Hillwood Estate: A Day With the Most Glamorous Woman

Stepping onto the grounds of the Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens in Northwest D.C., is like being invited to take your time checking out the glittering jewels, gleaming furniture, sparkling objets d’art and beautiful gardens of the wealthiest and most glamorous woman you’ll ever know.

And it is a true invitation.

Marjorie Merriweather Post. From Hillwood Museum

Marjorie Merriweather Post, heiress to the Post Cereal Company and one of the founders of General Foods, bought the home in 1955 intending it to be a museum for the 18th-century French and Russian imperial decorative arts that she collected. She wanted my girlfriend Paige and me to covet the 18th-century French dinnerware in the light-and-flower-filled breakfast nook. She wanted us to take a long walk through the hillside gardens, laughing just a shade too loud for such an elegant place.

She wanted us to absolutely drool over her Cartier jewels, currently displayed in the exhibit “Cartier: Marjorie Merriweather Post’s Dazzling Gems,” in the Adirondack Building, one of the charming buildings hidden among the forested walks.

Marjorie Merriweather Post began collecting 18th-century French furniture and art to decorate her home. When she accompanied her third husband to the Soviet Union, where he served as ambassador, Marjorie became entranced with Russian imperial art and began to truly refine her collector’s eye. The first piece she purchased from Cartier years before her trip was prophetic - the amethyst Fabergé box connected her love of Carier, Russian imperial art and Fabergé, of which she would go on to collect 90 pieces.

In Between Tip: We'd tried the café at Hillwood Estate in the past, and hadn't thought much of it. It has apparently improved, because there was a 40-minute wait at lunch time. Get reservations!

Cartier exhibit in the Adirondack Building

In the small Adirondack Building is a green emerald once worn by Mexico’s Maximillian I and smuggled out of the country by his wife, an Indian pendant brooch with a 250-carat emerald, and a diamond clasp meant to be worn with the diamonds dripping down Marjorie’s back.

There’s also a story.

During the Great Depression, Marjorie Merriweather Post put her diamonds and emeralds in a safety deposit box. With the money she saved on insurance, she opened the Marjorie Merriweather Hutton Canteen, a soup kitchen in New York. She made sure the canteen had flowers on the table and blue-checked tablecloths, because she believed everyone deserved a little elegance.

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Cartier: Marjorie Merriweather Post's Dazzling Gems

Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens

Tuesday- Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

On display until Dec. 31, 2014

'80s Dance Nights in the DMV

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Millennial enthusiasm for '80s alt-rock

On a recent Saturday night, my husband and I were at Black Cat in D.C., to dance to music we danced to when were dating two decades ago: the ‘80s-alternative music of The Cure and The Smiths. I was shocked at the number of Millennials crowding the place. When the first guitar strums of The Cure’s “Boys Don’t Cry,” sounded, there were cries and a mad rush to the dance floor, kids dancing and jumping and shouting along to a song that came out in 1979, 35 years ago.

Why was I so amazed? Because I couldn’t have imagined dancing to music that was 35 years old when I was in my mid-20s. That would have been music of the 1960s, and would have sounded something like this (I’m not kidding; this was the No. 1 hit in 1960):

Percy Faith, "Theme from A Summer Place"

Eighties and '90s-retro dance nights are plentiful in the DMV and would seem like the perfect option for a fun night out for us In-Betweeners, a chance to embrace our past and dance like we did at prom. However, the popularity of these nights with the under-30 crowd has made me feel a little old and silly at them. And a little…annoyed, like the event has been co-opted by people who think we went around wearing neon all the time.

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Steve EP, The Cure vs. The Smiths, Black Cat

I spoke to DJ Steve EP about this phenomenon. Steve EP, known as Stephen Petix in non-DJ life, was one of the DJs for the Cure vs. Smiths Black Cat event and spins at retro-focused dance events around the area, including the very popular Eighties Mayhem nights, also at the Black Cat main stage.

Steve, who shocked me when he told me he is my age, believes that we didn’t dance to music of our parents because it was so bad. “The music sucked,” he said. “There were pockets of cool stuff – Motown and soul – but for the most part it was really lame. Popular music was terrible before rock and roll.”

