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Q&A Cafe: Kinship and Métier Chef Eric Ziebold and His Culinary Journey

 

Master chef Eric Ziebold and I taped this interview on the morning after one of the recent terrorist attacks in Europe. That event in France made for a meaningful contrast between the world out there and the sanctuary that is a haven of fine dining, such as Kinship and Metier, the lovingly reviewed upstairs-downstairs restaurants created by Ziebold and his wife, Celia Laurent.

I have been an unabashed fan of Eric's since he opened CityZen at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. The new places are the realization of his dreams meshed with his considerable talent. The interview is a culinary journey, as Eric talks about how he traveled from a childhood in Ames, Iowa to Washington DC and the heights of American restaurants. 

Watch the interview and then make a reservation: 202-737-7700. 

Campaign 2016: New Week, New Convention, & Then The Home Stretch

Ah, an actual weekend off between the GOP and Democratic conventions. I don't mind that it is blistering hot out in DC. The heat reminds me of Austin, and I like Austin, and so I'm pretending it is an Austin weekend. Sunshine on my face and body. Now, if only La Condesa could be transported to the corner of Wisconsin and P ... I'd be set.

I will be in DC for the Philadelphia convention, and I'm fine with that, too. Our crew at Hardball will work long hours to bring political junkies -- hopefully YOU -- a lively and live nightly recap from midnight to 2am from Philadelphia. That's each night of the convention. We're wrangling great guests. Our set will be inside the arena. I'm not a homer when I say this, (or maybe I am and so what?) because I've known Chris Matthews since the 80s; I objectively view him as the best political commentator on TV. Actually, before I took this campaign '16 job as one of his producers, Hardball was the one show I watched each night on cable news. So, I genuinely like being there, and it is a homecoming, too, because I was a producer for Chris and Hardball in 1999, when it first launched, and was there for a year or so (but then had to go run a saloon). 

Now, in 2016, I'm working with a remarkably talented group of broadcast journalists, based in DC and New York. They know all the dimensions of politics and can spot trends, insights and angles out in front of the competition. It's fun to be with them and to watch them (and to try to keep up!).

The broadcast is called "Hardball" for a few reasons. One, it is the name of Chris' still relevant 1999 political book of the same name, Hardball: How Politics Is Played; two, we expect the guests to "play hardball," and often debate among themselves and with Chris; and the staff, at our daily show meeting, are expected to debate and argue with him for the way the segments should be shaped. Chris, of course, weighs in, and its always a smart tutorial in the day's political antics. I dearly enjoy that often hour-long meeting - a "hardball" game of its own - and always come away w/ some new insight.

But back to the Dem convention. It will be interesting to watch how it compares and contrasts with the GOP convention. More scripted? More studied? Any frivolity? Looseness? A surprise or two? I have hard core big D friends who believe the most interesting night will be Tuesday, when Bill Clinton is the featured speaker. And Thursday night belongs to Hillary Clinton. I don't know what to expect of Tim Kaine. I've met him socially, and sat next to him at a luncheon when he was Virginia's governor, and he was pleasant, low key, talked about the job in Richmond and was concerned he had right some remarks he was about to make to the other guests.

Philadelphia! After that, the home stretch, with stops for debates, and then election day November 8. What a fascinating and wild ride this has been, so far, and I expect much the same for the few months ahead. 

Please tune in to MSNBC, live at midnight, Monday through Thursday. The network's general convention coverage starts each night at 6pm.

Ghosts of Conventions Pasts

Working on my first presidential nominating convention in years, and years, and as I sit in my office alone, desk crammed with computer screens and TV monitors, I feel ghosts of conventions past, friends and colleagues, standing calmly at my back, watching, and occasionally laughing or smiling or pointing, but most often pulling at their chins or scratching their heads. I sense what the thinking may be of David Brinkley, Walter Cronkite, Charles Collingwood, Catherine Mackin, Doug Kiker, Helen Thomas, Hugh Sidey, and many more now gone. I got to work closely with all these people and none tolerated mediocrity or absence of depth and they all loved the drama of politics. They are thinking how small major political events have become, and the speed of the pace, and how the reporting has turned more to sampling. We are journalist deejays, effectively. And that's called change.

