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Jordan Wright
October 14, 2015
Special to The Alexandria Times
Richmond is getting a lot of ink from around the country as it blossoms into a desirable destination for seasoned travelers. On a return flight from Ireland last month I was seated next to young German headed to Richmond for the 9-day UCI Road World Cycling Championships. He wasn’t a journalist, or even an athlete (for emphasis he patted his expansive belly), this was his first trip to America and he was off to our state capitol for a world-class sporting event.
Change comes quickly to a place when creative minds are firing on all cylinders and Richmond’s renaissance began in fits and starts in the 1980’s with the careful restoration of historic portside factories into airy lofts, galleries and restaurants. Today young entrepreneurs have seized on the affordable rents for their fledgling businesses and the city has exploded with new life. Even the film industry is onto the stunning architecture of this historic city. Spielberg’s epic drama Lincoln was shot here, as was the soon-to-be-released PBS Civil War drama, Mercy Street. This is not your buttoned up Southern city any more.
Once seedy Broad Street is humming with new activity, in part due to the more than 31,000 students attending VCU located in the heart of the city. Now formerly overlooked neighborhoods like Church Hill are grabbing the spotlight. Across the city the trend shows no sign of slowing down with historic buildings being preserved and rehabbed into stunning contemporary living spaces.
New restaurants open every week – – some doing tasty riffs on Southern classics, others drawing from exotic cuisines. Many pair their food with Virginia wines or any of the thirteen Richmond-area microbreweries. Next year California-based Stone Brewing Company will open its eastern U. S. brewery operations and World Bistro & Gardens along Gillies Creek in the historic Fulton Hill neighborhood.
As for the Arts, apart from major international touring art shows at the prestigious Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, there is also a flourishing local art scene with galleries and colorful murals dotting every area of the city. Look for the new VCU Institute for Contemporary Art to open a 43,000-square-foot museum showcasing innovative exhibitions, performances and films by 2017.
GO EXPLORING
 (L-R) Swan Bed – Italian Garden at Maymont Maymont offers 100 lush acres of breathtaking gardens, a nature center, and a Romanesque Revival-style manor house chock-a-block with Victoriana reminiscent of the Gilded Age. Take time to stroll through Japanese, Italian and Victorian gardens or ride a horse-drawn carriage through magnolia-lined allées. www.Maymont.org
 Lewis Ginter Garden Ranked No. 2 among America’s Best Public Gardens, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden features themed gardens including the Children’s Garden, Healing Garden, Rose Garden and Victorian Garden and the South’s most magnificent domed conservatory filled with hundreds of exotic specimens. www.LewisGinter.org Both are part of the Richmond Garden Trail as are six other sites.
 Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Along with more than 33,000 works of art from around the world, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts houses a collection of beautiful Fabergé jeweled eggs. “Rodin” arrives in late November with over 200 works from the Musée Rodin in Paris. www.VMFA.museum
The Virginia Historical Society featuring a fascinating and comprehensive collection of Virginia history from 16,000 BCE to the present. Opened this month “Dressing Downton: Changing Fashion for Changing Times” features 36 costumes from PBS Masterpiece’s Downton Abbey series. www.VAHistorical.org
The Valentine Museum tells the story of Richmond’s early history including the women’s suffrage rights, the slave trade and civil rights. A current show, Classical Allure: Richmond Style, features select gowns and artifacts from their Costume and Textile collection of over 40,000 pieces, the largest of its kind in the South. www.TheValentine.org
 The Science Museum of Virginia Science is cool at the Science Museum of Virginia. Housed in the grandiose former Broad Street Union Station, designed by architect John Russell Pope in the neo-classical style, explore tons of interactive exhibits on space, health, electricity and the earth. A new exhibit, Alien Worlds and Androids features early TV and film robots up to present day outer space heroes. Be sure to check out the 76-foot Dome theatre – – the largest screen in Virginia. www.SMV.org
Stroll Cary Street for cute shops – vintage clothing at Bygones; gifts and more at Mongrel; and great consignment shops such as Ashby and Clementine.
