Brittany – We Love DC https://www.welovedc.com Your Life Beyond The Capitol Thu, 19 Nov 2020 00:49:47 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.9.9 Food, Music, and Charity: Sound Bites 2012 https://www.welovedc.com/2012/05/22/food-music-and-charity-sound-bites-2012/ Tue, 22 May 2012 20:52:35 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=84723

An annual fundraiser for DC Central Kitchen, So…

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An annual fundraiser for DC Central Kitchen, Sound Bites took over the 9:30 Club – and V Street outside in block party style – on Sunday evening. The event featured music from a variety of local performers, a cocktail-mixing competition among some of the city’s top bartenders, and samples of fare by many local restaurants.

The event, now in its third year, is a different take on the many fancy charity galas that have been all over town the last few weeks. DC Central Kitchen wanted to do something casual, accessible, and lighthearted to raise funds for their vital projects. All of the restaurants involved donated their food and staff time to the cause. Attendees were able to stroll around the outdoor area tasting samples or duck out of the sun into the club to listen to a band or DJ between bites.

The weather was spectacular during the event with the drizzle holding off until after the festivities concluded and a spirited – but pleasantly not over-packed – crowd enjoyed bites from local favorites like Room 11, Cork, and Mandu, as well as trying new things like cupcakes from a bakery called Taste. Bartenders from four bars vied to impress a panel of judges with cocktails whipped up using “secret ingredients” sprung upon them – with The Gibson ultimately taking the title.

A diverse line-up of musical entertainment took the stage, from an all-female Brazilian drum corps to indie bands to a headlining DJ set from Thievery Corporation’s Rob Garza. All together, Sound Bites delivered a celebration of the DC food and music communities, united to do good for our less-fortunate neighbors.

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Summer Cocktails Debut at the W https://www.welovedc.com/2012/05/18/summer-cocktails-debut-at-the-w/ Fri, 18 May 2012 20:00:12 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=84599

POV at the W always launches their seasonal cocktail menus with great flare. This time the cocktail party was summer boardwalk carnival themed with tickets sold to the public through Gilt City and gave attendees a chance to sample the drinks while indulging in some fancy takes on carnival-themed snacks – herbed popcorn, churros with strawberry-rhubarb compote – playing games and even getting bright summer-colored manicures from Bliss Spa.

Ultimately, the drinks are the stars, though – and remain available to purchase at POV throughout the season. These drinks may be the best batch of seasonal cocktails offered by the bar in some time. While they mostly share a pink color palette and general inclination towards the sweet, they are fun, great summer drinks that do not disappoint.

Pictured above is the Luchador Rosa, which seemed to be the favorite among people I asked at the event – and was my strong favorite as well. Silver tequila, fresh squeezed lime, and juicy raspberries make for a classic summertime flavor combo – but the drink is elevated by spicy hellfire bitters and a garden of green, aromatic cilantro. This concoction is awesome and I cannot wait to head back to the roof lounge on a hot summer day to tipple several.

Also great was the Bourbon Summer Sour. Bartender Meghan told me that, in the week or so before the launch event that they have been offering this drink menu, she has made the most of these – and warned me it might be because the cocktail is a bit too easy to drink. After that, I expected something weak and sugary – that watermelon is a major ingredient lead to this assumption – but in fact it was simply light and fun to drink. Mingled with the watermelon was Makers Mark bourbon, mint, lemon, and a touch of sugar. Though it was, in fact, dangerously quaffable (indeed, even as someone who rarely finishes a drink at a tasting, this one disappeared from my glass before I even noticed) it was not sticky or overly “fruit flavored.” Instead, it takes the essential summertime formula of bourbon-plus-mint and just adds a bit of bright, natural fruit juiciness.

The Raspberry Sour was the weakest entry in the bunch. While passable – and, by the looks of things at the event, popular – it was a bit candy-cloying with raspberry simple syrup that largely overpowered the gin base. The French Reception was better, with tons of muddled fresh blackberries floating in the glass with gin, St-Germain, lemon juice, and a fizzy pour of Champagne.

Expect to find me at POV’s roof lounge all summer long. Drinking cocktails under a permanent roof canopy is, after all, about as close as I get to “sunshine” or the “outdoors.”

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Drink Yourself to the 2012 RAMMY Awards https://www.welovedc.com/2012/05/17/drink-yourself-to-the-2012-rammy-awards/ Thu, 17 May 2012 23:00:43 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=84593

The RAMMY Awards are an annual celebration of me…

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The RAMMY Awards are an annual celebration of members of the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington (thus the clever name) – and the gala is one of the biggest food-industry parties of the year in DC. If that event, coming up on June 24, sounds like something you would want to peek inside, the RAMW is offering a fun way to get involved and maybe win some tickets: Drinking at the establishments nominated in the “beverage/mixology program” category.

At each of the five restaurants, a signature cocktail has been created. When diners order one of them, they will be entered to win a pair of tickets. Just ask for the RAMMY card to fill out when you place your order.

The five nominees are BourbonSteak, ChurchKey (on behalf of Neighborhood Restaurant Group), Estadio, Virtue Feed & Grain (on behalf of EatGoodFood Group), and Room 11.

Having sampled four of the five drinks at a press kick-off to the promotion, Room 11’s Chaos Theory and Estadio’s Día de Descanso were my strong favorites among the drinks (though, it is important to note, the RAMMY award is for complete bar programs and they are not being judged on these drinks alone).

