More Fro-Yo at Cali Yogurt

I used to be Miss Pixies!

It may be January in D.C., but the taste for frozen tangy yogurt never leaves me. How else can I keep my heard so hard and cold ?

When I saw the signs for Cali Yogurt (2473 18th St NW near Columbia) to replace the old Miss Pixies space in Adams Morgan (the new space is very fab, by the way), I was skeptical. Is the fro-yo market going to be saturated within of year or so of its beginnings, and fall prey to one of those unnecessary trends that trickle down to our beloved city? First there was TangySweet, then Mr. Yogato, now Cali. I was worried, until I tasted the sweet, sweet deliciousness of Cali Yogurt. They have a different flavor special every week along with the standard original and green tea - Mango (yum!) , Peach (yum!), and Raspberry (haven't tried , but I am sure also yum!). Love the toppings - a pretty and clean array of fruits and candies. And they also offer a really pretty assortment of desserts, loose teas (must try, although who wants warm tea in the winter?crazy!), and cyber-looking tea presses. And the retro vibe of the furniture reminds me of the fun vintage furniture at Miss Pixies. In my head, I am going to call it a homage and I won't resent "Cali" for not being "DeeCee." Also, the cost at $6 for a cup with three toppings is not so spiffy. But the large size is a value if you want to split amongst friends.

Suggested: green tea and peach swirl with pomegranate, mango, kiwi. Also suggested: Emily had the green tea with peanut butter chips and fruit.

Japanese Snacks from Space

Another sign that DC is evolving for the better - we got ourselves a Japanese market! Prince of Petworth is on this so we aren't the only ones foaming at the mouth with excitement. Those who have traversed the U st corridor are familiar with the Japan Associates travel agency offering flights around the world, by plane or by rocket (dreams!). Now this uber Japanese space has mostly been taken over by "Hana Market," a Japanese alternative to all the good Latino/Korean-oriented bodegas. It's probably the only Japanese market DC has and the only other ones I know of on the east coast are the Sunrise Marts in NYC. Not only are goods wide-ranging for such a small space (there is even a small selection of produce and sushi-grade tuna!), the owner Yoshio Tanabe is very amiable and funny, and the prices are comparable to those at H Mart or Lotte in the 'burbs (I don't understand the economics of this but I want to find out). Let's have more like this!

We'll miss the signs. But this is a good trade.

Men's Pocky: " This combination of crispy pretzel and smooth dark chocolate brings a whole new flavor to fun." Why wouldn't you want to eat this? But does the bitter chocolate make it for men only?
$1.40/bag of frozen edamame blows Trader Joe's and Whole Foods out of the park!
Enough mochi offerings to fill a bathtub. Kewpie mayonnaise - essential for creamy+sweet Asian potato salads.
Furikake seasonings - it's the stuff that Teaism puts on their rice to make it xtra special (try the light green one in the middle).

Now I am going to start daydreaming about a noodle bar and Asian pastry shop...

Pandahead: Issue 2 !

(pandaheadmag.com)

The multi-talented face behind Pandahead Morgan Hungerford explained to us: "Every Fall - it's excitement and ideas and (good) anxiety about buckling down and getting things accomplished." And Girlfriend is sure living that mantra. With the help of site designer Erik Loften, Pandahead has taken it to the next level with its on-line mag. In this issue, we find ambitious offerings of multimedia art and music from local artists, alongside lovely layouts of fashion and DC culture. "Chapter Four" and its drapey, relaxed aesthetic is highly coveted by Listopad. We are already excited about Issue 3...

Handmade's Tale

Hey buddies.


(kg + ab)

We're really excited for Crafty Bastards.


(elloh)

Many creative-type extraordinaires will be gracing our one-horse town this weekend, bearing boothloads of dazzling (and sometimes felt-y) wares. Read on and learn more about a few vendors that we went out of our way to stalk.

Megan Auman lives in Jonestown, PA, and does quiet, sexy exercises with steel, somehow turning it into this beautifully rhythymic, sculptural jewelry. "When I started working in steel," Megan tells us, "it just clicked."



"I work mainly in wire, and I love the welding process because at jewelry scale it has an intimate quality, like drawing or embroidery." She adds: "I started researching floral patterned textiles in grad school, and that imagery has inspired a lot of my current designs."



We are just oob-sessed with the repetitive quality of her work. We can't stop staring at these earrings.

