Ice Skating

Reston Ice Rink

Reston Town Center Ice Rink
Located in the heart of the Reston Town Center, this isn’t so big that making rounds is tiring and the music is always upbeat and fun. It’s been my experience that ice skating can be a great date to break the ice, no pun intended! Dress warmly, the rink is outdoors, nestled between several of the Town Center’s most popular restaurants and a block from the movie theater.
Reston Town Center Ice Rink: 1818 Discovery St. Reston, VA; 703-709-6300; www.restontowncenter.com/pavilion
The Tasting Room: Enomatic wine sampler- buy a tasting card and choose your own! 1816 Library St. Reston, VA; 703-435-3553; www.thetastingroomwinebar.com.
Melting Pot: Fondue, creative cocktails, romantic atmosphere. 11730 Plaza America Dr. Ste. 100, Reston, VA; 703-435-1277; www.meltingpot.com.

Kettler IcePlex
For an indoors skating option, head over to Kettler Iceplex. The practice rink for the Washington Capitals; show off some moves on the ice Ovi skates on! A helpful tip to avoid the youngsters: Wednesdays from 8 to 9 p.m. are for those 18+.
Kettler Iceplex: 571-224-0555; www.kettlercapitals.pointstreaksites.com
Front Page: Across the street, ½ priced burgers on Wednesdays. 4201 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA; 703-248-9990; www.frontpagearlington.com.

Pentagon Row
The rink is small, but several restaurants, bars, and shops surrround it for a winter village atmosphere.
Pentagon Row Ice Rink: 1201 S Joyce St. Arlington, VA; 703-418-6666; www.pentagonrowskating.com
Sine: Warm up with Irish coffee and weekend brunch. 1301 S.  Joyce St. Arlington, VA; 703-415-4420; www.sineirishpub.com.

Games

Lucky Strike Lanes

Bocce Ball at Vinoteca
Enjoy the sleek and sexy atmosphere of the bar, then head out to the bocce court for a round. This classic Italian game lends itself to chatting while playing, a perfect way to get to know eachother while having a few laughs (or drinks.)
Vinotecca: 1940 11th St. NW, DC; 202-332-9463; www.vinotecadc.com.

Top Golf
This Kingstowne digital golf play-place isn’t your grandfather’s driving range and trust us, you don’t have to know how to play golf.  Hit the ball and the chip inside records the distance and tracks your score – think bowling meets golf with heated bays, and a full bar.
Top Golf: 6625 S Van Dorn St. Alexandria, VA; 703-924-2600; www.topgolf.com/alexandria
Bonefish Grill: Seafood, polished yet casual, bar-fresh ingredients. 5920 Kingstowne Town Center, Alexandria, VA; 703-971-3202; www.bonefishgrill.com.

Lucky Strike Lanes
Class. Games. Tunes. Bar. Food. Want it all? Bowling all grown up. They have great and eclectic music going at all times, a swanky atmosphere, full bar, and a surprisingly trendy food menu. On Sunday nights, they clear the tables and it’s salsa time!
Lucky Strike: 701 7th St. NW, DC; 202-347-1021; www.bowlluckystrike.com

Nats' Park

Nationals Baseball
America’s favorite pastime is about to return! For a relaxing sports-filled date, grab a few cheap-seats tickets, arrive early on a Friday for some live music at Scoreboard Walk and settle in with an ice-cold beer.
Nationals Park: 1500 S Capitol St. SE, DC; 202-675-6287; www.washington.nationals.mlb.com
Justin’s Café: Stays open late on game nights, and now serving Dangerously Delicious pie by the slice. 1025 First St. SE, DC; 202-652-1009; www.justinscafe.com.

Thrills & Spills

Trapeze School
If you’re looking for a little bit of adventure (and uncertainty!) on your date, try the Trapeze School downtown. Classes include basic skills, balancing, acrobatics and trampoline. It puts a new spin on “he’s a good catch.”.
Trapeze School: 4th St. SE and Tingey St. SE. 410-459-6839; www.washington.trapezeschool.com

Go Ape

Kayaking in Georgetown
Take in DCs landmarks from the water and enjoy a day of paddling on the Potomac. Tours are offered and you can use single or double kayaks – guess it depends how well the date is going… Opens for the season in April.

Jack’s Boathouse: 3500 Water St. NW, 202-337-9642; www.jacksboathouse.com
Thunder Burger: Brunch, craft beer and Bison Burgers. 3056 M St. NW, DC; 202-333-2888; www.thunderburger.com.
Old Glory: Keep the outside vibe going on the patio and enjoy some good ‘ol Bar-B-Que. 3139 M St. NW, DC; 202-337-3406; www.oldglorybbq.com.

Go Ape
Spend some time in the treetops! Go Age gets into nature and gets your adrenalin pumping.  Make your way through the forest on tarzan swings and wind-in-your-face zip lines while negotiating tricky crossings using ladders, walkways, bridges and tunnels made of wood, rope and super-strong wire.
Go Ape: 6129 Needwood Lake Dr.  Rockville, MD; 888-520-7322; www.goape.com

Arts & Sciences

Newseum
A news junkie’s dream to be sure, but there is something for everyone.  Centuries of news history is on display in galleries, theaters and interactive displays. Top attractions include the Berlin Wall Gallery and a large collection of Pulitzer Prize winning photographs. Exhibits change regularly.
Newseum: 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, DC; 202-292-6100; www.newseum.org
Capital Grille: Great steaks and a good happy hour. 601 Pennsylvania Ave NW, DC; 202-737-6200; www.thecapitalgrille.com.

George Washington University
Between basketball games and performances at Lisner Auditorium, GWU has a wide range of programming at affordable prices. Beatles cover band concerts, Flamenco Festival dance performances, comedy acts, renditions of The Rocky Horror Music Show, and more.
Lisner Auditorium: 730 21st St. NW DC,  202-994-6800; www.lisner.org
Tonic at Quigley’s: Late night happy hour and great patio.  2036 G St. NW, DC; 202-296-0211; www.tonicrestaurant.com.

Shakespeare Theatre

Young Prose Nights at Shakespeare Theatre
Night at the theatre too pricey?  Not on these nights. For $20, those 35 and under can get a ticket to the play as well as a complimentary pre or post-party with beer and wine.  Not only will you take in a first rate production, but you will have the chance to mingle with other savvy-minded theatre goers.
Shakespeare Theatre: 610 F St. NW DC 202-547-1122; www.shakespearetheatre.org
Ping Pong Dim Sum: Festival-themed cocktails and delicious dumplings! 900 7th St. NW, DC; 202-506-3740; www.pingpongdimsum.us.
PS7: Famous cocktails and garden fresth food. 777 I St. NW, DC; 202-742-8550; www.ps7restaurant.com.

The National Zoo
Calling all party animals, the Zoo is for you. From Rock n’ Roar summer concerts, to the annual Zoofari festival of fine dining to the always popular Brew at The Zoo and Grapes with Apes, the Zoo offers multiple special events that make a great date. Beer and wine are served, and it’s a chance to see the animals in a unique way.
The National Zoo: 3001 Connecticut Ave. NW, DC, 202-633-4800; nationalzoo.si.edu
Ripple: Wine bar and farm-to-table hotspot, dinner only.   3417 Connecticut, Ave. NW, DC; 202-244-7995; www.rippledc.com.

