CarolJoynt.com

Hey, Georgetown, Say Hello To Our Own Good Stuff Eatery

INVITED "FRIENDS & FAMILY" LINE UP FOR A FIRST LOOK AT GOOD STUFF EATERY ON M STREET AT 33RD

This evening Good Stuff Eatery is hosting a special opening for "friends & family" at their new location on M Street in Georgetown, near 33rd, only a few steps from Georgetown Cupcake. It opens to the public on Monday.

We stopped by at 5:30 pm Saturday, at the height of the monsoon, to get an early look. It filled up fast. If, like me, you've been trekking to Capitol Hill or Crystal City to get a fix of Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake, now you can load up on those delicious calories right here in the village. The menu is the same as at the other locations: "handcrafted" hamburgers, fries, shakes and more. Including the favorites of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.

While you're there grab a copy of owner Spike Mendelsohn's cookbook. It's fun and will be especially popular in your home if you have children of any age. 

My preferred order is a 'Shroom Burger (crusted portobello with cheese, pickles, lettuce & tomato and special sauce), fries and the above mentioned Toasted Marshmallow Milk Shake. My son goes for the regular burgers and likes them a lot.

Here are some shots from inside.

THE MAIN COUNTER

THE UPSTAIRS WITH A LARGE COMMUNAL TABLE, AS WELL AS BANQUETTE AND TABLE SEATING

IF YOU LIKE TO KEEP AN EYE ON A TV SCREEN, THE UPSTAIRS IF FOR YOU

HANDSOME RED LEATHER BANQUETTES UPSTAIRS

FRIES, 'SHROOM BURGER AND TOASTED MARSHMALLOW SHAKE

ONE OF THE NICE WINDOW TABLES UPSTAIRS

THE GOOD STUFF SIGNATURE COW BELL DOWNSTAIRS

WELCOMING A GUEST IN OUT OF THE RAIN

PS-Can you get in this evening? I'm a big believer in that it's always worth a try.

Photos From A Night Out At Nats Park; Fun But For The Score

IN THE STANDS WITH THE FANS, GM MIKE RIZZO, IN BLUE, AND SCREECH.

JAYSON WERTH AT BAT

A SENSATIONAL STEPHEN STRASBURG, COMING AT YA

MICHAEL GOESELE, HAVING A GOOD TIME, REGARDLESS

MICHAEL ABOUT TO GET SOME RABBIT EARS FROM ANTHONY FAUCI

MICHAEL ET MOI

DELICIOUS ROAST BEEF AT THE BUFFET

ICE CREAM WITH "NATITUDE"

STOREN OUT, ABAD IN FOR THE 9TH INNING

DAVEY JOHNSON NEWS CONFERENCE; OVER AND OUT FOR THE NIGHT

Tuesday Night Dinner at Le Diplomate

AUBREY SARVIS, DAVID DUNN, MOI, ELLEN CHARLES, AMY BONDURANT

Dinner at Le Diplomate. So far, it does not tire and remains interesting and delicious and a treat to share with friends. As tonight ... what did we talk about? Politics, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, sex, royal babies, real estate, food, Paris, John Kerry, children, sandwich delivery, math, each other. 

AGELESS MODERN LIFE

Funny, at one point everyone had their cell phones on the table. I snapped a casual photos. Looks staged, but it's not. It's just ageless modern life.

Who was there? Well. Those I spent some stop-n-chat time with included Jonathan Capehart, Patrick O'Connell and Adam Mahr ... plus their dates/friends/significant others. Were their other boldfacers there? Of course. 

HANDSOME MEN: AUBREY SARVIS AND DAVID DUNN

No food pics this time but I always recommend a read or re-read of the Le Diplomate story I did for New York Social Diary. 

