Brick sidewalks should get to steppin’, Floreen says

By Jennifer Deseo | Feb 26, 2009

It’s time for downtown Silver Spring’s brick-covered sidewalks to hit the road, according to a resolution dropped on the county council Tuesday.

“Given that the uneven surface of brick pavers limits access to public spaces and increases the risk of falls for people with disabilities, this plan is simply a matter of common sense,” said council member Nancy Floreen (D-At large), who introduced the idea at the council’s weekly meeting.

At least five other council members have her back on this one, according to a press statement.

Under the proposal, brick pavers would be out of the public right of way. Pavers may still be used along edges and as decorative elements. Projects approved before Feb 24, 2009, as well as private homes, would be exempt.

The county’s Commission on People with Disabilities have complained that people with limited mobility find brick pavers a bitch to navigate. The pavers also create barriers for sight-impaired people, the commission said.

“This denies people with disabilities access to many places of entertainment, shopping and activities of daily life,” Jackie Simon, a commission member, said in a press statement. “A community that excludes even one of its members is no community at all.”

The county’s transportation department admits the brick pavers are trickier and more expensive to maintain than concrete or asphalt. But Patricia Shepherd, with the department’s division of transportation engineering, said ditching them entirely for something else would rub out a signature look for downtown Silver Spring.

“We wouldn’t have those special places like we do today,” she told Silver Spring’s pedestrian-safety committee Wednesday night.

The county council’s transportation committee works out the issue on Mar 9, 2009, in Rockville.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Daquella Manera.

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Dining: Adega Wine Cellars & Cafe

By Jennifer Deseo | Feb 25, 2009

Finally, The Penguin ninja crew graduates from the nachos, waffle cones and chicken nuggets that are traditional downtown Turf cuisine. It sure took long enough.

But what can we do? (And by “we”, I mean me and part-time Penguin ninja Southside Evan.) Penguins can be stubborn and sometimes skeptical about restaurants that others may laud.

But for the first time, we’re glad we paid attention to all that unsolicited advice to try the Adega Wine Cellars (8519 Fenton St). The casual eatery offers fun food for grownups, and allows patrons to enjoy a pleasant meal in a cozy setting without shelling out too much cash.

For a mature meal without the pretense, the Ahi tuna salad (above) is a smart bet ($13 at lunch, though the menu lists it at “market price”). Three surprisingly thick slabs of seared tuna are served rare over a pile of mixed greens and diced tomatoes tossed with a light vinaigrette (above).

The tuna, served at room temperature, has a clean taste and soft texture, both of which play nicely against the sweet tomatoes and slightly tart vinaigrette. The snap of the mixed greens, and their slight bitterness, round off the dish — er, the black Styrofoam plate on which the food arrives.

The Ahi tuna salad comes with a steaming mound of white rice infused with small bits of fresh ginger that give it a slightly sweet zing. The fish and greens alone make a filling meal, but leave a little room for the rice. It’s a pleasant addition.

From Adega’s selection of wraps, The Jerk ($7.25, above) is fun without being frivolous. Chunks of grilled chicken, crisp romaine lettuce and sweet mango snuggle in a soft chipotle tortilla. The soft mango lends the room-temperature chicken a bright, tropical flavor and balances the wrap’s textures. Potato chips (no big whoop) are served on the side.

For an appetizer or side dish, hit the sweet potato fries ($3.50). They’re warm, crisp on the outside, sweet and starchy on the inside, and really freakin’ good.

Adega’s dining room is bright during the day, cozy and candlelit at night. Counter service is the way things play, so don’t expect waiters. And the restaurant serves wine by the glass (not reviewed) or sells it by the bottle.

Adega Wine Cellars & Cafe, 8519 Fenton St, Silver Spring, (301) 608-2200.

Photos by J. Deseo/SSP.

Originally published Mar 26, 2008.

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Mail-order wine bill uncorks debate in State House

By Jennifer Deseo | Feb 25, 2009

ANNAPOLIS — A state bill that would allow vintners to ship wine directly to consumers caught some flack Monday from opponents worried over who was signing for that FedEx package, and who would be collecting sales tax on that deal.

“All of these liquors are easily accessible to underage drinkers. You don’t have to show an ID online,” Del Sonny Minnick (D-Dist 6) said during the House economic-matters committee meeting. “We want the state to be responsible to underage drinkers.”

If passed, the bill would allow local and out-of-state wine dealers to sell and ship bottles directly to Maryland consumers. Currently, consumers who want that special bottle of sumpin’ sumpin’ must buy it from a local retailer, or ask that retailer to order then receive said sumpin’ for the consumer to pick up.

It’s a broke-down system, bill sponsor Del Tom Hucker (D-Dist 20) wrote to the committee. The setup — where the wine producer, wholesaler and retailer must get their liquor licenses aligned before anyone pours a single drop of vino — is “a joke,” the Indian Spring rep said.

Wine aficionado Paul Hoffstein called the bill a win-win, where Maryland vintners can make a little cash shipping bottles to local and out-of-state customers, and dudes like him can have less common bottles delivered to their homes. And don’t sweat the kids trying to score hooch online.

“Shipping costs are between $35 and $50 a case,” Hoffstein testified. “This isn’t a way for teenagers to get liquor. This is a niche bill.”

But Chuck Ferrar, who owns Bay Ridge Wine and Spirits in Annapolis, gave the bill a thumbs down. Online and mail-order sales would make it tough for the state to collect sales tax, a nasty proposition in this fiscal environment, he told the committee.

“They’re gonna give us $90,000 in permit fees, and we’re gonna lose $10 million in taxes,” Ferrar testified.

