Robert Devaney • October 2, 2013

The 2013 Georgetown Gala — the annual black tie Citizens Association of Georgetown event that brings together more than 350 guests, neighbors, sponsors and politicos to celebrate Georgetown and CAG’s mission of historic preservation and improving the life of the community — will be held Oct. 18 and will honor Herbert and Patrice Miller. 

As this is the Year of Italian Culture in the U.S., the event will be held for the first time at the stunning Italian Embassy on Whitehaven Street. Ambassador and Mrs. Claudio Bisogniero will be honorary chairs. The Venetian Carnivale masked ball features a refined Italian dinner buffet, fabulous entertainment, unique live auction items, a hip after party and more. 

The honorees, Herbert and Patrice Miller are long-time Georgetown residents and patrons. In 1967, Herb Miller founded Western Development Corporation, a Washington D.C.-based real estate development and management organization with a 44-year history of innovative mixed-use development. Of particular interest to Georgetown, WDC has been involved in the Georgetown Park retail development, as well as the beautification of Washington Harbor. The Millers were Georgetown residents for decades until this past April when they sold their Federal-style row house on N Street.  The gala committee agreed: “We couldn’t let them leave without a proper goodbye.” 

Gala co-chairs Colleen Girouard and Robin Jones are making exciting changes to the evening’s program. For the first time in the history of the gala, the formal event will be followed by an after party with dancing until 1 a.m., to be hosted and attended by the younger set of Georgetown. The evening’s entertainment will include guests serenaded by opera performers upon arrival, the D.C. Love Band playing dance music during cocktails and dinner, followed by DJ Adrian Loving, upping the tempo and getting everyone  dancing . Floral décor will once again be coordinated by Fabio Ripoli of Georgetown’s own Ultra Violet. His take on the Venetian Carnivale theme will be cutting edge.

Live auction items include a week in a luxury apartment in Florence, three nights in Siena and an exceptional view of the world renowned Palio Di Siena horse race, donated by Simone Bemporad at Bemporad and Associates, the popular Scavenger Hunt Dinner Adventure, an opulent Four Seasons package, an Ermenegildo Zegna Made-to-Measure suit, donated by Ermenegildo Zegna, and “Skin Is In” Men’s and Women’s revolutionary treatment packages, donated by Tina Alster, M.D., Washington Institute for Dermatological Laser Surgery. 

The gala’s honorary chairs are Ambassador and Mrs. Claudio Bisogniero, D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, Selwa “Lucky” Roosevelt, Senator and Mrs. Joseph Lieberman, John J. DeGioia, president of Georgetown University, author Kitty Kelley and entrepreneur and philanthropist Mark Ein.

Sponsors, as of Sept. 17, include Capital Asset Management Group, Manhattan Construction Company, Beasley Real Estate, Long & Foster-Exclusive Affiliate of Christie’s International, Nancy Taylor Bubes of Washington Fine Properties,  Clyde’s Restaurant Group, Georgetown University, the Levy Group, Jamestown Properties, Western Development Corporation, Vornado Realty Trust, Coldwell Banker Georgetown, Georgetown University Hospital, M.C. Dean, Inc., Securitas Security Services USA, Creel Printing – Digital Lizard, EagleBank, the Georgetowner, Bruce & Shelley Ross-Larson, CDI, PNC Mortgage and the Georgetown Current. 

One of the “Community Pillars” to be noted for the gala is Manhattan Construction, a privately held company in its fourth generation of Rooney family ownership. It is ranked in the top 50 largest construction companies in America. Founded in 1896, Manhattan has been building major projects in Washington for over 30 years. The company history includes legacy works like the Capitol Visitors Center and Dallas Cowboys Stadium. The company has a deep commitment to Georgetown and the owner, Ambassador Francis Rooney, is not only a graduate of Georgetown Prep, Georgetown University and Georgetown University Law Center, but he and his wife Kathleen are also new neighbors in the Georgetown community. Another Georgetown neighbor, James Lee, runs the company’s regional construction operation and is president of Rooney Properties, a real estate investment and development division. 

For more information, visit the CAG website — www.CAGtown.org — or contact the CAG office.