Remembering Helen Thomas And Recounting Her Last Years and Days

FROM 2010, HELEN THOMAS WITH JAMES BRADY AND SARAH BRADY

On New York Social Diary today I report on the death of Helen Thomas, including some thoughts from my sister-in-law Martha Joynt Kumar, who talks about Helen's last couple of years. Also, we rerun a piece I wrote about Helen from 2009. I first met and worked with Helen in 1969 and we remained friends ever after. She was a singular, dedicated, passionate reporter. There are no more like her

Rolling Thunder Rolls With Bikes, Vets, Flags ... and Dogs

ROLLING THUNDER ROLLS TOWARD THE CORNER OF 23RD & CONSTITUTION (LOOK CLOSELY FOR UNIFORMED SOLDIER SALUTING)

It's worth nothing right off the top that not ALL the rolling thunder motorcycles are louder than a fully loaded dump truck grinding its gears. One came up behind me today that was as quiet as a Prius. So, it can be done. Also, as they rolled across Memorial Bridge toward Constitution Avenue most of the bike drivers were moving slowly, and while it was noisy it wasn't ear-splitting. Right near where I stood at 23rd Street a man on a motorcycle was killed yesterday when struck by a vehicle.

Sunday at noon lots of people showed up to watch the Rolling Thunder "rally." Not very much security (surprising) but lots of flags and applause...and a some dogs, too. Most of all, lots of chrome, leather and sparkle paint. 

Le Diplomate: The Place to Be Right Now

A RARE QUIET MOMENT AT LE DIPLOMATE IN THE LATE HOURS OF SUNDAY BRUNCH

On New York Social Diary today I write about the new hot Washington restaurant: Le Diplomate at the fashionable corner of 14th and Q. Please give it a read. 

Georgetown Rooftop Eye-Candy

There’s so much speculation about the rooftop of the Capella, the new luxury hotel on 31st Street below the C&O Canal. At the moment it is open only to hotel guests, and their guests, and the general public can only wonder - What’s the deal? How do I get up there?

All good questions. So far, the hotel’s owner, Bruce Bradley, is holding his ground on the  guests-only rule. We stopped by on Wednesday, broke bread with Bradley and made a visit to the rooftop. We would be remiss if we did not share our snaps of the pretty spot and the impressive views.

Who wouldn't want to start their morning, or end their day, up on this elegant roof?

Are You, Or Is Someone You Love, Addicted to Drugs, Booze, Sex, Smoking, Gambling, Hoarding, Food or Porn?

I ask the question in the headline in all serious, because our next Q&A Cafe, on Thursday, May 9, delves into addiction in its many forms. The guest is Christopher Kennedy Lawford, who has written the book "Recover to Live, Kick Any Habit, Manage Any Addiction."

From the book: For most of his early life, Christopher Kennedy Lawford battled life-threatening drug and alcohol addictions. Now in recovery for more than 25 years, he works to effect change and raise global awareness of addiction in nonprofit, private, and government circles, serving as the goodwill ambassador for drug dependence treatment and care for the United Nations.

For the first time, the New York Times bestselling Recover to Live brings together all of the most effective self-care treatments for the seven most toxic compulsions affecting every culture on the planet today-alcohol dependence, drug dependence, eating disorders, gambling, hoarding, smoking, sex, and porn.

Thursday's Q&A will be a chance to explore addiction and also to learn about Lawford and his interesting life as a Lawford, a Kennedy, an author, actor, activist. 

The Q&A Cafe tapes at the Ritz Carlton Georgetown hotel. Seating begins at noon. The fee is $38. For reservations please contact Esmaralda Prifold at 202.912.4100 or email [email protected]

Tony Kornheiser Goes To A Big Splashy Party

 TONY WITH WILLIE GEIST

No kidding. Tony Kornheiser was at the White House Correspondents Association dinner and the party after hosted by Vanity Fair and Bloomberg at the French ambassador's Kalorama mansion. N-O kidding. I couldn't believe my eyes.  His being there is notable not because he doesn't belong but because Tony is the most anti-social socially skeptical person around, at least in all of his quadrant of northwest Washington, and up and down Connecticut Avenue, and admirably so. He is a hero to other skeptics (me, included).  Tony being there gave the party a seal of worthiness the hosts hopefully recognized. Almost any splashy party can have Sofia Vergara and Jon Bon Jovi. But Kornheiser? Nah, not so easy. 

TONY KORNHEISER AND WILLIE GEIST

While I could have gone about snapping pics of movie and sitcom stars I was instead drawn to Korny. Like everyone else he was dressed up in a tuxedo and looked quite fetching. When he introduced a group of people to each other, a group that included Maureen Orth and her son Luke Russert, he completely forgot to include Mo in the round of intro's, and here's what happened. She looked at him and said, "F U Tony Kornheiser." Haha. You know, it was said with affection, but that made it a party, at least in the little corner of the French ambassador's terrace where we were hanging out.