The blandness of the music that preceded it is what made the birth of new wave and punk in the late-‘70s and early-‘80s so revolutionary, he said. “These people weren’t trying to be rock stars, they were breaking all the rules." Steve remembers the hardship of being a punk kid in a straight world, of being called ‘faggot’ all the time. A friend pierced her own nose because -- unlike the handy mall kiosks today -- there was no place she have it done. That angst and rebellion and even newness of that music still speaks to kids 30-plus years later.

“When I see a 12 year old wearing a Black Flag t-shirt, I think that’s awesome,” he said. “I’m not in that camp that thinks, ‘I discovered it.’” He's talking about my possesive camp.

In Between Tip: Stephen Petix's dark synth-wave group, Technophobia, is having their cassette release party Saturday, July 19 at Black Cat.

My 80s ensemble. I know. I'm pandering.

Of course, ‘80s alternative isn’t the only thing playing at retro dance nights. Steve thinks its sacrilege to mention Madonna in the same breath as the Cure and Depeche Mode and New Order, but I liked “Oh Father,” and, in retrospect, find her stuff groundbreaking, too. When she came on the scene in her bustiers and rosary beads, nobody had displayed their sexuality like she had. Except Prince.

The concept that the music of the ‘80s was groundbreaking, and that maybe the ground has been broken so thoroughly that it has yet to be supplanted, helps me understand why its been embraced by those younger than me. Helps me elbow my way in and dance along.

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Retro Dance Nights in the DMV

A list of upcoming '80s and '90s dance nights in the D.C.-metro area

(Links aren't working on iPhone 4 and higher. Squarespace says they're working on it.)

Tonight: The Legwarmers: D.C.'s Biggest '80s Retro Dance Party, The State Theatre, Falls Church, VA

Tonight: 10th Annual Pretty in Pink '80s Prom, The Ottobar, Baltimore, MD

June 28: No Scrubs: '90s Dance Party with DJs Will Eastman and Brian Billion, 9:30 Club, Washington, DC

June 28: '80s Dance Party, Tropicalia, Washington, DC

July 2 (Every 1st and 3rd Wednesday): Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Little Miss Whiskey's Golden Dollar, Washington, DC

July 25: Start Making Sense, Talking Heads Tribute w/ HMFO: a Hall and Oates Tribute, The Hamilton, Washington, DC

July 26: Purple Rain 30th Anniversary Party, Black Cat, Washington, D.C.

August 29: MJ Day 2014 - 5th Annual Michael Jackson Dance Party, 9:30 Club, Washington, D.C.

Know of other fun '80s and '90s-inspired dance nights? Let me know about them in the comments below and I'll add them to this list.

Restaurant Review: Rose's Luxury

The sign says: "awesome."

I intensely dislike the no-reservation trend at popular new restaurants. I know that many restaurants complain about the money/time/effort wasted on no-shows, but I never did that. I was the good girl, the one who stressed about getting to the restaurant in time, the one who always canceled a reservation if I wasn’t able to make it. Why should I be punished for the screw-ups?

So when my husband and I walked into the no-reservation restaurant Rose’s Luxury on Barracks Row Saturday night and were gently informed that it would be a two-and-a-half hour wait, I reacted with an eye roll and a, “You’ve got to be out of your…” My vastly more-patient husband slid in front of me and said, “That will be fine.”

The wait, he’d guessed, was not going to be as long as they'd estimated. He was right. Damn him.

After an hour-and-a-tad, his phone received the text that our table was ready. Once we sat down in this fairyland-like restaurant with its playful food and deep-down-to-the-root-of-my-taste-buds flavors, I knew even a longer wait would have been worth it.

Rose’s Luxury has embraced that nostalgia-for-a-simpler-time look of exposed brick-and-concrete walls, garden lights strung indoors and a quirky ‘50s refrigerator behind the bar. But there was something more fanciful and unexpected than many of the chalkboard-infested restaurants – Rose’s gives you a high, Spanish iron window to look out from the second floor and offers you your silver dinnerware from a beautiful polished wooden box. Servers announce each plate with mouth-watering detail, and gold leaf decorated our rice.

The cocktail menu was interesting but we were unfortunately unimpressed with the two we ordered. The White Manhattan was almost oily with a heavy eucalyptus flavor; my husband’s drink was cloyingly sweet. Would we give it another go? Based on how impressed we were by the food, definitely.

