CarolJoynt.com

Hanging out with Vice President Joe Biden

We weren't exactly "hanging out" but Vice President Joe Biden and I (and a few hundred others) were at the same party. Since I always have my camera at parties (private or public) I got near to try to get a photo of him with my friend Dale Leibach, who was the party's co-host. Biden saw me, stopped what he was doing, reached out, took my camera, handed it to a staffer and then posed with me. Nice of him. My son was impressed. I ran it through percolator. 

I love playing with photo apps. 

The party was to celebrate the merger of Dale's DC-based public affairs company, Prism, with the Boston-based Rasky Baerlein. Some former key Biden staffers are at Rasky Baerlein. The party was at Central on Pennsylvania Avenue. They took over the whole restaurant. So, good food and drinks. 

In the March issue of Washingtonian, the monthly Behind The Scenes feature I write takes readers inside the gorgeous ceremonial office of the Vice President at the EEOB. Check it out. 

Here's Dale with Biden and later Ed Markey. Both elected officials stayed for a while. 

Book Today For Our Next Q&A Cafe: Fri March 14 w/ Kojo Nnamdi at GTC

It's time to take another try with the Kojo Nnamdi appearance at The Q&A Cafe. If you recall, the last time we tried this it abruptly ended in calamity. We were only 10 minutes in, relaxing, getting to the good parts, when boom, it was over.

We'll spare the Ritz the next try. The George Town Club has invited us to do the show there and that's the plan, for Friday March 14, starting at 1:30pm (because Kojo has to do his WAMU-FM radio show from noon to 1pm). The GTC is at 1530 Wisconsin Avenue, at the corner of Volta. We'll start seating people at 1pm.

The fee is $35, all inclusive. The menu is a choice of soup or salad, one of three entrees, and, of course as always, cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcake for dessert. They have a full bar and wine list. 

For reservations, please call the club directly at 202-333-9330. Yes, it's a private club but all Q&A'ers will be warmly welcomed. 

A Throwback From The Family Archives

My husband's sister, Martha Joynt Kumar, spent the weekend doing pre-spring spring cleaning, mostly digging through boxes in her basement, and a lot of heavy lifting. She came upon these two photos and sent them my way. What I remember is that it was the early 1980s, Howard and I are in the garden of their parents Alexandria home, I'm in Laura Ashley. I'm in my early 30s, he's early 40s. We'd been together four years. We had come in from our home in Upperville, VA, for lunch. 

They are sweet. A happy memory. So happy, so much in love. 

A year or two later, at the White House, out of Laura Ashley and into Chanel, which Nancy complimented. There's a similar photo with Howard, but it's still stuffed in a box somewhere.

Here we are in about 1988-89 in a formal portrait -- and if you ever wondered what 80s hair looked like, here's a version. Goodness gracious.

And here we are, relatively new parents (note the "mom" hair), in 1993-94, back at the White House.

An Early Peek Inside Fiola Mare, Georgetown's New Waterfront Restaurant

Fiola Mare, the newest restaurant addition to the Georgetown waterfront, opened last night with a packed house and the first nighters, at least, were delighted. Today I stopped in with my camera and snapped a few shots of the elegant main dining room, which overlooks the Potomac as if it were Lake Como or the Med off the Amalfi Coast. How cool is that? I also checked out the menu. Pricey but intriguing with, as you would expect, lots of seafood. Oysters, crudo, frutti de mare including sea urchin; Maine lobster, Calvisius caviar, pastas with seafood, veal loin, a Wagyu ribeye, and, maybe best of all, Dover Sole. (Could this help us out of our mourning for Cannons?)

Fiola Mare was opened by Fiola owners Fabio and Maria Trabocchi. I'm a fan of Fiola, and  look forward to dining at Fiola Mare, which is an easy walk from just about anywhere in Georgetown (and West End, and Foggy Bottom). The space once was home to Hill & Knowlton. So nice to now have it as a waterfront restaurant. The phone number is 202.628.0065.

