Arts & Entertainment
Calendar: Events through Nov. 15
Parties, concerts, exhibits and more for the coming week
‘Palace of Tears II Revisited,’ by artist Peter Karp, is on display now at Studio Gallery
TODAY (Friday)
The Speakeasy Shorts Film Challenge begins tonight at 7 at the U.S. Navy Memorial Heritage Center (701 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.). The challenge lasts five days to write, shoot and edit a film based on eight local storytellers. Tonight is the first night the filmmakers will be learning which story they are assigned after the storytellers regale the audience. The competition ends Nov. 16 when they reveal their films. Tickets are $20 per show or $30 for both shows if they are purchased online. For more information, visit speakeasydc.com.
The Bethesda Art Walk is this evening from 6-9 p.m. Seven galleries and studios will be participating in the walk: Artworks (7740 Old Georgetown Rd.), Consider it Done (7806 Old Georgetown Rd.), Gallery B (7700 Wisconsin Ave.), Interiors of Washington (7944 Norfolk Ave.), L’Eclat de Verre (7015 Wisconsin Ave.), Upstairs Art Studios (4948 St. Elmo Ave.) and Waverly Street Gallery (4600 East-West Highway). For more information, visit Bethesda.org.
Special Agent Galactica welcomes special guest Barbara Papendorp, French chanteuse and cabaret artist, to her happy hour show at Black Fox Lounge (1723 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) tonight from 6-9. Music includes pieces by Pat Benatar, Judy Garland, Stevie Nicks, Nancy Sinatra and Ray Stevens. Admission is free. For more information, visit pinkhairedone.com.
Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) hosts Bear Happy Hour tonight from 6-11 p.m. This event is for people 21 and older. There is no cover charge. For details, visit towndc.com.
The Bachelor’s Mill (1104 8th St., S.E.) is having its happy hour tonight starting at 5 p.m. All drinks are half off until 7:30 p.m. After 9 p.m., admission is $10. The dance floor opens at 11 with DJ Tim-Nice and DJ Cameron. For details, visit thebachelorsmill.com.
Phase 1 (528 8th St. S.E.) has its weekly dance party with DJ Jay Von Teese tonight starting at 7:30. Cover is $10. For more information, visitphase1dc.com.
Saturday Nov. 10
Studio Gallery (2108 R St., NW) hosts the opening reception for the show “Revisit: The Inconstancy of Being” in honor of Fotoweek DC 2012 today at 4 p.m. Fotoweek D.C. celebrates the art of photography, and the show features 10 prominent photographers. The artists revisited their oldest pieces giving them a more modern twist. For more information, visit studiogallerydc.com.
The opening reception of the exhibition, “A Quiet Field of Surfaces” happens tonight at 6:30 p.m. at Adah Rose Gallery (3766 Howard Ave., Kensington). The show features art by Jessica Drenk and Brie Husted. For more information, visit adahrosegallery.com.
Sunday, Nov. 11
Church of the Holy City’s “Music with the Angels” series, along with the D.C. Chamber Music Players chamber Orchestra, presents a Veterans’ Day Concert this afternoon at 3 p.m. at the Church of the Holy City (1611-16th St., N.W.). For more information, visit churchoftheholycity.org.
Lambda Sci-Fi meets this afternoon at 1:30 p.m. at 1425 S St. N.W. All LGBT science fiction, fantasy and horror fans are invited. For more information visit lambdascifi.org.
Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) holds its weekly Martini Sundays and Homowood Karaoke. Karaoke starts at 10 p.m. and there is no charge for admission. For details, visit cobaltdc.com.
Burgundy Crescent, a gay volunteer organization, volunteers this morning for D.C. Central Kitchen (425 2nd St, NW) at 9 a.m. For more information, visit burgundycrescent.org.
Monday, Nov. 12
Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) hosts its Martini Monday tonight at 10 p.m. There is no cover charge and martinis are $5. For more information, visitcobaltdc.com.
Whitman-Walker Health (1701 14th St., NW) holds its HIV+ Newly Diagnosed Support Group tonight at 7. It’s a confidential support group for anyone recently diagnosed with HIV and the group welcomes all genders and sexual orientations. For details, visit whitman-walker.org.
Tuesday, Nov. 13
Green Lantern (1335 Green Court, N.W.) hosts its Safer Sex Kit-packing program tonight from 7-10:30. The packing program is looking for more volunteers to help produce the kits because they say they are barely keeping up with demand. Admission is free and volunteers can just show up. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.
Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W) hosts its Flashback dance night with DJ Jason Royce starting at 10 p.m. There is no cover charge. For more details, visit cobaltdc.com.
Wednesday, Nov. 14
Big Gay Book Group meets tonight at 7 p.m. at 1155 F St., NW, Suite 200. They will be discussing “Querelle” by Jean Genet. For more information, visit biggaybookgroup.com.
Lambda Bridge Club meets tonight at 7:30 pm at the Dignity Center (721 8th St., SE). Newcomers are welcomed and no reservations are needed. For more information, visit lambdabridge.com.
Whitman-Walker Health (1701 14th St., NW) holds its HIV+ Newly Diagnosed Support Group tonight at 7. It is a confidential support group for anyone recently diagnosed with HIV and the group welcomes all genders and sexual orientations. For details, visit whitman-walker.org.
Thursday, Nov. 15
The D.C. Center’s Center Women presents Beaujolais Nouveau, a celebration for the new wine harvest, at Gallery plan b (1530 14th St., NW) tonight from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Beaujolais Nouveau is a newer red wine made in the Beaujolais region of France. It is very popular and is fermented only a few weeks before being released. Tickets start at $15. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.
Whitman-Walker Health (1701 14th St., NW) holds its gay men over 50 support group this evening at 6:30 p.m. The group is for gay men entering a new phase of life. Registration is required to attend. For more information, visit whitman-walker.org.
Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W) is hosting its weekly Best Package Contest tonight at 9 p.m. There is a $3 cover and there are $2 vodka drinks. Participants in the contest can win $200 in cash prizes. The event is hosted by Lena Lett and music by DJ Chord, DJ Madscience, and DJ Sean Morris. For details, visit cobaltdc.com.
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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