The Early Bird

By Jennifer Deseo | Mar 23, 2009

Here’s the good news for Penguin staffers: The pantry, which was declared a federal disaster area last week, is recovering nicely. FEMA funds scored us a lot of bleach and sponges, and the health department is close to calling the cleanup job a success.

On the down side, there’s an assload of laundry to be done. Fetid gym clothes, musty towels and things even I dare not mention need washing (sanitizing, really). While the Penguin crew gets to work on that nasty task, please partake in this week’s other activities:

Monday

2:00 p.m. The county council’s housing committee discusses the Falkland Chase apartment complex, and whether its three parcels should be preserved entirely or partially redeveloped. This event takes place at the council’s office building (100 Maryland Ave, Rockville), seventh floor. It is free and open to the public.

Tuesday

10:30 a.m. The county’s board of health discusses air quality around major transportation corridors. This free event takes place at the county council’s office building (100 Maryland Ave, Rockville) and is open to the public. 

7:30 p.m. Author Mike Tidwell discusses his book “The Ravaging Tide: Strange Weather, Future Katrinas and the Coming Death of America’s Coastal Cities” at the Silver Spring library (8901 Colesville Rd). This event is free and open to the public.

Wednesday

7:30 p.m. Silver Spring’s transportation and pedestrian safety committee holds its monthly meeting at the Silver Spring Regional Center (8435 Georgia Ave). This event is free and open to the public.

7:30 p.m. US Senator Ben Cardin (D) discusses Congressional efforts to address the current economic crisis. This free event takes place at the White Oak Middle School (12201 New Hampshire Ave) and is open to the public.

Thursday

Before enlightenment, fluffing and folding. After enlightenment, fluffing and folding.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user caitlinator.

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This Weekend

By Jennifer Deseo | Mar 20, 2009

For a week in which most Penguin staffers took their meals outside the office, the Penguin pantry is a goddamned mess. The sink is full of dirty dishes, the trash can is stuffed with Styrofoam boxes (would it kill a Penguin to crush the box before trashing it?), and the finely crafted European linoleum is littered with crumbs.

Seeing that today is the first day of spring, I’m declaring a spring cleaning! All Penguin staffers are to report their dirty, disgusting asses to the pantry ASAP for hard labor. Only upon completion of their scrubbing duties will they be allowed to enjoy these weekend treats:

Friday

2:00 p.m. Space 88 (8211 Mayor Ln) hosts a workshop on creating music and art digitally. Topics include using an iPhone in live performance, digital painting using Corel Painter, and designing flyers. Admission is $5 per person.

7:30 p.m. Montgomery Blair High School students present the musical “Sweeney Todd” inside the school’s auditorium (51 University Blvd E). Tickets are $8 each ($5 for students and seniors).

8:00 p.m. The Round House Theatre (8641 Colesville Rd) presents “Dracula”, the Steven Dietz play based on Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel and performed by area high school students. Tickets are $15 each ($12 for students and seniors).

10:00 p.m. Event producer 88 hosts “Loda”, an electronic music and multimedia party, at Gallery Lounge (1115 East-West Hwy). There is a $10 cover charge for this over-21 event.

Saturday

5:00 p.m. The Pyramid Atlantic community-arts store (924 Ellsworth Dr) hosts a showcase of young folk musicians, as well as a poetry open mic to benefit Montgomery Blair High School’s literary arts magazine. This event is free and open to the public.

7:30 p.m. The Sonic Circuits Festival of Experimental Music presents performances by Russian artist Alexei Borisov, Violet, White Suns, 302Acid, The Missus, Les Rhinocéros and Tone Ghosting. This event takes place at the Pyramid Atlantic Arts Center (8230 Georgia Ave) and costs $8 per person.

7:30 p.m. Montgomery Blair High School students present the musical “Sweeney Todd” inside the school’s auditorium (51 University Blvd E). Tickets are $8 each ($5 for students and seniors).

8:00 p.m. The Round House Theatre (8641 Colesville Rd) presents “Dracula”, the Steven Dietz play based on Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel and performed by area high school students. Tickets are $15 each ($12 for students and seniors).

Sunday

2:00 p.m. Space 88 (8211 Mayor Ln) hosts electronic-music performances and live graffiti. The $8 donation for this over-21 event includes food and drinks.

2:00 p.m. Montgomery Blair High School students present the musical “Sweeney Todd” inside the school’s auditorium (51 University Blvd E). Tickets are $8 each ($5 for students and seniors).

3:00 p.m. The Round House Theatre (8641 Colesville Rd) presents “Dracula”, the Steven Dietz play based on Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel and performed by area high school students. Tickets are $15 each ($12 for students and seniors).

Photo courtesy of Flickr user independentman.