TASTE THE TOWN
 (L-R) Sub Rosa Bakery – Plum tarts from Wood-Fired Bakery Breakfast – Sub Rosa Wood Fired Bakery in Church Hill where a brother-and-sister team, Evrim and Evin Dogu, use a German-made mill to grind organic flour to bake into their crusty breads, yummy cookies and rustic tarts served on eclectic plates from Tree Hill Pottery in Richmond. www.SubRosaBakery.com
Brunch – Sunday Champagne Brunch at The Jefferson hotel is prepared by Chef Patrick Ehemann and served in the Rotunda lobby. It is the pinnacle of Southern haute cuisine. Be sure to try the soufflé-like spoonbread. Reservations recommended. www.LemaireRestaurant.com
Lunch – Tucked into a residential neighborhood, Stella’s serves modern Mediterranean and Greek dishes; The Savory Grain for New American comfort food with a large selection of microbrews and craft beers; and a perennial favorite, the French-inspired Can Can Brasserie in Carytown.
 Ardent Craft Ales brewery Sips – The bar at Lemaire; Saison Restaurant cum gastro pub, or The Roosevelt for craft cocktails in a two-story red clapboard house; on-site brewed quaffs at Blue Bee Cider, Virginia’s only urban cidery in the Old Manchester district; the cool scene at Ardent Craft Ales, a brewery in the burgeoning Scott’s Addition neighborhood. Best Autumn saison, Sweet Potato & Sage. Check their calendar for open brew days.
 (L-R) Roasted Beets with beet mousse and navel oranges – Sable Fish with Maitake mushrooms, charred scallions and dashi broth – Espresso Chocolate Mousse, with orange, hazelnut, and anise hyssop at Maple & Pine Dinner – A tough call with so many to choose from. The intricate fusion dishes by Executive Chef Lee Gregory at the sophisticated and hip Maple & Pine in the glamorous new Quirk hotel; Comfort for locally-sourced, meat-and-three contemporary Southern from Rising Star-awarded chef, Jason Alley; The Roosevelt for three-time James Beard Foundation nominee David Dunlap’s snappy Southern cuisine; Mamma Zu for old school Italian; and Perly’s for serious Jewish deli.
 Meat Loaf, squash casserole and cheddar cheese grits at Comfort STAY
 Hotel Rotunda
With 70-foot-high ceilings and a staircase long rumored to have appeared in Gone with the Wind, The Jefferson Hotel’s Rotunda lobby is one of Richmond’s most sought after spaces for important events. In his 1987 nationally broadcast Sunday morning segment for CBS News, Charles Kuralt described it as (arguably) the most beautiful (public room) of any hotel in the country Luxuriate at The Jefferson – The Queen of American Beaux Arts hotels, this opulent jewel of an historic hotel has cut the number of their rooms down from turning the remaining guestrooms into expansive suites. For the ultimate stay, book a Grand Premier Suite that features a lavishly appointed marble-tiled bathroom with a television invisibly incorporated into the mirror, soaking tub and separate dressing room. www.JeffersonHotel.com
Quirk Hotel and Gallery – The new kid on the block. Recently opened and lovingly restored, this hip boutique hotel had a former life as a swank department store. Sip handcrafted cocktails on the rooftop terrace. www.DestinationHotels.com
UPCOMING EVENTS
Fire, Flour & Fork – October 28th – November 1st – A four-day culinary gathering with tours, special dinners, classes featuring local chefs, cookbook authors, culinary historians and beverage experts. A foodie’s wet dream. Fire, Flour & Fork
On November 13th from 7pm till midnight revel in InLight Richmond. Organized by 1708 Gallery, enjoy a free, public exhibition of light-based art and performances to be held at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Watch the Community Lantern Parade along with performances, sculpture, video, and interactive projects that illuminate pathways, walls, sidewalks, green spaces, trees, benches, building facades, and more, in and around the VMFA campus.