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Friday Happy Hour: The Getaway at The Passenger https://www.welovedc.com/2012/05/11/friday-happy-hour-runaway-at-the-passenger/ Fri, 11 May 2012 20:00:44 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=84191

That photo is terrible. I know. Let me explain. I…

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That photo is terrible. I know. Let me explain. It was taken around 1:30am last night, when I was not planning to taste anything critically and conditions were sub-optimal for drink photography. When this arrived, though, it was so amazingly good, I had to grab my phone and snap a photo because I knew I had to share this cocktail with you.

You may notice that the rest of the table is covered in cans of Schlitz. I have no complaint with cheap beer drinking and was not really trying to be the one person ordering a complicated cocktail when everybody else is drinking out of tall boys – but I had already been drinking beer since 5:00, mostly for my job, and I wanted to be tasting something else. It was relatively slow and I asked our lovely server Adriana if I could have something with Cynar. (Regular readers of this column will not be surprised by the request, Cynar being my fall-back comfort liquor of choice.)

What arrived was described as, “a favorite Derek creation,” a reference to the bar’s part-owner Derek Brown. The Cynar is mingled with molassesy black strap rum, a bit of simple syrup, and a splash of lemon juice to cut through that sticky density and add a bit of acid. It was dark and opaque, with a light frothy foam on top, floating a single bright green leaf.

After taking my first sip of the cozy, sweet drink, I wordlessly slid my drink in front of my friend Tim (the blurry blonde in the background of the photo) and gestured that he had to try it. After agreeing that this drink is, in fact, totally delicious, he registered a small complaint. As a bartender at Tabard Inn, apparently customers have come in requesting this drink, but lacking the specific rum at that bar, he has not been able to adequately reproduce it for them – so it was particularly enjoyable for him to taste it in its original formulation.

Everybody at the table was forced to take a sip, even the professed rum-hater. That I only ended up drinking about two thirds of the glass is probably for the best, because I did have to switch to something a bit less sugary afterwards (and still had a bit of a headache upon waking up this morning – though that is hardly just the Getaway’s fault) but for a single serving it was a total delight.

[Update: An earlier version of this post misidentified the drink as “The Runaway.” Mr Brown, in alerting me to the error, also notes that the cute green garnish was an innovation not in the original recipe.]

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Friday Happy Hour: Special-Edition Burial at Sea https://www.welovedc.com/2012/04/27/friday-happy-hour-special-edition-burial-at-sea/ Fri, 27 Apr 2012 20:00:57 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=83775
One of the many benefits of the recent flourishi…

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One of the many benefits of the recent flourishing of cool small breweries in the area has been the interesting collaborations that result when they put their creative energies together. One such beer, Burial at Sea, came about when DC Brau teamed up with Baltimore’s Oliver Breweries to create an English Dark Mild Ale which was released earlier this year.

Add to that collaboration a third level: Aging that beer in barrels from various distilleries including, though the work of the staff of Jack Rose and Boubon in Adams Morgan, a special edition version of Burial at Sea aged in Bulleit Rye barrels. This aged batch of the beer was released at Bourbon this week during a special event with Mr. Tom Bulleit himself from the distillery on hand – as well as the founders of DC Brau and a festive crowd that turned out on a Wednesday night to enjoy the limited offering.

The finished product is absolutely delicious – perhaps the most-appealing new beer I have tasted in months and definitely among my favorite things put out under the DC Brau label. While there was no particular surprise in store flavor-wise – it tasted pretty as one would expect from a barrel-aged dark mild – I loved the whiskey richness and fabulous aroma, balanced to achieve a lot of impact without the heavy, wintery qualities which, while they can be great, might have been less appropriate for drinking on Bourbon’s back patio in late-April.

Everyone in my group ordered at least one and I – a person who rarely orders the same thing twice in one night at any bar – ordered a few. I just did not want to drink anything else while this limited release was still available.

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Kiehl’s Opens in Tysons Corner https://www.welovedc.com/2012/04/24/kiehls-opens-in-tysons-corner/ https://www.welovedc.com/2012/04/24/kiehls-opens-in-tysons-corner/#comments Tue, 24 Apr 2012 20:42:34 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=83666

Kiehl’s second store in the DC area celebrates a grand opening tonight in the Tyson’s Corner mall. The beloved brand’s first store in Virginia joins their Georgetown location to provide obsession-worthy skincare products, sold in charming apothecary-style bottles. In honor of the opening, they have teamed up with NewsBabes, a breast-cancer research charity founded by local television anchorwomen and will be donating a portion of the night’s proceeds. There will also be gift bags for the first 100 shoppers starting at 5:00 and plenty of special Georgetown Cupcakes confections. regarding this event learn more at analbleachingexpert.com and enjoy our exciting goods to be given away for the first 100 customers!

As if my own vanity did not already look like a Kiels’ counter, the company was kind enough to send some samples – and managed to get me hooked on yet another product, the Midnight Recovery Concentrate which has found a place next to my existing favorite, the matching Midnight Recovery Eye Cream. Being a nightlife and bars writer around these parts means late, often dehydrated, nights and my super-freak-out-prone sensitive skin can definitely show it. However, Kiehl’s products manage to work for me without ever irritating – which, perhaps, is how they have stayed in business for the last 151 years.