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Dining: The Big Greek Cafe

By Jennifer Deseo | Mar 18, 2009

I’m a Brooklyn Penguin by birth, but back in the day, I used to kick it in a part of Queens, NY, called Astoria. Clumped beneath the elevated N line and sitting along an East River channel known as Hell’s Gate, Astoria is the epicenter of Greek-American life in New York City.

You want the best souvlaki in town? Go to Astoria. You want dolmades and garlic-stuffed olives by the pound? Go to Astoria. You want a plate of kokoretsi and manestra, with a chocolate mouse for dessert? Go to Astoria. Opa!

Of course, a schlep to Astoria from Silver Spring isn’t practical, but a short walk to The Big Greek Cafe on Georgia Avenue is no problem. And the food’s nearly just as good.

For carnivores, the gyro pita ($6.50, above) is a good pick. Beef and lamb are ground together and remoulded into a massive loaf. (Think Spam with half the salt and none of the gelatinous texture.) That loaf is roasted, then shaved into thin pieces of amalgamated protein, rolled in warm pita bread, and served with tomatoes, red onions and tzaziki (their spelling, not mine) sauce.

The meat has a nice texture, not chewy or tough like straight beef, not spongy like other restaurants’ gyros. And its flavor leans towards beef — a little sweet where roasting has caramelized it — and not as gamey as straight lamb. It’s also well seasoned, leaving out the heavy salt that processed meats generally pack.

The pita blanket stands up to the meat without becoming a soggy mess or a tenacious chew toy. And the tzaziki sauce — tangy yogurt with a cool hint of cucumber and bright dill — really rounds out the sandwich with a zing. It’s good eats.

If grazing is your thing, the big Greek salad ($8) is a good way to go. It’s standard Romaine lettuce with tomato and cucumber slices, crumbled feta cheese and kalamata olives. But the vinaigrette gives the whole thing a robust oregano kick. It’s a pleasant change from the mundane oil-and-vinegar jobs found at other local restaurants.

For a couple of bucks more, diners can score Yia Yia Lea’s grilled shrimp salad ($10, above). That’s the same veggies as above, topped with delectibly plump pieces of grilled shrimp. Nice.

Another Greek fave is spanakopita, offered as an appetizer ($6) or as part of a platter (below) with salad and a side order ($8). Traditionally, this version of spinach pie has a dense layer of feta-infused greens seasoned with dill, dill and more dill, and baked in flaky layers of buttery phyllo dough.

However, The Big Greek Cafe’s version is a little slim on the spinach, light on the dill, and encased in an oily, heavier version of phyllo. It’s also served as one triangular pouch, like an oversized appetizer at a cocktail party, instead of a slice from a larger pan. Take it if you really need the fix. Skip it if you don’t.

All of the restaurant’s platters offer a choice of side orders: roasted, lemony potatoes (yay!); heavy, limp french fries (meh); string beans, manestra (orzo pasta in tomato sauce) and a rice pilaf (not sampled).

The place itself has a cozy, casual feel, with contemporary Greek music blasting on the radio, an Orthodox Madonna and child on the back wall, and a guy named Nick behind the counter. Service is quick, but expect uninitiated customers to cause mild delays while studying the vast menu.

The Big Greek Cafe, 8417 Georgia Ave, Silver Spring, (301) 495-2912.

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

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The Watercooler

By Jennifer Deseo | Mar 17, 2009

Now that our Penguin intern is comfortable with being walked on a leash, newsroom staffers have been pounding the pavement (or hitting the bricks) more and more. And they’ve spotted a few signs of — well, they’re just signs:

Coming soon: Pupusas

Moving into the former Pinto Thai space on Georgia Avenue near Mayor’s Promenade, this joint will be downtown’s sole shop for scoring your Salvadoran corn cake fix. Compare that slim number with the zillions of pupuserias in Wheaton and a couple of trucks in Long Branch.

There’s no word on when Pupuseria El Oasis will open. However, Pinto Thai left behind a turnkey operation. Grilling up the corn cakes shouldn’t take too much longer.

Under new management (already?)

This hand-scrawled sign was posted on the front door of a very dark Pomegranate Cafe at The Bennington, South Silver Spring. That kind of language usually means the place is done, but Penguin operative Southside Evan said he did spot workers inside the sushi joint a day before this photo was taken.

It’s unknown when (or if) the Pomegranate will reopen.

UPDATE: According to reliable source and Penguin operative Southside Evan, the Pomegranate Cafe is once again open for business. — JD (Mar 17, 2009)

Pay close attention. There will be a quiz.

This screaming sign covered up a storefront window along a small brick plaza near the Metro station’s south entrance. Our Penguin intern watched this space, and watched it some more, but he couldn’t figure out the puzzle.

