Destination Shepherdstown and a quick Zombie update

I know I have said this before, so brace yourself, 'cause I'm gonna say it again...

One of the best day trips out there for the general citizenry of Frederick, is to take the 40 to 45 minutes to drive into Shepherdstown, WV. (For the more scenic route, head out alternate route 40 to and turn left at the first traffic light you hit in Boonsboro. It only adds five to ten minutes and it takes you past the Antietam Battlefield).

The main drag, German Street, has a handful of funky shop and top notch restaurants. I highly recommend Three Onions restaurant and martini bar, The Blue Moon Cafe (be forewarned, last time I went, they were cash only), long-time standard The Yellow Brick Bank, and the Bavarian Inn (I have not eaten there, but it has been repeatedly recommended to me).

For desert, any of those restaurants will do, but if you want something cold that and still want to be able to wander along German Street, hit Mimi's Ice Cream at 114 East German Street.

On Sunday mornings the town hosts a farmer's market right behind the library on German.

Most importantly to this post, however, is that this weekend is the Shepherdstown Film Festival at the Opera House.

According to Rusty Berry over at the Opera House, film buffs can expect the following -

In cooperation with the Shepherdstown Film Society, the Opera House is pleased to present the “Shepherdstown Film Festival” on the weekend of June 15 – featuring the area’s premieres of “Amazing Grace”, “The Namesake”, and “Avenue Montaigne”. Admission for each film is $8.00, with that extra dollar going to benefit FOSL, the Friends of the Shepherdstown Library. Advance tickets can be purchased online at www.operahousemovies.com or daily at the Sweet Shop Bakery.

Adapted from Pulitzer Prize-winner Jhumpa Lahiri’s best-selling novel, “The Namesake” is the story of two generations of a Bengali family transplanted from 1970s Calcutta to New York City. Two veteran actors of India’s “Bollywood” film industry, Irrfan Khan and Tabu, portray Ashoke and Ashima, who move after their arranged marriage from India to America and start a family. Many of America’s ways seem strange to the young couple. Ashima is astounded that gas and electricity work twenty-four hours a day. When their son is born, Ashoke is surprised to learn that the baby cannot leave the hospital without having been given a name – in India, a child’s formal name is chosen by the maternal grandmother, often after several years have passed. Ashoke, an aspiring engineer who reads depressing Russian writers, names the boy Gogol, after his favorite author.

Gogol (played by Kal Penn of the sadly neglected comedy “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle”) grows up to be a typical dope-smoking, smart-assed teenager turned architect yuppie, who is embarrassed by his immigrant parents, even though they have become well-off and comfortably ensconced in a Westchester mansion. When he brings home his blonde, WASPish girlfriend from Yale, the family tensions increase.

Director Mira Nair, who was educated at Delhi University and Harvard, first hit the film scene in 1988 with “Salaam Bombay!” which was nominated for an Oscar. She followed that with the critically acclaimed “Mississippi Masala” and “Monsoon Wedding”. “The Namesake” premiered at Dartmouth College when Ms. Nair received the Dartmouth Film Award, which honors outstanding contributions to film and filmmaking. Previous winners include Robert Redford, Liv Ullman, Ken Burns, Ang Lee, Glenn Close and Meryl Streep – that’s quite a group (somehow I see them all working together as PBS airs a Ken Burns documentary about the making of a scorned-woman martial-arts film called “Cringing Tigress, Hidden Dragqueen”, with Redford in the role of a lifetime). Running time 122 minutes, rated PG-13.

“Moving and marvelous!” - Entertainment Weekly

“A tearjerker and sweetly funny – nearly perfect!” - The Philadelphia Inquirer

“Immensely pleasurable!” - The Wall Street Journal

Showtimes for “The Namesake” are Friday at 5:00, Saturday at 5:00, Sunday at 8:00, and Monday at 8:00.

For decades, William Wilburforce (played by Welshman Ioan Gruffudd) battled in the English Parliament to end Britain’s participation in the slave trade. When the abolition bill finally passed in 1807, his peers called his influence on the world as important as that of Napoleon, and the revered statesman was eventually buried in Westminster Abbey. Fifteen years earlier, Wilburforce was only a beginner in politics. Blessed with a beautiful voice, he was called “the nightingale of the House of Commons.” When William Pitt, the Prime Minister, tasked the young man with the job of leading Britain away from a practice that “degrades men to the level of brutes”, Wilburforce had been struggling to find a cause, torn between using his voice to do God’s work or simply to praise Him. The pursuit of abolition allowed him to do both.

