Two Gents: A Rock Opera – More Like A Musical Rehearsal

In theory, Two Gents: A Rock Opera seemed like a good pairing with Two Gentlemen of Verona, the play – two very different interpretations of the same source material. And the rock opera was only playing for a limited engagement, so I jumped at the chance to get tickets at the Shakespeare Theater. Of course, I still like the concept, and really, I should withhold judgment on the two until I’ve seen the play … But to date, Two Gentlemen has been okay – not bad – but not the rocking interpretation I was expecting, either.

I found rock opera uneven, some fun numbers and laughs, including the opening, where one of the cast members came out in front of the curtain and threatened to plant huge garlic inflected kisses on anyone whose cell phone rang during the performance. But overall, the staging was odd, a slapstick, where sometimes it was a rehearsal where the audience was in on the joke, while other times, we were expected to treat it like a real show. The music, too, was odd. Some classic show tunes, some R&B, some rock.

In that way, the rock opera reflected the play – it couldn’t quite decide what it was. The play is a comedy because it ends with a marriage, but don’t you want Proteus to get his comeuppance? I mean, he ditches his pregnant girlfriend and tries to steal the woman his best friend loves. But he gets a happy ending in the end?

In short, neither the play nor the performance was quite satisfying. We’ll see if the play suffers from the same flaw.

L’Auberge Chez Francois, A Throwback in Great Falls

“I haven’t been there in ages.” That was the near universal response from friends when I mentioned that we were going to L’Auberge Chez Francois for dinner. And this from my friends in Northern Virginia: “Aw, that’s our special occasion place.”

For the 20 years we’ve lived in the DC area I’ve always wanted to check out Chez Francois. I love French food. Okay, I love food, but French food is my favorite. Drawbacks to actually going to Chez Francois all these years:

• cost – it’s not cheap, so it’s not a Tuesday night, I don’t feel like cooking type place
• location – Great Falls means driving, which means one of us has to abstain from wine – well, that’s half the fun at a French restaurant
• cuisine and time of year – all of our special occasion days fall in the summer. Who wants to eat heavy French food in the middle of summer, during a sweltering, humid evening?

So when friends heard we had never been, they organized an outing – and a car to take us. So how was it?

Disappointing. In some ways, how could it not be after a 20 year build up. The food was good, very good in fact … our lamb chops were delicious:

Lamb chops at Chez Francois

And my hazlenut souffle was out of this world. It was light, fluffy, rich, but not overwhelming, and just a wonderful, melt in your mouth warm taste of heaven:

best souffle ever - hazelnut heaven

… but the overall feel was a bit old fashioned for me. Old fashioned as in throwback or retro. So much so that it reminded me of my childhood – the one time a year our little family of four went to a nice restaurant to celebrate a birthday or good report card, or something like that. You know, tablecloths, lots of silverware, wearing a nice dress and patent leather shoes, sitting up straight, not making noise and generally behaving.

So, I’m happy we finally go to try the place out, but I don’t think it’ll be at the top of the list for another visit … unless someone in Northern Virginia is celebrating a special occasion out there, of course!

Is Peyton Heading to the Redskins?

Who knows, right? Just yesterday morning, the rumor of the day was that Peyton (Manning) was retiring – until Archie (Manning) dismissed it. But that’s not going to stop the rumor mill. And it seems every so often, I see something on Twitter that says he and Saturday are coming here. And then there’s this teaser that the Redskins have decided on the 2012 QB.

Of course, we need a real QB. And I like Peyton. I find him amusing. Oh, and he’s good. At least he was pre-injury. But that just seems like a classic Danny move – bringing in an aging vet to instead of drafting (and developing the talent).

On the other hand, NFL draft guru Mel Kiper says that at #6, there won’t be any good quarterbacks left. If that’s the case, then bringing Peyton here isn’t such a bad move.

And then there’s this: As G points out, with Peyton at the helm, we would probably win the NFC East, not that that’s much of a feat these days, with the crappy shape the division’s in. But it would mean a playoff game. Now *that* is tempting.

I’ve never been to a playoff game before. And when you look at the ‘Skins, well, it just doesn’t look like it’s going to happen in the near future.

The Eternal Tension Between Planners and Hangers-On (aka Non-Planners)

I guess you can tell from the title of this post which one I am … As I head out to a weekend outing with the outlaws, I’m reminded that there really are two types of people in the world. And in all fairness, the non-planners are probably as annoyed with my kind, if not more so.

