This Weekend

By Jennifer Deseo | Oct 30, 2008

The guys in The Penguin mailroom weren’t too happy to learn that there would be no local football this weekend. The Terps are taking midterms, and the Skins play Monday night against the Steelers. But this weekend’s crammed schedule should give them plenty of opportunities to find trouble.

The biggest piece of mayhem hitting the streets this weekend is the first annual Zombie Walk. I’m banking on that gig to be completely insane. And then there are an assload of theater productions, for those who prefer their entertainment on the stage instead of the street.

Brace yourselves:

Friday

7:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. The AFI Silver Theatre (8633 Colesville Rd) rolls FW Murnau’s classic vampire flick Nosferatu, complete with a live soundtrack performed by the Silent Orchestra. Tickets are $20 each ($15 if you’re rocking an AFI membership card).

8:00 p.m. The Spooky Action Theater performs two plays by Samuel Beckett: “Krapp’s Last Tape” and “Ohio Impromptu”. This event takes place at Montgomery College’s Black Box Theatre (Philadelphia and Chicago Aves, Takoma Park). Patrons are asked to pay what they can in admission.

10:00 p.m. Halloween hits South Silver Spring like a mofo with “Loda”, a music-and-multimedia party at the Gallery lounge (1115 East-West Hwy). This time, the grooves roll deep into Saturday morning, so expect a pancake breakfast starting at 3:00 a.m. Ten bucks and convincing ID get you through the door; breakfast costs a little extra.

Saturday

9:00 a.m. Freshfarm holds its weekly farmers market on Ellsworth Drive, between Fenton Street and Georgia Avenue. There is no admission fee.

10:00 a.m. Members of the Silver Spring Historical Society lead a two-hour walking tour of Georgia Avenue, complete with historical tidbits for your brain to nosh on. The gig starts at the B&O railroad station (8100 Georgia Ave) and costs $5 per person.

1:00 p.m. The Silver Spring Stage (10145 Colesville Rd) auditions starving actors for roles in its upcoming production of “Arms and The Man”, a George Bernard Shaw joint. Click here for details, then get your head shots together.

2:00 p.m. The Downtown Silver Spring shopping center throws a float-decorating party to prep for this year’s Thanksgiving parade. Grab your Elmer’s glue and safety scissors, then hit Silver Plaza on Ellsworth Drive with a mission.

2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. The Spooky Action Theater drops two plays by Samuel Beckett: “Krapp’s Last Tape” and “Ohio Impromptu”. Hit it hard at Montgomery College’s Black Box Theatre (Philadelphia and Chicago Aves, Takoma Park). It’s a “pay what you can” deal, but only for this weekend. After that, you’re looking at $15 per person.

8:00 p.m. The theater project eXtreme eXchange rolls out “Rock the Voting Bloc”, a series of short plays on this year’s presidential election. The politics and prose hit the Round House Theater (8641 Colesville Rd). Admission is $15 per person.

8:00 p.m. At last, it’s the gig you’ve all been waiting for! The Silver Spring Zombie Walk gathers at the Quarry House Tavern (8401 Georgia Ave), staggers its way to the AFI Silver Theatre (8633 Colesville Rd) for the 10:30 p.m. screening of “Night of the Living Dead”, then crawls into McGinty’s Public House (911 Ellsworth Dr) for an after-party.

Walking won’t cost you a damned thing, but the AFI flick runs $10 per person. Food and drink specials are available at the participating restaurants.

Sunday

2:00 a.m. Set your clock back one hour for daylight saving time, or else show up for Sunday’s gigs one hour before everyone else.

1:00 p.m. The Pyramid Atlantic Arts Center (8230 Georgia Ave) holds a reception for its current exhibit, “Drawn to Washington”. Twenty bucks and an appreciation for slick art get you through the door.

1:00 p.m. The Silver Spring Stage (10145 Colesville Rd) auditions more starving actors for roles in its upcoming production of “Arms and The Man”, a George Bernard Shaw joint. Click here for details, then get your head shots together.

