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WHEN HE OPENED lush, locavore temple Restaurant Eve (110 S. Pitt St., Alexandria; 703-706-0450) in 2004, Irish-born chef Cathal (the T is silent) Armstrong put Old Town Alexandria on the culinary map. Not one to rest on his reductions, the 2006 Food and Wine best new chef has since become the force behind three other neighborhood foodie destinations: the Majestic Cafe (911 King St., Alexandria; 703-837-9117), Eamonn's Dublin Chipper and speakeasy P/X (both at 728 King St., Alexandria; 703 299-8384). We caught up with the busy cook about what he digs in his adopted hometown.
» EXPRESS: Why'd you choose Old Town for your restaurants?
» ARMSTRONG: We were looking to open an Irish country inn. [My wife] Meshelle has lived in Alexandria since she was about 6 years old, but we initially discounted it, because we assumed we wouldn't be able to afford the rent. We were fortunate to find this location. It has the mood we were trying to achieve and a long, interesting history.
Continue Reading "Irish Import: Restaurant Eve Chef Cathal Armstrong" »
ON LAST SEASON'S "Design Star," brash, tat-plastered Antonio Ballatore balanced his tough persona with sensitive decor touches (pink duck art, vintage armoires-turned-fireplaces). He was voted the winner of the HGTV competition hit, scoring his own show, "The Antonio Treatment," which premieres on the network Sunday at 10 p.m. On it, he brandishes his trademark grit and glam, redoing spaces from his own L.A. pad to "Saved by the Bell" star Mario Lopez's home gym.
» EXPRESS: Tell me more about your tattoos. What do they say about you?
» BALLATORE: They all have to do with people in my life, places I know and things that happened.
» EXPRESS: Describe your design style.
» BALLATORE: I'm trying to do something new and different, to use materials people you wouldn't usually use in decorating — graffiti artists, metalworkers, glassblowers. I'm coloring outside the lines.
Continue Reading "Punk Rock Design: Antonio Ballatore, HGTV's 'The Antonio Treatment'" »
YOU MAY KNOW Jane Seymour for her roles as a Bond girl in "Live and Let Die" and a Wild West healer in "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman." But the seemingly ageless Brit babe, who showed comedy chops in "Wedding Crashers," is also an artistic Renaissance woman who paints and designs "Open Hearts" jewelry. She'll be in town showing her artwork Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Wentworth Gallery, Montgomery Mall (Bethesda; 301-365-3270) and Saturday, 6 to 9 p.m., at the Wentworth Gallery, Tysons Galleria (McLean; 703-883-0111).
» EXPRESS: How'd you start painting?
» SEYMOUR: Nineteen years ago, I was going through a terrible divorce. I ended up taking painting lessons. Instead of being angry, I poured it out in watercolors. Strangely, I painted a serene life — flowers, children's portraits.
» EXPRESS: Which other artists influence your work?
» SEYMOUR: I love the Impressionists and John Singer Sargent, and also Miro and Chagall. I do lots of different styles, which you'll see at my shows. In a way, it's like being an actress and playing different parts.
FOR MORE THAN a decade, Melissa and Joan Rivers doled out fashion cheers and jeers about what the stars wore at movie awards shows. Though the daughter-mother team stopped snarking for E! in 2003, Melissa Rivers has kept herself busy with gigs on the TV Guide Channel and the reality show, "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!" She just penned the book "Red Carpet Ready: Secrets for Making the Most of Any Moment You're in the Spotlight" ($23, Harmony Books).
» EXPRESS: If I'm not Kate Winslet, how can I have a red-carpet moment?
» RIVERS: A red-carpet moment is anytime you feel like you're in the spotlight, whether you're getting married or making a presentation at work. The book tells readers how to be prepared for everything. If you feel confident, anything can go better.
» EXPRESS: One of the points the book makes is that, famous or not, you need to be gracious. Why?
» RIVERS: Graciousness transcends the myopic moments we all have in our lives. If you are going to a dinner party at a friend's, no one wants to hear you bitch about your bad day all night. Don't verbally vomit!
BRITISH-BORN MAKEUP pro Jemma Kidd boasts a glam background (younger sis Jodie Kidd is a supermodel; husband Arthur Mornington is English royalty), but she's made her name helping regular women look their best. In addition to three makeup lines (including the JK brand, available at Target stores), Kidd recently released a lush-yet-accessible how-to book, "Jemma Kidd Make-Up Masterclass" ($25, St. Martin's).
» EXPRESS: What makes your book different from other makeup how-tos?
» KIDD: There are a lot of fantastic makeup artists out there, but they don't work with real women. They work with celebrities and models, or on photo shoots. Since I started opening my makeup schools in the U.K., which offer nonprofessional courses, I've learned so much about what real women want to know. It's helped me create an easy, understandable book of makeup ideas aimed at regular women.
» EXPRESS: Was that why you focused on step-by-step instructions and lots of photos?
» KIDD: I wanted it to be a bit like a cookbook, where they show you the dish and exactly what to do to make it. I think anything visual has to be seen to be understood.
Continue Reading "Beauty Royalty: Jemma Kidd, Makeup Artist" »
SINCE HE FIRST announced, "You better work!" drag diva RuPaul has been doing just that. The singer and host of Logo network hit "RuPaul's Drag Race" (Mon., 9 p.m.), now in its second season, has just released a book, "Workin' It" ($20, It Books). In the dishy tome, he reveals his style secrets (temporary face-lift kits!) and ways to find your true, fabulous self.
