Sue Conley, co-founder of Cowgirl Creamery
@ National Harbor
Q:What's your favorite food TV show or host?
A:"John Shields of 'Chesapeake Cooking.' He was a deep appreciation for local foods."
FOODIES AND CRAFTERS rejoice, because Eastern Market, which was damaged in April 2007 in a fire, reopens in a newly renovated space this weekend.
Built in 1873, Eastern Market is a spot to find daily produce, meat, cheese, bakery vendors and craft vendors, as well as a weekend farmers market. During the $22 million renovation, many vendors continued to set up shop outside the building, but displaced vendors are eager to move back inside during this weekend's opening celebrations.
Kim Downes of Aurora Bath and Jewels has been a vendor at Eastern Market for 15 years. She sells a variety of items, from bath products and jewelry to Capital Cherry Blossom soaps and candles. "The windows were plastic and melted in the fire, so now there are beautiful huge new windows," she said. "And the streetscape is all cobblestone. It still looks like Eastern Market, but Eastern Market with a face-lift."
This Friday, a ribbon-cutting ceremony will officially open the new space, and Saturday will feature an opening celebration. Activities on Saturday will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and there will be four musical groups playing over the course of the day, along with regular vendors, face painting and mehndi artists. The North Hall will feature an exhibit tracing the market's history and highlighting the impact of the fire and the reconstruction.
Other renovations included adding modern heating and air conditioning, new restrooms, sprinklers and access ramps. In the North Hall, there will be a movable stage and gallery walls.
Besides work on the buildings, renovations included the construction of a new streetscape in front of the market with upgrades of the roadway and roadbed, new brick sidewalks and granite curbs.
» 7th Street & North Carolina Avenue SE. (Eastern Market)
Written by Express contributor Amy Cavanaugh
Photo by Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post
PENNY PINCHING FOODIES have always flocked to the District's top restaurants for restaurant week. The week long opportunity for gastronomic extravagance allows the inner bargain hunter in each of us to enjoy a reasonably priced prix-fix meal at traditionally not-so-reasonably priced eateries. Now, Cookie and Gourmet Magazine's Kids Restaurant Week provides the chance for foodies in training to join in on the feasting fun.
From the 13th to the 21st, participating restaurants will provide a kid-friendly, gourmet set menu from 5-7 p.m. Adults pay $29 for the three course menu, while kids 11 and under pay their age. Proceeds go towards Miriam's Kitchen as well as the reconstruction of Eastern Market.
Participating restaurant's include Art & Soul, Cafe du Parc, Mie N Yu, Zola as well as dozens of other food-lover's hot spots. It is the perfect way to expose little Johnny to the world of fine dining without dipping deep into the college savings account.
On Saturday at Eastern Market from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., top D.C. chefs will be holding tastings, demonstrations and kid-friendly activities.
» For more information visit kidsrestaurantweek.com
Written by Express' Brian Austin
Photo courtesy Cookie Magazine
IT'S SPRING NOW! But it looks like Mother Nature didn't get the memo: Tuesday and Wednesday are expected to be downright chilly.
This season's bipolar weather disorder can be difficult to maneuver — for post-work drinks, do you hit up a warm patio or a bar with a cozy interior?
The answer is clear: you need both. It's a good thing you live in a city that will cater to the whims of weather and the realities of the recession. So, where should you take your crowd that will be both cheap and versatile?
If you've ever used the word "bro" unironically, check in to 51st State. Populated by frat boys and those who were once frat boys, this tavern near GWU's campus has a frankly unbeatable happy hour that lasts every day (including weekends) from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Beer and rail drinks range from $2.50 to $3 and pretty much anything with Smirnoff in it is ridiculously cheap. Tuesday is ten cent buffalo wing night — it lasts from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., so pace yourself.
Continue Reading "Drink In, Drink Out: Bars For Weather Changes" »
IMAGINE A SHOW about an atheistic superhero whose mission is to "cure" religious extremism, which has been discovered by scientists as a genetic flaw.
It's hard to see that one getting past the network executives, but that's exactly what happens in Gwydion Suilebhan's "The Faithkiller," Taffety Punk Theatre Company's latest offering. Using a dizzying array of media and a talented cast, director Marcus Kyd weaves together a production that's both amusing and thought-provoking.
The play contains a half-dozen story lines, but at its center is a young TV producer, Mary (Kimberly Gilbert), who resurrects her recently discovered grandfather Henry's (Steve Beall) 1940s radio character, the Faithkiller. Instead of Henry's World War II Nazi-fighting soldier, however, Mary's slightly futuristic Faithkiller is an atheistic superhero.