2:00 p.m. The Spooky Action Theater drops two plays by Samuel Beckett: “Krapp’s Last Tape” and “Ohio Impromptu”. Hit it hard at Montgomery College’s Black Box Theatre (Philadelphia and Chicago Aves, Takoma Park). It’s a “pay what you can” deal, but only for this weekend. After that, you’re looking at $15 per person.

3:00 p.m. The theater project eXtreme eXchange rolls out “Rock the Voting Bloc”, a series of short plays on this year’s presidential election. The politics and prose hit the Round House Theater (8641 Colesville Rd). Admission is $15 per person.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Eric Ingrum.

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Dining: Hollywood East Cafe on the Boulevard

By Jennifer Deseo | Oct 29, 2008

Here’s a little history lesson: The Chinese invented everything that makes life worth living. Paper? They invented it. Spaghetti? That was them, too. Fireworks? Holler. They even invented the fork before inventing chopsticks.

Most importantly, the Chinese invented fast food — the opportunity to purchase and immediately consume hot food at a decent price. Dim sum, a meal dedicated to fast food, becomes a demolition derby at the Hollywood East Cafe on the Boulevard (2621 University Blvd W) in Wheaton. But don’t let the chaos keep you from inhaling some good Cantonese eats.

Here’s how dim sum at Hollywood East usually plays out: One waits for a table (though not too long if the party’s small). Once seated, patrons are assaulted by servers hustling appetizer-sized dishes out of dented steamer carts. Don’t be afraid to ask what’s available — just pay close attention to the server’s response, usually thrown out so fast that your order will be reduced to, “Um, I’ll take that one.”

Like lots of dim-sum joints, some dishes are hits, others are misses. However, Hollywood East tends to offer more of the former, plus a dizzying selection that Oriental East (near The Blairs apartments) can’t top. Most importantly, each dish is affordable enough (generally between $3 and $6) that the misses don’t hurt too much, and the hits taste all the better.

So what are the hits at Hollywood East?

Carnivores will enjoy the succulent chunks of pork (below, left), either roasted or fried (does it really matter when it’s pork?) and served with a sweet plum dipping sauce on the side. The meat is pink and tender, while the skin is crisp and not greasy. Even the small bits of fat on the meat are like buttah.

If carbs aren’t an issue, hit the sticky fried rice (above, right), gingery with a slightly sharp bite of fresh scallions, and small bits of sweet Chinese sausage to balance it. And yes, it’s sticky enough to make any chopstick spazz look like a rocket scientist. The Singapore mei fun, a bowl of thin rice noodles stir fried with a stiff kick of curry, is also good eats. It’s a terrific change of pace for those who are jonesing for noodles but are freakin’ tired of the same old lo mein.

Vegetables are an endangered species at this dim-sum service, so tackle the server when she brings around the steamed Chinese broccoli (below). Unlike the American concept of broccoli florets, the Chinese version is big on the mildly sweet stems that snap when cooked. The greens are also tasty, though a little on the bitter side, like spinach.

The Chinese broccoli hits the table with thick, brown oyster sauce, sometimes drizzled on top, sometimes pooled around the broccoli stems. The sauce itself can be sweet and salty like kettle corn, or just straight-up salty like, well, salt. Do your best to get it on the side before the server ladles it on.

Nearly all of Hollywood East’s steamed buns and dumplings are winners, though a couple are duds. The steamed shrimp balls (below, left) are doughy and bland, the gefilte fish of the Far East. And the stuffed abalone (below, right) packs a lot of celery (read: filler) that overwhelms the flavor of shellfish and ground pork. Otherwise, feel free to hit anything labeled “dumpling”.

The service during dim sum hits like a tidal wave — all at once when the carts are loaded, then nothing at all while the kitchen plays catch-up. But those lulls give diners enough time to take it all in and prepare their appetites for the next assault.

Parking at the restaurant’s small lot doesn’t always happen, so be ready to feed the meters on University Boulevard, or just take the Metro to Wheaton. Just don’t park in the Bank of America lot next door — you will be towed, warns a sign posted on Hollywood East’s front door.

