Ari Post • March 15, 2012

Mike Isabella, “Top Chef All-Stars” runner-up and local restaurateur, has his hungry eyes set on the District.

After a successful tenure commanding the kitchen at Zaytinia, José Andrés’s Mediterranean-inspired eatery, Isabella opened his flagship restaurant Graffiato in June of last year to rave reviews. The neo-Italian cuisine has been almost universally adored by critics and guests for its fresh take on old-world culinary traditions, with its salt-and-pepper tributes to the chef’s Jersey roots (The Jersey Shore pizza, from their wood-fired oven, is heaped with fried calamari, provolone and cherry pepper aioli).

Isabella is also on the cusp of opening his latest venture, Bandolero, a Mexican-themed restaurant in Georgetown in the space once occupied by Hook at 3241 M St., N.W.

Now, Isabella is upping the ante — and doubling the wager. He announced last week plans to open two new restaurants for 14th Street, N.W., next door to each other. This announcement comes at a time that would already be a full plate for any restaurateur.

If all goes to plan, the 7,000-square foot space at 1326 W St., N.W., will be up and running at double capacity in early 2013. The first restaurant, Kapnos (Greek for “smoke”), will be a Greek restaurant that Isabella has been conceptualizing for years — presumably inspired from his days at Zaytinya. Its sister restaurant, simply named G, will serve up sandwiches by day and four-course tasting menus in the evening. Not such simple ambitions.

Perhaps, the most mouthwatering bit of news released is Isabella’s intent to employ a spit roaster to use in the restaurants. Spit roasting is an ancient culinary practice, but one that has been largely phased out, mostly due to its sheer impracticality and inconvenience. But if you’ve ever had a bite of pork shoulder or grilled vegetables pulled right out of a crackling, wood-fired flame, it is nothing you ever forget. The Greeks are famous for their roasting of whole animals, particularly lamb (Does “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” ring any bells?), and Isabella plans to bring this communal tradition to Washington for the first time. While it sounds old fashioned — prehistoric, even — there’s no telling how Isabella plans to spin this technique for the modern epicure.

“I’ve been cooking Greek food for a large part of my career,” said Isabella in a statement. “So, opening my own place was only a matter of time. With Kapnos, I want to bring something totally unique to D.C.; daily whole animal spit-roasting is a side of Greek cuisine that no one else is doing in this city. G is a sister to Graffiato, but the menu will be more traditional Italian — a place to get a meatball hero for lunch and a four-course dinner.”

Once Kapnos and G open their doors, Isabella will have himself a culinary empire in the District. It looks like Andrés, Washington’s current epicurean kingpin, might have to start watching his back.

Ari Post • March 5, 2012

After a long standoff between citizens, business owners and community organizations, the Glover Park ANC has voted to raise the cap of its 16-year-old moratorium to bring in more bars and restaurants—by two.

Two more liquor licenses for beer, wine and spirits have been brought into the commercial strip that has been struggling to attract commerce for years. Empty storefronts and underwhelming establishments run up and down the blocks of Glover Park, with retail scarce and new businesses almost nonexistent—unless you can’t the new Chipotle, which sticks out like a very fancy weed.

The neighborhood has long struggled with revitalization efforts, caught between lifting the moratorium altogether to bring in more bars and restaurants, and its residents resisting for fear of their neighborhood turning into a raucous bar crawl avenue and party scene every weekend. As Washington City Paper pointed out, “It’s a familiar debate: Places like H Street, Barracks Row, and U Street have all flirted with the idea of turning off the taps.”

This is the first increase in liquor licenses for the neighborhood since 2008, when three new licenses were released and all but devoured by the already-existing Surfside, Breadsoda and Rocklands.

Still, the Glover Park Citizens Association (GPCA) is fighting to lift the moratorium entirely. “By not recommending to end the [liquor license] moratorium completely the last time this debate happened, the ANC missed a chance to promote growth and diversity in our neighborhood eateries… Liquor licenses are necessary for Glover Park restaurants to compete with restaurants in other nearby areas,” GPAC said in a joint statement on their petition website, [GPMoratorium.com](http://www.gpmoratorium.com/#!).

The next GPCA meeting to discuss the moratorium is Tuesday, March 6, at 7pm at Stoddert Elementary on Calvert St. For more information visit [GPAC](http://www.gpcadc.org/) online.

Ari Post • February 8, 2012

Founded in 2010, R2L:Architects is among the area’s newest architectural firms. And while the firm is a surefire up-and-comer, its founders have a wide array of experience in the Washington area. Architects and principals Sacha Rosen, Tom Lenar and Lee Rubenstein sat down with the paper to discuss the nature of architecture in Washington, the challenges of historic preservation, hidden architectural gems of our city, and much more.