  

Having Fun In Georgetown With Some Apps

A friend, Larry Calvert, has been talking up the app Waterlogue, which I downloaded last night. Like everybody else in the DC area today I went out for a long walk to enjoy the balmy weather, and I put the app to use. My idea was to shoot the mundane and see how it looked through the filters of the app. Here are the results. Not everything translates into watercolors, but when it does click it clicks well. All of a sudden an access ramp and a Saturday gridlock become beautiful. Another app I'm having fun with is Percolator. Here's a snow shot run through that app:

At the bottom is an original shot and then the same shot after being passed through Waterlogue. 

 

 

How Republicans & Independents Can Vote In The DC Democratic Primary

In the DC mayor's race there's only one vote that counts and that is what happens at the polls in the Democratic primary on April 1. The winner of that vote will be the city's mayor. But what if you are a Republican or Independent who wants to have a say? You're out of luck unless you do this: become a Democrat for a month. It's possible, and that was one of the topics at a fundraiser held for Jack Evans tonight in Georgetown. The folks who were there were largely Democrats, but there were a few dissident Republicans and Independents in the mix. (My own self, for example).

As Jack explained the process his staff handed out a form that allows for changing one's party affiliation (the fine print in a routine voter application form). Okay, and then what, they wanted to know? After you vote you fill out another form and revert back, if you want to revert back. It takes a month to be processed, which is why Jack and his staff urged potential converts to get it done no later than March 1.

Jack said this switch to the Democratic party could make the difference in the primary election, which he said will likely see a turnout of only about 100,000 voters. "Thirty thousand votes could win the race," he said. I don't even want to begin to rant about how pathetic it will be if only that few Democratic voters determine our city's forward path. Come on, people. Go to the polls!

Q&A Cafe with Kojo Nnamdi Rescheduled For 3-14 At The Georgetown Club

It's time to take another try with the Kojo Nnamdi appearance at The Q&A Cafe. If you recall, the last time we tried this it abruptly ended in calamity. We were only 10 minutes in, relaxing, getting to the good parts, when boom, it was over.

We'll spare the Ritz the next try. The Georgetown Club has invited us to do the show there and that's the plan, for Friday March 14, starting at 1:30pm (because Kojo has to do his WAMU-FM radio show from noon to 1pm). The GTC is at 1530 Wisconsin Avenue, at the corner of Volta. We'll start seating people at 1pm.

The fee is $35, all inclusive. The menu is a choice of soup or salad, one of three entrees, and, of course as always, cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcake for dessert. They have a full bar and wine list. 

For reservations, please call the club directly at 202-333-9330. Yes, it's a private club but all Q&A'ers will be warmly welcomed. 

La Piquette DC

A first dinner tonight at La Piquette in Cleveland Park. A score with each course! Certainly that's the story of what we ate: Wianno oysters, house salad, lobster risotto, steak frites, and a cheese plate followed by meringue with berries and cream. I know,  the salad was in the wrong order, but it worked ... in an American way. The  room was packed, the patrons majority local, with their actual spouses, and the vibe lively. I saw a lot of friends. There will be more from me about Piquette on washingtonian.com soon.

CHEF FRANCIS, FORMERLY EXECUTIVE CHEF OF THE AMBASSADE DE FRANCE á WASHINGTON

Bowling For Breakfast

I returned to Pinstripes this morning for a breakfast session of bowling. They open at 10am on Sundays and the lanes were basically empty ... at least at first. It was also the introduction of their Sunday buffet brunch. The food stations are arrayed throughout the main floor, with the omelette buffet and the chocolate fountain as the main attractions. They also are proud of their waffles. I had a bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon, as well as steamed shrimp and a green salad.

You can take your plate from the buffet to your bowling lane, which is nice. One feature that I'm not crazy about, though, is that for each two lanes there are two sofas and one table and so eating is all about sharing space. It's not horrible, but it's close quarters and if you are looking for some privacy and private conversation that's not possible. On the other hand, everybody starts talking to each other and you make new friends. 

The lanes were relatively empty until about 11am, when the families with strollers and toddlers began to arrive. There is a children's buffet of pizza and French fries. 

