Fit For A Queen

For our book club read last June, we chose Amanda Foreman’s Duchess, the biography of Georgiana Spencer, Duchess of Devonshire. Having seen the movie before reading, I was expecting the same seedy love affair between the unhappily wed but wildly popular Georgiana Spencer, great aunt to the late Princess Diana and Whig Party up-and-comer Charles Gray. As in her real life, the affair was hardly a chapter’s worth of material

What started as a dissertation for her graduate studies for the author, quickly developed into an 18 –month, 450 page study on not only the life of Lady G, but an historical briefing on women, power, politics, economics, and society in late 18th century Europe. To be honest – this should be required reading for anyone studying the time period. What I loved was the overarching thesis of the biography – women may not have had the vote, but given the status and opportunity, many had power – real power and in some cases political influence. For Georgiana – she affected public opinion and the vote.

Reading like an historical novel, this was a refreshing account more about the women who changed the Whig party than the aforementioned English tabloid scandal. An account of an inspiring, head-strong woman, forced into an unloving marriage, and given everything, but in reality, had nothing.

For the discussion we had lunch at Dino in Cleveland Park. I was at an Italian restaurant – of course I ordered pasta. Even the spaghetti was delicious. And for us orphans transplants in DC – it was the next best thing to spending Father’s day with our Dads.

Treasure Tavern

Last Sunday was our fourth DC Sigmas Book Club Meeting. I say this as a guilty grandmother, but when I started the club last year, I really didn't expect it to be very popular.

After last Sunday I have to say I'm impressed. We have six new faces around the table at Liberty Tavern in Arlington. It's no coincidence the restaurants we're picking for brunch also happen to be on the 100 best list, so it was no surprise the food here was awesome.

We just missed the brunch but even the bar menu was great.  The Tavern was a great spot (inexpensive, easy to find, and my foodie soul is torn between the Pursuit of Happiness cocktail, hand cut fries, and gourmet grilled cheese.)  

The book we discussed was Bitter is the New Black: Confessions of a Condescending, Egomanical, Self-Centered, Smartass, or Why You Should Never Carry a Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office. LOVED this book -  It's hilarious and there were about six episodes I swear she stole from my life. I could write a review but this pretty much sums it up."This is the story of how a haughty former sorority gal went from having a household income of almost a quarter-million dollars to being evicted from a ghetto apartment in less than two years.  It's a modern Greek tragedy, as defined by Roger Dunkle in The Classical Origins of Western Culture: a story in which "the central character, called a tragic protagonist or hero, suffers some serious misfortune which is not accidental and therefore meaningless, but is significant in that the misfortune is logically connected."In other words? The bitch had it coming. "

Worlds Collide

Last night I was struck by the cruise directing bug and decided to plan a last minute happy hour at Guapos in Tenleytown. Just sending out the email around the office created a lot of buzz. People rearranging their plans to squeeze in a quick margarita. Then I figured why not invite non work friends? Ding!

What a blast. Work Jen and play Jen are two different people so I expected there to be a little disconnect but the big mixing bowl went well. It was refreshing to see work friends when we're not pushing an agenda and bring in old friends to catch up with. We all get so busy, gchat is our only outlet. Well two Margs and a pitcher of Sangria (so not Mexican) I was not surprised to see that a few of my colleagues may have submitted applications into the good old chez copa club last night.

If you missed last nights Marg fest, fear not....I'm planning another one soon.

Copa Awakening

In honor of our three year roommate anniversary (don't judge), Linds and I thought we would celebrate with a little dinner and a show. Linds being the theater aficionado, she picked Spring Awakening. Theater is like the movies to me - I have no idea what's out nor what's good, so she gets to pick. And good thing she did, she scored us $25 tickets through the Kennedy Center's Attend student tickets program. (Even collegians need a govt. handout.)

