Arts & Entertainment
Best of Gay D.C. 2016: COMMUNITY
Blade readers voted for their community favorites
Best Art Gallery
Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
1661 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
Runner-up: The Phillips Collection
Renwick Gallery (Photo public domain)
Best Adult Store
Bite the Fruit
1723 Connecticut Ave., N.W.
Runner-up: Trick Box
Bite the Fruit
Best Car Dealership
BMW of Fairfax
8427 Lee Highway, Fairfax
Runner-up: Audi of Tysons
BMW of Fairfax (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Best Apartment/Condo Building
Atlantic Plumbing
2112 8th St., N.W.
Runner-up: The Shay
Atlantic Plumbing (Photo courtesy Atlantic Plumbing)
Best Doctor/Medical Provider
Ray Martins, Whitman-Walker Health
Runner-up: Dr. Robyn Zeiger
Ray Martins (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Best Fitness or Workout Spot
VIDA Fitness
1517 15th St., N.W.
1612 U St., N.W.
999 9th St., N.W.
(A perennial favorite in this category)
Runner-up: YMCA
VIDA Fitness (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Best Gayborhood
Shaw
Runner-up: Logan Circle
Shaw (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Best Hardware Store
Logan Hardware
Logan Hardware
1734 14th St., N.W.
Runner-up: Annie’s Ace Hardware
Logan Hardware (Washington Blade photo by Antwan J. Thompson)
Best Home Furnishings
Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams
1526 14th St., N.W.
Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams is featured on the 2016 Best of Gay DC cover.
Runner-up: Room & Board
Mitchell Gold, on left, and business partner Bob Williams at their Washington store for an event in 2013. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
Best Home Improvement Service
The Organizing Agency
811 4th St., N.W., Suite1013
(Winner of last year’s Best LGBT-owned Business award)
Runner-up: Hourly Husbands
Organizing Agency founder Scott Roewer (Photo courtesy of the Organizing Agency)
Best Hotel
The W
515 15th St., N.W.
(Second consecutive win in this category)
Runner-up: Donovan House
The W Hotel (Photo courtesy of the W)
Best House of Worship
Empowerment Liberation Cathedral
633 Sligo Ave., Silver Spring
240-720-7605
empowermentliberationcathedral.org
(Second consecutive win in this category)
Runner-up: All Souls Unitarian
Bishop Allyson Abrams of the Empowerment Liberation Cathedral (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Best Lawyer
Peter Glazer
The Glazer Law Firm
Business attorney
Runner-up: Amy Nelson
Peter Glazier (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Best LGBT Social Group
Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington
Runner-up: D.C. Rawhides
The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Best LGBT Support Group
SMYAL
Supporting and Mentoring Youth Advocates and Leaders
410 7th St., S.E.
(Second consecutive win in this category)
Runner-up: HIPS
SMYAL (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Best LGBT Sports League
D.C. Rollergirls
Runner-up: Stonewall Kickball
Teammates on D.C. Rollergirls say the league feels like family.
Founded in 2006, D.C. Rollergirls is centered around the group’s love for roller derby. In addition to games, the team also prides itself on contributing to community service with organizations that promote female empowerment, physical fitness and awareness of issues women, children and families face in the D.C. area.
League president Dawn Sherman, also known by her team nickname Aurora Borey All-Ass, says what makes the team stand out is the diversity of its members.
“We have women from all different walks of life,” Sherman says. “We are an inclusive environment so we have cis-gender women and we are very open to LGBT women. The fact that we all come together for this crazy common sport that we love just makes it amazing.”
Women of all skill levels are welcome on the team especially beginners. JaeLee Waldschmidt, nicknamed Switch Please, says she stepped into the world of roller derby after a friend invited her to a match.
Waldschmidt admits she was clueless and outside her comfort zone.
