Category Archives: Penn Quarter

Food and Drink, Penn Quarter, The DC 100
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DC Omnivore 100: #67: Beignets, period

Photo courtesy of micky mb
Cafe au lait and a beignet, please
courtesy of micky mb

Item 67 on the Omnivore 100 list is “Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake,” but I have to say – this is one place where I take issue with the list. I grew up in Miami and had family in New Orleans, so I’ve bought many a pack of churros while stopped at a streetlight on Calle Ocho and eaten my fair share of beignets at Cafe DuMonde. Calling elephant ears and funnel cake the same thing is one matter, equating them with beignets and churros simply because they’re variations on fried pastry is just…. wrong.

I leave you to your own devices to find an elephant ear; the circus comes through town on a regular basis and you have a decent chance at any street fair of finding a booth selling the drizzled fried dough. Churros we might re-address later – feel free to share any local location you think is worth out looking into.

For a beignet, however, my devotion to you, constant reader, is such that I compared two locations where you can try one of the few Louisiana exports to surpass zydeco. Continue reading →

Downtown, History, Penn Quarter, Special Events
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Off the Beaten Path: ISM Happenings

Photo courtesy of Me
Warder_building, courtesy of Me

I get a lot of updates on programs from a certain set of buildings at 8th and F St, NW, mainly because I had the privilege to work there when I first moved to the area. Their programs are top-notch and always interesting; this month’s offerings are no exception. So because secrets seem to abound all over our fair city, here’s your chance to discover some on your own at one of the area’s more clandestine sites.

Oh, come on. Indulge me the super-secret spy stuff. This place is one of the things I love about DC (though I do have my own personal thoughts about their ticket prices), so it’s just natural I share it with all of you.

The rundown after the jump.

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Penn Quarter
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We Love Arts: The Way of the World

Photo courtesy of shakespearetheatreco

WRLDRHSL_120 resized courtesy of shakespearetheatreco

My darling fiancée and I took in the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production of The Way of the World on Sunday evening, which we both enjoyed – her more so than myself. Perhaps this is somewhat of a reflection of the fact that she’s lately been taking in the 90210 retread and I…. um, haven’t.

If you thought Melrose Place, Susan Lucci, and Rob Reiner invented the romantic potboiler then I have a three hundred year old news flash for you. Congeve’s play practically demands a diagram to figure out who’s attached to who via marriage, love, conspiracy or some combination thereof. I don’t dispute being a bear of very little brain, but my difficulty in keeping track of the plethora of M-names in the play and all their interconnection did somewhat strain my appreciation.

It didn’t limit my enjoyment of the bright spots of the production, however, two of whom are pictured above. I enjoyed Floyd King in particular, who is wonderfully fun and foppish and who manages to convince you he’s rolling his eyes even from several hundred feet away. My only grump would be with Andrew Long, who I find very pleasant until he gets a little shouty. It’s something about his vocal delivery when he’s playing agtiated that has managed to take me out of the moment in Major Barbara, Julius Caesar, and now this. Perhaps it’s just me.

The sets in the Lansburgh for this production are just stunning, but the costumes makes it look shabby.  STC always has lovely costuming but this is a step above. Every outfit is impeccable, colorful, and lush. The sets are classy and particularly bright; everything seems to be a blonde wood that practically glows. The only tragedy is that we get to enjoy the adorable Chocolate House – the front of which swings open like a huge Barbie’s Restoration-era Playset – for only one act.

While the production as a whole didn’t gel for me, there’s a lot to reccomend it.

The Way of the World at the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Lansburgh Theatre
September 30th through November 16th, 2008
450 7th St, NW
Washington, DC  20004

Downtown, Essential DC, Penn Quarter, Sports Fix
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Sports Extra: Capital Preview

Photo courtesy of clydeorama
Four Caps, No Waiting For Love, courtesy of clydeorama

Thank goodness, it’s almost Hockeytime.

No, seriously. I get the Redskins, people. Really. But I’m not a football fan. It’s all about sticks, pucks and skates – and the cool Zamboni ‘race’ between periods.