What kind of projects are you currently working on?

SR: A variety, with a current focus on apartment buildings. 30 units at 14th and Florida NW, 250 units in Mount Vernon Triangle, 280 units in Penn Quarter. And some smaller projects: a townhouse conversion to six units on North Capitol Street, an adaptive reuse of a historic landmark office building across from the Verizon Center and a 21-unit building on Capitol Hill. A 200-unit project in Ballston is in the works.

TL: We’ve also done some corporate interiors projects that were recently completed—including one for Public Properties, who just moved in to Georgetown. We’ve recently been in discussions with some local restaurants and a new office building downtown may be on the horizon.

When you work with a client, how do you merge with their aesthetic? Do you ever try to shift their taste in your direction?

SR: Yes, when they have bad taste. It’s sort of a civic duty sometimes. But we don’t have a singular vision of the world and we work hard to realize the client’s vision – after all, it’s their money, their home or business, and they usually have to live with the final product. It’s the quality of the overall project that matters most to us, rather than the specific style. If the final product is pleasing to the client, the architect and the public, then it’s probably a success.

LR: Successful designs often result from a collaborative process, rather than a predetermined aesthetic agenda. Most clients do have some sort of general concept in mind at the outset, but they’re also seeking our input, whether it’s on aesthetics and materials, or on more pragmatic issues of space allocation and site use. It’s not always a matter of shifting tastes, but vetting possibilities with the client and then implementing the ones that represent the right fit.

Do you approach the design process differently between large buildings and smaller projects, like a house or interior renovation? Or is the process effectively the same?

LR: The smallest of design efforts, such as a residential interior renovation, may only involve a handful of people: the owner, the contractor and a handful of installers. Larger buildings in urban settings tend to involve an extensive cast of characters- community groups, local review boards, neighboring property owners, specialty consultants and the like. In one case you’re working with a string quartet. In the other, you’re conducting a full orchestra.

SR: Larger projects evolve more over the longer duration of the design process. That gives you the opportunity to try some different ideas and pick the best ones. Smaller projects require you to make the major decisions quickly.

TL: It’s more by the client’s needs and their relationship with the project than by the project’s size. We designed an addition to one single family home for a client who was very objective – they had lived there for over 20 years, were looking to move on and needed to maximize the home’s value. On another residential addition, the client was concerned more about how livable the home was for their family. With some more space, they could see themselves living there forever and every decision was very personal to them because of the permanence of their relationship with their home.

On larger projects, clients differ on an organizational level. We have some great relationships with developers who have relatively small offices. They often come to us with a project site and ask us to envision what it could be. It’s fantastic. We get to be involved in just about every aspect of the project. The client we’re working with on 450 K Street develops, owns and manages a large residential portfolio. They bring a lot of sophistication to the table. They’re very organized, they continuously update their market research and study their competition, and they have a strategy for competing with them. The design process is efficient since most of the development program is already in place, and we can spend that much more time focusing on designing the building.

Do you focus much on sustainable and environmentally friendly design?

LR: A large residential building in an urban setting represents a significant use and concentration of resources. But if done correctly, in concert with sound regional planning, it can also lead to increased efficiencies that benefit the environment in the long run – fewer cars on the roads each day, fewer individual lawns to fertilize and mow, less development of undisturbed greenfield sites. It all adds up… Sustainability is now a focus of the broader design and construction industry, whether driven by the demands of a resource-conscious market, the desires of eco-savvy clients, or the requirements of new green building regulations adopted by local jurisdictions.

SR: Designing sustainably is like designing to accommodate gravity – there’s no alternative, is there? That’s something that makes me proud of our profession… architects and the building industry as a whole have made great strides in the past few years towards a much more environmentally sensitive approach to everything we do. Let’s hope it pays off before the National Mall floods.

TL: Essentially, sustainable design is nothing more than good, responsible design. In the big picture we’re addressing the issues which affect personal health, environmental health and resource efficiency. What’s been great to see is that within just the past five years, everyone has developed a more sophisticated understanding of what makes a building sustainable. It wasn’t long ago that perceptions were that a building had to have solar panels or a green roof to be considered “green.” A lot of our efforts are in optimizing technical things that improve air quality and increase energy efficiency but are otherwise unseen by most people. We still like solar panels and green roofs, too.

You tend to specialize in working in historic contexts. What kinds of projects are you doing?

SR: We’re doing an adaptive reuse of a 1913 landmark office building in Penn Quarter – retail on the ground and basement levels and some unique “micro-loft” apartment units on the upper floors. Our design for a 30-unit apartment house on 14th Street, which is quite contemporary in character, was unanimously approved as appropriate to the Greater U Street Historic District by the Historic Preservation Review Board. We’re working now on a 250-unit apartment house in a different historic district and a major addition to a historic landmark downtown.