Spending time with Tony made the party more fun, less tedious. He doesn't know this but I took these photos at the risk of being thrown out  (Vanity Fair sent an embassy staffer to warn me I would be booted and never invited back), but the risk was worth it, on behalf of Tony's fans, the notorious Littles. I could have listened all evening to his long and interesting conversation with Tony Romo, in which Romo was exclaiming everything will be different this year. Oh, really? 

MAUREEN ORTH AND TONY KORNHEISER 

Thank you Willie Geist for acting as my agent and recommending that Tony appear on my show. Willie was a guest a year ago. But good luck with bagging Tony. I've been asking for years, since back when we started The Q&A Cafe at Nathans, and I'm no closer than I ever was to getting a "yes." But he's always very friendly when he see's me. 

What did Tony and Willie discuss? Among other subjects, Matt Lauer, but that part was OFF THE RECORD. 

I got a ride home with Nnamdi Asomugha of the San Francisco 49ers. We had a good conversation in the back of his hired sedan. He proves, once again, that people involved in sports - like Tony - can be much smarter than people who are not.

The Place to be for Brunch On White House Correspondents Weekend was Cafe Milano

MC HAMMER, TODD BRADLEY, RAUL FERNANDEZ, RON DOZORETZ AND NNAMDI ASOMUGHA. 

Where to begin. Today the buzz was about a brunch up the hill in Georgetown at the mansion fomerly owned by Katharine Graham, when actually the place to be was Cafe Milano. When we first arrived at Milano we saw our friend Tina Brown, who had been at the brunch. "I realized I didn't want to eat standing and holding a plate," she said. TINA BROWN, KATHY O'HEARN AND HARRY EVANS AT LUNCH AT CAFE MILANO

Cafe Milano felt as buzzy as any party (as it often does). There was Tina and her husband, Harry Evans, and Tina's colleague Kathy O'Hearn, but also the foreign minister of Jordan; philanthropist Adrienne Arsht, having lunch with the mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa; Francesca Zambello, artistic director of the Washington National Opera; MC Hammer with Raul Fernandez and a group of friends, and, at the table adjacent to ours, Ron Dozoretz and Nnamdi Asomugha, who just signed with the San Francisco 49ers. The difference between here and elsewhere was quiet quality versus mosh pit. Charlie Rose found respite at Milano, too. 

ADRIENNE ARSHT, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROOM, HAVING LUNCH WITH MAYOR ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA OF LOS ANGELES 

But Nnamdi was the man of the hour, with group after group of people stopping by his table to pay respects. No surprise, read about him. An incredible professional football career as well as a remarkable pattern of philanthropy and commitment to causes.

For a moment, but in broad daylight, Milano felt like Rao's.

MY LUNCH POSSE: JOHN FOX SULLIVAN, FRANCESCA CRAIG, KEVIN CHAFFEE

CAVE DWELLER DROP BY: TANDY AND WYATT DICKERSON WERE AT MILANO, TOO

(deleted. hahaha. sometimes i write crazy s**t)

THE MAN WHO IS CAFE MILANO, LAURENT MENOUD, ON THE LEFT. AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS COULD LEARN FROM HIM.

How CBS News Booked PSY for the White House Correspondents Dinner

I expect Charlie Rose to be dancing Gangnam Style tonight at the White House Correspondents Association dinner. That's because, at least as of late last night, his designated dinner partner is the pop music sensation PSY. Charlie was not concerned, except about one thing: "I'm happy to sit by him but I've told CBS I plan to leave the dinner early." Charlie will head over to the Vanity Fair party at the French Ambassador's Kalorama residence. I think he should just invite PSY along, (he's already on the VF list) and the two of them can gallop Gangnam Style up Connecticut Avenue. That might rob the President or Conan O'Brien of making a PSY joke, though.

Last night at the Bradley dinner, where news spread of PSY's 11th hour addition to the  CBS News dinner guest list, the questions were how did they get him and was he traveling to Washington from Korea? They got him courtesy of Jennifer Maguire, wife of CBS News Washington bureau chief Chris Isham. Maguire is an executive with the Tribeca Film Festival in New York. On Friday, the Festival honored Psy for his transcultural success by presenting him with the Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Award. 