Hockey. Where the men have more gaps in their teeth than West Virginians. (I kid! Ok, not completely.)

And yes, Ovechkin, I’m lookin’ at you. Continue reading →

Downtown, History, Media, Penn Quarter, People, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Why Spy?

Photo courtesy of handwrite
this is why i am a spy, courtesy of handwrite

The world today is as volatile a place as we’ve ever known. So how does the U.S. maintain its intelligence assets against the faceless enemy of terrorism and extremists? In his latest book Why Spy?, Frederick P. Hitz, former inspector general of the CIA, draws on his extensive experience to suggest how the U.S. can rise to the challenge. Hear from this insider’s perspective on the safety of America and why it depends on how well—and why—we spy. In this lunchtime conversation, he’ll discuss the pitfalls of the past and share suggestions for successful U.S. intelligence in the future.

Meet and greet the author at the International Spy Museum on Friday, 9/26 from noon – 1 p.m. This “debreifing” session is free and open to the public.

Entertainment, Penn Quarter, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Romeo & Juliet

Drew Eshelman as the Nurse. Photo by Scott Suchman.

Drew Eshelman as the Nurse. Photo by Scott Suchman.

Shakespeare Theatre Company’s “Romeo & Juliet” is a perfectly acceptable production, with the usual beautiful sets and exquisite costumes one expects from them. But it’s a workhorse production, with nothing new to say or add to the performance history. That in itself isn’t really a problem – traditional mountings of plays allow one to reconnect on a basic level with text and character, and this would be a good introductory piece for say, a high school audience to view. But I expect more from STC.

I expected even more than usual, given the press materials’ quoting of director David Muse’s hope that an all-male cast would give a “fresh and dangerous and transgressive” approach to the production. But in this era, just doing an all-male cast is not going to give you transgressive. It isn’t even innovative anymore – companies such as the Globe and Propeller have been doing it for the last decade – a fact pointed out without irony by STC’s own materials (I kept waiting for the punchline in that article – “and now, DC finally catches on to the trend!”). There has to be something more to set it apart. So why do an all-male cast and leave almost everything else derivative and traditional? Oddly, this was the least testosterone-fueled production I’ve ever seen, the opening brawls lacking any sense of the explosive danger of the feud between Capulets and Montagues.

Matters aren’t helped by a Romeo and Juliet with absolutely no chemistry together. Continue reading →

Downtown, Food and Drink, Penn Quarter, We Love Drinks
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We Love Drinks: Teaism

Happiness is a Warm Chai, by alykat on Flickr

It may seem odd to launch our new recurring feature on DC’s watering holes with a nod to a mainly non-alcoholic spot, but make no mistake – Teaism can just as quickly become an addiction on par with your favorite bar. Though the food can be some of the most reliable in town (oh, that salmon ochazuke soup! comfort in a bowl), we’re here to talk about its liquid libation. Devotees of tea are never disappointed when
faced with the exhaustive menu of black, green, tisanes – served iced or hot – from a wall of colorful boxes.

There are three Teaisms in DC (Dupont Circle is the original, opened back in 1996). I’m lucky in that my office is equidistant from two, each with their own distinct vibe. The Lafayette Park location has a sunny classical interior, befitting its Decatur House view, and is usually full of suits. Whereas the Penn Quarter branch has mainly subterranean seating, bustling with tourists. Despite the setback of the fannypack crowd, the PQ boasts a koi pond and an adjacent tea shop where the true addict can load up on her own supply to brew at home.

If I head to Penn Quarter, I’m most likely desiring an iced Japanese sweet green tea to takeaway and sip while staring into the nearby fountains of the Navy Memorial. “What makes it so sweet?” I asked the tea shop lady once about the surreally green elixir, “is it a special kind of tea?” “Um,” she replied, “you do know there’s a lot of sugar in there, right?” It was a truly blonde moment.
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Food and Drink, Night Life, Penn Quarter
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We Love Food: Co Co. Sala

 Co Co. Sala by sinksanctity, on Flickr

With the wine bar trend in full escalation (Proof, Veritas, Vinoteca, Cork, Enology, etc.), it appears we may now be heading into a dessert bar phase. While artisan chocolate cafes like ACKC and bakery empires like Cakelove provide the basics, Co Co. Sala pushes the sweet stuff into high art. If only it weren’t so high octave… it’s an intimate, sexy space but it isn’t exactly conducive to whispering sweet nothings. Upon entering, I spied a white feather boa draped behind a gaggle of celebrating women at the bar. As their decibel level threatened my mellow mood, I wondered, “does chocolate bar = screeching estrogen?”