Tell me about how you became interested in working with historic sites and preservation.

TL: Working with historic sites and neighborhoods is inevitable if you do any significant amount of work in the District. One of the great things about old buildings—historically significant or not—is that a lot of them were built to be quite durable and often can be adapted to modern uses, giving them new life. For example, our office is in a building that’s more than 200 years old. Our understanding is that the ground floor has always been used as a commercial space in some way and we have the opportunity to continue that tradition.

SR: My first preservation project was the Presidential Palace in the Republic of Malta, built in 1530 by the Knights of St. John – including the design of a free-standing steel-and-glass elevator in a stone courtyard, the installation of internet wiring in the Parliamentary Council Chamber and replacement of petroleum-based roofing materials with an ancient clay system much more suited to the intense sunshine. That was a great education in both the theory and practice of preservation.

How does historical and cultural analysis of historic preservations work?

SR: I studied historiography in grad school – a critical approach to the way we perceive and record the passage of time. In that context, the preservation of historic buildings, districts and artifacts reveals a lot about our society and culture. How do we decide what’s worth saving? How does contemporary design acknowledge our own cultural milieu? And how will our work today be perceived and valued in the future?

In designing a house what do you enjoy the most? What do you have to struggle with other than financial constraints?

TL: Thinking about how people use the buildings we design, the communities that they are a part of and how they fit in to the city. Whether it’s where someone lives, works, or plays, the design process leads us to interact with people who cause us to re-evaluate our understanding of how places are used and evolve our theories on how we can help enhance people’s lives through better design.

LR: Working to understand the client, the site and the design issues at hand so that what we propose is at once effective and interesting. One of the more enjoyable things about residential design is getting to step back and think about how people live their lives- working, relaxing, cooking, exercising, sleeping, commuting, entertaining, etc. Should the house be geared to satisfy conventional expectations, or should it be retooled to offer something unique? The answer can vary from project to project.

SR: Balancing personal expression with resale value. On the one hand, a house can be a physical manifestation of an individual or a family character; on the other hand, it can express the universal principles of human life. There’s joy in reconciling the two in the design of a home … but not when the result is something bland enough to be acceptable to anyone.

What’s the fastest turn around, in designing from scratch with a house, from drawings to the client moving in?

SR: We’ve never been asked that by a client. If you’re in a hurry, there’s probably a house out there that you can modify quickly to suit your needs. Most people who go to the effort of commissioning a home from a good architect are willing to give the process the time it needs. A longer, more careful design phase leads to a more efficient, cost-effective and often faster construction phase, and a more satisfying result.

Name the five best buildings in the DC area you did not design.

LR: How about five of the more interesting buildings that you might not have visited, but warrant a look, regardless of your aesthetic preferences?

1. The atrium between the Smithsonian Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery
2. The Embassy of Finland on Massachusetts Avenue
3. The main reading room at the Library of Congress
4. The NOAA Satellite Facility in Suitland
5. The East Portico Columns at the National Arboretum

Where did you study, and who has influenced you as an architect?

LR: We have varying backgrounds. Tom studied business management at Penn State University before earning his Master’s in architecture from the University of Pennsylvania. Sacha was a graduate fellow in American History at the University of Michigan—and a carpenter—before his M. Arch. from the University of Oklahoma. I also have a Master’s in architecture from University of Pennsylvania. Prior to that, I studied art history at Hamilton College.

SR: Modern masters like Kahn and Wright; the English high-tech school of Grimshaw and Rodgers; contemporary Dutch radicals; and the rich tradition of local Washington architecture.

TL: I find it difficult to credit anyone in particular for influencing my thoughts about architecture. I draw a lot from modernism—we all do, actually. But we’re also very critical and understand that this movement created some problems, notably an aesthetic that is sometimes cold and polarizing and an urban planning approach that, while progressive in its day, is now seen as isolationist. I like to study those kinds of architectural problems, and find creative ways to solve them for how we live today and how we will live in the future. Most of what we know comes through observing how people interact with the built world, and every generation is different in how they do that. Although we have a lot of historic buildings here in Georgetown that date back to the 1700’s—like the one where we have our office—these buildings, which may seem permanent in some ways, are part of a living thing that is always changing and evolving. How we keep these buildings relevant is an important question to ask ourselves.

Ari Post •

Kay Jackson is a local artist whose paintings have garnered national and international acclaim, including a commission by President Clinton for the official White House holiday card in 1997. Working in an inspired sunroom-studio on the third floor of her Dupont Circle home, she has long focused her work on addressing environmental concerns, such as endangered species, pollution and the loss of animal habitat. Her current exhibition at Addison/Ripley Fine art, running through March 3, continues her decades-long pursuit and calls upon the near extinct artistic tradition of gilding to help communicate her vision.