Potato bread and potato-skin butter

Rose’s offers small plates and a couple family-style entrees. When our meal began with a small, Potato brioche loaf – crackly, crisp crust and a soft, steaming interior – with a side of potato-skin butter, we began to really look forward to the rest of the food we’d ordered. The Jonah crab claws were tasty yet unmemorable. But the grilled asparagus with pineapple aioli and the strawberry tomato pasta – I can still taste them. I wish I was tasting them. Right now. The grilled asparagus, sprinkled with bright bits of pineapple, crispy fried jalapenos and a neon-green chive oil, was the answer to that question: “If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life?” The strawberry tomato pasta was as appealing as the name is unappealing. A sweet pasta? The sweetness balanced the heat and spice from black pepper and red onion.

Smoked brisket = meat butter

For our family-style entrée, we ordered the smoked brisket, which came on a silver platter with slabs of charred Texas toast. The brisket was like butter, rich and smoky and spreadable on the bread. The sides – horseradish and cole slaw – were delicious, but I really didn’t want anything to intrude with my meat butter.

Seating is sprinkled throughout Rose’s Luxury – outdoors, upstairs, along two bars and fronting the kitchen, at two-tops lined up side-by-side and at four-tops with a little more elbow room. We were at a two-top and, unfortunately, the more the threesome to the right of us drank, the more they were certain their jokes were entertaining the rest of the restaurant. By that point, however, I’d lost the bad attitude I’d begun the night with. Rose’s Luxury had imparted its fairy dust of conviviality, and I laughed right along.

A bit of whimsy at Rose's Luxury: Gold-leaf in the rice, my excellent dinner date, the bathroom mirror, fun receipt

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Rose's Luxury

Mon.-Thurs.: 5:30-10 p.m.

Friday and Saturday: 5-11 p.m.

They don't take reservations; don't ask. But they're really nice.

Hershey Park for Adults

I used to love, love, love amusement parks. As a child, I love the exhilaration of the rides and the promise of cotton candy. As a teenager, I loved the constant whiff of hormones and the excitement of the music blaring out of the Himalaya (aka Music Express, Matterhorn, Thunderbolt, Flying Bobs). As an adult, I loved it for my children -- surprising them with trips to amusement parks on their birthdays, shepherding them around, taking pictures of their glee-filled faces on the mini rides.

But now that my kids are older, all they want from me and my husband is the ride. And the money. We went to Hershey Park recently to celebrate my youngest becoming a teen, and after a couple of turbo rides, the kids kindly asked us to leave them alone. They wandered off and we were left with a serious case of wooziness and a mild sunburn. What we were going to do with ourselves the rest of the day?

Until amusement parks decide to install a napping spot like this one we enjoyed in Tulum, here are some suggestions for enjoying yourself at Hershey Park:

• Go to the back of the park first -- It's a good rule for any amusement park visit: Start at the back and work your way forward. People rush the gates and run to the first, largest, craziest roller coaster they can find, lending to an hour-long wait and an otherwise empty park. At Hershey, two great wooden roller coasters, uncrowded pathways, plenty of benches and state-fair styled food stands greet you at the Midway America section in the back of the park.
• Ride the wooden roller coasters -- Most of the rides with their loop-de-loops and twirls will make you nauseous. It just happens when you're older; I think it's an inner ear thing. But Hershey Park has three great wooden roller coasters (Wildcat and Lightning Racer in Midway America, the Comet in The Hollow) that will give you the exhilaration you remember while keeping your guilty-pleasure amusement park food in your stomach.
• Eat guilty-pleasure amusement park food -- If I'm going to put the calories on my hips, I want it to be worth it. Two food stands we enjoyed were:
  • Bricker's Famous French Fries (Midway America) - They cook the fries when you order them and let you salt and season them yourself.
  • Dippin' Dots Sundae Shop (Kissing Tower Hill) - The Cookies and Cream Sundae was big enough for two, although I wanted to order another one. Around the corner from the Sundae Shop is a quiet and relaxing area with shade trees and tables with umbrellas.
• Don't eat guilty-pleasure amusement park food -- Sometimes the body has had enough. The light-filled, quiet and air-conditioned Gourmet Grille on Kissing Tower Hill offers salads, paninis and wraps as well as the standard hot dogs and chicken tenders. Choose it over the Overlook Food Court, also on Kissing Tower Hill, which was a zoo the day we visited.