Hollywood East Cafe on the Boulevard, 2621 University Blvd W, Wheaton, (240) 290-9988.

Photos by J. Deseo and R. Pace for The Penguin.

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The Early Bird

By Jennifer Deseo | Oct 27, 2008

The Penguin newsroom is busy prepping for what will be a busy week — not because there’s a slew of meetings to cover. Not because the powers that be in Rockville are expected to drop some legislative bomb shells.

It’s all because there are parties to plan, menus to review, and patience to try. At the end of this week, the highly anticipated Silver Spring Zombie Walk staggers into town. The details to that gig are mostly in the bag, but the guys in The Penguin mail room still haven’t gotten the “Thriller” choreography down yet.

Then next Tuesday, The Penguin newsroom moves its operations into its Election Night headquarters — the Quarry House Tavern (8401 Georgia Ave). We’re calling this bender “ElectionWatch 2008″, complete with live blogging via Twitter and drink specials for true patriots. Stop by for a post-ballot swig, or stick around for the freedom tots. The live online coverage starts at 8:00 p.m.

And then, The Penguin is working on a carbo-fest to drop the night before Silver Spring’s Thanksgiving parade. Details on that gig roll soon, but until then, here’s what’s kicking:

Monday

7:00 p.m. Jackie’s restaurant (8081 Georgia Ave) throws its annual Halloween costume party a few days early. Hit it in your usual duds, or rock something spooky and sexy — you could win a gift certificate for best costume. There’s no cover, so what the hell.

Tuesday

7:00 p.m. The planning board’s Purple Line advisory committee plow through the zillion-page epic that is the mass-transit project’s draft environmental-impact statement. The heavy debate rocks planning HQ (8787 Georgia Ave) and is open to the public.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Photo Mojo.

Updated Oct 27, 2008, to give you something to do on Tuesday.

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Pelecanos probes the seedy side of Silver Spring

By Jennifer Deseo | Oct 24, 2008

It’s been a while since I’ve read a book, and an even longer time since I’ve had to write a book report. So I’ll just drop the straight dope on “The Turnaround”, the most recent novel by local guy George Pelecanos: It’s good.

In a nutshell, the plot rolls like this: It’s 1972 in suburban Silver Spring, and three white teens cruise into a black neighborhood to raise a little hell. While there, they encounter four black teens who just aren’t interested. Without giving away too much, I’ll just say that disaster ensues.

Flash forward to 2008. The teens are now men, each following his own path (for better or for worse). But that pesky bastard Fate has plans for them, setting them up for what could be another round of communal disaster. So does the punk-ass rich kid get capped in the end? Does the street hustler find redemption? Can Silver Spring be saved from itself?

I’ll leave you hanging there.

What should be known is that the characters are so rich, so well developed. Pelecanos draws them with a fine-tipped pen, giving them details that make them more than charicatures of the corner drug dealer or the self-pitying coffee-shop owner. Each character absorbs elements that are common to everyone — hope, fear, ambition, dejection — to varying degrees.

That kind of character development makes the foreign seem familiar. Readers won’t ask, “How does Pelecanos know so much about the underworld? What kind of crew is he running with?” Instead, they’ll say,” Damn! He’s good.”

Pelecanos also threads the plot with plenty of suspense without burdening it with too many details. (Those arcane details were a drag on his last book, “The Night Gardener”.) And because common factors drive the characters’ actions, their motives are easy to absorb.

Oh, and then there’s Pelecanos’s signature shout-outs to the neighborhood. He makes endless references to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, some of the slummier stretches of Nortwest DC, the Long Branch end of Silver Spring, and Wheaton. He even hollers (albeit briefly) at a local historian named McCoy.

So do yourself a favor: Hit the Silver Spring library’s bookfest on Saturday, grab a copy of this book, and enjoy!

Images courtesy of Hachette Books Group USA.

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This Weekend

By Jennifer Deseo | Oct 23, 2008

I always thought party planners had the most frou-frou of jobs. Like how much work does it take to coordinate caterers or push out invitations?