Next: MICA graduate Val Lucas of Ellicot City, MD, masterminds Bowerbox Press, a business platform for her exquisite crafted books and tactile print designs.

"I treat all my handbound books as little sculptures," she says. "If I could, I would do every step of every process myself - even down to casting the type that I print from." While space constraints prevent her from doing all the work herself, she says, "It's magical to start out with a ream of paper, bookboard, type, and an idea, and end up with a finished book."



"As soon as I walked into the shop," Val says of taking her first letterpress class, "full of cases of tiny type, big old machinery, and the smell of ink, I knew that I was in the right place."



Val can make pretty much anything your heart desires - "If you want a journal with Helsinki on the front, just ask!" she says. She's currently working on a book of her prints. Excitement! We really can't resist her artisanal reverence to process and the clean beauty of her finished product.

Goodwallop

I sidled up to Maria when the fashion show ended, weaving my way through the throngs of beauty-hunters turned loose on what was probably the first pop-up Goodwill store to grace the French Embassy. My eyes were trained on the beaded confection dangling from her arm. "Ooo," I murmured, "you got it." I pulled back the collar to look for evidence of its origin. "Handmade," she asserted, reading my mind. Peering inside the dress, I examined the nude expanse of its lining, unadulterated by the mark of a mass manufacturer. Of course, I thought.

Five minutes prior to this, I had encountered Svetlana among the racks - "I'm just looking for that beaded dress!" she'd exclaimed. "Me too!" I cried. "I just want to see it up close!"

Five minutes prior to that, the show had just ended. Cath and I were still in our seats, taking in all in. Maria, sitting behind us, leaned forward. "Which look was your favorite?" Cath didn't hesitate for a moment. "The beaded one. With the sleeves."

It had been about 20 minutes since we'd all seen it for the first time.



Can I even verbalize how gorgeous it was up close? The fabric hung perfectly; the beads were iridescent, tiny, and painstakingly applied. By hand. What is this dress? It just appeared out of the ether - unique, artful, universally stylish, its origin a permanent mystery. This is why we hunt, folks. This is what we are hunting for.



The blogosphere salivates. (Check out the pretty and sweet Ms. Anti-DC in the background -- we are working on making her Ms. Pro-DC;-)

Many, many thanks to Em for the invite, to Mark Silva for the photos, and of course, to Goodwill for the incredible, indispensible service that they provide to the community.

Get To It

Get scholarly on Monday during the Graduate and Professional School Fair at GW. Dorksville, you say? Whatever. If you're just tuning in, I am an avid nerd and legitimately excited for this event.

Get serious on Tuesday when Dan Higgs plays at the Velvet Lounge. Never have such scary songs been so soothing.

Get wild on Wednesday when These Are Powers play at Civilian Art Projects with the Apes and Food for Animals. See above flier for further vibe details.

Get on Facebook on Thursday and join the Listopad Facebook Group! We are so very plugged in.

Get hungry on Friday at the St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church's Greek Festival outside Baltimore. There will be FOOD.

Get the most excited you've ever been on Saturday because Listopad is having a party! Jiggle that!

Get crafty on Sunday at Crafty Bastards. (Keep your eyes peeled for a more extensive post on this later in the week!)

GETTOIT

Gettoit - "Get To It" en Francais.


(Textile Museum)

Tuesday will be the funnest: a challah-making class at Sixth and I. How could this not be awesome!

Wednesday, Women in Film and Video sponsors Best Practices for Green Filmmaking, an awkwardly-titled but important program instructing filmmakers on how to minimize waste in their creative process.

Thursday is the final day of Blue, a gorgeous (and brilliantly conceptualized) exhibit at the much slept-on Textile Museum.

In the mood for a high-low weekend? We always are. The DC Big Flea and the Smithsonian Trunk Show span Saturday and Sunday.

News Flash

(dcist.)

Hooray! Dolcezza's badassery got them a mention in the the New York Times. We feel validated. (Did you know that these gelato swamis have a blog? Kyoot!)

We also have a very last-minute addendum to Get To It: cheeky local label Policy is having a tailgate party at Chix today. You were going to watch football anyway, weren't you? Just throw on some pants and do it in public.