• See a show -- We needed to figure out a way to while away the time, and stealing the place of lady who was laying back on a shaded bench and reading her Kindle wasn't an option (although we did consider it.) So we entered the Aquatheater and -- although we've seen such shows a hundred times before -- we still were oohed and awed by the seal and sea lion show, Our Friends from the Sea. A piano duel and hard-working young entertainers singing and dancing in a country-music revue were also some shows we considered.
• Take a quiet stroll -- Believe it or not, it is possible to take a quiet stroll in the midst of an amusement park. There is a long path alongside a manmade lake that connects The Hollow with the Main Entrance, winding beneath the Coal Cracker and Sky Rush, and on a busy, hot Saturday, we felt like the only two people who knew about it.
• Ride Tidal Force -- What I loved about Hershey Park when I was a more enthusiastic rider was that it felt like all the rides had been turned up to 11. Tidal Force is an epic log ride that puts all other log rides to shame. And while the line is long (but in the shade), and although you will get to-the-skin soaked, the mammoth fall and the endless whoosh is completely worth it.

Truly and intensely soaked after riding Tidal Force at Hershey Park

In Between Tip: Hershey Park has a great app for iPhones and Androids that provides locations, GPS navigation, show times and menus. The park also has free wifi. 

#NoAlcohol Blogs

I like the sauce.

I like cocktails and Bourbon neat and a nice Pinot Noir and a cold Bud on a hot day. I like to make herb-infused simple syrups and visit whiskey distilleries and take classes that help me distinguish between a Rhone Valley Syrah and a South Australian Shiraz. I have an academic appreciation for alcohol as well as an appreciation for its soothing effects at the end of a long day.

Part of the reason I started this blog was to give potential employers in the wine, spirit and hospitality industries a sampling of my writing ability. So I’m going to be writing a lot about alcohol; four of my seven blogs have already focused on it. But I've also embraced this mission to discover fun activities for those of us 40-55, and I don't want to give the impression that our fun is dependent on having a drink in hand.

I was in the produce section of Trader Joe’s once. The scent of the limes hit me when I passed them. Instantly I thought of margaritas and relaxing Friday afternoons, and I was flooded with happy endorphins. And while that seems like a fun story, the fact that the smell of a lime made me think of a drink, and the fact that the drink signaled happiness to my system freaked me out. I took a month off of drinking.

There are those In-Betweeners who – because of health or moral reasons, or sometimes, because of a long, hard fight – have decided not to drink. I want this blog to give non-drinking In-Betweeners options as well

My grandmother, the bad-ass drug and alcohol counselor, Mary Lopez

My grandmother, Mary Lopez, is almost two-times her in-between years, but she likes to have fun. She likes to garden and go fishing and play the slot machines and every now and then, she’ll have a beer on the back deck. She's not a teetotaler, but she has every right to be: My grandfather’s alcoholism pushed her into raising six children essentially on her own. She ironed shirts and cleaned houses until the counselors at the Al-Anon meetings she attended noticed she had a real knack at getting people to listen to her. They helped her get her GED and then her degree. My grandmother became a powerhouse drug-and-alcohol counselor in the southeastern Kansas town where she lives.

In honor of my bad-ass grandmother, Mary Lopez, I'm launching the hashtag #NoAlcohol, which will signal blogs that are alcohol-free. (This blog, technically, does not count since I lavishly describe drinks above). Some will be blogs about locations where alcohol is available but not the point of the place, like the 9:30 Club, and I'll need your help in determining if that's okay. I figure I have to give myself that caveat -- we went to Hershey Park recently and they serve beer -- or I'd have very few #NoAlcohol places to recommend. Which reminds me again that In-Betweeners who have chosen to avoid a drinking lifestyle might feel they have limited options. I want to make sure this blog gives them some.

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Favorite #NoAlcohol To-Dos in the DMV

Check out my Pinterest board for more #NoAlcohol to-dos

Union Market - This newly launched indoor urban market near Gallaudet University is brimming with people and vitality, and while some of the cool eateries serve beer and spirits, there are tons of other things -- mini pies from Ris, spices from Bazaar Spices, the incredible Bulgogi Steak Tacos at TaKorean -- to try.