Whether the bill advances beyond this committee is unknown. A similar bill went down in flames last year.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Kai Hendry.

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Stage: ‘Heart of a Dog’ howls at Soviet, scientific hypocrisy

By Jennifer Deseo | Feb 24, 2009

Back in the day, there was this cold, bleak place called the Soviet Union.

It was a funny place in a not-so-funny way. The people who lived there were all about equality. Each comrade (as they were called) ate an equally stingy slice of bread, slept in equally cramped apartments, used equally scruffy sheets of toilet paper, and lived equally dismal lives. They all loved this Soviet lifestyle with equal zeal — or at least, that’s what they were supposed to do.

It’s just that this one guy — playwright Mikhail Bulgakov (1891-1940) — wasn’t heavy with the Bolsheviks. He spells this out in “Heart of a Dog”, a novella and play banned in the Soviet Union for 60 years. It rocks Montgomery College’s Black Box Theatre, Takoma Park, through early March.

While some of the political satire may be dated, hypocrisy — and the need to slice and dice it like a potato — never dies. And while the play doesn’t fall into the slapstick category, its physical performances (under the careful direction of Patrick Torres) carry the comedy into the 21st century.

About the play: Scientist Philip Philipovich Preobrajensky (let’s call him Doc) saves Sharik the Dog from a life on Moscow’s brutal streets, only to use him in a bizarre experiment. With a nip here and a tuck there, Doc transforms the dog into a man.

Only this man isn’t like one of those strapping, half-man, half-beast Wolverine types. Instead, the dog becomes Homer Simpson, a belching, farting, inarticulate jackass who turns Doc’s household upside down. Things only get worse when the dog-man learns of his “rights” under the Soviet system. Hilarity ensues.

The actors in this Spooky Action Theater production do a great job at punctuating Bulgakov’s satire. James Gagne is great as the street-wise, road-weary Sharik the Dog, and transitions with skill into the obnoxious Sharikov the Man. Carter Jahncke is hilarious as Doc, who scoffs at Bolshevik hypocrisy before recognizing his own arrogance.

Major kudos also go to Karen Novack and Joshua Singer, both supporting actors who hop from one role to the next without missing a beat. After all, timing is everything in comedy.

The play kicks it on weekends until March 8. Tickets for the general-seating setup run at $15 each.

“Heart of a Dog”, written by Mikhail Bulgakov, directed by Patrick Torres for the Spooky Action Theater Company. Performed at Montgomery College’s Black Box Theatre (Philadelphia and Chicago Ave, Takoma Park).

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Beggs.

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State House takes legislative swig at bottled mixed drinks

By Jennifer Deseo | Feb 24, 2009

ANNAPOLIS — Kids know better than to walk into a liquor store and ask for beer, wine or a bottle of scotch (not without convincing ID, anyway). Now, one MoCo state delegate wants to be sure they can’t score another form of hooch at the local 7-Eleven.

On Monday afternoon, Del Bill Bronrott (D-Dist 16) pitched his idea to ban the sale of “alcopops” at stores licensed to sell only beer. Instead, he said frou-frou drinks like Smirnoff Ice, Bacardi Breezer and Mike’s Hard Lemonade should be sold at stores licensed to sell the harder stuff.

“As many as 10 million underage children drink,” Bronrott testified before the House economic-matters committee. Pin some of that booze abuse on the alcopops, which he said were marketed directly at young people and were available in urban convenience stores.

Marlene Trestman, with attorney general Doug Gansler’s office, was down with Bronrott. “These drinks bare no resemblance to what we traditionally label beer,” she testified. “This bill would put those beverages where distilled spirits are sold.”

So what the hell is an alcopop?

According to the bill’s text, such a drink is no more than 6% alcohol by volume — the same as beer. But unlike beer, which is totally the product of fermentation, an alcopop can pull just under half of its alcohol content from other sources of booze. In other words, it’s a mixed drink.

“These are not flavored beers,” Trestman said. “They’re lemonades, they’re colas.”

But should alcopop sales be restricted to hard-core liquor stores, as the bill demands?

If that were to happen, downtown Silver Springers would have to hit the county-operated liquor depot on Colesville Road to score what The Penguin mailroom guys dub “wussahol”. Smaller joints like the hood’s assorted delis would be out of the running.

And that was the rub for Del Donna Stifler (R-Dist 35A), who sits on the economic-matters committee. The Harford County rep said small stores that handle their business legitimately would be stuck with sacrificing revenues, despite their compliance with checking IDs and keeping kids out of the liquor case.

The committee should announce today whether the bill will move forward for further consideration.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user FaeryBoots.

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Interim director named for Silver Spring regional center

By Jennifer Deseo | Feb 23, 2009

The county’s chief of neighborhood revitalization is the new boss at Silver Spring’s regional center, at least for now, a press statement announced Friday.

Roylene Roberts, who works with the department of housing and community affairs, takes over the wheel from Gary Stith, who ran the show on Georgia and Wayne Avenues for eight years. Stith announced earlier this month that he was taking a gig as the new deputy director of planning and special projects with the department of general services.

As for Roberts, her last five years were spent coordinating revitalization work in a couple of hoods for the housing department. Before that, she was the director of regional assistance with the state housing department.

“I have been very fortunate to meet and work with many community members on a variety of Silver Spring initiatives, and I look forward to strengthening and furthering these working relationships,” Roberts said.

The Silver Spring regional center — one of five around the county — acts as a liaison between MoCo’s executive branch and people in the hood. It’ll be up to MoCo exec Ike Leggett to chose its permanent director, whom the county council must confirm.

 
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