It was at the awards event at New York University where Maguire suggested to PSY that he come to Washington for the big media dinner. Done and done. All he asked was for a hotel room where he could smoke cigarettes. Done and done. 

My prediction is he'll be the celebrity sensation of the weekend, as Ozzy Osbourne was a few years ago, and the Jonas Brothers a while back, and Lindsay Lohan last year. 

Last night at the Bradley dinner, upon hearing the news, otherwise gray-humored members of the DC elite exclaimed, "I want to get my picture taken with him."

Notably, CBS sent me this message that lists their other WHCA dinner guests: U.S. Marine General John Allen, former Commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan; Chef José Andrés, Gen. John F. Campbell, the Army's vice chief of staff; Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas); Jared Cohen, the director of Google Ideas and an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations;Actor Daniel Dae Kim from the CBS hit, “Hawaii Five-0;” Emmy and Golden Globe winner Claire Danes from the Showtime hit, “Homeland;” Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency; Reginald L. Love, former special assistant and personal aide to President Obama; Lisa Monaco, White House Counterterrorism and Homeland Security Advisor; Retired Admiral Mike Mullen, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Samantha Power, Former Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights at the National Security Council; Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs; Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Ryan Zimmerman, Washington Nationals’ third baseman.  The line under Zimm is my doing. That's who I'd want for a dinner partner, with PSY on my other side. 

Breaking News Matters, Even At A Beautiful Ball

WHY WE LOVE OUR IPHONE; WATCHING BOSTON AT THE CORCORAN BALL

Possibly a little rude but who could resist checking out the breaking news tonight as the Boston Marathon manhunt came to a close? I couldn't, that's for sure, even at a crowded social event. On my behalf, I pulled out my phone only while alone at the table, waiting for the others who were seated there to show up. By the time they arrived the drama was all over. There will be more about the Corcoran Ball at washingtonian.com on Monday. For now, here are some pics from the evening. 

THE BAR AT THE VIP RECEPTION BEFORE DINNER

MYRA MOFFETT AND AUBREY SARVIS

A SIGNATURE OF THE CORCORAN BALL IS BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS

...AND BEAUTIFULLY DECORATED ROOMS

AND PEOPLE AT DINNER WHO KNOW EACH OTHER

AND A BIG BAND

AND AFTER-DINNER DANCING TO THE BIG BAND

AND SOMETIMES A RIDE HOME IN THE RAIN

A Parisian Ball For The Ballet At The Library of Congress

THE "CAN-CAN" PERFORMED BY MEMBERS OF THE WASHINGTON BALLET

The Washington Ballet held it's annual ball Friday night at the Library of Congress. It was a good choice. A refreshing break from the usual venues -- National Building Museum, Reagan Building, Mellon Auditorium, hotels -- and the elegance of the building suited the evenings theme: "Hemingway in Paris." I'll have more about the party on Monday at washingtonian.com, but for now here are some photos.

YOUNG BALLET DANCERS GREETING GUESTS UPON ARRIVAL

BALLET BEFORE DINNER

WATCHING, AND WATCHING THE DANCERS

"A LOT OF MONEY FROM NEW YORK," ANOTHER GUEST SAID OF THIS TABLE

VIEW OF THE CAPITOL DOME FROM ONE OF THE TABLES FOR 400

BRUCE LIPNICK AND CHRIS DODD

THE MEXICAN AMBASSADOR, ARTURO SARUKHÁN AND HIS WIFE, VERONICA (IN RED),WITH JANE HARMAN AND TONY PODESTA

CHRIS DODD, JANE HARMAN, JACKIE CLEGG DODD

BILL AND ALISON PALEY

SEPTIME WEBRE, ON THE LEFT, THE BALLET'S ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

GOURI MIRPURI OF SINGAPORE AND CHOREOGRAPHER ASTAD DEBOO OF INDIA

SUNHEE KIM OF SOUTH KOREA

MORE "CAN-CAN"

More Photos From Jason Wu Runway Show at Saks Fifth Avenue

The luncheon Thursday was on behalf of the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation but the star of the event was designer Jason Wu, whose clients include First Lady Michelle Obama. I have a full story at washingtonian.com, but shot many more photos than we used. So, here are some of those photos. I was seated at the end of the runway with Saks Fifth Avenue president Ron Frasch, other Saks execs, luncheon sponsor Elise Lefkowitz and her husband, Marc, and ... Jason Wu. All I had to do was lift up my camera and snap.

