Calendar of Events

April 17, 2011

If you want the rainbow, you have to tolerate the rain.

Life can be tough. Mental, emotional and physical health face potential assaults at any time of the day, and we are constantly testing our notions about our place in the universe. By keeping everything in perspective and our sights on a larger purpose, things cease to be sacrifices and turn into opportunities instead.

Matt Gross helps us explore the opportunities that come out of misadventures in our travels.

Culture
Matt Gross – travel writer for the New York Times, author, co-founder of Dadwagon.com

Food
Jaime Montes de Oca, Jr. – Executive Chef of Zentan

Drink
Jared Boller – mixologist at Julie Reiner’s Lani Kai in NYC

Start: April 17, 2011 6:00 pm
End: April 17, 2011 10:00 pm
Address:
Washington, DC, United States
Cost: $155

April 10, 2011

Ask a friend to join you on your next voyage.

In a world of increasing connectivity, the algorithm of universal alignment seems to happen magically on a daily basis. When we open ourselves up to the possibility of life-altering experiences, we begin to encounter people who are willing participants and guides in our journeys through life.

This evening, we are all active participants in performance & video artist Genevieve Erin O’Brien’s installation piece. Marie Tillman of the Pat Tillman Foundation helps leads the conversation.

Culture
Marie Tillman
Genevieve Erin O’Brien

Food
Daniel Singhofeni – Executive Chef/Eola

Drink
Katie Nelson – bartender at Columbia Room

Start: April 10, 2011 6:00 pm
End: April 10, 2011 10:00 pm
Address:
Washington, DC, United States
Cost: $155

April 3, 2011

Sometimes the object of the journey is not the end but the journey itself.

Culture
There are those who power-walk through museums, stopping in front of only the paintings that they recognize from their desk calendars, and ticking off a mental checklist of sights that need to be seen next. Then they vacuum through the cafeteria croissant before rushing off to purchase proof of their existence from the shop. And then there are those for whom hours disappear in front of a single piece that caught their attention from the corner of their eye, its magnetic force drawing them closer and closer into an intimate reveal of layer after layer until nothing else exists in the room.

Tonight is an exploration of the creative process, discovery, and being in the moment.

Kokayi – Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter, emcee, producer and educator
Jonas Lara – artist/photographer

Food
Peter Smith – Chef & Owner of PS 7′s

Drink
Owen Thomson – lead bartender at Café Atlántico and Minibar
Dan Searing – Partner at Room 11

Start: April 3, 2011 6:00 pm
End: April 3, 2011 10:00 pm
Address:
Washington, DC, United States
Cost: $155

March 27, 2011

Action with a brain. Today you should proceed with caution

Culture
Adrenaline serve its purpose in high-pressure situations where you’re required to react. However, cautious strategic maneuvering is what has advanced humans as both a species and a civilization. One area of life where we have trouble trusting either our gut or our brain is in the potentially minefield-ridden subject of sex and desire.

Dr. Ogi Ogas leads us on an exploration of demystifying the thought process behind why we make the decisions that we do.

Dr. Ogi Ogas – cognitive neuroscientist, game show contestant, and author of A Billion Wicked Thoughts (a study of human desire and sexuality)

Food
Frederik De Pue – Executive Chef of Smith Commons and 42˚ Catering

Drink
Owen Thomson – lead bartender at Café Atlántico and Minibar
Dan Searing – partner of Room 11

Start: March 27, 2011 6:00 pm
End: March 27, 2011 10:00 pm
Address:
Washington, DC, United States
Cost: $155

March 20, 2011

If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten.

Culture
Einstein famously defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. On the other hand, studies have established that it takes 10,000 hours of diligent repetitious practice to achieve mastery of anything. Innovation can be perceived as the harnessing of both perspectives where the process of change and experimentation is followed by a long period of disciplined execution and good old-fashioned sweat. As we strive towards self-improvement of the mind, body and soul in our daily lives, how is this cycle connected to the betterment of the world around us?

This evening, we will explore innovation, change movements, experimentation, and self-betterment.

826DC826DC is an innovative nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting students ages 6-18 with their creative and expository writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write. Its parent organization, 826 National, was co-founded by author Dave Eggers and veteran educator Ninive Calegari.

Acumen Fund – a non-profit global venture fund that uses entrepreneurial approaches to solve the problems of global poverty.

