Vaughn Irving wants to scare you senseless. He’s one of the creative minds behind DC Dead, a temporary attraction for Halloween. Groups of people sign up to enter an abandoned building and must attack — or in my case, more likely run screaming from — hordes of zombies that have…
Interview 80: After The Storm — Part II
Sometimes I stay in touch with the strangers I meet. During the Labor Day weekend, I traveled to New Orleans to reconnect with three former strangers to find out what they’ve been up to since we dined together. Zydeco dancer teacher Mary Burns, cover band member Buzzy “Beano” Langford and…
Interview 80: After The Storm — Part I
Last week I was back in New Orleans for the Labor Day weekend. On that Saturday, I was honored to get the chance to reunite with three people who have in recent years featured on Dining With Strangers. We gathered at the fine dining restaurant Antoine’s — which has been…
Interview 79: Young At Heart
Barbara Crocker knows how to stay young at heart. She recently turned 62 and told me during dinner at Le Diplomate in Washington, DC, that she feels younger than ever. Her life is packed with activities ranging from fundraising for Georgetown University to trekking to the top of some of…
Interview 78: FuckUp Nights In The District
Apologies for the swear word in this post’s title, but FuckUp Nights is the name of an organization that brings entrepreneurs together to share stories of business failures, discuss what they learned from the bad experiences, and provide insight that might help them and others in the future. The group…
Interview 76: Meeting Mr. Melamed — Part II
Last week I uploaded part one of my interview with actor Fred Melamed. As promised, one week later I’m uploading part two. In this installment, Fred talks more about being adopted as a baby; his experiences meeting his birth mother and father; moving from New York to Los Angeles; his…
Interview 76: Meeting Mr. Melamed — Part I
Today marks only the third time I’ve had a two-part interview on the site. The reason for today’s two-parter is because Hollywood actor Fred Melamed had so many interesting things to say about his life that breaking our almost four-hour dinner into two segments is the only way I can…
K-Paul’s Six Years Later: Still Great
My last New Orleans restaurant review from my January trip down to that wonderful city. Uh oh. I’m going to need to write actual interviews again. Some people look down on “celebrity” chefs and their restaurants. I’ve heard these critics grumble that they’re all style over substance, or that the…
Jazz Brunch At Commander’s Palace
Back from my cruise and have nothing memorable to report on the food served on-board, so back to the New Orleans restaurant reviews. Oh, what a night. At least that’s what one of my friends must thought as we took our seats at Commander’s Palace for Sunday jazz brunch. He…
Chowing Down At Cochon
Our vaguely hedonistic weekend in New Orleans was off to a cracking Saturday start following a stellar lunch at Antoine’s. To work off some of the indulgence at that classic restaurant, my friends and I strolled around the French Quarter before wandering in to a tourist trap called Maison Bourbon….