Posts Tagged ‘George Mason University’
Cultured Events This Weekend in Northern Virginia
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, October 19th, 2011
Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2011.
You’ve had your fill of bars, festivals, and other assorted revelries. You’re tired of shopping, and sick of watching TV.
So what to do?
Try dipping into Northern Virginia’s cultural scene. We all know the area can party with the best of them, but we’ve got our more reserved side, too. If you’re bloated from festival foods, feed your brain instead.
Here are a couple events this weekend to get you started.
First up is archaeology day at Shuter’s Hill in Alexandria on Saturday, Oct. 22. Archaeologists are still excavating this former plantation, now on the grounds of the George Washington Masonic Memorial. Digging up historical artifacts is an adventurous way to spend the glorious fall weather. Not only that, but it’s completely free. However, reservations are required. Call 703-746-4399.
Then at night, try tuning in to something other than TV.
The Fairfax Symphony Orchestra, Northern Virginia’s bountiful source for classical music, performs at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts. The concert begins at 8 p.m. on Saturday, and is preceded by a discussion about the compositions that will be played. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 is on tap, as well as a special guitar-centered performance.
–Matt Basheda
George Mason University Updates One of Its Biggest Events
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, October 12th, 2011
Good news for the Northern Virginia literary scene.
Fall for the Book, NoVA’s biggest annual lit festival, is no longer a once-a-year event.
The primary celebration is still every September, but now George Mason University will keep the scene energized all year with monthly events.
StoryCorps founder Dave Isay headlines the first of these new readings this Saturday, Oct. 15. StoryCorps is a nonprofit project committed to recording and preserving as many individual life stories as possible. Wjat started as a booth in New York’s Grand Central Terminal in 2003 accelerated into a collection of over 30,000 interviews.
Isay will talk primarily about his book, “Listening is an Act of Love,” in which he collects some of the most compelling StoryCorps stories.
Although this weekend is Family Weekend at GMU, the reading is completely free and open to the public. It takes place this Saturday at 2 p.m. in the Johnson Center Cinema on GMU’s Fairfax campus.
–Matt Basheda
Free Books! The Digital Bookmobile Brings Libraries Back Into the Limelight
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, September 19th, 2011
Monday, Sept. 19, 2011
If you’re still insatiable for some good reads, even with the Fall for the Book festival this week and the National Book Festival this weekend, fear not, my fellow literature lovers. Here’s yet another event for you to dig into:
Sample your local library’s selection of e-books, courtesy of the Digital Bookmobile, at two Northern Virginia locations this week.
The Digital Bookmobile is a promotional 18-wheel truck that tours libraries around the country. Many libraries now have e-book rentals available, and the Digital Bookmobile’s purpose is to shed light on these new programs. Its trailer is a high-tech lounge with interactive computer stations.
Anyone who owns an e-book reader can bring it to the Bookmobile and instantly browse their own local library’s e-book selection. Downloads are free, but the downloads will “return” to the library after a certain time, just like a regular library.
The Digital Bookmobile will be parked at George Mason University’s Fairfax campus on Tuesday, Sept. 20, and at Arlington Public Library’s central location on Wednesday, Sept. 21. Both events run from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. More details are here.
–Matt Basheda
Fall for the Book is Bigger Than Ever This Year
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Friday, September 16th, 2011
Friday, Sept. 16, 2011
This year’s Fall for the Book festival looks to be the biggest ever. Stephen King and Amy Tan will both be there to accept awards. The presence of such monumental writers increases the festival’s reputation as one of the premier literary events in the country.
Fall for the Book consists of well over 70 individual readings and talks by leaders in various fields. Specific readings take place at many different locations throughout the D.C. area. Most of them, however, are at George Mason University’s Fairfax campus.
Photo credit: Shutterstock/inacio pires
The festival kicks off this Sunday, Sept. 18, and lasts through Friday, Sept. 2.
King and Tan headline the event, but noteworthy authors are plentiful. Some of the most exciting include journalist Jim Lehrer, C-SPAN founder and CEO Brian Lamb, and poet Claudia Rankine.
A detailed schedule can be found on the festival’s website.
–Matt Basheda
Posted by Warren Rojas / Tuesday, May 24th, 2011
Need a hand in the kitchen? Duane Keller is happy to oblige:
(Image: Jason Hornick)
Since we’ve known him, the journeyman chef has lent his carefully honed talents to: D.C.’s white table cloth scene, a corporate stunner in National Harbor, an exurban golf club and a fledgling Irish pub. These days, you’ll find him behind the burners at Boxwoods in Fairfax, George Mason University‘s bid for a slice of the fine-dining pie.
