open dailyfor breakfast, lunch and dinner.
(The Latham Hotel) 3000 M St, NW Internationally renowned chef and restaurateur Michel Richard creates magic with fresh and innovative American-French Cuisine, an exceptional wine list and stylish ambiance. Open for Dinner. Valet parking. www.citronelledc.com
3236 M St, NW This animated tavern, in the heart of Georgetown, popularized saloon food and practically invented Sunday brunch. Clyde’s is the People’s Choice for bacon cheeseburgers, steaks, fresh seafood, grilled chicken salads, fresh pastas and desserts. www.clydes.com
CAFE BONAPARTE
1522 Wisconsin Ave Captivating customers since 2003 Café Bonaparte has been dubbed the “quintessential” European café featuring award winning crepes & arguably the “best” coffee in D.C! Other can’t miss attributes are; the famous weekend brunch every Sat and Sun until 3pm, our late night weekend hours serving sweet & savory crepes until 1 am Fri-Sat evenings & the alluring sounds of the Syssi & Marc jazz duo every other Wed. at 7:30. We look forward to calling you a “regular” soon! www.cafebonaparte.com (202) 333-8830
DAILY GRILL
1310 Wisconsin Ave., NW Reminiscent of the classic American Grills, Daily Grill is best known for its large portions of fresh seasonal fare including Steaks & Chops, Cobb Salad, Meatloaf and Warm Berry Cobbler. Open for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.Visit our other locations at 18th & M Sts NW and Tysons Corner. www.dailygrill.com
www.circlebistro.com
2811 M Street NW Serving Washington since 1992, Don Lobos offers authentic Mexican cuisine. We use only the finest and freshest ingredients when making our traditional menu items. Famous for our Mole, and adored for our tamales. We also offer a wide range of tequila and the best margarita in Georgetown. Now serving Brunch Saturday and Sunday from 10-2. Hours: Mon-Thu 11am-10pm Fri-Sat 11am-11pm Sun 10am- 10pm (202) 333-0137
1063 Wisconsin Ave., NW Filomena is a Georgetown landmark that has endured the test of time for almost a quarter of a century. Our old-world cooking styles & recipes brought to America by the early Italian immigrants, alongside the culinary cutting edge creations of Italy’s foods of today, executed by our award winning Italian Chef. Try our spectacular Lunch buffet on Fri. & Saturdays or our Sunday Brunch, Open 7 days a week for lunch & dinner. www.filomena.com (202) 338-8800
GOOD GUYS
Fine Dining & Exotic Entertainment in Glover Park since 1966. Monday-Thursday 11am-2am Friday-Saturday 11am-3am Sunday 4pm-2am The kitchen is always open!
A GENTLEMAN’S CLUB ONLY 21 AND OVER, PLEASE www.goodguysclub.com (202) 333-8128
(202) 337-4900
MAI THAI
3251 Prospect St. NW Authentic Thai food in the heart of Georgetown. The warm atmosphere, attentive service, and variety of wines and cocktails in this contemporary establishment only add to the rich culture and authentic cuisine inspired by Thailand. With an array of authentic dishes, from Lahb Gai (spicy chicken salad) and Pad Thai, to contemporary dishes like Panang soft shell crab and papaya salad, the dynamic menu and spectacular drinks will have you coming back time and time again. HAPPY HOUR 3:30 - 6PM www.maithai.com (202) 337-1010
FOOD & WINE
PEACOCK CAFE
3251 Prospect St. NW Established in 1991, Peacock Cafe is a tradition in Georgetown life. The tremendous popularity of The Peacock Happy Day Brunch in Washington DC is legendary. The breakfast and brunch selections offer wonderful variety and there is a new selection of fresh, spectacular desserts everyday. The Peacock Café in Georgetown, DC - a fabulous menu for the entire family. Monday - Thursday: 11:30am - 10:30pm Friday: 11:30am - 12:00am Saturday: 9:00am - 12:00am Sunday: 9:00am - 10:30pm (202) 625-2740
SEQUOIA
3000 K St NW, Suite 100 Washington, DC 20007 Eclectic American cuisine, Coupled with enchanting views of the Potomac River make Sequoia a one of a kind dining experience. Offering a dynamic atmosphere featuring a mesquite wood fire grill, sensational drinks, and renowned River Bar. No matter the occasion, Sequoia will provide an unforgettable dining experience. www.arkrestaurants.com /sequoia_dc.html
SEA CATCH
1054 31st St, NW Lovers of seafood can always find something to tempt the palette at the Sea Catch Restaurant & Raw Bar. Sea Catch offers fresh seafood “simply prepared” in a relaxed atmosphere. Overlooking the historic C&O Canal, we offer seasonal fireside and outdoor dining. Private party space available for 15 - 300 Complimentary parking Lunch Mon. -Sat. 11:30am -3pm Dinner Mon.-Sat. 5:30pm -10pm Closed on Sunday Happy Hour Specials at the Bar Mon. - Fri. 5 -7pm www.seacatchrestaurant.com (202) 337-8855
SHANGHAI LOUNGE
1734 Wisconsin Ave. Shanghai Lounge’s is offering Lily’s family style traditional Chinese dining along with some very unique cocktails and a wide variety of beers and wines. It captures the flavors of Asia and we have created an exotic atmosphere, a place where you can unwind, have an exquisite meal, enjoy a drink and to share the experience.