However, when it comes to restaurants ... i can flex my foodie muscles (which involves sucking in my belly while trying on swim suits). With my Washingtonian's 100 best restaurants checklist in hand I did a little research on our foggy bottom selections, being that the Kennedy Center is all of 5 blocks from our old GW stomping grounds. I came to find not only is Circle Bistro one of the areas acclaimed digs, they also have a pre-theater pre-fix menu. So if you are able to sneak in before 7 pm, you can snag an appetizer, entree, and dessert for $35. Not too shabby considering an entree goes for $29 alone. Now we blew that cork out of the bottle by adding on wine. Not the point.

And the menu was impressive. I had the house smoked gravlocks (they had me at avocado) and continuing with the seafood theme for my entree Seared Diver Sea Scallops, Carrot-Ginger Coulis, Garlic Confit, Baby Bok Choy. Presentation was excellent, service was superior, and the food was paired nicely and not overly done. Combined with the Pinot Gregio and chocolate brownie with espresso ice cream for dessert, I was in food coma heaven. Did I mention the restaurant itself? Swanky but not over-trendy. We had such a good time - this may fold into the theater evening flight pattern more often.

Now onto the show. I was expecting a story of teen angst in a High School Musical fashion, Boppy and light with a rock concert feel. But this production hit it all: abuse, teen pregnancy, suicide, abortion, and death. Not to mention a little on stage nudity. Whoops - wasn't expecting that. But it worked. Between the highly explosive dance sequences using literally all available stage space, and the charged rock and roll dialogue the show had yours truly crying, laughing, clapping and swooning - sometimes simultaneously.

A quick plot snapshot: the Tony award winning musical, based on the play by Frank Wedekind's literary masterpiece, follows eight German teens on the trail of self discovery. Although the play is set in 1891 the issues are just as relevant today. Wrapped in Dunken Shieks' rock lyrics, it's easy to see why this story of rebellion and understanding made waves on the Broadway scene two years ago. Interesting side note, this is one of the first instances in over 100 years that the entire story line was used because it was so controversial.

Be Sure to Hit the Lights On the Way Out

While the rest of the M Street shops are opening up for lunch today, Nathan's will remained closed as the bank repossess the Georgetown institution. Probably renowned more for former journo, current socialite, and now former owner Carol Ross Joynt's Q & A sessions and connections than the menu, Nathans was equal parts power lunch hot spot and collegiate (including yours truely's) stomping ground. It will be missed.

We've been expecting this day to come for sometime now, but Joynt gave it a solid effort to keep the eatery on life support just a few years past it's expiration date.

 

After 40 years of serving millions of happy and loyal customers, and opening its doors 365 days of every year, Nathans will close at last call on Sunday, July 12.  This ends an era of delicious, interesting and often outrageous moments at what Zagat called "the quintessential Georgetown saloon."

       We hope over the next week you will find the time to come in and enjoy a last drink and meal with us, especially "Last Call" on July 12.  We wish we could give it away, but economic reality is that we need your dollars.  Also, if I may, I urge you to please be generous with the staff.



       With a heavy heart and much gratitude,

       Carol Joynt

 "You gotta know when to hold 'em
        know when to fold 'em
           Know when to walk away ...."

We host our last Q & A Cafe at Nathans tomorrow. A bittersweet occasion, of course. The Q&A Cafe was created in October 2001 as a response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. From there it took on a life of its own, giving me an opportunity to stay in journalism, giving Georgetown a fixture in the city's chief industries - politics, media, policy, law - and gave a wonderful group of regulars the opportunity to enjoy a unique weekday lunchtime salon.

I mean, Nathans may be the Titanic, but The Q&A Cafe - proudly - lifts off the deck a certified success, and a legitimate TV show on DC Cable. I may have failed with Nathans but I succeeded with my little show and want very much for it to find a new home and to remain on television. After my book is done, I could see the program as my future. Plus other stuff. Some people suggest I become a marketing consultant, others a dominatrix. I could be happy running a marina, smuggling rum, hanging with pirates. We'll see.