Corcoran Gallery of Art
Are you the artistic type? Visit Corcoran Gallery of Art and tap into your art critic side. What pieces speak to you? Can you guess what abstract pieces might have been meant to look like or remind viewers of? Corcoran offers plenty of educational programs and events to really get your hidden artist to shine.
Corcoran Gallery of Art: 500 17th St. NW, DC, 202-639-1700; www.corcoran.org
Café Soleil: Saturday and Sunday $20.99 three course supper if you’re seated before 7:30 p.m. 839 17th St. NW, DC; 202-974-4260; www.cafesoleildc.com

Jazz in the Park
Fridays in the summer are great for an outdoor live music experience outside the National Gallery of Art. Relax and have a picnic in the garden while listening to relaxing jazz and blues. DC was once a huge jazz venue; bring back the good old days outside, weather permitting. Beer and wine is available; no outside alcohol permitted. Arrive early to reserve a seat on the grass!
Sculpture Garden: 7th St. NW & Constitution Ave.; 202-737-4215; www.nga.gov/jazz

14th Street Day Date
Take a stroll down 14th street (between P and U St NW)—a revitalized neighborhood full of new and used clothing boutiques, some unique art galleries, odd home furniture shopping and of course, hip bars and dining.  Boutiques like Home Rule and Miss Pixies (so pink you can’t miss it) will have you covered for cool  kitchen nick-nacks and home furnishings you can’t find at the mall.  The Treasury, Black Eyed Susie and Mimilah are great spots for consignments, used clothing and unique jewelry and accessories you’ll girlfriend will love (and thank you for). On sunny days The Standard’s biergarten is great for some German beer and some bbq or hit Marvin’s kick ass patio for some Belgian goodness—or for some inside fun head to Black Salt’s Bocce court for craft beers or Masa 14’s bar for latin-asian infused plates and one of the biggest tequila selections in town—Ay dios mio!
Home Rule: 1807 14th St. NW, DC, 202-797-5544; www.homerule.com
Miss Pixies: 1626 14th St. NW, DC, 202-232-8171; www.misspixies.com
The Treasury: 1843 14th St. NW, DC, 202-506-6908; www.shoptreasury.com.
Black Eyed Susie: 3443 14th St. NW, Suite #2, DC, 202-588-9039; www.blackeyedsusiedc.com
Mimilah: 1626 14th St. NW, DC, 301-379-4490; www.mimilah.com.
The Standard: 1801 14th St. NW, DC, www.standarddc.com.
Marvin: 2007 14th St. NW, DC, 202-797-7171; www.marvindc.com
Black Salt: 4883 MacArthur Blvd. NW, DC, 202-342-9101; www.blacksaltrestaurant.com.
Masa 14: 1825 14th St. NW, DC, 202-328-1414; www.masa14.com.

Eastern Market
Browse through an awesome flea market and array of weekend vendors specializing in artisanal jewelry, paintings, crafts and more with an amazing market center for meats, fresh seafood, veggies, cheeses and desserts.  It also serves as a community center for dancing lessons and other random events.  You never know what you might find…
Eastern Market: 225 7th St. SE, DC, 202-698-5253; www.easternmarket-dc.org
Acqua Al 2: Traditional Italian cuisine. 212 7th St. SE, DC; 202-535-4375; www.acquaal2dc.com
Seventh Hill Pizza: Craft beer and original signature personal pizzas. 327 7th St. SE, DC; 202-544-1911; www.montmartredc.com/seventhhill
Tunnicliffs: Delicious brunch and a covered patio.  222 7th St. SE, DC; 202-544-5680; www.twitter.com/tunnicliffs

More than Dinner

Marrakesh

Marrakesh Belly Dancing
For dinner and entertainment all in one, venture to Marrakesh. The sumptous decor transports you to a magical place far from the  ordinary. Indulge in ethnic food, nice cocktails, and watch the belly dancers put on a show.
Marrakesh: 617 New York Ave. NW, DC, 202-393-9393; www.marrakesh.us

Salsa Lessons at Café Citron
Ever wish you found yourself on a night out like Jennifer Anniston’s in Along Came Polly, minus Ben Stiller and the spicy food fiasco? Take a date to Café Citron on Salsational Wednesdays and get up close and personal with free lessons from 7:30-8:30, and specials on Dos Equis, and make sure your date ends better than theirs did.
Cafe Citron: 1343 Connecticut Ave. NW, DC, 202-530-8844; www.cafecitrondc.com

Eat Bar
Dinner and a movie isn’t new, but it’s so much more fun when it’s dinner with a movie at a restaurant like Eat Bar. Sundays at 8pm. With a different theme every month, you could be walking into a Bill Murray kind of night, a festive holiday evening, or spending time with the Klumps on an Eddie Murphy Sunday. Free snacks are provided. As for the dinner menu, well they keep it new and hip, but keep the movie theme in mind! And shh don’t tell your lady friend, but admission is free.
Eat Bar: 2761 Washington Blvd., Arlington, VA, 703-778-9951; www.eat-bar.com

Rosslyn Outdoor Movies
Let the stars align on your next date. The Rosslyn Outdoor Movie Festival reminds us that simplicity can be the perfect way to spark chemistry. Every Friday from May through September, go to downtown Rosslyn and watch a movie that starts around dusk, and feel free to bring a blanket and a picnic, and get cozy.
Gateway Park: 2 blocks from Rosslyn Metro on the Blue and Orange Lines
Domaso Trattoria: Modern but sophisticated atmosphere.  1121 19th St. Arlington, VA 703-351-1211; www.domaso trattoria.com.
Continental: Casual, fun and plenty of games! 1911 N Fort Myer Dr. Arlington, VA; 703-465-7675; www.continentalpoollounge.com.

Dinner & Music

The Hamilton
Full menu as well as sushi menu,   great beer and wine lists,  gorgeous decor and Warren Hayes rocked the stage opening night through the wee hours of the morning. If this doesn’t entice you, it’s open 24 hours…everyday.
The Hamilton: 600 14th St. NW, DC, 202-787-1000; www.thehamiltondc.com

Hill Country
Like barbeque with your music? Whether it’s the authentic Texas meats, unique sides, or specialty cupcakes that reel you in, it’s bound to be the live music that keeps you there. The lineup tends to Honky-Tonk, Rockabilly, Western Swing, and Blues. Great selection of bourbon and beer too.
Hill Country: 410 7th St. NW, DC, 202-556-2050; www.hillcountrywdc.com

IOTA Club & Cafe
This intimate music venue offers a unique menu, awesome craft beer list and a great lineup of singer/songwriters. Open seven days a week, and the cafe is open for breakfast, if your date went really well.
IOTA: 2832 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA, 703-522-8340; www.iotaclubandcafe.com

Birchmere Music Hall
Sit down and take in a show supper club style. The long tables and laid back atmosphere are a unique way to take in some of the country’s top folk, singer/songwriter, pop-rock and comedy acts.
Birchmere: 2401 Mt. Vernon Ave., Alexandria, VA, 703-549-7500; www.birchmere.com

A Little Bit of Everything

O Mansion

The Mansion on O Street
The best kept date spot secret in DC has got to be The Mansion on O Street in Dupont.  Officially dubbed the O Street Museum Foundation, the mansion is located in a series of five interconnected town houses that includes over 100 rooms and 32 secret doors. It’s literally one of the most amazing historic hotel/gallery/labyrinth/restaurant/performance space/collectables and guitar museums you have ever been to.  One half Alice and Wonderland, one half exotic hotel to the stars (and those in the know), the Mansion is so awesome that On Tap Staffer Mariel and I had our jaws drop when we visited this month. It features rooms like the John Lennon and Rosa Parks rooms that were themed after they stayed and rock star, log cabin and jungle themed rooms not of this earth filled with collectibles you can purchase —they even have Gordon Gekko’s desk from Wall Street in the communal office suite! Walk around freely as the entire building flows like some euphoric Grateful Dead communal experience from the 60’s only in a modern setting.  Complete with secret doorways and an infinite entourage of random celebrity guests like Cat Stephens and Lenny Kravitz running around making brunch and playing to guests, it will take your breath away…or at the very least make you very, very dizzy. Warning: you will get lost!  It’s only open Mondays and Sundays to the public for tours and dining (and for the occasional concert or event), so plan ahead!  I’m making a reservation for my special lady here, are you?
The Mansion on O Street: 2020 O St. NW,  DC, 202-496-2020; www.omansion.com

Worst Dates? We asked, you Told!

