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Kyle Lundberg • May 3, 2012

The name Mike Isabella has become familiar around the District. With an appearance on Top Chef and the opening of Graffiato, a popular restaurant in Chinatown, now under his belt, he’s collaborating with Jonathan Umbel to bring Bandolero, a Mexican restaurant, to Georgetown. Bandolero will take over the space formerly occupied by Umbel’s restaurant, Hook, on M street, which closed down after sustaining fire damage in June. Isabella hopes to have Bandolero open early next year. He took a few minutes to answer some questions about his new restaurant and his signature style.

Graffiato, your restaurant in Chinatown, opened in June 2011 and is still fairly new. What drove your decision to announce opening a new place so soon?

Well, the opening of Bandolero is still about five months away.

Why did you choose this location for Bandolero? Were you looking for a spot in Georgetown?

Yeah, I was looking for a place in Georgetown. I actually want to spread out all across the city. A lot of the restaurants in Georgetown are more upscale, so I just thought it would be a great location for this type of restaurant, more casual and catered more to the college crowd.

Hook was originally a seafood restaurant. What’s behind the decision to go with Mexican cuisine for Bandolero?

That’s my specialty. I learned a few things working with Jose Garces, the Iron Chef. And, you know, there are no Mexican restaurants really in that area. I just thought it would be a great fit, something different. Obviously I’m not going to do another Graffiato three miles away from my own restaurant. That doesn’t make sense. I just thought it would be a great location for that concept.

Do you have any special dishes planned?

We’re going to do the same kind of thing we’re doing at Graffiato’s, taking some familiar concepts and changing them around. We’ll have lots of different types of tacos; we’ll have a menu with lots of options. We’ll be open late night, serving tacos and guacamole late. That’s the way we’re going, taking classics and reworking them, and just having fun with it.

Despite being a new restaurant, it’s safe to say that Graffiato has been very successful. What would you say has been the key to your success in the restaurant business?

First of all, it starts with a really good team. I’m having a bunch of my guys coming back to work with me at Graffiato. My chef has worked with me before, my management have worked with me before, and we’re going to be doing the same thing at Bandolero. I have some guys coming down from New York who used to work with me, some guys from Graffiato coming to help me out. I’ll be making a lot of phone calls, asking some favors, and hopefully everything will fit together so we can do what we want to do and keep rolling.

When Bandolero opens, you will be running two restaurants at once. How will you juggle those responsibilities?

I actually just bought a Honda Ruckus scooter, and I plan on riding back and forth between both locations. You know, some days I’ll be at one restaurant in the a.m. and lunch, some days I’ll be there in the p.m., but I plan on being at both restaurants. At Bandolero, I’ll probably be there about every day in the beginning; at Graffiato, maybe four to five days a week.

You’ve been a champion of fresh, locally grown produce. What are some of the benefits of using local produce in your restaurants?

You know, it just tastes better, and you have your own supply that you can grow, that can get stronger and better. I mean, it’s the best product you can get. Am I going to get my local tomato which tastes great and works perfectly, or am I going to get it from California? Our meat and produce and everything like that will be as local as possible but, unfortunately, when it’s out of season, things like tomatoes and avocados will stop coming in locally, and we’ll have to go further out. But, I do plan on getting as much as I can done locally.

Gary Tischler •

Unless you were a working, writing, painting, drawing, kibitzing, loving, hanging-out member of the Washington art and gallery scene going back to the 1970s up to now, the name Manon Cleary might not immediately ring your memory bell.

To many interested people, she was something of a rumor, a wispy legend, but to those familiar with the scene and to her friends, students, intimates, her peers, she was a major somebody, a painter who was seen by at least one critic as one of the major and perhaps best figurative painters this city had to offer, perhaps one of the best in the country.

She painted and painted and painted, and her best, most visceral, most literal and haunting was herself and her body—and rats, bye the bye. If ever there was a person, man or woman, who lived the life of the artist in the very best sense of the idea, as well as its most outrageous, dramatic, shining, purposeful, generous sense, it was Cleary, who died at the age of 69 last Saturday, succumbing to her long-time companion, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

It’s easy enough to spy the drama, the aura surrounding her: she was one of those slender, great, long-haired beauties that once met, seem to remain unforgettable, and causing regrets in distant admirers who never got to know her. In her last years, she was forced to move about in public with breathing tubes and oxygen tubes, which turned her into a different presence, a presence which she brought off with remarkable aplomb.

She was a figurative artist class of photo realism but still in a major class by herself. Her subject was life itself, mostly her self—nudes at various stages of her life, with no illusion, bouts of self-flattery. Her work would come out in themes—including one a series of graphic works dealing with her 1996 rape in Kazakhstan. She painted her pet rat(s), white and hungry, she painted male nudes, and she paid skyscapes and erotic flowers that recalled but did not imitate O’Keeffe.

