Midnight Oil

Surprise, surprise. The Natinals sign Steven Strasburg. If the Nats have a winning record for August, I may become a true believer. Haven't been to a game this year. Yet. Maybe we'll get to see Strasburg in September?

Academy Awards

Mr. and Mrs. Distco love Anne Hathaway.

Zola Pre-theatre Dinner

The Distcos' waitress at Zola garnered positive marks out of sheer preparation and earnestness. She knew her job academically--by the book, let's say. You know the type. For example, she brought the Distcos black napkins (which most area restaurants neglect to do without prompting), accompanied by a rote, lengthy explanation of the reasons. When asked about an item on the menu, she screwed her gaze at the ceiling, slowly reciting the ingredients previously memorized.

None of this is very noteworthy. Unfortunately, neither was the food. Mr. Distco's skate wing came saturated with what had to have been liquid smoke. Well-cooked, but with a flavor appropriate for a Texas brisket, perhaps, but much too heavy for a delicate seafood dish. Mrs. Distco's mushroom crepe recalled no impression but "heaviness" when asked. The desserts were a high point. The Distcos will recommend both the Key Lime Cheesecake and the Pumpkin Pecan Roll.

On leaving, the bar caught Mrs. Distco's eye. Looks fashionable and comfortable. A couple of well-made Grey Goose martinis ensured that the Distcos likely will return for happy hour at least.

The Dog in the Manger

The Distcos braced themselves for a challenging night last week. The Shakespeare Theatre Company--staging The Dog in the Manger by Lope de Vega. That is, Spanish playwright Lope de Vega, contemporary of ol' Bill Shakespeare himself.

Yikes, right? Shakespeare can be tough enough. Sixteenth-Century dialogue, Sixteenth-Century plots. But now take away the Shakespeare, and what's left? Suffice it to say, Mr. Distco was preparing for the stage equivalent of sitting through a night of Salieri. Sabes?

But soft! What sounds from yonder stage breaks? Modern English! Turns out, when you translate Sixteenth-Century Spanish plays, you can translate them into Twenty-First-Century English! Sweet.

Very entertaining. Slapstick (!) at times (in a mostly good way). And as usual for STC, great performances from the cast.

Welcome Back, Ford's

The Distcos spent Wednesday evening with his kick-ass-ness the Prez, Mrs. Prez, Sidney Poitier, James Earl Jones, Katie Couric, and Kelsey Grammar. So, you know, just a typical Wednesday evening.

Ford's Theatre celebrated its reopening with a gala the likes of which our not-so-humble nation's humble little capital rarely sees.

Mr. Distco got to walk the red carpet behind George Lucas, waiting as Mr. Jar Jar held up traffic glamming it up for the paparazzi.

One highlight: Jeffrey Wright reading words of Lincoln. Now officially Mr. Distco's vote for most underrated actor.

Another highlight: Sidney Poitier handing off a torch of sorts to our trailblazing Commander in Chief.

One lowlight: The silly ginormous copy of the Gettysburg address given to Obama.

Final highlight: Dr. Stephen Ledbetter hosting the whole shindig. The episode of The Outer Limits with killer nanobots nearly led Mr. Distco to a career in biomedical engineering. Maybe the only counteracting force was the biomedical engineering professor at Mr. Distco's alma mater. Well, the biomedical engineering professor and her indecipherable English.

Dinner after the gala at the National Portrait Gallery was great. The new center courtyard area makes for quite an event space.

Yelp updates

New Yelp reviews. Check it out:

Bistro D'Oc
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
Chinatown Express
Florida Avenue Grill
Thai X-ing
Grand Slam Sports Bar (Hyatt)
Waffle Shop

Obviously I'm bored on a Saturday. So?

Inauguration Weekend, Pt. The End

Mr. Distco is so over inauguration by now, but he realizes that he left a "to be continued ..." on his blog. So for the sake of closure: this post. Inauguration was crazy, but not nearly as crazy as was expected here in the District. Mr. and Mrs. Distco spent the weekend in their ivory towers away from the crowds, which was a mistake. Swearing in on the Distco's roof. Parade from the Willard. The Distcos had enviable views the whole time, but regretted not being a part of the mass of humanity on the mall.















Now let's see what our nation's first genuinely cool president (sorry Bill) can do.

