Bethesda Rookie

Color Me Mine

If you have a latent artist inside you, or if you have kids, you’ll love Color Me Mine. They’re an international chain (four studios in Maryland) that offers pottery you paint yourself, and then they finish the rest for you. You select your piece(s) from such a furiously well stocked supply of ceramics — hundreds of piggy banks, flower pots, mugs, spoon rests, vases, plates, bowls, soap dishes — that it’s hard to choose without promising yourself to come back and do more. Then you pick four colors for your palette (a little easier), which are delivered to your table, and you get to work. Don’t worry, you can go back for more colors later, as many as you want, four at a time. And stay as long as you want. And all this for a fixed per-visit studio fee of $10 for adults and $6 for kids (plus the price of your ceramics, of course). And they don’t make you pay if you’re just there to supervise.

So you apply paint to your piece, ideally a few of layers, and then you just leave your work at the studio. Color Me Mine glazes and fires it for you and in a week you pick something up that’s a million times more beautiful than what you left there. It’s kind of like the magic of cooking, because the finished product couldn’t possibly result from what you put into it. The staff in Bethesda is utterly delightful. They’re helpful and friendly, and they’ll explain the process or bring more paint or clean your brushes like there’s nothing they’d rather be doing. Their attitude is so infectious that you begin to think there’s nowhere else you should be either, which that latent artist loves. Now, if you have kids with you, that’s another story, and you’ll probably be out of there in about an hour, but I intend to go back there plenty without them.

The boys made Christmas gifts for M-’s parents — a sugar bowl and creamer (below) — and they were by far the best presents under the tree. I plan to make things for myself, my parents, my friends, and whoever else I can think of. It’s a haven for anyone who ever wanted an art studio where they could make a mess, or a dark room, or a potter’s wheel, or a writing room, but never got around to making one. Don’t write it off for kids. Here’s a place where you can gratify your own inner child. And afterwards you can make your way across the street to refuel at Starbucks or Tastee Diner.

(There are meters on the street, but you may have to make your way to one of the public lots in the area.)

Color Me Mine, 4829 Fairmont Avenue, Bethesda, 301.907.4994

L'Imagerie Photography Center

I don’t like this place. At all. Granted, I should have known that L'Imagerie was not the place to get my vacation photos developed—I didn’t check the website first—but I’m not sure it’s entirely appropriate for them to take advantage of my stupidity. If you walk into Brooks Brothers looking for khakis, they probably point you towards The Gap before they sell you $200 tan trousers. But the folks at L’Imagerie were happy to let me spend twice what I would elsewhere to develop 7 rolls of film and have photo CDs made. I’ll say it again, I should have known better. But that said, here’s what happened.

M- and I went to Italy in October and I wanted to get the film developed to see if any of the photos might make a good Christmas present. And yes, I was actually using good old fashioned film. With all the recent trips up and down Rockville Pike I was excited to see somewhere so close to our house, so I decided to take it there.

I took my bag full of film straight past the jaded mannequin sitting on the sidewalk and was promptly helped by some goofy French guy with a handlebar moustache (no joke) who reeked of cigarettes. He told me that film is normally taken downstairs, but he would help me anyway, and he told me that I could have the pictures by the following Monday. What he didn’t tell me was that I’d be paying 25¢ per print and $7.50 per roll of film put on CD. In fact he didn’t mention cost at all until we got the B&W roll, at which point he told me that those would cost 60¢ per print. When I asked about getting a contact sheet instead, he did not tell me it would cost $6 per print to develop them later. Yes, I know I should have asked for a price list, but I didn’t. When I went to pick up the contact sheet, and got upset about the undisclosed cost, I was told brazenly that I was told the cost (which I would remember, because I remember what things cost), but that if I developed all 37 B&W prints, I could have them for $4 per print as a "special deal." I opted for just 11 of the photos at full price. All told, for the color and B&W film, I spent over $250 to develop my vacation snapshots.

So I’m not saying I didn’t walk right into this one. All I’m saying is that the professionals in this case could have saved me a lot of money and frustration, and I prefer business people who don’t see the need to take every customer for what they’re worth. Luckily M- got me a Casio Exilim for Christmas, so I won’t be dealing with Ritz (4901 Elm Street, 301-652-5646) and CVS (7809 Wisconsin Avenue, 301.986.9144) to see which is better.

L’Imagerie, 8216 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, 301.986.4746

TopTenREVIEWS on digital photo processing

El Mexicano

My favorite Mexican food in the area is the funny little place on Highland Avenue called El Mexicano (formerly Chela's Place). I've had Mexican food in California, Chicago, New York, New Mexico, Yucatan and the Baja Peninsula. (The only real place missing is Texas, and if it’s actually the Tex Mex you find in most American cities, so be it.) And drawing on my experience and my affection for the cuisine, I can tell you that their big-as-your-head burritos could go mano-a-mano with the best of them.

