DC North | August 2007

Ward 1 News

by: Natasha Abbas

Street Theater Comes To Mount Pleasant To Help Overturn Ban on Live Music
Black and Brown Voices of Home, a collaborative production among DC Writers Corps, GALA Theatre's Paso Nuevo youth program, Theatre Lab and Spoken Resistance, brought political street theater to Mount Pleasant’s Lamont Park July 15. The performance was the final of a three-part Hear Mount Pleasant Art and Action Series to take place over the last two months. The series featured local theater groups including Sol and Soul, as well as local artists including Head Roc, The Evens, Yomamanem and others.

The Art and Action Series has been a component of neighborhood group Hear Mount Pleasant’s campaign to overturn the ban on live music in Mount Pleasant. The July 15 street theater event was cosponsored by Mount Pleasant Main Street, Mount Pleasant Business Association, Sol & Soul, All Ways Mount Pleasant and Community of Christ.

The July 15 event provided a preview to a performance that took place at the Gala Theatre on July 27 and 28 titled “Shout Out: Black and Brown Voices of Home”; it featured black and Latino voices from and around DC speaking of perceptions of home, community, identity and race through bilingual poetry and performance. Co-directors Sage Morgan-Hubbard of Spoken Resistance and Quique Avilas of Paso Nuevo also were guest performers at the Hear Mount Pleasant Art and Action Series event.

Hear Mount Pleasant members say youth and the arts are a key aspect of their mission. “It’s important for groups like Paso Nuevo and Spoken Resistance to be involved in Hear Mount Pleasant because we want to show the creativity of our youth who get portrayed so negatively,” says Athena Viscusi, Mount Pleasant resident and Hear Mount Pleasant member. Through events like the Art and Action Series, Hear Mount Pleasant hopes to call positive attention to the creativity of local youth, says Viscusi.

“[T]hey feed each other’s creativity and want to work together, and they want to be able to stay in this community where they grew up and maybe raise their own kids in this community; we need to fight to make that possible,” says Viscusi.

Both Paso Nuevo (New Step) and Spoken Resistance give local youth a voice through different performance and theatrical mediums, says Sage Morgan-Hubbard, one of the founding members of Spoken Resistance. As she describes, the original concept behind the performance was based around black and brown young people coming together to talk about different views of home, especially as related to DC; other issues include immigration, the changing face of black leadership and relationships affected by drugs.

An important component of the performance is also about the process and of the young people getting to know one another, says Morgan-Hubbard.

About Spoken Resistance’s involvement in the Lamont Park Community Action Series and the campaign to lift the ban on live music in Mount Pleasant establishments, Morgan-Hubbard says groups like Spoken Resistance have always had a voice in the Mount Pleasant and Adams Morgan areas, and a major part of their philosophy is that everyone should have access to the arts.

“Spoken Resistance has always been very passionate about finding ways to allow all community members to experience music, performance, dance and the arts for free,” says Hubbard, noting that arts and social change are intrinsically linked. “Mount Pleasant and Adams Morgan need to have live music and performances because they are cultural hearts of the city, especially in these times of political unrest we need to be able to express ourselves.”

“Paso Nuevo is a youth program, and the intention is to get kids in the community exposed to theater,” says Quique Avilas, the artistic director and workshop leader of Paso Nuevo. “We’re interested in the voices that are emanating and being born out of our own cultural and neighborhood experiences; they are using this process to vent and explore the contradictions and the realities in which they live.”

To learn more about Paso Nuevo, call 202-234-7174, or visit www.galatheatre.org. To learn more about Spoken Resistance, call 202-526-4417, or visit www.solysoul.com.

Three New Restaurants Open in Columbia Heights
Three new locally-owned restaurants have opened for business in Columbia Heights within the last month. Here is a sampling of the newest restaurants and what they have to offer.

11th Street Deli
3234 11th St. NW
202-234-7020
Janine Cumberlander and business partner Brad Hudson recently opened the 11th Street Deli at the corner of Lamont and 11th streets in the location formerly known as Franklin’s Café.

“We are trying to become a family and community café for Columbia Heights and give patrons and neighborhood small businesses a variety of places to eat,” says Cumberlander.

Eleventh Street Deli is not a typical carryout, adds Cumberlander, who says patrons can find freshly-made salads, pasta dinners, grilled burgers and hearty sandwiches made to order. Breakfast lovers will be pleased to know that breakfast is served all day on Saturdays and Sundays. The deli’s fresh smoothies, hand-dipped ice cream and milkshakes provide a welcome treat in the DC summer heat.

