• April 20, 2011

   

Jack Evans Report
•

On April 1, Mayor Gray submitted his Fiscal Year 2012 budget proposal to the City Council.

The total budget for the District is $9.6 billion. Of that amount, 58% or $5.5 billion are locally raised funds, 27% or $2.6 billion are federal grants, and the remainder is enterprise funds raised and spent by entities such as the Convention Center and Water Authority. The federal money is the same amount proportionally that the states receive. I must stress that the federal government does not make any separate contribution to the District. This federal payment was eliminated in 1996.

The unique problem with the Mayor’s budget is that it calls for $300 million more in spending than the FY 2011 budget. The budget has grown by over 3% when budgets of cities and states nationwide are shrinking. The Mayor then intends to pay for this increase by cutting spending by $187 million and by raising taxes $127 million. The spending cuts are modest and do not have any measurable effect. It is interesting to note that the DCPS budget actually increases, the only school budget in the nation to do so.

The proposed tax increases are problematic. The budget increases the income tax on persons making over $200,000 from 8.5% to 8.9%, the sales tax from 5.75% to 6%, and the parking tax from 12% to 19%. It also extends the sales tax to live theatre events, implements combined reporting on corporations and doubles the Circulator bus fee from $1 to $2.

This budget marks the first time the City has proposed raising the income tax in thirty years and will once again make the District the highest taxed in the region and the fifth highest in the nation. The other tax increases are also anti-business and not competitive. None of these tax increases are necessary.

If the Mayor wants to increase spending in certain areas, he should offset those increases by making hard decisions to spend less elsewhere. This has not happened.

Absent from the budget are any funds to increase the size of our police force to 4,000 sworn officers. Because of reductions in the public safety budget, the police force is in danger of falling below 3,800 officers that Chief Lanier believes to be necessary. The City needs at least $40 million to get back to the 4,000-officer level.

I will be working with my colleagues on the Council to eliminate these tax increases and to fund our police department. Last year for the first time, I voted no on the FY 2011 budget. We cannot afford to move forward another budget in which we don’t live within our means.

Weekend Roundup, April 14-17
• April 18, 2011

The spring weather is here to stay, and the city is buzzing with events. With the sun shining, there’s no reason not to hit the town. Here is what’s going on this weekend, straight from the Georgetowner’s online events calendar. And as always, we encourage you to get involved with your community by uploading your own events or any we may have missed.

TONIGHT: DC Zoning Commission Hearing on GU Campus Plan
April 14, 6:30 p.m.

Georgetown University will officially present its hotly disputed 2010 Campus Plan to the DC Zoning Commission tonight. For those who cannot make it to the hearing but still want to see the outcome, you can watch the meeting live from the DC Zoning Commission’s webcast on their website. Click here to go to the webcast page.

The hearing will take place at the DC Office of Zoning at 6:30 PM. The office is located just outside the Judiciary Square Metro Station. Office of Zoning Hearing Room 441 4th Street, Suite 220-S (Judiciary Square Metro).

Prima Materia: Vernal Matrix Opening Reception
April 15, 5 p.m.

The Old Print Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of Susan Goldman’s new show, Prima Materia: Vernal Matrix. Showcasing the amphora, Goldman’s woodcuts celebrate our connections to the natural world and ancient civilizations. Swirling and blossoming, her vessels mirror the female silhouette as it generates and nurtures new life. Using vibrant colors and dynamic patterns, Goldman’s prints are apt for spring’s arrival. Wine will be served. The Old Print Gallery is located at 1220 31st Street, NW. 202-965-1818

‘Miles of Hope’ for Wounded Warriors
April 16, early morning

400 bike riders will take part in “Face of America,” a 110-mile bicycle ride, starting April 16 at the steps of the U.S. Capitol and ending on the battlefield of Gettysburg, Pa., the next day. At least 80 of the riders will be military members who were wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan. (The first-day miles will take riders past the Iwo Jima Memorial in Arlington and over the Key Bridge to Georgetown and up Canal Road towards Frederick, Md.)

Look for the bicyclists coming over Key Bridge at M Street early Saturday morning—and salute some real American heroes. For the full article by Robert Devaney click here.

78th Annual Historic Alexandria House and Garden Tour
April 16, 10 a.m.

Six of Old Town Alexandria’s finest historic homes and gardens are open to the public in this highlight of Alexandria’s spring season. The tour is part of the 78th Annual Historic Garden Week in Virginia, the oldest and largest house and garden tour in the nation. 703-746-3309

Samuel Beckett at the Kennedy Center for this Weekend Only
April 14-17

Master director Peter Brook has assembled and staged a selection of Beckett’s one acts for a one hour event of avant garde theater at its finest. Titled “Fragments,” the show is in town only through this Sunday, so don’t miss it while it’s here. For more information visit the Kennedy Center online, or check out Gary Tischler’s exclusive interview with Brook.