When I got to my date’s apartment, I saw the towing policy. I asked him for a tag, but we forgot about it. When we left 30 minutes later, my car was gone. I didn’t freak out. It was my mistake. My date looked calm too. But when the towing company answered, a switch flipped in my date. He said every swear word in the book to the secretary, calling her names and told her he hoped she’d die. When we got there, he said to her, “I hope you get hit and run over by a tow truck and the ambulance is too late to get there.”

My worst date was with this cute girl. We went to jazz in the sculpture garden, things were going great. We got to dinner at PS7, and ordered a nice dinner and bottle of wine. She brings up religion and asks me about mine. I tell her that I was raised Catholic, but don’t practice anymore. Her face turns red, she stands up, says, “This just will never work!” and leaves.

I showed up for our first date, the guy seemed VERY energetic and nervous. Once we entered the restaurant and took a seat at the bar, I noticed he was starting to sweat a lot and had a vein popping out of his head, a few of them…He then excused himself, and when he came back said, “I should not have taken those pills, I have veins popping out of my head,” I was like, what pills?? Turns out, he was tired and overly excited for our date, so he took two energy pills to be “awake.” Wrong move buddy. Besides the fact that he was overly excited, alert, eyes popping out of his head, sweating and a chatter box, he would not stop telling me how hot I was, how I was “the one,” how we should move to San Diego and live happily ever after and how he loved me. I couldn’t stop thinking of how to get out of the situation…even the bartender was looking at me like “eek!” I ended dinner QUICKLY, left and never contacted him again, although he contacted me about 10 more times to ask me out on a second date! UGH, dating sucks.

Since starting online dating, I have tried to studiously avoid dating anyone over 6’4” as I am 5’ tall. However, one suitor, at 6’7”, was particularly insistent. We chatted online and those chats went well. He told me he was a writer, and this was borne out in his witty banter. We chatted once on the phone, and he was less…engaging, but I chalked it up to nervousness. Eventually we set a date to meet at a bar in MD (I am from VA). I wore my highest heels, maybe three inches, as he suggested, but knew it was a mistake when I saw him at a distance looking like the guy with the metal teeth in the Bond movies! When we were side by side the disparity of height was even more pronounced. As if that was not bad enough, we went to the bar, ordered some drinks and began to converse. That is, I began to converse. Face to face, he was unable to respond to almost any question except with monosyllabic replies. It was the longest 45 minutes of my life.  After that, I have kept to my plan, no taller than 6’4” and he has to communicate in multiple formats!

My date had wanted to take me to a nice Italian Restaurant. It was our first real date and our first dinner date. He was very accommodating and told me to order whatever I wanted and as much as I wanted. He encouraged me to order wine, appetizer, coffee, dessert and an entree. I politely declined since I couldn’t eat that much. When the check arrived he placed it in front of me. I was stunned (I bought him two dinners previously as friends). I didn’t say anything, then he lifted the check in my face and pointed to the total. Sadly I continued to see him for a while longer.

As a poor grad student, I agreed to go on a date with another student. I assumed he would drive us to the movie theater from campus, in one of the roughest neighborhoods of New Jersey. I was wearing a severely underused pair of black patent heels and a skirt because the weather was nice. When he came to pick me up, we started walking and I asked him where his car was parked. He said that we were taking the train. We rode until the end of the line. We then began walking again. My feet were throbbing. There was no on the dim, forested road. After a 10 minute hike hugging ditches so we wouldn’t be hit by oncoming traffic, we came to a clearing. I thought it better to follow through since I’d gone so far. It did cross my mind that this guy could kill me and leave my body in that field. We finally arrived at the place and I went to to clean the mud and grass off my ruined heels. He picked up the tickets. I thought we would be watching a comedy, but he chose a zombie movie. When I walked into the theater a man was being eaten on the screen. After the movie, I asked to take a taxi home and he refused to pay for it. We trekked back the way we came. I never spoke to him again.

It started out with the guy picking me up an hour late! He took me to Olives, which I was excited to try until I found out the only reason we were going was because his cousin was bartending. We were deciding on dinner and he said that we only needed one entree and ordered one steak for the two of us. The food came out and he didn’t just cut the steak in half, but proceeded to cut my half into bite size pieces. After dinner he asked me if I wanted to go to a club. Trying to enjoy the night I said sure. He took me to a strip club, I was mortified!

I thought it would be fun to try one of those “bake your own” pizza places, and of course, instead of being a great way to get to know each other, we added too many toppings, the pizza took a long time to cook and it didn’t taste good. The delay meant we got to the movie theater late. We had to sit in the very front of the theater, where she couldn’t see since she had new glasses that gave her headaches. When we got back to her house, she told me she didn’t need me to walk her to the door since “she knew the way,” in fact, she opened the car door before I had come to a complete stop, like you see in the cartoons. Needless to say that was our first and last date.

He showed up 10 minutes late and told me “Sorry I’m late, babe. I was busy lifting [weights].” Through the entire date, he wiped imaginary sweat from his brow, laughed like Ernie from Sesame Street and bored me to tears. When the bill came, I asked him if we could please split the bill (knowing that I would never go out with him again). He finally relented and let me split it. Then I told him that I had a wonderful time, but that I didn’t feel any chemistry. His response: “Who the f**k do you think you are?” Caught off guard, I apologized, but said that I could tell that I didn’t see a future for us. He called me a liar and we said goodnight. One hour later, I received the following email: “One of my favorite quotes comes from the Dali Lama is “when you lose, don’t lose the lesson” so while I appreciate your honesty about not hanging out again, I have to be honest and say I’m pretty annoyed. I’ve learned my lesson about needing to find someone who gives me more than one date to get to know me because I’m such a unique (multi-dimensional) person. The one common thing about all the girls that I’ve had successful relationships with is that they gave me a few dates before there was “chemistry.” I asked what you liked about my profile and you said how I was family oriented (instead of that I looked “hot” which I’ve gotten and then closed those matches). While I appreciate your compliment that I’m attractive it’s never something I’ve questioned about myself. I continually get requests to be the entertainment at bachelorette parties and positive comments on my looks. If (as indicated) family oriented is what’s important to you I can’t possibly show you on the first date what a great and attentive husband and father I’m going to be.” Worst.date.ever.

We met up for dinner and instead of going to Macaroni Grill as intended, he wanted to go to the Old Country Buffet. At the buffet he got an entire plate of chicken as his meal (high protein diet) and then got a second plate of nothing but chicken (said the first round was bad). We went to his house afterwards and he showed me around. He had pictures of swans on his walls and other weird decor like you’d see in a cheesy hotel and told me his spare bedroom could be my son’s room. This was a first date! We didn’t go out again.

I met a guy at a work function and we instantly hit it off. We emailed all the time and would often meet for lunch. He invited me over for drinks and a movie, but he brought his drink in the car with him while driving, wouldn’t buckle his seatbelt because his shirt would get wrinkled and wouldn’t compromise on the movie. Then I realized that when I came back from the office one day and saw him walking back from lunch with a woman he claimed was an old boss, I had really caught him on a lunch date.

His profile, picture and messages were normal: a sweet, hockey playing lawyer from Maryland. He showed up 30 minutes late and seemed to be drunk. His excuse was that he was watching Sportscenter and couldn’t find pants. After we ordered drinks, he told me he was fired from his job that day. Next, he gets a call from his brother saying that he got pulled over and needed immediate legal advice. At that point I chugged my beer and left.

In early 2011 I joined Match.com. A week into my month-long membership, I was scrolling through my daily Top 5, a carefully selected algorithm the website uses to match you with compatible partners. I noticed a cute blonde in the small thumbnail photo so I clicked on it to see the full profile. I scratched my head and texted my cousin, Bridget. I soon found out she was on Match as well and the website was trying to hook us up. This aint a Woody Allen movie. Epic fail.