Well, it takes a lot. (I’ll spare you the bloody, viscera-splattered details.) I learned that factoid while trying to pull together three rapid-fire events: an after-party for the Silver Spring Zombie Walk at McGinty’s Public House; live Election Night coverage from the Quarry House Tavern; and a carbohydrate bender the night before Silver Spring’s Thanksgiving parade.

So to all those party planners out there, my most profound respect for your profession. And to Penguin readers digesting this post: You’re all invited! BE THERE.

Also, congrats to Penguin reader Clarence Steinberg, who won two tickets to “The Genius of Haydn” at the Woodside United Methodist Church this Saturday. The show is pulled together by the Bach Sinfonia, and those people know how to throw a damned party.

More drawings in the future, so if you didn’t win this one, don’t sweat it. Here are some things to check out in the meantime:

Friday

7:00 p.m. Readings from three short plays — “Two and a Half Days in Vegas”, “Once Upon a Time Change”, and “Freshly Squeezed” — drop on Kefa Cafe’s Space 7:10 (963 Bonifant St). The performances are free. The hot cocoa in your cup will cost you.

10:00 p.m. Event producer 88 keeps rocking South Silver Spring with another installment of “Loda”, a music-and-multimedia event. Hit it at Gallery restaurant and lounge (1115 East-West Hwy) with $10 and convincing ID for my man Eddie at the door.

Saturday

9:00 a.m. Freshfarm holds its weekly farmers market on Ellsworth Drive, between Fenton Street and Georgia Avenue. There is no admission fee.

10:00 a.m. The Silver Spring Public Library (8901 Colesville Rd) does the annual bookfest thang, with a book sale, bake sale and kiddie entertainment until 3:00 p.m. There is no admission fee.

12:30 p.m. Film maker Pablo Medina busts open a new media-arts center for teens with a free screening of “El Play”, his documentary about an aspiring Dominican baseball player. Hit it at the Gandhi Brigade’s new digs on the fourth floor of City Place mall (8661 Colesville Rd).

3:30 p.m. It could be a wet, sloppy homecoming for Maryland’s Terps, which is scheduled to destroy the NC State Wolf Pack in College Park. Lug your rain gear and a Thermos to Byrd Stadium, or stay dry and catch it on ESPN-360.

8:00 p.m. Musicians with the Bach Sinfonia drop some seriously old-skool beats at “The Genius of Haydn”, a concert highlighting the classical sounds of — who else? — Haydn. Kick it at the Woodside United Methodist Church (8900 Georgia Ave). Tickets are $28 each ($15 if you’re packing student ID, $25 for seniors).

9:00 p.m. Break in your zombie duds and latex masks at Pyramid Atlantic’s Halloween party. Hit it at the arts center’s studios (8230 Georgia Ave) with $10 for entry, nosh and grooves.

Sunday

1:00 p.m. The Skins schlep to Detroit to whoop a little Lion ass. Should be easy enough — the Motor City mamma’s boys are winless this season. Strap chains to your tires and trudge to snowy Michigan, or just catch the game on FOX.

Image courtesy of Flickr user Midiman.

Updated Oct 24, 2008, to extend the farmers market into November.

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Architects unveil building blocks to new library

By Jennifer Deseo | Oct 22, 2008

The county’s hired guns on Tuesday night showed off Styrofoam models that could spawn designs to downtown Silver Spring’s new library.

The three basic models presented at the Long Branch Community Center didn’t flash frou-frou architectural details. However, they did give a basic idea of how the library would fit onto 60,000 square feet of real estate at Bonifant and Fenton Streets.

The project has a few constraints, Rod Henderer, an architect with the planning firm RTKL, explained. In addition to basic laws of physics, the library must deal with an apartment building to be built on site. The housing is a required element, because part of the new library’s lot was paid for with money from the county’s housing initiatives fund.

The library also has to dance around the proposed Purple Line. While no one knows exactly where that mass-transit ride will roll, one possible route cuts through the library site. That translates to a 46-foot-wide berth, not to mention head room if the building hovers above the route, Henderer said.