An Easter Concert Celebration
April 16, 6 p.m.

The Kosciuszko Foundation presents Krystian Tkaczewski, Polish virtuoso and laureate of the piano, who has performed in competitions and festivals throughout the world. He is the founder of Chopin International Piano Competition in Hartford, CT. The evening will feature works by F. Chopin, W.A. Mozart, and F. Schubert. Wine reception with Polish Easter treats will follow. The Kosciuszko Foundation is located at
2025 O Street NW. 202-785-2320

WIS Spring Bazaar
April 17, 11 a.m.

The Washington International School’s (WIS) Spring Bazaar is a chance for the family to get out together and enjoy a variety of activities on the WIS Tregaron campus hilltop. Activities include carnival games, vendor tables and much more! Visitors should come hungry so they can enjoy the International Food Court with tasty choices, such as crêpes, samosas, high tea, or hot dogs and hamburgers. 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM. 3100 Macomb Street NW 202-243-1800

Julliard’s Afiara String Quartet
April 17, 2 p.m.

The Afiara String Quartet debuts on the WPAS Kreeger String Series on Sunday afternoon. The quartet will be performing Hayden, Beethoven, and Berg at the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater. Tickets $35

DC Circulator Service Changes Take Effect April 1
• April 11, 2011

(Washington, D.C.) On April 1, 2011, the DC Circulator will implement service changes affecting the Smithsonian-National Gallery of Art route, the Union Station-Navy Yard route, and the Convention Center-SW Waterfront route. Public notice of these changes was made on March 2 and a public meeting was held to discuss them on March 17. Details of the changes are as follows:

All service will end on the Smithsonian-National Gallery of Art route. Last year, an average of 2,427 passengers per month – fewer than 11 passengers an hour – utilized this route. The District was subsidizing each passenger an average of $11.50 per trip and has decided to end the service because it did not meet ridership or financial targets. (All historic ridership metrics can be found on our performance measures dashboard located at circulatordashboard.dc.gov.) Visitors to the National Mall should consult GoDCGo.com or the Metro Trip Planner at wmata.com to discover alternative public transit options in the National Mall area.

Savings gained from ending the Smithsonian-National Gallery of Art route will be reinvested to extend hours on the Union Station-Navy Yard route, providing a great travel option for evening activities on Capitol Hill and in the Capitol Riverfront area. Beginning April 1 through September 30, 2011, this route will operate Monday through Friday from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and on Saturdays from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

On Nationals home game days, the Union Station-Navy Yard route will continue to operate later into the evening and on Sundays in order to transport fans to and from baseball games. A 2011 baseball schedule with Circulator service hours can be found at DCCirculator.com under the “Where We Go” tab.

In the Southwest Waterfront area, service will be moved off Water Street, SW and onto Maine Avenue, SW, a very short distance away. Circulator stops will move to Maine Avenue at 7th Street, SW and Maine Avenue at 9th Street, SW. This change is made necessary due to pending construction of the Washington Kastles stadium on Water Street that will narrow traffic lanes.

For more information about all of the Circulator routes please visit DCCirculator.com. You can also follow @DCCirculator on Twitter for alerts about service disruptions and other updates.

Washington Performing Arts Society Gala
• April 6, 2011

Ambassador of India Meera Shankar and her husband Ajay Shankar served as Honorary Chairs of the WPAS annual auction and gala at the Marriott Wardman Park on Apr. 2. In 2010, WPAS served over 100,000 youth and adults through programs that encourage creativity, talent and appreciation for the arts. Col. Bill Billingsley conducted the live auction. A private concert by Wynton Marsalis raised $60,000 to support WPAS’ artistic initiatives and extensive education programs. Grammy Award-winner Roberta Flack, who once taught music in the DC public school system, was the evening’s headliner.

