Arts & Entertainment
Best of Gay D.C. XIII: Community
Winners from the Blade’s readers poll
To see the winners of the Washington Blade’s Best of Gay D.C. readers poll in other categories, click here.
Best House of Worship
Foundry United Methodist Church
1500 16th St., N.W.
202-332-4010
Runner-up: Metropolitan Community Church of Washington
Best Home Furnishings
Miss Pixies Furnishings & Whatnot
1626 14th St., N.W.
202-232-8171
Runner-up: Room & Board
Best Hotel
W Hotel
515 15th St., N.W.
202-661-2400
Runner-up: Hotel Palomar
Best Art Gallery
Winner: Phillips Collection
1600 21st St., N.W.
202-387-2151
Runner-up: Corcoran
Best Non-Profit
Whitman-Walker Health
1701 14th St. N.W.
2301 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. S.E.
202-745-7000
Runner-up: SMYAL
Best Salon/Spa
Bang Salon
1612 U St., N.W.
202-299-0925
Runner-up: Logan 14 Aveda
Best Fitness or Workout Spot
Vida Fitness
Locations vary
Runner-up: CrossFit DC
Best Theater
Kennedy Center
2700 F St. N.W.
800-444-1324
Runner-up: Studio Theatre
Best Theater Production
“Avenue Q” (Olney Theatre )
Runner-up: “The Lion King” – Kennedy Center
Often described as Sesame Street meets “Rent,” “Avenue Q” is an angsty, coming-of-age comedy set on a city block inhabited by slutty, shy, straight, gay, and monstrous Muppet-like puppets, and the grown up child actor Gary Coleman imagined as building super. Olney’s terrific take on the delightfully raunchy Tony Award-winning musical was helmed by out artistic director Jason Loewith and featured a top notch cast including Sam Ludwig, Rachel Zampelli, and Stephen Gregory Smith. (PF)
Olney Theatre Center
2001 Olney Sandy Spring Rd.
Olney, Md. 20832
Best LGBT Sports Team
Washington Generals D.C. Gay Flag Football League
Runner-up: D.C. Front Runners
Washington Generals, part of the D.C. Gay Flag Football League, made it to the Gay Bowl last year. They lost the championship but the team was welcomed back to this year’s Gay Bowl. The team includes both straight and gay members. (MC)
Best LGBT-owned Business
EatWell Restaurants
Runner-up: City Dogs Daycare
EatWell is a restaurant management company committed to providing quality food and exciting environments. The company owns and operates a private farm in La Plata, Md., that provides produce for the company’s five restaurants: Commissary, Grillfish, The Heights, Logan Tavern and The Pig. (SMH)
Eat Well Restaurants
202-332-3710
Best Comedy Club
D.C. Improv
1140 Connecticut Ave., N.W.
202-296-7008
Runner-up: Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse
Best Rehoboth Business
Purple Parrot
Runner-up: Blue Moon
It’s not easy to sustain bar and restaurant success over more than 15 years, but Purple Parrot owners Hugh Fuller and Troy Roberts have managed to do just that by continually reinventing the space and improving on an already good thing. Last year brought a smart renovation of the front bar. The newer Biergarten in back has grown more popular over the past couple years, with standing-room-only crowds in summer. In addition to the food and drinks, there’s entertainment, including drag shows, karaoke and performances during Jazz Fest Weekend and other special events. Jamie Romano and the rest of the staff work hard to keep customers happy and coming back year-round. (KN)
Purple Parrot
134 Rehoboth Ave.
302-226-1139
Best LGBT Social Group
Stonewall Sports
Runner-up: NOVA Pride
Stonewall Sports, an LGBT and ally sports organization, does more than just play. In addition to its leagues, which include bocce and kickball, Stonewall Sports also gives to charities like the DC Center and SMYAL. (MC)
Stonewallsports.leagueapps.com
Best Pet Business
City Dogs Daycare
Runner-up: City Paws Animal Hospital
Located between Dupont Circle and Adams Morgan, City Dogs Daycare provides daycare, boarding, training, and grooming for all dogs over 10 lbs. Staff keep the dogs in their care constantly engaged. Grooming services are new for City Dogs and began earlier this month. (SMH)
City Dogs Daycare
1832 18th Street, N.W.
202-234-WAGS
a&e features
Eastern Shore chef named James Beard Finalist
Harley Peet creates inventive food in an inclusive space
In a small Eastern Shore town filled with boutiques, galleries, and the occasional cry of waterfowl from the Chesapeake, Chef Harley Peet is most at home. In his Viennese-inflected, Maryland-sourced fine-dining destination Bas Rouge, Peet draws from his Northern Michigan upbringing, Culinary Institute of America education, and identity as a gay man, for inspiration.