Tuesday -Thursday 11am - 11pm Saturdays 11:30am - 11pm Sundays 12 Noon - 9:30pm Monday Closed Happy Hour: T-F 3:30pm - 7pm
www.shanghailoungedc.com (202) 944-4200
THE OCEANAIRE
1201 F St, NW Ranked one of the most popular seafood restaurants in , DC, “this cosmopolitan”send-up of a vintage supper club that’s styled after a ‘40’s-era ocean liner is appointed with cherry wood and red leather booths, infused with a “clubby, old money” atmosphere. The menu showcases “intelligently” prepared fish dishes that “recall an earlier time of elegant” dining. What’s more, “nothing” is snobbish here. Lunch: Mon-Fri- 11:30am-5pm Dinner: Mon-Thur 5-10pm. Fri & Sat 5-11pm. Sun-5-9pm. www.theoceanaire.com (202) 347-2277
(202) 338-1588
To advertise, call 202-338-4833 or email advertising@ georgetowner. com
Seasons for Imagination: Best Brunch? BY AR IEL L KIRYL O
I
n the film adaptation of the novel, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” by Roald Dahl, actor Gene Wilder opens the door for a group of lucky odds and ends to explore a land of endless, edible gems. And as the children and parents alike scatter amongst the sugar and spice, Willie Wonka Wilder vibrates the room with a tune entitled, “Pure Imagination.” There on the premises of everyone’s food fantasy, Wonka declares there is no life to compare to, well, “true imagination.” Washingtonians, I’d like you to take a moment and imagine your ideal Sunday brunch. Could it be a well-made Bloody Mary or possibly a refined and delicate Benedict? Ah, I see you now as you giggle and chew on what you thought you knew was your favorite spot on Sunday. Indeed, D.C., what if I told you about a new brunch on the scene that will blow every brunch you’ve ever brunched away to sea? And I promise it’s not only in your imagination. Seasons Restaurant, located in the underbelly of the Four Seasons Georgetown, has been known for years as the power breakfast hot spot for D.C.’s political VIPs. Yet after a recent $1-million-dollar face-lift from the scalpels of design hotshot Michael Dalton of Strategic Hotels, Seasons has become so much more than a place to eavesdrop on Tuesday mornings. Using the base of what we already knew as top-notch service and dining, Seasons steps further up as Washington’s best Sunday brunch. Truth be told, executive chef Douglas Anderson, and his talented sous chef Jeffrey Hillman went to the extreme to make sure no diner leaves unsatisfied (or underweight, for that matter). At Seasons, they love to switch it up. One thing you can be sure of is their changing and always inventive “action stations.” On my recent trip to Seasons, I was entertained by the Peruvian-style ceviche bar where scallops, shrimp and red snapper were diced and drowned on the spot in a citrusy zing and hand-made for each patron. To accompany my ceviche, I visited the endlessly replenished seafood bar stacked mountainously high with Blue Point oysters, crab claws and jumbo shrimp. Furthermore, I didn’t miss the selection of prepared seafood bites, including the housecured selection of smoked salmon. One of my favorites is the seared ahi tuna over a perfectly compressed mango salsa. In seafood alone I ate well beyond my golden ticket price of $80, thus making Seasons’ brunch also an excellent value. So, is it the best brunch in Washington? For those who enjoy a fixed-price buffet with excellent service, quality products and lots of it, the answer is yes. With the continuous pours of Franco Nuschese’s sparkling Falanghina Il Sogno and an opulent selection of Bloody Marys, brunch has never felt more luxurious in the District. Though chef Anderson will not deny any customer a choice from his daily breakfast menu, I recommend the $80 all-you-candrink mimosas, coffee and brunch buffet option. And you get what you pay for. The perimeter of the restaurant is lined with countless options for your brunching. Yet, if you do decide to order from the chef’s menu or you choose to visit Seasons on another occasion for breakfast, I do recommend both the inventive corned beef hash croquet with bosomy, bouncing poached eggs or the Boursin and crab egg white omelet. Yet for Sunday’s brunch, I recommend eating a large meal Saturday night in preparation for indulging in a threeto four-hour feast, starting at 10:30 a.m. and ending at 2:30 p.m. Go early, and eat leisurely. Reservations are highly recommended. Besides the seafood options, expect to see spreads of all sorts: charcuterie and cheeses, eight salad selections, the finest of pastries, an omelet bar, six selec-
Top to bottom: sous chef Jeffrey Hillman; Snickers in a cup; seared ahi tuna with compressed mango salsa. All photos by Maria Bryk.