G.U. Drug Lab Students Get Suspended 6-Month Sentence; 3 Years’ Probation
• April 5, 2011

Two students arrested at Georgetown University in October 2010 for creating a drug lab in a Harbin Hall dorm room will spend three years on probation and perform community service, according to the Associated Press. Charles Smith and John Perrone were sentenced in federal court here, March 18. Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly sentenced the pair to six months in jail, but suspended the sentence and ordered them to complete three years on probation and 200 hours of community service, the AP reported. The two pleaded guilty last month to manufacturing the illegal hallucinogen DMT. The sentence was recommended by prosecutors and the teens’ attorneys. At the time of their arrest, Smith was a freshman at Georgetown University, and Perrone was a freshman at the University of Richmond

Across the Cutting Board with Ris
•

As spring blossoms poke through the chill and daylight begins to linger further into the evening, a certain festive anxiousness always seems to take hold. Our minds and mouths start racing prematurely toward the spring harvest, and we want to celebrate the warm weather, sitting outdoors at every opportunity with friends and family. And a Sunday brunch is like a foodie’s consecration of the spring season.

Brunch being a community affair, everyone brings some dish to the table and the meal usually becomes a wild smattering of tastes. Plates pile with salmon, toast, eggs, cheese, coffee cake, potatoes, cured meats, fruit, and as the sweets and salts fall into one another, the ungoverned flavors run wild and ravishing. I surely can’t be the only one who has noticed the gastronomic transcendence of ham in a puddle of maple syrup run off from the waffle.

Ris has certainly noticed. Just try her Croque Mademoiselle.

Her new brunch menu is filled with comforting, community-inspired dishes and the playful mix of flavors they bring out. And much of their depth is likely due to the way the dishes were created. Ris turned to her line cooks Ali and Leah to help design the Sunday brunch menu plates.

Circling the restaurant bar on a Saturday morning, they were huddled around two different versions of one dish. They had each made coddled eggs with tomato. Ris presided like a matriarch over the discussion and critique as they all tasted the two dishes and distinguished the strongest points of each. In the end, the recipe became a fusion of the two, combining their best elements.

“Sometimes I wake up knowing exactly what I want a dish to taste like, what I want to go in it,” says Ris, as if she were talking about colors in a painting. “Other times, I’m not as sure, and so I field opinions. I love to edit and refine dishes too, and so this process is a good way to teach them to develop a dish that is worthy of serving—the weaving of flavors, colors and textures, like a tapestry. And it’s also great for them to get their voices on the menu.”

The Croque Mademoiselle, Ris’ quirky cousin of the Croque Madame, was designed by Ali. To the traditional open-faced sandwich of grilled brioche with ham, a fried egg and Mornay sauce, she added a beer batter-fried onion ring. When Ris tasted it, she loved it, “but the yeastiness of the onion begged for a touch of sweetness…so I drizzled a bit maple syrup on top.” That little nip of sweetness is a flavor punch that unites the ingredients, adding that Sunday brunch punch of “anything goes.”

The meat Ris uses for the beef hash is the leftover braised short rib from the night before. The traditional, savory flavors are modest and full, with that certain rounded quality that only leftovers can bring. Using braising liquid as the gravy doesn’t hurt either.

Leah designed the breakfast pizza, piled high with Portuguese linguiça sausage and tomato fondu and topped with an egg. The pizza, loud, powerful and hearty, is a perfect pair to a Bloody Mary. Meanwhile, you can’t have brunch without pastries. Pastry Chef Chris’ blueberry cheese puffs have an ethereal quality and perfect texture, playing with subtle twangs of sour that bring out the baked blueberries and underscore the rich sweetness. They work well as a starter or desert.

This family-style collaboration is echoed in home kitchens across the country. If you don’t like something at your dinner table, you let the cook (mother) know to adjust it next time. Granted, the culinary discussion in Ris’ kitchen versus most family kitchens is like the difference between reading Fitzgerald and Beetle Bailey.

As I was getting ready to leave, satisfied to the point of incapacity, Rory, the pastry sous-chef, ran up to me with a tray of crispy, granular, golden donuts and told me to take one. He had just made them. It was the donut of the decade—a thick, rich, sweet O somewhere between a funnel cake and a coffee cake, with a crunchy crust and a thin, sweet glaze. I thanked him, and he went to Ris for approval. As I was walking out the door, I heard him shouting, “They’re going on the menu!”

Sure enough, they were on the menu the next day.

RIS Short Rib Hash by Alison Hartnett

Serves 4 – 6
We use leftover braised beef short ribs from Saturday’s “Date Night” special for our Sunday Brunch hash and we use the braising liquid, reduced with port for the sauce. Hash is for leftovers, so feel free to substitute roast chicken, beef, pork, fish or vegetables and their sauces for this recipe.