Couldn't be happier that our last Q&A Cafe at Nathans features a good friend, and Georgetowner, author Jane Stanton Hitchcock. Many of you were at my last interview with Jane at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. You know she's loaded with amusing dish, an interesting life story, and practical understanding of the publishing industry. This will be a goody. I hope you have your reservations. Please reconfirm or book with Jon Moss at 202.338.2000. Georgetown Cupcake is making a special "Mortal Friends" GC. Yum. Think gold and dangerous.

We welcome all the town's strippers, too, since they are prominent in the book. One prominent character, Jim Kimsey, will be among us. Another, Catherine Reynolds, has not responded to my invite. I'm a character, too, Joy Croft. Haha. All good fun. Some of you are probably in there and don't know it. We will have books for sale and Jane will gladly sign.

You've been a great audience. I'm grateful. I'll have a new website in a week where you can keep track of The Q&A Cafe, and me, and more. A lot of you ask how I'm doing. Thank you. I'm fine. I'm mellow. Eager for what's next.

See you tomorrow,

Carol

Here's who has appeared at The Q&A Cafe:

LETITIA BALDRIGE,  BOB WOODWARD, COKIE ROBERTS, DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, TOM BROKAW, DEB JOHNS, DAVID VISE, JACK EVANS, DAN TANGHERLINI, JOHN RIGGINS, FRED SMITH, LESLIE COCKBURN, CHRIS MATTHEWS, DR. TINA ALSTER, MPDC CAPT. PETER NEWSHAM, SALLY QUINN, MAYOR ANTHONY WILLIAMS, ADRIAN HIGGINS, CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS, C. DAVID HEYMANN, SOPHY BURNHAM, SKIP NEWCOMB, HARRY SHEARER, BOB BALABAN, MICHAEL McKEAN, MARK PLOTKIN, ARIANNA HUFFINGTON, KATHLEEN MATTHEWS, CHRIS WALLACE, ANA MARIE COX, DR. RICK LEVY, BILL PLANTE, SEPTIME WEBRE, DR. WAYNE CALLAWAY, AMBASSADOR H.E. DEVINDA SUBASINGHE, DAVID HUME KENNERLY, TONY TAVARES, FRIDA BURLING, EDITH SCHAFER, MICHAEL ISIKOFF, DR. WILLIAM HASELTINE, MATT COOPER, KENNETH FEINBERG, BARBARA CHILDS-PAIR, DAVID GREGORY, CRAIG CRAWFORD, TORIE CLARKE, SANFORD AIN, ERICA JONG, MARION BARRY, ROXANNE ROBERTS, GEN. BERNARD E. TRAINOR, KATHERINE (KATIE) TARBOX, DAVID PATRICK COLUMBIA, FRED THOMPSON, GEORGE STEVENS, JR., SUSAN ISAACS, GORDON PETERSON, DR. MICHAEL HOCKSTEIN, ANN HAND, DC Police Chief CATHY LANIER, JEFF GANNON, HARLAN K. ULLMAN, DEBORAH JEANE PALFREY, MARK SHIELDS
DAVID BURD, DAN RATHER, HOWARD FINEMAN, MARK WARNER, SHEILA JOHNSON, MICHAEL HERRRALD, AMY HOLMES, SAM DONALDSON, CARL CANNON, JONATHAN ALTER, PHILIPPE COUSTEAU, STAN KASTEN, SCOTT SIMON, DOUGLAS FEITH, THEODORE SORENSEN, CHUCK TODD, MICHELLE RHEE, ROBERT BENNETT, BRENT GLASS, ROBIN GIVHAN, CHRISTOPHER GUEST, C.Z.GUEST, GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, MALCOLM “MIKE” PEABODY, ANDREA MITCHELL,WALTER ISAACSON, EPISCOPAL BISHOP JOHN CHANE, MICHEL RICHARD, DAVID CORN, TERRENCE SMITH, BOB SCHIEFFER, JACK VALENTI, LLOYD GROVE, DR. MARILYN BENOIT, HELEN THOMAS, ANDREW COCKBURN, ELLEN SANFORD, DAVID KELLER, MARK BUSCAINO, CHUCK VANCE, ADEL AL-JUBEIR, AMBASSADOR JAN ELIASSON, RABBI BARRY FREUNDEL, MPDC LT. PAT BURKE, JANE LYNCH, JOHN ZOGBY, JOHN MICHAEL HIGGINS, DAN SNYDER, SALLY BEDELL SMITH, TINA BROWN, BOB COLACELLO, JOSEPH WILSON, FRED GRAHAM, KITTY KELLEY, TIM RUSSERT, AMBASSADOR H.E. KASIT PIROMYA, ARUN GANDHI, NANCY TAYLOR BUBES, SHELDON COHEN, JOHN DEGIOIA, MARSHA J. EVANS, ANTHONY LANIER, JANE STANTON HITCHCOCK, ANDREW KOHUT, RICK KAPLAN, CAROLE RADZIWILL, PATRICIA DUFF, DAVID C. LEVY, LINDA FAIRSTEIN, NEIL LIVINGSTONE, JAMES CANNON, MAURY POVICH, CONNIE CHUNG, AMY ARGETSINGER, VERNON E. JORDAN, JIM ARSENEAULT, CHARLIE COOK, JIM LEHRER, CARLY FIORINA, JIM VANCE, DR. PETER LEVIT, KENNETH ADELMAN, GEORGE MICHAEL, JONATHAN TISCH, JOHN F. HARRIS, MONTGOMERY BLAIR SIBLEY, PETER GREENBERG, FRED GRANDY, CONNIE SCHULTZ, ROBERT FRANK, VALERIE PLAME WILSON, ROBERT NOVAK, AMB. PIERRE VIMONT, DAN GLICKMAN, MARTHA JOYNT KUMAR, DAVID BALDACCI, BOB RYAN, DR. MICHAEL JACOBSON, LEONARD DOWNIE, JR., RICHARD MOE, TUCKER CARLSON, MARK PENN, TED LEONSIS, LT. ANDREW BALDWIN, QUINN BRADLEE, JONATHAN CAPEHART, HUGH NEWELL JACOBSEN
KIMBERLY DOZIER