One of the Perks of Waking at 5 AM

Sunrise at the Tidal Basin. You can practically hear the cherry blossoms screaming, "Help, help, I'm trapped inside this bud and want to get out!"

Good Friday Sunrise at The Tidal Basin, Washington DC

6:30 AM

6:45 AM

7:00 AM

but, alas, no cherry blossoms yet.

Washington Social Life: Defense Industry Edition

THE SCENE TONIGHT: TODD WILCOX, BRENT SCOWCROFT, CHESTER CHANG, REX TILLERSON AND GINNI ROMETTY (THE LAST TWO RUN EXXON & IBM)

As I tweet so often, I go out so you don't have to. Tonight was a dinner at the Ritz Carlton West End in honor of former Bush (41) National Security Adviser, Gen. Brent Scowcroft. The National Defense University Foundation hosted the dinner, where Scowcroft was presented with the first ever "Lifetime International Statesman and Business Advocate Award." The corporate defense industry showed up in force, including the heads of IBM, Exxon, Deloitte, CACI, EADS, Lockheed Martin, military brass and former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and his wife, Nancy. I was seated with the Kissingers, as well as Susan Eisenhower, NDFU president Walter Stadtler and his wife, Maida, and Todd Wilcox, CEO of Patriot Defense Group of Maitland, FL., and Dr. Chester Chang of Santa Monica, CA - both members of the NDFU board. Among others...

More tomorrow at washingtonian.com, but first an 8am breakfast with a source. 

NANCY KISSINGER HUGS A FRIEND, HENRY CHILLS, SUSAN EISENHOWER SAYS HELLO TO TODD WILCOX

MAJ. GEN. GREGG MARTIN, HENRY KISSINGER, MRS. MARTIN

THE EXXON-IBM-LOCKHEED-DELOITTE TABLE COULD HAVE BEEN A WILLIAM HAMILTON SKETCH

PROTEGE AND MENTOR, DEPUTY DEFENSE SECRETARY ASH CARTER AND BRENT SCOWCROFT

GEN. SCOWCROFT ON STAGE AFTER RECEIVING AWARD FROM THE NATIONAL DEFENSE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION. H.A.K. ON THE RIGHT

GEN. BRENT SCOWCROFT

Washington Social Life

What a Washington dinner party looks like. In this case an intimate dinner for patrons of  the Washington Opera on Sunday night at Plume restaurant at the Jefferson Hotel. This was shot as dinner was seated. The party was hosted by Connie Milstein, on the right, who owns the hotel and who is the force-in-chief of this year's Opera Ball. On the left is Nini Ferguson, a one-time force of DC single life who is married now and so also known as Sydney Ferguson Johnson. Of all the photos I shot tonight I chose to post this one  because it expresses the fun that defined the evening, from the moment guests arrived for cocktails until they departed with their swag bags. Between courses there were songs from "Phantom of the Opera," performed by actor/singer Norm Lewis, who has a DC connection because he's in "Scandal."

Take That, Bob Woodward! His Media Pals Pile On.

Only the the most recent example of how members of the media like to eat their own.  When it comes to Woodward, and the jealousy of his peers, it could be an anthropological exhibition at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. 

The Truth About PR Management and Media

THE PROBLEM IS NOT ONLY AT THE WHITE HOUSE

“The balance of power used to be much more in favor of the mainstream press,” said Mike McCurry, who was press secretary to President Bill Clinton during the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Nowadays, he said, “The White House gets away with stuff I would never have dreamed of doing. When I talk to White House reporters now, they say it’s really tough to do business with people who don’t see the need to be cooperative.”

That paragraph is from Politco this morning.  It's timely and the issue is bigger than the White House and reporters who cover that beat. McCurry's words define the overall relationship between "communications" or "public relations" and the in media general - regardless of the beat or subject. Since I last worked full-time in the MSM in 2000, at MSNBC, and coming back in 2011, to Washingtonian, the biggest change is that shift int the balance of power. The PR people know it, they exploit it, and the are accustomed to current day media who accept it and do as their told. 

I'm glad Politico addressed the matter, but they should come back at it and examine the overall reversal of power in what my sister-in-law calls "managing the media."