2 large Idaho potatoes (about 2 lb.)
Canola or peanut oil
1 large onion, diced
½ -1 lb. braised short rib, diced
1 cup sauce or gravy
Salt and pepper
Chopped fresh herbs
4 eggs
Fresh chopped parsley, for garnish

Bake the potatoes, skin on, until cooked through, 35-45 minutes at 350 degrees. Refrigerate whole until chilled. Peel and dice into ½ inch squares. In a skillet or frying pan, heat 2 Tbsp. canola or peanut oil and pan fry the diced potatoes in single layer batches until crispy, a technique called “rissole.” Let each layer of potatoes get crispy on one side before turning. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper and any other spices of your choosing. Remove the cooked potatoes to paper towels to dry. Add a bit more oil to the pan and sauté the onions until caramelized, 3-5 minutes. Fold the diced beef in with the onions. Add the cooked potatoes, balancing the ratio of meat to potatoes to your taste. Add ¼ cup of the sauce or gravy. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add fresh herbs to taste.

Meanwhile, poach 4 eggs in a saucepot of simmering water with a dash of vinegar added to it. Crack each egg individually into a cup and gently pour into the simmering water. Room temperature large eggs take about 2½ minutes to soft poach where the yolks are runny and the whites are cooked through. Eggs directly out of the refrigerator will take a bit longer. Fresh market eggs are best.

To plate, arrange a portion of the hash on to each of 4 plates, mold in a ring if desired. Make a slight well in the center, pour a bit of the heated sauce over the hash and place an egg on top. Season the egg with a bit of salt and pepper, sprinkle with chopped parsley and drizzle with a bit of good extra virgin olive oil. Having hot biscuits on hand will make you a star.

RIS Blueberry Cheese Puffs by Chris Kujala

For the Dough:

2 cups all purpose flour
1/8 tsp. salt
8 oz. unsalted butter (cold)
5 oz. sour cream

For the Filling:

8 oz. cream cheese
1 large egg
4 cups granulated sufar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
Blueberries

The dough: Dice the cold butter. Mix together the flour and salt in a mixing bowl, then mix the butter until it is incorporated and the flour has a texture like cornmeal. Mix in the sour cream until fully incorporated and smooth. Shape into a ball. Wrap with plastic and chill until firm, about 4 hours.

When ready to cook, process all the filling ingredients in a food processor until the mixture is smooth. Remove the dough from the fridge, and let sit for about ten minutes. On a floured surface, roll the pastry into a rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick. Cut the pastry into 3-inch squares.

Place the squares into a 12-cup muffin pan. Press down on each cup to cover the sides and bottom. Spoon about 1 Tbsp. of filling into the shell and top with blueberries (just a few on each). Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Jack Evans Report
•

It is that time of the year when everyone is giving their “State of the […]” speeches. The President delivered his State of the Union. The Mayor delivered his State of the City. Some of my Council colleagues even give “State of the Ward” speeches. So instead of a speech, I thought I would relate my own “State of the City” here.

I would not trade our situation in Washington for any other jurisdiction – city, county, or state. Financially, we are in a better position than every other city and state. Although we face serious budget shortfalls, they in no way impair our ability to provide for our residents and businesses. In fact, we will be spending as much in Fiscal Year 2012 as we have ever spent. Our problem is that we don’t spend our money wisely. We continue to spend over half of our revenues on social services and education without demanding high quality services.

In terms of public safety, our city is safer than at any other time in the last 20 years. Violent crime is way down and still declining. Although robberies and theft are high so far for this year, we can and will address that. My major concern is to hold our police force at 4,000 officers. We are currently at 3,850 and losing 15 officers per month to retirement and relocations. I will be identifying funds and a plan to bring us back up to 4,000 officers.

Our public school system continues to struggle. The jury is still out on our progress over the past several years. We have done much in the area of school renovation, but not as much to reform education.

Finally, I am greatly concerned about the scandals surrounding Mayor Gray, Council Chairman Kwame Brown, and some of my fellow Councilmembers. The scandals have really hurt the District’s image over the past three months and have partially undone 10 years of hard work. The individuals involved need to bring these issues to a conclusion and act accordingly. We have too many challenges ahead of us for these distractions.

Overall the state of our city is good, but we still have a ways to go. I am committed to getting us there.

Murphy’s Love: Advice on Intimacy and Relationships
•

Dear Stacy,
I find myself in an awkward situation. My stepbrother (my stepmom’s son) is getting married to a wonderful woman and my husband and I couldn’t be more thrilled. The problem? She is turning into a bit of a bridezilla. She asked my stepmother to help throw her a shower, demanding that every person on the guest list be invited (100 people) and insisting that the party be over three hours long, along with other such details, all the while stating: “I don’t want to plan this.” Throw in the fact that my brother hasn’t shared their wedding budget (my parents offered to help cover costs) but are now afraid of the cost since they are on a fixed income and have no idea what bill they will be handed. My brother has also shared with my husband his fear of his fiancée’s overspending for this event.