“We are trying to give new community members as well as old timers a place to sit down, enjoy your food, and socialize with your neighbors,” says Cumberlander, adding with enthusiasm that newly finished outdoor patio seating is available, and the deli is dog-friendly.

Closed on Mondays, 11th Street Deli is currently open every other day from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and will soon extend its hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The Heights
3115 14th St. NW
202-797-7227, www.theheightsdc.com
DC restaurateur David Winer recently opened his newest establishment, The Heights, at 14th and Kenyon streets NW in the ground floor of the new Kenyon Square condominium building. The Heights is part of Winer’s EatWell DC restaurant group, which includes Logan Tavern and Merkado on P Street, as well as Grillfish in Dupont Circle. “We are excited to be in Columbia Heights,” says Rhianna Ortiz, manager of The Heights. “It’s an upcoming area, and there’s not a whole lot around right now, and we feel like we are filling an important niche.”

The Heights currently serves dinner from 5 p.m. until 10:30 p.m. on weekdays and is open on weekends from 11 a.m. until midnight. The Heights will also be opening for weekday lunch hours beginning in the fall, says Ortiz. The Heights has taken many of its recipes from the popular Logan Tavern, says Ortiz, who describes that restaurant-goers can find a variety of American food such as fried chicken, meatloaf and also fish and vegetarian dishes. “Everyone can find something that appeals to them,” says Ortiz.

With its cozy upscale décor, a wide variety of fare, televisions at the bar, and 22-table outdoor patio seating area, The Heights is hoping to become a local hangout for Columbia Heights.

Red Rocks
1036 Park Road NW
202-506-1402
Red Rocks, with an oven imported directly from Italy, is a unique new addition to the Columbia Heights neighborhood with its specialty brick oven Neapolitan style pizza. “Our goal is to make this a local destination for people in the neighborhood,” says owner James O’Brien, who previously owned Staccato restaurant and bar in Adams Morgan. Red Rocks’ menu includes salads, bruschetta, shrimp and panini sandwiches and its specialty: brick oven pizza. Red Rocks features entrées such as fish of the day, meatballs and marinara, and polenta dishes. For those looking to relax for a while, Red Rocks has an extensive beer selection including Belgian beer on tap.

Located in a corner rowhouse with terracotta tile roofing, exposed brick, and hardwood floors, and the scent of pizza wafting from the wood-fired brick oven, Red Rocks provides a warm and inviting atmosphere. O’Brien is also hoping that Red Rocks’ wrap-around outdoor patio provides a unique appeal for neighborhood residents. “We’re just trying to be really supportive of people in the community,” says O’Brien who adds that Columbia Heights residents have been very welcoming to a new business on the block. Red Rocks is currently open from 5 p.m. to midnight, Tue-Thu; 5 p.m. to 1 a.m., Friday; 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday; and 11 a.m. to midnight, Sunday.

Ward 1 News Briefs

ANC 1A – Columbia Heights, Pleasant Plains
At the August monthly meeting, ANC 1A commissioners voted to support an application for a special zoning ordinance from Family Place, reports Commissioner Alex Hogan. Commissioners also approved a grant for local group PRYDE.

ANC 1C – Adams Morgan, Kalorama Heights, Lanier Heights
Commissioners discussed neighborhood issues about rodents, and a meeting was held with Girard Brown of the Department of Health’s Rodent Control Division, reports Commissioner Nancy Shia. A community meeting was also held with Allen Lew, director of the newly created Office of Public Education Facilities Modernization, to discuss renovations of HD Cooke Elementary, reports Commissioner Shia, who adds that no developments have taken place since the June 7 groundbreaking.

ANC 1D – Mount Pleasant
Commissioners voted in support of Mount Pleasant merchants wishing to overthrow their voluntary agreements to be replaced by responsible hospitality institute models that would entail cooperation between merchants and a wide variety of civic groups, reports Commissioner Gregg Edwards. ANC 1D also passed a resolution in support of neighborhood residents in dispute with the Historic Preservation Office; and commissioners extensively discussed an undergoing transportation study restructuring traffic patterns in Mount Pleasant. Commissioner Edwards also reports that ANC Commissioners had contacted the mayor and Department of Parks and Recreation regarding concerns over lack of neighborhood recreational facility due to the transfer of an existing recreational facility to a local school but had not yet received a response.