I  could go on and on, but here's the Politico story: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/02/obama-the-puppet-master-87764.html#ixzz2LLUYZGK5

THE MYSTERY OF WHAT HAPPENED OUTSIDE THE FOUR SEASONS

 

THE FRONT PORTICO OF THE FOUR SEASONS HOTEL ON A RANDOM NIGHT

Over the last week a few people stopped me to ask, "what in the hell was going on outside the Four Seasons the other night?" And then they went on to talk about M Street being closed, a massive presence of police cars and EMT, a stopped bus, and lots of drama. I had no idea. There was no clue. But now the mystery is solved. Please read this email from a (tall, handsome, media/business mogul) friend, aka John Fox Sullivan of Atlantic Media and also mayor of Little Washington, Virginia. 

 "A freakish one in a million  (billion) event happened to me  6:30 Thursday night on way to dinner with Lockheed folks. Am walking on M street near 4 Seasons, a  car goes out of control, runs up on to sidewalk where  I am standing, crashes into metal lamp post between me and car. Post hits metal box which hits my ankle and I am off to GW emergency room. 

"The bad news, 21 stitches in ankle and very immobile. The good news, no damage to Achilles' tendon. The really good news, lamp post prevented car from making me a permanent hood ornament.Am (at home) recuperating.  Not sure when I will be mobile and in office but email and phone available. Feeling lucky to be alive.

"Ps. If you got caught up in massive rush hour backup in  Georgetown Thursday evening (fire trucks, ambulance, cops galore.. I apologize"

 

ELLEN CHARLES, WESTMINSTER BLUE RIBBONS & DINNER AT SHANGHAI LOUNGE

THE WESTMINSTER KENNEL CLUB BLUE RIBBON FOR FIRST PRIZE IN THE NONSPORTING GROUP

If you returned home to DC from the Westminster Kennel Club dog show, the Super Bowl of dogdom, where two of your dogs had won best in their group and made it to the final "Best in Show" round, what would you do with the Blue Ribbons? Ellen Charles hangs hers on a lamp. At least for tonight. She's just back from a very winning week in New York, with two big fat Blue Ribbons -- one for Jewel for winning the hound group and one for Honor for winning the non-sporting group. Best in Show, in a tough final round, went to Banana Joe, a scruffy little affenpinscher. Tonight Ellen said both Jewel and Honor will continue to compete. So, on to next year. 

And then off to celebrate Westminster and Chinese New Year at Shanghai Lounge on Wisconsin Avenue, where the restaurant's owner brought out her adorable dogs, two miniature poodles. Ellen has four poodles at home, at least. Of her 20 some purebred show dogs, most are poodles. Jewel is her only American foxhound and Honor is her only bichon frise. 

The dinner at Shanghai Lounge was a winner, too. Szechuan spicy green beans, spring rolls, Kung Pao Shrimp, Ginger Chicken. What stands out about the food at Shanghai is the freshness of the vegetables. Also, there's a remarkable absence of grease in the texture of all the food. The owner said she hopes to start delivery in the next month or so. What a gift for Georgetown if that happens. 

THEY'RE BAD, BUT THEY'RE GOOD, AND THEY'RE FUN

DAREN THOMAS, RACHEL PEARSON AND ROGER WHYTE

Thank God for Mondays with friends! Right? I needed a triple dose this Monday night and I got it at Bourbon Steak, with Daren Thomas, Rachel Pearson and Roger Whyte, The occasion was to celebrate Roger's leaving the Washington Performing Arts Society to go out on his own as an event production mastermind.  Also, he's director of events for the newly rehabbed Power House in Georgetown. This is a powerful event space.

I first became acquainted with it when PR impresario Robert Keith Gray had his offices there, and christened the building the Power House. Later, it was the offices of Herb Miller's Western Development Corporation. It langored recently but apparently has been rescued by Roger and his team. If you are a party person, then expect to enter its Grace Street doors sometime this year. And if you want to reach Roger to book it for a whatever, his number is 202-584-0062.

Geez, I don't know whether I have permission to post his phone number, but then he did give me his card and he didn't say it was "off the record." And he is in business!

Daren is head of development for the WPAS, Rachel is on the board. These three get together and it's nothing but drink, yack, drink, yack, drink, yack. In other words, a good time with serious dish. 

When we parted I headed home but they  each went off in different directions for various liaisons. MPTT.