Robert Devaney •

The Georgetown Business Association said goodbye to summer and hello to fall Sept. 18 near the banks of the Potomac at the newly opened Malmaison Restaurant at 34th & K Streets. The group looks to enlarge its membership and extend its advocacy of all things Georgetown this coming season. [gallery ids="101470,152901,152893,152896,152907,152905" nav="thumbs"]

Robert Devaney •

Georgetown alumnus and former Los Angeles Dodger owner Frank McCourt, Jr., will donate $100 million to Georgetown University to establish a school of public policy. It is the single largest gift ever to the university. In October, the McCourt School of Public Policy will become Georgetown’s ninth school and its first new one since 1957.

McCourt, a real estate developer, earned a bachelor’s degree of economics in 1975. His father and two of his brothers and a son also attended Georgetown University. McCourt was last in the news 2012, when the Dodgers were sold for a little more than $2 billion, and was criticized by Major League Baseball for his management of the team.

“The McCourt School for Public Policy will leverage Georgetown’s location in Washington, D.C., its relationships with global leaders and its legacy of public service to launch a new approach to public policy,” according to a university spokesperson. “The McCourt School will contribute policy-based, data-driven research and solutions to the urgent policy issues of our time. This world-class research institution will incorporate the Georgetown Public Policy Institute, a nationally ranked graduate program.”

“Georgetown is uniquely positioned, at this moment in our university’s history, to build on our existing strengths as we grow to meet the needs of the complex and evolving public policy field,” said Georgetown University President John DeGioia. “The McCourt School of Public Policy will build on the foundation we have created while leveraging our most valuable resources – our location in the nation’s capital, our national and global reputation and our commitment to civil and civic discourse and engagement – to become the premiere academic resource for public policy in the 21st century.”

“There has never been a more urgent need for this work,” McCourt added in the university announcement of the gift. “The issues facing global leaders are more acute, dynamic and interrelated than ever before. We recognize an opportunity here to serve the world in a new way through an innovative approach to public policy research and analysis.”

According to the university, the McCourt School will also house a new Massive Data Institute, “which will harness and navigate the data that new advances in technology and communications have generated in the past decade. The Massive Data Institute will take an innovative approach to shaping public policy by training the next generation of leaders to critically analyze, extract and use these large sets of data to better inform public policy.”

“The generosity and partnership of Frank McCourt brings to life our vision to connect the Jesuit values of service and justice with a critical need in the 21st century for scholars, leaders, policymakers and organizations to work together in new ways,” DeGioia said. “Understanding the data now available to us and using it in the creation of public policy will be fundamental to shaping the public policy of the future.”

“The McCourt family has had a long relationship with Georgetown over multiple generations, and we are very pleased to partner with the university to bring to life the bold vision of a new public policy school,” McCourt added. “Georgetown’s unmatched interconnections with the people, institutions and ideas that shape global public policy make it uniquely qualified to develop the preeminent public policy school for our time.”

The university will officially launch the McCourt School for Public Policy at an academic ceremony Oct. 8 and will host an Oct. 9 event with members of the national and international policy communities, dignitaries and congressional leaders.

Robert Devaney • October 1, 2013

Media guests were treated to five-star dining and comfort onboard a Qatar Airways Boeing 777-300ER on the Washington Dulles International Airport tarmac Sept. 25 without leaving the ground.

Qatar Airways invited food, travel and local journalists to a unique Airplane Dinner that showcased its award-winning “Culinary World Menu.” The event was the first of its kind ever staged in the history of the airline, where its aircraft became a converted restaurant and did not leave its gate.

Guests ordered from an a-la-carte menu—designed by chefs Nobu Matsuhisa, Tom Aikens, Vineet Bhatia and Ramzi Choueiri. While on the airlines’ Boeing 777’s Business Class seats and tables, diners enjoyed delicacies, such as mushroom rice fritters by Bhatia, fillet of beef anticucho by Nobu and braburn apple puree with vanilla creme by Aikens. The chefs, who have earned a combined five Michelin stars, worked together to make sure the menu represented the diversity of Qatar Airways’s clients, blending dishes from all over the globe.

Guests were also introduced to James Cluer, the Qatar Airways Master of Wine, who showcased the airline’s unique champagne and wine selections and discussed how taste palates change at high altitude and the challenge of choosing the best vintages for the rarefied air of 35,000 feet.

“Qatar Airways has a long tradition of offering a hospitable, personable five star signature service. We are glad to share our latest menu developments with visitors at the event,” said Akbar Al Baker, CEO of Qatar Airways, which flies daily to Washington, D.C from its hub in Doha, Qatar and also daily to Chicago, New York and Houston.
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Robert Devaney • September 25, 2013

A neighbor alerted the Georgetowner Sept. 20 about a stop-work order by the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs for the small corner condominium construction at 3220 Grace St., NW. The permit cited retaining wall work that lacked permits. All construction at the site has stopped.

