Weekend Round Up
• July 26, 2011

Check out what’s happening around town this weekend with The Georgetowner’s interactive calendar. Looking for an excuse to get out of the house, or know of an event so exciting you just have to share? You can do both at the Georgetowner.com Calendar.

Hamtdaa: Together
April 1st, 2011
11:00 AM
703-875-1100

Hamtdaa: Together features the work of renowned visual artist and Arlingtonian Gankhuyag Natsag, whose Tsam dance masks, ceremonial costumes and paintings speak to Mongolia’s ancient traditions and contemporary experiences. Accompanied by a multi-faceted program of performances, workshops, films and community celebrations, this exhibition is made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
March 3- May 1,2011

Address
Terrace Gallery
1101 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington, VA 22209

Save Bristol Bay In Washington, D.C.
April 2nd, 2011 at 11:00 AM
Tel: 202.331.2120

Trout Unlimited with the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association is bringing Bristol Bay’s salmon and story to our nation’s capital for a delicious weeklong celebration of our nation’s last great wild salmon fishery. Over 20 DC-area restaurants will be featuring wild Bristol Bay salmon on their menus from March 27 – April 2 as a way of showing that they value Bristol Bay’s salmon fishery and want to see it protected from proposed mining development in the Bristol Bay watershed.

Artini 2011
April 2nd, 2011
08:30 PM

Celebrate with the 1869 Society at the culminating ARTINI benefit, where your votes for D.C.’s favorite artini will be revealed. Taste the 12 artinis crafted by the competing mixologists. View the Corcoran’s collection, including the works of art that provided the inspiration behind each artini. Enjoy dancing and music by DJ Neekola, a beer and wine bar, and a cocktail and dessert buffet. Tickets and pre-registration required.
Address

Corcoran Gallery of Art
500 Seventeenth Street NW
Washington, DC 20006

The Royal Wedding Breakfast & Viewing Party
April 28th, 2011
09:00 AM
$40.00
Tel: 202) 974-5566

In celebration of the upcoming marriage of His Royal Highness Prince William of Wales, K.G. to Miss Catherine Middleton, luxury bridal boutique Carine’s Bridal Atelier and The Ritz Carlton Washington D.C.will offer guests the opportunity to watch the “Wedding of the Century” in style at a Royal Wedding Breakfast & Viewing Party. Guests who wish to stay over, the night before can enjoy a Royal Wedding Overnight Package.
Address

The Lobby Café located in The Ritz-Carlton
1150 22nd Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20037

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Obama’s Goals To Stop Our Dependency
•

President Obama set ambitious goals for the future of America’s dependency on foreign supplies and moving the country in a more energy efficient direction. The President stated that the problem will not be solved with quick fixes, calling for a one-third reduction in U.S. oil imports by 2025.

Obama’s speech Wednesday at Georgetown University lasted nearly an hour as the President restated many energy solutions previously proposed.

President Obama looks to boost domestic oil production, noting his administration’s recent approval of both shallow and deep water drilling permits. Obama mentioned the ongoing effort of energy independency, which the country has struggled with for decades.

“Presidents and politicians of every stripe have promised energy independence but that promise has so far gone unmet,” Obama said. “That has to change. We cannot keep going from shock to trance on the issue of energy security, rushing to propose action when gas prices rise, then hitting the snooze button when they fall again.”

In his speech Obama set another dated goal, this time calling for government agencies to ensure that by 2015 all new vehicles purchased are alternative-fuel vehicles, including hybrid and electric. This accompanies Obama’s previously set a goal of putting 1 million electric vehicles on U.S. roads in the same year.

Obama’s expansion of oil alternatives include natural gas and advanced biofuels, fuels made from non-food sources such as wood chips, switch grass or plant waste.

According to administration officials, Obama’s plans would require significant spending on research and development, though no cost estimates have been made.

Georgetown Will Have its Pizza and Bake it, Too
•

A round face of thin, puffy dough is Eric Fosse’s canvas, and fresh, all natural pizza is his craft.

Fosse, founder of HomeMade Pizza Co. started the business with his brother-in-law and wife in Chicago over a decade ago. Almost 13 years later he has opened his sixth store in the District, bringing fresh and inspiring pizzas to the ovens of Georgetown homes.