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Ward 1 News

by: Natasha Abbas
Street Theater Comes To Mount Pleasant To Help Overturn Ban on Live Music Black and Brown Voices of Home, a collaborative production among DC Writers Corps, GALA Theatre's Paso Nuevo youth program, Theatre Lab and Spoken Resistance, brought political street theater to Mount Pleasant’s Lamont Park July 15. The performance was the final of a three-part Hear Mount Pleasant Art and Action Series to take place over the last two months. The series featured local theater groups including Sol and Soul, as well as local artists including Head Roc, The Evens, Yomamanem and others. The Art and Action Series has been a component of neighborhood group Hear Mount Pleasant’s campaign to overturn the ban on live music in Mount Pleasant. The July 15 street theater event was cosponsored by Mount Pleasant Main Street, Mount Pleasant Business Association, Sol & Soul, All Ways Mount Pleasant and Community of Christ. The July 15 event provided a preview to a performance that took place at the Gala Theatre on July 27 and 28 titled “Shout Out: Black and Brown Voices of Home”; it featured black and Latino voices from and around DC speaking of perceptions of home, community, identity and race through bilingual poetry and performance. Co-directors Sage Morgan-Hubbard of Spoken Resistance and Quique Avilas of Paso Nuevo also were guest performers at the Hear Mount Pleasant Art and Action Series event. Hear Mount Pleasant members say youth and the arts are a key aspect of their mission. “It’s important for groups like Paso Nuevo and Spoken Resistance to be involved in Hear Mount Pleasant because we want to show the creativity of our youth who get portrayed so negatively,” says Athena Viscusi, Mount Pleasant resident and Hear Mount Pleasant member. Through events like the Art and Action Series, Hear Mount Pleasant hopes to call positive attention to the creativity of local youth, says Viscusi. “[T]hey feed each other’s creativity and want to work together, and they want to be able to stay in this community where they grew up and maybe raise their own kids in this community; we need to fight to make that possible,” says Viscusi. Both Paso Nuevo (New Step) and Spoken Resistance give local youth a voice through different performance and theatrical mediums, says Sage Morgan-Hubbard, one of the founding members of Spoken Resistance. As she describes, the original concept behind the performance was based around black and brown young people coming together to talk about different views of home, especially as related to DC; other issues include immigration, the changing face of black leadership and relationships affected by drugs. An important component of the performance is also about the process and of the young people getting to know one another, says Morgan-Hubbard. About Spoken Resistance’s involvement in the Lamont Park Community Action Series and the campaign to lift the ban on live music in Mount Pleasant establishments, Morgan-Hubbard says groups like Spoken Resistance have always had a voice in the Mount Pleasant and Adams Morgan areas, and a major part of their philosophy is that everyone should have access to the arts. “Spoken Resistance has always been very passionate about finding ways to allow all community members to experience music, performance, dance and the arts for free,” says Hubbard, noting that arts and social change are intrinsically linked. “Mount Pleasant and Adams Morgan need to have live music and performances because they are cultural hearts of the city, especially in these times of political unrest we need to be able to express ourselves.” “Paso Nuevo is a youth program, and the intention is to get kids in the community exposed to theater,” says Quique Avilas, the artistic director and workshop leader of Paso Nuevo. “We’re interested in the voices that are emanating and being born out of our own cultural and neighborhood experiences; they are using this process to vent and explore the contradictions and the realities in which they live.” To learn more about Paso Nuevo, call 202-234-7174, or visit www.galatheatre.org. To learn more about Spoken Resistance, call 202-526-4417, or visit www.solysoul.com. Three New Restaurants Open in Columbia Heights Three new locally-owned restaurants have opened for business in Columbia Heights within the last month. Here is a sampling of the newest restaurants and what they have to offer. 