Please make your reservation today for our festive December Q&A Cafe, Tuesday, Dec 6, when the guest will be Mayor Muriel Bowser, celebrating her historic re-election to a third term as mayor of Washington DC. Please join us for a conversation about her path from first term to third term mayor, the rewards and challenges — with more to come — as well as becoming a mother. As usual, at The George Town Club, 1530 Wisconsin Ave NW, seating at 11:45 am with the interview to begin at noon; lunch is served and the fee is $35, all inclusive, with... Continue reading

SAVE THE DATE, and please make a reservation: seasoned political analyst MARK LEIBOVICH, currently at The Atlantic, formerly at The New York Times, comes to The Q&A Cafe on Tuesday October 25 to discuss his new bestseller, “Thank You for Your Servitude,” and a look ahead at the coming midterm elections, and what next??? Please join us. Lunchtime. $35 all inclusive. George Town Club. 202-333-9330 or email [email protected]. Mark is always a perceptive and entertaining guest. Don’t miss this. I read almost every new political book, and certainly those that have chronicled the Trump presidency and aftermath. Mark's latest is... Continue reading

Please join us Tuesday August 23 for a special edition of the Q&A Cafe; “Unplugged.” No TV cameras, just the audience, a good meal and great guest: Brian Noyes, owner of Red Truck Bakery in Warrenton and Marshall, Va, and author of “The Red Truck Bakery Farmhouse Cookbook.” When Brian reached out a few months ago, asking if it was possible to arrange a DC event for the new book, it struck me as a natural for the end of summer. Lunch will be inspired by his “farmhouse" recipes and he’ll bring a range of his famous baked goods for... Continue reading

This is Bob's 5th appearance at The Q&A Cafe. We used the occasion to reflect on the 50th anniversary of the Watergate break-in, but also -- since it was happening in real time -- the leak at the Supreme Court regarding Roe v. Wade. Its a wide-ranging and engaging conversation, which always happens when Bob is the guest! Continue reading

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Please join us for the next Q&A Cafe lunch and taping on Tuesday, February 22, when the guest will be Margaret Brennan, moderator of CBS News' Face the Nation and also the network's chief foreign affairs correspondent. February marks Margaret's 4 year anniversary as host of broadcast, which itself is 67 years old. Margaret's expertise and skill, plus the show's history, combine to make FTN a ratings winner. For more than a year it has beat all the Sunday morning show competition in attracting the most viewers. Dr. Scott Gottlieb and Margaret Brennan Recent guests have included Vice President Kamala... Continue reading

Opening remarks for the emcee of the Chefs for Equality gala, held at the West End Ritz Carlton Hotel in September 2014. A month later same-sex marriage was legally recognized by the state of Virginia, but it remains a complicated issue. On this night though it was all about food and DC's sparkling restaurant scene. Talk about beforetimes. During the decade I reported on the Washington party scene my favorites were always those events that made food an important part of the evening. The Chefs for Equality gala, organized each year by chef and author David Hagedorn, always delivered. Here... Continue reading

A party at the British Embassy can be a treat, especially when not over-crowded. In January 2009 it was a select group of friends who were invited in for drinks to celebrate the publication of a book by famed writer and editor Harry Evans. "Paper Chase: True Stories of Vanished Times." At the top I post a photo of Amanda Downes, in motion, because as the esteemed social secretary of the UK Embassy she had to be in a whirlwind. But she kept it to herself, the embodiment of "Keep Calm And Carry On." I like this photo because its... Continue reading

Sometimes this happens. Edward Norton. I think he was kidding. But I liked it. 2009. Its early Obama era, and very early in my "career" or side game, as a party photographer. The Kennedy Center Honors and the brunch preceding the big event is, as one might say, catching fish in a barrel for a photographer. They are all there, sort of primed to pose, but the beauty of the brunch is that it has a pretense of casual and intimate. Its that I stormed in and started snapping. More, I joined the party, talked to people, and then, if... Continue reading

Architect Hugh Jacobsen"s home was easily one of the most elegant in Georgetown -- outside and in. The big window shown here was a looking glass into his great parties. At Christmas, it always featured the most charmingly decorated holiday tree. These party photos here are from a casual weekend lunch party in February 2013. Among the guests are journalist and PBS Newshour host Jim Lehrer, his wife, novelist Kate Lehrer; interior designer John P. Irelan, Hugh's son and daughter in law, Simon and Ruth; Christianne Ricchi, owner of I Ricchi restaurant, and other friends. Hugh's parties always were fun... Continue reading

Between the years of 2007 and 2017 I wrote a regular weekly column for the website New York Social Diary. It meant going to a lot of parties in Washington and, at those parties, apart from writing commentary about the goings on, taking photographs. Here are some from the those Washington Party Archives. I will try to post often. So many to choose from. Below is a party for David and Janet Bruce before they left Washington for Shanghai. We had gathered at Citronelle Restaurant, at the Latham Hotel in Georgetown (both now gone, along with Chef Michel Richard, also... Continue reading