While on my lunch break at Giant, I grabbed a salad and headed to the granola bar aisle. On my way, a guy dressed to the nines asks if I needed help finding anything because I appeared to be lost. Thanking him for his offer, I continued on my way. He proceeds to find me in the granola bar aisle, only this time he is with his coworker and says “Excuse me, I want to show my friend how beautiful your eyes are.” Caught off guard, I entertain conversation for a few minutes and then he says “Here is my card, I am taking you to dinner, no questions about it” and goes on to talk about how good looking his friends think he is. Of course I had no intention of going anywhere with this guy, but at the risk of being rude I took the card. I check out, and as I’m leaving the store he’s waiting for me with a bouquet of flowers (seriously?) and says “I can’t wait to take you out, happy early Valentine’s Day!” In your dreams buddy!

Have a story to share? Join us for a worst date happy hour, February 16 at Gordon Biersch in DC. RSVP at www.ontaponline.com

David Tran, founder of MNMNT Snowboards. Photo by Ian Roche

Monument: Creating Creative Boards

It’s no secret: snowy weather seldom comes to the Metropolitan Washington area until winter is halfway over. As soon as the first flake hits the ground, two things happen: beltway drivers get anxious, and snow lovers of all ages get ready, excited to have some fun in the fresh powder.

The passion snowboarders bring extends far beyond the sport itself, or even the gleaming mountains they flock to every winter: as is true in similar sports such as skiing and surfing, for many adherents, loyalty to their brand of board is fierce.

Equally fierce, if not more so, is the competition for this business. Enter Monument Snowboards, a DC area company that for ten years has been crafting some of the slickest, most distinctive boards available.

The story of Monument Snowboards starts not with a dream, but with a theft. Landing in Steamboat, Colo. in 1998, Monument founder Dave Tran found himself in a unfortunate (if all too common) predicament: relieved of his board, his boots, and all the rest of gear. Scrambling to find replacements, he noticed two things: first, that in terms of style, the selection of boards was stale to the point of predictability; second, that many of the snowboard brands were going out of business. He had to buy one of their boards to save the trip, but he came off the mountain with something much more valuable: the idea that would become MNMNT.

Four years later, with seed money saved from waiting tables at legendary Adams Morgan dive bar Millie and Al’s, a dedicated army of local artists whom he knew personally, and lessons learned from observing the ebbs and flows of the industry, Tran purchased what would soon become Monument’s first batch of snowboards.

From the very beginning, Monument Snowboards’ focus was on the art. According to Tran, “Where other brands’ art is bastardized and corporate, our approach is more artist-driven and organic. We make boards that are a work of art – something you could hang on a wall, just as soon as you would ride down a mountain.”

Here’s the thing: at first glance, there’s no way to tell Monument boards from the rest of the pack.

Jeremy Cline making moves on his MNMNT snowboard. Photo by Ian McAlexander

Despite the rise of identity-based marketing and the ever-growing presence of QR codes and Twitter handles, Monument Snowboards takes a massive risk each time they sell a board: Out of respect for the artists who design the boards, Monument does not place a logo, a slogan, or Monument branding of any sort on the board. Tran acknowledges this choice has its consequences, and embraces a certain level of what he calls “creative uncertainty” when working with artists. This simple gesture of respect has proven well worth the risk, though: according to Tran, one thing the artists love “is the freedom to do the work they love, purely and without interference.”

Gorgeous artwork is Monument’s hallmark, but make no mistake: the craftsmanship and ride of Monument Snowboards is top-notch, and thanks to his years of experience both riding and producing snowboards, Tran has a finely-tuned understanding of the nuances of sourcing his boards. “Quality control is crucial,” he explains, “sometimes you’ll get better boards from China, and sometimes they’re making better boards in California.”

Considering the risks they take on their boards at speeds that top 50 miles per hour, it’s no wonder experienced snowboarders have high demands and, in Tran’s words, “extremely specific” preferences. But both novices unfamiliar with terms like flex, camber, sidecut radius, and stance – as well as experts who know these variations all too well – know that while snowboards are meant to be ridden, a board’s aesthetics make a strong visual statement. These are MNMNT’s core customers: riders of all levels who want top-notch boards with authentic, cutting-edge artwork.

Photo by Ian McAlexander. Board art by Dalek.

Their roots are in the Washington area, but Monument’s market has grown considerably in the ten short years that have passed since the first board was manufactured. Competing in a market saturated with major-label brands, Tran understands well that networking with and educating retailers is just as crucial to Monument’s success as traditional marketing to customers.

Early in the company’s history, Monument Snowboards was a player at the major trade shows, going toe-to-toe with corporate brands like Burton, SIMS and K2. Seeing little chance of getting noticed in that environment, Tran decided to change tacks. Geared toward and backed by the mass-market brands, he explains the trade show scene “just didn’t make sense for us  so instead, we’re doing it the right way: building our reputation slowly and surely and making killer boards.”

This approach gives Tran and his lean team – four distributors, operating in the Pacific Northwest, Northern California, Colorado, and New England – the chance to go beyond traditional marketing, and connect with communities of artists and riders; essentially, to grow the business as organically as possible.

Ever in search of customers who are avid snowboarders as well as art lovers, Tran’s vision for Monument is expansive. Not one to be deterred by the slow, steady growth the company has achieved thus far, he continues to find demand for Monument Snowboards all over the country – and has recently begun to set his sights on markets in Europe.

Regardless of where the shifting market takes Monument Snowboards, Tran is intent on staying true to his roots, both locally and within the artistic community.

As Monument Snowboards enters its tenth year, Tran is too focused on the company’s future to rest on his laurels or concern himself with a proper anniversary celebration. Still, options abound for commemorating the anniversary: currently in the pipeline for production is a budget-friendly “District Series” which would pay homage to the company’s roots in DC. Dave hopes to reconnect with Ron Thompson, a college friend and the first artist Monument worked with, to lend his work to a new Monument Snowboard.

But the real celebration, Dave explains, is business as usual: “Really, we just want to do things right: keep growing, and keep making the greatest boards we can.”

To learn more about Monument visit www.monumentsnowboards.com.

Monument Snowboards: It’s All About The Art.

Board art and photo courtesy of Maya Hayuk

Over the ten years since the company’s creation, Monument’s Artist Network has grown from a relatively small, local collective, to a global consortium of gifted, prolific artists who produce the mold-shattering work that has come to define the MNMNT brand.

Owner Dave Tran’s approach to working with the artists is what sets Monument’s boards apart from the competition: where major companies have art directors and committees to recruit, train and often assimilate artistic talent, Monument’s formula is far simpler: Dave works directly with the artist, and gives them carte blanche. As long as it fits on a snowboard, the artwork goes to production as-is, without a single edit.

Board and photo courtesy of Dalek

Some artists tend to push conventional boundaries, but Tran insists on letting the artwork speak for itself – a fact both the artists and Monument’s customers appreciate. Admittedly he has gotten nervous about some of the artwork, but in each case he has been surprised – or rather, awestruck – by the raw power and aesthetic purity of the finished product.

Another liability of this hands-off approach is less apparent: Monument boards bear no company logo, graphic, or any other branding, making word-of-mouth their primary means of marketing. “Sure, it’s tough not adding our logo, but it’s worth doing for the sake of the art, and the purity of the artists’ intent.”