November 27th – January 11th 2016. The nightly holiday extravaganza Dominion GardenFest of Lights: H2Whoa at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden features over half-a-million twinkling lights, hand-crafted botanical decorations, model trains, holiday dinners, firepit with s’mores, hot chocolate (for purchase) and more. This year’s “H2Whoa” theme showcases water in all its forms. Experience a dazzling 30-acre light and botanical display of magical, whimsical water events. Stroll through twinkling “rain storms” as crystal raindrops and fluffy storm clouds float overhead while you marvel at a thunderstorm of lights. In the Conservatory you’ll see a wintry wonderland, rainstorms and rainbows, and even a tropical rainforest.
For more information on upcoming events go to www.VisitRichmondVA.com
Jordan Wright
October 10, 2015
As part of this fall’s Women’s Voices Theater Festival, Director Joe Calarco commissioned American playwright Sheri Wilner and lyricists Julia Jordan and Adam Gwon to write Cake Off – – an original musical. What they came up with is a musical comedy, so off-the-wall sidesplitting that I’m still trying to catch my breath.
 Sherri L. Edelen (Rita Gaw) and Todd Buonopane (Paul Hubbard) in Cake Off at Signature Theatre. Photo by Margot Schulman The storyline derives from a nationally known baking competition which in 1996, when the prize money jumped to $1 million, was won by a man for the first time. Sponsored by the ever so slightly altered company name of Millsbury, the plot centers around two competitors, Paul Hubbard (Todd Buonopane) and Rita Gaw (Sherri Edelen), and one emcee from hell, Jack DeVault (Jamie Smithson does triple duty as former contestants Lenora Nesbit and Nancy DeMarco).
Rita is a divorcee and three-time finalist whose talent derives from an unrequited career in chemistry. A science nerd in the art of baking, she lives vicariously through her doctor-to-be daughter.
 Todd Buonopane (Paul Hubbard) and Sherri L. Edelen (Rita Gaw) in Cake Off at Signature Theatre. Photo by Margot Schulman Newcomer Paul has chosen his 12-year old son Wyatt’s (Ian Berlin) favorite cake recipe, Chocolate Junior Mints Cake, but becomes tormented with beginner’s angst, “I’ve never been a winner, I’m in the ‘Average Hall of Fame’,” he tells Rita, hoping to convince her he’s a better man than the personal trainer his wife has run off with. Rita just wants to prove to her five kids and deserter husband that she’s more than just a housewife and mother. They bond after Rita ignores contest rules to bail out his baking faux pas, and together they rhapsodize about their perfect ingredients in the number “Round One”.
Things heat up, and not just the ovens, when Jack snubs Rita to shower Paul with plenty of live air commentary as the event becomes a battle of the sexes. “This is a TV show,” Jack warns Rita. “They can’t taste the cake!” In “Be a Little Sweeter” veteran baker Lenore cautions Rita that the judges are looking for a telegenic personality something her legendary Roasted Apple Cake can’t overcome. That, and the fact that she’s a woman.
 (l to r) Jamie Smithson (Jack DeVault) and Todd Buonopane (Paul Hubbard) // Jamie Smithson (Jack DeVault) and Sherri L. Edelen (Rita Gaw). Photo by Margot Schulman Designer Jason Sherwood sets the stage with back-to-back stoves to mimic the layout of the famed bake-off as Rita and Paul measure and mix their delicious creations in a frantic rush to beat the clock.
Jordan and Gwon’s lyrics are catchy, quirky and even tender when it calls for it. But the real winners are Edelen whose voice and comedic timing are reminiscent of Lucille Ball, Buonopane who bookends her seamlessly, and Smithson whose extensive vocabulary of facial expressions is mind-altering.