The next Q&A Cafe is on Thursday, October 7, an interview with Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, expert on the behind-the-scenes domestic and global decisions and actions to try to defeat the Covid pandemic, an uphill climb he recounts in the new book, “Uncontrolled Spread,” to be published Sept. 21 by Harper. Dr. Gottlieb is a physician, a contributor to CNBC, a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and consults widely with governors and Fortune 500 corporations as to how to navigate the coronavirus. He also appears regularly on Face the Nation. “America’s... Continue reading

We're coming up on the end of summer and that means it's time for a Q&A Cafe that kicks back a little. How about a focus on the culture's collective distractions and dirty pleasures? Pop culture and reality TV. We have an excellent guest for this discussion: podcaster and pop culture expert Gibson Johns. His podcast, "We Should Talk," posts on Thursdays featuring interviews with celebrities and influencers, not to mention his own opinions and recaps of lots of pop culture and reality TV, and especially Real Housewives. From his bio: "We Should Talk is a weekly interview series hosted... Continue reading

The Q&A Cafe returns on Thursday July 29, lunchtime, with an interview featuring — the same guests who were our last interview before the pandemic! —journalists Carol Leonnig and Phil Rucker, with their new book, “I Alone Can Fix It.” The book launches only a few days before this interview at The George Town Club. Please join us. All are welcomed. As before, in the beforetime, seating will begin at 11:45am, the interview at 12:15, lunch will be served and the fee is $35 all inclusive. I hope to have the book for sale on premises. It's so exciting to... Continue reading

Everybody who went to Nathans has a story. Here's mine, as its owner by a twist of fate, and as told to the Citizens Assocaition of Georgetown Georgetown Oral History Program. Nathans, open from 1969 to 2009 at Wisconsin and M Streets NW, was an important piece of Washington, DC saloon history, some true, some apocryphal, all wild. At this link: GeorgetownOralHistoryProgram/Nathans. Continue reading

Photo:Melina Mara Please join us for the next Q&A Cafe, when the guests are acclaimed Washington Post reporters Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker, co-authors of the No. 1 bestseller, "A Very Stable Genius." The date is Tuesday, February 25. Carol is part of the Post’s investigative reporting team, who together won the Pulitzer Price for public service; she won again on her own for national reporting. She’s also won the George Polk Award. A graduate of Bryn Mawr, Carol got her start with the Philadelphia Inquirer and Charlotte Observer before joining the Post. Phil, the Post’s White House bureau chief,... Continue reading

Jeh Johnson is the former Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security in the Obama Administration, a former general counsel for the Defense Department, a former Georgetowner, too, and a friend. He’s also our first guest for the next Q&A Cafe on Wednesday January 22. This makes him also our first guest of the new decade! So please join us. Lunchtime, noon, the George Town Club. 1530 Wisconsin Avenue NW. For reservations please call 202-333-9330 or send an email to Reservations. Secretary Johnson is currently living in New York, where he’s a partner at Paul Weiss. He’s on the board... Continue reading

Here's your chance to join the panel event called "Politics on the Plate," organized by Olga Boikess of The Dames D'Escoffier, a Washington-based culinary group that merges Washington and food whenever possible. The event was held at The National Press Club. Olga asked me to moderate and it was a pleasure. The panelists included Maria Trabocchi of Fiola and Fiola Mare; Stephanie Wilkinson of The Red Hen in Lexington, VA; Ruth Gresser of Pizzeria Paradiso; Laurent Menoud of Cafe Milano; Ashok Bajaj of Rasika and Rasika West End; and Amy Brandwein of Centrolina. The focus was very simple: how do... Continue reading

Coming to The Q&A Cafe on Tuesday, November 12: USA Today's chief Washington correspondent, Susan Page. Susan is also biographer of former First Lady Barbara Bush. Her next book will be a biography of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. She's a regular on the Sunday shows and cable TV, and overall a well respected and well liked chronicler of all things Washington. Please join us: What: A Q&A Cafe TV show taping with lunch served When: Tuesday November 12, noon to 1 pm. Where: The George Town Club, 1530 Wisconsin Avenue NW, at Volta How: Call Joe Pikovsky at... Continue reading

Its no secret that apart from politics Washington's favorite dinner table topic is real estate. That's the subject this upcoming Q&A Cafe. Once upon a time her face was on your shopping cart, but now her name is on the top tracking chart for national real estate sales. She’s Nancy Taylor Bubes, among the city’s most dedicated, and dogged, realtors and community supporters. I’m happy to announce Nancy will be our guest for the next Q&A Cafe, on Friday, April 19, lunchtime, at The George Town Club. This will be an encore appearance as Nancy last joined us when the... Continue reading

Of course its a risk to handicap any political races at the pace of current day politics, but nonetheless Howard Fineman was game to give it a go in late February, when he was the guest at The Q&A Cafe -- his third appearance on the show in 10 years. We got to some of the 2020 candidates. Not all, but at least the presumed frontrunners. Enjoy the conversation! Continue reading

Our next Q&A Cafe is an interview with veteran Washington political journalist Howard Fineman. The date is Friday, March 1, the location the George Town Club, the time NOON, and please make a reservation to join us. The contact for that is Joe Pikovsky at the GTC, 202-333-9330, or shoot him an email, Joe. This will be Howard's third appearance at The Q&A Cafe. His first was when we were at Nathans, his second when we were based at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, and so its only right he hits our current home, the GTC. Needless to say, much to... Continue reading