Arts & Entertainment
Best of the bounty
Cooking show in D.C. this weekend among local foodie must-sees
Cooking sensation Paula Deen will be in Washington this weekend for a show at the Convention Center. (Photo courtesy of Paula Deen)
Rustico’s (4075 Wilson Blvd, Arlington) new location gives chain-clogged Ballston a big boost, offering seasonal, hearth-cooked New American fare designed to complement its major forte, beer – expect 400 craft and imported bottles, 40 drafts and three casks (much of it available in 4 ounce tasting pours); the handsome, earth-toned digs are sexily lit and comfortably configured, with a dining room overlooking a courtyard and fountain, communal tables and a massive bar with street-scene views, not to mention a lovely, candlelit private-dining space.
There will be a new Barracks Row eatery called DC-3, named after the passenger plane that popularized “Discover America” air travel. The latest project from the Matchbox and Ted’s Bulletin crew, the restaurant will feature a stainless-steel counter resembling an airplane wing, which will dispense regional, charcoal-grilled hot dogs, while a huge wall map pinpoints the origin of menu choices like Maine’s Red Snapper, the Cincinnati Cheese Coney, the New Jersey deep-fried Ripper, the Tucson Sonoran Dog and, of course, the D.C. Half-Smoke. Cotton candy will be spun on the spot and soft-serve ice cream with old-timey toppings will help take customers back to simpler times. Expect it to open in a few weeks (423 Eighth St. S.E.).
Chef Frank Ruta – whose French- and Italian-influenced cooking at New American Palena in Cleveland Park wows diners – is in the middle of an extensive renovation project that will increase the dining area by half. The light-filled taupe dining room – with its original 1920 terrazzo floor newly gleaming – will be devoted to the chef’s value priced bistro menu. Guests can pass the time at the bar by trying to find oysters embedded in its Jerusalem blue marble top. Best of all, according to Ruta, is his new kitchen featuring an imported wood-burning oven, which allowed him to develop new dishes. There’s also a wood-burning grill destined to elevate hamburgers that many already consider the best in town.
Ruta hopes to open the annex by mid-November. Later this year, he will debut a small retail operation for takeaway breakfast and market items. The intimate fine-dining room in the original space will continue to serve prix fixe and tasting menus, while the original bistro space will remain dedicated to the newly expanded menu.
One restaurant named for a fruit leads to another for Persimmon’s chef-owner Damian Salvatore, whose neighborhood-oriented Wild Tomato will soon be serving pizza, salads and moderately priced American entrees to the Potomac food crowd. Big front windows, buttery yellow walls, a sage-colored stone bar and mahogany butcher-block tables, along with food-focused artwork, will create an attractive ambiance for casual dining and informal get-togethers over cocktails, craft beers and wines (7945 MacArthur Blvd.).
If you watch Food Network, chances are you’ve seen a competition show about restaurants on wheels. CapMac, a roving pastaria, will be hitting D.C. streets in the next few weeks, serving signature mac ‘n’ pimento cheese, chicken Parmesan meatballs and ziti, and whole-wheat noodles with beans and seasonal vegetables, along with hearty soups and desserts. It’s the brainchild of chef Brian Arnoff, who brings talents honed at Bourbon Steak and Boston’s Sportello to the burgeoning local food-truck scene. Arnoff says he was inspired by the macaroni stands that once lined the streets of New York’s Little Italy to make authentic and affordable fresh food.
The general public can take a weekend to splurge and let out its collective belts at the 2010 Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show, happening Saturday and Sunday at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. More than 300 specialty food, beer and wine sellers, caterers and party planners will be exhibiting and many will offer samples for grazing. Local talents will join celebrity chefs Bobby Flay, Paula Deen and Rachael Ray for food demos. There will be a separate beer, wine and spirits tasting pavilion, a sit-down wine dinner with “Top Chef” finalist Carla Hall, workshops and an area for the kids. General admission (which lets you cruise the exhibits and some demonstrations) is $25 per person ($13 per child 4–12) with additional charges for other features (801 Mount Vernon Pl. N.W.; Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.).
Theater
‘We Are Gathered’ a powerful contemplation of queer equality
Arena production dives fearlessly into many facets of same-sex connection
‘We Are Gathered’
Through June 15
Arena Stage
1101 Sixth St., S.W.
$70-$110
Arenastage.org
Aptly billed as a queer love story, Tarell Alvin McCraney’s terrific new play “We Are Gathered” (now at Arena Stage) dives deeply and fearlessly into the many facets of a same-sex connection and all that goes with it.