The pizza shop offers take-and-bake pies, giving customers a dinner to enjoy around the kitchen table. Walking into the store, the smell of fresh basil and other spices immediately induces salivating.

Each customer is greeted with shouts from the kitchen. Three large black banners hang from the wall showcasing the five steps of ‘how-to homemade.’ Lists of Homemade Favorites and Simple Classics showcase the range of predesigned pies. For those more interested in creating their own pizza, HomeMade Pizza has a list of some 41 ingredients, for the pickiest to the most adventurous of pizza toppers.

Pizzas come in “Cutie Pie” 9 inch pies, 12 inch, or 14 inch sizes. And each has the option of regular or wholegrain wheat crust. All pizzas are thin crust from hand-tossed dough and, along with everything else in the shop, made from scratch. “We offer a unique dinner opportunity,” Fosse said.

And the Georgetown neighborhood already seems to agree. HomeMade Pizza served up 2,000 slices to pedestrians who passed by the new shop at 1826 Wisconsin Ave during their opening celebration, February 22 – 24. Over 500 pizzas were taken home in the first three days of business alone.

HomeMade Pizza has kept close ties to its Chicago home, while branching out to Minnesota, New York and Washington. According to Fossee, the DC locations are doing phenomenally well, and he is excited to see the Georgetown store take off.

With over 30 stores, Fosse is proud that all his original pizzas still appear on the menu, and his cheese pizza, voted number one thin crust in Chicago, still tops the charts as his best seller.

“If you can’t make a great cheese pizza, you can’t make anything else great,” he says.

Sausage and caramelized onions are Fosse’s choice toppings, but he also boasts a number of vegetarian options, he explains while referencing the fresh produce section of the topping list.

Produce is in-season and locally sourced, giving HomeMade Pizza a number of specialty salads to feature on the menu. And Fosse doesn’t forget his vegan customers, either. Although the ingredient list includes seven different cheeses, the shop also creates cheese free pizzas.

HomeMade family sized cookies are available to take-and-bake, and pint sized all natural ice cream is also a part of the dessert menu.

HomeMade Pizza Co. is open daily from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Georgetown. Pizzas can be ordered online, by calling ahead, or simply stopping in and seeing the friendly staff.

Visit HomemadePizza.com for more information on the menu, locations, or tonight’s dinner.

The 2011 Patrons Party, Hosted by Leslie Morgan and Perry Steiner
• May 4, 2011

The annual Georgetown House Tour has long marked the start of the social season. Begun by St. John’s Episcopal Church as a program to help those in need, the House Tour has since become one of the most anticipated events of spring. Keeping its stamina throughout the years, the Tour continues to be touched by the hands of those who are passionate about Georgetown and desire to give back to their community.

“The House Tour is a great event for tourists or anyone in other parts of DC who love how beautiful Georgetown is in the spring,” said Leslie Morgan Steiner, the hostess of this year’s Patrons Party.

Steiner, who was born at Georgetown Hospital and has lived in the neighborhood for most of her life, is the perfect example of the spirit of the House Tour and the more fortunate giving back. An acclaimed writer and author of two books, Steiner, who’s “crazy busy” life now revolves around her small kids, still takes time to enjoy and be involved in the community, where she can be found helping out at Little Folks preschool, or taking care of herself at Down Dog Yoga. “I really love Georgetown and love living in a place where I have strong roots,” she said.

Steiner, a longtime friend of Frida Burling, was asked by the House Tour matriarch last year if she would open up her home for the Patrons Party, which kicks off the Tour on Thursday April 28. The Patrons Party was established 11 years ago by Burling as a new way to raise more money for the agencies benefitted by the Tour. Patrons Party hosts have included former Washington Post Executive Editor Ben Bradlee and his wife Sally Quinn, author Kitty Kelly and D.C. developer and mega-mall owner Herb Miller and his wife Patrice.

Last year the party was held at the historic home formerly owned by the late Evangeline Bruce, whose current owners are Debbie and Chairman of Georgetown Bank, Curtin Winsor. This year the party takes place on Q Street.

Steiner and husband Perry have lived in their Federal style red brick home for 10 years. The house, built in 1808, is “a little unusual by Georgetown standards,” according to Steiner. The house went under two major renovations after being purchased by the Steiners in 2001. Dale Overmyer is the architect of the Steiner’s two-story house. The interior is wide with four large open rooms on each story. The historic house is unique in that it still extends from Second Street to Orchard Lane. This was the way all old houses around it once appeared before the carriage houses were sold and the master homes subdivided.