The project itself has gone through major changes because of challenges from Georgetown’s influential Advisory Neighborhood Commission as well as the powerful Old Georgetown Board, an advisory committee of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts.

Such a shutdown may seem ordinary or routine. Yet it was the added postscript under the order that caught our eye, thanks to our neighbor. It has a classic Georgetown ring to it, helpful but not too haughty.

The unsigned letter is a succinct rebuff and quite the advertisement for one of Georgetown’s favorite architects. It reads:

“Now that the property value of the neighbor has been saved from this incredibly ugly building, please do yourselves and the neighborhood a favor.

“Walk a quarter of a block east and knock on Frank Schlesinger’s door. Let him design a nice set of row houses in keeping with historic beauty of the street you seem hell bent on destroying.

“Frank designed 3303 Water Street and 3336 Cady’s Alley. He made everyone a lot of money with great designs. Please let him do the same for you. Please. Really . . . PLEASE.”

Reporting on the same story, Georgetown Patch earlier contacted Larry Parker of DCRA. He responded to Patch, which explained, ” . . . the stop work order was probably issued for work outside of the parameters of the permits issued for the site, which include a permit for a retaining wall. He also said the permits were not posted anywhere on the site, which could also lead to the stop work order.”

Let’s see if Schlesinger gets a new account.
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Robert Devaney •

“Do I have to pick just one?” asked Kevin Chaffee, senior editor at Washington Life and senior associate at Qorvis Communications, when asked about his favorite galas and charitable events. Among other editorial duties, Chaffee has covered the Washington social scene for decades, beginning with assignments around Georgetown to the Washington Times and then to Washington Life.

Chaffee looks to events, seasoned with style and creativity. While saying that the opening nights for the Washington National Opera, Washington Symphony, Washington Ballet and other performing arts galas are always high on the list, Chaffee tagged the PEN-Faulkner Gala as a top favorite, which he has attended for many years. “It always has an interesting theme,” he said. “I look to see how the authors run with the one-word theme.” The gala is on Oct. 7.

The Georgetowner’s own social scene correspondent Mary Bird had a few favorites on her mind. “There are so many gala events to attract supporters of every persuasion that it is difficult to single out only a few,” she said. ” The competition is fierce. My personal loves are animals and the arts. Major events that I support — the Washington Humane Society, Sugar and Champagne, Fashion for Paws and the Bark Ball — do not occur in the fall.”

“If I were to single out a few for the season just launched, I would start with the Harman Center for the Arts, on Oct. 6,” Bird said. “This year, Elizabeth McGovern will accept the William Shakespeare Award for Classical Theatre and the Sidney Harman Award for Philanthropy in the Arts will be presented to KPMG, LLP. The evening begins with a reception and performance at Sidney Harman Hall after which guests are escorted to the National Building Museum for dinner and dancing.”

Bird’s other favorites include: Unmask the Night, “a grande masquerade soirée,” presented by the Jeté Society and the Women’s Committee of the Washington Ballet on Oct. 26; the 25th Arts for the Aging Benefit Gala on Nov. 5; and a longtime care, Knock Out Abuse, on Nov. 14.

As for yours truly, choosing what to cover is mostly an editorial choice for our readers. I agree with what my colleagues said. I also enjoy events that focus on the sciences and the military. For me, National Geographic Gala this year knocked it out of the park. The upcoming Georgetown Gala is a must: fun with the neighbors. Also, S&R’s Night Nouveau should prove interesting. Be that as it may, go to what you love. [gallery ids="101466,152950" nav="thumbs"]

Robert Devaney • September 23, 2013

Gypsy Sally’s, the live music venue and multi-use event space at 3401 Water Street, NW, above Malmaison Restaurant, will open Thursday, Sept. 12.

“Featuring local, regional and national Americana acts on its stage, Gypsy Sally’s hopes to complement the venerable Blues Alley as well as evoke memories of Georgetown’s entertainment heyday when locals and tourists had their choice of multiple venues,” the company said. Located nearly at the banks of the Potomac River, Gypsy Sally’s wants patrons to feel the vibe of the departed Bayou, the Cellar Door, Desperado’s and Crazy Horse Saloon.