The Tyson’s Corner shop is based on the New York flagship store, and blends vintage and modern style. The interior is also designed to be as environmentally responsible as possible, with touches like reclaimed wood floors and energy-effiencent light fixtures – to illuminate the recycled and sustainable product packaging, of course. The 550 square foot space located on the mall’s second floor includes a large “consultation table” where customers can get skincare evaluations and advice and a special “Men’s Destination and Shave Bar” area.

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Friday Happy Hour: Jungle Bird at Passenger https://www.welovedc.com/2012/04/20/friday-happy-hour-jungle-bird-at-passenger/ Fri, 20 Apr 2012 20:00:52 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=83556

Tuesday was an amazing day. I went outside to see …

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Tuesday was an amazing day. I went outside to see the shuttle glide overhead – and after that it seemed like my whole day was dusted with little bits of space magic. I was absurdly productive, managed to pull off some things I did not expect to work, and generally felt very accomplished and excited about the world.

Obviously, a day like that called for a celebratory drink with friends.

Being Tuesday, we headed over to Passenger for their long-running weekly Tiki night. The weather was a trifle chillier than “the islands” on that night, but recent warm temperatures and sunny days had well-primed me for tiki-style refreshment.

When I arrived and looked at the chalkboard of drink features for the night, I knew exactly which one was made for me. Jungle Bird brings together tiki classics of pineapple, lime, and rum – specifically Smith & Cross – with one of my favorite liquors of all, Campari. Served over crushed ice in a big, frosty hurricane glass, the drink was a little lighter in body and less-sweet than some tiki drinks, while still being perfect for imagining somewhere tropical.

By the end of the night, our group of six had gone through enough of them that an entire bouquet of little orchid garnishes had made their way into our hair or onto a sizable pile on the table. Rarely do I order the same drink twice in a row, even when I really like it – but this one I did. It was a magical day.

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Friday Happy Hour: Rite of Spring at Room 11 https://www.welovedc.com/2012/04/06/friday-happy-hour-rite-of-spring-at-room-11/ Fri, 06 Apr 2012 20:00:52 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=83191

Friday Happy Hour is back after our month of ARTI…

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Friday Happy Hour is back after our month of ARTINIs – and, I am pleased to report, we will be including some additional voices from our other drinks writers in this space from time to time, in our efforts to bring you the most diverse collection of drinks experiences we can. Spring seems like a perfect time for this sort of re-vamp – and so what could be a more perfect drink to kick off this new season than one called Rite of Spring?

While I love to pester the awesome staff of Room 11 to make me experimental drinks based on what is often a string of near-nonsense adjectives – and they consistently make creative, tasty cocktails off the tops of their heads from my silly prompts – I also like to keep up with the drinks they feature on their menu. These change with the seasons and are generally the results of extensive testing and experimenting.

On a recent visit, their chalkboard offered Rite of Spring and, given the lovely warm day, how could I turn that down? As the name suggests, this is springtime distilled into a coupe glass. Starting with Beefeater gin (of course – what spirit could be more spring than gin?), the drink builds floral notes with a chamomile honey syrup, lavender bitters, and lemon juice. A pinch of aromatic chamomile buds are sprinkled across the top.

The chamomile and lavender has an almost aromatherapy quality of instant calming – so much so, in fact, the staff has nicknamed the honey “sleepy syrup.” After a sip – and, particularly, a smell – one can easily conjure images of a stone house set in the English countryside, surrounded by gardens and probably some kind of stately dog (or whatever else one imagines oneself to have at their country estate – for me, gin and a basset hound will do). All around, Rite of Spring makes for a perfect tipple to enjoy in the early evening of a breezy spring day.

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Historic Howard Theatre Opens for a New Generation https://www.welovedc.com/2012/04/03/historic-howard-theatre-opens-for-a-new-generation-2/ https://www.welovedc.com/2012/04/03/historic-howard-theatre-opens-for-a-new-generation-2/#comments Tue, 03 Apr 2012 21:13:05 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=83031 Historic Howard Theatre Opens for a New Generation

The newest performing arts venue opening to entertain Washington audiences really is not new at all. The Howard Theatre, re-opening this month, was originally built in 1910 and saw legends like Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, and James Brown to its stage.

While the theatre had been known as a place where color barriers were broken during the times of segregation, it was nonetheless damaged in DC’s riots of 1968, after which the Shaw neighborhood where it stands changed and the theatre never really recovered. In more recent decades, the Beaux Arts landmark fell into disrepair and, since 1980, sat dormant – a shell, holding only memories of the grand balls and shows it had once hosted.

In 2000, the Howard Theatre was designated an American Treasure under the “Save America’s Treasures” program by President Clinton, a designation for historic sites around the nation that are “so important to the history of the United States that they must be preserved and restored.” Once that status was achieved, a fundraising campaign to restore the theatre began in 2006 the renovations started in September of 2010.

Today, the building has been lovingly rebuilt and brought under the management of Blue Note Entertainment Group who also operate such noted venues as the Blue Note Jazz Club, B.B. King Blues Club and The Highline Ballroom in New York.

The elegant theatre has a flexible layout which can be set either “supper club” style for 650 seated guests or open for 1,100 standing. For comparison, the neighboring 930 Club accommodates approximately 1,200 standing audience members.