Board art and photo courtesy of Peter Beste

Board art and photo courtesy of Cleon Peterson

To learn more about the artists, visit their websites:
Maya Hayuk: www.mayhayuk.com
Dalek: www.dalek.com
Rammellzee: www.gothicfuturism.com
Peter Beste: www.peterbeste.com
Cleon Peterson: www.cleonpeterson.com

]]> http://www.ontaponline.com/2012/02/01/monument-snowboards/feed/ 0 http://www.ontaponline.com/2012/02/01/pints-of-hope-2012-brewers-ball/ http://www.ontaponline.com/2012/02/01/pints-of-hope-2012-brewers-ball/#comments Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:07:51 +0000 Bill DeBaun http://www.ontaponline.com/?p=11117 read more »]]>

Beer from around the world with a handmade beer bench/cooler, one of the unique silent auction items up for grabs at the DC Brewer’s Ball. Matt Splain Photography

When Dennis O’Leary was asked by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to attend a meeting for an event called Brewer’s Ball five years ago, he knew nothing about it except that he wanted to hear more. An avid craft beer fan with a son who was born with cystic fibrosis (CF), Dennis knew afterwards that there was no way he would be able to pass up an opportunity to fundraise for CF research while drinking good beer. Five years later, Dennis and his wife Jennifer find themselves as co-chairs of an event that raised more than a quarter of a million dollars last year.

The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s Brewer’s Ball, now in its eighth year, is back “serving up hope, one pint at a time.” For the second year in a row, the Stars and Stripes Club at Nationals Park in Washington, DC will host the gala event which features almost 20 breweries. This year’s event will be held on Saturday, March 3 from 7 p.m. to midnight.
This year’s attendees will have the opportunity to sip suds from local breweries like DC Brau, Chocolate City Brewing Company, and Port City Brewing Company in addition to well-known national breweries like Sierra Nevada, Brewery Ommegang, and New Belgium. In addition to brews, food from venues such as the Dogfish Head Alehouse in Gaithersburg, Bethesda’s Freddy’s Lobster and Clams, and DC’s Granville Moore’s will whet appetites.

Aside from the food and craft beer, Brewer’s Ball features “a huge silent auction where guests can bid on some really unique and exciting items… All while contributing to a good cause,” says Laura Starr, development director for the Foundation’s Metro DC Chapter. Last year’s event featured over 200 biddable items that ranged from luxury vacations to sports memorabilia to beer baskets and everything in between. Add dancing to the list of activities alongside eating, drinking, and bidding, and you’ve got a night that should not be missed.

2011 DC Brewer’s Ball Planning Committee. Matt Splain Photography

While the night is a lot of fun, it’s important to remember why there is a need for the event. CF is a recessive genetic disease that affects the lungs and other critical organs. Approximately 30,000 people in the United States have cystic fibrosis according to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s website notes, “In 1955, children with CF were not expected to live long enough to attend grade school. Today, thanks to continued Foundation-supported research and specialized care, an increasing number of people with cystic fibrosis are living into adulthood and leading healthier lives that include careers, marriage and families of their own.” There’s still room for improvement though. The median life expectancy for a person with CF is still only in the mid-30s.

For Dennis and Jennifer O’Leary and their fellow co-chair, Lynn Rudolf, Brewer’s Ball is a way to stay involved in finding a cure for a disease that has afflicted, or worse, taken, their friends and family. In the past seven years the event has grown from raising about $40,000 to over $275,000. Jennifer O’Leary says, “The money we raise goes directly to fund CF research. The results of that research are incredible advancements in the treatment and management of the disease. Life expectancy and quality of life for our son and others with CF has improved drastically and the future looks to be even better.”

Why the dramatic growth of the event? Certainly the expansion of craft beer overall in our region and across the United States has something to do with it. With more craft breweries, more craft beer on shelves, and more fans interested in engaging with the former and drinking the latter, it should come as little surprise that Brewer’s Ball has reaped the benefits and raised more money for CF research.

“Craft beer followers are very passionate about their beer,” says Jennifer O’Leary. “They like to get together and sample and discuss it. This event gives both the brewers and the attendees an opportunity to do something they love to do while at the same time giving back to the community…It is a win-win situation.”

Laura Starr notes, “There are many personalities behind craft beer who are very philanthropic in nature and have a tradition of giving back…Craft brewers care about individualism and care a lot about the things that impact people and therefore end up caring about our families and our volunteers.”

Behind the scenes of the Brewer’s Ball is a planning committee of 20-25 members who bring in donations, find sponsors, recruit breweries, and sell tickets. They come from different backgrounds, fields and craft beer interest levels, but one thing that they all have in common is a desire to see a cure found for cystic fibrosis.

Casey Hollingsworth, Vice President of Sales and Marketing of Coastal Brewing Company – which produces the Old Dominion and Fordham brands of craft beer in Dover, Delaware— is one of these individuals. These brands have been present at Brewer’s Ball since 2007, and Hollingsworth says that he couldn’t help but notice the “driving passion from everyone involved in this event.” This year he became involved with the planning committee for the first time because “I truly felt that [the planning committee’s] excitement for craft beer was authentic, which led me to want to get more involved.” The involvement of the craft beer community in this philanthropic event and the platform it gives to spread the word about craft beer “is truly what makes the craft beer community so special; it’s a grassroots effort that yields major results,” Hollingsworth concludes.

Guests enjoying brews at the 2011 Brewer's Ball. Matt Splain Photography

Organizers of fundraisers for cystic fibrosis are a committed bunch, but they hope that someday all of the fun will end because a cure for CF has been found. Events like the Brewer’s Ball, and others throughout the year like the Breath of Life Gala and Cycle for Life, are helping to make that vision a reality. Starr notes, “There is no greater time to be involved with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. This is a historic time in the fight against CF with promising therapies that treat not just the symptoms, but the underlying cause of CF.” On March 3, Brewer’s Ball attendees can help to further the Foundation’s mission, all while bidding on some amazing items and sipping on craft beers both from their own backyard and around the country.

The Cystic Foundation’s Brewer’s Ball is held March 3 at Nationals Park in the Stars and Stripes Club: 1500 S Capitol St. SE. To find out more about the event and about the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, or to purchase tickets and/or make a donation, visit www.dcbrewersball.org.

Breweries (as of mid-January):
Brewery Ommegang
Chocolate City Beer
DC Brau
Dogfish Head Alehouse
Flying Dog
Fordham Brewing Company
Heavy Seas Beer
Lost Rhino Brewing Co.
Magic Hat
New Belgium
Old Dominion Brewing Company
Oliver Ales/Pratt Street Ale House
Port City Brewing Company
Sierra Nevada
Sixpoint
Starr Hill Brewery
Tuppers Hop Pocket Beer

Jim Koch; Photo courtesy of Boston Beer

“We’ve just accumulated more and more knowledge, more and more skills, more and more creativity, more and more access to ingredients, more and more knowledge of different brewing processes and their outcomes,” says Jim Koch, co-founder and Chairman of the Boston Beer Company, which produces the Samuel Adams line of beers. Koch caught up with On Tap Magazine for an interview about his newest seasonal, the Sam Adams portfolio, and other topics in craft beer.

“We’re in the midst of an explosion of creativity and innovation,” says Koch, and though he’s talking about his brewery, the same certainly holds true industry-wide. As the craft beer revolution rolls on nationwide and globally, it’s good to hear the face of the craft industry’s largest brewery talking so passionately about pushing the envelope and trying new things with beer.

The brewers at Sam Adams are using the aforementioned skills, creativity, access to ingredients, and knowledge of brewing processes to continue to expand a portfolio of beers that is already one of the largest, if not the largest, nationwide. With over 40 beers in the portfolio, is it getting harder to fit more beers into the rotation and come up with something new?

“It is not harder,” Koch says, “and we’ve got a bunch more beers in the pipeline.” He points out that some of the most recent releases include both imperial and a red IPA (Third Voyage and Tasman Red), as well as a Baltic porter. If you’re thinking that these aren’t groundbreaking styles, you’re right. But that, as they say, is not all, folks. Koch went on to describe Griffin’s Bow, an oaked barleywine that uses Nelson Sauvin hops from New Zealand to add notes of honeysuckle and lychee nut.