Mix in a few cups of Erma Bombeck’s feminist domesticity with Fannie Flagg’s heartland hilarity, add some candy sprinkles, chocolate frosting and fourteen catchy tunes, and, dare I say it, you’ve got a recipe for success.
Highly recommended if you want to laugh your buns off!
Through November 22nd at Signature Theatre (Shirlington Village), 4200 Campbell Avenue, Arlington, VA 22206. For tickets and information call 703 820-9771 or visit www.signature-theatre.org.
Jordan Wright
October 9, 2015
Special to The Alexandria Times
 (l to r) Curt Bouril (“Don Kirshner”), Liam Tobin (“Gerry Goffin”), Abby Mueller (“Carole King”), Ben Fankhauser (“Barry Mann”) and Becky Gulsvig (“Cynthia Weil”). Photo by Joan Marcus. Where were you when you first heard The Righteous Brothers sing “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” or “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” by The Shirelles? Maybe you were dancing to “Locomotion” by Little Eva or “Up On the Roof” by The Drifters, all songs written by Brooklyn-born Carole King (Abby Mueller) and her husband Gerry Goffin (Liam Tobin). Working for music producer Don Kirshner (Curt Bouril), known as “The Man With the Golden Ear”, their partnership produced hit after hit keeping them on the pop charts throughout the 60’s.
During their early career lyricist Gerry and the precociously talented composer Carole churned out hits at Aldon Music, a music publishing house and hit factory in New York’s Brill Building, where they worked side-by-side with fellow hit makers, Cynthia Weil (Becky Gulsvig) and Barry Mann (Ben Fankhauser) in friendly competition.
 Carnegie Hall. Abby Mueller (“Carole King”). Photo by Joan Marcus Beautiful tells the story of their romance, marriage and tumultuous breakup. The simple story chronicles their struggles and successes and ultimately King’s solo career, which broke the pop mold with the release of her first album – the four-time Grammy Award-winning, “Tapestry”.
The show opens with a medley of hits from the 50’s before the duo got their start – “Poison Ivy”, “Love Potion #9”, “Yakety Yak” to name a few. Dressed in sharkskin suits and skinny ties, actors playing The Drifters appear to perform some of their numbers, as do the ersatz The Shirelles wearing their trademark beaded dresses with chiffon shoulder drapes, Little Eva (Ashley Blanchet), who had been their babysitter, and the entirely fictitious Janelle Woods (Rebecca E. Covington), a pop singer who becomes Gerry’s extramarital lover.
 The Shirelles. (l to r) Britney Coleman, Rebecca E. Covington, Ashley Blanchet and Salisha Thomas // The Drifters. (l to r) Dashaun Young, Paris Nix, Josh A. Dawson and Noah J. Ricketts The musical is heavy on songs, twenty-seven numbers backed by a twelve-piece orchestra, and light on script. But that’s just fine as you’ll probably be silently singing along recalling your first dance, or first kiss, to these memorable songs that are timed to reflect the state of Carole and Gerry’s rocky marriage. Goosebumps kick in with “Some Kind of Wonderful”, Gerry and Carole’s first duet, but the audience gives an collected audible sigh for The Righteous Brothers big number, “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling”.
Scenic Designer Derek McLane captures the mood by drawing on the 1930’s architecture of the historic Brill Building, tricking it out with hundreds of neon-colored lights. Spare sets feature the mid-century modern furnishings of the period, while “On Air” signs suggest the atmosphere of a sound studio.
Abby Mueller does a fine job as Carole, especially at the end of Act Two when she lets loose her powerful voice on the biggest hits from “Tapestry” – “Natural Woman”, later covered by Aretha Franklin and Mary J. Blige, and “Beautiful”, a reflection of her coming of age as an independent composer and soloist.
See it if you love the music of this era, or even if you just like music with lyrics you can understand.
Through October 25th at the Kennedy Center, 2700 F St., NW, Washington, DC. For tickets and information call 202 467-4600 or visit www.Kennedy-Center.org.