Their hours are scratched out, so I can’t tell you when they’re actually open, but it seems to be a lunch-only joint. (If the comida Mexicana mood strikes you at dinner time, Guapo's is a satisfying enough option.) El Mexicano's “menu” is displayed on paper plates taped up on the wall, and you can choose from a vast array of burritos, including a few kids’ meals. You can select various combinations of beef, chicken, beans, rice, sour cream, salsa, cheese, etc., etc. I think, if you’re lucky, you can even eat right their on their porch. The only thing missing is cerveza bien fria and/or a nice Cuervo margarita. But margaritas are so hit or miss, you’re better off concocting your own anyway.

(Thanks, J, for correcting me on the name.)

El Mexicano, 4708 Highland Avenue, Bethesda, 301.654.7887

Signature Cigars

Even with the smoking ban, cigar smokers are safe in cigar bars and tobacco shops. We have a couple of cigar shops right here in Bethsda, one of which is Signature Cigars, "serving Washington and Maryland since 1996."

They boast an extensive inventory, including pre-embargo Cuban cigars, and a friendly staff to help you with whatever you need. I wanted an assortment for my father and they did all the work for me, choosing a dozen in the price range I specified, packing them in plastic, and putting them in a lovely cigar box they had in the back. They also have a ton of hard-to-find cigarette brands, for those of you who haven't kicked the habit (it took me ten years) and like to splurge on flavor.

The Signature Cigar Club offers a place to smoke, watch TV, drink free coffee and, in Rockville, play pool and Golden Tee Golf. It's not my bag, but I'm an advocate of social vices, so more power to 'em.

Signature Cigars, 4919 Cordell Avenue, Bethesda, 301.652.5660

Smoke Magazine on DC; CDC's cigar fact sheet; RTDA members in MD

Balance Studio

In the interest of full disclosure, my experience with Pilates is limited to a handful of private sessions in  1999, and zero mat classes, and whatever of the method has crept in to yoga over the last decade. My first exposure to it was when my dancer roommates at NYU were studying with Kathy Grant as part of their intense regimen. Its origins are fascinating, with Joseph Pilates developing it not for dancers or affluent yuppies and housewives, but for WW I internees and officers, and later as a method of rehabilitation for influenza patients and veterans. (His personal life is equally fascinating, as he’s rumored to have convinced his wife and one of his assistants to sleep with him and tolerate his indiscretions for no short period of time.)

While I did love the discipline, and even considered buying a Reformer and getting certified, I could never justify the cost of privates, and never was convinced that the less expensive mat classes were as effective, so I cut bait after about $500. This year, for the holidays, my parents treated me to a couple of sessions, so I happily made an appointment at Balance Studio.

The physical studio itself doesn't have a whole lot of charm (nor did the woman at the front desk), but it is spacious, and it has a large window in front that lets in a lot of pleasant natural light, and it's stocked with enough equipment to accommodate their group Equipment classes of up to 4 people. They recommend 5 privates before you join those classes, and they have a couple of very attractive beginner’s packages that combine private sessions and group classes to get you on your way.

I had to wait twenty minutes for my instructor, which I found incredibly irritating, but once she got there she was apologetic and even offered me a free session. And our 50-minute workout was thoroughly enjoyable. I also found out that mat classes are in fact a very important complement to working on the machines. I think it's great to get the one-on-one attention of a private session, and it really does do wonders for your form, and probably your motivation, so even if you can only splurge on those first five, the payoff is huge and you can write it off as more of a long-term investment than a mere indulgence.

Balance has another, smaller studio in Rockville, and both locations offer yoga as well as Pilates. Both also, thankfully, have parking.

Balance Studio, 4719 Rosedale Avenue, Bethesda, 301.986.1730

Tako Grill

l was a little relucatant to try Tako Grill. It's a pretty non-descript looking place on the corner of Wisconsin and Norfolk. I had a feeling it would be either really good or really bad, and I wasn't prepared find out that the closest sushi restaurant to me, Benihana aside, was really bad.

I'm happy to say, Tako Grill is NOT a chain. I'm also happy to say, the Sake (salmon) and Hamachi (yellow tail) were tender and not a bit fishy. The Spicy Tuna Roll was pretty mild on the inside and topped with a cayenne spice blend, and again, fresh. California Roll, Shrimp Tempura Roll, Tamago ('omelet')—all fresh, light and tasty. Their soy seems milder than your typical cheap cheap sushi joint, and their ginger seemed particularly sharply pickled.

Your average sushi a la carte is $2.00, running from $1.25-$5.00, meaning you can get out of there without feeling decadent. The rest of the menu consists of the usual, belly warming stuff. We'll wind our way through the noodles and tempura eventually, but the important thing is knowing that the fish is fresh and they have a few sakes to choose from.

Tako Grill, 7756 Wisconsin Ave, Bethesda, 301.652.7030

Silver Chips on Tako Grill; Washingtonian on Tako Grill (it made their Very Best 100 (with one star) and their Best Bargain 100); Sushi World Guide lists Japanese restaurants in Bethesda

Potomac Prompt Medical Care

Okay, so I haven't been there, but they were SO friendly on the phone when other people were being far from helpful. They don't take insurance but they do take walk-ins. They're open Mon-Fri 9am-7pm, Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 10am-4pm. A visit with the doctor is $95, and I suppose you can get some of that back if you submit it to your insurance company yourself.