WR: Salt. Pepper. What other spices/herbs could you not live without?
DK: Virginia watercress, fresh tarragon, chives, fresh dill, sea salt, fresh basil, whole nutmeg, ginger, fennel seed, curry powder, garam masala, crushed red pepper flakes, lavender, smoked Spanish paprika, fresh bay leaves, habanero powder, vanilla beans, wasabi, fresh rosemary and garlic.
WR: What’s the very first dish you ever mastered?
DK: At an early age, via pontoon plane, we would fly into our cabin on Canoe Lake, Saskatchewan, Canada. No roads led to this lake and the pickerel were a challenge to pull in. To prepare the meal it took everything from luring, catching, cleaning, seasoning, starting the fire and understanding the heat of the fire and cast iron pan. Not an easy task for a 10 year old.
WR: How long did it take?
DK: By my second summer on the lake I understood the concept but it took me three summers to master cooking the pickerel.
WR: Do you still make it today?
DK: Anytime I can get back home to Saskatoon you’ll find me on Canoe Lake … even ice fishing in the winter.
WR: What seasonal ingredient(s) get your creative juices flowing?
DK: It’s a great time here in Virginia for local sorrel, arugula, morels, shad roe, Chesapeake rockfish, spinach and squash.
WR: My latest cookbook obsession is …
DK: A Day at El Bulli – Ferran Adria
WR: What’s the most challenging dish you’ve ever attempted? Would you make it again?
DK: 5-foot-high Croquembouche, under a time constraint. Absolutely. A fun holiday feature for many to enjoy.
WR: If I could the spend the day working alongside any local chef, I’d love to collaborate with …
DK: Patrick O’Connell – Inn of Little Washington
WR: What’s the easiest/quickest–but still wholly satisfying–meal you make for yourself?
DK: My wife, Jen, is a fabulous cook so I usually leave the home cooking for her. When she’s out of town I will whip up….
Spring or Summer—gets better the deeper into summer—I’m enjoying BLT’s and a scoop of fresh local crab salad on it:
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
4 ounces “Choptank River” crabmeat (leftover from a Sunday on the deck)
Salt, pepper and Old Bay (to taste)
Millers Potato bread, lightly toasted
Romaine lettuce hearts
Heirloom tomatoes, sliced thick and seasoned with sea salt
Applewood-smoked bacon (preferably Neuskes), cooked crisp
Preparation
In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt, pepper and Old Bay until combined.
Gently fold in crab meat.
Top toasted potato bread with lettuce, crab salad, bacon and tomato slices.
Fall or Winter: Bolognese with Pappardelle (I make a batch and then portion up for many enjoyments):
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 pound ground pancetta, cut small dice or ground
1 pound ground sirloin
1 pound ground pork
1 onion, cut into small dice
1 carrot, cut into small dice
2 celery stalks, cut into small dice
2 garlic cloves, minced or grated
Salt and ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon thyme leaves, removed from stem and chopped
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 cups Pearmund Cellars Meritage or other good red wine
3 cups beef stock
1/2 teaspoon (a pinch or two) crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 pound pappardelle pasta
1 1/2 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Preparation
Heat sauce pan over medium heat.
Add olive oil and meats and brown well. Add vegetables and garlic and cook until soft.
Deglaze pan with Meritage or other good red. Add remaining ingredients, reserving the Parmigiano-Reggiano, and simmer for an hour.
Sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano when done.
Pair up with pasta, fresh Italian bread and a glass of good red.
WR: In the next six months you won’t want to miss …
DK: Boxwood’s Sustainable Summer and Fall Menus 2011
WR: It’s quitting time. I’m pouring myself …
DK: A Leffe Blonde
————————————————————————————————————————————————
Chef, we are totally adding your CBLT to our summer snacking toolbox.
Come back next Tuesday for another helping of Red Meat.
–Warren
Posted by Rebekah Lowe / Monday, May 2nd, 2011
Monday, May 2, 2011
As another semester is winding down, George Mason University celebrated with the GMU Program Board’s annual Mason Day on Friday. Students (and the general public for $10) ran rampant from carnival ride to ride with cotton candy and funnel cakes in hand outside the Patriot Center. The even bigger attraction came later that night with a performance from the band, The Plain White T’s. The crowd went wild for their new hit, “Rhythm of Love,” and an assortment of older songs like “1, 2, 3, 4” and “Hey There Delilah.” But the event that really seemed to get students going was a performance from the opening band, You Hang Up.