Steiner’s home is “very much a kids house,” she says, admitting that most people think they have to leave Georgetown when they start a family. And she has a point. Few houses in the city can accommodate an indoor basketball court, a large grassy backyard with a sports court, swimming pool and pool house. The Steiners even have more parking than you can find in the city, with their garage that can hold six cars. “We have all these benefits, its almost like living in a suburb,” said Steiner.

The Patrons Party will be the Steiners first time hosting a society event, as they put down a soccer ball in exchange for a wine glass, all in the name of charity. The Steiners admire the Ministry of St. John’s and the work they do for DC. Although not members of the church themselves, they are heavily involved in other facets of the community.

Steiner is on the board at Maret, the school her kids attend, and the halls she once roamed herself. She is also a member of the Citizens Association of Georgetown, a group she describes as, “amazing, and something we all benefit from.” Steiner also works with Weave DC, a women and children’s domestic violence charity that provides legal advocacy and shelter. Her husband is an active soccer and basketball coach with the Jelleff Boys and Girls Club.

The couple is evidently heavily involved in the neighborhood, balancing family, community, and now taking their first step in the Georgetown’s infamous society events. We wish them the best of luck.
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Georgetown House Tour: Benefiting the Georgetown Ministry Center
• April 20, 2011

According to longtime Georgetown House Tour chairwoman Frida Burling, the annually anticipated House Tour has chosen to benefit the Georgetown Ministry Center “for what seems like forever.” Burling admits that it is an organization she “just adores,” and for whose services she is greatly appreciative.

The Georgetown Ministry Center is a small organization that has quietly been making a difference in the Georgetown community for years. They are a unique social service continuing to better the neighborhood they serve, with one main goal: to get the homeless off the streets.

“We’re not content with just helping people be comfortable,” said Gunther Stern, Executive Director of the Ministry. “We are looking for ways to get people off the street, to connect with them with access to resources and a real intent to help.”

Wearing many hats at the Ministry, from administrative work to in- house barber, Stern stands clear on that mission.

And his mission is a difficult one. Many of the clients that walk into the Ministry, on Wisconsin Avenue, have a mental illness they often aren’t comfortable admitting. The Ministry sees between 30 to 50 people a day, seven days a week. Their hours are currently 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., but Stern hopes to complete some construction on the facility soon to allow the Ministry to stay open until 5 p.m.

During their drop-in hours the Ministry offers counseling, information and referral services. Showers and laundry are also available to clients and typically run between eight and 10 a day.

In addition, the Ministry offers computers for client use. The computers turn off after an hour of use and clients are generally happy to share. “People will be using a computer, but will get up and willingly offer it to someone else if needed,” Stern said. “Its really neat to see.”

In an effort to keep with the Ministry’s intentional helping hand, a psychiatrist lends professional help to clients daily. In addition to seeing people inside the Ministry, he also reaches out to those on the streets and in the alleys of Georgetown.

The Ministry has a unique outreach in which the staff literally hits the streets in effort to reach the most vulnerable and withdrawn of the homeless, lending an ear and a hand or, if nothing else, preventing hyperthermia in the colder winter months.

The Ministry’s Winter Shelter is a safe haven for the homeless who face living on the streets in harsh weather conditions. The program runs from November to mid-April, rotating semi-monthly among member congregations in Georgetown.

And the ministry’s presence in Georgetown has not gone unnoted. The community has given back to the Ministry with events such as The Spirit of Georgetown, The Taste of Georgetown and Help the Homeless, which was a great success this past year.

Help the Homeless, a walk to end homelessness, was put on by Fannie Mae this past fall, and according to Stern raised $176,000 for the Ministry. Proceeds from the walk and other events fund the Ministry’s general operations.

As the Ministry strives to continue to improve the community and move the homeless off the streets, Stern’s long-term goal is much different from other organization’s. “If we didn’t have any homeless on the street, and we were put out of business by this time next year, we’d be happy,” Stern said.

Until then, Georgetown Ministry Center will work towards their goal of ensuring everyone has somewhere to call home, and the House Tour is a wonderful community event to show off the homes of those more fortunate, while not forgetting those who are down on their luck.