McCraney’s tale of two gay men’s romance unfolds entertainingly over two acts. Wallace Tre (Kyle Beltran), a tense architect, and his younger partner Free (Nic Ashe), a campy and fun-loving musician with a deep sense of quiet and peace are contemplating marriage after five years together, but one of the two isn’t entirely comfortable with the idea of imminent matrimony.
At 14, Wallace Tre (nicknamed Dubs) first learned about gay cruising via renowned British playwright Caryl Churchill’s seminal work “Cloud Nine.” It was an intoxicating introduction that led Dubs to an exciting world of sex and risk.
Soon after, a nearby park became a thrilling constant in his life. It remains a source of excitement, fun, danger, and fulfillment. The local cruising zone is also a constant in McCraney’s play.
One memorable evening, Dubs experienced a special night in the woods, a shadowy hour filled with exhilaration and surprise. That’s when Dubs unpredictably learned something he’d never felt before. That night in the park, he met and fell madly in love with Free.
In addition to being a talented playwright, McCraney is the Academy Award-winning Black and queer screenwriter of “Moonlight,” the 2016 film. He’s happy to be a part of WorldPride 2025, and grateful to Arena for making space for his play on its stage. McCraney says he wrote “We Are Gathered” as a contemplation of queer marriage and the right for same-sex couples, like opposite-sex couples, to marry anywhere in the United States.
For Dubs, it’s important that Free speak openly about how they met in the park. He’d like Free to share the details of their coming together with his supportive grandparents, Pop Pop (Craig Wallace) and Mama Jae (out actor Jade Jones). As far as they know, their grandson met Dubs at a lovely gathering with a nice crowd assembled under a swanky canopy. When in truth it was a park busy with horny guys cruising beneath a canopy of leafy verdure.
Understandably, Free is more than a tad embarrassed to reveal that he enjoyed al fresco sex with Dubs prior to knowing his boyfriend’s name. Clearly, in retrospect, both feel that their initial meeting is a source of discomfort, tinged with awkwardness.
There is a lot more to “We Are Gathered” than cruising. Dubs and Free are ardently liked by friends and family. Both are attractive and smart. Yet, they’re different. Free is quite easy going while Dubs is, at times, pricklier.
While Free is part of a happy family, Dubs’s people aren’t entirely easy. He grew up with a strung-out mother and a cold father (Kevin Mambo). Yet, his sister Punkin (Nikolle Salter), an astronaut, is very caring and close to him. While she doesn’t necessarily like “the gay stuff,” she very much wants to live in a world where there’s room for her gay brother.
Adeptly directed by Kent Gash, the production is memorable, and it’s not his first collaboration with McCraney. Ten years ago, Gash, who’s Black and queer, staged McCraney’s “Choir Boys” at Studio Theatre, another well-written and finely staged work.
“We Are Gathered” is performed in the round in Arena’s cavernous Fichandler Stage. The space is both a forest and various rooms created by designer Jason Sherwood and lighting designer Adam Honoré. It’s a world created by elevating a circular platform surrounded by charming street lamps both hanging overhead and lining the perimeter.
Ultimately, what takes place in “We Are Gathered” is a party, and something even more; it’s a paean to marriage, and a call to a sacrament.
Out & About
Justice-centered theater production comes to D.C.
Mexican Cultural Institute to host ‘La Golondrina’
The Mexican Cultural Institute will host “La Golondrina” on Friday, June 6 at 7:30 p.m. at its location on 2829 16th St. NW.
“La Golondrina” is a theater production that aims to elevate the conversation around hate crimes and the urgent need for dialogue and healing. It is also a powerful and deeply moving story that brings to the stage the emotional legacy of the Pulse nightclub shooting. The play explores that tragedy through an intimate encounter between two characters, Amelia (Luz Nicolás) and Ramón (Victor), whose connection unveils grief, love, and the enduring shadow of homophobia.
Tickets for this event are available on the Cultural Institute’s website.
Out & About
Celebrate Pride with a thoughtful book club
Second edition of ‘Books and Wine’ held at Urban Grape DC
Meet the World Image Solutions will host the second edition of “Books and Wine” on Thursday, June 5 at 5:30 p.m. at Urban Grape DC, a Black- and woman-owned winery in Washington, D.C.
The featured authors are: Beautiful Lawson, Chanele Ramos, and Pamela Coleman. All will read from works that reflect love, resilience, and queer identity across genres. For more details, visit Eventbrite.
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