U.S. Botanic Garden or U.S. National Arboretum - While the many free museums of the D.C.-metro area are an obvious choice for an engaging and alcohol-free to do, these two plant-focused museums are a feast for the senses. The Botanic Garden's many-stories-high Conservatory allows you to enjoy the warmth and plants of the tropics in January, and the U.S. Arboretum in northeast D.C. is a 466-acre sanctuary of tree groves and herb gardens and koi ponds.

Victory Comics - This big and bright comic book store in Falls Church is a great way to appease your fandom for a day. Check out the retro-toys near the front celebrating your favorite characters, spend hours perusing through their massive collection of comics and graphic novels, or wander back into the large game room and join a Dungeons and Dragons game.

1st Stage Theatre - 1st Stage doesn't serve alcohol. We know; we headed to the lounge at intermission and were disappointed. But what this theater tucked into an industrial park in Tysons Corner does offer is some fantastic drama and comedy in a black-box setting. We saw "Never the Sinner," a play about the murderers Leopold and Loeb, and were completely awed at the power the play produced with so few actors and props. "Bat Boy: The Musical" runs until June 22. 

Billy Goat Trail - You will find that this 4.7-mile hike along the Potomac River in Potomac, Maryland, is aptly named as you climb up and clamber over rocks like a billy goat. The trail is close-in, easy to get to, very popular, and usually crowded. And totally worth doing. 

For more #NoAlcohol options, check out my ever-expanding Pinterest board #NoAlcohol To-Dos in the DMV

One Hour to a Happy Hour at Home

This time of year – post-freezing, pre-mosquitoes – is my favorite time to invite a few friends over because it requires very little work. And the work, the planning and execution of a gathering when we’re swamped with so many other things, is why we take don’t take more time to hang out with the people we enjoy.

But putting together a Friday happy hour when it's nice outside only takes one hour. I promise. With one hour of work, you can host a happy hour that will provide you many happy hours of reminiscing with your friends.

Ready? Go.

0:00-0:10 – Send an email.

• Keep your invite list short. No more than 15 people or four families, if everyone will be bringing kids.
• The email should be as casual as the event: “Happy hour at my house from 5-7 on Friday. Bring a snack to share. I’ll provide the booze.” (Feel free to cut and paste)
• Keep the event to two hours so friends don’t assume you’re feeding them dinner.
• Provide an end time so the happy hour doesn’t turn into someone sleeping it off on your couch.

0:10-0:30 – Make an alcohol run.

In Between Tip: If you decide you’d like to provide a cocktail, make sure it is one you can make ahead of time and serve in a pitcher. White Peach Sangria and Berry Vodka Punch are a couple of my summer favorites.

• Grocery store list:
  • A six-pack of a craft beer
  • A 12-pack of something Sam Adams-like
  • A big bottle of red. (At 6 p.m. on a Friday, people are more concerned about quantity than quality.)
  • A big bottle of white
  • Plastic cups (The short clear ones allow people to moderate their drinking a bit better than the red Dixie cups.)
  • Water bottles (for kids or designated drivers)
  • Bag of ice
  • Flowers

0:30-0:50 – Clear a path.

• The key to making a happy hour simple is to shove everyone outside. Nicely. So hide the clutter on the walks between your front door, your back door, and your bathroom, and make sure your guests know that the party is outside.
• Ask your guests to come through the side gate, if you have one. Then you’ll only have to clear a path to the bathroom.
• The other option – and this is ALWAYS an option when you entertain – is don't clean and know that your guests are happy to be invited into the welcoming hug of fun friendship.

0:50-1:00 – Prep your outdoors.

My lovely friend Paige's happy hour table

• Set out platters and bowls for the chips and cookies friends will bring. Asking them to bring a snack takes a load off you, and they’ll be happy to offer something to the party.
• Ice down the beer, white wine and water in an ice chest.
• Put out napkins, plastic cups and flowers.
• Graciously accept the "oohs" and "aahs" from all your appreciative friends who are certain it must have taken you hours to put it all together.

Do you have a party shortcut? An easy appetizer, a go-to Pandora party playlist, or a simple way to make the food table look extraordinary? Please share it with the rest of us In-Betweeners on my Facebook page.

