10 Penn Quarter: Busboys & Poets and FroZenYo

I overheard a group of people trying to decide on where to go and eat after catching "The Sleeping Beauty Puppet Ballet" at Mount Vernon Church. "Let's go eat somewhere cool," they said. I wondered if they knew about Busboys and Poets. 

Busboys, as I like to say to some of my non-DC visitors, is one of the places where you see DC at its best. It's a place where a bunch of cool, diverse people come together for a yummy meal, as they wait for an independent movie screening to start, then buy a book about social change on their way out... to come back again and check out which artist or activist will be speaking at the venue next week. You will like Busboys if you appreciate the feeling of a satisfied tummy after a great meal at a great restaurant. However, you will LOVE Busboys because you wont only leave with a happy stomach, but an inspired soul as well.
 

After catching the Fringe show, JR and I walked to the Busboys and Poets on 5th and K for brunch (there are three locations...something that I have mixed feelings about). I got the Chicken Salad Sandwich. It was perfect for a Hot-DC-Summer-Day. The whole-grain bread came with light chicken salad (accented with apple, raisin, and walnuts), in addition to a generous amount of avocado and tomatoes, making the sandwich more fresh and summery.

JR went for a more traditional brunch option - Western Omelete and Grits. The eggs were normal but both JR and I thought that the grits were delicious. They were creamy and tasty... not like those bland grits that come on the side of your order but you never eat.

Good Food: Check. Good Atmosphere: Check. We had a great time at Busboys and I'll obviously come back again! But what about dessert?...

After a two hour break seeing "Avenue Q" at the Landsburgh Theatre, we stopped by FroZenYo for a Fro-Yo fix (short for "frozen yogurt" for anyone who's wondering). The place was crowded with people who mixed and matched from 16 fro-yo flavors, with toppings, of course.

JR satisfied his sweet tooth with dulce de leche fro-yo topped with walnuts in caramel sauce. I unsuccessfully attempted to balance out his very sweet combination with pistachio fro-yo topped with vanilla cookies...very very sweet! I told JR that we should rename our blog to "Plate2Stage: A Guide on How to Become Cultured and Fat". He ignored my comment and continued eating his fro-yo happily.

10 Penn Quarter: "The Sleeping Beauty - A Puppet Ballet" and "Avenue Q"

It's our 10th blog and this is a puppet special, apparently, although not intentionally.

Sam and I haven't seen performances as often as we'd like (much less to blog about) as things have been busy. I'm currently actually working on finishing my thesis, as partial requirement for AU's Arts Management program. I've also started my own production company and produced a show as part of this year's Capital Fringe Festival. This actually leads us to the first of two shows we caught today, as part of our 10th blog..."special".

We caught an 11am of Pointless Theatre Company's "Sleeping Beauty - A Puppet Ballet". This is actually only the 2nd Capital Fringe show I've caught this year, and the 2nd one I've seen at the Mountain in the Mountain at the Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church. One of the more traditional stages, companies and performers that win the luck of the draw get a proscenium stage with curtain and permanent air conditioning. Don't get me wrong, part of the charm of the festival, are the temporary spaces set up in otherwise unused spaces.

[more pics to come once I get them from Sam, not of the show, of course, just of the venue]

Anyway, this production hold's a special place in my heart because it was produced by a company which was started last year, Pointless Theatre Company, by a collective of UMD Theatre students. Part of their mission including creating spectacle that was accessible and affordable, and they are part of a growing collective of next generation theatre companies in the DC area. Now even though I was a Dance major, once a Terp (UMD's mascot), always a Terp, I suppose?

As a dancer, though, this play was particularly fascinating as the puppets, which actually danced, utilized the coordination of three actors to appropriately locomote (I looked it up, and this seems like an appropriate use of the verb), the legs, the torso and head, and the arms. The pinnacle of these dance sequences was the pas de deux between the sleeping beauty and her prince, thus involving six puppeteers.