Spotted: A Sure Sign Of Coming Spring

SUNDAY MORNING, WISCONSIN AVENUE AT THE C&O CANAL

Georgetown Snow (Slush) Day Sightings: King Abdullah, Charles Barkley

WHAT THE SNOWFALL BECAME, A SLUSH BATH
I ventured  out this afternoon to see what was going on in Georgetown. Not much for the most part. A swarm of black SUVs were outside the Four Seasons Hotel, ready to take King Abdullah of Jordan to wherever. My sister-in-law and I had lunch at the bar at Bourbon Steak. On her way in to the hotel (though a line of security muscle) she saw, and had a nice conversation with, Charles Barkley. (No indication why Barkley was in town).

ONLY SOME OF THE SUVs PARKED OUTSIDE THE FOUR SEASONS FOR THE KING
There's a group of people who have made a snowday clubhouse out of the BS bar, and they were there, along with various Jordanian security types. The word around the bar was that the King, before he departed in the motorcade, had come down from his suite to have lunch at the restaurant. 

THE BOURBON STEAK BAR, A SNOWDAY HANG OUT

After lunch we walked over to Baked & Wired for cupcakes and coffee. They were packed. 

BAKED & WIRED: PACKED

The streets were clear and nearly dry, except for the light mist of rain that fell all afternoon (until it turned to chips of ice). Most businesses were closed, including bars and restaurants. Even the Apple store was closed. But the liquor store was open. 

IT'S CHOCOLATE, AND IT'S CALLED "DOOM"

WISCONSIN AVENUE JUST ABOVE M

THE APPLE STORE, CLOSED

THE LIQUOR STORE, OPEN

The sidewalks were more clear than I expected. The streets were so empty pedestrians had an options of walking on the sidewalks or in the street. The most treacherous part of walking was the slush pools at the curbs, which could result in an above ankle - and cold - plunge.

 

Scenes of Georgetown In a Foot of #Snow, February 2014

SOMEBODY LOVES THE SNOW - A LOT

The snow began falling in Georgetown shortly after 7pm on Wednesday. It didn't amount to much until about 3am, when it began coming down fast and heavy. I went out briefly. It was beautiful and quiet, as you see here below:

I went out again at 7:30 and was surprised to see some activity (and cars stuck or abandoned). Entrepreneurial shovelers had started to make their rounds. The side streets were no go, but the major streets - Wisconsin, M - had been plowed, sanded, plowed and sanded. Thirty-first street was not plowed, but it was driveable.

STUCK!

THESE CARS WERE PARKED, EMPTY, AND MAYBE ABANDONED, ON O STREET

WISCONSIN AVENUE

 

SMART, BECAUSE BY 8:30 AM IT WAS RAINING

IT COULD BE A COUPLE OF DAYS BEFORE THEY ARE DUG OUT

AT THE INTERSECTION OF WISCONSIN AND N

SOMEBODY WANTS SPRING!
 

Fleeting Face Time With The Beatles: John, Paul, George and Ringo

THE WASHINGTON COLISEUM TODAY, BUT ON THIS NIGHT 50 YEARS AGO, WOW

It's a big day in Washington today, the 50th anniversary of the Beatles performing their first U.S. areana concert. Sometimes when people hear this for the first time they scratch their heads. "Washington? Why Washington?" It's because we're the capital and we had this great arena, the Washington Coliseum. I wrote about that day for my New York Social Diary column today. Please check it out. The experience was such a delirious diversion only a few months after JFK's assassination. 

For Max Schindler Who Misses Nathans

My dear friend and former NBC News colleague Max Schindler this evening posted a Facebook message that was plain and simple: "I miss Nathans."

So, I went to the archives and pulled out some photos to post just for Max, and others like him.

