| |  | This month Harriet Kassman celebrates 25 years of outfitting manyof Washington ’s best-dressed women in her extensive collection |
| world’s finest designers. Harriet’s store is a favorite among prominentWashingtonians, young and older, who clamor for her well-chosenpicks from designers like Thierry Mugler, Sonia Rykiel, ChristianLaCroix, Akris, Vera Wang, Armani Collezioni, and Moschino.Harriet Kassman is the exclusive carrier of Bogner sportswear in theWashington, D.C. area, and will be showing the fall/winter collectionSeptember 21 and 22 at her Mazza Gallerie location. Harriet’s storealso carries plus-size designer clothing.
| | Not just for sipping, Mint Juleps is thename of a new luxury boutique opening this month, offering antiques, linens(including Rachel Ashwell’s “shabby chic” line), baby items, cosmetics, one -of -a-kind beaded handbags, Fendi import bags, and glass chandeliers. Theshop, owned by Georgia-born Katie Poitevint, is located at 1647 WisconsinAvenue, N.W.
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| | Hotel Monaco celebrated its grandopening with a party on July 16. Invitations came printed on eye-pleasingcut-out cards resembling a leather suitcase with accompanying laminatedluggage tags. Guests were issued passports at the door, then proceededto 10 rooms for stamping in order to qualify for a prize of round-tripairfare and a hotel stay at a Kimpton Hotel. The 184-room boutiquehotel is a national historic landmark (it was formerly the General PostOffice and Tariff Building). Community leaders D.C. Delegate EleanorHolmes Norton, Abe Pollin, Chairman and Chairman of the Board,Washington Sports and Entertainment, and others joined Tom LaTour,Chairman and C.E.O. of Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants for the ribboncutting ceremony.
| | Poggenpohl, a leader in high-performance luxury kitchen and bathdesign, joined Georgetown’s “Cady’s Alley” in mid-July. This will beits first showroom in the mid-Atlantic region, citing the return on investmentfor kitchen renovations in the D.C. area as nearly 50% higherthan the national average (according to Remodeling Magazine).Poggenpohl’s showroom features six progressive kitchens, dramatic skylights,and lofty ceilings.
| | Coming attractions: A 14-screen Loews Theatre will anchor a brand-new,block-long mid-rise complex containing the Ritz Carlton Hoteland Residences, and retail space in Georgetown. (Poggenpohl willfurnish the kitchen cabinetry in the Ritz’s 28 residential units). The large,state-of-the-art theatre will possess a striking industrial look, reflecting thehistory of the structure. An art-deco style building constructed in 1932and an historic landmark, it is the former Georgetown Incinerator. Theincinerator has been restored to serve as the central lobby of the complex,and its 175-foot smokestack will serve as the lobby backdrop. Thetheatre’s plush high-back rocking seats convert into “love seats” by raisingthe adjoining armrests. A theatre coming to you in November 2002!
| | If after September 11 you have been thinkingtwice about overseas travel, why not take advantage of the many international restaurants thatD.C. has to offer? You will feel like you’ve beento a foreign country. Roberto Alvarez andRob Wilder, joint partners of Jaleo and CaféAtlantico restaurants, have joined forces tocreate Zaytinya Restaurant. The 200-seatrestaurant (Zaytinya means olive oil in Turkish) will feature a décor ofMediterranean sun-drenched white and azure blue hues, evoking anoutdoor terrace overlooking the Mediterranean at Santorini in Greece.In addition to a 50-seat bar and a double-tiered mezzanine, there willbe a large outdoor dining area featuring music indigenous to the EasternMediterranean region. Award-winning executive chef and partner JoseRamon Andres will supervise the creation of the extensive menu ofMezze. The restaurant, slated to open in October 2002, will be locatedat 701 Ninth Street, N.W.
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| | The first full-service luxury resort in Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay region,the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa, andMarina, opened on Aug. 29, 2002. The complex features a 150-slipmarina with a variety of activities including sailing lessons, canoe andkayak rentals, sunset dinner cruises, wave runner rentals,and fishingexpeditions; an 18,000 square-foot European style spa with a spa menufeaturing traditional treatments as well as signature treatments using localproducts from the Chesapeake Bay area; and an 18-hole Keith Fosterchampionship golf course. The resort is located in Cambridge, Maryland.
| | A top notch crowd of caviar lovers including CrownPrince Reza Pahlavi of Iran and his wife CrownPrincess Yasmine, former Secretary of DefenseWilliam Cohen and wife Janet LanghartCohen, Sandra Payson, Nina Straight,William McCormack Blair and Deeda Blair,John and Ann Dickerson, Chris Buckley,Graham Wisner, Marie Ritter, Maurice andJoan Tobin, Christopher Hitchens and CarolBlue, and Claire Shipman and Jay Carney, hasbeen flocking to Mediterranean-inspired hot spotCafé Milano for its rare caviar at several specialdinners. A mouth-watering sampling from Milano’sparty menu: Salmone affumicato con asetra e panna acida, spaghettini alprezzemolo con caviale beluga, and gnocchi di patate con asetra dorato.
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Café Milano owner Franco Nuschese
| | Things go better with Coke. Mad Booking and DowntownPresents produced and teamed up with Atlanta-based Coca-Cola forthe First Annual Coca-Cola DC Sessions concert series this summer,a free weekly event held on the steps of the Smithsonian’s AmericanArt Museum. Bands such as Cake, Blues Traveler, G Love andSpecial Sauce performed, with a portion of the proceeds going to VH1Save the Music Foundation and D.C.’s public schools. The producers andsponsors indicated they intend to bring the series back next summer.
| | G.T.Halpin, founder, president and CEO ofWEST*GROUP, one of the largest real estatedevelopment companies in the mid-Atlantic,received the “Master Entrepreneur of theYear” award at the Ernst & Young GreaterWashington Entrepreneur of the YearBanquet in June. Halpin and his partnerspurchased a 125 acre farm in Tysons Corner in1962 and since then have developed more then13 million square feet of office, retail, industrialand residential space in Northern Virginia and suburban Maryland. MiltonPeterson, Chairman of The Peterson Companies, a leading NorthernVirginia developer, had this to say, “Jerry Halpin is a guy who has had more ofan impact on Northern Virginia than anyone else. He is the one who had theguts, the entrepreneurial spirit, and the conviction to see that Northern Virginiacould be more than a bedroom community.” Mr. Halpin modestly attributed hissuccess to his good partners, excellent staff, and some “Irish Luck.”
| |  Alan Gittelson and Jerr y Halpin
| | The 2002 Washington Post Award for Excellence in NonprofitManagement went to The Choral Arts Society of Washington,the first arts organization to win this prestigious award. Choral Arts’executive director Judy Brophy accepted the $5000 cash award andtrophy from Ted Lutz of the Washington Post. An independent panel ofjudges chosen by the Washington Council of Agencies made theselection, with judging taking place in the areas of fiscal management,information and communication, organizational, resource and peopledevelopment, planning, risk management, and the use of technology.
| | On a sad note, WL reports that the 26 year-old WashingtonChamber Symphony was forced to close its doors at the end of July,citing funding difficulties over the past two years despite extremelysuccessful seasons musically. The orchestra hosted one of DC’s most popularholiday concerts for families and children at the Kennedy Center. Thisyear’s concert schedule has been cancelled.
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