But restaurants can’t completely control their clientele. If you worship at the altar of cacao, Co Co. Sala deserves a taste. Just be prepared for a bit of a scene. And after knocking back a “Disia” – their lychee rose cocktail that tastes like Aphrodite’s elixir – I was mellow again and ready to give an entire chocolate dinner a try.

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Downtown, Food and Drink, Night Life, Penn Quarter
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We Love Food: Proof Positive

proof.glass

A couple weeks back, myself and a few of the authors you see sneaking around this site had a casual dinner over at Proof in Penn Quarter. It’s a newer restaurant – actually, more like a very upscale “wine bar” – and it was suggested as an alternative to the usual pub meetings we normally have.

Their website proclaims the restaurant is “a Penn Quarter dining destination that exudes both contemporary chic and rustic warmth.” I’ll say this – they completely lived up to that billing.

While there’s some seriously good (and expensive) food on the menu, by far the most popular choices of patrons is their various charcuterie and cheese boards. Oh, and the bazillion bottles of wine scattered around. Just in case you weren’t sure what exactly they excelled in.

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All Politics is Local, Monumental, Penn Quarter, The District
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Monumental: GAR Stephenson Memorial

Monumental: Stephenson GAR Monument

While the Grand Army of the Republic might seem like something out of a bad pulp science fiction story, it’s also something that’s fairly real to American History. The monument to it, and its founder, stand just off Pennsylvania Avenue in Penn Quarter. The Grand Army was a fraternal organization established in 1866 for retired soldiers of the Union Army, and stood in existence until 1956, when its last member died. It was super-ceded by the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, founded in 1881 to preserve the mission of the original organization.

The GAR was one of the more powerful political organizations in the late 19th century, helping to establish Old Soldiers’ Homes, which would later become the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. In addition, their organization was partly responsible for establishing the Memorial Day Holiday at the end of May, as part of their Decoration Day campaign.

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Music, Night Life, Penn Quarter, The Daily Feed
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Listen to the Summer Wind in the Kogod Courtyard Tonight

Feeling a little jazzy? Not sure where to head after work? In the mood for a little culture with your wine? Then head over to the Smithsonian American Art Museum on 8th and F Streets, NW.

The museum cafe offers a limited selection of bottled beer and wine in addition to sodas, water and coffee drinks. There are plenty of tables and seats throughout the glass enclosed courtyard with room to spare for dancing. The swing band, Joker’s Wild, will perform popular tunes by old blue eyes, his pal Dean Martin, jazz queen Ella Fitzgerald, and Bing Crosby.

While the band plays from 5-8:00pm, the museum exhibits are open to the public until 7pm. So take time to roam through the Kate Hepburn and HipHop Portraiture exhibits.

Food and Drink, Night Life, Penn Quarter, The Daily Feed
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Wagamama DC? Metrocurean Says Yes.

wagamama.png

When my friend Lisa tweeted the other day that Wagamama might be coming to Penn Quarter, I got really excited. Wagamama is a noodle house that originated in London. They generally serve ramen, but this isn’t the ramen you buy in bricks from the grocery store, or in freeze-dried cups from Cup O’Noodles. No, this is the real thing. Served with piles of edamame or some tasty duck gyoza, it’s the real deal.

Metrocurean says they’ll be in the heart of Penn Quarter at the old Olsson’s location. No dates are official yet, but I have a feeling I’ll have a place to go for ramen come the winter-time, when I’ll want it most. Eating at Wagamama in London was one of the highlights of my trip there (okay, so it wasn’t as good as Zaika, but still!) and we’re looking forward to having one right here in DC.