Tweaked

Grand re-opening this weekend! Washingtonian New York Times ArtNet

Last night: Porchetta di Testa with local white beans and salsa verde. Porchetta di testa is a deboned pig head, the various fleshy parts (neck, jowl, etc.) are rolled and stuffed with herbs and garlic like a porchetta. Served thinly sliced with the salsa verde, white beans, and some salad greens. Mind blown.

I was lucky to have a sneak peak mini tour of the renovated NMWA. The Great Hall on the first floor remains largely the same but re-freshed. The 2nd and 3rd floor gallery spaces have been totally transformed. An amazing job creating a more contemporary space to showcase the artwork. In addition, the performance hall has been renovated and a new education center and library have been created. A lot of work has also been done behind the scenes: completely new office spaces for the staff, a new HVAC system and environmental controls (extremely important for protecting the artwork on view), new storage facilities for the art not on view, and renovations to the exterior of the building. It's a really a remarkable project.

I would say that Han Palace Woodley Park has settled in nicely. The place is always busy during the dinner hours and the last couple of take out orders have been really good. Some dishes we have enjoyed recently: Singapore Noodles (much better now than the first time I ordered it right after they opened) Pork and Tofu Casserole (listed in the tofu and vegetables section) Snow Pea Leaves (I prefer this over the Chinese broccoli for a green veg order) Salt and Pepper Tofu The take out portions are huge. If we order a couple of entrees and some items off the dim sum menu we can easily get several meals out of one take out order.

The pork liver terrine last night was extremely tasty, kinda like meat butter, perfect for smearing on bread. Served with pickles and mustard.

Composing Color: Paintings by Alma Thomas "The Smithsonian American Art Museum has the largest public collection of works by Alma Thomas in the world. Thomas’s art first entered SAAM’s collection in 1970. The museum acquired more than a dozen works during the artist’s lifetime, and thirteen that were bequeathed to the museum by Thomas after her death. Composing Color: Paintings by Alma Thomas draws on these extensive holdings to offer an intimate view of Thomas’s evolving practice during her most prolific period, 1959 to 1978. In the mid-1960s, Alma Thomas created a painting style distinctly her own, characterized by the dazzling interplay of pattern and vibrant color. Thomas once stated, “Art could be anything. It could be behavior—as long as it’s beautiful.” In her work, color can be symbolic and multisensory, evoking sound, motion, temperature, even scent. Her abiding source of inspiration was nature—whether seen through her kitchen window or from outer space. Organized around the artist’s favored themes of Space, Earth, and Music, this show invites you to see the world through Alma Thomas’s eyes. She often assigned titles to her own paintings that connect natural phenomena, like flowers or a sunset, with song. In her art, nature and music are treated as twin expressions of a fundamental life force or spirit. Consciously oriented toward the future, she embraced the technological and social changes of the twentieth century. Her artistic evolution from academic painting to abstraction reflected this forward-facing attitude—her belief in the need for “a new art representing a new era.” New research into her materials and techniques show how Thomas continued to innovate artistically until the end of her life, at times changing her methods to adapt to her declining physical ability due to arthritis. As the luminous works in the exhibition reveal, Thomas’s astounding creative drive and mastery of color remained constant through her final years. After the exhibition closes at SAAM, it will travel to several venues across the United States. This exhibition is organized by Melissa Ho, curator of twentieth-century art at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, with support from Maria Eipert, curatorial assistant."

So how are we feeling about Djokovic now? For all the talk of generational change, the guy was one set away from completing the Grand Slam this year: Australian Open (won final in 3 sets) French Open (won final in 3 sets) Wimbledon (lost final in 5 sets) US Open (won final in 3 sets)

Since you already have chili, make up a batch of corn bread, cut into individual serving pieces, wrap tight in saran wrap and freeze. Add farmers market corn to the corn bread batter. Turn late season tomatoes into sauce. Freeze in batches and then all you have to do is boil up pasta for an easy dinner. We like to keep packages of Vace ravioli in the freezer. Buy seconds stone fruit at the farmers market, chop up the fruit and cook with a little sugar until kinda saucy/chunky. Now you have a dessert topping for ice cream.

We swung by Piccolina on a Sunday afternoon for a midafternoon respite. We enjoyed the focaccia, which was baked with a scattering of shaved summer vegetables. The wood grilled salsiccia (a coil of lamb and pork sausage) with salsa verde was excellent. And the almond olive oil cake was pleasant. All washed down with a tasty campari spritz. Piccolina is well worth a stop-in if you are downtown.

Beyond Granite: Pulling Together is a first of its kind sculpture exhibition on the National Mall. Six contemporary artists respond to the question: What stories remain untold on the National Mall? The sculptures are positioned between 12th Street (near the Smithsonian/National Mall metro stop) and the Lincoln Memorial. Artists: Derrick Adams Tiffany Chung Ashon Crawley vanessa german Paul Ramírez Jonas Wendy Red Star

My latest mix: Contagio A trip through ambient, melodic, techno, with a little neo-classical.