tions of sides ranging from grilled asparagus to cipollini and crispy pancetta, crab cakes and short ribs and a bagel selection. Just to shout out a few. Still, what floored me (literally) was the feast of desserts hidden in a separate room and catering to the young at heart. Executive pastry chef Charles Froke took it home with the most imaginative bite-size creations that will have you licking the wallpaper in a tizzy. Definitely snag a taste of the decadent but surprisingly elegant Snickers in a cup and use a spoon to crack open one of those mini crème brulees. The only thing missing was a chocolate waterfall. ★ GMG, INC. May 2, 2012 27
FOOD & WINE
A Bunch of Brunches for Mother’s Day
The
Latest Dish BY LIN DA ROT H CONT E
H
ank’s Oyster Bar Chef/owner, Jamie Leeds, and mixologist Gina Chersevani are working together again, but this time as partners. They plan to open a new Hank’s Oyster Bar in Eastern Market, where Ba Bay used to be. Gina plans to hand-carve ice from giant blocks. In addition to the long bar, there will be an additional 40 seats plus a small outdoor patio. In addition to Gina’s 18-22 cocktails on her nautically-themed drink list, she also plans to create her own oyster stout. Eventually, Gina’s drinks will be offered at Hank’s in Dupont Circle and Alexandria. They hope to open this June.
Logan Circle Update:
Aaron Gordon, owner/operator of DC’s Tangysweet, Red Velvet Cupcakery and Clarendon’s Rabbit Salad & Grille is taking over the Logan Circle space on 14th Street where ACKC used to be. He plans to offer breakfast, and wants to open in early August.
More on 14th Street:
Mark Kuller, owner of Proof and Estadio, plans to open a Southeast Asian-inspired restaurant on 14th Street in Logan Circle. Chef Haidar Karoum will be at the helm of this new concept. They plan to open in late fall or early winter. Much more on 14th Street: M Café & Bar, formerly in Chevy Chase, will reopen on 14th Street in Logan Circle in September. It’s owned by retail developer Iraklis Karabassis, who also operates Sette Osteria and who cofounded Cafe Milano. The 90-seat space will have a bar/lounge area, outdoor terrace, and two private dining rooms. Chef Nico Amroune will remain as executive chef. Barcelona Wine Bar & Restaurant is moving into the space formerly occupied by BodySmith gym, which is moving down the street at the end of the year and more than doubling its space. The Connecticut-based Barcelona Wine Bar & Restaurant chain plans to open before end of 2012.
Columbia Heights Update:
Architect Eric Gronning, who designed Jack Rose, Marvin, Cork, and Pizzeria Paradiso, and his wife Lori Robertson, decided to jump in and open their own restaurant in their own neighborhood. Maple, on 11th Street in Columbia Heights, is a 38-seat Europeanstyle restaurant and bar. Tiger maple wood was used to construct the 20-foot bar, hence the name. Eric also built the bar chairs and is working on his own lighting fixtures. The chef is Eric’s uncle, Felix Gonzales, who previously worked at a restaurant in Baltimore’s Little Italy. In the spirit of neighborly support, the owners of Cork helped create the wine list. Maple is the latest in a blossoming restaurant row. The owner of Tryst, Open City, and The Diner is opening a bar/diner/coffeehouse across the street. Kangaroo Boxing Club, a barbecue joint, will open where Acuario used to be on 11th Street, brought to you by PORC food truck founders Josh Saltzman, Trent Allen and 28 May 2, 2012 GMG, INC.