YOU WANT SNOW? I'LL GIVE YOU SOME SNOW.

 

This video was shot for my youtube channel on the morning of February 10, 2010. I remember the experience well. It was the second of two blizzards we in DC affectionately call snowmageddon. But this second one was harsher, with strong winds. At this point most people just gave up and stayed inside. Only a few main roads were passable. That morning I went out in my winter jacket, my Uggs, my gloves and hat and with my then-trusty Sony Cybershot and wandered for about an hour. This video was the result. New York Social Diary included it in my blizzard story. 

Until this morning I had not watched it in ages. It gets the point across. Good luck, New England.

COMING TO WUSA-TV 9, MY WEEKLY WASHINGTON SOCIAL WATCH

THE CHANNEL 9 MORNING NEWS TEAM: JESSICA, MIKE, ANDREA, HOWARD AND MONIKA

Starting next Wednesday Feb 13, one week from today, I'll make a weekly appearance on WUSA's morning show to talk about what's going on our town. It will be a Washington  social chronicle, derived from what I write for washingtonian.com, with context, and with photos, As with Washingtonian, it will be social occasions that show something about the city, who we are, and how social life keeps the wheels turning as the work day transitions from day to night. It will have some character, meaning not a checklist of last night's fundraisers and red carpets. We will pick and choose. While a lot of reporters like to focus on celebrities, visiting here or what they are up to in Hollywood and New York, I like to talk about the people who live here, which means a quite few household names.

For example, there's  a social context to who goes to Nats, Wizards, Caps and Redskins games with season tickets and the best seats. Hey, you've noticed, I'm sure, that Congress doesn't live here anymore. What's that about? Why are Bill Clinton, John Kerry and Joe Biden regulars at Cafe Milano? What about the new Georgetown hotel that will have a private rooftop pool club and hopes to kill the nearby competition? Then there's the story I broke last year, about the Oval Office renovation and President Obama having to move to the EEOB (to Nixon's old hideaway) while the work is done. There will be more of that type of story, too. And Donald Trump opening a hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Everybody loves hearing about social life, and sometimes with a little good gossip thrown in (I'm sitting on a doozy right now).

A  good example of what I do is an article yesterday about a rare party for embassy social secretaries. At the party both White House social secretary Jeremy Bernard and chief of protocol Capricia Marshall confirmed to me that they will be staying in their jobs in the second term. So, there's a news component, too. If you've been reading my social chronicling for the last six years, with New York Social Diary and now Washingtonian, you know what to expect.

WHITE HOUSE SOCIAL SECRETARY JEREMY BERNARD

Another recent story that would play well in this context is what I reported last week about First Lady Michelle Obama: posing for a Vogue cover, having a Girls Night Out at BLT Steak and the Howard Theater, where she was seen dancing in the aisles. What does it say? What does it mean? Why should we care? That's what we'll talk about. Also, the Alvin Ailey Gala Tuesday night. At the dinner dance I sat between a brilliantly talented 26-year-old Ailey dancer and a DC artist who switched careers from government to painting after she received a message from God.

CHIEF OF PROTOCOL CAPRICIA MARSHALL

While the Ailey event was a fundraiser it is also unique in Washington, because it's a wild dance party and probably DC's most diverse formal party, mixing White House staff (Valerie Jarrett), Congress (Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz), business leaders (Post publisher Katharine Weymouth) ... with the exception of whatever went on in the East Room the night of President Obama's public swearing-in. I wasn't at that party, but that's precisely the kind of party I pursue -exclusive, private, unsual and off the grid ... so long as it says something about this town and who we are.

The idea for this new venture, which I would say initially is in the experimental phase, came from anchor Mike Hydeck, after I made an appearance to discuss the inauguration. Mike, executive producer Anetra Gaines and I got together to discuss it further. So please watch, wish me luck, comment, and let's hope this finds its place on the rails and stays there for a long time. I spent most of my professional life in television, including a decade with WUSA's mother ship, CBS News, and still host The Q&A Cafe for DC Cable, and enjoy keeping a hand in. For me it's a natural habitat.