Pinstripes Bowling In Georgetown: Opening Night Impressions

BOWLING SHOES THAT RENT AT $4 WITH SOCKS INCLUDED; WINE BY THE BOTTLE

This evening I stopped by the grand opening of Pinstripes bowling at Georgetown Park mall. It was a happy mob scene. It appeared that every resident of the 20007 zipcode was invited plus the entire Second District of the MPD, and they all showed up at the same time. There was an endless supply of food, wine and cocktails. You name it: steamed shrimp, salads, pizza, flat bread, pasta, hand carved beef, plus at least two dessert buffets. The party was still going strong when I departed at 9 pm. I returned Sunday to try regular bowling. Here's the full story for Washingtonian. 

Here are some first impressions:

*It is a very large space. The entrance leads to a big bar, past a huge open kitchen and a couple of spacious dining rooms before  the bocce area and then on beyond that to the door that leads into the 14 bowling lanes. They are eery quiet. None of the typical sounds of a bowling alley, which one guest called sounds "that are part of the fun." 

*A manager said they had to make the bowling lanes nearly soundproof to appease the condo residents upstairs.

*The bowling area is dimly lit with cozy leather sofas and mood lighting. Soothing.  It would be a fun place to bowl with a group of friends. 

*The cost to bowl is $5-7 per person per game, depending on the day and hour. Bocce is $5-10 per person per hour. They are open until 11 on weeknights and 12:30 am on Friday and Saturday.

*According to their catering menu, "we deliver." That could have its own appeal in Georgetown, where so few places deliver.

*There's a large banquet room upstairs. I could almost hear the sounds of "Here comes the bride," as there is a lot of bridal hint hint in the promotional material, not to mention the display wedding cake.

*There's a deck where the windows open to the outdoors. It doesn't have bowling or bocce but it has a view of the C&O Canal.

*Thursday night is ladies night with $4 "handcrafted" cocktails. Friday nights they have a wine deal, with half off on bottles that are $50 or less. Tuesday burgers are $5 if you are bowling or playing bocce. 

*Yes, they have children's programs throughout the week and with special pricing.

*Happy hour starts at 3 pm, Monday through Friday.

*Nope, you can't reserve your bowling lanes online. Either by phone or show up at the front desk and book on the spot. 

*It has got corporate event written all over it. "...space to accomodate 20-600 guests for a 2-hour block of time." Pricing ranges from $75-95 per lane, depending on the day of the week.

*They even have a breakfast menu. Breakfast and bowling?

*They will also cater events at other locations.

*The entrance is in the back of the mall, off Wisconsin Avenue, just before the Canal. 

*"It's clearly not about the bowling," said one of the opening night guests. More like bowling at Bourbon Steak than your neighborhood alley, based on the likely tab. It could be the first bowling alley ever to score a restaurant review. 

*What next? How about a table tennis club?

Georgetown' Second 7-11 Could Open Any Day

From the six or more commercial trucks parked outside of it at Wisconsin and O Streets on Sunday, it looks like Georgetown's second 7-11 could open any day. I know this is a controversial project. I'm on the side of the doubters. It's not because of wanting to live in some dreamy, misty past where we always pay homage to what came before. I don't live in the past, actually.

It does matter that it was once "Doc" Dalinsky's popular pharmacy, but that's because it was a sole-proprietor business and a vital part of the community. It was a hang-out for some of the village's most dedicated residents. It lifted up the neighborhood.

When a 7-11 becomes a hangout, it's generally not for reasons of lifting up its environs, and the environs of that corner need major lifting up. Also, there's a CVS one block away. Short of coffee and   hot dogs, it provides much of what 7-11 sells. 

My main reason for objecting to a 7-11 at that corner is the impact it could have on nearby small businesses, such as the Georgetown Dinette and Wingo's. We need them to stay in business because they are part of who we are as a village. Read the comments about  Georgetown Dinette on Yelp. They are a range, but largely positive and recognize uniqueness. The same for Wingo's.

The last time we had a 7-11 on Wisconsin, up at the corner of Q, it failed. It's now Edible Arrangements. We have one double-wide 7-11 at P and 27th, and it does well because there's street parking available, and it's convenient for coming into and going out of Georgetown. It's easy to run in and out. If we have to have two of something, I'd rather have two Sweetgreens, or a café, such as  Poupon or Leopold's.