Fabio Trabocci designed the menu at Garden Cafe Catalonia
Chris Powers and Solly’s Tavern co-owner Peyton Sherwood. The name dates back to a college drinking bet about being able to beat a kangaroo in a boxing match. The 39-seat spot will serve an expanded menu from the food truck. Peyton will also create a craft-cocktail list along with about 10 beers. It is slated to open this summer. Pleasant Pops food truck owners Roger Horowitz and Brian Sykora plan to open a market and cafe at 18th and Florida this summer. Pleasant Pops used Kickstarter to crowdsource (aka raise) $20,000 for the store. It surpassed that goal with more than 300 donors. The farmhouse chic décor includes old barn wood and farmhouse tools. It will sell four rotating seasonal pop flavors plus eight standards. There will also be sandwiches, salads, cheeses, milk, eggs, and jams from the same farmers who provide Pleasant Pops with the fruits they use to make their pops.
Chef & GM Update:
Bridget Kelly has been named the new general manager for Del Frisco’s Grille, slated to opening July at 1201 Pennsylvania Ave, NW. She hails from Massachusetts where she was GM for several Burtons Grill restaurants in Boston and Burlington, MA. Rob Klink was named executive chef for Del Frisco’s Grille. Previously he was executive chef for Turnabout Grill in Owings Mills, MD, but he’s better known around here as former executive chef for Oceanaire Seafood Room in downtown DC. BlackSalt Fish Market & Restaurant appointed Thomas Leonard as Executive Chef. Jon Mathieson has become executive chef for BLT Steak; previously he was at Michel at The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner. He also worked at Inox and 2941, also in Northern Virginia.
Renovations:
Jose Andres’ first Jaleo in Penn Quarter has reopened after extensive renovations. Spanish designer Juli Capella and architect Eric Gronning have given it a more whimsical look. The menu is also new with some unusual offerings…. K Street Lounge is renovating and rebranding as Capitale, a nightclub with no food service inside. Artist Maggie O’Neill, who designed Sax, Lincoln, and Irish Whiskey Public House, is revamping the space, which will close for renovations during the second week of May and reopen in July.
More renovations and rebirth:
The North Dakota Farmers Union and Farmers Restaurant Group announced plans to open Farmers, Fishers & Bakers at their Georgetown waterfront space at Washington Harbor in late fall 2012. The totally new restaurant will replace Farmer & Fishers, which was destroyed a year ago in the flood along the Potomac River waterfront. It will join the long-awaited reopening of Tony & Joe’s and Nick’s Riverside Grille, also shut down by the flood. They plan to open this month.
Artsy Renovations:
As of May 1, the Garden Café inside the National Gallery
of Art will be re-dubbed Garden Café Catalonia and feature a Catalan menu created by Jose Andres to complement the museum’s forthcoming Joan Miró exhibit. Andrés and his ThinkFoodGroup collaborated with the National Gallery of Art in 2009 for the Garden Café Espana. And also in 2011 when Café Atlantico transformed into America Eats Tavern as part of a partnership with National Archives’ exhibit, What’s Cooking, Uncle Sam? Run by Restaurant Associates, the cafe will remain open through mid-September. It replaces the Garden Café Italia, which has been running for the past year with a menu courtesy of Fabio Trabocchi. Renovations Correction: Shelly’s Back Room on F Street, NW did recently open its outdoor patio, Shelly’s Front Porch, The description of the additional 1000 sq ft and 50+ seats in April’s column referred to the expansion done last year, not to Shelly’s Front Porch. Longtime friends and Local 16 owner Aman Ayoubi and Utopia Bar & Grill owner Jamal Sahri are opening a subterranean Brazilian lounge on U Street., NW. Located below Lost Society and Subway, it will focus on live music and performing art from Brazil. The plan is to have it open before the beginning of summer.