How do I talk to my brother without stepping on too many toes? Although we are not blood-related, we are very close, and I am close with my stepmother. My dad is pretty clueless about this stuff, so what do I do?
-Treading Lightly in Friendship Heights?

Dear Treading,
Yikes, it does sound like you have a bridezilla situation on your hands – 100 guests at a shower? But it’s not exactly on your hands unless you decide to get involved.

I know you have the very best intentions. You want to protect your parents. You love the couple and are vicariously smarting at the upcoming wedding tab’s sticker shock. But your opinion has not been requested – that is, unless Stepmom and Dad have asked you to intervene. I don’t mean that they have hinted that you should intervene. I mean: have they specifically asked?

Sure, Brother told Husband that he’s worried about the spending, but you ought not take that as a direct request for assistance. If passive-aggressive cues are they way it’s done in your family, let’s work on making that practice end with you. Widespread familial harmony is not your responsibility. Stepmom and Dad offered to help with the budget, and they’re grownups who can ask for the bottom line if they really want to hear it. If they prefer to pretend like it’s not a big deal, that’s their own ostrich-like decision. Again, you are not responsible for their financial decisions (unless you are because of a legal agreement you haven’t mentioned).

I don’t imagine my suggestions will completely override your natural instinct to protect your family, and so I’ll assume that you still plan to confront Brother. If so, please take your own advice and tread lightly. It’s likely that a gentle reminder about your parents’ fixed income and general tendency to ignore problems until they get unmanageable could be all that’s really needed.

?Dear Stacy,
A good friend of mine has been dating a new guy since last summer. They get along quite well and have already moved in together. He’s really very nice, but I can’t help feeling that they are moving way too quickly. We’re all around 30 and more and more of us are pairing off lately. He’s currently ring shopping and she has already asked me to be a bridesmaid in a wedding she’s planning in her own head for next spring. Every time I think of this, I get a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. Her grandmother passed away last fall, and she took it very hard. I think that she is just rushing to do this now because he was so good to her during that tough time – but that’s not enough to base a relationship on. How do I prevent her from making a huge mistake?
-Not a Nervous Nelly

Dear Nelly,
I can tell from your message that you do mean well. You don’t want a good friend to make a big decision colored by a grief episode. Still, even from the bare bones you’ve supplied, it sounds like the couple has a good basis for making this decision. When you’re “around 30” you don’t date as long as some do in their early 20s before making a lifetime-type decision. If they are already living together while he is actively planning a proposal, that signals less of a fairy-tale fantasy, and more of a decision based in reality. Further, walking through a difficult period together (after she lost her grandmother) and coming out on the other end more deeply connected is a very common experience, not to mention a great indicator that they are compatible in good times and bad.

In other words, I’m not at all worried about this match. I am a little worried about you, however. I’m not going to feed into the stereotypes about Washington women backstabbing one another when it comes to long-term relationships – especially those “around 30” – and I also won’t suggest that you are motivated by jealousy, because you didn’t admit that in your letter. What you did admit is that you have a mental timeline before two people should make such a commitment. There are incredible stories of lifelong love built on flimsier foundations than facing family obligations over three seasons of dating. I wonder why the timeline is so important? It’s either the way you did it, and you are holding them to your own subjective standard, or it’s the way you expect to do it someday, and you are holding them to your own subjective daydreams. Unless you have first-hand knowledge of his illicit badness (e.g. you saw him kiss the stripper yourself) or she asks you directly for your help, it’s not your place to keep her from making this kind of decision.

Stacy Notaras Murphy is a licensed professional counselor and certified Imago Relationship therapist practicing at the Imago Center of DC in Georgetown. Her website is www.therapygeorgetown.com. This column is meant for entertainment only, and should not be considered a substitute for professional counseling. Please send your relationship questions to stacy@georgetowner.com.

Building a Brighter Future
• March 25, 2011

The 2011 Gala for the Catholic Charities Spanish Catholic Center in Washington was held at the Organization of American States on Mar. 19. Franco Nuschese, principal owner of Café Milano, was gala chair and His Eminence Donald Cardinal Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington, attended. Several awards were presented and live auctions featured three luxury trips to Italy. The evening raised a record $720,000 for the Center which provides more than 43,000 immigrants in DC and Maryland with services that include medical and dental clinics, job training programs and social services. [gallery ids="99214,103496,103494" nav="thumbs"]