Exploring Virginia Wine Country

Fabbioli Cellars in March

We’ve gotten grumpy as we’ve gotten older. That dense elbow-to-elbow city-ness that my husband and I used to love about being inside the Beltway when we were younger is something we look to escape every so often these days. So we’re blessed that, in under an hour, we can be driving past stately wooden fences, rolling hills and stone buildings that signify one thing: We’re in Virginia wine country.

It took us too long to visit it. Our little kids (don't take them to a winery; just don't), and the extreme good fortune of spending bits of every summer visiting my parents’ vineyard in Sonoma County kept us away. But finally, this March, we pawned our now older kids off on some friends and headed west for a weekend.

Virginia wine country is unique from Sonoma or Napa because of its history. The ancient stone inns and horse fences stretching over pastoral hills and two-lane brick roads taking you through downtown Burgs (Middleburg, Leesburg) are beautiful in their longevity and sense of place. I’m not a Horse & Hound kind of woman, but I definitely see the appeal.

Wine is produced in every nook and cranny of Virginia – it’s the fifth-largest wine-producing state – but we stayed north of I-66 and east of the Blue Ridge Mountains, where we had almost 40 wineries to choose from.

Wineries We Visited

Hidden Brook Winery – We began our tasting north of Leesburg at Hidden Brook Winery, a cabin in the woods in an area that’s becoming a crossroads for wineries, with Hidden Brook, Fabbioli Cellars, The Vineyards and Winery at Lost Creek, and Tarara Winery all in a couple of miles of each other. If you follow my rule of no more than four wineries in a day, you could hit this quadrant and be done. Hidden Brook was a lovely place to visit.

The award-winning wines of Fabbioli Cellars

Fabbioli Cellars – This family home with the tasting room in the cellar knocked me out! The tasting was an event, a seven-course, food-and-wine pairing with a host all to ourselves. And any West Coast snottiness was wiped away by the appeal of these Fabbioli Wines. We walked away with several bottles of the Tre Sorelle, a Table Red, and a Tannat for a special occasion.

Barrel Oak Winery – The two times we’ve been to Barrel Oak (once for a friend’s birthday party), we found the crowds we were trying to escape. Just off I-66, the winery is perched at the top of a big hill filled with picnic tables and fire pits and 20-somethings in their aviator glasses admiring the view. Which is great for this obviously popular winery. But not so great for us grumps. We snuck into the besieged tasting room, bought a bottle, drank a bit of it at a picnic table, and escaped.

Three Fox Vineyards

Three Fox Vineyards – Three Fox Vineyards has a small and cozy tasting room on the south side of I-66, and a large, beautiful meadow rolling down to benches facing a creek. This is where we walked with our last glass of the day to enjoy the late afternoon light. Three Fox focuses on producing Italian-style wines, and we took home a couple bottles of the Piemontese Nebbiolo.

Bluemont Vineyard – Bluemont Vineyard was our last stop before we headed back home Sunday. What a way to go out! The drive alone was awesome – we took a “shortcut” north along the spine of a mountain-top road with incredible views of the Blue Ridge Mountains to the west, and then up a steep, sweat-inducing road to get to the winery. On a clear day, you can see Tysons from the ski chalet-like second story deck. The tasting room staffers are loads of fun and as many locals seemed to be filling the tasting room as non-locals. Oh, the wine? We couldn’t leave without a few bottles of their Cabernet Franc.

The March view at Bluemont Vineyard

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Visiting Virginia Wine Country

For everything you could ever want to know about visiting Virginia wineries, check out VirginiaWine.org. 

Where to Stay: We stayed at the Red Fox Inn, a fieldstone building and collection of cottages in the quaint downtown strip of Middleburg. It is thought to be the oldest continually operating inn in the United States, and it has been visited by President John F. Kennedy, Elizabeth Taylor and was a regular destination during fox hunting season for Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. 

The incredible brunch at The Ashby Inn

Where to Eat: We had some outstanding meals in Virginia wine country.