The pop rock group hit the stage, and students crowded around, turning to ask their friends, “Is that really him?” and some even chanting, “Malcolm, Malcolm, Malcolm!” in between songs. The band’s drummer, Frankie Muniz, gave a sheepish smile as “Malcolm in the Middle” fans remembered him from his days on the hit TV show.
Muniz says, “I’ve never done anything college-based until this band, but I’ve realized when we play these shows that everybody who’s in college now was 10 to 14 years old when ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ started, which was the perfect age to watch it. It makes me feel relevant again.”
Muniz, now 25, recently made his transition from TV and movies to music. He started playing drums when he was 12, but says he didn’t get serious about it until he joined the band about a year ago. You Hang Up members Aaron Brown, Chris Brown and Henry Ebarb introduced themselves to Muniz via MySpace after learning he had moved to Phoenix and was interested in making music.
Over the past year, You Hang Up has been working on their record, touring a little and doing lots of fly-out gigs, many at schools like Mason. “It’s cool to be known as something, but the Malcolm thing only gets you so far,” says Muniz. “It gets people interested so hopefully we can bring the Malcolm fans in to check out the music, because the music is awesome!”
Judging from the two-hour-long line of students waiting to snap a photo with Frankie and his band, You Hang Up lured in some new fans of its music on Mason Day. After patiently signing hundreds of autographs, the band confessed it had been a long day for them. They pulled an all-nighter to make it from Phoenix to Fairfax and were off as soon as the line died down to prepare for their show with Lee DeWyze in West Virginia the next day.
“We didn’t even get to ride the Zipper,” Muniz says, pointing to the flashing carnival lights across the parking lot. “I haven’t even had a water today!”
So, what does the future hold for this busy band? Lead singer, Aaron Brown says, “We actually just got done recording our debut album. It literally just got done being mixed yesterday. Right now we’re in talks with a couple of record labels, so we are trying to iron out the details to get a release date out to our fans. That will be followed with lots of touring.”
-Rebekah Lowe
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, March 4th, 2010
On Tuesday I sat in on a chef audition for the new Mason Inn Conference Center & Hotel, which is scheduled to open this July in Fairfax, Virginia. The Mason Inn is a new addition to the George Mason University campus and will be a LEED certified Silver facility with 150 guest rooms, a conference center with two ballrooms and 11 meeting spaces, and a restaurant and lounge.
The Mason Inn is run by Aramark Conference Centers, which reviewed over 100 resumes in search of a new chef that embraces the Mason spirit. Shannon Sparrow, the Mason Inn’s Human Resource Manager, assured me the new chef would be passionate, not only about their work but about the university and the surrounding community, “The chef has to value and embrace the spirit of George Mason University and match the quality of the University.”
Applicants went through a four-stage process including a phone screening, an on-site interview, a technical interview with the corporate chef, and lastly, a tasting menu.
Image: Dianne Murphy
The few chefs that make it to the final tasting round face a grocery bag with unknown contents and have two hours to prepare and present two plates of two courses each for a panel of five judges.
Tuesday’s chef was provided the following ingredients: Branzino fish (also known as bronzini, spigolo, or Mediterranean seabass), a whole chicken, several vegetables, pasta, risotto, and couscous.
The accomplished chef prepared a salad in addition to the main courses consisting of mixed greens, blood oranges, tomatoes, and a tasty dressing. The first course consisted of a filet of Branzino with mushrooms and tarragon risotto in a flavorful fish stock. The second course consisted of chicken stuffed with goat cheese and shallots over asparagus and pasta lightly drenched in garlic sauce. I found all the dishes to be delicious, especially the second dish.
The Aramark team will cater to two markets:
- 1. Conferences/ meetings with a fresh, healthy, nutritious yet edgy and fun menu throughout the week.
2. Weekend/ social events, which include celebratory and special events such as weddings that can also serve the local community.
Image: Newly appointed Chef Marc preparing the tasting menu. Photo by Dianne Murphy.
The yet-to-be-named restaurant and lounge will seat approximately 175 guests and the conference center will cater up to 400 wedding guests and a couple thousand conference attendees across campus. The restaurant and lounge will be open to the public and the Mason Inn will also have its own catering license.
The newly appointed Food and Beverage Director, Andrew Saba, formerly of Loews Annapolis Hotel, brings a wealth of experience to The Mason Inn (Marcels, The Watergate Hotel, Tabard Inn). He hopes to host wine and beer dinners and partner with local farmers and cheese makers within a 90 mile radius in order to serve local, sustainable foods.
The atmosphere will revolve around three areas: pride, passion, and perfection. The Mason Inn and its employees are proud of George Mason—the man and the university—and Fairfax and the surrounding community.
–Aisha Salazar
