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Articles
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| Three Kings visit the Hill |
VOICE writes, "By Celeste McCall
“It’s great that people are paying me to do what I would do for free,” renowned writer Stephen King said in front of 500 eager fans at Reformation Lutheran Church last Friday.
The novelist, his wife and fellow author Tabitha King, and their 31-year-old son, Owen, all read from their works at the church. The sold-out crowd paid $30 each to jam into the church at 201 East Capitol St. SE.
The event -- the first time the three Kings have appeared together -- was the final reading of the annual PEN/Faulkner Writers in Schools program. The co-sponsors were the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress and the Folger Shakespeare Library. Earlier that day at the Library of Congress’ Coolidge Auditorium, the King trio discussed their works with 150 high school students from Cardozo High School, IDEA Public Charter School and McKinley Technology High School.
After an introduction from novelist and PEN/Faulkner Foundation board member Mary Kay Zuraleff, Tabitha King read from a work in progress, “Potter’s Rif,” a story involving 19th-century porcelain. Then Owen read a short story called “Nothing in Bad Taste.”
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Finally, Stephen King read a passage from his latest novel, “Duma Key.” Because it was getting late, the question-and-answer session was limited to five queries: One fan asked which King-adapted films the author liked. Answers: “Misery,” “Shawshank Redemption” and “Stand by Me.”
After the reading, fans queued up across the street at the Library of Congress for a wine-and-cheese reception and book signing.
Fifteen-year-old Ricky Ruszin, who traveled from Baltimore with his parents to meet the author, waited patiently for about an hour, clutching his copy of “The Stand.”
“Ever since I saw King’s movie ‘Pet Cemetery,’ I started collecting first-edition King books,” Ruszin said.
Another eager fan was 21-year-old Jeremy Thomason, whose family drove for eight hours from Michigan to attend the event. Connie Rodriguez, who said she was the first in line for the reading, took a train to D.C. and arrived at the church at 2 p.m.
“King is my idol,” she said, adding that her favorite King work is his short story “Here There Be Tygers.”
At 60, Stephen King is among the world’s top-selling novelists. He has written more than 50 books and many have been made into films. The latest, “Duma Key,” is set in a fictitious seaside community. The setting is based on the King winter home in Casey Key, a Florida Gulf Coast barrier island. “[It’s Casey Key] if it didn’t have any houses,” he told The Voice.
Famous chef to flip burgers on the Hill
The Hill is about to acquire a high-profile commuter chef -- TV cooking star Spike Mendelsohn. The 27-year-old Spike will shuttle between Manhattan’s Mai House and "The Avenue's" Good Stuff Eatery, an upscale burger shop due to arrive this spring. You’ll find it at 303 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, the former home of Pulp on the Hill. And Spike still finds time to compete on BRAVO TV’s “Top Chef: Chicago.”
Though he creates fancy dishes for Top Chef’s ultracritical judges, Spike was inspired to create a down-home place for patrons to enjoy nostalgia with American favorites crafted from local ingredients. His menu will offer an array of handcrafted burgers, spicy fries, iceberg wedge salads and homemade ice cream and milkshakes.
“We wanted people to feel good about eating burgers, fries and milkshakes,” said the Canadian-born Mendelsohn, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. “Unfortunately, thinking burgers are unhealthy is a misconception made by the fast-food industry. Burgers can be healthy with proper ingredients and cooking techniques.”
A family affair, Good Stuff is co-owned by Spike’s parents Harvey and Cathy Mendelsohn, who relocated from Florida to join their son and daughter, Micheline Luhn, a five-year Hill resident. Good Stuff’s interior --which seats 80 to 100 -- is designed by Spike’s cousin Bess Pappas, a designer from Montreal.
Spike is not forsaking Mai House, located in Manhattan’s trendy TriBeCa neighborhood. “I have great people there, and my family is here in D.C.,” he said. “But I will spend lots of hours on the train between here and New York. It’s working out. ... It’s good to work with my family.”
Added proud mom, Cathy Mendelsohn, “Neighborhood response has been fantastic and we're not even open yet."
Hill and Southwest finalists for RAMMYS
More local restaurants are making waves. At a jampacked gathering March 25 at the Ritz-Carlton Washington, D.C., The Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington announced finalists for RAMMY awards. In our neighborhood, they are:
• Neighborhood Gathering Place of the Year: Belga Cafe, 514 8th St. SE;
• Power Spot of the Year: Bistro Bis, Hotel George, 15 E St. NW;
• Charlie Palmer Steak, 101 Constitution Ave. NW; Monocle on Capitol Hill, 107 D St. NE;
• Chef of the Year: Eric Ziebold, CityZen, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 1330 Maryland Ave. SW.
Anyone can vote online at ramw.org or on a ballot in the May 18 issue of Washington Post Magazine. Winners will be announced June 29 at the annual RAMMY Awards Gala at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel.
Harris Teeter to open May 13
Looks like our neighborhood will be getting two Harris Teeter supermarkets.
The Voice already reported that there is a 50,000-square-foot grocery store slated for 2010 at 1st and M streets NE (Constitution Square). And, finally, the long-awaited Harris Teeter will open May 13 in the Jenkins Row complex at 1379 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. Company spokesperson Jennifer Panetta even provided an exact time: 5:30 p.m.
MaDiVa Winds rescheduled
MaDiVa Winds (flute, clarinet, oboe and piano) will perform a rescheduled concert April 29 at the Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church at 8 p.m. The program was originally planned for Feb. 12 but was postponed due to bad weather. The evening will include the music of Johannes Brahms, Camille Saint-Saens. Twenty-five percent of the proceeds will go to Capitol Hill Village, the Hill’s aging-in-place program. Call Nan Raphael at 202-546-1587.
Acrylics to come to Park Café
Capitol Hill painter and glass artist Nancy Donnelly will have a solo show at the Park Cafe, 106 13th St. SE (off Lincoln Park). Featuring mostly acrylics, the show will open May 4 with a reception from 5 to 6 p.m. Call 202-543-0184.
Spring fling at Frager’s
Coming up on Saturday, Frager’s Hardware will host its Spring Convention at the Old Naval Hospital, 921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. Doors will open at 8:30 a.m.
From 9 a.m. to noon, Jeff Price of Virginia Lime Works will present the history of lime since ancient Egypt. His talk is recommended for people restoring homes built before 1920.
From noon to 1 p.m., Derek Thomas of Thomas Landscapes will offer spring gardening ideas. After that, Charles Hudman of Surroundings -- the flower shop and landscaping business relocating to the northwest corner of Lincoln Park -- will showcase floral designs.
There will be light refreshments, along with a raffle drawing, at noon. Call 202-543-6157.
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Posted on Apr 20, 2008 14:32pm.
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