"Next to Normal" - Arena Stage

Mr. and Mrs. Distco left the theater last night in awe. Mrs. Distco confessed to crying no fewer than three times. Mr. Distco confessed to coming as close to crying as his Japanese Danish American machismo allows. The music was fantastic, the story compelling. Performers in the roles of mother and son were particular standouts. The stage too left quite an impression. Mr. Distco once was an engineer, and tries to figure out how stuff works by second nature. "Next to Normal" had a very active set with dynamic lighting and creative use of glass, scaffolding, and stair elements that played intricately off of the developing story.

Not even a month ago, Mr. Distco made some awfully strident statements about the (perceived) (lack of) legitimacy of musical theater. Mr. Distco says such things when having late-night conversations with his brother-in-law. Now Mr. Distco is all embarassment. Apparently musical theater can be powerful without being cheap.

Pre-Theater Dinner at Jaleo Crystal City

As the house guests drifted off to the Land of Nod, the Distcos drifted off to Arena Stage to see the final performance of "Next to Normal,"  courtesy of Mrs. Distco's theater connections.

First up was dinner at Jaleo in Crystal City.  

The Distcos generally stick to the confines of their District, almost never venturing abroad for anything but Harris Teeter via Zipcar.  So only rarely do the Distcos dine out in the Commonwealth.  This time felt like a lab experiment: Jaleo Crystal City versus Jaleo DC.  The Crystal City location offers immense volume--high ceilings and high capacity.  Mr. Distco probably prefers the crowded accomodations of the District branch.  Too much elbow room and a place takes the feel of an Olive Garden.  The service was fine, and probably better than in DC, with the exception of the inexplicable refusal to serve Mr. Distco the special occasion cocktail crafted in honor of Barack Obama.  You see, the cocktail must be served as part of their special four-course sampling menu.  No exceptions.  "Fine," thought Mr. Distco.  "Don't take my money."  And they didn't.  

The food, alas, also disappointed.  Heavy dates, heavy paella.  The meal did nothing to change Mrs. Distco's negative opinion of Jaleo, which, in truth, the DC branch has certainly earned.  Mr. Distco has had good experiences at Jaleo DC in the summertime, with sangria and loud conversation.  But always, unfortunately, without Mrs. Distco.

At any rate, the Distcos were fed, if maybe a little fed-up.  So they attempted to navigate the Crystal City shopping district to get to Arena Stage.  A bit lost at first, the Distcos luckily ran into an acquaintance of Mrs. Distco's, and an associate of the Arena Stage, who escorted them to their destination.  Apparently only hours before, this associate had been toasting the end of the run of "Next to Nowhere" at Jaleo with the cast and crew.  One can only assume that they had the Sangria and the loud conversation.  

Not to ruin the suspense, but the show was a hit with the Distcos.  Unfortunately, the full account must wait until the next post.  For now, know this: if you missed "Next to Nowhere," you really missed something beautiful.

Inauguration Weekend Pt. 2

Tres magnifiques.  The mussels at Montmartre did not disappoint.  Nor did the gallettes nor --GASP-- the constant refills of coffee.  Formerly the only knock on Montmartre for the Distcos was the need to ask for coffee refills.  I don't know if the assertive refill policy is in honor of the inaugural festivities, but, at any rate, it's a change we can all believe in.

Saving stamina for  inauguration day, and taking full advantage of their ridiculous cable package, the Distcos opted to watch the Lincoln Memorial concert from the comforts of their home.  Shockingly, despite all previous indications to the contrary, so did their house guests.  Good call, that.  Everyone will need to be fully rested for the marathon Obamathon on Tuesday.  

Inauguration Weekend pt. 1

Deterred by the crowds last night, Mr. and Mrs. Distco stayed in. Dr. Granville Moore's reported waits of about 2 hours. Yikes. The Distco's house guests planned to go out after dinner, but a 2-hour wait means that there is no after dinner.

So instead Mr. and Mrs. Distco fired up the DVR to watch Jack Bauer's new female FBI counterpart briefly struggle with her decision to torture terrorists.

This morning the Distcos will satisfy their craving for moules (sans frites) at Montmartre. Bon apetit!

Utah 31, Alabama 17, BCS bogus

Impressive game from start to finish. The Distcos watched from home and screamed like maniacs the whole time for Mr. Distco's Utah compatriots. How 'bout those receivers?

Salt Lake County almost went for Obama, and now this? Crazy times in the pretty, great state.

On deck: Boomer Sooner, baby.

Rock Band New Year's Eve