But a lot of the staples are still there: the rambunctious delegates, fewer in the goofy hats but sincere and for real; a belief that the convention system works; a stage where disputes can be folded into displays of unity, sincere or not; and the hope that words will be spoken that both construct a coherent and powerful message, lift the spirits, tie up the package of mate and running mate with a neat unifying bow, and give supporters a solid reason to hail their choices. I wish we were shown more of what is going on outside the arena -- just for local color. This convention feels insular, dislocated, not in any particular city or state, just in a building -- it could be a  mall on a production lot. But I  will say this for the Tumpvention. When it goes off script  (the Melania speech) it gets genuinely interesting.

Donald Trump promised some razzle dazzle and, after two days, there hasn't been too much of that. Mostly a conventional convention. Again, with the exception of the speech controversy, the Colorado delegation speaking up for itself, but maybe the convention managers are saving the real glitz for tomorrow night and Trump's acceptance speech. At the end of the day, though,  it is the words that matter. Overall, so far, anti-climactic, and maybe that was what Trump's campaign, and the city of Cleveland, hoped for. 

Having the GOP and DEM conventions back to back, I fear, will create a blur for most viewers. My guess is that were it not for the Olympics, there would be a little breathing room between the two, and the Olympics will distract for a moment before the debates. And then Election Day, and its over.

But back to my ghosts. I see my view and their views. Its difficult to explain to them how the world has changed, as it always will, and that politics have been reduced to a small size just like clothing, homes,  phones and music. And what's left is jacked to double speed. I'm lucky I got to experience some of the big conventions, such as 1968 in Chicago, 1972 in Miami, and 1976 in Kansas City, and 1976 in New York. But, got to let it go. I hope if you're reading this you also are watching the proceedings on your favorite cable channel. 

One last note about the conventions past: I went to some reporting for Time magazine and to some writing for The CBS Evening News, and while we worked hard, the best part of being there were the parties, the lavish dinners, the camaraderie with colleagues, the up all night hell raising and, even, romance. In print, my beat was the protest scene, and that was exciting, sometimes scary, but a great story. One exception, was infiltrating a Young Republicans event to get close to Julie Nixon. In TV, I was in the convention hall, up in the aerie perches of the network stars, and that was a treat. Great memories. 

I look forward to getting back to my lonely desk, watching and watching, into the wee  hours, trying to find interesting people to come on TV to share and analyze the experience. For me, its a blast. So happy to be part of it, at any speed. 

Q&A Cafe: The Restaurant as Respite, an Interview with Eric Ziebold

It will air next Friday, July 15, but today we taped a Q&A Cafe interview with Eric Ziebold, the James Beard Award-winning chef and owner of the conjoined restaurants Kinship and Metier, which opened this year on 7th Street across from the DC Convention Center. We started by noting the violence of the past two weeks, from Bangladesh to Dallas, and including Istanbul, Iraq, Baton Rouge, Minneapolis and Dallas, and how restaurants often serve as the refuge  - he called the experience a "respite" -- from the madness of the world (though we know, in Paris, and Bangladesh, they were targets). In a normal, sane world, my point would make sense, but ....

We started there and went on to explore Eric's journey from Ames, Iowa, to Washington by way of the kitchens of Jeff Buben, Wolfgang Puck and Thomas Keller. It's quite a magic carpet ride and you'll want to watch the whole hour-long conversation. Next Friday, 8pm, Channel 16. 

Bill Cunningham: A Homage From One Party Photographer For The Icon

The word has traveled far and wide that the great Bill Cunningham died last week. The tributes have been a love fest and a way to get to know him even better, though in truth "knowing" him was elusive. He was an icon.

