Arts & Entertainment
Love thy neighbor
Creepy new mystery catches speed after difficult intro
The crime rate was just too much.
Oh, it wasn’t anything violent. Nobody got killed, it was nothing like that. But petty thefts happened too often in your area and minor vandalism was on the rise, so your neighbors organized a Crime Watch. Just thinking they’re being seen has chased away a lot of mischief makers and you feel safer.
(Image courtesy Viking)
Keeping an eye on your neighbor’s house is a courtesy as old as civilization. But in the new book “Thy Neighbor” by Norah Vincent, one man takes “neighborhood watch” a bit too far.
There was something particularly loathsome about Dave.
Nick Walsh could barely bring himself to call Dave a friend. Dave was more like a parasite, acting like he cared after Nick’s parents’ murder-suicide when he only cared about himself.
That’s why Dave was the first of Nick’s spying projects.
After all, what else did Nick have to do but watch his neighbors? Avoid ghosts that skulked around the house, out-of-sight but not out of smell? Yeah, Nick was sure he could smell his parents, 13 years after their deaths.
It was easy to spy on Dave: Nick bought a kit from the Yellow Pages, installed cameras in a DVD player and made it a present. Spying allowed him to verify that Dave was a fat jerk.
The next victim was Dorris, the divorcee across the road. She and her ex had some explosive fights. It was no wonder he left her.
Then there was the Gruber family. Nick felt sorry for the wife and boys, especially the youngest one. His dad was some piece of work.
The only person Nick didn’t watch was Mrs. Bloom, who’d lost her daughter and granddaughter. She was harmless. He felt a strange kinship with her.
So between monitoring the neighbors, drinking down at the Swan and spending time with Monica, a woman he’d met there, Nick’s pathetic little life was full.
And then the pink notepaper started appearing in his mailbox.
Someone was sending him poetry, written in his handwriting but it wasn’t anything he’d ever penned.
Somebody was playing games. Suddenly, Nick knew he had to watch himself.
Not quite a thriller, not exactly a mystery, “Thy Neighbor” turns out to be a little of both, and a twist.
With his sardonic words and deep self-loathing, it’s obvious that author Norah Vincent’s main protagonist, Nick, is damaged. I got that, but I didn’t get much else from this book for several pages in. There are a lot of drink-hazy scenes, dialogue that goes in circles and confusion that made it hard to stay focused.
But then Vincent lets us see what Nick is seeing. When that happens, it’s hard to look away and it’s hard to feel sorry for Nick anymore. That he’s a voyeur becomes as reprehensible as what he sees and what happens is a big surprise.
Ultimately, I liked this book enough, even if it was hard to get into. If you can deal with that and some harsh language, then missing “Thy Neighbor” could be a crime.
The fourth annual Equality Prince William Pride was held at the Harris Pavilion in Manassas, Va. on Saturday, May 17.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
The Washington Blade held its 18th annual Summer Kickoff Party in Rehoboth Beach, Del., on Friday, May 16. Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer spoke along with State Sen. Russ Huxtable, CAMP Rehoboth Executive Director Kim Leisey, Blade Editor Kevin Naff, and Clear Space Theatre Managing Director Joe Gfaller. The event raises funds for the Steve Elkins Memorial Fellowship in Journalism, which was awarded to AU student Abigail Hatting.
(Washington Blade photos by Daniel Truitt)
In some fowl fiction foreshadowing, a gay-owned chicken joint has come home to roost on U Street, taking a page from the chicken window subplot on the HBO show “Looking.”
Last Friday, Lucky Pollo – much more than just a takeout window – stretched its wings atop the busy nightlife corner of 14th and U Streets NW.
Behind the poultry production place is Zach Renovátes, a D.C.-based nightlife operator and managing partner of LGBTQ venues Bunker and District Eagle, as well as the LGBTQ event production company KINETIC Presents.
Renovátes opened Bunker in February 2023 and District Eagle in January of this year. Lucky Pollo is the third in his growing gay empire, though this time there are noshes.
“Lucky Pollo was meant to be fun and a little provocative,” Renovátes said.
Based around its Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken, Lucky Pollo is a quick-service restaurant boasting a small menu of poultry and sides. Renovátes says that the dishes are deeply rooted in Peruvian culinary tradition, “a playful experience alongside seriously good food.”
Lucky Pollo’s signature chicken is steeped in a dozen-plus-spice marinade for 24 hours. The meat is then slow-roasted, rotisserie-style, over oak-wood charcoal. Chicken options include quarter, half, and whole.
Helming the kitchen at Lucky Pollo is Chef Luis Herrera, who brings Peruvian recipes passed down through three generations, including his grandmother Laura’s original creations.
Beyond the full bird, the menu features Peruvian-inspired sides like yuca fries (“I personally love these,” says Renovátes) and fried plantains, as well as comfort classics such as mac and cheese and mashed potatoes, and bowls, wraps, and salads. Herrera oversees development of the multiple sauces (including staff favorite, the “secret green sauce”), crafted in-house using traditional Peruvian ingredients.
Lucky Pollo, in its streetside perch, is an independent concept from District Eagle, open to the public and staying open late (3 a.m. on weekends) to serve both nightlife guests and the wider U Street crowd hungry for late-night bites. However, just beyond the kitchen, tucked in the back lies a vintage 1950s candy machine—labeled “Out of Order,” which serves as the door leading to subterranean District Eagle.
Renovátes notes that when District Eagle is open, security staff will maintain a strict two-line policy, ensuring that those seeking meat to eat will not get entwined with those looking to gain access to District Eagle.
Lucky Pollo unites the need for sustenance with the idea of a bit of fortune, given its motto, “Get Lucky” and the whimsical brand mascot: a leather-booted chicken perched on a horseshoe. Renovátes and his District Eagle business partner had always been interested in opening a restaurant, and the Lucky Pollo space was indeed lucky: It already came with a functional kitchen. Plus, he says, the nearby fast-casual places around 14th and U streets “don’t offer a lot of quality options,” so opening the chicken spot “was a no-brainer.”
The space, designed by NYC creative Jasin Cadic, blends theatrical street-art-style vibes with Keith Haring-inspired wall prints, neon signs, and ceiling-hung chicken figurines —”some edgy, some sweet,” says Renovátes —creating an immersive, playful atmosphere. Lucky Pollo and District Eagle maintain separate amenities for their respective customers.
Lucky Pollo opened last week with a competition to devour a whole rotisserie chicken in the fastest time, with the winner earning $1,000 and a framed spot on the restaurant’s “Wall of Fame.” The opening also featured other games and prizes, and a full crowd spilling out the door.
“We want it to be a great place to eat, but also serve as a playful front for something completely unexpected.” Renovátes says.
On weekends especially, he jokes, the motto will be, ‘Come for the chicken, stay for the cock.’”
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