Puppet dancing aside, the story was also skillfully executed by a cast that was obviously having fun. You can check out more about the piece in DC Theatre Scene's review. What touched me was after the show, meeting the parents that traveled into town to support their kids, whether or not they see shows other than their kids' on a regular basis. What even touches me more is the community sentiment one of the cast members shared with me one previous night at the tent. He expressed no desire to go anywhere else, because it just didn't make sense, when he had an established community of actors that he wanted to work with and support.

Maybe this is the sign of change within the theatre company, feelings become less about how "I" can be successful, but more about how "we" can be successful.

Anyway, I'm getting in to thesis mode. You, however, can rsvp at their FB event page and buy tickets for the 3 remaining shows, on the 21st and the 22nd @ 6pm, or the 24th @ 1:15pm

So after grabbing brunch at Busboys & Poets' Penn Quarter establishment, we headed over to Shakespeare Theatre Company's older space, the Landsburgh Theatre, to catch the touring production of Avenue Q. This is actually the 2nd time I've seen it, and I probably can't really write anything about it that you don't either already know, or can't find out.

I will say, it's nice to see how it's grown since the original Broadway production. Having memorized that soundtrack by heart, the edits keep the experience of it fresh, and it's also interesting to see what choices were made for the good of the show. Also, the last time I saw it was when the touring production came through the National Theatre, and it was great experiencing it in a smaller space, actually.

Ultimately, it's content and messages were still timely and relevant, whether it was about racism, love, or internet porn, and more than once I was relatively emotional. Especially since the last time I saw it was back in 2008 (I think), it was interesting to see how important the thought of doing something you love was, but also (on a personal note) there were a certain reference to our previous president which would've been edited, and I was wondering how. All I can say is that I was thoroughly satisfied and laughing for a while that the show still has the balls to go there.

Whoever thinks that art can't be entertaining and isn't political, hasn't scene this show. Anyway, they've got the social media down, as you can like their Facebook Fan Page, subscribe to their YouTube channel, or follow them on Twitter.

What I loved about today was that this really is a perfect example of the two extremes of the artistic spectrum that we have available in DC. We have these Nationally known shows which tour and stop through but we've also got a local, homegrown scene that is thriving and just as deserving, if not more so, of the same support. After all, even shows like Avenue Q have to start somewhere. Theatre companies like Pointless Theatre Company and other noobs like it are definitely part of a growing number of organizations that will probably define the state of the performing arts for the next generation of theatre goers.

9 Shirlington: [Title of Show] at Signature Theatre

So we had another Plate 2 Stage outing a little sooner than we thought.

I received an email sent to alumni from Signature Theatre's Overtures program with a ticket offer to see their production of [Title of Show] a couple of weekends ago.

I suggested to Sam we turn it into a "blogging" afternoon, and that we eat at T.H.A.I. Shirlington beforehand.

[Title of Show] was originally presented in 2004, at the New York Musical Theatre Festival. In a nutshell, it's a musical about two guys trying to write a musical. Metro Weekly reviewed it back in April, and there's also a blog you can check out.

So instead of rehashing information that's already out there, I'll just share some personal thoughts.

First, this is one of those shows that puts me in my musical place. I think I know musical theatre, and then I see a piece like this and realize how little I know. That being said, even if you aren't aware of come of the conceits that might be used (such as choreography from the opening of A Chorus Line use in the opening number, appropriately titled "Untitled Opening Number") the actually plot and dialogue remain engaging, as Sam shared with me.

And the script doesn't just brake the fourth wall, they hit it out of the ballpark. Kudos to the cast, particularly their music director. There were so many moments, and choices which made each character particularly quirky, and endearing in different ways.

Also, after a good deal of what might seem like predictable and entertaining jokes and singing and dancing, for me in particular, the show dug a little deeper than I expected. Maybe it is because of my current endeavors in grad school for Arts Management, but genuine conflict started to creep in between characters, shifting from the initial struggle in the joint endeavor of simply getting a show up.

But when the show starts addressing what happens when success starts to beckon and you realize that not only do you have different understandings of success, but the different paths that you might have to take from partners and friends once thought to be quintessential and an inseparable part of your vision and life.