So what gives? The space just off East-West Highway near Colesville Road will serve as a welcome center of sorts for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Cheryl Oliver, a NOAA spokesperson, told The Penguin a while back. Once this joint opens, NOAA will be able to turn the lights out at its science center further up the block.

Don’t expect big gigs at this joint, though. Oliver said it’ll serve as an information kiosk, not as an exhibit space. Meanwhile, the science center will open its meeting space and auditorium for private affairs only.

Photos by J. Deseo/SSP.

Updated Mar 17, 2009.

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Council members: Add some parking to new library site

By Jennifer Deseo | Mar 16, 2009

County council members plan to roll forward with a pedestrian bridge between downtown Silver Spring’s new library and the Wayne Avenue garage. But they don’t want to be so quick in rubbing out on-site handicapped parking, either.

At Thursday’s meeting of the council’s human services committee in Rockville, members said they were willing to get cooking on an amendment to Silver Spring’s urban-renewal plan that would allow a foot bridge to be built over Wayne Aveune.

But committee members Roger Berliner (D-District 2) and Duchy Trachtenberg (D-At large) also said they wanted to keep the door open to on-site parking for disabled patrons, plus an on-site spot for dropping off passengers. Those options would serve as plan B in case the amendment to the urban-renewal plan tanks, council staff proposed in related documents.

Adding a drop-off location to the library site is no problem, David Dise, with the department of general services, told the committee. Designers were already on it, he explained. But parking on the library site at Wayne and Fenton Street was another story. 

“We’ve looked at options for disabled parking, and cost is a primary factor,” Dise told Berliner and Trachtenberg. “Some of those costs are prohibitive, and we don’t want to hold up design of the library.”

In February, council member Valerie Ervin (D-District 5) suggested underground handicapped parking at the planned residential building adjacent to the library site. But Gary Stith, who was director of Silver Spring’s regional center at the time, said parking spaces there could cost $60,000 each. That’s $600,000 for ten spots, equal to the lowest cost estimate for foot bridge construction.

Silver Spring’s citizens advisory board also suggested handicapped parking at a lot on the east side of Fenton at Bonifant Street. It’s not known whether anyone beyond advisory board members has given that some deep thought.

The county council will be up to their eyeballs in operating-budget issues for the next few weeks. However, Trachtenberg said she wanted to have all the details on the foot bridge ready for final decision making this summer.

Photo: The view of Wayne Avenue and Fenton Street, as seen from the fourth level of the Wayne Avenue garage. If a bridge is built there, it will connect the garage’s third level with the new library. So I was off by one level when taking the picture. Credit: J. Deseo/SSP.

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The Early Bird

By Jennifer Deseo | Mar 16, 2009

Oofah! Penguin corporate headquarters is buzzing today, with everyone throwing around words like “bracket”, “pool” and “Buffalo wing”.

That’s right, people. March Madness has spread through the joint like a bad rash. The first round of hoops doesn’t start until Thursday, but Penguin staffers already have their brackets filled and their valuables hocked in anticipation of big winnings.

The rest of this week is just filler:

Monday

7:00 p.m. Silver Spring’s neighborhoods committee holds its monthly meeting at the Silver Spring Regional Center (8435 Georgia Ave). This event is free and open to the public.

Tuesday

1:00 p.m. The state house of delegates’ appropriations committee discusses a bill that would end funding for the Intercounty Connector highway project. This free event takes place at the state house’s office building (6 Bladen St, Annapolis) and is open to the public.

5:00 p.m. McGinty’s Public House (911 Ellsworth Dr) host a St Patrick’s Day celebration with traditional Irish music, folk dancing and a leprechaun. There is a $10 cover charge until 1:00 a.m.

7:30 p.m. Silver Spring’s book discussion group talks about Edmund Morris’s “The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt”. This free event takes place at the Silver Spring library (8901 Colesville Rd) and is open to the public.

Copies of the book are available in advance at the library’s circulation desk.

Wednesday

7:30 p.m. Silver Spring’s commercial and economic development committee holds its monthly meeting at the Silver Spring Regional Center (8435 Georgia Ave). This event is free and open to the public.

Thursday

1:00 p.m. The state house of delegates’ ways and means committee discusses a bill that would increase taxes on alcoholic drinks by 300 percent. This free event takes place at the state house’s office building (6 Bladen St, Annapolis) and is open to the public.

3:30 p.m. Silver Spring’s urban-district advisory committee holds its monthly meeting at the urban district office (8110 Georgia Ave). This event is free and open to the public.

Photo of 99-92 Terps victory over Duke in 2005, courtesy of Flickr user mhaw. Photo from January’s Iowa State vs Kansas matchup, courtesy of Flickr user SD Dirk.

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