• The Wine Kitchen
• Tuscarora Mill
• The Ashby Inn in Paris, Va. - I have to give a special recommendation to The Ashby Inn's Sunday brunch. Paris, Va., is a two-block town in a valley with the Ashby Inn at the top of its main (only) street. And the three-course meal and accompanying brunch cocktails were some of the most innovative and beautifully presented food and drinks I've had in my life. 

I Hate the 9:30 Club

Listen to my 9:30 Club Mix Tape while readiing this blog.

I do. I hate the 9:30 Club, that mecca to live music lovers in our nation's capital, that pantheon to mournful hipsters or shimmying sorority girls or aging dads in their Bad Brains t-shirts, depending on the night. I hate that large, still-divey venue where I've seen Kings of Leon and Lykke Li and Delta Rae and Cold War Kids and Ray Lamontagne and Old 97's and Bon Iver and Neil Finn and Rhett Miller and Mumford & Sons and Django Django and Timbaland and The Afghan Whigs. 

Okay. Maybe I don't hate the 9:30 Club. Maybe I just hate those two lumbering boy-men, those big boys with scraggly beards and fuzzy hair and heavy-rimmed glasses who were trying to get around me the last time I was at the 9:30 Club. I didn't know I was blocking their way. I didn't know until I heard a, "Umm...excuse me...ma'am."

Ma'am.

In one fell swoop, I went from feeling quite lively and chipper to feeling like someone's mom. And I AM someone's mom (more on that later). But no one wants their mom at a live music show. I knew the intrusion I used to feel when I was a high schooler at the Fillmore in San Francisco or a college student at the Bottleneck in Lawrence, Kan., and saw an "ADULT" in the crowd.

"Everything else is yours," was my sentiment. "Let this be ours."

Haim at the 9:30 Club

But just because a couple of decades separate me from that girl doesn't mean my true, passionate love for music and the musicians who create it has dimmed. My love for sold-out shows has dimmed -- I boogie by the bar to avoid the chest-to-back crowds and keep my drink filled. And my enthusiasm for waiting until 11 p.m. for the main act to go on has certainly waned. But I think I've found a solution to that, too.

The kid

I go to early shows with my kid!

We took our teenager to see the three-sister band Haim at 7 p.m. on a Wednesday (the 9:30 Club is an all-ages venue), and I've got to tell you, passing the torch was cool. He stood with his dad in the middle of the crowd -- he can do that, he's over six feet -- and catching glimpses of the look on his face while those three strong women rocked out seemed like the best reason ever to get pregnant. We took him for the whole night-out experience -- the stroll down U Street, half-smokes at Ben's -- and we were still home by 10!

I guess it's appropriate that the night of the "ma'am" was also the night of my son's first 9:30 Club show, even though I was standing nowhere near him when the boys politely asked me to move my ancient ass. I'm not going to stop doing something that makes me thrive just because it's more appropriate for my son to be enjoying it. I've figured out how to mitigate the annoyances -- go to early shows, stand by the bar, hide behind my six-foot kid. So, no, I guess I don't hate the 9:30 Club.

Unfortunately for a venue that I'm sure is not trying to attract the over-40 crowd, I kind of love the place.

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Recommended 9:30 Club Shows in June for In-Betweeners

(Some shows are sold out but try StubHub for tickets. Enjoy one aspect of being old - disposable income!)

• Tonight - Old 97's (great alt-country twang band with hawt lead singer Rhett Miller)
• 6/3 - Jamie Cullum (amazing jazz pianist turned pop crooner)
• 6/6 - Lady Gaga vs. Madonna vs. ALL the Divas - a dance party with DJ lil'e
• 6/7 - Jenny Lewis (incredible singer, songwriter. And she was in Troop Beverly Hills)
• 6/8 - La Roux (sang Bulletproof, made into a song-demon song in Pitch Perfect)
• 6/14 - Who's Bad: The Ultimate Michael Jackson tribute Band 
• 6/27 - Throwing Muses with Special Guest Tanya Donelly (90s awesomeness)
• 6/28 - No Scrubs: 90's Dance Party with DJs Will Eastman and Brian Billion

Check out my 9:30 Club Mix Tape for In-Betweeners to hear songs from the above bands.

Cold Beer After a Hot Day

Sometimes this is the sum total of what I need to enjoy my life. A pretty summer day. Hard work. A feeling of accomplishment. And a cold beer. 

