Arts & Entertainment
Up the ladder to the roof
New Masa 14 space shows off chef’s bold creations
Chef Adam Goldman’s new fall menu makes for great patio dining on the Masa rooftop. (Photo courtesy Masa 14)
Change abounds at Masa 14 (1825 14th Street NW) where a new-ish (it opened in May) patio features an updated menu and a new executive chef is on board.
At a rooftop reception on Sept. 17, restaurant partners Richard Sandoval, Kaz Okochi and Ivan Iricanin introduced Adam Goldman who’s at the helm of this popular Latin-Asian-inspired restaurant that’s been a 14th Street mainstay since it opened in the fall of 2009.
Goldman graduated from Johnson and Wales University in Norfolk, Va., in 2003, but Goldman has always been interested in the culinary arts.
“I grew up cooking with my mom and grandma,” says Goldman, “but I started really cooking about 13 years ago at Boy Scout camp when the cook at camp refused to make meals for vegetarian campers.”
After graduating Goldman started working in Rockville, Md., where he served in numerous positions at Addie’s Restaurant. Goldman says he has experience with all types of cuisine since starting his career, “from barbecue to fine Italian.” He joined the Masa 14 team two years ago and served as sous chef under former executive chef Antonio Burrell.
Goldman believes that the new rooftop at Masa 14 will bring a different clientele and a different flair to the restaurant. It offers a different type of menu as well — it’s designed so patrons enjoy bites that can be eaten with one hand while enjoying a beverage with the other.
The new rooftop is impeccably done and on a warm autumn evening a couple dozen people, including a guest and myself, kept the patio buzzing with activity. We were served tasting portions of five of the six new dishes that were recently added to the downstairs dinner menu prepared by Goldman. We were also handed two delicious new fall-inspired drinks. The Masa Smoked Cider made with Mezcal, cinnamon-infused whiskey and mulled cider and the Autumn on 14th, which is bourbon, balsamic syrup (yes like balsamic vinaigrette in a drink) brown sugar and ginger beer. Just to make sure that I liked them both, I consumed two of each over the course of the evening. These drinks were rich and warm, perfect for the fall and they paired very well with the spicy flavors of the bites that were served.
Goldman says he loves the Thai flavor profile, “sweet, spicy and salty hitting all the right taste buds, without one being overwhelming.” Goldman wants to keep with the Latin Asian theme of Masa 14, but also introduce different styles of cuisine with this theme. The new flavors can be tasted in the new items we dined on. The cream of corn soup with sweet corn tomato relish, scallion lump crab and cayenne chili oil is a tasty example of the Thai flavor profile, this was also my favorite dish at the reception.
Other great new dishes include the roasted beet salad with curried goat cheese, the wok stir fried mussels with aji Amarillo cream sauce and crumbled chorizo, and cornmeal-crusted oysters with green papaya slaw and pickled Fresno chilies. Finally, there was the perfectly balanced salmon tartar with roasted red pepper, green mango chimichurri and togarashi-toasted wonton crisps. Both my guest and I had a couple servings of the salmon.
Goldman’s favorite new item on the menu however, is none of the items we tried at the reception — the brussels sprouts. He came up with the recipe just a couple days before the new menu was premiered.
“If you want to try them you will have to come back,” says Goldman. There seem to be plenty of reasons to go back to Masa 14. They have new drinks, new food, a new patio, and of course a new executive chef. Goldman brings his unexpected and spicy flavors to this Latin-Asian fusion restaurant that brings fine dining in a laid back atmosphere to 14th Street.
Out & About
Writers’ association hosts Capital Love LitFest
Inaugural literary salon scheduled for Sunday
The Washington Writers’ Publishing House (WWPH), the nation’s longest continuously operating cooperative nonprofit literary press, will present the inaugural “Capital Love LitFest” on Sunday, June 28 at 10 a.m. at The Writer’s Center in Bethesda, Md.
Designed as a full-day literary salon and cultural gathering, the event will feature more than 25 writers, nine workshops, and panel discussions, readings, and conversations centered on love, relationships, identity, healing, creativity, and connection in divisive times. Admission is pay-what-you-can, beginning at free.
The LitFest celebrates the release of “Capital Love,” WWPH’s new anthology featuring 55 writers from across the DMV, including contributors from Baltimore, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. The pocket-sized collectible anthology explores love in its many forms through poetry and prose and serves as a literary response to today’s social and political climate.
For more details, visit Washington Writers’ website.
Television
‘Vampire Lestat’ heats up Pride month with queer action
Latest Anne Rice adaptation poised to be your next TV obsession
Whether you’re mourning the end of Euphoria, The Boys, or Hacks, you’re dying for another hit of Heated Rivalry or just need something new to watch, The Vampire Lestat has you covered. Whether it’s the cutting witty dialogue, supernatural action, or the maudlin adventures of problematic queer relationships, this is the show for you. This new season brings literal sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll as Lestat (Sam Reid), a multi-centennial vampire, decides to process his beef with his sexy ex Louis (Jacob Anderson) for giving the Interview With The Vampire by starting a rock band.
In 1976, Anne Rice wrote a book to process the death of her young daughter. It was the story of two vampire “roommates” and their centuries-long relationship drama. What followed was a series of 13 books and a whole world filled with vampires, witches, and more. This launched the 1994 film where Brad Pitt, Antonio Banderas, and Tom Cruise played “totally not gay” vampires who almost kissed a few times, despite having all of the hottest actors of the era, it was sanitized of all queer subplots. R&B diva Aaliyah’s last role was as Akasha, the eponymous Queen of the Damned (2002), the unoffical follow up to the first film covering Rice’s second and third book.