Jordan Wright
October 6, 2015
Special to DC Metro Theater Arts
The Hay Adams Teleports a Transylvanian Experience for the Ultimate in Halloween Luxury and A Kids Cultural Extravaganza Comes to Town
 Hay Adams Hotel – Washington, DC Swap your crypt for the ultimate in All Hallows Eve luxury with a night or two at the Hay Adams, which transforms itself, and its staff, for the spook fest. This year “The Transylvania Suite” awaits those who like their haunting to be in the posh category. Designer Barbara Hamilton of the Ociana Group will fiendishly decorate the swank suite, complete with all the trappings of a gentrified haunted house.
Those brave enough to take the plunge will be treated to a spirited welcome amenity from Pastry Chef Josh Short, tricked out with blood-curdling cocktails and delivered to the Halloween lair where a frighteningly outfitted butler will escort you to the skull-adorned suite. There you’ll find a gift collection of old and new horror film DVDs, along with more eye-popping surprises.
A three-course dinner paired with wines and a spidery-inspired dessert served in the suite’s dining room, awaits. Before retiring to your canopy bed embellished with cobwebs, a diabolically concocted turn-down surprise will be on your embroidered custom-designed Italian linen pillows. The following morning awake to a lavish breakfast in bed highlighted by a spicy “Bloody Scary” to complete the morning feast.
This luxurious suite overlooks Lafayette Park and the White House, setting the stage for a wickedly decadent evening. For those addicted to this spooky holiday, The Hay-Adams Halloween package affords a unique chance to enjoy the legendary elegance of this historic hotel while experiencing a number of creative twists all evening. This Halloween experience is priced at $2,995 per night (excluding tax and gratuity). The suite is available Friday, October 30th and Saturday, the 31st. For reservations and more information call 202 638.6600 or visit their website at www.hayadams.com.
Kids Euro Festival Comes to Metro DC
 KEF Production Art Over two dozen embassies will be participating in the Kids Euro Festival in the DC Metro area between October 24th and November 8th. And more than 125 events are free! All these family-friendly European-themed cultural events feature professional performance artists at school performances and in partner venues, film screenings, and library activities, as well as artist workshops, performances for hospitalized children. There will be a full day of activities for children with special needs, and professional development opportunities for teachers. This unique collaboration between the European Union and the United States hopes to transform the capital region into an action-packed cultural adventure for young people, their families, and their teachers.
Calling it “A Trip to Europe Without a Passport” this exciting festival, now in its 8th year, is the largest children’s performing arts festival of its kind in America. Designed for children ages two through twelve and their families, Kids Euro Festival unites the 28 embassies of the European Union (EU) and more than 20 local and national cultural institutions.
“The festival continues to offer children and their families a unique opportunity to experience some of Europe’s best performers right here in Washington, D.C.,” said David O’Sullivan, Ambassador of the European Union to the United States. “As a joint cultural diplomacy initiative of the European Union embassies in the nation’s capital, it is also a wonderful celebration of European cultural diversity. It is my hope that every child and parent that participates in this Festival will have a lasting fond memory of their European cultural experience.”
Susan Carmel Lehrman, the Vice-President of the European-American Cultural Foundation (E-ACF), said, “Culture is a powerful force for bringing together people, families, and nations. As the organizer of Kids Euro Festival, the E-ACF knows that the arts are more than just entertainment — they are a way to share cultures, create understanding, and unite people from around the world.”
Expect to see theater, puppets, music, magic, dance, films, stories, and more to stimulate creative imaginations and invite artistic exploration.
Participating in Kids Euro Festival are the Embassies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, The Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
Partners and venues include the American Film Institute; Alliance Française DC; Capital Fringe; Children’s Inn at NIH; DC Arts & Humanities Education Collaborative; DC Public Library System; District of Columbia Public Schools; Dupont Festival; GALA Hispanic Theatre; Harmony Hall/Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission; Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital; Hillwood Estate Museum & Gardens; Imagination Stage; KEEN Greater DC; John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; KID Museum at Davis Library; Library of Congress; Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center; National Gallery of Art; Prince George’s County Center for Visual and Performing Arts; Shakespeare Theatre Company; Sitar Arts Center; Strathmore; and Washington Performing Arts.