Happy Birthday Angela

I know this is late coming but Happy Birthday fellow Chez Copian!

For Angela's Bday we surprised her and took her to the new Brasserie Beck.

Having spent a month living on the Belgian border of France, the food couldn't have been a better cuisine memory. Nothing like a bowl of steamed mussels, frites (of course with multiple dipping sauces), lobster stew, a Belgian Brew, and finished with ...what else... a Belgian waffle. MMMMMM.

Tapas That!

On the top of our foodie list for chez copa has been the tapas king Zaytinya in Gallery Place. So when Linds sister Tiff came down for dress fittings, we jumped at the excuse to make a reservation.

I won’t bury the lead on this one – it was superb. Tapas and buffets are very similar to each other for me, perfect for the A.D.D. taster, only unlike a buffet, I don’t feel like Violet “blueberry” Beauregard.

But not all Tapas are created equal. Having just visited Bodega in Georgetown , which was mediocre at best, I was hoping Zaytinya would earn its rating on the Washingtonians Best of List. And just to be clear, Zaytinia serves mezze, or Mediterranean tapas.

We were not disappointed. Just being three of us, we tried to limit the selections. Tried but failed. Twelve dishes were paired with, “the wine that will change your life,” as suggested by Jeff our waiter. I can’t recall the exact name of the Greek red, but for all intents and purposes it may as well have been named Zeus for how powerful it was.

All in all – this is a definite revisit, for both happy hour and a mezze-fest!