And then there are the height restrictions. Buildings along Fenton Street can be no taller than 60 feet, though they can go up to 110 feet off Fenton if they contain workforce housing. By comparison, the adjacent Crescent condominium on Wayne Avenue is 143 feet tall, Henderer spelled out.

On top of this, no one really knows how big the new library will be. Previous plans called for 34,000 square feet of space, but Parker Hamilton, chief of the libraries department, put a more recent estimate at 52,000 square feet. Others want to pimp the joint out even more.

“There is pressure for something larger, but we’re not planning for anything smaller,” Henderer told the audience.

So what’s this all come down to? The three basic models, and a couple of variations in between:

Model 1

Model 1 sets up two distinct construction projects — the library (blue) on Fenton at Wayne, and the apartments (yellow) near Fenton and Bonifant. Both buildings would hang over the proposed Purple Line route.

The residential component could be as tall as 110 feet, with retail space set on the building’s ground floor along Bonifant Street (orange). Residents would have on-site parking accessible through an alley off Bonifant, but retail shoppers would have to ditch their rides elsewhere.

The library would be a shorter building, with an entrance on Wayne and no on-site parking. However, there could be a foot bridge connecting it with the Wayne Avenue garage. A proposed art center would sit above the library (purplish-blue in the photo above).

A variation on this theme — let’s call it model 1B (because that’s what the architects called it) — puts more of the residential building towards Fenton (yellow, above). Because of height restrictions, the building is 60 feet tall at Fenton, then jumps to 110 feet along Bonifant. (There’s a 60-foot setback, if anyone’s counting.)

The library would kick it in the same spot, but the arts center would take up street-level space on Wayne and more space in the basement.

Model 6

The library’s planners had a distinct way of numbering the models (the Dewey decimal system?), so we jump to model 6. In this joint, the library and apartments roll as two distinct construction projects, with the library (light blue) at Fenton and Bonifant, and the residential building (yellow) on Wayne near Fenton.

The library would sit above the proposed Purple Line route, with elevator access through the supporting structure closest to Fenton. That part of the library would be 60 feet tall; the rest of the building would be up to 90 feet tall along Bonifant. This design gives the library up to 60,000 square feet of room on one floor.

About 40,000 square feet of county office space could be built on top of the library (orange), and the arts center could occupy street-level space along Bonifant. And in this setup, up to 140 underground parking spaces could be dug for library patrons.

The apartments on Wayne (yellow) would hover slightly over the proposed Purple Line route, and its height could reach 140 feet. That exceeds the area’s current limits, but it still comes in shorter than the adjacent 143-foot-tall Crescent condo. Breaking the height limit makes the building economically viable, planner Henderer said.

A variation of this gig (model 6B) nixes the office space above the library. Instead, part of the apartment building would sit above the library building (not pictured). The problem with this, said Henderer, is that smacking the two buildings together would make their construction schedules interdependent. That’s fine if you don’t mind waiting for the whole shebang to wrap, but MoCo exec Ike Leggett has expressed an interest in moving the library project forward ASAP, Gary Stith, director of Silver Spring’s regional center, said.

Model 5

In model 5, the library and residences are decked into one building that hovers over the proposed Purple Line route by about 30 feet. Planner Henderer admitted this wasn’t ideal, because it created a tunnel effect that made people feel unsafe.

The arts center (dark blue) would occupy the building’s ground floor, and the library (light blue) would eat up the second floor. Including the residential deck (yellow), the building could go up to 110 feet in height. Underground parking would be dug on site for residents and library patrons.

As with model 6B, this setup puts construction of the housing and library elements on the same track, Henderer explained. Good if you don’t mind waiting, bad if you’re itching for a new library today.

That empty space along Fenton? A public park, Henderer said.

The 50 participants in Tuesday night’s meeting hollered for another shot at dissecting these models, so one more public meeting will drop in early November. (The exact date, time and place are to be determined.) After that, the models drop on MoCo exec Leggett’s desk on Nov 12, and with the county council on Nov 20.

Photos by J. Deseo/SSP.

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