Director Michael Apted is one of the most talented and prolific people in film today. An Englishman who studied law and history at Cambridge, he started his film career at Granada Television where he produced what would become the first of his “Up!” series of films in 1964. He selected a group of seven-year-old children and captured their lives on the screen. Believing that the English class system was more prevalent than people might think, and following the Jesuit maxim of “give me a child of seven and I will give you the man”, he revisited the same people every seven years for another film, just finishing “49Up” in 2005 and making plans for “56Up.” His other and very varied credits include “Coal Miner’s Daughter”, which received seven Oscar nominations, “Gorillas in the Mist”, the James Bond film “The World is Not Enough”, and social commentaries such as “Class Action” and “Incident at Ogala.” In “Amazing Grace”, he brings his story-telling skills to the forgotten history of a man who must rank with Churchill and Martin Luther King, Jr. Co-stars include some of Britain’s best stage and screen actors, including Albert Finney as the reformed slave-ship captain who wrote the title song, Michael Gambon, and Ciaran Hinds. Running time 111 minutes, rated PG.

“For anyone who has felt morally right and in the minority!” - The San Francisco Chronicle

“An unusually satisfying and inspiring epic from one of contemporary cinema’s best filmmakers!” - Seattle Post-Intelligencer

“Informative, compelling, and entertaining!” - New York Daily News

Showtimes for “Amazing Grace” are Friday at 8:00 followed by a discussion led by Washington-area critic Nelson Presley, Saturday at 8:00, and Sunday at 2:00.

When Jessica (the beautiful Cecile de France) leaves the provinces and moves to Paris, she is simply following her grandmother’s advice to live near luxury, even if you can’t afford it. Quickly getting a job as a waitress at a Bistro on the “Avenue Montaigne”, she soon finds herself in another world full of quirky characters, many of who are as amazed with her as she is with them. Character upon character and episode upon episode unfold (watch for the famous American film director played by famous American film director Sydney Pollack) in Paris’ most posh neighborhood Director Daniele Thompson’s comedy of manners that looks at the serendipitous forces that bring people together was France’s official submission for this year’s Best Foreign Film Oscar. Running time 106 minutes, rated PG-13. In French, with English subtitles.

“A fine cast and a joie de vivre!” - The San Francisco Chronicle

“Rarely has Paris seemed more enchanting!” - New York Daily News

“A consistently entertaining comedy that tackles the big themes of life and art!” - Variety

Showtimes for “Avenue Montaigne” are Saturday at 2:00, Sunday at 5:00, and Monday at 5:00.

And now for the undead...

A handful of people weighed in on the great undead debate I posted here several weeks ago, and, based on the way the respondents' answers were weighted, here are the results to date -

1. Night of the Living Dead (19 points)

2. Tie
Dawn of the Dead (2004 - 15 points)
Dawn of the Dead (orig - 15 points)

4. Shaun of the Dead (12 points)

5. 28 Days Later (10 points)

6. Tie
Evil Dead II (5 points)
Army of Darkness (5 Points)

8. Night of the Living Dead (1990, 4 points)

9. Dead Alive (3 Points)

Also receiving votes, Ed and his Dead Mother, Zombi 2, Grindhouse: Planet Terror, Night of the Creeps and Return of the Living Dead.

Shake baby, shake baby 1, 2, 3, 4...

I know that in Towson the Bel-Loc Diner's milk shakes were named Best of Baltimore by the Baltimore City Paper in 2005, but you don't have to travel that far for a pretty damn good shake (and I'm not talking about Ben & Jerry's or Coldstone). For a proper shake that's going to take you back to when you were young, try the shakes served over at Beef n' Buns in Paradise on East Patrick Street. Not only will it remind most anybody over 30 of the shakes they got when young and the old soda fountains could still be found in your local pharmacy (I know they're still out there, but it seems that it's a rarity at this point), but the large tattooed man who took my order knew the proper names of my favorite type of shake - a black and white, also called an old fashioned.

The black and white is a vanilla shake with chocolate syrup and is very refreshing on a hot summer's day. Also, I highly recommend the pulled pork sandwich - it's excellent.

If you're looking for the full lunch counter in a pharmacy experience, head on up to Patterson's Drug Store located at 134 South Queen Street in Martinsburg, WV. They don't necessarily remember the old terms (which I suspect may even be regional), but it is a pure slice of nostalgia for anyone that used to eat at places like this when they were young.