Derek Beres – international music journalist, author, dj/producer, yogi.

Food
Todd Gray – Chef/Owner of Equinox Restaurant and Watershed (set to open Spring 2011)

Drink
Jared Boller – mixologist of Lani Kai in NYC

Start: March 20, 2011 6:00 pm
End: March 20, 2011 10:00 pm
Address:
Washington, DC, United States
Cost: $155

March 13, 2011

An unexpected relationship will become permanent.

Culture
Sometimes it seems as though the universe conspires to bring together an infinite number of possible conditions into a single moment of impact. The world is full of unlikely but fruitful pairings that have endured the test of time: hydrogen and oxygen, peanut butter and jelly, Sonny and Cher. But what if the chain of crucial components just fell apart and it never happened? Parallel universes, forks in the road, decisions regretted, random sudden encounters – if we woke up just 10 minutes earlier THAT day, would life have turned out completely different?

This evening we’ll be exploring matters of the heart and unintended consequences. Who at dinner will become permanent in your life?

Nick Galifianakis – relationship cartoonist for the Washington Post & author

Food
Justin Bittner – Executive Chef of Bar Pilar

Drink
Justin Noel – head mixologist at 1534 in NYC

Start: March 13, 2011 6:00 pm
End: March 13, 2011 10:00 pm
Address:
Washington, DC, United States
Cost: $155

March 6, 2011

Moderate your appetite so that with a little you may be content.

Culture
It seems like only yesterday that one could ask “What’s the difference between an investment banker and a pizza?,”* and every other article in popular press was an account of rising happiness levels as people were readjusting their lives to the appreciation of simple pleasures like staying in with friends and raising honey bees on their roof. We claimed as a society that this new perspective was permanent. Today, companies are posting record earnings and big corporate bonuses are back with a vengeance. What does this mean for our newfound collective sense of moderation?

This evening is about getting different perspectives on the idea of moderation, simplicity, and the enjoyment of small pleasures.

* A: The pizza can still feed a family of four (c. 2008-2009).

Barton Seaver – chef, writer, TED speaker, proponent of sustainable seafood & eating
Robert Egger – Founder of DC Central Kitchen

Food
Nicholas Stefanelli – Executive Chef of Bibianna

Drink
Gina Chersevani – mixologist at PS 7′s

Start: March 6, 2011 6:00 pm
End: March 6, 2011 10:00 pm
Address:
Washington, DC, United States
Cost: $155

February 27, 2011

Fear is the darkroom where negatives are developed.

Culture
This evening is an exploration of fear, so looking for adverturers and experience seekers! From hypochondria to OCD to phobias for anything under and including the sun, fear is something that manifests from within. The whole genre of horror in film and literature revolves around the power of suspense and apprehension to plant seeds of anxiety in the deep recesses of the brain, and alarmist sensationalism is likewise designed to manipulate this dreaded anticipation of the unknown. What are your biggest fears, and how do you respond?

Martha Raddatz – ABC News Chief Foreign Correspondent and author of New York Times Bestseller The Long Road Home

Food
Ed Witt – Executive Chef of 701
Nick Wiseman – Co-Founder of Roadside Organics

Drink
Jared Boller – mixologist at Julie Reiner’s Lani Kai in NYC

Start: February 27, 2011 6:00 pm
End: February 27, 2011 10:00 pm
Address:
Washington, DC, United States
Cost: $155

February 20, 2011

We cannot direct the wind but we can adjust the sails.

Culture
Some people react to change by throwing a temper tantrum. Others force themselves into willful ignorance, while some face the situation head-on and jump straight into action. And sometimes we’re locked into seemingly unalterable circumstances. Everyone deals with adversity and obstacles in different ways. How do you adapt to life’s shifting forces?

Tonight we explore themes of happiness, optimism and adaptability.

Eric Weiner – former NPR foreign correspondent and author of New York Times Bestseller The Geography of Bliss

Food
Mike Isabella – Chef/Owner of Graffiato (set to open Spring 2011), current contestant on Top Chef All-Stars

Drink
Derek Brown – Co-Owner of The Passenger and Columbia Room

Start: February 20, 2011 6:00 pm
End: February 20, 2011 10:00 pm
Address:
Washington, DC, United States
Cost: $155