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A selection of articles I wrote for the July/August issue of DC Magazine.
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M O D E R N L U X U R YTM
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Ireland-based food writer Tom Doorley ate his way through Dublin for Gael Force! But after all the meals he had, he says lunch at La Maison and dinner at !e Winding Stair outshined the rest. So how has the local dining scene matured lately? “I would like to think that Dublin restaurateurs have learned that honesty sells and that gimmicky food is very, very last year,” says Doorley, who has homes in County Cork, and Dublin. He is restaurant critic at !e Irish Times and a contributor to !e Field, BBC Olive Magazine and !e Daily Mail.
After interviewing the summer lineup of chart-topping kid rock musicians headed to Jammin’ Java, writer Katie Knorovsky couldn’t stop humming too-catchy tyke tunes about “suitcases full of laughter” and outfielders daydreaming about snowcones. Meanwhile, catching a sneak peek of the revamped roof terrace at the new W Hotel—with its legendary view intact—left her speechless. Knorovsky is a contributing editor at HotelChatter.com and also writes for Washingtonian, National Geographic Traveler and Washington Post Express.
Playing a round of mini-golf in the name of journalism wasn’t too tough a challenge for Janelle Nanos, whose article, Heat Wave, highlights five splashy new hot spots opening this summer. Nanos is more travel writer than golfer, though. “I struggled with the !e Mixing Bowl, but found out from the course designer that it still needed some tweaking. So I consider my putt-putt reputation secure,” she says. Nanos has written for !e New York Times, New York, Marie Claire and Slate, and is an editor at National Geographic Traveler.
Contributors July/August 2009
(above: EcoSmart Fire 'Element' ventless, freestanding fireplace)
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Jockeying for a place in front of the mirror as the oldest of four girls would give any woman a certain amount of skin care expertise. But as the daughter of a Swiss dermatologist and internist, Ada Polla truly has a leg up on the rest of us. Beauty was defined broadly in the Polla household, and her parents, the founders of the anti-aging herbal crème and treatment line Alchimie Forever, tra!cked as much in fine art as they did in fine lines. "e Forever Laser Institute, the company’s Geneva medispa, is attached to a contemporary art gallery featuring the work of artists who, in exchange for the gratis treatments they’re given, pay homage to the beauty line in original works of art. “Some people have a much more developed sense of aesthetics than others,” the 31-year-old says, having grown up with many of these artists joining her family around the dinner table. “And I know that for me, it’s probably developed to an extreme.” "is summer, Polla brings that aesthetic to Georgetown with the opening of Alchimie Forever’s flagship showroom, the company’s first storefront in the U.S. "e family’s DC envoy launched the line in the States after earning a B.A. in art history from Harvard and collecting her MBA at Georgetown. “My first thought was to work in a contemporary art gallery,” says Polla. “Or to become head of Sotheby’s, but then their CEO was indicted on charges of setting prices with Christie’s and that kind of turned me
o#.” O# auction houses, perhaps, but on to better things. "e beauty world’s gain is hardly the art world’s loss, as the Wisconsin Avenue space will soon embody the same gallery aesthetic as the Swiss medispa. It will be the “visual interpretation of the product line,” Polla explains. "e company’s clinically designed serums and antioxidant-enriched scrubs and cleansers will be on display, along with a treatment area where these items will be demonstrated on clients to highlight “the corporeal aspect of our products,” she says. But the pièce de résistance is the art itself—mixed- media works, a wall mural and other pieces culled from the Swiss collection. Eventually, they will be replaced by the artist-ambassadors she hopes to cultivate in DC. "ese creative ambassadors are key to distinguishing Alchimie, says Polla, who acknowledges that as an “indie brand” they don’t have the budget to dangle endorsements before Hollywood starlets. But it’s a savvy strategy, one that equates their philosophy of product with art theory, and relies less on lab-coat praise than on word-of-mouth. “"ere are very few beauty brands that try to mix with contemporary art,” says Polla. “For us, it’s very personal. If we want to talk to the world of art, then we need to find art ambassadors. We can’t use an aesthetician for that.”
Alchimie Forever, Waterfront Center, 1010 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Ste. 201, alchimieforever.com.
Counter CultureAlchimie Forever turns a mod pod in Georgetown into its artful outpost
| By Janelle Nanos | Portrait by SOTA Dzine |
THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER From top: The über-chic Alchimie Forever president and CEO Ada Polla brings the company’s art collection to DC. “I would much rather spend money on an art piece than a new pair of shoes,” she says. Pieces such as Beast in Me by Mat Collishaw and Le jour qui n’arrive jamais by Andrea Mastrovito will join her at the company’s new Georgetown showroom.