Martinsburg is less than an hour away, is home to Mountaineer Brewing (which is owned by Barley & Hops) which I believe holds tours, and a couple of small shops and restaurants to pass the time in. If you do head up that way, keep in mind that the town is working on revitalization efforts and does not currently offer a whole lot for a day trip, but is within an easy 20 to 25 minute drive to Hagerstown and Shepherdstown.

C'mon, Baby don't you wanna go...

Sorry, last week was a busy week in the Smith household. Easter weekend was spent at the parents house in Williamsburg, VA - typically an increasingly more difficult weekend trip as traffic woes worsen between Washington and Richmond (yet for some reason traffic was reasonably light - especially considering it was a holiday weekend). The last half of the week was spent on a business trip to Chicago (for you blues fans out there, yes the title of this entry is a reference to the old Robert Johnson song "Sweet Home Chicago" covered so well by the Blues Brothers).

Chicago was rainy, snowy and cold for two of the three days we (my wife and I) were there and we were largely chained to the neighborhood in which the convention which took place in a neighborhood I believe is called the Near North. We made it into The Loop a couple of times, but never got to see the neighborhoods that make Chicago...well...Chicago.

The area in which we were stuck, a stretch called The Magnificent Mile, was reminiscent of mid-town Manhattan along 5th Avenue. While it was nice to get into a big city again, and to go someplace I hadn't been, I really prefer to go to someplace that's unfamiliar - and this neighborhood felt all too familiar to me (although I would recommend that anyone going to Chicago venture to the Nordstrom's on the Magnificent mile for a visit to Vosges Haut Chocolates - some of the best chocolate I have ever had).

We did see the IAC, an excellent art museum which most people my age might have initially been exposed to in the movie Ferris Beuller's Day Off, and got some good wandering in on the one sunny day which happened to be the day we departed. On that final day we had lunch at Harry Caray's, right next to the Chicago House of Blues. It was one of the two truly excellent meals that we had - if you're heading that way, I recommend the house specialty; Chicken Vesuvio (warning, it is cooked in peanut oil for those of you with severe allergies). The chicken Marsala is also excellent.

The other place we ate that was good...the only chain, though we weren't previously familiar with it, was an Italian restaurant called Buca di Beppo. The food was very good (and I hold a pretty high standard on my Italian food - my mother's family is Italian...grandfather came through Ellis Island) and served family style. The platters seem expensive until you realize that the $17.00 dish you're ordering is intended to feed two. I recommend the gnocchi (small potato dumplings/pasta).

Overall I was disappointed, however, I do realize I was there on limited time and covered only a very limited area. I failed to make it to Wrigley Field as I had hoped, and didn't make it to any of the Blues bars/clubs. I do plan to go back, possibly next year for the annual Chicago Blues Festival and get more into the neighborhoods that give Chicago its sense of self.

The photos you see here were taken by my wife, Kelly.

Coming soon, my review of Grindhouse...

St. Pats is a bank holiday in Boston...

Actually, that statement is utterly true. The Irish politicos in Boston reached a point many years ago where they decided that the Italians got Columbus Day off, then the Irish deserved St. Pat's off - but how to make it happen? They called it Evacuation Day, named for the day that the British evacuated from Bunker Hill in the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston (most famous product of that neighborhood? Former Oakland Raider and current FOX football analyst Howie Long).

The Boston government made it a city holiday, giving all city employees (excluding emergency services personnel like the police and firefighters) the day off - teachers, city workers, and bankers have that day as a holiday.

This area has the day off this year because, of course, the day that everyone celebrates being Irish is this Saturday. If you're wondering what to do in the area, here are some ideas...

Just like to hang out at an Irish bar or restaurant? Try Bushwaller's in Frederick on North Market Street (get there early, they start with breakfast on St. Pat's) for a good pint of Guinness. Other options in Frederick include Callahan's Restaurant and Lounge on Rosemont Avenue, and Jennifer's Restaurant on West Patrick Street near the corner of Bentz. If you're up-county, check out The Shamrock in Thurmont which makes a more than week-long event of the holiday.

If music is your thing, you can start getting into the spirit of the holiday on Thursday night by attending the Celtic Jam at Boe's Strings music shop on South Market St. near Carroll Creek. The Celtic session begins at 7:00 PM and is followed up by a Bluegrass jam at 8:30.

Other area venues hosting musicians for the big day include (contact venues about possible cover charges and performance times) -

Frederick -

• The Olde Town Tavern (301-695-1454) on North Market Street will have rock act Bigger Better Faster More


• The Big Easy (301-631-1134) on the Golden Mile stretch of West Patrick Street will have rock/blues act The Phat Katz Band

Mt. Airy -

• Mt. Airy American Legion Post #191 (301-829-9161) is hosting country act Jay Henley & The Stone Broke Band (call for tickets)


• The Green Turtle (301-829-9229) has acoustic act Altered Mike

Purcellville, VA -

• White Palace (540-338-2566) will have acoustic blues/folk/country performer Lenny Burridge

WestSide Story...