A BOOK PARTY FOR WILLIAM MCPHERSON

BILL MCPHERSON WITH HIS FRIENDS WHO ARE FANS

There was a book party tonight for William McPherson,  a DC and literary legend who is also a dear friend. The New York Review of Books has republished his novel, Testing The Current, and his fans and friends (who are also fans) crowded the Massachusetts Avenue apartment of Myra McPherson to celebrate. Myra and Bill are not related, except as veterans of the hey day of The Washington Post. Bill won the Pulitzer Prize for criticism in 1977, when he was editor of the Post's Book World.

Bill and I met through our mutual friend Aubrey Sarvis. Back when I owned Nathans, and after it closed when I was writing my book, Aubrey, Bill and I had regular wonderful Friday lunches at La Chaumiere in Georgetown and sometimes Cafe Milano. We'd drink wine and gossip like mad. Sadly, with being back at work and all, Aubrey getting "Don't Ask/Don't Tell" repealed, our lunches have become fewer. But the spirit is there. 

When I was writing "Innocent Spouse," and on something like the 2nd or 3rd draft -- and deeply in the weeds -- Bill helped me hack through what I should keep and what I could cut. His input helped provide clarity for me, the little lost writer. It also gave us an excuse for more lunches. He has a gift and his name instantly lights up writers and anyone who knows about writing.

The party tonight was also a reunion for Posties who made the newspaper great in the 70s and 80s. There were a lot of famous bylines in the room. 

DC'S $415 MILLION BUDGET SURPLUS: TOPIC "A" AT TUESDAY'S Q&A CAFE

The cat's out of the bag. That cat being the announcement Mayor Vincent Gray planned to make tomorrow in our interview at The Q&A Cafe: DC has a $415 million budget surplus from 2012. It will be Topic A in our interview, which begins approximately 12:15 at the Ritz Carlton Georgetown. Please join us. And please, between now and then, send me your suggestions how the city should use the money. Spend it? Save it? Invest it? Truth is, the law may determine its fate. But why not discuss? Speculation is a lot of the money comes from photo enforcement tickets, the sizable inheritance tax paid by a Georgetown woman's estate, commercial property tax and a few other sources.

Again, what do you think?

DOES PRESIDENT OBAMA OWE DC A CHANCE AT STATEHOOD?

Where has President Obama been for the last four years on behalf of statehood for the city where he lives most of the time? A lot of people would tell you "in hiding." Sure, it's not his hometown, but after a first term here he must notice that it's a real American city with a citizenry denied the privileges that belong to all other Americans: elected representatives in the House and Senate who have votes that count. 

For the second term, Obama put the "Taxation Without Representation" license plate on his armored car, but is that as far as it will go? This will be one of the main topics we discuss on Tuesday with Mayor Vincent Gray at The Q&A Cafe. Seating begins at noon at the Ritz-Carlton Georgetown, the interview will begin between 12:15 and 12:30, and it will be wrapped up by 1:15. The fee is $38, which covers food, soft beverages, tax and tip. For reservations please send an email or phone Esmaralda Prifold at the Ritz. 202.912.4122.

Here's Harry Jaffe's take on the statehood issue for Washingtonian. 

MAYOR GRAY HAS AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

Mayor Vincent Gray told me Sunday night at an inauguration party that he has an important news-making announcement which he'll discuss when I interview him next week at The Q&A Cafe. So, please make a reservation to be there. Smiling, he told me it is positive news, but he did not go into the details. He did say he hopes DC Cable will do a quick turn around to air the show, to which I said, "that's up to you. It's your channel." He laughed.

The Q&A Cafe tapes next Tuesday, January 29, at the Ritz Carlton Georgetown Hotel.  We begin seating at noon and generally wrap by 1:15. The fee is only $38, and that includes all food, soft beverages, tax and tip. For reservations, please email or phone Esmaralda Prifold  202-912-4121.

 

ARE PHOTO ENFORCEMENT CAMERAS FAIR?

                      

What do you think of photo enforcement cameras? Are they safety devices or money makers? Mayor Vincent Gray has adjusted the fine rates, but is that enough? We'll discuss the issue with him at The Q&A CAFE on Tuesday, January 29. That and much more.

Seating begins at noon at the Ritz Carlton Georgetown. The fee is only $38 and that includes lunch, soft beverages, tax and tip. Dessert is courtesy of Georgetown Cupcake.  We will be done by 1:15. 

Am I begging you? Not exactly, but close. I can't do it without you. 

For reservations please write to Esmaralda Prifold. Or phone 202-912-4121.