The list of beers went on to include a chocolate chili bock, a rauchbock, a Whitewater IPA, a mash-up of an IPA and a witbier to which pureed apricots, coriander, and orange zest are added. Koch also mentioned the newest Sam Adams seasonal: Alpine Spring.

Koch explains that Alpine Spring “is not any single style”. Although fundamentally a wheat bock, a strong German lager, Koch notes that Alpine Spring brings in elements of the Helles, Maibock, and Kellerbier styles. Alpine Spring “uses wheat as well as barley to give it a lighter body and a slightly citric snap. It’s left unfiltered so there’s a little bit of haziness and a little bit of mouthfeel from that.”

The beer also serves as a showcase for the Tettnang Tettnanger noble hop, which is grown in the foothills of the Alps in southern Bavaria around Lake Constance and lends the beer the spicy notes that have made the noble hop varieties famous.

Koch says that Alpine Spring should be paired with foods similarly to white wine. “I’m thinking medium-heavy dishes, like chicken and pasta with cream sauce,” he suggests.

So how does Alpine Spring fit into the ever-growing Sam Adams portfolio? “It fits nicely into our spring seasonals,” explains Koch. “We’re doing something that still has some body but that doesn’t have the heartiness of something like a winter lager. It’s a nice transition out of the darker, maltier, heartier beers of winter. It’s like the alpine foothills; there’s a little bit of snow, but you’re past the hard part of winter. You’re looking forward to summer, but you’re not there yet.”

Craft beer fans are no strangers to brewers’ seasonal releases not aligning with the meteorological seasons they’re supposed to represent. That mismatch seems to have accelerated in recent years as pumpkin ales can now be seen in late July and August and Christmas beers start arriving in October. Although spring usually runs March to May in the northern hemisphere, the Boston Beer Company’s website says that Alpine Spring’s availability is January to March.

“Beers always sort of lean forward,” Koch explains.  “The obvious example of this is that Oktoberfest happens in September. That’s the classic one.” But more than that, Koch thinks that “it reflects our mentality as human beings. We’re always looking forward to the next season. Technically, winter goes until March 21, but by February, we’re all ready for winter to be over.”

Alpine Glass; Photo courtesy of Boston Beer

Climate also drives some of this issue. Koch says that, “What we tend to forget or not realize is that…a majority of Americans are in a climate that does not have winter as we know it [in the northeast].” When winter is synonymous with the holidays, as it is for many Americans, “winter is kind of over sometime in early January…Once the holidays are gone, once New Year’s is gone, you’re out of winter.”

Despite having another beer in the portfolio, Koch says that it’s not hard to keep track of what to brew and when to release it. “We’ve always had one of the largest portfolios in craft beer. It’s a product of energy, creativity, innovation that’s always been a hallmark of the Boston Beer Company.”

And that large portfolio is still winning awards. At this past year’s Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Boston Beer Company came back with four medals; an impressive showing that Koch is obviously proud of. “After all these years, we’re still in the top one percent of American brewers,” he says proudly. “With those four medals, two were brand new beers, one of them was a beer from a year ago, and one of them was a beer from twenty years ago.”

Though the portfolio is expansive, there are a lot of beers brewed that never make it to full production. Koch describes a 14 gallon brewing system for experimenting that Boston Beer Company brewers make well over 100 test batches with each year. “We have a nanobrewery in our brewery in Boston,” says Koch. “I would like to think that we have the mettle, the skills, [and] the capability of brewing anything that any sized brewery can make…One of the wonderful things about the Boston Beer Company is that we can make any beer that we can imagine.”

That imagination, says Koch, is how the brewery is able to produce Infinium, a collaboration with Germany’s Weihenstephan that sought to create a new beer style while still adhering to Germany’s restrictive reinheitsgebot or German beer purity law that demanded that beer only be brewed with water, hops, yeast, and barley. The champagne-like beer requires “champagne finishing, high pressure tanks, things that a normal brewery at any size can’t do,” says Koch.

The flexibility to produce whatever beers he and his brewers can dream of, and at any volume, is important to Koch, who started out brewing the first batch of Samuel Adams Boston Lager in his kitchen. Although the Boston Beer Company produced over two million barrels of beer in 2011, according to an estimate by Beer Marketer’s Insights magazine, the brewery still, on occasion, releases smaller batches of beer to the public. “The smallest production batch we did last year was 30 barrels,” says Koch of SAVOR Flowers, a collaboration with Dogfish Head in honor of SAVOR, an event celebrating craft beer and food held in Washington, DC each year. “We can do those kinds of beers,” emphasizes Koch. “We do do those beers.”

Now in its 28th year of craft brewing, the Boston Beer Company continues to put new beers out into the market in addition to its better known offerings like Boston Lager and Oktoberfest. It might surprise many craft beer fans to hear about all the trial batches constantly being brewed up in Boston, but to co-founder and chairman Jim Koch, it’s part of the innovation and creativity he feels has been a hallmark of his company since the mid-80s. “There’s always multiple beers that we’re testing and trying out,” Koch reminds On Tap as the interview concludes, and Alpine Spring, while the latest of these new beers to make it to the market, certainly will not be the last.

“Getting down to South America for the first time, that was a lot of fun for the band,” McIlrath said. “We’ve been trying to get down there for years. Opening up for the Foo Fighters on the East Coast was a great time, actually a blast, and a lot of great European festivals where we hooked up with our old friends.”

Rise Against kicked off a headlining U.S. tour last month and winds their way to the Patriot Center at George Mason University on February 5. Having spent many years supporting bands on tour that influenced them, such as Sick of it All, Bad Religion, and Rancid, it feels good for McIlrath to return the favor for the upstarts in A Day to Remember, the opening band on this tour.

“I thought this one was kind of sentimental, taking a younger band out there. We wanted to sort of get up with them and put our fans in the same room and I guess we’ll see how it goes. I’m pretty excited about it. We’ve played a handful of shows with A Day to Remember and they’re a great fit. Our bands are different but bring a lot of people in[to] a room.”

The guys from Chicago have been holding their own in a tough music industry for more than a decade now, maintaining their punk ethics and passionate melodic musicianship. They have enjoyed a great deal of success, and last year’s Endgame was their highest charted record to date, debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard chart with 85,000 copies sold the first week. Rise Against just dropped their third single from the record, “Satellite,” and McIlrath says it’s a song that was an important component on Endgame.

“It was one of the first songs we wrote for this record and it was sort of a launching point, like a jumping off point for us,” he said. “It set the tone for the rest of the songs. When you’re a band and you’re doing records and touring, you take a little break and go away for a little while and when you kind of get back in the saddle, people are always wondering, ‘well, where are they now, where are their heads now, where are they musically?’ ‘Satellite’ is a kind of a rallying cry. We’re still the same band; we’re going to try and heat up on a lot of these issues that they’re talking about.”

More recently, Rise Against has participated in a huge project with Amnesty International. Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International is a new 5 CD release that features 75 tributes to the legendary folk hero and songwriter. Included on the roster of great musical talents are Pete Townshend, Elvis Costello, Dave Matthews Band, Bad Religion and Flogging Molly, The ever-politically-charged McIlrath said Rise Against are strong supporters of the organization’s work.

“First and foremost, we’ve always been behind the mission of Amnesty International,” he said. “They protect human rights around the world. They speak up for political prisoners, people who are held in prison simply for their ideology. It’s hard to believe that this still happens in 2012, but it does and something like Amnesty International is a much-needed force to bring awareness.”

When Rise Against learned the tribute was to Bob Dylan, their decision to participate was automatic. “Bob Dylan is such an incredible songwriter, an incredible force that is satirical and political and always has something important to say. We wanted to jump on that immediately.”