Honestly I never liked that movie...but I like making movie allusions in my titles. Well, onto the post...

Well, here's the rumor floating about on frederick.com's forums about the WestSide Cafe - "....so to all who enjoyed the good food and music.......get it while it lasts. The restaurant sold a week or so ago to some man who plans on turning it into a bistro. Of all things downtown Frederick does NOT need it's another sit down restaurant that will be empty most of the time. " - posted by francoise.

I will see what I can dig up about this, but it speaks volumes to me that the performance calendar at the WestSide's Web site is booked through this month, and then there's nothing in April. I will grant that owner Rod Deacey might not post a month in advance, but I would think that at least the first week would have performers listed.

If true, I will admit to being a bit disappointed that the WestSide Cafe will be moving on so quickly.

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Bagels...

Looking for a good, quick breakfast on the way to work, or maybe a nice place to sit, relax and nosh in the morning while reading the paper? Here are a couple of places you might want to try and one or two that you might want to stay away from...

For the most part I sampled the same at each of the following, a toasted sesame bagel with egg, bacon and cheddar cheese. I will note where I had something different.

Crabapple's Delicatessen - Crabapple's on West Patrick makes a nice breakfast sandwich, adding a little smear of yellow mustard to give the comestible a touch of their own take. Coffee, milk, and juices are available.

If you haven't been, Crabapple's is a New York style deli, so be prepared to order at the counter and wait for your food (really, that's going to apply to most of these places). Don't worry about waiting too long, the service is pretty efficient. And if you intended to brown bag your lunch but forgot in your rush to get out the door, they do a pretty mean sandwich (I'm preferential to their roast beef on a kaiser roll with lettuce, tomato, and a little bit of horseradish with some salt and pepper - it really does remind me of the places I ate at when I did a summer internship in New York City).

Two important facts to keep in mind - They don't open until 7:30, so that's difficult for the guy or gal who commutes down the road, and they don't take credit cards.

Frederick Coffee Company - I used to be a regular here when I lived in Frederick. Since I moved Truman has sold the little cafe over at the corners of East and Church. Some of the changes that have been made have definitively been for the worse.

In changing some of the decor around, the location has lost some of its charm, but that would have been forgivable if they hadn't changed bagels. Under previous ownership the bagels were purchased from Market Street Bagel next to Carroll Creek. Market Street makes a very good bagel. Whoever Frederick Coffee is buying from now makes a very poor bagel.

The rest of the fixings are the same, but the quality of the sandwich rested just as much in the bagel as what went on the bagel. My recommendation - don't bother, you can get better bagel sandwiches elsewhere.

My other knock - and this has been true since I have been going to Frederick Coffee - is that if you are in a rush, you can't go here.

They continue to offer a good cup of coffee, a variety of pastries and juices, and you can even get a pretty decent prepackaged sandwich from their refrigerator case. It's just not worth your time if you're in a rush.

Market Bagel & Deli - Located just North of Carroll Creek on South Market Street, MBD serves up their breakfast sandwich the way that Frederick Coffee used to - on a damn fine bagel. Not only do I recommend them based on that, but if eggs and bacon aren't your thing, they offer home-made cream cheese.

In addition to the quality of the food, the service here might have been the friendliest and the fastest I have had from any of these places.

Beans & Bagels - Unfortunately I have not had the opportunity to make it to Beans recently, or BB's just outside of town, so those two will have to wait for later.

Onto the sit down and relax type of breakfast (the sandwiches are no longer the common point)...

The Village - If you're not in a rush and looking for...well, looking for a decent diner to eat at, the Village fits the bill. The downtown staple underwent a face-lift last year, redecorating the interior, but did little to the menu from which breakfast can be ordered all day.

The food is good, but nothing to write home about, and the service is a touch on the slow side - but you don't go to The Village if you're in a rush. Also not a place for the early risers as, unlike a proper diner, they open at 7:30 and close before dinner.

The steak and eggs is a good deal at around $10.00.

The West Side Cafe - Open at 7:00 on weekdays, and 8:00 on weekends, WSC is a great place to have a quiet breakfast. Like the coffee shops listed above, you order at the counter, but your meal will be brought out to your table if you're looking to dine in.