Today, for the first time in 15 years as a homeowner who aspired to garden, I got every plant I bought at the garden store into the ground or a pot. I didn't let them wilt in their sad, plastic containers as I walked past them, day after day, declaring that tomorrow I would get them in the ground. I didn't curse myself for the money spent then wasted. I plodded through four hours in a pretty decent heat and got everything where it needed to go. A beer, a Bud, seemed like the appropriate toast to this sweetly Americana achievement.  

Now let's see if I water.  

Jar Recipes for Summer Parties

This Memorial Day weekend we were honored to be invited to enjoy an outdoor barbecue at a friend's house. And it was an honor.

It seems like people are less and less willing to host a gathering, to do the work that it takes to have friends over. I love to entertain and when the invitations to our house never seemed to be returned by the invitees, I found myself getting bitter. But I had to do a reality check -- entertaining at your home can be hard. From getting the house and yard ready to buying and preparing all the food and beverages to just managing your guests RSVPs, what should be fun starts feeling like a hassle.

So, when we do get invited, I try to acknowledge the work the hosts have done. I try to RSVP as soon as possible, I try to be a fun and appreciative party guest, and if I'm asked to bring something, I try to make it something special. (Notice my caveat "try." I can be damn lazy.) It's easy to bring a bag of chips, but I like to make my potluck offering a gift to the host, a little something to acknowledge the work she or he has done.

Photo by Mariah Smith

The trend that is the Mason jar is the perfect way to offer that gift. It allows you a beautiful way to present your goodie, to make goodies single-serving if appropriate and to designate adult drinks from kid drinks. I've included some of my favorite jar offerings below. Enjoy!

Caponata/MyRecipes.com

This Roasted Eggplant Dip on toasted brushetta is a real crowd pleaser, not only for the hearty, tangy taste of the dip, but the beautiful presentation it makes in a large jar. I bought a 1 liter Weck jar for $5 from World Market and it held all the goodness. Place your toasted bread, a ramekin of ricotta and the jar on a platter and let people make up their own toasts.

White Peach Sangria/Photo by Mariah Smith /Recipe from MyRecipes.com

With the mint and the peaches and the bubbles from the sparkling wine, these White Peach Sangrias are beautiful in Mason jars. If you're using 8-ounce Mason jars, this recipe makes a dozen drinks. Put three peach slices and a spring of mint in every jar, mix the liquids in a pitcher and fill jars about two-thirds of the way. Then ice in a tub and bring to a party!

Cowboy Caviar/MyRecipes.com

I like Cowboy Caviar because it has so many healthy ingredients that it feels like you're canceling out the fried chips you're dipping into it. All the little morsels especially look vivid and colorful presented in a jar. Make sure your avocados are firm so they don't turn into guacamole when you stir.

Berry Vodka Punch/Stylelushblog.com

Many summer parties are all-ages parties. Putting alcoholic cocktails in jars is an easy way to keep kids from pouring a deliciously tempting drink like this Berry Vodka Punch into their Dixie cups. These single servings of hard alcohol also allow your guests to have fun without having TOO much fun!

Tequila-Soaked Watermelon/MarthaStewart.com

Nothing looks more gorgeous than these cubes of watermelon flecked in sea salt sparkling in their jars in a tub of ice. I adapted this Tequila-Soaked Watermelon recipe to offer my guests a refreshing, mildly boozy treat on a hot day. Cutting up the watermelon into bite-sized cubes, distributing it between the jars, pouring the liquid over the top and then sealing them up gives them more flavor than pouring the liquid over the top of slices. 

Chocolate Pudding Parfaits/MyRecipes.com

When we were in our 20s, we took these classic American favorites to an elegant D.C. dinner party. No one was as charmed as we were. But in glass jars on a hot summer day, cold Chocolate Pudding Parfaits are the bomb. You don't really need a recipe -- graham cracker crumbs on the bottom, instant chocolate pudding next, Cool Whip on top. Refrigerate.

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Check out a great recipe for Bourbon Lemonade on my Pinterest board "Recipes for Jars"

In Between Tip: WEEKEND ALERT - Buy your tickets now to Great Tastes of Tysons, a two-day wine and food festival Saturday and Sunday. Deal Chicken is offering the $69 tickets for $20 until 11:59 p.m., Wednesday.