After it was announced that Hiroki Abe would be joining Eleven Madison Park, there doesn't seem to have been much follow through. He appears to be doing pop ups these days and doesn't appear to be affiliated with the restaurant. Maybe he was doing consulting...unknown.

The Cherry Cricket has been around since 1945 and it's a classic burger joint. I went with a make your own: bison burger with pimento cheese and side of green chili for dipping. Pretty damn tasty. They also serve decent fries and onion rings. The beer list is solid, with main stream choices like Two Hearted Ale and a good line up of Colorado brews. If you are looking for low key burgers and beers this is a good choice. We had a party of 11 with multiple kids and they handled it no problem.

I didn't find much for Wyoming and don't have a ton to offer, but I'm starting this thread anyway. Cheyenne I started in Denver and was heading to Western Nebraska and had never been to Wyoming so I headed North. The drive up from Denver to Cheyenne isn't very interesting, just a bunch of congested interstate up through Fort Collins and then soon enough you are in Wyoming and there's Cheyenne. Cheyenne has an attractive downtown area, lots of old timey buildings and leans into being Western. The place is home to the Cowgirls of the West Museum after all and I did see one shop that made custom cowboy hats. The last week of July is the annual Frontier Days festival with rodeos and some big name country musicians doing concerts. I was just a lonesome traveler passing through, so I stopped for coffee and a tasty breakfast burrito at The Cheyenne Cup coffee shop.

Back from a several day road trip through the Midwest. Scotts Bluff National Monument Nebraska doesn't have a lot to offer in terms of national parks, but Scotts Bluff is a good visit if you are in the Western side of the state. 800 foot bluffs jutting out of the High Plains along the old Oregon Trail. There is a hiking trail and roadway to the top for sweeping views of the surrounding countryside as well as a couple of walking trails at the base. You can do pretty much everything in 2-3 hours, so it's an easy half day visit. North Platte Small town vibe with a couple block historic district. Good Life on the Bricks, a BBQ and pizza place was fine but nothing special. The La Quinta hotel was perfectly nice for the night, indoor swimming pool and jacuzzi open until midnight. Overton Taste of India Truck Stop. I found out about this place via a New York Times article about a growing trend of South Asian run truck stops that basically cater to the growing number of South Asian truck drivers in the US. The main part of the store is typical truck stop stuff, on the side is a cafe serving a full Indian menu, everything from your typical Indian veg dishes to lamb and goat biriyani. They are serving really good Indian food: good samosa chat, great buttered roti, and decent pakora. The food tasted more like the food you get in India than the food we get in American Indian restaurants. Exit 248 I-80. Golf No seriously. Nebraska isn't all flat and corn fields. In fact, the Sand Hill region is quietly becoming a quality golfing destination for what is called "in-land links" style golf courses, with the sandy soils and wide open vistas reminiscent of the traditional links courses of Scotland and Ireland. Wild Horse Golf Club, Gothenburg: Frequently listed as one of the best public course you can play at a reasonable price. Wild Horse is in the lower Sand Hill region with gently rolling fairways along prairie land. Landmand Golf Club, Homer: Opened last year, Landmand is already receiving national attention. Not technically in the Sand Hills, but built along a sandy ridge this massive course is a rollicking ride. Some of the greens are a little too tricked out, but just go and have fun. I'd suggest a late afternoon tee time, sunset along the ridge is breathtaking.

Sioux City Sioux City (not to be mistaken for Sioux Falls), is a small town along the Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota borders. The downtown has a small historic district, with old timey buildings that are now restaurants, bars, and music venues. The Sioux City Arts Center is a very nice small art museum and learning center with large scale sculptures surrounding the buildings (definitely worth a visit). I didn't make it to the Sioux City Public Museum. I stayed at the surprisingly modern Courtyard Marriott next to the convention center. Marto Brewing Company: Across the street from the Courtyard Marriott. Decent woodfired pizza (mine could have used another minute in the oven). At lunch I had a great grilled cheese sandwich and awesome slice of carrot cake. The beers are solid to good. Check out their rotating Smell of Money Hazy IPA selection (the version I had with anchovy hops was a very good beer), their porter was fine as was the nitro stout. The 2 year aged barleywine was potent and tasty, but way too heavy for a 100 degree day! Jitters: A cute coffee shop with mismatched furniture. Mediocre coffee, very tasty doughnuts. Bistro on 4th: The Courtyard Marriott hotel restaurant, with a good bacon, egg and cheese breakfast sandwich. There's not a ton to do in Sioux City, but I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw.

One of my Pandemic Projects was teaching myself to mix music sets. I started screwing around on Youtube finding music tracks that could be paired together and using multiple windows to mix these tracks together to build a set. It was surprisingly effective although with limitations. Since I couldn't manipulate the speed of the records on Youtube, my track selection was limited and veered more toward ambient music. Which was somewhat fitting for our pandemic times. I finally decided to acquire Traktor, a DJ music program, which allows me to mix and record music. First up is a demo which is mostly ambient music: 27 Minutes of Bliss Second is Novas, my first completed set featuring ambient, neoclassical, with some more upbeat progressive house and breaks: Novas I suggest listening with good headphones after a couple glasses of wine or other intoxicant of your choice. Enjoy!