For the past 40 years, she lived in the Beverly Courts Apartments on 18th Street in Adams Morgan, famous in earlier years as a run-down bohemian art magnet, especially because she lived there in a fourth-floor apartment. The façade, the musical, jarring, often painful surface of her life obscured her willingness, indeed, her great passion to help younger artists, protect them; promote them for all of her life. She taught for years at UDC.

If you read the stories about her, from which we’ve drawn this obituary, they seem to sing a lot of songs—a kind of alluring, fragile vitality, a siren song, of a woman with an operatic first name and an Irish-sounding last name. The rats, the friends, the strong and continued output of work made her a Washington original, a kind of scarred patron saint of struggling artists.

I saw her once in 2005 when the Flashpoint Gallery had a showing of photographer Mary Swift’s “The Arts Scene, 1975-2000.” Many survivors—artists, curators, photographers, painters and gallery owners—showed up to see themselves on the wall in younger, halcyon days.

Cleary was there, with breathing tubes and oxygen tank, drawing a crowd with strong eyes and thin body. You went to her like a helpless moth, joining the fringe of a circle around her.

I didn’t know her. I could say though from what I’ve read, from the works I’ve seen, and the time she spent at the exhibition, with certainty that she had great, unspoken courage, brave artist, and brave woman.

Cleary is survived by her husband F. Steven Kijek and a twin sister, an artist who lives in Montana.

Gary Tischler •

Vladimir Potanin is what’s known as a Russian oligarch and billionaire, which is to say he is one of the richest people in Russia and the world.

But don’t let that description mislead you.

Potanin, who founded the Interros Company in 1990 and turned it into one the largest private investment companies in Russia, is also a philanthropist, one of those super-rich folks who likes to give large chunks of his fortune away. He signed on to Bill and Melinda Gates’ “Giving Pledge,” which is a promise to give away half of his money.

In keeping with that, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announced last week that Potanin had given a $5 million gift towards the center’s operating and programming budget.

In addition, the Kennedy Center Golden Circle Lounge, on the Box Tier level of the Opera House, will undergo a major renovation this summer, a project that will be founded by the Vladimir Potanin Foundation.

For all that, the Golden Circle Lounge will become the Russian Lounge when it reopens in the fall of 2012, which seems only fair.

Potanin said, “This is such an honor for me to give this gift on the 40th anniversary of the John F. Kennedy Center. I believe the Kennedy Center has been playing a very important role in building strong cultural relations between our countries by presenting the greatest Russian artists to the American people. I’m very grateful for the Kennedy Center and Chairman David M. Rubenstein’s continued support to the Russian Lounge project that we launch today and that is aimed to open new dimensions of Russia to the public. I believe that our cooperation with the Kennedy Center is a natural expansion of the philanthropic activities that we carry out in Russia.”

Among other things, the renovated lounge may include a multimedia zone which highlights Russian culture and museums, as well as feature unique museum collections from the Foundation’s archives.

Ari Post •

Since the Western world discovered America, the east coast’s autumn foliage has been the most ubiquitously adored seasonal harbinger in the country. It is said that crates of golden leaves were sent back to the Queen, for no one could believe the stories of the fiery, radiant landscape that swept across the new world each fall. And while it is impossible to deny the grace of the season’s initial beauty, anyone with a backyard can also attest to the less romantic, rarely discussed late fall tradition of scooping congealed globs of muddy brown tree matter into giant black garbage bags with flimsy, plastic rakes.

We are, of course, talking about leaf collection. But thanks to the D.C. Department of Public Works, many District inhabitants will be relieved of some of the burden.

The Department of Public Works (DPW) began leaf collection last week, Nov. 7, and will continue through Jan. 14. They will be employing vacuum trucks to collect the bulk of the leaves, which are then composted—a much more friendly environmental alternative to having them dragged to the dump. Residents are asked to rake their leaves into piles by the curbside treebox space. DPW will also collect bagged leaves from the treebox space. In neighborhoods with alley trash/recycling collections, bagged leaves also may be placed where trash and recycling are collected, but these leaves will be disposed with the trash.

DPW asks that all leaves be raked into the treebox space the weekend before your street’s collection weeks. Only leaves should be collected, meaning no tree limbs, bricks, dirts, rocks, and the like. It is likely to damage equipment and delay collections. They also urge you to please use the treebox spaces provided, for raking leaves right inot the street is liable to cause parking problems and potentially even fires.

For the complete collection schedule, detailing the dates of collection in each Ward and Ward zone, along with other tips and useful information, visit DPW’s online calendar.

Happy raking!

Robert Devaney •

U.S. Park Police Sgt. Michael Boehm, who suffered a fatal heart attack responding to an injured man near Key Bridge at the C&O Canal towpath Dec. 16, was eulogized and honored Dec. 28.

Boehm’s funeral mass was at the Church of the Nativity in Burke, Va. The funeral procession of police and other vehicles moved north on I-395 to the Memorial Bridge, entering Washington with D.C. Fire Department trucks extending their ladders as an arch of honor in front of the Lincoln Memorial. The procession went on to pass the headquarters of the U.S. Park Police in Potomac Park near Hains Point and then turned back to Virginia to Fairfax Memorial Park for the burial.