Not only looking at the danger when friendships are endangered by the professional relationships, but on a larger scale, look at the state of artists and new work in America, and the struggle between doing what we love and doing what we have to do to live. The irony is that while ideally the two are the same, until the arts are valued and supported the way that they should be, artists and the art that we create will be subject to the whims of economic hardship, paying bills, rent, health care, retirement, and all those things other sectors until recently might have taken for granted.

The ironic part is that the economic situation, while affecting arts organizations, have probably affected artists less than others, because we're used to juggling multiple jobs, of having to hustle to make ends meet, to stay busy and pay rent, of living within our means.

Yes, whether you realize it or not, if you've seen [Title of Show] and didn't understand the state of the artist before...well you learned a little something new, and maybe even had fun too.

And you have until June 27th to catch this; you can buy tickets here.

9 Shirlington: T.H.A.I

One of the few disadvantages of not having a car in DC is that nice places like Shirlington, VA are not very accessible. But thanks to JR, who does have a car, I was able to experience a day out in downtown Shirlington. The pedestrian area displayed a wide range of restaurants so choosing one was difficult. JR recalled a Thai place he used to go to after rehearsals with Synetic Theatre so we decided to go for lunch at T.H.A.I and experience the Food, this time, before the Art.

The weather was good enough to sit outside. T.H.A.I had a good outside-seating area for chilling and having a great meal in the middle of downtown. The restaurant was also nice from the inside (simple and elegant decor), but why have your meal indoors with such beautiful weather outside?

We started off with a couple of Thai Iced Tea. The black tea came with the milk and syrup separately. This is a great option for people who think that Thai iced teas are too sweet or too creamy and would like to add in as much milk or syrup as they like. Plus, adding the pure white milk into the brown-orange tea has some cool visual effects!

Now, to eating. The Spring Rolls we ordered as appetizers were lean and long and served with a side of sweet carrot sauce. God I love Thai Food! The spring rolls were hot and delicately crunchy. The sweet carrot sauce was delicious and I made sure that the spring roll was thoroughly covered with the sauce on every dip.

Again, I love Thai Food! (I love it so much that I forgot to take a picture of the dish above before digging in!). One of my favorite dishes is Thai Green Curry with Chicken. It's spicy, creamy, tangy, basily/gingery...what's there not to like? The green curry at T.H.A.I was yummy. To be more descriptive, the 'creamy' element was the most prominent of all. I wished that the dish had a stronger kick of 'spicy' but the generous amount of vegetables and chicken left JR and I very satisfied.

We asked for the check but I decided to take a look at the dessert menu in case I come again (and I will!). I saw something amazing - Thai Fried Roti Dough with Taro Ice Cream. I was already full but I'm always willing to make room from something like Thai sweet roti...and with taro ice cream? For that I'm willing to utilize my second, and third stomachs! The hot sweet roti came topped with a moderately sweet scoop of taro ice cream, towered with a taro chip. The combination was so good! I'm willing to come back to Shirlington just for this dessert. I better start saving for a car...

8 Rosslyn: Metamorphosis

So for the first time, Sam and I went to see a theater for the second time.

The last time we saw Synetic was back in february, for their production of Antony & Cleopatra.

This time, we caught them at the Rosslyn Spectrum, where they are the resident theatre company, for their production of Metamorphosis.

While I still have my book of Kafka short stories from high school, Metamorphosis still remains the only one I've read.

Never one to do things literally, turning this short into a full-length stage production involved adding an unexpected character, Kafka himself. Over the course of the piece, the story parallels events going on in his own life, including certain trials and tribulations embodied in George Samsa's dilemma.

The stage, turned the first floor vertical, providing the audience a birds-eye view of Samsa in his room, as he scuttled about providing us with Synetic's signature physicality.

However, the design limited the amount of ensemble movement, particularly the images of group dynamics and solidarity which the theatre company is known for.

While the show was Synetic-esque, it definitely proved to be the vision of a director who was not Paata Tsikurishvili, and nor should the two be compared. However when the work of a company has a specific feel and aesthetic over the years, it's hard not to.

All that being said, Metamorphosis was a strong work, and made for an artful, insightful, and entertaining evening out.