The supper club seats will be hotly-desired, too, because the supper itself is no bar-food after-thought. Instead, celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson has helmed a menu that will bring diners out to the theatre to enjoy a meal before the show. On Sundays, the Harlem Gospel Choir will perform at a gospel brunch that is sure to be a truly special experience.

Performances begin on April 9th – and many events are already on sale. Performances by DC legends Bad Brains and Chuck Brown have, fittingly, already sold out – but music from Wale to Morris Day are still available. The booking is eclectic, though generally share a lean towards acts that might appeal to a slightly more mature concert-goer, which brings a nice diversity to a neighborhood more known for youthful indie crowds.

Breathing new life into a building so rich with history is always a powerful thing to see and Washington audiences are likely to feel instantly at home in this classic performance palace.

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ARTINI Week Three https://www.welovedc.com/2012/03/23/artini-week-three/ https://www.welovedc.com/2012/03/23/artini-week-three/#comments Fri, 23 Mar 2012 20:00:55 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=82684 ARTINI 2012 is underway! Twelve** Eleven tale

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Frank Jones of The Gibson for ARTINI 2012. Photo credit: Dan Swartz. Courtesy of the Corcoran Gallery of Art.

ARTINI 2012 is underway! Twelve** Eleven talented bartenders have created cocktails inspired by works in the Corcoran Gallery of Art. Every Friday the We Love DC drinks team will wrap up the week’s feature nights with reviews of each ARTINI entry, to culminate at the gala on March 31st. Check out our notes from Week One and Week Two – and find out what we thought of Week Three.

ARTINI 7: Chantal Tseng, Tabard Inn
Inspiration: Indian Warrior, Alexander Phimister Proctor, 1918, bronze

Reviewer: Fedward

Chantal Tseng’s Horsefeather, inspired by Alexander Phimister Proctor’s 1918 bronze, Indian Warrior, comes with a story of its concept. It “… represents a kind of pre-battle elixir, kind of like an offering to the warrior gods.” It’s a tasty concoction of Mount Gay rum, echinacea root tea, lime juice, honey syrup, molasses, and allspice dram, garnished with a slice of “charred spiced dried apple” (which was flamed on the spot). Oh, and it was served with a side of smoked hickory and roasted coconut popcorn. Chantal’s description of the drink is apt. The elements of smoke, spice, and earth (in the apple, tea, and molasses) bring visions of the warrior himself to life. Of the three ARTINIs I’ve had so far, its taste is most evocative of its inspiration, although Rachel Sergi’s Niagara was more visually apt. I’ll be very curious which approach the ARTINI judges prefer.

Indian Warrior, Alexander Phimister Proctor, 1918, bronze - Corcoran Gallery of Art

ARTINI 8: Michael Audi for El Centro D.F.
Inspiration: Putti with Allegorical Figures Representing the Arts and Seasons, Hugues Taraval, c 1770, oil on canvas

Reviewer: Brittany

We have seen some ARTINI drinks that are creative, sophisticated, and clever, prepared with deliberate speed by a careful bartender – but wondered how well that same drink would translate to hundreds of party-goers queued up at a gala, hoping to get their hands on a drink. El Centro’s team has got an edge in that department. On a lovely spring night, they were slinging out the cocktail to a jam-packed rooftop and nobody had to wait very long. The drink is pretty, too, with sunset-colored layers of pink and purple at the bottom of the glass (cranberry juice and creme de violet) below a pale cloudy colored layer – all of which seemed very fitting given the drink’s inspiration, a ceiling mural with lots of ethereal imagery. The motif of the four seasons particularly informed the drink, according to a sign hung up by the bar. Unfortunately, this eight-ingredient concoction, while quick to make and pretty to see, did not quite excite on taste like some of the other ARTINIs. The drink was cloyingly sweet – Cointreau and syrup and Squirt grapefruit soda and so on – and the chili, ginger, and tequila flavors I expected from the drink’s description really did not come through strongly enough to be enjoyable.

Putti with Allegorical Figures Representing the Arts and Seasons, Hugues Taraval, c 1770, oil on canvas - Corcoran Gallery of Art

ARTINI 9: Phil Peters for Smith Commons
Inspiration: The Longshoremen’s Noon, John George Brown, 1879, oil on canvas

Reviewer: Brittany

It was perfect to go to El Centro and Smith Commons back to back this week, because the ARTINI from these two places were almost perfect opposites in every way. “Smoke Over Manhattan,” crafted by Smith Commons bartender Andy Bixby in collaboration with Lead Mixologist Phil Peters is my easy favorite of the drinks I have tasted so far. This drink delivered on both visual and taste appeal, did so with a bit of style and ambition, but balanced accessibility to the casual sampler with experimentation for the connoisseur — all just like a great art gallery. When I arrived at Smith Commons, the place was comfortably populated but with space remaining at the bar – which is almost unprecedented in my now two years of fighting the crowds at ARTINI feature nights. It would seem that a lot of ARTINI tasters decided to skip the lone H Street NE outpost on this year’s line up – but that worked out for me because I was able to sit there and stare, mesmerized, as Andy meticulously squeezed droplets of vermouth into a sphereification fluid to create tiny beads of “vermouth caviar.” (There are those who will stop here saying this kind of entry-level molecular gastronomy is très passé. To them, I say: it is still fun, it tastes good, and I will take it over Squirt any day.) These would settle at the bottom of the glass of this deconstructed take on a Manhattan. The cherry is represented by a puff of stabilized darkened cherry brandy foam, floating on top of the drink and gently dissolving in as the drink progresses. For the whiskey in the body of the cocktail, Phil and Andy applewood-smoked a batch of the Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey Whiskey (a sponsor of the event – all ARTINIs include at least one), and then combined it back with a splash of the un-smoked honey whiskey and a portion of Bulleit Bourbon. The smoke is a direct visual and taste reference to the puffs of smoke in the painting, as is a glassy, amber-colored apple sugar candy stick made to evoke the hay in the image. It is placed in the drink and can be used as a stirrer – a shiny, light contrast in a drink that is otherwise a deep, opaque, greyish eggplant color. The scent of honey was incredibly strong in the drink – one could easily smell honey even from across the bar – but in the flavor it was apparent without being sticky. The smoke really mellowed and deepened the flavor and it integrated well with the bourbon. A really sophisticated, multi-faceted interpretation of the artwork, smokey bourbon, fun, mouth-bursting jelly vermouth balls, and a gorgeous visual – this ARTINI will be very hard to beat and it left me wanting to head back to Smith Commons more often to see what else they have up their creative sleeves.

