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IT'S A RIOT TO WATCH Fido chomp away at his favorite chew toy. But an apartment littered with rubber hedgehogs and ratty dog beds is likely to land you in the "before" category on one of those HGTV makeover shows. But does adopting a dog, cat or, heck, guinea pig mean you have to surrender your pad to paw print-stamped pillows, fusty carpet scratching posts and metal crates that resemble canine jails?
"There's this desire on the part of home-owners to beautify their spaces, but for many years, the pet-product industry didn't take that into account," says Julia Szabo, pet columnist for the New York Post and author of the new book "Pretty Pet Friendly" ($17, Wiley). But luckily for design-conscious pet lovers, a new generation of chic pet companies has moved to the front of the pack.
Getting your paws on hipper, sleeker puppy beds, cool birdcages and haute cat collars is easier than teaching a dog tricks now, thanks to fresh stock at online outlets, indie boutiques and big-box stores such as Petco and PetSmart. What began with a few high-end designers offering handmade wares with a mod sensibility has evolved into an industry-wide phenomenon -- a growing piece of the $45 billion pet-product pie, according to the American Pet Products Association.
"Carpet-covered monstrosities were not cutting it," says Kate Benjamin, a Phoenix blogger who defies the "crazy cat lady" stereotype on her blog, Moderncat.net, where she emphasizes design-forward products -- from "Jetsons"-esque cat pods by Hepper Home (Hepperhome.com) to sleek cat perches and DIY sheepskin-topped acrylic cubes -- and shows how she incorporates her six felines into her swanky, boutique hotel-ish pad.
Continue Reading "Paw & Order: Accessories for the Modern Pet" »
THURSDAY: New Orleans musician Henry Butler can play it all on his magic piano — blues, gospel, rock, funk and that indefinable Big Easy stew of bad women and good times that has no name. He shakes the roof at Blues Alley on Thursday night. Wear a sturdy hat.
» Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW; Thu., Aug. 20, 8 and 10 p.m., $25; 202-337-4141.
Photo courtesy Shannon Brinkman
Break from Boring
Raise a toast to diversity as Georgetown's sustainable-seafood restaurant, Hook, is offering a warm-weather menu that changes daily, to offer more than a dozen varieties of fresh fish — alongside new arrivals like sea urchin, sturgeon caviar and moonfish toro. More than the food on plates are changing as guests have the option of pairing their orders with a new drink menu offering more than 100 choices of red, white, and bubbling wines, all priced less than $100.
» Hook Restaurant, 3241 M St. NW; 202-625-4488.
Eat Good, Move Fast
Inox Restaurant shows that fast food doesn't have to mean bad food. Chefs Jon Mathieson and Jonathan Krinn have extended the restaurant's sit-down menu to include new "Bar Bites," which build on their commitment to culinary creativity and refinement while the new complimentary Wi-Fi enabled lounge provides a nice justification for mixing a little business with pleasure.
» Inox Restaurant, 1800 Tysons Blvd., McLean; 703-790-4669.
Written by Express' Catherine Ahearn
Photo courtesy Moshe Zusman
SATURDAY: Looking for the perfect way to spend a spring afternoon? Well, spring has sprung, folks, and there's nothing like nice day in the garden.
The Georgetown Garden Tour will open up a collection of eight Georgetown gardens, all within an easy walking distance from one another. Environmentally friendly "Georgetown Garden Club" shopping bags will be available to purchase. Be sure to grab a cup of tea at the Christ Church from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m..
» Christ Church Georgetown, 3116 O St. NW; Sat., May 9, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., $30, $35 day of event; 202-965-1950. (Foggy Bottom)
Written by Express' Nicole Ocran
Photo by Larry Morris/The Washington Post
BEEN ITCHING TO check out the Arabesque festival at the Kennedy Center? Time is running out, but you live in a veritable garden of earthly delights. Make a night of it with an old friend or that roommate you haven't seen in a week because you've been working so hard.
The festival includes a slate of performances and exhibits, but we're particularly excited about Thursday night's "The One Man Village," an Arabic-language film about the Lebanese village of Ain El Hazaroun, whose inhabitants fled — except for one man, the filmmaker's uncle, who stubbornly stayed.
EUGENE MIRMAN, A Brooklyn-based stand-up comic, has earned himself a cult following for his pulling punchlines from so far out of left field that they're almost out of the stadium. You may recognize him as the landlord on the HBO series "Flight of the Conchords."
What he's not know for is giving great advice. Nevertheless, Mirman comes to town on Thursday to read from his book,"The Will to Whatevs: A Guide to Modern Life." Half-dry, half-wacky, Mirman's advice reflects keen insight into human behavior and a playfully warped sense of humor.
