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THE 50 HOTTEST

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JULY/AUGUST 2009 $5.95

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Ireland-based food writer Tom Doorley ate his way through Dublin for Gael Force! But after all the meals he had, he says lunch at La Maison and dinner at !e Winding Stair outshined the rest. So how has the local dining scene matured lately? “I would like to think that Dublin restaurateurs have learned that honesty sells and that gimmicky food is very, very last year,” says Doorley, who has homes in County Cork, and Dublin. He is restaurant critic at !e Irish Times and a contributor to !e Field, BBC Olive Magazine and !e Daily Mail.

After interviewing the summer lineup of chart-topping kid rock musicians headed to Jammin’ Java, writer Katie Knorovsky couldn’t stop humming too-catchy tyke tunes about “suitcases full of laughter” and outfielders daydreaming about snowcones. Meanwhile, catching a sneak peek of the revamped roof terrace at the new W Hotel—with its legendary view intact—left her speechless. Knorovsky is a contributing editor at HotelChatter.com and also writes for Washingtonian, National Geographic Traveler and Washington Post Express.

Playing a round of mini-golf in the name of journalism wasn’t too tough a challenge for Janelle Nanos, whose article, Heat Wave, highlights five splashy new hot spots opening this summer. Nanos is more travel writer than golfer, though. “I struggled with the !e Mixing Bowl, but found out from the course designer that it still needed some tweaking. So I consider my putt-putt reputation secure,” she says. Nanos has written for !e New York Times, New York, Marie Claire and Slate, and is an editor at National Geographic Traveler.

Contributors July/August 2009

(above: EcoSmart Fire 'Element' ventless, freestanding fireplace)

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Jockeying for a place in front of the mirror as the oldest of four girls would give any woman a certain amount of skin care expertise. But as the daughter of a Swiss dermatologist and internist, Ada Polla truly has a leg up on the rest of us. Beauty was defined broadly in the Polla household, and her parents, the founders of the anti-aging herbal crème and treatment line Alchimie Forever, tra!cked as much in fine art as they did in fine lines. "e Forever Laser Institute, the company’s Geneva medispa, is attached to a contemporary art gallery featuring the work of artists who, in exchange for the gratis treatments they’re given, pay homage to the beauty line in original works of art. “Some people have a much more developed sense of aesthetics than others,” the 31-year-old says, having grown up with many of these artists joining her family around the dinner table. “And I know that for me, it’s probably developed to an extreme.” "is summer, Polla brings that aesthetic to Georgetown with the opening of Alchimie Forever’s flagship showroom, the company’s first storefront in the U.S. "e family’s DC envoy launched the line in the States after earning a B.A. in art history from Harvard and collecting her MBA at Georgetown. “My first thought was to work in a contemporary art gallery,” says Polla. “Or to become head of Sotheby’s, but then their CEO was indicted on charges of setting prices with Christie’s and that kind of turned me

o#.” O# auction houses, perhaps, but on to better things. "e beauty world’s gain is hardly the art world’s loss, as the Wisconsin Avenue space will soon embody the same gallery aesthetic as the Swiss medispa. It will be the “visual interpretation of the product line,” Polla explains. "e company’s clinically designed serums and antioxidant-enriched scrubs and cleansers will be on display, along with a treatment area where these items will be demonstrated on clients to highlight “the corporeal aspect of our products,” she says. But the pièce de résistance is the art itself—mixed- media works, a wall mural and other pieces culled from the Swiss collection. Eventually, they will be replaced by the artist-ambassadors she hopes to cultivate in DC. "ese creative ambassadors are key to distinguishing Alchimie, says Polla, who acknowledges that as an “indie brand” they don’t have the budget to dangle endorsements before Hollywood starlets. But it’s a savvy strategy, one that equates their philosophy of product with art theory, and relies less on lab-coat praise than on word-of-mouth. “"ere are very few beauty brands that try to mix with contemporary art,” says Polla. “For us, it’s very personal. If we want to talk to the world of art, then we need to find art ambassadors. We can’t use an aesthetician for that.”

Alchimie Forever, Waterfront Center, 1010 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Ste. 201, alchimieforever.com.

Counter CultureAlchimie Forever turns a mod pod in Georgetown into its artful outpost

| By Janelle Nanos | Portrait by SOTA Dzine |

THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER From top: The über-chic Alchimie Forever president and CEO Ada Polla brings the company’s art collection to DC. “I would much rather spend money on an art piece than a new pair of shoes,” she says. Pieces such as Beast in Me by Mat Collishaw and Le jour qui n’arrive jamais by Andrea Mastrovito will join her at the company’s new Georgetown showroom.