Choosing the right song that fit the band was not as easy a decision; but the “Ballad of Hollis Brown” struck a chord with the group. “That was something that took us a while to figure out, what song to do, because there’s so many great Dylan songs,” McIlrath said. “But this one, we were backstage somewhere and we were playing a lot of Bob Dylan stuff on shuffle, just kind of hearing the whole catalog, and that one came on and I remember me and our bass player Joe (Principe) just came up to each other and were like ‘I like this one.’ I kind of peeled back the layers, as much as the lyrics a little bit. It’s the story of a farmer who has fallen on hard times. I thought there were a lot of parallels to today’s economic climate.”

Living a life as a professional musician and songwriter was not something McIlrath would have expected. “Never in a million years,” he laughed. “I was far more of a realist. I got into it because I couldn’t not get into it. I picked up a guitar and all of it snowballed from there. I just kept playing because I couldn’t stop playing. I kept writing songs because I couldn’t stop writing songs. When we started up this band, punk rock wasn’t really as popular as it is now.”

And the praise, notoriety, and commercial success was just as much of a surprise. “I underestimated the audience out there I guess. I thought we’d always kind of be on the fringes of music and I’ve been pleasantly proven wrong. To find such a hungry audience out there who’s looking for music that reflects the questions they have about the world; it’s something that’s really inspiring, to see that…a lot of the people give a shit about what we do, and more importantly, just that people feel lost and are looking for direction and want to help and want to be part of fighting the good fight.”

A Day to Remember and The Menzingers will be opening for Rise Against on February 5 at 7 p.m. $29.50-39.50. Tickets available at ticketmaster.com or www.patriot.center-tickets.com.

Patriot Center: 4500 Patriot Circle, Fairfax, VA; 703-993-3000; www.patriotcenter.com.

For those planning to hit Bourbon Street this month, they’ll find no shortage of sweet libations to keep the party going. In a town known for drive-through daiquiri shops and go-cups, partiers can stumble along the parade routes with mind-numbing beverages like the cyclone, hand grenade and jungle juice. Long before these frosty concoctions hit the streets, the drink that may have caused more carnival hangovers than any other, the Hurricane, was born.

Bright red and cloyingly sweet, a version of this tipple can be found in any watering hole in the French Quarter. While the drink’s formula has changed over the years, its history can be traced back to World War II when it was invented at Pat O’Brien’s.

For the first time visitor to New Orleans, Pat O’Brien’s deserves a place on the “to do” list. While some dismiss this well-tracked spot as “touristy”, there is something to be said about visiting the bar that the New Orleans Times-Picayune referred to as “Disneyland for serious drinkers.” Founded by Pat-O’Brien, a bootlegger, and Charlie Cantell, a wholesaler, this Louisiana institution opened its doors as Prohibition was repealed. With its charming fountain courtyard, live piano music and storied history, Pat O’Brien’s is a memorable stop in a city filled with saloons.

The invention of their signature drink came about as a practical necessity. Back in the 1940s liquors such as Scotch and Bourbon were in short supply. There was a glut of post-Prohibition rum and the dealers wanted to move it. The bar’s partners were forced by liquor wholesalers to order as many as 50 cases of rum in order to purchase a few cases of the whiskeys they wanted.

Barmen played around with a mixture of fruit juices and passion fruit until they came up with an alluring combination; a tasty and potent cocktail, containing four ounces of rum in each serving. They began selling the new creation in a Hurricane glass and the drink’s moniker was born. The Hurricane caught on and the rest, as they say, is history.

Along with Mardi Gras beads, king cakes and voodoo dolls, a hurricane glass from Pat Obrien’s is a popular souvenir. While the glass has remained a constant, today’s hurricanes have changed dramatically since their inception.

Due to the high volume of visitors, Pat O’Brien’s now makes their hurricanes from a pre-made mix. They do not give out sales figures, but according to Pat O’Brien’s spokesperson Jamie Touchton the Saturday before Mardi Gras is the busiest day of the year. “We make thousands of gallons during Mardi Gras season,” Touchton says.

If you are planning to celebrate Mardi Gras away from the Big Easy, Pat O’Brien’s sells their own brand of Hurricane rum and mix that can be ordered online. But creating your own Hurricane from scratch will result in a rewarding and delicious refresher.

The main ingredients are fairly simple: rum, grenadine, citrus and passion fruit juices. Before the Georgetown waterfront flood of 2011, the best place in DC to get a well-crafted Hurricane was at Farmers and Fishers. Hopefully head bar Chef Jon Arroyo will bring back the flagship drink when the restaurant re-opens this spring.

But for those headed south for Fat Tuesday, Touchton says there is no substitute for stopping by Pat O’Briens. “Visitors want to experience the legend. The Hurricane is the drink of New Orleans. Many try to imitate it, but none can compare to the taste, strength and the overall experience of being in Pat O’Brien’s.”

Learn more and order the mix at www.patobriens.com.

The Hurricane
Recipe courtesy of Jon Arroyo
2 ½ oz Mount Gay Rum
1 ½ oz Goslings Black Seal Rum
1 oz fresh orange juice
1 oz fresh lime juice
2 ½ oz Passion fruit puree
½ oz grenadine (one made from pomegranate)

Set aside ½ oz of Goslings rum. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a shaker and serve over ice. Float remaining ½ oz of Goslings on the top of the drink. Garnish with an orange slice.

Ingredients to make the Hurricane may be purchased at Dixie Liquor: 3429 M St. in Georgetown.

Michael Ruggiero emcess last year's event. Photo by Nell Elder

Each year the National Kidney Foundation Serving the National Capital Area goes all-in with its bid to raise funds for a good cause at their casino night event.  March 3rd marks the organization’s 23rd annual affair with an event themed “Casino Night in Old Hollywood,” an elegant evening of high-stakes games to raise money and awareness for kidney disease treatment and prevention in our area.

According to the foundation, “The Washington, DC area leads the nation in the prevalence of kidney disease with an estimated 700,000 people affected, nearly 6,000 on dialysis, and more than 1,500 waiting for a life-saving kidney transplant.”

Last year’s event raised more than $125,000 to help the foundation’s efforts to fight kidney disease.  And the organization looks to bring more aid and awareness to those in need this year.  The event will be held at Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium from 8 p.m. to midnight and features craps, blackjack, roulette, silent auction items and other entertainment.  All proceeds from the event will be used to support medical research, patient and community services, professional education, early detection screenings, and organ donation awareness in the DC region.

Michael Ruggiero, Vice Chair of Operations and a member of the board of directors of the National Kidney Foundation Serving the National Capital Area, has chaired Casino Night for the past four years.  He is also the senior director of government policy and external affairs for Astellas Pharma US, Inc., a global pharmaceutical company based in Tokyo, Japan with US headquarters in the Chicago area; he runs the federal policy and government affairs office in DC.  His company has been active in transplant medicine and has supported the National Kidney Foundation nationally and locally for years.

Initially, Ruggiero was approached to become a sponsor for the event because of his professional background, but he was won over by the organization’s leadership and the volunteers that work out in the field.  “…it’s infectious—it’s a really great group of people who are committed to the cause,” he said.

Although Ruggiero was aware of the issues involving kidney disease and transplantation at a scientific and policy level, he said he was even more drawn in after working with the Kidney Foundation and seeing what they’re doing in the community.

“I got a much better appreciation of things in the community—the effect that kidney disease, in general, can have on the community and the impact that the Kidney Foundation is having. Both by helping patients who have kidney disease find out about it through important screening programs and other types of education, and also by helping equip members of our community with the tools and the know-how to prevent kidney disease,” he said.

According to Ruggiero, more local businesses are understanding the impact that kidney disease has in the DC Metro area and they see a nice connection between making a good business investment and helping an important cause.  In the future, the foundation will examine new strategies to draw these local businesses to the event.

Photo by Tim Lundin

While Ruggiero has been chair, he has continually incorporated new and interesting features into the program: hold ‘em tournaments, competitions on the Wii, VIP packages for an added exclusive experience, and more interesting auction items—sports memorabilia, signed guitars from big name artists, getaways, and sponsored evenings at local restaurants.