In the chapter dealing with nightlife and substance abuse, Mirman writes,"Don't let drugs and booze control you, unless you're having a [expletive]load of fun and don't mind spending the second half of your life regretting it."
PEOPLE WHO VISIT our fine city for the first time this weekend are going to think it is one rockin' metropolis. Late night food, late night drinks, big, rowdy crowds — that's how we do it every weekend, isn't it, D.C.?
Well, maybe not. But as residents of the Inauguration Madness Capital of the World, we deserve to experience home from a new angle while it is simultaneously being mauled by visitors.
Perhaps a late night, sit-down meal is the answer. Not only will many of your favorite drink spots be serving alcohol early into the morning, but you can grab grub at many of the same places at ungodly hours all weekend long. This weekend — no matter what 'hood you're in — skip the Jumbo Slice and treat yourself to some real food.
If you're in the Gallery Place area, hit up Austin Grill for late night tacos and margaritas until 4 a.m. If you're doing your partying in Georgetown, enjoy Old Glory's succulent meats, sides and grandiose sauce selection (as well as their fine bourbons) until 2:30 a.m. We've always thought beef brisket might be the ultimate late night eat.
Finally, if you're in Adams Morgan (where junk food calls to the tipsy), stop into Meze for Turkish and Mediterranean delights you never thought you'd order at 2:51 in the morning. These courageous folks are open and serving food until 3 a.m.
» Austin Grill, 750 E St. NW; 202-393-3776. (Gallery Place)
» Old Glory BBQ, 3139 M St. NW; 202-337-3406.
» Meze, 2437 18th St. NW; 202-797-0017. (Woodley Park)
Photo by Michael Robinson-Chavez
OPEN THE DOOR at 3255 K St. NW and the scene is just what you'd expect from a club in swanky Georgetown waterfront digs. Bossa nova emanates from overhead speakers. A dark wood bar beckons from a corner, and there's a concierge on the second floor. But, wait a sec — is that a treadmill?
Yep, and those are weight machines. A glass-encased room displays 10 stationary bikes facing a 50-inch flat-screen TV. Oh, and that bar downstairs is serving smoothies and muffins instead of vodka tonics. What kind of club is this?
EVER WONDER WHAT happened to all those Italian-American doo-wop groups of the late 1950s and early 1960s after the British Invasion bands rendered their vocal harmonies unfashionable?
Veteran character actor Robert Davi did. So he made a movie that documents the plight of one such fictional group, The Dukes, a vocal quartet who find themselves so hopelessly out of style decades later that they can't even get plugged into the oldies circuit. Instead of collaborating on musical endeavors, they work together to pull off a heist in hopes of getting some bucks to fund a doo-wop club.
That's the plot of "The Dukes," an independent comedy that marks Davi's first outings as both director and screenwriter. His debut has been, as the saying goes, auspicious. When "The Dukes" made the rounds at film festivals earlier this year, it was met with rave after rave. The "Spinal Tap"-with-Brylcreem plot scored laughs, but the film's deeper message earned Davi deeper respect than he ever got playing villains such as Franz Sanchez in the 1989 James Bond film "License to Kill."
Variety magazine praised the comic chemistry between Davi and co-star Chazz Palminteri, who play the hapless band member who try to pull off the hopeless heist. The Monte Carlo Film Festival handed the film a Platinum Award for Best Screenplay, while the Queens International Film Festival hailed hometown boy Davi as Best Director. "The Dukes" also nabbed a Best Screenplay award at the Monte Carlo Film Festival de la Comedie.
The film will get a D.C. premiere at the American Film Renaissance Institute's fifth annual film festival, taking place Oct. 1-4 ("The Dukes" will then open in New York Nov. 14, and get a wide release the following Friday). Davi was named the festival's "featured star" and will do a question and answer session after the Oct. 1 screening.
Express caught up with him by telephone.
Continue Reading "Harmony as Allegory: Robert Davi on 'The Dukes'" »
WHILE GEORGETOWN isn't where one might expect to find an underground lounge, Modern lives on amid the wooden, beer soaked, fratastic bars that line M Street. This white, sleek, basement club is simple and direct -- it's got a Euro feel, a hip, circular bar and an ample dance floor that hosts movers and shakers several nights of the week.
If you're looking for a good dance party on a Wednesday (and face it, since we live in a town of suits, this can be harder to come across than one might think), you're in luck: that's the night Modern offers Dirt. DJ Jaybird spins dance-worthy dub all night while the bars slings drink specials and the crowd looks a little more Parisian than your typical D.C. drinkers. Live a little, kids: Get dirty on a weeknight.
» Modern, 3287 M St. NW; Wednesdays, 9 p.m., $5-$10; 202-338-7027.
Photo from The Washington Post
Addison Road