Potomac Prompt Medical Care, 350 Fortune Terrace, Potomac, 301.309.0016

dlkovalsky on Potomac Prompt Medical

Chevy Chase Liquor Store

If you don't feel like feeling like you're buying liquor during Prohibition, you might choose to go to Chevy Chase Liquor Store instead of Auburn Avenue. It's still run by Montgomery County, BUT... It's on a main street (Wisonsin Ave); it's in a shopping complex (with Trader Joe's, no less); it's got a lively parking lot full of well-heeled, well-wheeled shoppers; and it's got windows that actually let in a little daylight.

Mind the well-marked sale items and you can actually save a bit of money (assuming you're not buying liters you wouldn't be otherwise).

Chevy Chase Liquor Store, 6831 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, 240.773.2009

Webtender; Bar None Drinks; iDrink; Epicurious

Passage to India

I don't actually eat at Passage to India, but M- and I have get take-out there all the time and it's consistently good. The restaurant itself is warmly decorated, if a little subdued, and they've always been friendly.

The menu is divided into North, South, West and East Indian cuisine, and also includes appetizers, tandoor and breads. M-and I have tried to branch out from our usual Chicken Tikka Masala and Sag Paneer, but not with much success. Passage to India does both those dishes extraordinarily well, with just the right amount of heat to give you a little burn without upstaging all those other scrumptious Indian spices. The Salli Boti Jardaloo (Parsi style lamb stew with apricots and straw potatoes) seemed like a good call on a cold night, but proved a little too sweet for us. The Aloo-Phoolkopir Dalna (cauliflour and potatoes with freshly ground ginger and cumin) was flawlessly cooked and seasoned, but, through no fault of the chef's own, cauliflour and potatoes just can't carry a show by themselves; too white, too soft, too insistently bland.

The Fritter Platter, sadly, doesn't travel well, but the sauces hold up marvelously, and I imagine that in the restaurant, before the fritters are lukewarm and a bit soggy, it's a great way to start your meal. The Samosa Chaat isn't your run of the mill samosa appetizer and I wasn't wild about it. The samosas themselves were a little anemic to start, the seasoned yogurt drizzle further dampened their flavor, and the bed of heavily pickled and sweetened and spiced chick peas clenched it, completely overthrowing the samosas.

The plain Naan is a little too plain and the Garlic Naan is incredibly garlicky, but either way, the soft flat bread compliments any dish (and holds up okay the next day).

Passage to India, 4931 Cordell Avenue, Bethesda, 301.656.3373

DC Foodies on Passage to India; Washingtonian on Passage to india; Gayot.com on Passage to India

Spiral Flight

Spiral Flight touts itself as Georgetown's first yoga and healing arts center; "yoga from within." It's hard to believe that it took Georgetown until 1997 to get a yoga center, but they're lucky to have one that, albeit young, seems to be imbued with a passion for the centuries old tradition of yoga. Their schedule of 5 to 7 classes a day, with prenatal and children's classes, and their extensive online descriptions of the various styles of yoga and their benefits, are clues that this studio has more than exercise in mind.

Their offerings include four styles of yoga, Feldenkrais, Pilates, meditation, massage, accupuncture, Reiki, Trager, hotstone therapy, and workshops in the healing arts. There are six 'therapists' listed on Spiral Flight's website, and twenty-nine(!) teachers, all "hand-picked, spiritual, open-minded and intelligent people." And I don't doubt. I've been to two classes so far and both were taught by incredibly knowledgable and dedicated teachers. In a field where you often run into people who fall in love with yoga and decide to get certified and teach over a span of 1 or 2 years, it's heartening to encounter people who have been practicing and teaching for decades, and who understand how powerful and transformative the practice can be.

Jane Fryer taught a class the day after thanksgiving, and it was packed. It was her Friday "Anusara for Women" class. John Friend is there in her teaching, but her knowledge preceeds him and comes from an old-school tradition, where yoga can liberate and empower and ground the spirit, and the practice is not merely physical and energetic, with spirals and grace and energy, but also has a deep psychic openness to it that should be recognized and honored. "We are half heaven and half earth; cosmic centaurs" is a far cry from John's "Take it to the mat!"

The class had little vinyasa to it, but we covered a lot of ground. Our focus was gratitude, and we twisted to cleanse and we opened our shoulders and hearts to receive. Most importantly, we concentrated for 90 minutes on being in the present and how powerful that can be. Jane sent us off feeling inspired and open, and that is the best thing that can come a class.

Jane told us that Penelope Taylor would sub for her the following Friday, and while her yoga was less intense, she was not. Jane practices "Energy medicine" and her knowledge of the body was obvious. She used lavender to increase flexibility and pressure points to open our bodies. She demonstrated the life force of a pure lavender oil versus a commercial one. She stretched and reached us to a state of mindful relaxation.

It will take a while to get around to all of the teachers at Spiral Flight, but something tells me it's worth it.

Spiral Flight, 1826 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Georgetown, 202.965.1645, www.spiralflightyoga.com