The Longshoremen's Noon, John George Brown, 1879, oil on canvas - Corcoran Gallery of Art

**3/27 UPDATE: AGAINN DC is no longer competing in ARTINI.

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ARTINI: Week One Features https://www.welovedc.com/2012/03/09/artini-week-one-features/ https://www.welovedc.com/2012/03/09/artini-week-one-features/#comments Fri, 09 Mar 2012 21:00:51 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=81813 It is ARTINI season – which might just be t…

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Oyamel ARTINI by Daniel Swartz, Courtesy of Corcoran Gallery of Art

It is ARTINI season – which might just be the happiest season of all for your We Love DC lushes, who think a combination of fine art and fine cocktails is pretty hard to beat.

Hosted by the 1869 Society to benefit the Corcoran Gallery of Art’s “ArtReach” education programs, the ARTINI gala on March 31st is an annual event not to be missed. Twelve** Eleven of DC’s best mixologists will engage in a friendly competition to make drinks inspired by impressive artworks from the Corcoran’s collection.

Throughout the month of March, these drinks are available on Feature Nights at each participating bar, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Corcoran. During these opportunities to sample, the public can also vote for their favorite among the drinks. The Drinks Team will be tasting them all and posting our thoughts here in weekly round-ups – and we encourage you to visit each bar and taste along with us.

ARTINI 1: Joe Cleveland for Oyamel Cocina Mexicana
Inspiration: Constantijn Daniel à Renesse, Conviviality Near the Inn

Reviewer: Brittany

Constantijn Daniel à Renesse, Conviviality Near the Inn, early 1650s oil on canvas 39 3/4 x 41 inches Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC William A. Clark Collection 26.160

Joe Cleveland seemed almost giddy as he zipped around behind the small bar at Oyamel – though as delighted as he seemed when describing his creation, that could also just have been a response to handling a crowd packed three and four deep on the opening ARTINI feature night. The “Alegria” is a Congac-based drink, which Cleveland says he rarely gets to use at the Mexican restaurant, though he did managed to slip some Herradura Anejo, Cointreau, and bright, fresh citrus in with the Remy Martin and Chartruese to keep it more or less in line with their usual flavors. The Congac had a nice, evolving finish and delicate mouthfeel that was almost suggestive of subtle effervescence though the drink is perfectly still. Alongside the main drink, he served a terribly classy take on a jelly shot in a tidy hollowed-out lime wedge. Between the firm yet yielding texture, orange color, and the spicy dusting with chile powder the shot reminded me immediately of the little paper cones of mango slices with chile I used to buy on the street in Los Angeles. It was a supple – and pleasantly non-cloying – delight which almost overshadowed the main attraction, though it did require extra hands and I have some concerns about how it might work at a crowded gala setting (expect me to be the klutzy woman with orange jelly on her cocktail dress). I loved that Oyamel handed out a card with a photo of the artwork so one could ponder it while sipping – but unfortunately, beyond an orangish color, I am not sure they shared much directly in common visually. However, when it comes to “conviviality,” encouraging people to two-fist and jelly-shoot might be right on point.

ARTINI 2: Rachel Sergi for Jack Rose
Inspiration: Frederic Edwin Church, Niagara

Reviewer: Fedward

Frederic Edwin Church, Niagara, 1857 oil on canvas 40 x 90 1/2 inches Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC Museum Purchase, Gallery Fund 76.15

As I was leaving Jack Rose I told Rachel Sergi she was my front runner for this year’s ARTINI, but that I’d only had her cocktail so far. Inspired by Frederic Edwin Church’s 1857 oil-on-canvas Niagara (which is just what you might imagine from its title), the Threshold is made from fresh blueberry and green apple juice, Herradura silver tequila, and Bittermens ‘Elemakule Tiki Bitters (bottled magic), and then topped with Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey foam (Sergi and bartender Amy Russell were busy all night with an immersion blender, keeping the foam properly whipped for each cocktail). The perfume-and-spice je-ne-sais-quoi of the Tiki bitters balances surprisingly well with the fresh juices, and the cocktail is well more than the sum of its parts. If pressed I could complain that the texture would have benefitted from the use of a fine mesh strainer, but the flavor more than makes up for that flaw.