“My friend was like, ‘You should come watch my team play.’ I was like, ‘Play what?’ ‘Roller derby,’” Waldschmidt says. “I was like, ‘What’s that?’ I watched one of their games and showed up to D.C. Armory like, ‘Where do I get in?’ and my friend was like, ‘The door. You go in through the door.’”
After attending roller derby boot camp Waldschmidt found herself competing on the team.
She encourages other women interested in trying something new to do the same. Try out sessions are open to anyone regardless of experience level. Each Sunday the team has a roller derby boot camp where anybody, with the appropriate safety gear, can learn the fundamentals of roller derby. The next try out date is Sunday, Oct. 23 at the DCRG Warehouse (5706 LaFayette Pl., Hyattsville, Md.) from 12:30-3:30 p.m. The team consists of about 40 players, including dozens of volunteers, beginner boot campers and retired derby members who still like to stay connected.
Another big part of being a D.C. Rollergirls team member is picking a nickname that suits you.
For Sherman the name was all about who she was as a person.
“I wanted to find something that kind of gave people a little glimpse into my life,” Sherman says. “My quirky sci-fi side. Kind of just being a general science geek and my physique. So my name is Aurora Borey All-Ass and that kind of encompasses all those things.”
Waldschmidt chose her name Switch Please, from the character Switch from “The Matrix.”
Feeling comfortable to share parts of themselves with their team is the best part about the league, Waldschmidt says.
“Being a trans woman, it’s kind of hard in this world trying to find a place that accepts you for who you are,” Waldschmidt says. “I mean there are pockets here and there but roller derby was like ‘Alright, cool.’ It was a really empowering opportunity to be authentic and not have to try to conform to people’s expectations of what a man or woman is, to be myself.” (Mariah Cooper)
D.C. Rollergirls (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Best LGBT-Owned Business
Capital Center for Psychotherapy and Wellness
1330 U St., N.W.
Runner-up: Town, Number Nine and Trade
Gregory Jones of Capital Area (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Most LGBT-Friendly Workplace
Human Rights Campaign
1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.
Runner-up: Whitman-Walker Health
Human Rights Campaign (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Best Non-Profit
Whitman-Walker Health
Runner-up: Capital Pride
Whitman Walker Health at the Walk to End HIV (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Best Pet Business
Metro Mutts
508 H St., N.E.
Runner-up: City Dogs
Best Place to Buy Second-Hand Stuff
Miss Pixie’s Furnishings and Whatnot
1626 14th St., N.W.
Runner-up: Buffalo Exchange
Miss Pixie’s (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Best Place to Take the Kids
Smithsonian’s National Zoo
3001 Connecticut Ave., N.W.
(Second consecutive win in this category)
Runner-up: Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum
(Photo courtesy of the National Zoo)
Best Rehoboth Business
Blue Moon
35 Baltimore Ave.
Rehoboth Beach, Del.
bluemoonrehoboth.com
(Also won Best Rehoboth Bar)
Runner-up: Purple Parrot
Blue Moon (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Best Salon/Spa
Logan 14 Aveda Salon & Spa
1314 14th St., N.W.
(Second consecutive win in this category)
Runner-up: Salon Quency
Michael Hodges of Logan 14 Aveda (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Best Reason to Go to Baltimore
National Aquarium
501 E. Pratt St., Baltimore
(Second consecutive win in this category)
National Aquarium in Baltimore (Photo public domain)
Best Theater
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
2700 F St., N.W.
(Second consecutive win in this category)
Runner-up: Arena Stage
The Kennedy Center (Photo by Steve via Wikimedia Commons)
Best Theater Production
“Kinky Boots” (Kennedy Center)
Runner-up: “La Cage Aux Folles” (Signature Theatre)
(Photo courtesy Kennedy Center)
Best Vet
CityPaws Animal Hospital
1823 14th St., N.W.
(Second consecutive win in this category)
Runner-up: Union Veterinary Clinic
City Paws (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
To see winners in other categories in the Washington Blade’s Best of Gay D.C. 2016 Awards, click here.
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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