Jackson has long employed gold leaf techniques in her work and for the exhibition has created gilded icons of endangered species, drawing parallels to the endangered crafts she employs in the work’s creation.

Jackson learned the art of gilding through her husband, William B. Adair, a master gilder, frame historian and owner and founder of Gold Leaf Studios in Dupont Circle. Adair is among a small handful of international authorities on frame fabrication, conservation and the nearly extinct art of gilding: applying fine gold leaf to the surfaces of paintings, wood, frames or anything else you could possibly conceive. He has employed his expertise extensively with every major museum in the city and consults with gallerists, architectural firms and private collectors throughout the world.

The oldest and most common form is a process called water gilding, Jackson explains. After first applying layers of gesso to linen or wood — for a painting or a frame — the gilder then applies a layer of clay and glue, called bole, to help the small thin sheets of gold leaf adhere. The applied gold is then burnished and can be lightly manipulated. For a textured, dynamic surface, such as embossed vines wrapped about a picture frame, warm gesso can be carefully ladled upon the surface to create the patterns before laying the gold leaf, a process called pastiglia.

Examples of gold leaf abound in museums and buildings around the District, perhaps most prominent displayed in the National Gallery of Art’s permanent collection of 13th and 14th century Italian paintings, which is all but overrun by brilliant gold leaf altarpieces.

But rarely is gold leaf seen employed in contemporary settings, and in these gilded icons of endangered species now on display, Jackson has drawn a remarkable and fitting parallel to the ancient, endangered craft of gilding.

A technically brilliant artist in every sense, Jackson has made more than just paintings in these gold leaf works. They are intricate, cryptic, glowing panels and boxes that Jackson has constructed entirely, encasing the endangered animals — from crayfish and salmon to the spotted owl — in armatures of gold and surrounded by symbols that span multiple time periods and iconologies.

Jackson custom designs the frames for each work, inspired by 14th century panel paintings. She herself observes that her boxes are like 16th century cabinets of curiosities, those assembled by wealthy European collectors to celebrate and catalogue their knowledge of the world. Yet despite these callings upon the past, the works look completely contemporary. Her pieces depict both the fragility and resiliency of our ecosystems and species, and they connect the vulnerability of our planet with the delicacy of our artistic culture. This is also echoed in the act of creating the work itself. “Creating art is an act of faith,” Jackson says. “With each passing year it takes an increasing commitment to continue what most people think is a spontaneous and blissful activity.”

More of Jackson’s series of gilded endangered icons will be on display at the Muscarelle Museum of Art, the museum for the College of William & Mary, in Williamsburg, Va., accompanying a historic frame exhibition by husband Adair on the history of frames from the Byzantine to modern period.

For information on Kay Jackson’s Addison/Ripley exhibit, visit AddisonRipleyFineArt.com. For information on her Muscarell Museum of Art exhibit, visit Web.wm.edu/Muscarelle. [gallery ids="100470,115891" nav="thumbs"]

Ari Post •

Just as a horse trots steadily across an open field in the Shenandoah countryside, the reputation of East Coast wines and spirits is gaining momentum in the rhythm of national beverage communities. Granted, there is a lot of ground to cover.

Many drinkers have yet to acclimate to the regional texture and character of East Coast libations. Our terroir—the flavor of our land, if you will—is still new to the cultural palette, as opposed to wines from France, Spain or California, whose tastes, textures and subtleties are engrained somewhere deep within us. The bodies and flavors of wines up and down the East Coast are quiet and subtle, more comparable to offerings from Oregon’s Willamette Valley than to the bright and peppery fullness of France or the dense richness of Napa Valley. But anyone with a passion to develop a taste for our regional beverages will find a beautiful, personal relationship with our fruit, our land and our distinct character, like close friendship born out of long, thoughtful conversations deep into the night.

Unlike many regions around the world, whose techniques have been honed over centuries and are well established, East Coast regions offer us the opportunity to grow with the very drinks we sip. As the idiosyncrasies of climate and soil composition are still being worked out by area distillers, cidermakers and winemakers, the flavors of the drinks are developing and maturing noticeably with each harvest. And, in Virginia, there is no better combination of beautiful countryside, dynamic beverage offerings and knowledgeable professionals to make a distillery or vineyard visit an unforgettable winter getaway. And if you don’t feel like leaving town, you can always just pick up a bottle of the good stuff at your local wine shop.

Castle Hill Cider
—
Hard cider from Charlottesville might seem a strange place to start a discussion on Virginia libations. With almost 200 operating vineyards in the state, and more than 20 within a stone’s throw of Castle Hill’s neighboring Monticello Wine Trail, this cidery stands almost on its own as a representative for the fermenting potential of apples. But when you see what cidermaker Stuart Madany is up to, it’s easy to get wrapped up in the quirk, history and flavors of traditional cider from Virginia’s heartland.