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here.” !e 19th-century
building’s handsome
upstairs dining room
will serve locally-
sourced cuts, while the
downstairs, with its
vaulted glass ceiling,
will o"er “bar steaks,”
smaller plates and a
wine list cultivated by
Kris Mullins. NOOK: A
third-floor room with
its own bar is hidden
behind a wrought-iron
spiral staircase and is
a perfect small event
space. WHAT TO KNOW:
With 8,000 square
feet, Babin says the
Firehouse is the venue
he’s been longing
for. Expect the team
from Neighborhood
Restaurant Group
(Rustico, EatBar,
Tallula, Vermilion) to
come together for wine,
dinners and tastings.
109 S. Saint Asaph St.,
Old Town Alexandria.
Room 11NEIGHBORHOOD: “!e
beauty of 11th Street is
that it’s an alternative to
all the craziness on 14th
Street—the Target and
the Ruby Tuesday,” says
owner Nick Pimentel,
who hopes to draw
neighbors with a easy
to eat “one-utensil”
menu and choosy wine
list for the bar. “We’re
trying to turn it into a
little Main Street,” he
says. NOOK: Snag one of
the bar stools along the
bay window to people-
watch. !e drink rails
are big enough to hold
plates. WHAT TO KNOW:
Save room for dessert.
Pimentel’s wife, Lizzy
Evelyn (co-owner of
the Paisley Fig bakery),
will be serving up
cakes, tortes and other
treats—and they’ll be
available for takeout.
3234 11th St., NW,
202.332.2324.
That buzz you’re hearing? It ain’t cicadas. A collection of new nightlife hubs are waking up the District’s typically sleepy summer. From farm-raised chops to beer and putt-putt, here’s what to await and where to snag a table.
Blue RidgeNEIGHBORHOOD: When
he swam away from
Georgetown’s Hook a
year ago, chef Barton
Seaver sought a more
“accessible” kitchen for
his sustainable menu
choices. Blue Ridge’s
bar scene is Glover
Park’s new gem and the
restaurant serves Mid-
Atlantic fare sourced
by local purveyors
without gimmicks, says
owner Eli Hengst. !e
menu (grilled trout,
grass-fed rib eye, apple-
pear-cardamom pie)
would be recognizable
to !omas Je"erson’s
entourage, and
celebrates “simple
American traditions.”
SURPRISE: !e restaurant
merges two 110-year
old row homes, and
has an Amish-chic
vibe, with quilts,
glowing hanging
lights and a classy
long bar. Get some
air at the farm tables
around the backyard
patio’s pond. WHAT TO
KNOW: Hengst lives in
the area and wanted
to create a reliable
neighborhood place
“where you can have a
drink and a meal for
under $20.” To make
sure the locals feel at
home, only half the
tables will be available
for reservation. 2340
Wisconsin Ave., NW,
202.333.4004.
Columbia FirehouseNEIGHBORHOOD: Owner
Michael Babin believes
his newest venture
will fill the glaring
chophouse and cocktail
void in Old Town.
“!ere are more
steakhouses per capita
in DC than perhaps
anywhere else,” he says.
“But there are none
H Street Country Club NEIGHBORHOOD: After
populating edgy H
Street with its hottest
spots, all that was left
for owner Joe Englert
was to create a clubhouse
of his very own. !e
6,800- square-foot bar
with bites is replete with
a nine-hole mini-golf
course and an Ann
Cashion-designed menu.
NOOK: Grab the cocoon-
shaped president’s table
for a premier view
overlooking the little
links. WHAT TO KNOW:
Lee Wheeler, a local
sculptor who has “spent
the last 20 years making
things drunk-proof,” for
bars in DC, is behind
both the décor and the
DC-centric course itself.
While much has been
made of “Marion Barry’s
Awakening,” watch out
for the sixth hole on
the Beltway-inspired
“Mixing Bowl.” It’s a
doozy. 1335 H St., NE,
202.399.4722.
Public BarNEIGHBORHOOD: Tucked
among the clutch of
hip clubs in South
Dupont and designed
by Grupo7, Public
Bar reeks of chic in
the sporty style of a
top dog’s clubhouse.
NOOK: Like the old
diner jukeboxes, the
10-person booths that
line the lower floor
come with their own
televisions, ensuring
your game is always on.
Screens are even inside
the bathroom mirrors,
so you won’t miss a
minute. WHAT TO KNOW:
Bottle service will be
available without the
high overhead, while the
roof deck is the biggest
on the block. 1214 18th
St., NW, 202.233.2200.
Summer nights sizzle with a slew of hip new stars and bars | By Janelle Nanos | Photography by John Healey |Heat
Wave