Kids Euro Festival is made possible by the generous support of Susan Carmel Lehrman, TV5 USA, Dr. Gregory A. and JaLynn Prince/Madison House Autism Foundation, Holiday Inn Georgetown, and Washington Parent Magazine, and the assistance of the European-American Cultural Foundation (E-ACF) in cooperation with the Delegation of the European Union to the United States.
While all of the performances are free, some require reservations, which can be made at the Kids Euro Festival website: www.kidseurofestival.org.
Jordan Wright
October 5, 2015
Special to The Alexandria Times
 Kathy Gordon as Alice, Vato Tsikurishvili as Caterpillar. Photo by Johnny Shryock Alice is very, very, very unhappy. She has had to surrender her favorite playthings to a recently hired cruel-hearted governess, Ms. Prickett (Renata Veberyte Loman, later seen in the role of the Queen), who eats her tarts, insists she recite poetry and insults her intelligence. In this dark telling, and merging, of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, Director Paata Tsikurishvili takes us down the rabbit hole to a fantasy world unlike any other. After all, this is Synetic Theater. Did you expect a fairy tale? Lloyd Rose’s script adaption, divided into twelve parts, keeps the madcap charm yet affords little room for niceties.
 Renata Veberyte Loman as Queen of Hearts, Justin J. Bell as King with Ensemble. Photo by Johnny Shryock. This is an upside down world this growing-up thing – fraught with danger, nonsensical creatures and twisted logic – and Alice (Kathy Gordon) intends to sort it all out and in the process teach Wonderland’s inhabitants a few lessons in commonsense. Setting out she finds her toys have morphed into the Cheshire Cat (Alex Mills) and the White Rabbit (Tori Bertocci) who lead her into an evermore phantasmagorical dimension filled with shrouded creatures of the night who feed her cakes to change her size in order to enter a tiny portal to the realm of the Queen of Hearts.
 Alex Mills as Cheshire Cat, Kathy Gordon as Alice, Tori Bertocci as White Rabbit. Photo by Johnny Shryock Eventually Alice arrives at the tea party where she meets up with the Mad Hatter (Dallas Tolentino), Doormouse (Zana Gankhuyag, who graces us later as the Lobster) and the March Hare (Justin J. Bell, who does double-duty as King). “It’s always tea time,” they riddle her pop-locking to electronika and calliope in this carnival-like atmosphere.
 Dallas Tolentino as Mad Hatter, Kathy Gordon as Alice, Justin J. Bell as March Hare. Photo by Johnny Shryock Costume Designer Kendra Rai does not disappoint. Well known to Synetic fans and the Helen Hayes Awards committee (who bestowed upon her the 2015 Outstanding Costume Design Award for her work on last season’s The Island of Dr. Moreau, thus besting herself for her other two noms for Beauty and the Beast and Twelfth Night), she has outdone herself with eye-popping creations.
 Zana Gankhuyag as Doormouse, Alex Mills as Cheshire Cat, Dallas Tolentino as Mad Hatter, Justin J. Bell as March Hare. Photo by Johnny Shryock. The Queen’s Guard, as you’ll recall, are playing cards that dash about looking for heads to chop off, as per Her Majesty’s whims. But it’s Tweedle Dee (Augustin Beall) and Tweedle Dum (Thomas Beheler) as punk rockers that nearly steal the show reciting the Jabberwocky, “Twas brillig, and the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe: All mimsy were the borogroves, And the mome raths outgrabe,” finishing with a high-five. I’ll admit it is one of my favorite bits of nonsense poetry and I was totally captivated by this odd duo in leather jackets and spiky mohawks reciting Carroll’s famous 19th century verse.