“This is one of the finest nights of the year in Washington, and anybody who hasn’t been yet should really come,” he said.  “There are some great pictures and information about the event on the website, but you can only truly appreciate an NKF Casino Night by attending,” he said.

“We’ve got packages that work for everyone and it’s a lot of fun,” he added.

The National Kidney  Foundation’s Casino Night takes place March 3 from 8 p.m. to midnight at the Andrew Mellon Auditorium: 1301 Constitution Ave. NW, DC. For more information or tickets, please visit www.kidneywdc.org.

On Tap: I’m going to sound like a total fanboy, but you’ve always been one of my favorite comedians. You brag about things most women have neurotic breakdowns over: being childless, drinking, aging. How do you work that?
Kathleen Madigan: I don’t know, I guess, I don’t think I wanted the same things as those people. Probably because there are so many kids in my family I was like, “Ugh, no.”  Kids are like, a minimum 20-year commitment. I like ‘em and all, but my parents say things like, “I’m just happy none of you are in jail.” Really?! That’s the prize?

OT: How does being funny on stage translate into real life and relationships?
KM: I’m not married. You can’t be married with this schedule. Most of the time I’ve dated other comedians so then it just doesn’t matter. I do think in general guys say they want a funny woman, but only to a point. If they find out you do it professionally then they think it’s weird. I get asked out normally by guys who don’t know what I do.

OT: How’d you get so funny?

Photo by Crystal Allen

KM: I think my family is funny. Everybody is very generous, but I wouldn’t say anyone in my family is super sweet. They’re very competitive, very cut throat, but in a funny way. I didn’t know how funny my family was until my sister dated a German guy. Then I was like “woah.” They are VERY serious.

OT: You reference drinking a lot in your act, drinking does have a tendency to make things funny…
KM: I, unlike a lot of comedians, am very moderate. There are so many comedians that drink like 7,000 drinks in one night and there are also ones that are completely sober. I’m a three-beer lady. It’s all about moderation – but that’s an Irish version of moderate. It wouldn’t be considered moderate if you put it on a health form.

OT: It seems to be a great time for women in comedy, with sitcoms like Two Broke Girls, Whitney and Chelsea Handler’s new show. It’s as though now it’s okay for cute women to be cynical, imperfect and funny. What do you think?
KM: I haven’t seen those yet. I think the major networks are always gonna try to go for ‘hot’, but I think it’s a mistake. I’m not saying that the hot girls aren’t going to be funny, but the most successful women are not the hot ones. It’s Roseanne, it’s [Melissa McCarthy in] Mike & Molly – the ones people can relate to. But you know, NBC tends to like “hot.”

OT: Do you have any comedians that you’re particularly into right now?
KM: My favorite up-and-comer is Cristela Alonso. She’s Mexican-American, but she doesn’t do the typical hacky Mexican jokes or the typical female stuff. And it’s not snide or degrading. It’s just funny. Every joke she has I wish I would have written. And again, she’s cute but she wouldn’t fall into [the] ‘hot’ category. The theme right now seems to be hot, which is fine but they’re missing everyone else. Which does a disservice to funny women.

Do yourself a service and catch Kathleen at the Birchmere.

Kathleen Madigan March 8 and 9. $49.50.  The Birchmere: 3701 Mount Vernon Ave. Alexandria, VA;  703-549-7500; www.birchmere.com.

Sigourney Weaver in a ReelAbilities panel discussion. Provided by ReelAbilities.

The films address their creators’ experiences with different types of disabilities, such as developmental, learning, physical and psychiatric. It is hoped that this will promote a greater understanding within the communities where the films are shown. In the festival’s first year of existence, Ms. Altman was quoted as saying “Let a thousand flowers bloom;” an expression of her hope that this event would positively impact as many people as possible.

With an ever-expanding list of locations, it certainly seems that Ms. Altman’s wishes have become a reality. Locations are chosen based on five main requirements, including accessibility of venues and programs, and progressive content in the films. In DC, venues include Artisphere in Arlington, Avalon Theatre in DC, Cinema Arts Theatre in Fairfax, and the Jewish Community Centers of Washington, Northern Virginia and DC. These venues will be screening nine films multiple times over the course of the nine day event. Throughout the festival, there will be several guest speakers, including Gary Gondos, Patricia Woolsey, Paula Moore and Scott Campbell, as well as post-viewing discussions and panels.

February 1 through 9. For information and schedule visit  greaterdc.reelabilities.org.

Photo by Stephanie Corwin-Potter

Ellen Cherry’s bio describes her as a “singer, songwriter, musician, designer, artist, producer, recording engineer, and human.” Based out of Baltimore for the past 15 years, she’s won awards, toured the country multiple times, and woven genres together to create some of the region’s most interesting tunes. She recently spoke with On Tap about her newest accomplishment: being named an Artist-in-Residence at Strathmore in Bethesda.

On Tap: What happens after you’re chosen to be an artist-in-residence?
Ellen Cherry: It’s a great honor to be chosen. There were plenty of incredibly talented people at the auditions and I was one of only six people chosen for the program. As an A-I-R, we each have one month where we perform two public concerts, one private show for Strathmore donors and conduct a workshop–all on Wednesdays at the Mansion. My month is February 2012. As a full time, touring musician, it’s a big commitment to know that I’d need to reserve a month where I would be able to be around the DC area for my performances at Strathmore, as well as attend the monthly workshops, and the other artists’ shows. As part of the program, each artist debuts a new original work at one of the public concerts. I will be debuting a new song, “Pickett’s Charge,” from my upcoming album Please Don’t Sell the Piano (produced by Baltimore songwriter Caleb Stine). In addition to performing the new song, I have commissioned a shadow puppet piece to accompany the music, created by papercut artist Kathy Fahey. She will be performing the piece alongside me at the February 22nd show.

OT: What’s up with the puppets and theatre productions? Your tour schedule and bio highlights are not those of a typical acoustic rock career.
EC: What is the typical acoustic rock career? Please, please tell me. I want to follow that path–health insurance is expensive and surely I could be making more of a steady income.
I feel really strongly that collaboration with other artists is the way to keep myself inspired as well as keep the work I’m doing fresh and interesting to myself and to the audience. I lucked into this puppetry world, which is a fascinating and diverse world. Puppetry is not just a kids’ thing–it’s a complex form of expression and I’ve just been completely blown away by the professionalism and the artistry involved in creating these shows. It’s a unique way of storytelling that is whimsical and emotional .

OT: You play and tour full time. What are some secrets to staying healthy and sane on the road?
EC: Sleep. Sleep and more sleep. Water, lots of it. I also take a probiotic every day. I eat a lot of garlic, too. Oh–the best thing anyone can do is get their own microphone. This cut down on colds for me so much… Staying sane? I think that means taking plenty of time to yourself…..I feel like I’m around people a lot and so I swim and run, so I can have some time to myself–out of the noise of chatter and out of the noisy world itself. But the insanity of the road is what makes it fun, also. So sometimes, I just go with it and reassure myself that I’ll catch up on sleep and alone time whenever I land back at home.

OT: Anything else you’d like to mention?
EC: How awesome open water swimming is. It’s awesome. I love it. Oh, and how rad the updated Battlestar Galactica series was. I just finished it. It’s really rad.
I guess the best thing I could do here to answer this question is something in my own self-interest and say: I have a brand new collection of piano songs, my most intimate work yet, available to you on March 31 and April 1, at An Die Musik in Baltimore and that people should come to the Strathmore shows to hear the previews of these songs as well as my usual ridiculous, non-sequitor banter!

Ellen Cherry will perform Wednesday, Feb 22 at 7:30 p.m. at The Mansion at Strathmore: 10701 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda, MD; 301-581-5100; www.strathmore.org.