ARTINI 3: Sam Haltiwanger for Ardeo + Bardeo
Inspiration: Jane Hammond, Hand Held

Reviewer: Jenn

Jane Hammond, Hand Held, 1996 oil and mixed media on canvas 72 x 110 inches Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC Gift of the Mary M. and Sash A. Spencer Collection 2008.014 © Jane Hammond, Courtesy Galerie Lelong, New York

ARTINI’s mandate is a challenging one: it’s not just to create an original cocktail, but to create a cocktail inspired by an artwork in the Corcoran’s collection. Inspiration is personal, after all, and one person’s response to art may be very different from another. Jane Hammond’s Hand Held (1996, oil and mixed media on canvas) is full of intensely vibrant color, using her signature pictorial images to create a map of the United States, with a quirky effect rather like a patchwork quilt. So when Sam Haltiwanger placed a brown drink with a single star anise in front of me, it was a jarring first impression. Ardeo did not have an image of Hammond’s work on display at their Feature Night this past Wednesday, so that disconnect may not have been everyone’s that night. Sam pleasantly explained that he started with a rum base as an homage to America’s colonial past, then added a cider and brown sugar reduction to allude to “American apple pie,” and rounded it out with lime, ginger, and habanero to bring in the country’s modern diversity. As a cocktail, it’s a nice sip of sweet and spice, but its finish seems too watery – serving it on-the-rocks dilutes the taste too much. As an artini, it’s a subtle interpretation, but perhaps a bit of a stretch to relate it to Hammond’s zany, explosive artwork.

**3/27 UPDATE: AGAINN DC is no longer competing in ARTINI.

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A Rock and Roll Opening for a Very Rock Exhibit https://www.welovedc.com/2012/02/29/a-rock-and-roll-opening-for-a-very-rock-exhibit/ https://www.welovedc.com/2012/02/29/a-rock-and-roll-opening-for-a-very-rock-exhibit/#comments Wed, 29 Feb 2012 19:22:59 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=81559 Photo courtesy of LaTur
the password is…….Fidelio
court

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Photo courtesy of LaTur
the password is…….Fidelio
courtesy of LaTur

The W Hotel has a history of using their walls to show off cool and interesting art – and using their lounges to throw fabulous parties. Those come together tonight to celebrate the opening of an exclusive photography exhibit, “ROCKED.” These iconic photos of musicians by British “man who shot the seventies” Mick Rock will bring forty years of rarely-displayed images of the performers who defined pop culture to a Washington audience for the first time.

To open the exhibit which is set to run March 2-31, a lavish party will be hosted as part of the “W Happenings” series, including a live performance by Fitz and the Tantrums and a DJ set by Rob Garza and Eric Hilton of local legends Thievery Corporation.

Sound like an amazing party you do not want to miss? You still have until 5pm today to enter to win two VIP passes to attend – along with a signed copy of Mick Rock’s book and an overnight stay at the hotel.

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Vintage Cabaret Glamour Comes to Strathmore https://www.welovedc.com/2012/02/29/vintage-cabaret-glamour-comes-to-strathmore/ Wed, 29 Feb 2012 16:00:48 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=81049

What is the vintage-lover to do in these winter d…

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What is the vintage-lover to do in these winter doldrums? The Washington Ballet’s “Great Gatsby” has been closed for months and yet there are still months to go before that next Seersucker Social. Satisfy your cravings for long pearls and short bobbed hair when, on March 1st, Max Raabe und das Palast Orchester turns the Music Center at Strathmore into an elegant cabaret.

Max Raabe und das Palast Orchester, performs all around the world, drawing on the style and sounds of the 1920s and 1930s, with the thirteen musicians drawing on early jazz, ragtime, classics of the American Songbook, and “German chansons” from Weimar Republic. Attendees are encouraged to dress the part in cloche hats, drop-waist dresses, and dapper suits.

Tickets are available online for $28 to $58.

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Friday Happy Hour: Tonic for Everyday Neuroses https://www.welovedc.com/2012/02/24/friday-happy-hour-the/ https://www.welovedc.com/2012/02/24/friday-happy-hour-the/#comments Fri, 24 Feb 2012 21:00:06 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=81422

Getting together with friends for a cocktail pa…

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Getting together with friends for a cocktail party is pretty great – but even better if your guests include, say, authors and experts who want to talk about their work, a chef who whips up some very sophisticated morsels, and a terrific mixologist to make the drinks. That is the concept behind Fireside Cocktails by The Coterie. Meeting once a month at Fathom Creative (and, really, I can only dream of having a living room as chic as their second-floor gallery/event space), these events combine some of my very favorite things – intriguing conversation and tasty drinks.

I attended February’s event, where Eric Weiner discussed his most recent book, Man Seeks God: My Flirtations with the Divine. Between his presentations (broken into segments, with time for mingling, chatting, and drinking between), conversations were stimulated – both in provocation and lubrication – by cocktails prepared by mixologist Jon Harris. My favorite of these, taking its name from a phrase in Mr. Weiner’s book, was called “Tonic for Everyday Neuroses.”

Obviously something I need in my life, the idea behind this tonic was to combine several ingredients reputed to have calming qualities – namely lavender, hops, and… well, I am not sure gin has historically been credited with homeopathic properties, but I think it might as well. The lavender came in the form of lavender bitters, and the hops from a hearty float of Bell’s Two Hearted Ale, poured atop the gin and lime juice. The drink was very pleasant – and apparently worked at calming my nerves, because I did do quite a bit of chatting with strangers that evening which my friends will tell you, is rather outside my normally-shy nature. Curing my neuroses, however, might require a few more.

