Good Cuban Food = Cuban Hall of Fame

In Rockville, Maryland there's an excellent Cuban restaurant called "Cuban Corner." As far as my palate is concerned, and as I've stated before, this is the best and most authentic Cuban restaurant in the Greater Washington, DC area. They are at 825 Hungerford Drive, near Ivy League Lane, Rockville, MD, 301-279-0310. Essentially on a strip mall right on Rockville Pike.

The food is authentic, affordable and plentiful (see the menu here). My favorite dish there is "Ropa Vieja," although the "Vaca Frita" is also superb. Either of those dishes, with a side of yuca con mojo or tostones, will delight your mouth and belly. There's something special that happens when yucca and lime and garlic marry. "Ropa Vieja", as Cuban Jews will often tell you, has an interesting tie to Cuba's considerable (and often ignored) Jewish history.

A visit to Cuban corner also delivers the interesting spectacle of the restaurant's Cuban Hall of Fame... or as they call it: The Wall.



The Cuban Hall of Fame, as determined by Joaquin Cabrejas, the restaurant's feisty owner, is composed of Cubans, Cuban-Americans, and people of traceable Cuban ancestry, and is made up of hundreds of name plaques glued to the restaurant's walls.

Some potential surprises to non Cubans (and even to some Cubans):

- Angela Anais Juana Antolina Rosa Edelmira Nin y Culmell - otherwise known as Anais Nin, one of the 20th century's sexual goddesses nymphomaniacs (and a damned good writer as well!).

- Amazon's creator Jeff Bezos.

- Benjamin Huberman, Science Adviser to several American presidents.

- Truman Capote (by adoption)... took the last name of his adopted dad. Capote in Spanish is a large cape or the hood of a car.

- Ysrael A. Seinuk, the "father of the modern New York skyline."

- Eamon de Valera: The father of the modern Irish republic was Eamon de Valera, who was born in New York in 1882. His father, Juan de Valera, although technically on paper always reported as a Spaniard, was really a Cuban, born in Cuba (which was part of Spain back then), the son of a Cuban sugar planter and escaped to New York during the Independence Wars with Spain. There he earned his living as a piano teacher. He met and married Irish immigrant Catherine Coll. Juan died shortly after the birth of their son Eduardo. After Juan's death, his wife sent Eduardo to Ireland, where her family changed his name to the Gaelic version of Eduardo: Eamon.

- Cameron Diaz... we all know who she is.

- Dr. Steve Pieczenik, author of 39 books, including 16 bestsellers. He is critically acclaimed author of psycho-political thrillers and the co-creator of the New York Times best-selling "Tom Clancy's Op-Center" and "Tom Clancy's Net Force" book series. He is also one of the world's most experienced international crisis managers and hostage negotiators.

- Olga Viso, the Hirshhorn Museum's former director and now director of the Walker Art Center.

- The Joker... I mean Cesar Romero.

Ambrosio José Gonzales, this Cuban Confederate Colonel played a significant role in the Civil War and was essentially responsible for building Confederate coastal defenses. He had his finest hour during the Civil War as the artillery commander at the Battle of Honey Hill.

Cubanos todos de alguna manera!

Loads of talent in one pic

At a recent booksigning at the home of a major DMV art collector...

That's me in the background signing a copy of 100 Washington, DC Artists... which continues to sell surprisingly well as more and more DMV area shops and book stores order copies...

And in the foreground there's some major talent... that's Prof. Chawky Frenn, the top gun at GMU's Art School taking a pic of the legendary Lida Moser - yep... she whose's work is in every major museum in the world (including all DMV museums except the Hirshhorn... hello H?), and whose life has been documented in not one but two documentaries, and whose image (painted by Alice Neel not once but four times) hangs in a few major museums of their own around the planet...

Just bragging...

New Video Drawing: Ave Frida

Here's the first stage of the drawing


Here's a better view of the drawing's first stage


The drawing itself is now pretty much finished and it's ready for the narrative video to be embedded


The pattern of the window to be cut in the drawing has been measured and now the drawing is ready to be cut


The window has been cut in the shape of a heart with fangs. A short loop of Kahlo and a young, frightened girl plays in the video player embedded within the drawing


Ave Frida, Mater Omnium Artificum. 22 x 18. Charcoal and conte on paper with embedded video player and historical video in loop. 2011 by F. Lennox Campello.

Why?

A wave of repression is currently taking place in Cuba – but you wouldn’t know about it from the lack of media coverage.

Why is the press at home and abroad ignoring blatant human rights violations?

Why has the current administration consistently coddled this neighboring and brutal dictatorship?

And, what should our elected leaders be saying about Cuba and these human rights abuses?

This will all be discussed tomorrow here.

You can't make this stuff up

From the current issue of The Gazette:

Brindie Lynn Fish and Nicholas Drew Frye were married June 24 at The First and Franklin Presbyterian Church, followed by a reception at The Belvedere in Baltimore.

Tomorrow: Red Dirt Open Studio


Serving warm drinks for your November art-browsing experience
Free parking
Lots of other art studios open nearby, within walking distance...

Nearest metro: Red line to Rhode Island Ave (+ bus to Mt. Rainier) or green line to West Hyattsville and easy 1 mile bike ride from W. Hyattsville

Sunday, Nov. 13 from 1-5 pm for Red Dirt's Fall Open Studio
3706-08 Otis Street
Mt. Rainier, MD 20712

The Miraculous Mass

From Carolina Mayorga:

Hello Sons and Daughters, join me this November 17 at Hillyer Art Space for my next performance art piece The Miraculous Mass. Don't miss the 3rd apparition of the Miraculous Artist in the Nation's Capital, this time performing a ceremony that will turn your life around forever! You might've got the invite via Facebook too, I just can't wait to bless you all, hope to see you there,
Carolina

Hillyer Art Space
9 Hillyer Court, NW (Behind the Philips Collection)
Washington, DC 20008
Service begins at 7pm sharp.
More info at:
carolinamayorga.com