» EXPRESS: Your book is part personal reveal and part empowerment message. How do you describe it?
» RUPAUL: This book is about owning your power. Playing small is something that so many people are taught to do, because it makes other people feel comfortable. We live in this media-saturated culture where you're made to feel smaller unless you have a baby bump, are engaged or are dating one of the stars of "Twilight." But none of that is true.
» EXPRESS: You say that everyone is in drag, whether they're dressed up in women's clothes or not.
» RUPAUL: We're all playing roles. You're born naked and the rest is drag. I've spent my life perfecting this persona that people seem to enjoy. It pays my bills, and I get to have fun and be creative with it. But it's not the truth of who I really am. Even me stark naked isn't the truth of who I really am.
» EXPRESS: How did you get into drag?
» RUPAUL: Me doing drag was something I stumbled onto. And I knew I should continue doing it based on the reaction I got. Just from simply shifting my physical appearance, I could tell other people could get me. They could interpret my energy in a way they never had before.
SILVER-MANED SINGER Taylor Hicks made his name by winning the fifth season of "American Idol" in 2006, fueled by the support of his fans, dubbed the Soul Patrol. Since then, the 33-year-old has released two albums and parlayed his "Idol" success into a stint on stages across the country as the Teen Angel in the national tour of "Grease." Hicks and company land at the National Theatre Feb. 9-21.
» EXPRESS: Had you thought of doing professional musical theater before "Idol"?
» HICKS: Never in a million years would I dream that I would actually grace a Broadway stage in New York City. That's what "Idol" allows — the platform to be an entertainer and to experience all facets of the business.
» EXPRESS: What was it about "Grease" that lured you to sign on?
» HICKS: You always want to start small and get bigger, and from just a learning perspective — not having ever had any acting training — I think taking a small role like Teen Angel was the best move for me because it allowed me to get my feet wet.
HE CALLS HIMSELF an amateur eater, but on Travel Channel's "Man v. Food" (Wed., 10 p.m.), Adam Richman battles daunting dishes like a pro. He goes to one U.S. city per episode, visiting pig-out spots before attempting a chow-down challenge at a restaurant. He's pounded everything from an 11-pound "carnivore" pizza in Atlanta to a sumo-sized bowl of ramen in L.A. On Feb. 3, he'll tape his first live show, a pre-Super Bowl gobble fest in Miami.
» EXPRESS: What's harder: eating a lot of food or eating spicy food?
» RICHMAN: They present completely different issues. There are different levels of hot. A hot wing is not a hot burger is not a hot soup. And with quantity challenges, it's difficult to compare a large sandwich to a large omelet. Sometimes with quantity challenges, you're dealing with overwhelming richness. Sometimes you deal with an inability to chew, like with multiple milk shakes.
» EXPRESS: Aren't carbs tough to gulp, too?
» RICHMAN: Potatoes are the demon. No dissing the beautiful people of Idaho, but the problem is, [when you eat potatoes] whatever residual moisture you have in your stomach expands. Finish a lot of carbs, take two sips of water, and suddenly you're at maximum capacity.
Continue Reading "Chow Hound: Adam Richman, 'Man v. Food'" »
ONE YEAR AGO this week, a white gown dotted with milky flowers elevated 27-year-old Jason Wu from up-and-coming designer to fashion star. Michelle Obama's inaugural ball gown isn't yet enshrined in the Smithsonian alongside the other first ladies' finery, but the Taipei-born, New York-based Wu has definitely become a part of fashion history.
» EXPRESS: Did your life change overnight after the inauguration?
» WU: It was pretty dramatic. Things definitely haven't been the same since that night. For a brand that's just three years old to be internationally recognized - that often takes 20, 30 years. And for an immigrant who came here to do fashion to suddenly be a part of American history, it's an incredible experience.
» EXPRESS: Even my mom knows who you are now.
» WU: My name was suddenly broadcast to every house in the world that owned a television set. I was crossing the street one day soon after, and a truck driver pulled up, rolled down the window and said, "Hey, you're that guy Jason who designed the inauguration dress." I never for one second thought a truck driver would know who I am.
Continue Reading "Inaugural Darling: Jason Wu, Fashion Designer" »
AUSSIE-BORN, L.A.-dwelling landscape architect Jamie Durie doesn't just create backyards. He makes alfresco dream rooms: Japanese-style retreats with burbling fountains, "Are-we-in-South-Beach?" poolscapes with slinky sofas and slinkier cabanas. The host of PBS' "The Victory Garden" (check listings) and outdoor pro on "Oprah" just launched an HGTV show, "The Outdoor Room" (Fri., 10 p.m.), which follows him planting green spaces around the world.
» EXPRESS: Travel inspires many of your landscapes, doesn't it?
» DURIE: I like going to age-old places like Ethiopia, where I am now. You can learn a lot from a nation like this, where people speak so many languages and the architecture is so different from our own.
» EXPRESS: Any fave places that you like to re-create in people's backyards?
» DURIE: I lean toward tropical or Med-style climates, since those cultures are always good at making the most of their outdoor spaces. Their architecture is very good at bridging the gap between outdoors and in.
Continue Reading "Garden Guru: Jamie Durie, Host of 'The Outdoor Room'" »
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