Downtown DC Update: Thai restaurateur
Oy Changsila is opening Sala Thai, a fast casual spin-off of his Sala Thai restaurants. It will open in the space formerly occupied by Maoz on M Street in downtown DC. It will focus on Thai street food. They plan to be open by June. Taylor Gourmet is planning a July opening for the downtown crowd on 19th Street, NW. It will take over the space where Mixt Greens was. They will also offer late night and breakfast hoagies on the weekends. They are collaborating with Grupo 7 on a crowd-sourced mural. They’re reaching out to customers via Facebook and Twitter to find 10-15 local artists who will design sections of the mural. More hoagie shops in Merrifield, VA and another DC location are also in the works along with the first Taylor Charles Steak & Ice on H Street. Tom Power, chef/owner of Corduroy, who bought the building adjacent to his Shaw restaurant on 9th Street for a second restaurant slated to be called Velour, has changed the name and concept. The new name is Herringbone and the concept will be simpler and more casual than Corduroy, offering lobster rolls rather than lobster carpaccio. A summer opening is planned. Linda Roth Conte is president of Linda Roth Associates, Inc (LRA) specializing in making creative connections through media relations, marketing initiatives, community outreach and special events for the hospitality industry. Contact Linda at 703-417-2700 or linda@ lindarothpr.com or visit her web site at www. lindarothpr.com ★
Brasserie Beck
Enjoy savory crepes and waffles at Robert Wiedmaier’s contemporary Belgian restaurant. A favorite at Beck is the large selection of daily cheeses served with Apricot cake. Reserve a spot for brunch on the outdoor patio between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Lost Society
Lost Society serves food with a party. From 1-5PM $40 all you can eat gourmet brunch and bottomless champagne mimosas. Choose from the Victorian dining room and a second level rooftop lounge.
Michel Richard’s Citronelle
Citronelle will be offering a gourmet buffet served in Michel Richard’s Kitchen from 11 a.m. till 3 p.m. Choose from some of Richard’s favorite dishes including salads, entrees, sides and desserts. $85 adults and $37 kids 12 and under.
Coco Sala
Chocolate, Champagne and Flowers Brunch at Coco Sala serves a multi-course meal, champagne cocktail and chocolate surprise for Mom. $60 for adults and $30 for children 10 and under. Brunch is served 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Café Milano
Choose from Prosecco, Bellini, Mimosa and Rossini at Café Milano’s Sparkling Brunch Menu. Customize your own omelet at the Egg Station then indulge your sweet tooth with Neapolitan fogliatelle. Served 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. $95 for adults, $35 for children 12 and under.
Bistro Francais
Celebrate Mother’s day at the Champagne Brunch a la carte. The champagne menu is served with the house salad or soup du jour and an entrée. The small, meaty menu is a carnivore’s delight. Brunch served 11 a.m to 4 p.m.
Sequoia
Sunday brunch at Sequoia features live jazz and bottomless mimosas for $34.95. Pastry chef Jonathon Wilson keeps you coming back to his Petit Dessert Station of assorted parfaits. You’ll love Sequoia’s beautiful view of the Potomac.
SOCIAL SCENE
House Tour’s Patrons’ Party Bigger, Better Each Year BY RO B E RT DE VANEY
The Annual Patron’s Party for the Georgetown House Tour gets bigger each year and seems ready to be included as part of the events leading up to the White House Correspondents’ weekend. It was held April 25 at the home of house tour champion Frida Burling, who displayed a poster illustrating her home’s history. Residents, business colleagues and friends laughed and lingered until the last cuppie from the Pie Sisters was gone.
Upcoming Galas MAY 4 The Phillips Collection Gala
A black-tie evening at the Phillips Collection followed by dancing at nearby Anderson House. Proceeds benefit education programs. Call (202) 459-0867 or email phillipscollectiongala@linderassociates.com.
MAY 5 Ball on the Mall
Barbara Bush and Jenna Bush Hager serve as Honorary Co-Chairs of The L’Enfant Society and The Trust for the National Mall Fourth Annual Ball on the Mall on the National Mall, Madison Drive at 13th Street, NW. Dancing, buffets and open bar 8:00 – 11:30 PM. Visit nationalmall.org.
MAY 6 Kennedy Center Spring Gala
Frida Burling is greeted by Tom Anderson (standing) and William F.X. Moody of Washington Fine Properties, a house tour and party sponsor.
Celebrating 16-time Grammy Award–winning artist David Foster, the evening will include cocktails on the River Terrace, dinner on the Roof Terrace Level, performance in the
Concert Hall and ’Til Midnight Party following the performance. For more information call (202) 416-8338 or email springgala@kennedy-center.org.
MAY 7 Shakespeare Theatre’s ‘Will on the Hill’
Senators, representatives, Washington insiders and media personalities perform scenes from Shakespeare with comedic references to contemporary politics. The evening supports Shakespeare Theatre Company’s arts, education and community outreach programs. (202) 547-3230, shakespearetheatre.org.