And recently, Peet was named a James Beard Finalist for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic – the first “Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic” finalist representing the Eastern Shore.
Peet, after graduation from the Culinary Institute of America, took a position as sous chef at Tilghman Island Inn, not far from Bas Rouge. Falling in love with the Eastern Shore, he continued his passion for racing sailboats, boating, gardening, and fishing, and living his somewhat pastoral life as he opened Bas Rouge in 2016 as head chef, a restaurant part of the Bluepoint Hospitality group, which runs more than a dozen concepts in and around Easton, Md.
Coming from a rural area and being gay, Peet knew he had his work cut out for him. He was always aware that the service and hospitality industry “can be down and dirty and rough.”
Now as a leader in the kitchen, he aims to “set a good example, and treat people how I want to be treated. I also want to make sure if you’re at our establishment, I’m the first to stand up and say something.”
The Bas Rouge cuisine, he says, is Contemporary European. “I’m inspired by old-world techniques of countries like Austria, Germany, and France, but I love putting a new spin on classic dishes and finding innovative ways to incorporate the bounty of local Chesapeake ingredients.”
His proudest dish: the humble-yet-elevated Wiener Schnitzel. “It is authentic to what one would expect to find in Vienna, down to the Lingonberries.” From his in-house bakery, Peet dries and grinds the housemade Kaiser-Semmel bread to use as the breadcrumbs.
Peet works to support the LGBTQ community inside and outside of the kitchen. “I love that our Bluepoint Hospitality team has created welcoming spaces where our patrons feel comfortable dining at each of our establishments. Our staff have a genuine respect for one another and work together free of judgment.”
Representing Bluepoint, Peet has participated in events like Chefs for Equality with the Human Rights Campaign, advocating for LGBTQ rights.
At Bas Rouge, Peet brings together his passion for inclusion steeped in a sustainability ethic. He sees environmental stewardship as a way of life. Peet and his husband have lived and worked on their own organic farm for several years. Through research in Europe, he learned about international marine sourcing. Witnessing the impacts of overfishing, Peet considers his own role in promoting eco-friendly practices at Bas Rouge. To that end, he ensures responsible sourcing commitments through his purveyors, relationships that have helped create significant change in how people dine in Easton.
“I have built great relationships in the community and there’s nothing better than one of our long-standing purveyors stopping in with a cooler of fresh fish from the Chesapeake Bay. This goes especially for catching and plating the invasive blue catfish species, which helps control the species’ threat to the local ecosystem.
Through his kitchen exploits, Peet expressed a unique connection to another gay icon in a rural fine-dining restaurant: Patrick O’Connell, of three Michelin starred Inn at Little Washington. In fact, Peet’s husband helped design some of O’Connell’s kitchen spaces. They’ve both been able to navigate treacherous restaurant-industry waters, and have come out triumphant and celebrated. Of O’Connell, Peet says that he “sees [his restaurants] as canvas, all artistry, he sees this as every night is a show.” But at the same time, his “judgment-free space makes him a role model.”
Being in Easton itself is not without challenges. Sourcing is a challenge, having to either fly or ship in ingredients, whereas urban restaurants have the benefit of trucking, he says. The small town “is romantic and charming,” but logistics are difficult – one of the reasons that Peet ensures his team is diverse, building in different viewpoints, and also “making things a hell of a lot more fun.”
Reflecting on challenges and finding (and creating) space on the Eastern Shore, Peet confirmed how important it was to surround himself with people who set a good example, and “if you don’t like the way something is going … move on.”
Team DC, the umbrella organization for LGBTQ-friendly sports teams and leagues in the D.C. area, held its annual Night of Champions Awards Gala on Saturday, April 20 at the Hilton National Mall. The organization gave out scholarships to area LGBTQ student athletes as well as awards to the Different Drummers, Kelly Laczko of Duplex Diner, Stacy Smith of the Edmund Burke School, Bryan Frank of Triout, JC Adams of DCG Basketball and the DC Gay Flag Football League.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
The 2024 National Cannabis Festival was held at the Fields at RFK Stadium on April 19-20.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Covering the @NatlCannaFest at RFK Stadium for @WashBlade . Stop by the LGBTQ+ booth and pick up a paper if you are here. pic.twitter.com/is7hnsaPns
— Michael Patrick Key (@MichaelKeyWB) April 20, 2024
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