Continue Reading "A Crusade Against Religion: 'The Faithkiller'" »
VALENTINE'S DAY MAKES WAR, not love. In the early weeks of February, the divide between singles and the coupled-up grows ever wider.
No matter what team you're playing for this year, eat your feelings. Here are some pink and red edibles that you can enjoy solo, with your cuddle bear or with the bros.
We'll start with the King of Red Beverages, the Bloody Mary. Bourbon makes an excellent, heavily garnished version, and we also recommend Logan Tavern's Bloody Mary menu (live a little and try the clamato juice). A less alcoholic tomato-y treat is Jaleo's gazpacho, the perfect introduction to spring.
BEFORE BARRACKS ROW WAS FLOODED with new bars and restaurants, it housed a tiny store that's survived prohibition, changes in ownership and the 1960s riots to serve its Eastern Market neighbors choice beverages.
Burnie Williams is now the caretaker of Chat's Liquors. He has childhood memories of "dusting bottles, stocking the soda refrigerators and help[ing] bag customer purchases." But after the sudden loss of his father in 1999, Williams and his sister took control of one of the oldest liquor stores in the District, which has been family owned since 1978.
The story of Chat's isn't just about liquor. Williams brings a sense of community to his store, sharing his wide smile and greeting every patron by name. Ask Williams about any boutique wine or trendy bourbon and he'll know where to point you. "It's our duty to … educate our customers and to hopefully offer them products that arouse their curiosity and interest." In that spirit, Chat's offers free tastings every weekend. Williams even hosts local wine dinners; the next is at Laconda on Dec. 10 featuring five courses with pairings.
Continue Reading "A Grape Holiday: Liquors for a Lovely Turkey Day" »
AFTER HALF A year of sitting empty, the old Murky Coffee location on Capitol Hill has pulled a phoenix act — or, rather, if we're talking birds, a peregrine act.
Thanks to the newly christened Peregrine Espresso, Hill-dwellers can get their java fix again. Coffee on the way to the Metro! Coffee after a day of shopping at Eastern Market! Coffee for the sake of coffee! Ryan Jensen, the 29-year-old former manager of Murky, bought the location from his old boss, Nick Cho, after the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue seized the place in February of this year for back sales taxes and evicted Cho.
But enough of that unpleasantness. Coffee is back on the Hill.
IF YOU'RE LOOKING for theatre in D.C., but don't feel like paying through the nose, Catalyst Theater Company produces consistently solid work for the price of a movie ticket.
"Crumble (Lay Me Down Justin Timberlake)" tells the story of a mother and daughter living together, but each living alone in her fantasies about unattainable men. Even their crumbling apartment has its own fantasies. Eventually, teenage Janice's longing for Justin Timberlake gets out of hand.
» Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, 545 7th Street SE; Thu.-Sat., 7:30 p.m., Sat. 2 p.m., $10; 202-494-3776. (Eastern Market)
IT'S BEAUTIFUL OUTISDE. You have work to do. Luckily, you have a laptop. Take advantage of your digital mobility and type outside. While plenty of sandwich shops and coffeehouses offer unlimited caffeine and free wireless, Tunnicliff's Tavern offers daily wi-fi and substantial fare.
When the smell of food finally forces you to stop typing and seek out some fuel, reward your hardworking self with the Buffalo chicken sandwich. Both messy and tangy, this filling sandwich is worth its calories in billable hours.
» Tunnicliff's Tavern, 222 7th St. SE; 202-544-5680. (Eastern Market)
Written by Express contributor Stefanie Gans
REMEMBER HOW "Toy Story" made kids around the world afraid that their playthings were somehow self-aware?
Adults may leave Catalyst Theater's "Crumble (Lay Me Down, Justin Timberlake)," with a similar feeling about their abodes, thanks to Jason Stiles' creaking and at times menacing personification of a decaying apartment.
Penned by Sheila Callaghan and directed by Shirley Serotsky -- who teamed last year in "We Are Not These Hands" -- the play focuses on the relationship between a widowed chef and her troubled daughter. Mom (Elizabeth Richards) and Janice (Casie Platt) live together in a dilapidated apartment that lacks heat and is falling apart, thanks to Mom's inaction.
Twentysomething Platt masters the sulking silences and raging rants of 11-year-old Janice, who hosts bleach tea parties for her stuffed animals and raging fights among her Barbies. Her terminally anxious mother prepares complex feasts -- which Janice won't eat -- and seeks the fruitless advice of sister Barbara (Kathleen Akerley), who is childless except for 57 cats.
Addison Road