Originally built in 1764, Castle Hill was the home of Colonel Thomas Walker, guardian and mentor to Thomas Jefferson. The estate and its great barn, recently and beautifully restored, now stand as a cidery, tasting room and premiere venue for weddings and special events, bringing the character of the past together with the hospitality and luxury of today. Located on a 600-acre plot of rolling, endless hills, the land is still entrenched in the natural beauty of Virginia, and a young apple orchard budding eagerly before the Southwest Mountains looks as natural and inevitable as Jefferson’s rise to the presidency.

“We’re held to the same standards as farm wineries, and so we have to grow 51 percent of our apples for cidermaking on our own land,” says Madany. “Because our trees aren’t bearing fruit yet, we have leasing agreements with other orchards, more than 75 percent of which are Virginia orchards.”

Two years ago, Madany planted 660 trees on 4.5 acres of the Castle Hill estate. Comprising 28 species of heritage cider apples, their predominant variety is the Albermarle Pippin. “This apple got here by the hands of George Washington,” Madany says. “It was originally from New York, and Washington gave a cutting to Colonel Walker, who planted it on this very property.”

The cider is, frankly, outstanding. Most hard ciders that I’ve previously experienced taste watered down and homogenized — it tastes metallic and “apple flavored,” but not like an actual, distinct fruit with subtle, leafy undertones and its own characteristics. Castle Hill Cider is different. You taste the specific acidity and crispness of each glass, the earthy finishes and astringencies, as distinctly as you can tell a Gala apple from a Granny Smith.

The Levity, the flagship cider of Castle Hill, is made with 100 percent Pippin. It is aged and fermented in clay amphorae from the Caucasus Mountains, called kvevri, which are lined with beeswax and buried in the ground. This technique is one of the oldest fermenting techniques in history. Rested for four months on full lees — residual yeast and other sediment that collects at the bottom of the kvevri and imparts complex and layered flavors — this cider expresses a surprising depth with robust body and a refreshing minerality.
“The process has been amazing,” says Madany. “Cidermaking is still a learning process for me. When you already know something really well, you can tune into the nuances of it, which is what we’re working toward and have on many levels already achieved. But on the flip side, there’s something fascinating about the raw experience of taking something in right now from what it’s supposed to be. You’re freed from the preconception of having an ideal. Instead you’re just experiencing it.”

For more information, visit CastleHillCider.com.

Keswick Vineyards
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It’s no coincidence that vineyards have been clustering around the Monticello and Charlottesville region. Jefferson envisioned this part of the country as a Viticultural Area (AVA) that stood with the great wines of the Old World. Today, Virginia is the fifth largest producer of wine in the U.S., and more than half of its 2,000 vineyard acres grow within the Monticello AVA.

If you’ve made the trip down to Monticello, Keswick Vineyards is a perfect stop to plan in conjunction with your visit to Castle Hill Cider. Just across the street from Castle Hill, its cozy tasting room, full-access winery and breathtaking views of the surrounding country paint the scene, and in the autumn you can observe the harvest activity firsthand. In the winter, it’s their selection of silky, bold red wines that will hold your attention.
Keswick Vineyards uses a minimalist approach in making their wines and have focused the bulk of their attentions on the vineyards to produce the best possible fruit to work with. Established in 2000, 43 acres are currently “under vine,” with the main grape planted being Viognier. Most of their wines are fermented using natural or native yeast, and all of their current red wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered, giving it a maturation period of five to 10 years. But don’t worry — there’s still a lot of good flavor if you drink them young. Try the Chambourcin. Its earthy aroma is intoxicating, and its rustic, hearty flavor with waves of dark fruit is the perfect winter drinking wine, whether served with beef stew or cheese, crackers and a roaring fire.

For more information, visit KeswickVineyards.com.

Catoctin Creek Distillery
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Founded in 2009 as the first legal distillery in Loudoun County since before Prohibition, Catoctin Creek Distilling Company is a certified organic distillery in the heart of the Loudoun Valley. Often called the District’s wine country, Loudoun County now has a distillery to throw into the mix.

Catoctin’s grain and fruit, free of pesticides and chemical additives, are sourced locally when possible, and its quality is being recognized on a national level. Its whiskies have a laundry list of silver and gold medals from a number of different competitions, from Whiskey Advocate Magazine to the American Distilling Institute. A tour of its facilities, only an hour’s drive from the District, is worth the trip. Their Organic Mosby’s Spirit, a clear grain rye “white whiskey,” is incredibly versatile as a mixer, giving a new grainy sweetness to traditional vodka or rum cocktails. Their Organic Roundstone Rye, one of the only organic whiskeys in the nation, took home a silver medal at last year’s American Distilling Institute Whiskey Competition.