A Taste Of The Islands

Cafe Trope (Sept. 17)

An evening with Carol, my mentor, is always an adventure. We originally had planned on Asia Nora, a renowned organic restaurant, but we were welcomed by a We've had a good run sign. So after a quick convo with neighboring fire department, and some aimless wandering around Dupont Circle, we stumbled upon Cafe Trope.

Just recently opened, this French Caribbean restaurant knocked my socks off right from the start. Our absolutely delicious waiter (imported from Manhattan) made a few suggestions, to which we ignored and unintentionally ordered anyway.

To start the bread (rolls) were perfect, right out of the oven and generous accompanied with a tampanade hummus like spread. I would have preferred a slightly more olive infused flavor but it was tasty nonetheless.

Two glasses of wine (pinot grigo) later we were feasting on Shrimp and Grits with Chorizo with Sausage, Spinach, Bermuda Onions and Lobster Curry Sauce. This was the stand-out for the evening. The sauce was creamy and rich coupled with the punch of the chorizo and the texture of the grits.

Carol had the much milder dish, the Aromatic Chickpea and Spinach Curry. I found it to be too mellow for my taste. To share we had the Truffled Macaroni & Goats’ Cheese, a popular dish, to which we disagreed. Carol wanted to salt the dish but I found the hint of goat cheese to be just the right balance.

On a scale of 1-10 I'd give cafe troupe a 7: overall delightful and the chorizo dish a winner.

Bowl This

Bowling…who doesn’t love a game where form is not necessary, just as long as a) the ball hits the pins at the end of the lane and b) you don’t fall on your ass chasing the ball down the lane.

But there is something to be said for drinking beer by the pitcher over Formica laminated tables and wearing funky shoes whereby the only thing separating you from foot fungus are your trusty sucks (if you remembered them) and the Lysol a teenager sprayed (hopefully) before you slid those suckers on.

Well a few years ago, someone had the brilliant idea (hey bob, I’ve got an idea) to try and glam this ritual up! Let’s make bowling posh! So no more beer for you ….lets charge $10 for a G & T and another $15 for chips and salsa. Then…..we’ll turn the lights down and make you dress in your uncomfortable but fabulous club gear. But you still have to wear the shoes….and this time no socks, because lets be honest….who can really fit those in their clutch.

That’s the idea behind Lucky Strike in Gallery Place. Wow! In addition to the unbelievably lousy service and lounge crowd lacking panache, I’ve gotta say…let’s keep this American pastime where it belongs…in the 1970’s throwback we like to call an ally! (complete with disco balls and beer bellies)

Copa Gets Their Grub On

It’s that time again….DC Restaurant week! And who would we be to miss this August (and January) celebration of cheep eats from DC’s top restaurants.

For this week’s gastronomical experience we finally made reservations for the oh-so posh and modern PS 7’s located just blocks form Gallery Place and steps from the Copa fav…Acadiana.

Often restaurants will provide a special pre-fix menu for Restaurant week and PS 7’s followed suit. As much as we try to mix our selections, Katie, Linds and I had almost identical orders this go-around.

I ordered for the appetizer Ale Poached mussels featuring Prince Edward Island mussels with rustic bread, rosemary, ale, and a mustard broth, which turned out to be as generous a buttery helping as the description.

But before the appetizers were simultaneously served, we had not one, but two helpings of the light rosemary and cottage cheese rolls.

By the time my perfectly sautéed sea scallops over golden Yukon potatoes arrived, we had fallen madly in love with our waiter, Maurice aka “Mo.” (“Why settle for less when you can always have Mo.”)

When making our wine selection (from a very short list of overpriced, disappointing offerings) he suggested, “the more you drink, the better I look; by the end of the night I’ll look like Denzel Washington.”

But as if to compensate for the wine list, my beignets (French churro) resting on a chocolate and raspberry jam garnished plate sent me into foodie heaven.

Overall – amazing meal, poor wine, great service, even for a 9pm reservation!