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here.” !e 19th-century

building’s handsome

upstairs dining room

will serve locally-

sourced cuts, while the

downstairs, with its

vaulted glass ceiling,

will o"er “bar steaks,”

smaller plates and a

wine list cultivated by

Kris Mullins. NOOK: A

third-floor room with

its own bar is hidden

behind a wrought-iron

spiral staircase and is

a perfect small event

space. WHAT TO KNOW:

With 8,000 square

feet, Babin says the

Firehouse is the venue

he’s been longing

for. Expect the team

from Neighborhood

Restaurant Group

(Rustico, EatBar,

Tallula, Vermilion) to

come together for wine,

dinners and tastings.

109 S. Saint Asaph St.,

Old Town Alexandria.

Room 11NEIGHBORHOOD: “!e

beauty of 11th Street is

that it’s an alternative to

all the craziness on 14th

Street—the Target and

the Ruby Tuesday,” says

owner Nick Pimentel,

who hopes to draw

neighbors with a easy

to eat “one-utensil”

menu and choosy wine

list for the bar. “We’re

trying to turn it into a

little Main Street,” he

says. NOOK: Snag one of

the bar stools along the

bay window to people-

watch. !e drink rails

are big enough to hold

plates. WHAT TO KNOW:

Save room for dessert.

Pimentel’s wife, Lizzy

Evelyn (co-owner of

the Paisley Fig bakery),

will be serving up

cakes, tortes and other

treats—and they’ll be

available for takeout.

3234 11th St., NW,

202.332.2324.

That buzz you’re hearing? It ain’t cicadas. A collection of new nightlife hubs are waking up the District’s typically sleepy summer. From farm-raised chops to beer and putt-putt, here’s what to await and where to snag a table.

Blue RidgeNEIGHBORHOOD: When

he swam away from

Georgetown’s Hook a

year ago, chef Barton

Seaver sought a more

“accessible” kitchen for

his sustainable menu

choices. Blue Ridge’s

bar scene is Glover

Park’s new gem and the

restaurant serves Mid-

Atlantic fare sourced

by local purveyors

without gimmicks, says

owner Eli Hengst. !e

menu (grilled trout,

grass-fed rib eye, apple-

pear-cardamom pie)

would be recognizable

to !omas Je"erson’s

entourage, and

celebrates “simple

American traditions.”

SURPRISE: !e restaurant

merges two 110-year

old row homes, and

has an Amish-chic

vibe, with quilts,

glowing hanging

lights and a classy

long bar. Get some

air at the farm tables

around the backyard

patio’s pond. WHAT TO

KNOW: Hengst lives in

the area and wanted

to create a reliable

neighborhood place

“where you can have a

drink and a meal for

under $20.” To make

sure the locals feel at

home, only half the

tables will be available

for reservation. 2340

Wisconsin Ave., NW,

202.333.4004.

Columbia FirehouseNEIGHBORHOOD: Owner

Michael Babin believes

his newest venture

will fill the glaring

chophouse and cocktail

void in Old Town.

“!ere are more

steakhouses per capita

in DC than perhaps

anywhere else,” he says.

“But there are none

H Street Country Club NEIGHBORHOOD: After

populating edgy H

Street with its hottest

spots, all that was left

for owner Joe Englert

was to create a clubhouse

of his very own. !e

6,800- square-foot bar

with bites is replete with

a nine-hole mini-golf

course and an Ann

Cashion-designed menu.

NOOK: Grab the cocoon-

shaped president’s table

for a premier view

overlooking the little

links. WHAT TO KNOW:

Lee Wheeler, a local

sculptor who has “spent

the last 20 years making

things drunk-proof,” for

bars in DC, is behind

both the décor and the

DC-centric course itself.

While much has been

made of “Marion Barry’s

Awakening,” watch out

for the sixth hole on

the Beltway-inspired

“Mixing Bowl.” It’s a

doozy. 1335 H St., NE,

202.399.4722.

Public BarNEIGHBORHOOD: Tucked

among the clutch of

hip clubs in South

Dupont and designed

by Grupo7, Public

Bar reeks of chic in

the sporty style of a

top dog’s clubhouse.

NOOK: Like the old

diner jukeboxes, the

10-person booths that

line the lower floor

come with their own

televisions, ensuring

your game is always on.

Screens are even inside

the bathroom mirrors,

so you won’t miss a

minute. WHAT TO KNOW:

Bottle service will be

available without the

high overhead, while the

roof deck is the biggest

on the block. 1214 18th

St., NW, 202.233.2200.

Summer nights sizzle with a slew of hip new stars and bars | By Janelle Nanos | Photography by John Healey |Heat

Wave