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Hot Ticket – For a Cause: A Benefit Show for DC Vote https://www.welovedc.com/2012/02/17/hot-ticket-for-a-cause-a-benefit-show-for-dc-vote/ Fri, 17 Feb 2012 15:00:43 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=81043

Interested in hearing some cool music while sup…

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Interested in hearing some cool music while supporting the work of DC Vote? Head over to DC9 on February 23rd for the next in the on-going Monument Music and Arts series of benefit shows which have previously supported other great local non-profits like 826DC, We Are Family, and Common Good City Farm.

The line up on the 23rd features Raleigh, NC’s Heads on Sticks and the DC-native-fronted Farewell Republic. Both bands specialize in takes on buzzy, psych-inflected rock that should appeal to a wide audience. Before and after the band sets, local artist and DC voting rights activist Adrian Parsons will DJ – under the moniker Jeanne Pierre le Douche.

Tickets are only $10 and are available now.

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We Love Music: Sharon Van Etten at Black Cat https://www.welovedc.com/2012/02/15/we-love-music-sharon-van-etten-at-black-cat/ Wed, 15 Feb 2012 20:00:54 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=81025 Guest review by Jeffrey Lamoureux
All photogra

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Kevin Hill, chunkyglasses.com

Guest review by Jeffrey Lamoureux
All photographs courtesy of Kevin Hill

Sharon Van Etten was recently featured in the New York Times Magazine in a piece that took stock of her new neighborhood in Brooklyn and its “oddly charming florist/speakeasy.” The article is accompanied online by a video of her performing in said florist/speakeasy. Ms. Van Etten sings while gazing at the floor, the ceiling, and occasionally the camera or her backup singer, cracking a slight smile as she does. It’s a spare and intimate portrait of her music, the appeal of which is its honesty. Ms. Van Etten’s music embodies transience, heartbreak, and, ultimately, strength. When she sings, “I’m alright,” you’re not inclined to believe her, until she grins at the end of the song.

Kevin Hill, chunkyglasses.com

I first saw Ms. Van Etten perform nearly four years ago at a house show. I had never heard of her, and there were perhaps twenty people spread across a few couches and the floor listening her perform solo in the thick of July. The experience was unforgettable. I was smitten, and I talked about her to anyone who would listen for weeks following. Ms. Van Etten’s music is confessional and self-healing in a way that inspires tremendous affinity in her fans. One comes away from her music feeling as though she’s revealed a tremendous amount of herself. It’s easy to imagine yourself her confidant, her records passed to you personally. Seeing her perform solo satisfies the urge to feel close to her, to believe in the unique intimacy her, her music, and yourself.

Kevin Hill, chunkyglasses.com

Ms. Van Etten’s popularity has grown tremendously, each of her numerous returns to DC drawing steadily larger crowds. Since her 2010 release Epic she has recorded and performed with a backing band, pushing the core of her sound away from hushed acoustics and toward the bigger stages she now occupies. At her sold-out Saturday night show at the Black Cat she appeared as a full four-piece band and played most of her newest record Tramp, with a few selections from Epic. Gone were the elegiac and vulnerable bedroom songs, but her performance felt hardly less endearing, barely less intimate for heighted volume and crowded room.

The crowd was largely respectful, and the arrangements of the songs understated yet vital. Ms. Van Etten is a confident if slightly self-abashed performer. She is self possessed but not other-focused; as she sings she seems to abstract herself from the stage, and her occasional banter is light hearted and charming but never slick. Her backup singer, Heather Woods Broderick, sang perfect harmonies that lent the music grace and poise, deftly complimenting Ms. Van Etten’s dark tremor. The strength of her music lies in the power of her voice to express the complexity of her own feelings, and her performance was more than anything a testament to the beauty of the human voice.

Kevin Hill, chunkyglasses.com

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LOVE in Honor of Love: Exclusive Hair Products on Sale https://www.welovedc.com/2012/02/14/love-in-honor-of-love-exclusive-hair-products-on-sale/ https://www.welovedc.com/2012/02/14/love-in-honor-of-love-exclusive-hair-products-on-sale/#comments Tue, 14 Feb 2012 19:44:21 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=81022

On this day of romance, I want to share with you a l…

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On this day of romance, I want to share with you a love story of my own. It began last week, when I was sent some review samples of a the LOVE product line from Davines, exclusively available in D.C. at one80 Salon.

Caucasian, Asian and Indian hair samples were put to the test for the World’s Best Hair study. Their results put an end to any splitting of hairs over the issue: in terms of health, the Indian hair is the best, topping other ethnic groups on all four counts.

Inside the beautifully-designed packaging were eco-friendly products with ingredients like pistachio oil and Indian fig extract. I was definitely allured right away. The fall into devoted love with Davines LOVE was complete when, after using it the first time, I walked into a bar to meet a boy and he immediately said, “Hey, your hair looks really great. Really… shiny.” I do not want to engage in stereotyping here, but let us just say this particular straight dude is not one to generally remark upon such things. That is the level of awesome results we are talking about with these products. If you want to get your hair done at the best salon in town whit the best hairdressers and products to take care of your hair, book an appointment at http://www.charle.com/.