For more information, visit CatoctinCreekDistilling.com.

Virginia Distillery Company
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A small-batch, artisan distiller, Virginia Distillery Company (VDC) in Nelson County, just 25 minutes south of Charlottesville, has brought notoriety to the region with its award-winning selection of double malt whiskies. Its Eades Double Malt, finished in fine wine casks, demonstrate that two malts can create an experience that actually heightens and refines each region’s flavor profile. But as with all whiskeys, wines and spirits, the process does not finish overnight. And what is happening at VDC right now is a great way to be a part of a burgeoning culture as it is being forged. The company is working on a Virginia Single Malt whiskey, which will be available within the next three to four years.

Unlike blended double malts, a single malt whiskey is a pure expression of the land from which it comes. And so while VDC’s single malt is being traditionally produced, its taste promises to be unlike any whiskey to come before it. Whiskey production welcomes Virginia’s damp, sticky summers and cold, dry winters (which can be tough on the winemaking community). As whiskey ages inside the cask, the dramatic seasonal fluctuations in temperature and humidity cause the wood storing the whiskey to expand and contract. These dynamic forces will draw the whiskey into and out of the wood of the cask much faster than in a typical Scottish warehouse, where single malts are most commonly produced.

The first batch of their authentic, double-distilled single malt whiskey is now aging, and will hibernate and mature for a minimum of three years, turning from the clear spirit to the subtly aged amber whiskey we all know and love, but with the distinct characteristics of Virginia. In the meantime, keep yourself warm with VDC’s sweet, tangy Eades Double Malt.

For more information, visit VADistillery.com. [gallery ids="100458,115474,115467" nav="thumbs"]

Ari Post • February 7, 2012

That galleries are still standing in Washington, and in relative abundance, is a remarkable thing. They have become symbols of economic stability: arts venues are the first to be impacted by financial troubles in a struggling economy and among the slowest to recover. Over the last few years, the number of art galleries in Dupont Circle has dropped by nearly half. But though this city’s art scene has taken some recent blows, the community is still alive and strong and that the work is as powerful as it ever was.

Susan Calloway Fine Arts (1643 Wisconsin Ave., NW) is currently hosting an exhibition of landscape painter and local favorite Ed Cooper through June 11. Cooper, who carries an easel as a constant companion, has become a regular around the Washington area and Georgetown art community, with a number of exhibitions in Georgetown galleries under his belt. He has been known to paint around here rather frequently, and one past show even focused on scenes from around the neighborhood and the canal.

His current exhibition reveals an old-fashioned master craftsman in top form. The paintings, which from the titles seem to have been produced largely throughout this region, from the Potomac to the Shenandoah to the Chesapeake, have a natural and cumulative resonance that speaks to Cooper’s love of the landscape genre. The scenes of barns and wheat fields, misted rivers and autumn sunsets, rolling hills and billowing clouds, are vague but precise, everywhere and nowhere at the same time. They are sensitive and specific to the moment, much like impressionism, but together they reveal something much larger, more encompassing, like a collection of American short stories.

And Cooper is such a good painter that his nostalgic, Hopper-esque style, which might otherwise be cheeky or kitsch, just works. This is a man who was born to put paint down on canvas, and as an audience this is impossible to ignore. Like listening to Miles Davis play the trumpet, there is an inevitable beauty in these works that comes from the soul of a pure artist. In a time of endless conceptualization, banter and speed, it’s refreshing to see an artist with a simple mission: to paint something beautiful, and to paint it really well. (CallowayArt.com)

Opening Friday, May 20, the Parish Gallery in Canal Square (1054 31st St., NW) is hosting an exhibition of works by members of the visual arts faculty of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, titled “Elements and Principles.” There is a reception from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. on Friday, May 20th, and the show will run through June 14. The featured artists/teachers are Melchus Davis, Mike Easton, Bill Harris, Rod Little and Jacqueline Maggi.

Among the artists, Davis, who teaches painting and drawing, has a wide and diverse style. From landscapes and cityscapes to figurative compositions, all in a variety of media, Davis’ work has an untamed beauty about it, with heavy influences drawn from impressionism and expressionism. The work is fragmentary and expertly composed, with figures and spaces blossoming from a joyous abstraction.