Fact: there are people who plan their outings, researching, surfing, calling and asking their friends for recommendations. There are others who just get there and are sure they will figure it out. Of course it *does* always work out, but that’s only because there’s a planner in their group, some poor sucker willing to take the reins last minute, usually making it work, but sometimes snatching defeat from the jaws of, well, certain defeat.

Don’t get me wrong, one can be a over-planner. Or is it uber-planner? That’s no fun, either. I don’t want to be told “we are going to have fun,” and I don’t want every single minute scripted when I’m on vacation. I just like to have a general idea what we’ll be doing for a morning or afternoon or for food.

Of course, it doesn’t always work out. (That’s why one needs a plan!) Sometimes, a cool shopping area is much less fun than a review made it seem or it’s much further. But that’s also why it’s key to have a few backup options, if an activity falls through or we suddenly have more time – or energy – than originally anticipated.

Luckily, G and I are on the same page with vacation planning. The issue arises sometimes, when we travel with others. Here are some questions I’ve been asked by travel companions:

• How do we get to the [fill in the blank]? Me: I don’t know, I’ve never been to [this city/country] before either.
• What are we doing today? Me: Oooh, what *are* we doing today? [Long pause]
• What’s for breakfast/lunch/dinner? Me: Is this the opening to a conversation about food options or do you expect me to find/make you something to eat?

Probably the best thing to do is for each person in the group to have some ideas about what s/he wants to do, see, eat, etc. That way, we can have a good group discussion about options, and everyone gets to do something they like. Otherwise, it becomes an episode of the Love Boat: Welcome to your vacation. I’m your cruise director and here’s what we have planned for today …

How un-fun for the planner to have to take care of everything and everyone, and thus be responsible when someone doesn’t have a good time. Who’s idea was it to try to go to the [fill in the blank]?

Then again, I’m sure the non-planners find the planners to be dictatorial: Stop telling me what to do. What about what I want to do? 

There has to be a happy medium. But how to move in that direction? It seems I’m developing a plan for my next group vacation – how typical to plan ahead.

Sushi Taro’s Stylish Sushi Tasting

Our recent dinner at Sushi Taro was wonderful on so many levels. The sushi tasting was delicious. It was beautifully prepared and attentively served in a calm oasis away from all the annoyances that constitute modern life.

At the end of our meal, we felt rejuvenated and relaxed. We were full, but not ill. We had been fed and pampered for 2 1/2 hours by Sofy, our funny and personable server who brought G green tea because he was getting sick and complimented me on my highlights (okay, I admit it, flattery works). And we promised ourselves we would get back to Sushi Taro soon.

Amuse bouche: Sardines, fishcakes, shrimp & roe, kumquat

Who knew there were so many stylish variations of raw fish, or in this case shellfish:

Raw, sweet shrimp and fresh roe, newly in season

My favorite touch: a brush, for painting soy sauce onto our sushi. In other words, an elegant way for the restaurant to avoid patrons making the usual faux pas of dipping the rice part of sushi in the soy sauce. So tactile and what a wonderful way to individualize the experience. Not to mention bring out flavors (as opposed to allowing them to be drowned in soy).

Sushi palette

Additional courses of sushi, with some classics and others more unusual, all changing depending on the season and freshness:

Sushi courses

My favorite and G’s, too, the monkfish liver (far right), a sliver of slightly less rich foie gras over rice. Melted in my mouth with a wonderful, rich, velvety feel:

Sushi, with my new favorite: monkfish liver

A cooked (!) fish and shellfish course. Cooked, but equally excellent:

Grilled bronzini and scallop

Another cooked course! Cubes of duck and oyster in red miso sauce, tasting to me like a thicker, saltier version of a sauce for beef negamaki:

Duck and oysters in a red miso sauce

Back to sushi, including a creamy, foamy sea urchin (far right):

Sushi

My personal selection of three seasonal sushi: toro (recommended by Sofy), oyster and a different preparation of monkfish liver, this one with the liver cut into smaller, thicker chunks (still delicious but not quite as subliminal as the first):

My choice of three seasonal sushi

The entire meal complemented by a crisp (not lemon-y) South African sauvignon blanc with lots of green flavors, finished with green tea and a light dessert. I’m feeling wistful just thinking about that meal.