 Dallas Tolentino as Mad Hatter. Photo by Johnny Shryock. Humpty Dumpty (Vato Tsikurishvili) makes a brief appearance before his precipitous fall, confounding Alice with the pronouncement, “When I use a word it means what I choose it to be. You can’t let words have the last word.” But it’s the Queen’s appearance at the garden party, replete with towering red pompadour and black and white patent leather dress plumped up with paniers, that truly blows our minds. “Off with their heads!” she familiarly commands as she neatly tucks a croquet ball into a wicket.
 Alex Mills as Cheshire Cat. Photo by Johnny Shryock. Resident Choreographer, Irina Tsikurishvili, works her magic, filling the stage with phenomenal dancers, most especially Mills who in one scene as the Cheshire Cat toying with a mouse, undulates, contorts and twists his lithe body into unimaginable feline positions, bending in half to lick his leg and slinking on to one of Scenic Designer Daniel Pinha’s giant arcing scaffolds to avoid discovery.
Highly recommended.
Through November 8th at Synetic Theater, 1800 South Bell Street, Arlington in Crystal City. For tickets and information call 866 811-4111 or visit www.synetictheater.org.
Jordan Wright
October 2, 2015
Ankara in Dupont Circle; Ambar at Barracks Row; Bibiana Welcomes a New Chef; Mason Social Pleases the Southern Palate
Ankara is the New Turk on the Block
 (left-to-right) The patio at Ankara – How they make your Turkish tea Sorry to report we missed out on September’s Turkish Heritage Month. Maybe you did too. No need to fret. Here’s where you can get your fix. Ankara is located on a quiet block in the center of DC’s upscale Golden Triangle neighborhood. It’s a family-run restaurant with a pretty patio for dining al fresco. Opened this spring by the Aslanturk family who hail from Ankara, it celebrates food from the heart of Turkey – both traditional and nicely tweaked.
 (left-to-right) Havuc Tarama – a spread of carrots, yoghurt and garlic – Kopoglu – sautéed eggplant with yoghurt garlic sauce There are plenty of cold and hot mezzes to choose from like Sigara Borgei (feta and herbs folded into crispy phyllo), Karides Guvec (baked shrimp in tomato and garlic sauce) and Midye Tavasi (fried mussels in walnut tarator sauce). Kebabs of all description are rendered smoky from the wood-fired oven as are the salmon and branzino, both delicately rendered. Be sure to try the pide – a Turkish flatbread version of pizza.
 (left-to-right) Icli Kofte and Boregi stuffed with feta cheese and herbs – Ali Nazik – slow-cooked lamb on smoked puréed eggplant. A specialty of the Gaziantep region. A newly launched brunch is lavish and delicious in the tradition of kahvalti – Turkish breakbast. To begin there is a broad selection of savory and sweet items including honey, cheeses, olives, fresh fruit jams, labne, and more with lamb stuffed flatbreads and salads. Try the portakal salatasi – a refreshing salad with oranges, mint, pomegranate and red onions. Dessert doesn’t disappoint either. Don’t miss the best baklava in town or, on a lighter note, apricots stuffed with crème and sprinkled with pistachios. Afiyet olsun!
Ankara is at 1320 19th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036. www.AnkaraDC.net
Ambar Redux
Ambar is not a hot spot for romantic dining. Rather it’s a gather-round-the-table with friends and family kind of place – best for eating in a group of no less than four. All the better to try the many flavors of the region, which is the way they eat at home – at least that’s what Executive Chef Ivan Zivkovic would like you to know.
 Rustic meets contemporary at Ambar There is so much to love about this Barracks Row restaurant with its Balkan food both hearty and grandma-earthy as well as its nicely chosen Bulgarian wines. While on a trip to the area in CNN’s No Reservations, Anthony Bourdain proclaimed the Bibich R6 Riserva was his favorite wine there. The peppery zin-style wine is on the menu here along with a selection of the country’s sought after fruit-based rakias whose origins date back to the XI century.