As a whole, the exhibition is an enlightening and inspiring experience, and a very worthy project. For a school that nurtures so many creative and artistic students, it is important that the teachers get their due. (ParishGallery.com)

A series of drawings by artist Carlotta Hester are currently on display at Govinda Gallery (1227 34th St., NW) through June 11. During the summer of 2010 Hester attended the world’s largest traditional Irish music festival in County Cavan, Ireland, “Fleadh Cheoil na hÈireann.” She observed and documented this age-old event with countless drawings, and the gallery alights with flowing images of musicians, singers and dancers, created in the presence and spirit of musical gatherings, theaters, dance classes, pub sessions and outdoor concerts. The life and movement within the drawings capture rare and intimate moments between artists that shouldn’t be missed. (GovindaGallery.com)

“Contain, Maintain, Sustain” just opened at the Artisphere in Rosslyn, right across the Key Bridge, through July 17. This joint exhibition explores sustainability’s influence on contemporary art, with participation from Washington Project for the Arts and Washington Sculptors Group. A group of 24 international and local artists were selected to present work that activates and complicates the local and global dynamic that has historically framed ideas about reuse and conservation of environmental resources. This innovative and original show is not to be missed. (Artisphere.com)

Ari Post • January 17, 2012

Just in time for the post-holiday lull, every Washingtonian’s favorite epicurean festival starts tonight! DC Restaurant Week opens the doors to more than 200 of the District’s finest eateries, as they offer prefix, 3-course lunches for $20 and 3-course dinners for $35 for the week, on top of their usual a la carte menu. For those of us who want to go out more often but don’t want to break the bank over the costs of DC’s fine dining establishments, Restaurant Week offers the opportunity to experience all of the city’s best restaurants at more modest prices. Washington, DC Restaurant Week is produced biannually by Destination DC and the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington.

A biannual affair—every January and August—restaurant week has been a local institution. Don’t miss out on the chance to sample the best that DC’s culinary scene has to offer. Here are some tips for getting the most of the Restaurant Week. Cheers!

Make reservations as soon as possible. Restaurant Week is hardly a secret, and if you are itching to try one of the hottest new restaurants, odds are you aren’t the only one. Restaurants consistently book their tables to full capacity during this week of foodie madness, so try and be ahead of the curve. Make your reservations ASAP.

Not all restaurants in the area participate in Restaurant Week, so make sure to do a bit of Google research before calling in and reserving your table to make sure your eatery of choice is in the mix.

When you call in for your reservation, ask about the restaurant’s promotional dates. Many participating restaurants extend the Restaurant Week deals an extra week or so to give more customers a chance to join in the fun. It also might not be as crowded the second week. Some restaurants extending their Restaurant Week deals include: Ardeo+Bardeo, Bastille, Dino, J & G Steakhouse, Jaleo, Oyamel, Watershed, Zaytinya and 701 Restaurant.

For more information visit RestaurantWeekMetroDC.org

Ari Post • January 4, 2012

Georgetown’s gallery scene is a lot like the neighborhood itself: contemporary but historic, friendly and intelligent, beautiful and resonant. And with the holidays just around the bend, no gift is more powerful or more personal than a work of art.

Paintings and sculptures carry us through time. They stay with us through the years, encouraging us to think and to feel, offering perspective and adding color to our lives. You should buy a work of art because you love it. To find a connection with a painting is a remarkable and unique experience. But art also has the potential to work as an investment; it is one of the only commodities that historically go up in value.

This season our local galleries are filled with a wide and brilliant variety of artwork to suit any palette. From new local talent, to renowned glasswork and historic maps, it’s well worth a Saturday afternoon to see what’s out there.

The Old Print Gallery

Walking into the Old Print Gallery on 31st Street feels like reaching a cross-section of history. To the right of the shop are amassed thousands of original historic prints, from early 19th century Audubon bird prints and botanical studies, to Civil War battle scenes and equestrian illustrations from bygone eras.

Their collection of historic maps is a candy shop for history buffs and enthusiasts of all things Americana. You can find Virginia’s county lines from the beginning of the 18th century, explore the Chesapeake Bay circa 1747, or try your hand deciphering nautical and celestial maps.

The left side of the gallery is devoted to showcasing contemporary printmakers, often highlighting local and regional talent. Currently on display is the work of local printmaker Jake Muirhead. A stunning draftsman, Muirhead employs his mastery of line and value in the sharp angularity of printmaking, using aquatint techniques to edit and layer his works through multiple printings upon the same image. These textured, atmospheric depictions of trees, parcels, figures and unique artifacts are captivating and elusive, like sensory memories, leaving the audience contemplating a strong and immediate intimacy with the works. 1220 31st St., N.W. For more information, visit OldPrintGallery.com.

Susan Calloway Fine Arts

Susan Calloway has a discerning eye; the work on view at her Wisconsin Avenue gallery is always rich and ethereal. The collection is always a must-see on any local gallery walk. Currently on display is the exhibition “Half Light,” the work of landscape artist Brad Aldridge. His renditions of American and European terrain rival the inquisitive wonder of early American landscape paintings, as if Aldridge is discovering the land for the first time in his paintings.