11th Street Deli 3234 11th St. NW 202-234-7020 Janine Cumberlander and business partner Brad Hudson recently opened the 11th Street Deli at the corner of Lamont and 11th streets in the location formerly known as Franklin’s Café. “We are trying to become a family and community café for Columbia Heights and give patrons and neighborhood small businesses a variety of places to eat,” says Cumberlander. Eleventh Street Deli is not a typical carryout, adds Cumberlander, who says patrons can find freshly-made salads, pasta dinners, grilled burgers and hearty sandwiches made to order. Breakfast lovers will be pleased to know that breakfast is served all day on Saturdays and Sundays. The deli’s fresh smoothies, hand-dipped ice cream and milkshakes provide a welcome treat in the DC summer heat. “We are trying to give new community members as well as old timers a place to sit down, enjoy your food, and socialize with your neighbors,” says Cumberlander, adding with enthusiasm that newly finished outdoor patio seating is available, and the deli is dog-friendly. Closed on Mondays, 11th Street Deli is currently open every other day from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and will soon extend its hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Heights 3115 14th St. NW 202-797-7227, www.theheightsdc.com DC restaurateur David Winer recently opened his newest establishment, The Heights, at 14th and Kenyon streets NW in the ground floor of the new Kenyon Square condominium building. The Heights is part of Winer’s EatWell DC restaurant group, which includes Logan Tavern and Merkado on P Street, as well as Grillfish in Dupont Circle. “We are excited to be in Columbia Heights,” says Rhianna Ortiz, manager of The Heights. “It’s an upcoming area, and there’s not a whole lot around right now, and we feel like we are filling an important niche.” The Heights currently serves dinner from 5 p.m. until 10:30 p.m. on weekdays and is open on weekends from 11 a.m. until midnight. The Heights will also be opening for weekday lunch hours beginning in the fall, says Ortiz. The Heights has taken many of its recipes from the popular Logan Tavern, says Ortiz, who describes that restaurant-goers can find a variety of American food such as fried chicken, meatloaf and also fish and vegetarian dishes. “Everyone can find something that appeals to them,” says Ortiz. With its cozy upscale décor, a wide variety of fare, televisions at the bar, and 22-table outdoor patio seating area, The Heights is hoping to become a local hangout for Columbia Heights. Red Rocks 1036 Park Road NW 202-506-1402 Red Rocks, with an oven imported directly from Italy, is a unique new addition to the Columbia Heights neighborhood with its specialty brick oven Neapolitan style pizza. “Our goal is to make this a local destination for people in the neighborhood,” says owner James O’Brien, who previously owned Staccato restaurant and bar in Adams Morgan. Red Rocks’ menu includes salads, bruschetta, shrimp and panini sandwiches and its specialty: brick oven pizza. Red Rocks features entrées such as fish of the day, meatballs and marinara, and polenta dishes. For those looking to relax for a while, Red Rocks has an extensive beer selection including Belgian beer on tap. Located in a corner rowhouse with terracotta tile roofing, exposed brick, and hardwood floors, and the scent of pizza wafting from the wood-fired brick oven, Red Rocks provides a warm and inviting atmosphere. O’Brien is also hoping that Red Rocks’ wrap-around outdoor patio provides a unique appeal for neighborhood residents. “We’re just trying to be really supportive of people in the community,” says O’Brien who adds that Columbia Heights residents have been very welcoming to a new business on the block. Red Rocks is currently open from 5 p.m. to midnight, Tue-Thu; 5 p.m. to 1 a.m., Friday; 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday; and 11 a.m. to midnight, Sunday. Ward 1 News Briefs ANC 1A – Columbia Heights, Pleasant Plains At the August monthly meeting, ANC 1A commissioners voted to support an application for a special zoning ordinance from Family Place, reports Commissioner Alex Hogan. Commissioners also approved a grant for local group PRYDE. ANC 1C – Adams Morgan, Kalorama Heights, Lanier Heights Commissioners discussed neighborhood issues about rodents, and a meeting was held with Girard Brown of the Department of Health’s Rodent Control Division, reports Commissioner Nancy Shia. A community meeting was also held with Allen Lew, director of the newly created Office of Public Education Facilities Modernization, to discuss renovations of HD Cooke Elementary, reports Commissioner Shia, who adds that no developments have taken place since the June 7 groundbreaking. ANC 1D – Mount Pleasant Commissioners voted in support of Mount Pleasant merchants wishing to overthrow their voluntary agreements to be replaced by responsible hospitality institute models that would entail cooperation between merchants and a wide variety of civic groups, reports Commissioner Gregg Edwards. ANC 1D also passed a resolution in support of neighborhood residents in dispute with the Historic Preservation Office; and commissioners extensively discussed an undergoing transportation study restructuring traffic patterns in Mount Pleasant. Commissioner Edwards also reports that ANC Commissioners had contacted the mayor and Department of Parks and Recreation regarding concerns over lack of neighborhood recreational facility due to the transfer of an existing recreational facility to a local school but had not yet received a response.