Venue owners David and Karen Ensor, husband and wife, bring a diverse and extensive history of experience, knowledge and passion for the live music industry to their project, the group said.
“As a veteran musician and restaurant worker, this has been a dream a long time coming,” David Ensor said. “We are very excited to create an active relationship with the community to grow and create a space that Georgetown can make its own.”

Here’s more directly from the enthusiastic Gypsy Sally’s folks:

Gypsy Sally’s is comprised of three separate spaces, the largest space devoted to the Music Room. Gypsy Sally’s also has a Vinyl Lounge where patrons will enjoy music from classic vinyl records and an Art Gallery, both of which are perfect for events and rentals. The 1902 building was formerly an ice factory and is generously proportioned with tall ceilings perfect for live music.

The room is designed with tiered seating platforms to improve sight lines and has had acoustic treatments to ensure great sound. Consulting on the audio equipment are Greg Lukens of Washington Pro Sound and Tim Kidwell of the Birchmere.

An Americana theme pervades the space, with authentic barn wood, American flag murals and even an antique VW bus. “Our hippy bus is sure to leave a few patrons scratching their heads and asking why? Our response is simply, why not?” quips David Ensor.

Directing the Gypsy Sally’s kitchen is Donald Spencer, an experienced chef coming from Range, Bryan Voltaggio’s Friendship Heights eatery, and before that, 2941 and Panache.

Gypsy Sally’s will delight the locavore, as its cuisine goals are driven by the local farmers’ markets and food purveyors, with an emphasis on all aspects of the F.L.O.S.S. philosophy: Fresh, Local, Organic, Seasonal and Sustainable. “We are very fortunate to have Donald as our chef since he appreciates our locavore philosophy and our passion for music,” Karen Ensor said. The menu will change seasonally with a focus on sustainable, organic and locally acquired meats and produce wherever possible.

Gypsy Sally’s opening night on Sept. 12 will feature performance by singer-songwriter Jim Lauderdale, who is also the host of the Americana Honors and Awards Show and nominated, along with Buddy Miller, for Album of the Year. Concert music lovers can look forward to concerts by the Grandmothers of Invention, the Gibson Brothers, Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison and other nationally acclaimed acts.

Robert Devaney •

CNN threw a big bash at the Carnegie Library on Mount Vernon Square Sept. 10 for its reintroduction of “Crossfire,” its political debate program, which ran from 1982 to 2005.

With its re-debut this week, the new “Crossfire” hosts are: from the right former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and columnist S.E. Cupp; from the left, environmental and civil rights activist Van Jones and political strategist Stephanie Cutter.

The party gathered more than 300 media types and others, with a red-carpet entrance and large video screens telling the CNN story and later showing President Barack Obama’s address to the nation on Syria. It was like sections of the summer hit read, “This Town,” had come to life.

Nikki Schwab of U.S. News, now reporting for “Washington Whispers, got a good quote from S.E. Cupp: “I wish someone had told me before I moved to Arlington that I live in the Hoboken of the D.C. metro area, I had no idea.” (We think Cupp was complimenting Arlington in comparing it to the regentrified Hoboken, N.J., across from Manhattan.)

Van Johnson told Betsy Rothstein of Fishbowl D.C. in response to her question to his being in the media spotlight even more now: “The only thing worse than being in the spotlight is not being in the spotlight.”

The event host, of course, had something to say. “Few programs in the history of CNN have had the kind of impact on political discourse that “Crossfire” did. It was a terrific program then, and we believe the time is right to bring it back and do it again,” said Jeff Zucker, president of CNN Worldwide.
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Robert Devaney • September 12, 2013

On June 13, the IQ of Washington, D.C., increased as explorers, scientists and other members and supporters of the National Geographic Society met to celebrate its 125th birthday at the National Building Museum. The great hall was rendered visually stunning with images of animals and nature projected along the second floor and on a stage screen; unique dinner tables added to the wow factor. The list of awardees was likewise stunning: explorer-filmmaker James Cameron, oceanographer Sylvia Earle, scientist Edward O. Wilson, philanthropist Howard Buffett, skydiver Felix Baumgartner and game host Alex Trebek. Cameron got the Explorer of the Year award for his Deep Sea Challenge dive and advised attendees to go vegan as the entree of bison was on its way. Trebek of “Jeopardy!” fame donated $1 million in support of the National Geographic Bee, adding to the society’s big year of fundraising: $35 million thus far.

National Geographic – 125th Anniversary Gala

Interview with Dereck and Beverly Joubert

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