The AMC series version of Interview with the Vampire took all this source material and made it more gay, more current, and more PC. They shifted the story to the present day, having Louis live in a luxurious Dubai compound, and his interviewer, Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian), being a former addict hawking his masterclass, armed with a ton of evidence. The choice to race-swap Louis from a misanthropic emo plantation owner to a black brothel owner in New Orleans adds so much more nuance, history and richness to his character. Exploring the abusive nature of the relationship and casting the amazing Delainey Hayles as Claudia have all elevated the story to your next television obsession. The choice to turn the book into two seasons allowed the creators to take their time, play with storytelling and explore Louis as an unreliable narrator and tease at many of the storylines of later books. This was a smart choice considering these characters are all centuries old, and over the course of 13 books, all have complex backstories and inner worlds.
Sam Reid was always a standout and captured the egomania and charm of Lestat, the self-proclaimed Brat Prince. He gets to play an over-the-top bitch about everything we’ve seen and heard in Seasons 1 and 2, while even skewering the world of today, commenting on the state of fame, life, and politics.
Like in the book, he reclaims the narrative as he takes the helm of the story. Rather than write his own book, he’s nabbed the newly vamped-up Daniel Molloy as his documentarian. Also, without giving too much away, this series begins in an unnamed future. Armand (Assad Zaman) and Louis are still as hot as ever, and they’re at an auction for the complete works of the Vampire Lestat. It’s teased that some sort of world-altering event has transpired, and Lestat is missing in action. Could that be the events of The Queen of the Damned or even the sum of all of the books? Only time will tell.
The worldbuilding is really solid as we get to see the past, present and future of these characters. Prime example, Akasha, The Queen of the Damned, was name-checked in earlier seasons. Whether you’re a fan of the original source material or not, this series has something for everyone. It has action, including an epic vampire fight scene in the premiere. It has a complex world and mysteries that unfold over the course of each season. Plus, it has hotties of all genders with Reid, Anderson and Zaman holding it down from earlier seasons. Schitt’s Creek dreamboat Noah Reid joins the cast as Lestat’s band’s frontman.
The show has everything: sex, violence, drama, all with a queer and racially inclusive lens. It doesn’t pull punches in storytelling and examining history, all while maintaining a level of levity and fun. It unfolds with dramatic soap operatic reveals and confrontations while also grounding all of the fantasy in our world.
The series is poised to continue with the same characters from the first two seasons while shifting the focus to allow in a new cast of characters who will play out the events of multiple books and major arcs that are part of AMC’s new Anne Rice cinematic universe.
The series airs on AMC Plus, while the first two seasons are available on Netflix. A note to people streaming it may appear on Season 2, as the series name change might be confusing for those who haven’t seen the show.
a&e features
Television loses a legend, longtime ‘Will & Grace’ director James Burrows
Iconic hitmaker leaves behind a legacy of telling LGBTQ stories
You don’t have to be a pretentious film major to name 10 movie directors. But naming television directors is not that simple. They’re the unsung heroes of your favorite shows, and the late James Burrows was the television director. He passed on June 19, but his DNA runs through television history.
He directed over 1200 episodes of television and over 50 pilots. He co-created “Cheers” and directed many episodes of long-running series like “Friends,” “Taxi,” “Frasier,” “The Big Bang Theory,” and “Two and a Half Men.” You also may remember him from playing a heightened version of himself on the Lisa Kudrow comedy “The Comeback.”
He has left an indelible mark on the LGBTQ community. As recently as last year, he directed the series run of “Mid-Century Modern” starring Nathan Lane, Matt Bomer, and Linda Lavin. He was also a longtime director of “Will & Grace” and directed every episode of the series revival. He even directed the unaired “Absolutely Fabulous” pilot with Kathryn Hahn, Kristen Johnston, and Zosia Mamet.
Not to mention he’s worked with queer icons throughout history, including Betty White and Stockard Channing on their single-season series, and Jennifer Coolidge in “2 Broke Girls.”
He started his career on shows like “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “Rhoda,” “Laverne & Shirley,” and the first four seasons of “Taxi.”
He continued to work steadily and directed successful pilots that went to series for “Roc,” “3rd Rock From the Sun,” “Dharma & Greg,” and “Wings.” He directed multiple episodes of “Friends,” “Caroline in the City,” and “Frasier.”
This magic continued into the 2000s with him directing the pilots for “Two and a Half Men,” “The Big Bang Theory,” and multiple episodes of “Mike & Molly,” and the entire return series of “Will & Grace.”
What was the secret to his success? He’d enact the “fun clause” in his contract. In his words, “Life is too short to deal with obnoxious leads,” he shared. “So as long as the writing is good and the cast is fun, I’m going to enjoy the experience.”
He had the magic touch, having multiple pilots turned into long-running series. He was nominated for an Emmy 24 times in 26 years and worked consistently until a year before his death.
The secret was the way he brought the cast together. He describes, “it was my job to mold them into an ensemble, and they did round into a group of people who loved each other.”
This earned him 11 Emmy Awards and five Directors Guild of America Awards, including being awarded the inaugural DGA’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Television Direction.
In a 2003 interview by the Television Academy, he was asked how he wants to be remembered, and he said, “That every night forever you can tune in somewhere, and there’ll be a show I did.”
He’s survived by his wife, Debbie, four daughters, seven grandchildren, and the countless people whose careers he launched and the countless viewers he inspired with his television legacy.
White House to end PEPFAR funding for South Africa
Washington Blade names new publisher
Writers’ association hosts Capital Love LitFest
Is Pride over at the end of June?
Administration must stop targeting LGBTQ kids
Union leader files assault complaint against gay Md. delegate after fight at early-voting site
PHOTOS: 2026 Capital Pride Parade
US no longer refuge for LGBTQ refugees
Cool convertibles