If your winter-weather tresses feel like they need some LOVE, you are in luck: one80 is discounting the line for a limited time. Duck out of the office or stop by on your way to whatever special Valentine date you have planned and pick some up.

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La Sandia Tysons Tamal Festival https://www.welovedc.com/2012/02/14/la-sandia-tysons-tamal-festival/ Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:00:16 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=80506

One of my best friends is from L.A., where winter …

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One of my best friends is from L.A., where winter apparently means tamale festivals, and she was feeling like a mid-winter masa party would be just the ticket one of these unusually California-warm weekends we have been having this year. She sent out this round of emails trying to get people to come over and steam some corn husks up with her – but it turns out all our friends are too intimidated by the somewhat lengthy and labor-intensive preparation and nobody was game.

How lucky it was, then, that just about a week later, La Sandia would send me an email about their own Tamal Festival, happening throughout the month of February. She and I happily accepted the invitation to cruise out to the Tysons Corner outpost of Richard Sandoval’s food empire – which also includes Masa 14, El Centro, Zengo, and about two dozen other spots spreading from Mexico to New York to Dubai – and sample the special festival offerings.

A food with a history traced back as far as 1200 BCE, tamales are found in one form or another across Latin America. La Sandia’s selections capture this diversity – and go way beyond the expected. The tamales are perfect for sharing (though you will want your own delicious margarita alongside) and we were brought a platter with one each of several of the styles. The tamal with queso fresco is the tamale one thinks of first: A corn husk, stuffed with slightly sweet, firmer masa. It is topped here with little bits of fresh white cheese and served with a tasty green sauce. The pork tamal was similar, though wrapped in a banana leaf instead of corn husk, the tender, delicate porksweet and rich with mole sauce and charro beans. This was my friend’s favorite of the night, though she was a vegan until recently and is hardly a regular pork-eater.

The most surprising of the tamales was the pescado variety. Served in a molcajete, this banana leaf bundle brought steamy, succulent mahi mahi sitting on a soft, creamier kind of masa, swirled with a spicy, chartreuse sauce of serrano chile and cilantro, and accompanied by plantains and yellow squash. This was my preferred tamale, so bright and fresh, and felt a bit lighter than some of the other corn cakes arrayed before us.

For dessert, there was a second version of the basic sweet corn tamal, this time topped by raisins and served with a bit of crema dulce, with caramel on the side. This was accompanied by a demitasse serving of a traditional coffee, café de hoya, which is heavily sugared and meant to bring out the sweet flavors of the masa. Personally, I prefer my coffee a bit less sweet, and found my spicy orange margarita worked paired well with our dessert. The real star of the final course, however, were clearly the delightful churros which arrived hot and perfectly fried, with a crispy exterior and that melty-cloud interior of which churro dreams are made. Dipped into a bit of a spiced chocolate, these little dough sticks were the perfect ending to a lovely meal,

Should you find yourself in the suburbs or make a special trip just to La Sandia, be sure to stop in this month to enjoy these delicious, festive dishes before they leave.

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We Love Music: Sockets Records Showcase at Black Cat https://www.welovedc.com/2012/02/13/we-love-music-sockets-records-showcase-at-black-cat/ Mon, 13 Feb 2012 22:00:52 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=80803 IMG_9771
All Photos: Paivi Salonen for We Love DC

Local la…

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All Photos: Paivi Salonen for We Love DC

Local label Sockets Records put on a showcase at the Black Cat back on January 28th. That makes this recap is terribly overdue – and if I did not so like all the bands and people involved so much, I would just let it go at this point. But I really do.

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I love that this label is doing so much to curate a scene and sound that is both pop and accessible, but a creative and experimental brand thereof. One of the bands featured at the showcase, Buildings (just out with a new record, available direct from the label or on iTunes) is on my short list of favorite current DC bands and I was charmed by young band Cigarette who I saw for the first time.

I can only look forward to catching whatever this team puts out next, knowing at this point that I can reliably trust their taste. Anyone looking to tap into what is happening in local music would be well-served to skim through their catalog and attend any future shows bearing the Sockets brand.

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Celebrate Valentine’s Day Tonight with Romantic Cocktails https://www.welovedc.com/2012/02/10/celebrate-valentines-day-tonight-with-romantic-cocktails/ Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:00:29 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=80799 Photo courtesy of needlessspaces
RR WTC building
courtesy of needlessspaces

Val…

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Photo courtesy of needlessspaces
RR WTC building
courtesy of needlessspaces

Valentine’s may be the most divisive of holidays. So many people seem to dread all the hearts-and-flowers and even those who want to celebrate with their partner can get overwhelmed by the hoopla and pressure of the actual day. To this, a possible solution: Take your dearest to to Aria Pizzeria tonight for “Cupid’s Not Stupid: Cocktails to Fall For.”

This cocktail event at 7:00 tonight will feature six notable local mixologists, including Gina Chersevani formerly of PS7s, Rachel Sergi of Jack Rose, and Dan Searing, who will be presenting his book, The Punch Bowl: 75 Recipes Spaning Four Centuries of Wanton Revelry. Attendees will get to sample all the entrants in the friendly competition, as well as beer, wine, and some light food.

So, surprise your date with a spontaneous early Valentine and taste some delicious drinks – and consider coming back to the Reagan Building over the weekend to check out the rest of the International Wine & Food Festival.

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