Sizzurp

Y'all heard about Rickey Month, right? This inspired mixology marathon--and the surrounding buzz--propelled me to Hotel Tabard Inn last week, where my head basically fell off after trying Chantal Tseng's sprightly, floral Rive Gauche Rickey. (Kathryn Bangs' Haymaker incarnation of the drink is no longer officially on the menu--but only for the time being, she said.)

Rive Gauche Rickey

1 1/4 oz. Aviation gin
3/4 oz. St. Germain Elderflower liqueur
Charles de Fere Blanc de Blanc sparkling wine
dash absinthe
juice of 1/3 medium-sized lime, rind reserved
one sprig lavender
ice

Combine gin, liqueur, absinthe, lime juice, rind and ice in cocktail shaker. Pour into glass. Top with sparkling wine. Garnish with lavender and serve.

Haymaker Rickey

2 0z. rye whiskey
1/2 oz. brown sugar-balsamic syrup*
juice of 1/2 lime, rind reserved
ginger ale
ice

Combine whiskey, syrup, lime juice, rind and ice in cocktail shaker. Pour into glass and top with ginger ale. Serve.

*You can make this mixture yourself by combining 3/4 cup packed brown sugar with 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar.

(The Haymaker was inspired by an eponymous 19th-century punch which Kat calls "the gatorade of the time": a (technically) non-alcoholic energy drink of brown sugar, vinegar, and ginger ale enjoyed by Midwestern laborers. Coincidentally, the first printed mention of this concoction appeared in Laura Ingalls Wilder's The Long Winter, which was written in Kat's home state of South Dakota. I like how she is simultaneously repping DC and South Dakota with this recipe!)

Asian Gazpacho from Teaism

Profuse thanks to Linda Neumann of Teaism for sharing this delightfully cold, fresh recipe with us.

Serves 8.

Ingredients
2 large cucumbers, peeled and seeded
2 large very ripe tomatoes
1 small red onion, peeled
2 jalapeno peppers, stems removed
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
juice of 2 limes
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp sambal olek hot sauce or Tabasco
1 cup olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 cup mint leaves

Directions
Roughly chop the cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, jalapenos, garlic, and ginger. Wash, dry, and roughly chop the basil, cilantro, and mint. Working in batches if necessary, puree cucumber, tomato, and onion. Add jalapeno, garlic, and ginger and puree. Add vinegar, lime juice, soy sauce, sambal olek, and olive oil. Puree. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add basil, cilantro and mint and pulse to chop. Put mixture in bowl and cover with saran wrap. Refrigerate at least 4 hours; optimally overnight.

Serve with bread or croutons.

Note to our industrious readers: please let us know if and when you take a crack at this recipe! We'd love to know how it turns out.

Spring Fete

I probs don't need to tell anyone that the National Cherry Blossom Festival starts tomorrow. (Is March seriously, like, over? Jesus!) However, feel free to ignore the schedule that the Man has imposed on these trees. They've already started blooming, and they're all over the city. Save yourself the hassle of the Metro (sure to be Ninth Circle-esque on such a tourist-heavy weekend) and take a walking tour of our fair town.



Here are my other favorite Cherry Blossoms--a Nashville band that specializes in what I might describe as caveman alt-country? Maybe post-human folk? They're difficult to classify, chronologically and generically--all the more reason to click the link and have a listen. Put them on your iPod as you wander the streets in bliss.

DC Faves: Good Eye

Good Eye is located in sleepy Friendship Heights and is only open Thursdays-Sundays, but it's worth checking out. The furniture is top notch and they get new stuff in every week, though it is on the pricey side of mid-century. But there is many a small, high-quality gift to be found in the nooks and cranies of the store: ridiculous ashtrays, modern ceramics and the odd Marimekko print or two.



pic from Good Eye




p.s. they also have an Ebay shop


p.p.s. if you see it in the window, and love it, make sure you grab it. It will be gone the next time you come around!

DC Faves: Kogod Courtyard

Always love an indoor garden!

DC Faves: Sticky Fingers

For Breakfast: Vegan McMuffin-type thing and the best chai in DC...so foamy.

DC Faves: Second Story Books

Here starts my series on places I love in DC:

Second Story Books is kinda old fashioned, kinda focused on the serious collector and kinda doesn't want to buy your used books, but every time I go in there I am pleasantly surprised. From cheap paperback editions of Anais Nin's finest to these gems I scored recently, they keep it real.



So stoked to find this half-priced.



A gift for a friend...hope she isn't reading this!