I pay homage and with deep respect, because I am no Bill Cunningham. Still, I've photographed dozens and dozens of parties and he was my muse. Between 2007 and 2016, two to three a week, and even occasionally two or three a night. My photo archives are mostly party photos, several thousand of them.  Bill Cunningham, while known as a street and fashion photographer, was also a party photographer, and one of the very best of our modern era. Its quite a skill to insinuate one's self into an often intimate gathering, with a camera and a flash at hand, and then achieve photos that are natural, candid and not mug shots. You have to be polite and sociable, but you want the people who are focus of your lens to not get all posey-posey. It happens, and can't be avoided, and sometimes works out for the best, but usually they aren't the photos that tell the story of what the party was like. 

Today's New York Times, as with previous issues this week, is a continued homage to the man in Sunday Styles. A quote resonated with me, though. "My whole thing is to be invisible," he wrote of himself. Yes. Absolutely. I lamented to so many friends about party coverage, "if only I could be invisible." 

It was impossible to be invisible, but sometimes it almost happened. It helped that I use a small camera -- an expensive and sophisticated Sony, but small enough to fit in my pocket, or hide in my hand, and to pull up at that magic moment. I learned that from watching Cunningham. Be discreet, be quick. Also, when someone notices that you have trained your lens on them, to be friendly, ask them to brighten up. He was mobile and fast and always watching -- not so much the personal selves of the people he snapped but the tableau, "the look," they presented. 

We never actually met. Once, when it was the afternoon of my evening book party at the Palm Court of the Plaza Hotel, I stopped and talked to him briefly at 57th and Fifth, to invite him. (He didn't come, alas). But I carry with me an earlier memory that is special. He photographed me once. At that same intersection. He noticed me, for whatever reason, and click, click, click. I didn't pose and I did not look into his lens. I have no idea whether the shot got published. It doesn't matter. It was enough that he snapped off a few frames. Sigh. (A few years earlier, at the U.S. Open, Ron Galella aimed his camera at me. I laughed out loud. "Why, me?" We became friends. btw, the photos were gorgeous.)

It may be that you know all about Bill Cunningham, or that you don't. Either way, be sure to download and watch the mesmerizing documentary, Bill Cunningham New York.

In sum, his legacy will be his street shots of street style, and what he gleaned from the runways of high fashion, but when the compendium of his work is assembled I hope it is also equal parts his party pics. 

Just Because...A Pretty Photo of the White House

Shot this with my iPhone last week, walking home from dinner at Kinship. Was struck by how the light gave the White House a hue of buttercream. 

What To Do July 4th Weekend in Georgetown DC

July 4th weekend presents a lot of opportunities for the perfect staycation, especially since the 4th itself is a "school night," with many of us having to be at work early the next morning. This beautiful fireworks photo above was from a year ago. I shot it from the rooftop of the then Capella/now Rosewood Hotel, where they host an annual fireworks party, with cocktails, barbecue, a swimming pool. Its very expensive, at $110 per person, but includes all you can eat and drink....and the view and the pool, plus in-house valet parking. 

A much less -- actually free -- alternative is to watch the fireworks from the wonderful Georgetown Waterfront Park that spans the Potomac River from 27th Street to Key Bridge. The best views are from closer to Key Bridge, and there is a wonderful expanse of well-maintained lawn for picnic blankets. It is quieter, less-congested, and, frankly, less security-intense than the National Mall. The Washington Harbor complex has a large parking garage, and there's street parking, but the street parking goes fast. 

Do stop by Georgetown Cupcake for their patriotic treats - good for your waterfront picnic, good to take him, good to eat there. Half a block over is Good Stuff Eatery, if you are hankering for an all-American meal of a hamburger, french fries and a milk shake. 

Also down at the waterfront are some dining options. Again pricey, but if you want to enjoy delicious pasta and seafood while watching the skyline, there's Fiola Mare. That's where I shot this pic a couple of years ago. We really only had to stand up at our table to get the view of the fireworks. 

Do remember to dress up the dog for the occasion!