 (left-to-right) A selection of Balkan spreads – Charcuterie platter of housemade meats, cheeses and pickled vegetables – Signature dessert – Forest Gnocchi Be sure to order a basket of the knockout housemade breads called somun (the fried sourdough is heavenly) with a selection of spreads. You can’t go wrong with any one of them – from the familiar hummus and ajvar (red pepper and eggplant spread) to the lesser known smoked trout and urnebes (made with aged cow’s cheese, ajvar and chili flakes). To die for! We particularly loved a salad of organic cabbage, carrot, radish and red cabbage called Fresh From the Garden and all of the housemade sausages.
A great way to experience all Ambar has to offer, go for The Unlimited Brunch or Bottomless Balkan dinner. www.AmbarRestaurant.com
The Changing of the Guard at Bibiana Osteria-Enoteca
Recent hire, Executive Chef Jake Addeo, is putting his imprimateur on Bibiana’s menu. With a clear vision of lightening up its authentic Italian fare. A three-course dinner he created reflected summer’s bounty and showed the direction he intends to take the restaurant in future.
 Bibiana’s Executive Chef Jake Addeo Celebrating its six years in Penn Quarter, the stunning restaurant has some new fall offerings during Happy Hour – especially its bargain priced cocktails and wines priced a $7.01, and bar snacks in the sleek lounge.
 (left-to-right) Fluke crudo with pickled watermelon rind and pink peppercorns – Sockeye Salmon with salmon skin cracklings. Try the Cure Royale, made with Prosecco, Lillet Blanc and blackberry liqueur; Old Fashioned made with McKenna 10-year old bourbon and Angostura bitters, and the Moscow Mule made with Sobieski vodka, ginger beer and lime. Look for a la carte bar snacks such as the Carrot Funnel Cake with Stracchino cheese and gooseberries; Calamari with charred poblano remoulade and smoked paprika; Sesame Hummus with miso, black sesame and grilled pita bread, and Duck Confit Steam Buns with cherry puree and butternut squash. www.BibianaDC.com
Mason Social is a Welcome Addition to Old Town Alexandria
Earlier this year a nifty restaurant opened in a derelict old spot in the Parker-Gray neighborhood just off the hubbub of King Street. And local childhood pals Chad and his brother Justin Sparrow (Chad’s the partner with the culinary school education), Larry Watson and Teddy Kim have given the place an air of timeless charm.
Old brick walls, decorated with vintage photographs of the city’s 19th century Belle Pre Bottling Company, blend with wood tables and metal chairs in a spare but cozy ambiance. Mason jar lights dangle from plumbing pipes and a large mural features scenes of the factory that once sat across the street.
Joseph Lennon is the Executive Chef of this Southern influenced menu. Lennon has worked at the nearby Vermillion under Anthony Chittum, Urbana under noted chef John Critchley, and most recently at the Four Seasons Hotel’s Bourbon Steak. Though it fancies itself ‘Modern American’, a term much slung around to describe a mélange of comfort foods, there is a firm nod to the South – as in B&B’s Louisiana BBQ chicken, fried green tomatoes and braised kale. Beef marrow hamburgers made with beef sourced from from Roseda Farms, share the menu with more refined offerings at dinner.
 (left-to-right) Dinosaur Kale Salad with tatsoi, country bacon, roasted tomato and feta – Lobster Chowder – Pork Belly and cabbage slaw Tony Burke oversees the beverage program and it is ambitious. His original cocktails and bespoke punches help fuel the bar’s popularity. Try the Brose Punch made with bourbon, blueberry black tea and, mint and lemon. Local breweries like Dogfish of Delaware, Duclaw and Flying Dog of Baltimore, and Fair Winds of Lorton, VA are represented and rotated by season along with Alexandria’s Port City beers. Craft cocktails are seasonal too. www.Mason-Social.com
Photo credit – Jordan Wright
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