This article is part of something the Post is calling Deep Reads. It is well worth reading Sally Jenkin's piece from a week or so ago about the life long relationship between the tennis greats Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova.

This exhibit is...ok. Obviously it's cool to see pages from a codex under da Vinci's hand. But on show is mostly dimly lit architectural draws of things like a construction crane. Some of the pages have interesting and actually kind of funny side drawings. Almost like doodles made by someone sitting in a boring staff meeting. Maybe the renaissance had boring staff meetings too? There are no tickets for the exhibit. You arrive at the MLK Library, check in with the staff at the front entrance and put your name on a list and they text you when it's your turn. We waited about 30 minutes. I will say the MLK Library has some interesting exhibits in the main lobby and 4th floor about DC history. And the roof top deck is very nice. It doesn't have much of a view, but it's a lovely space. Definitely worth checking out.

The socials blew up today with the announcement that 2Fifty is opening a second location in the Mount Vernon Square area. Sometime next year.

We went to the Eleanor as our first stop on a Saturday afternoon beer crawl. Mostly because it was a convenient first stop near the Red Line NoMa metro stop. We ordered several beers and they have a pretty decent beer selection on draft with small and large pours. The food from the appetizer menu is basically elevated pub grub so don't expect fine dining and what they do is solid. In fact the fries were pretty kick ass. The nachos, elote hush puppies, and wings were all fine and provided a solid base layer for an afternoon of drinking. The location is kind of odd, not really part of the Union Market area, along a busy Florida Ave, near the bike trail but not on it. I'm not sure what sort of crowd they get, but they seem to be going for large groups who want nostalgic video games and duck pin bowling in sort of a sports bar setting, but not trying to be a sports bar. Anyway, for afternoon beers and pub grub in a casual setting, it hit the spot.

At the DC Public Library Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library location downtown. "The DC Public Library is proud to host Imagining the future - Leonardo da Vinci: In the mind of an Italian genius an extraordinary monographic exhibit featuring 12 original Leonardo da Vinci drawings from the Codex Atlanticus. This Codex is the largest collection of original drawings and texts by Leonardo da Vinci in the world, and this marks the first time that such a number will be on display in the United States. The exhibit is presented by Confindustria, the largest association representing manufacturing and service companies in Italy, in partnership with Biblioteca Ambrosiana, a true Italian treasure trove comprising a public library, an art gallery, and an academy. Supported by contributions from some of the most esteemed Italian companies, the exhibition represents an initiative of the highest artistic and symbolic value: an unconventional way to promote entrepreneurial spirit as a way of encouraging economic, social, and civic development. Visitors will be able to gain insight into the varied interests of one of history’s greatest artists and thinkers, discovering the origins of technologies we often take for granted, and marveling at the remarkable mind that anticipated them centuries ago. Visitors will uncover how Leonardo’s philosophy, based on observation and experimentation, still embodies an Italian entrepreneurial approach. The Imagining the future - Leonardo da Vinci: In the mind of an Italian genius exhibition is open to art, history and innovation enthusiasts and those interested in the interplay of art and science. About the Codex Atlanticus The Codex Atlanticus is a collection of more than 1,200 pages across 12 volumes, containing Leonardo’s notes, drawings, and diagrams from 1478 to 1519. The codex covers a range of subjects, including flight, weaponry, mathematics and botany, and its content has found applications in fields such as engineering and design."

Now Gemini X Happy Ice Cream

Per the email sent out today: "The past few years have been a wild ride, and we’ve shape-shifted into a new identity. Are we a wine shop with a pizza problem? A pizza joint with an ice cream problem? We are all of those things (and more) so we’re embracing our split personality — with Happy Ice Cream right here under the same roof. When we launched Happy Gyro into the world back in 2019, it was an all-vegetarian gyro pop-up. These days, we’ve evolved into something else all together. We’re not vegetarian. We don’t even serve gyros. Now we’re your super casual, one-stop-shopping destination for natural wine bottles, pizza and ice cream — plus whatever else we feel like making on any given day. Right now, the dinner menu is all about Johnny’s naturally-leavened pizza — including *whole* Roman pies! — and cozy Greco-Roman soul food. (Brace yourselves: there will be whole 16” NY-style round pies here and there, too.) During the day, the shop is open for bottles of wine and ice cream pints. After 5:30 PM, we do dinner, mostly for carry-out — but now we have a *tiny* standing area in the shop, and a slightly less tiny patio when the weather is nice. Nothing fancy or full-service. Paper plates and sexy stemware. (And we still scoop outside from the cart Tue-Fri evenings and all day Saturday.) Come visit us at the shop Tue-Sat 12:30-8:30 PM. Walk-ins welcome for ice cream and wine. Ordering ahead for dinner is still the best move. Did we mention that our wine is always priced retail, whether you’re drinking here or taking home?! Best deal in the city, if you ask us."

I have no idea how they work the salary structure at 2 Amys, but they dropped tipping last year. You get the check, you pay the price listed, and you are done. No add on fees, no additional tip lines. 2 Amys continues to be busy (as far as I can tell)