Boehm is survived by his wife Corrina and son Christopher. He entered service with the U.S. Park Police on Oct. 11, 1992.

The injured man near Key Bridge — to whom police and firefighters first responded — also died that Dec. 16 night. The nature of the unidentified man’s death is still under investigation by police.

Georgetowner •

BECOME The Georgetowner’s next photography contest WINNER!

Submit up to five photographs taken anywhere in Georgetown. The coolest, most incredible, eye-catching, blow-us-away photograph will WIN THE FRONT COVER of our publication.

Deadline for photograph submissions is: January 4, 2012

We look forward to seeing your photos!

Robert Devaney •

The day after Valentine’s Day was as good a day as any for the Georgetown Business Association to hold its monthly get-together, calling it a “heart-to-heart networking reception.” The group packed the upstairs at Cafe Milano Feb. 15 with warmth — and with hors d’oeuvres by the famed Prospect Street restaurant and drinks by the GBA. Brian Armstrong thanked the happy, talkative crowd and said that GBA’s March reception would be held at Sequoia Restaurant. [gallery ids="100496,118101,118092,118049,118085,118060,118078,118069" nav="thumbs"]

Marit Fosso •

Make your St. Patrick’s Day more than just an opportunity to party — remember our returning warriors and benefit the non-profit, Not Alone, at a hip, new restaurant.

The March 17 celebration at Todd and Ellen Gray’s Watershed Restaurant will raise funds for Not Alone, which is dedicated to supporting returning warriors, veterans and their families. One of the sponsors for the “You are not alone” party — which will feature Gray’s signature Eastern Seaboard-inspired cuisine, a specialty cocktail drink and an open bar — is the Georgetown Media Group, which produces the Georgetowner and the Downtowner newspapers.

Many of our returning warriors struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and suicidal thoughts. Not Alone is a national organization that offers a variety of programs, services and resources for warriors, veterans and their loved ones. It offers both on-line and off-line programs that can help restore hope for those who struggle. Not Alone recently launched a free, confidential and anonymous community service in and around Washington, D.C.

Watershed Restaurant, site of the St. Patrick’s Day party, is located in the NoMa neighborhood near Capitol Hill at 1225 First Street, N.E. The Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington named Todd Gray “Chef of the Year” in 2011. He shares a passion for inventive interpretations of American cuisine with his wife Ellen. For readers of the Georgetowner and the Downtowner, tickets which cost $100 are discounted at $70 per person, or $125 for two tickets. For more information, visit www.NotAlone.com. [gallery ids="100529,119459" nav="thumbs"]

Robert Devaney •

The Washington Nationals won their home opener, 3-2, in the 10th inning with Ryan Zimmerman, face of the franchise, running to home and getting out of a jam with visiting team, the Cincinnati Reds, thanks to a wild pitch. Before the game, the Nationals put on a patriotic show with Army veteran, actor and “Dancing with the Stars” champion J.R. Martinez, who threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Several VIPs, such as Wolf Blitzer, Charlie Brotman and Jim Kimsey as well as members of the Lerner family, watched the ceremonies from the field. With a sell-out crowd of 40,907 and their inaugural home win this season, the Nationals are in first place in the National League East. [gallery ids="100732,121374,121321,121368,121331,121363,121340,121357,121349" nav="thumbs"]

Gary Tischler •

It’s official. Vincent Orange will keep his at-large seat on the city council after a count of absentee and provisional ballots from the April 3 elections.

Orange initially had a very narrow lead of 543 votes over his main challenger, Sekou Biddle, who was making his second bid for the seat he had held on an interim basis after being appointed to the seat held by council chairman Kwame Brown.

The count of the absentee ballots and provisional votes gave Orange—who had gotten peripherally caught up in the scandal surrounding donations given by contractor Jeffrey Thompson to various council members as well as Mayor Vincent Gray—a final 1,746 margin, beyond the one-percent advantage required.

That means Orange should be secure in the seat, barring a formidable Republican candidate in November.

It also means there were no upsets or changes on the council in the elections. All Democratic incumbents running—Orange, Muriel Bowser in Ward 4, Jack Evans in Ward 2, Marion Barry in Ward 8 and Yvonne Alexander in Ward 7 won their primary races.

There will be at least one new member on the council after a special election in May to fill the seat left empty by the departure Harry Thomas, Jr.

The election results mirrored an earlier special election result in which Orange won big in Ward 8 and 7 but polled badly in the primarily more affluent and white Wards 3 and 2.

In the Nov. 6 general election, which puts up two at large seats of which one must be a non-Democratic seat, Orange will be on the ballot with independent Michael Brown, Republican Mary Brooks Beatty, independent David Grosso and D.C. Statehood-Green Party nominee Ann Wilcox.