MAY 10 Suited for Change Annual Luncheon
Proceeds from the organization’s 20th year luncheon at the Capital Hilton provide professional clothing, career and life skills to lowincome women. (202) 293-0351 or suitedforchange.org.
An Impressive 57th Corcoran Ball BY R OBERT D EVAN EY Once again, the Corcoran Gallery metamorphosized into an exhibit gala of guests, dinner and dance for its 57th annual ball April 20. Under the honorary patronage of France’s Ambassador Francois Delattre and his wife Sophie and the honorary chair of artist Sam Gilliam, the ball chair Deborah de Gorter threaded the galleries with happy, art-loving partiers and patrons.
Real agents Juliet Zucker and Judy Cochran with Long & Foster president Jeff Detwiler.
Sarah Williams, Philip Bermingham and Michele Evans.
Nobody’s Late for ‘Alice in Wonderland’ Ball BY RO BE RT DE VANEY
The Mellon Auditorium glistened with red and gold as dancers celebrated the Washington Ballet’s own premiere take on Lewis Carroll’s fantasy. Guests were welcomed by Sylvia de Leon, Elizabeth Bagley and Septime Weber and treated to a dance selection of the work and performances by student dancers.
At the late dance: Event chair Deborah de Gorter with her mother Denise. The ballet’s executive director Peter Branch and Dorothy McSweeny.
Newly engaged Jack Davies and Kay Kendall with artistic director Septime Weber
Andrea Weiswasser with her grandchildren, Maddie and Alexis Feldman
Muffin Lynham and Nora Maccoby Hathaway.
For more social scene coverage, visit georgetowner.com ★ Opera Camerata’s Voices of Spring ★ The Lion, The Witch & YOUR Wardrobe ★ Avenue Suites Brings New York Chic to Pennsylvania Avenue ★ WPAS Gala ★ GALA Night of the Stars ★ Medstar National Rehabilitation Network Las Vegas Night ★ Helen Hayes Awards
GMG, INC. May 2, 2012 29
SOCIAL SCENE
White House Correspondents’ Weekend BY R OBE RT DE VANEY
PHOTOS BY ROBERT DEVANEY UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED
The parties before and after the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, April 28, are at least half the fun of running around town, whether to Vote Latino at the Hay Adams, NPR’s party at the Gibson Guitar Showroom, Tammy Haddad’s brunch at Mark Ein’s house on R Street (the former home of Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham), the newly launched Google party, the Time reception at the St. Regis, the Capitol File party at the Newseum, the MSNBC party at the Italian Embassy or the Vanity Fair-Bloomberg party. The pre-dinner receptions at the Washington Hilton are great for checking out the scene. Just show a ticket to the guard at the escalator. And, of course, the main event itself, where the president and Jimmy Kimmel threw out jokes on the GSA, Secret Service, Mitt Romney, dogs and the media. Yeah, it is sort of a nerd prom when “glitz meets geeks,” as one smartie observed, but it’s ours for a few days in April each year.
Claire Danes at the Capitol File party, photo by Pat Ryan
Barbara Walters and Diane Sawyers at ABC News-Yahoo party.
Kris Jenner and Lindsay Lohan depart Tammy Haddad’s brunch on R Street, photo by Pat Ryan
Kate Upton and Kate Hudson at the Washington Hilton, photo by Pat Ryan
Ali Wentworth and Christa Miller.
Rosario Dawson and Maria Teresa Kumar at Voto Latino party
Smithsonian Craft Show BY MA RY BIRD
First Lady Michelle Obama served as honorary chair of the 2012 Smithsonian Craft Show. The April 18 Preview Night Benefit drew an enthusiastic crowd to the National Building Museum. Craft Show co-chairs Anne-Lise Auclair-Jones and Ann Peel joined with Wendy Somerville Wall, president of the Smithsonian Women’s Committee, for what is widely regarded as the country’s most prestigious juried show and sale of fine American craft featuring 121 distinguished craft artists for the 30th Anniversary Celebrating the Clara Register, Sarah Gorman and Kitty Kelley Creative Spirit of America.
30 May 2, 2012 GMG, INC.
Ginnifer Goodwin at the Capitol File-Turnberry Tower party, photo by Pat Ryan
Elle Macpherson and Roger Jenkins at Tammy Haddad’s Saturday brunch on R Street.
www.c c piec .com o
o
o
GMG, INC. May 2, 2012 31
32 May 2, 2012 GMG, INC.