“Overgrown streams, winding roads … the hovering cloud, a solitary tree … all have double meanings for me,” says Aldridge. “I’ve used these symbols to tell the viewer how I feel about the world.” His rolling hills and forests are serene escapes, which nourish the viewer on a spiritual, as well as sensory, level. He applies this same sense of wonder to urban scenes, revealing the calming effect of a crisp sunrise in even the most frenetic environments. 1643 Wisconsin Ave., N.W. CallowayArt.com.

Heiner Contemporary

Heiner Contemporary has mounted a laudable exhibition of three young contemporary artists, “In Line / Out of Line,” all bound loosely but powerfully by a common thread: the structure of pattern against the tenuous fallibility of the human touch.

Chip Allen, a New York-based painter, has what can only be described as an effusive hand. Throughout his works, there is a back-and-forth between violence and delicacy, as if the artist lay harm to his canvas only to go back in and tend the wounds with his paintbrush. Repeated motifs come in and out, interrupted at every turn. Like setting rules only to break them, the work rebels against itself, and the effect is resplendent.

Kate Sable’s paintings resemble the structure of honeycombs, with hexagonal and pentagonal shapes fitting neatly into each other on the canvas. They speak of life and harmony, much like the ever-expanding patterns of Islamic architectural calligraphy. Yet there is an unusual sidestep in the works — a bleed of paint that breaks the shape or a color’s slight change in hue. The intimacy and warmth of the work lets you in to see its flaws, which are entirely and wonderfully human.

The work of Camilo Sanín is compulsive and calming in the same breath. Strips of color move across the canvas, sometimes broken, sometimes continuous, sometimes loose, sometimes rigid. These clean, thin plains of pastels and neon look like internal patterns or brain waves, the static of a creative mind. The graphic nature of the work brings viewers in with its aesthetic acuity, only to be mesmerized by the wavelike constancy of the compositions. 1675 Wisconsin Ave., N.W. HeinerContemporary.com.

Parish Gallery

Painter Luba Sterlikova is on view at the Parish Gallery. Russian-born Sterlikova’s works bridge influences from both Russia and America, as colors from the motherland work their way into a Western sense of structure and composition.

There is a romance and sexual charge within the work, which reference patterns found in biology and astrology, and it even hints vaguely at symbols from ancient cultures, from Egypt to Islam. Detailed brushstrokes combine with the explosive character of the images to create a resonating and deeply felt contrast and energy — such as an immigrant must feel when acclimating to a new country. 1054 31st St., N.W. ParishGallery.com

Maurine Littleton

Maurine Littleton Gallery is known throughout the country for its collection of glassworks and ceramics. Established in 1984, the gallery exhibits and represents among the world’s leading contemporary artists in glass, metal, and clay, including Dale Chihuly, Harvey K. Littleton and Albert Paley.

Now is your last chance to see the current collection as it is before the gallery changes out its works in January for the new year. And there is much worth seeing.

Michael Janis’s two-dimensional glassworks are small worlds within themselves. Like poems, you might find a bird atop a branch, or the face of a woman looking down into nothing as a red polka-dot wall climbs up behind her. Janis uses a technique of layering glass sheets on top of one another, with different images on each sheet fused together to create the composition. This lends the work a certain freshness and compositional spontaneity that must be experienced.

Therma Statom is another standout artist in the current collection, whose plate glass still lifes and miniature glass houses are odes to the quirk and fragility of our daily lives. No stranger to large-scale projects, these are Statom’s more intimate works, giving her greater range to experiment and play with her materials, to whimsical and endearing results.

Along with the gallery’s collection of other decorative and functional glass art, it’s always worth stopping into the Maurine Littleton Gallery for a look around. 1667 Wisconsin Ave., N.W. LittletonGallery.com. [gallery ids="100430,114236" nav="thumbs"]

Ari Post • December 7, 2011

Starting today, Monday Dec. 5 and continuing through Feb. 5, 2012, D.C. Public Library cardholders are being granted a pardon for all offenses regarding overdue, lost and damaged library material.

The Library’s “Check It In” campaign is an effort to get back as many overdue books as possible to benefit more District residents. The Library also wants to also ensure that all cardholder information is up-to-date, allowing an opportunity for updating your customer records with new email addresses, phone numbers or mailing addresses.

The 60-day campaign is a no-holds-barred clemency—no matter how beat up the book’s spine, no matter how many scratches on the CD, no matter how many cups of coffee have twisted and warped the pages, you can return them to D.C. Public Library no questions asked, with no fines of fees charged. Even if the item has been lost, all you have to do is report it and forgiveness will be granted.

When returning your books, see a library staff person in order to clear your record of fines and fees.

So “Check It In” and rediscover the joys of your local library. For more information visit DCLibrary.org