8 Rosslyn: Tomo Sushi

JR picked me up from work after a long day to go and see Synetic's production of Kafka's Metamorphosis at the Rosslyn Spectrum Theatre. I was mentally exhausted after a stressful day at work so I left the restaurant decision to JR. I told him that I'm in the mood for something light and healthy so he had a great idea to grab sushi at Tomo Sushi.


We walked in Tomo as it was closing but the staff was kind enough to accommodate our quick order. We didn't want to exploit their kindness so we decided to take our sushi back home. Plus, I thought my apartment was more Japanese-y than the restaurant (the setting and décor of Tomo was nothing special).


I started boiling water for green tea and Miso soup as soon as we got home. Both were warm and soothing – very satisfying especially for a rainy day. We started munching on the Edamame and I thought that they were fun, moist, and very good to eat between every sip of tea.

I'm not that big of a sushi person and the year I spent in Japan did not even change that. Sushi snobs cringe at the sight of Californian Rolls, but I say bring 'em on! Tomo Sushi also offered NY Rolls and Philadelphia Rolls, but at the end of the day, I really didn't see any difference between a roll and another – they all tasted alike. We also ordered some simple and "traditional" sushi – the Egg Sushi was my personal favorite. The egg offered a pleasant sweetness and the seaweed that tied the egg to the sushi rice was nice and slightly crunchy.

JR and I decided not to write about restaurants from which we do take-out but this was an exception since we wanted to be considerate of their closing time, and leave as soon as we got our order. I don't know though whether I would've enjoyed the experience if we ate at Tomo Sushi. As I previously mentioned, there was nothing special about the place. It was also nice to go back home and chill, especially after the intense Kafka play. Back at my small, cozy DC apartment, we had our Korean-made Japanese food while Bob Marley was grooving in the background. It was perfect. Sorry Kafka… but life is beautiful.

7 College Park: Plato's Diner

We planned another adventure outside of the District, this time to College Park to see Gesel Mason's amazing dance performance “Women, Sex, and Desire: Sometimes You Feel Like a Ho, Sometimes You Don’t” at UMD’s Kogod Theatre. The decision to go was last moment, so I didn't have time to do my research on good eats in the area. But a couple of UMD kids (including JR) suggested Plato's Diner so Plato's Diner it was!


As I was taking pictures of the banner outside, a guy came up to me and said that what I was doing was inappropriate since I haven't gotten any permission from the restaurant to take pictures. We later saw him inside the diner and he voluntarily added that if this were his house he would've shoot both us. There was a short silence after which he started laughing and said that we can take all the pictures we wanted. He then walked into the back kitchen of the diner. What a welcoming. We then pursued our way into the diner, passing some fake, tacky Greek columns and frescos. I know that a diner is not a place to expect high-end taste, but the potentially cute and funky concept of a ‘Greek Diner’ went the wrong way… for me at least.


I didn't feel like getting something heavy so I settled for the Greek Salad with the Greek Sausage. The salad greens were nothing special. The dressing that came on the side had pieces of salmon in them, which looked out of place and suspicious, so I decided not to add it on the salad. The sausage was the only ingredient that could've redeemed the salad but a plastic-y taste overwhelmed my taste buds as I took the first bite. I didn't want to give up but the second and third bites had that same awful taste of plastic :(


JR got the Baked Hellenic Moussaka (stuffed eggplant) with a side of salad (normal… actually, better than my salad) and soup (fine). The eggplant was actually good. I appreciated the rice and meat stuffing - it made the dish substantial. I gave up eating my salad so JR was kind enough to share his dish with me. I think that I might have actually eaten most of it :)


I believe in an ideal that all restaurants are good at the end of the day. Even though what we've ordered were mediocre and didn't make me want to come back to Plato's, I give the diner kudos for their complementary bread. They were really good! The soft and fluffy rolls were amazing with butter.

So in conclusion, we left College Park with two good things; a great dance performance and good bread. Sorry about the generally negative review… but to quote Gesel: Sometimes you feel like a ho, sometimes you don't.