Reasonably priced dishes abound at this little restaurant located about 50 yards off the beaten track on West 2nd Street. They do a variation on steak and eggs that was quite pleasant for $8.50 as well as a toasted bagel piled high with smoked salmon, cream cheese and tomato for the same amount.

The atmosphere is relaxed, cozy, and very conducive to reading the paper or just having a conversation without having to raise your voice (something that I think is becoming a rarity at restaurants in America).

Anyone have a place in Frederick that I missed that's worth a visit?

Wag the Dog

It's been a little while since I've been in Wags on South Market Street...at least since my days with the Gazette ended last August. I used to go there on occasion with some of the other reporters for lunch. I'm happy to report that it's the same old Wags.

Wags is pretty much just your friendly neighborhood bar. The fact that it's downstairs will evoke thoughts of Cheers, but darker and with American pub-grub. You're pretty much looking at a menu of sandwiches, burgers, and fries. However, don't go there looking for wings - it is not an item on their menu.

They do a good burger, and for my dollar, have the best fries in town.

If you're looking for the high-end bar with 100 different beers from around the world, this isn't the place for you. If you're looking for a decent burger, a bottle of Sam Adams or Yeungling, and fast, friendly service, then you've found the right place.

As always, the servers and bartenders are a bit informal, but very attentive and the kitchen has a fast turn around. It's a great place to go if you're in a hurry but still want to sit down to eat, because you can be out of there in less than a half-hour, but the atmosphere is conducive to staying longer if you so choose.

Two issues, one a warning for non-smokers - Wags is a small place and the smoke is noticeable even in the non-smoking section (their filtration unit doesn't appear to do a whole hell of a lot). The other issue is that the bathrooms both appear dingy and dirty (my wife used the men's room because of the perceived state of the women's room).

On a different note -

Drivers in and around Frederick County take note! As you are driving in the evening please beware. With the most recent snowfalls deer and other animals have been wandering more and more into the developed areas and ending up dead on the roads. While multiple deer on the side of the road has become a common place item for me to see, this is not the issue (though hitting one can total your car).

The issue is the other animal that I have commonly seen over the last ten days. I have seen, or caught heavy wind of the carcasses of at least half-a-dozen skunks over the same period. Please try, whenever possible, to avoid hitting the little buggers - not only is it like setting off chemical weapons that linger in an area, but the scent will stay on your car for sometime afterwards.

Daytrippin Culpeper

Approximately an hour and forty minutes away, Culpeper makes a good meeting point for the day if one has friends or relatives coming from points south, but doesn't currently have enough to merit a day trip.

One of the town's problems in its quaint historic district is the lack of restaurants that are actually open for lunch. It's prize-jewel, the well reviewed Foti's Italian restaurant, is open for lunch during the week, but is not on Saturday - a common issue amongst the finer establishments in downtown.

For that reason, the It's About Thyme cafe does very good business during the Saturday lunch rush. Don't get me wrong, the meal I had was excellent - fettuccine Alfredo with sun-dried tomatoes followed by a flowerless chocolate torte - but there were constantly people waiting to be seated due to the fact that there were few other dining options.

The main drag in the historic district was lined with small boutiques, but none of the shops were out of the ordinary. The Cameleer was worth a visit, but was reminiscent of Ten Thousand Villages, and there was a nice Irish shop that carried the typical items for that sort of store.

Culpeper might work better as a base of operations - the sort of place where you get a room at a bed and breakfast in order to visit the attractions that are within half an hour of the location, including the multiple wineries and equestrian farms.

In the beginning there was the word, and the word was chocolate and it was good. Confec. 1.5 oz. 340 cal.

Possibly the premier event in Frederick for the early part of the year - the Holiday Inn next to the FSK Mall will host the annual Frederick Sister Cities Association Chocolate Gala this Monday evening (February 12). The Gala, which runs from 6:00 to 9:00 PM, will include tastings of area chefs' chocolate specialities, champagne and live music.

From 4:00 to 6:00 PM the participating chefs will compete for annually bequeathed titles such as "Best Cake and Torte," before the event is open to the general public. Among the area businesses that will be represented in the competition are The Candy Kitchen, The Perfect Truffle (2005 People's Choice Award Winner), Venuti's, Clustered Spire's Country Club, and two-time winner Patowmack Farm of Lovettsville, VA.

Advance tickets to the event can be purchased for $25.00 at The Candy Kitchen, 52 N Market St in Frederick, (301) 698-0442. Tickets can also be purchased at the door for $30.00 per person. Admission incudes a champagne flute. Business dress - jacket, tie, slacks, dresses, no jeans or sneakers.

For more information call (301)898-7647