Entertainment

By Devika Koppikar Hidden Menu is Asian Fortune’s series on where to find the authentic Asian meals not always found on restaurant menus. This month, Devika Koppikar explores Bollywood Bistro in Fairfax, Virginia. At first glance, many of Bollywood Bistro’s “off-the-menu” items don’t even look like traditional Indian cuisine. But take a bite, and you’re instantly on the rastas (streets) …

By Amanda Andrei Azizah Amhad, host of the 2013 Sulu DC kick off performance Sound Check, holds up a clipboard and pen. “This is a community poem,” she explains to the packed house in the Black Fox Lounge on Connecticut Avenue in NorthWest D.C. “We’re going to pass it around the room and you can write a sentence and pass …

Members of the area’s Chinese American community celebrated Chinese Lunar New Year 4711 on Feb. 10 in Chinatown. The annual New Year event is sponsored by The Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, a group representing 30 Chinese-American organizations throughout the Greater Washington area. Over 40,000 people attended the festival and parade that featured traditional Chinese Dragon Dance, Kung Fu demonstrations, live …

By Amanda L. Andrei Tonight, there is fog in Lorton, Virginia. The normally murky Route 123 is even more difficult to navigate—until you see bright lights emanating from the Lorton Workhouse Art Center. Inside, a welcoming gallery glow illuminates art lovers as they walk to artists’ opening receptions, admire new paintings and sculpture, and watch demonstrations of glassblowing and pottery …

By The Car Chick   Shine on, Silver Moon: 2013 ACURA RDX AWD TECH I admit it. I’m developing a taste for small luxury crossover SUVs, especially when they give me a feeling of style backed by nimble, car-like handling and performance…the sport part… while still providing the things we like about the SUV, like options for cargo and people …

By Amanda L. Andrei  To enter the world       of abstract expressionism is to jump into a jungle of fierce colors, explosive textures, and unruly patterns. This month, the Phillips Collection opens its doors to the wild world of Angels, Demons, Savages: Pollock, Ossorio, Dubuffet, an exhibit focusing on the artistic influences and close friendships between American painter Jackson …

By Daphne Domingo For regular diners at Full Kee longing for a taste of home, or for newcomers curious about the experience of authentic Chinese cuisine, owner Gary Zhu has a simple suggestion: ask your server, “What specials do you have for today?” That question usually leads to an array of options, many based on unusual ingredients they bring in …

Source: Nouvelles d’Europe        Author:     Release Date: Jan 27th, 2011 [Reported by Xiao Chen, the journalist of Nouvelles d’Europe] Li Hongtao, a Chinese painter living in the United States, saw his art exhibition grandly opened at the Carlos Hall of the Louvre on the morning of Jan 25. The exhibition is hosted by the China International Culture Association, Pierre Cardin France …

By The Car Chick The $64, 000 Question: 2013 Infiniti M37 My first New Year’s resolution is to not fall in love with $64,000 cars. Or, if I do fall in love with a $64,000 car, make sure it’s one where exciting engine performance is matched by equally impressive handling. I guess my money’s safe this go-round, as that match …

By Amanda L. Andrei A Monday night in Dupont Circle. Traffic is light, bar activity is subdued. Everyone knows Metro will close at midnight, and taxis are easier to grab. Monday: not your typical going-out night. But in the heart of the neighborhood someone is singing her heart out, eyes closed and hands wrapped around the mic. Someone is reciting …

Director, Writer and Illustrator Natsu Onada Power Gives D.C. Theater a New Look By Stan Kang The buzz about Natsu Onada Power is overwhelming. A uniquely creative “theater maker,” as she describes it, the petite Japanese American is rapidly building a following which seems destined to propel her into the top ranks of directors, writers and illustrators. Washington Post theater …

Photos and text by Mary Tablante It’s happening all over the D.C. metro area: young Asian American professionals using social media to network, meet and find ways to advance their careers or just make friends. Making connections is one of the ways political Washington works; it’s one of the ways the business world works, too. And now the AAPI community …

By Yi Chen I have been a big fan of Chinese director Feng Xiaogang’s films since his 1997 comedy Dream Factory. His films were part of a family tradition: around almost every Chinese New Year my family would go to see his Hesui Pian, or Lunar New Year blockbusters. Romantic comedies made him famous in China, but Feng Xiaogang is no …

By Amanda L. Andrei Ask any D.C. area resident for a recommendation on Vietnamese cuisine, and nine times out of ten you will be directed to Eden Center. Nestled on the northern edge of that legendary traffic nightmare known as Seven Corners in Falls Church, Virginia, Eden Center is more than a Vietnamese shopping plaza. It’s the largest Vietnamese commercial …

By Michelle Phipps-Evans It has taken eight years, but area kids have their own museum back again. The National Children’s Museum (NCM) opened its brand new doors at National Harbor in Prince George’s County, Md., on Dec. 13. Scores of Washington area children joined by Sesame Street characters to welcome back the museum, which closed its Northeast DC location in …

By Daphne Domingo Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company put the Koreas, North and South, under their spotlight during November. The world premiere of the play You for Me for You(see review, page 23) by Mia Chung took audiences into the lives of two sisters torn between North Korea and the U.S. The play has been accompanied by a series of events including …

By Stan Kang As I grew up Korean-American, thoroughly assimilated into American life, South Korea seemed strange and unfamiliar to me. So, when I was sixteen, my parents sent me to a summer camp in Seoul, Korea to learn about my heritage. One of my most vivid memories was visiting Panmunjom, the abandoned village on the border between North and …

We begin the series with Daphne Domingo’s yearning for authentic Thai taste. Admit it: there’s a certain “cool factor” dining in a restaurant knowing there are special items you can order that aren’t on the menu. What if you knew of an entire menu hidden from regular customers? This isn’t a novel marketing trick. In fact, this practice is typical in …

By Lily Qi I recently experienced two magnificent, yet entirely different, choral concerts. The first one, “Songs of Life,” was performed by the Columbia Chinese Choral Arts Society (CCCAS) at Howard County Community College Theater. The other, “The Essential Bernstein,” featured some of the best known tunes from such masterpieces as “The West Side Story” and “Candide,” and was performed …

By The Car Chick 2013 Jaguar XJL Portfolio There it was. A brand new Jaguar. A Jag-u-ar, as the Brits pronounce it. And it was my Jag-u-ar, at least for the week. I admit it: I was excited to spend some time with a car I have always admired for its classical lines, all trim and sporty, and the combination …

Source: Nouvelles d’Europe       Author:      Release Date: Jan 27, 2011 The first large-scale solo exhibition of a Chinese artist in Le Louvre, showcasing the works of multi-awarded artist Li Hongtao, demonstrates the extraordinary level of Chinese artists in the entire world, a top Beijing official said at a press conference announcing the event. The Louvre, located in Paris, is the world’s …