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| A Juicy Rumor, Celebrating on “Celebration,” and Toki Underground by Carol Joynt There’s not a lot of meat on this rumor, but it’s got game because it intriguingly intersects at the crossroads of fame, power, money and prized land. Oak Spring, the estate of Paul and Bunny Mellon (NYSD 3.31.14), minus the part in trust for her foundation and horticulture library, will be sold as a single parcel, meaning it is in the realm where only billionaires can play. Washington doesn’t have many billionaires, but one of them, Dan Snyder, apparently has at least “inquired” about the charming main house and hundreds of acres that was the principal of many Mellon homes. It's a rumor worth mentioning because it comes through Middleburg real estate channels, and it has logic. Why wouldn’t Dan Snyder, an acquisitive mogul, be interested in this rare opportunity to buy one of the most beautiful spreads of land in the entire mid-Atlantic region? He and his family live in Potomac, Maryland, but Upperville would put him closer to Ashburn, Virginia, home to the headquarters and practice fields of his NFL franchise, and the prized Mellon land includes a G5-ready landing strip. |
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| Snyder owns the Washington football team officially known as the Redskins, a racist name he vows he will “never” change. (How to know whether a name is racist? Here’s one way: would you call a Native American by that name to his or her face?) Washington football fans, myself among them, love the team but have a decidedly complicated relationship with the owner, which has been exacerbated by the name controversy. In Washington, at least, Snyder is disliked fiercely by some, taken at face value by some, ignored by others, and does little to try to woo or change anyone’s mind. Regardless, Forbes lists his franchise in the top ten of the world’s most valuable sports teams. |
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| If the rumor does turn out to be true, and he bought the property, he wouldn’t be the first Redskins owner to have a Mellon connection. His predecessor, Jack Kent Cooke, lived on the same road and practically next door to Oak Spring when he moved to the DC area from California. There was a rural legend that he once showed up on horseback at the Mellon abode and was turned away by Bunny because he didn’t have a proper invitation. He remains a neighbor, however. Cooke is buried at Upperville’s Trinity Episcopal Church, which was built by the Mellons, and his grave is literally just across the lawn from the Mellon family plot. |
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| At my first grown-up job out of school employees were given the day off on their birthdays. That struck me as fair and smart: you, me, all of us, deserve our day to celebrate the fact of our creation, our existence and the passing of another year on planet Earth. It’s important to make an occasion out of that singular day. This year I was especially fortunate because the celebrating spanned a week and included all the personal birthday touchstones: to be with nearest and dearest, to be on or near water, and good food. At the start was a visit to Washington of the Davis women of Houston. My son’s girlfriend, Kate Davis, is staying with us this summer while she does an internship with the American Enterprise Institute. Her mother, Gail Alexander Davis, and sisters Allie and Emmie were in town for a few days, which were spent touring, walking, eating and generally hanging out with Kate, Spencer and me. |
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| They stayed at the Capella Hotel in Georgetown, a convenient few blocks from my house. We had meals out together at some classics and new gems: La Chaumiere, Le Diplomate, Fiola Mare, Café Milano, The Tombs and Union Market, where we noshed on Korean tacos from TaKorean. Also, a dinner at home. Amazingly, we didn’t each gain 10 pounds, but that’s likely due to walking. |
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| Among other walks, we visited “The Exorcist” house and the “The Exorcist” stairs, which are cult locations for fan’s of the 1973 William Friedkin horror classic. The house at 36th and Prospect (home to Ellyn Burstyn’s character, and her daughter, played by Linda Blair) has not changed much over the years. The killer stairs, right beside it, have not changed at all. They are worth a visit but don’t do them with a snootful or if there’s ice or you’ll end up like Father Karras (Note: for his epic tumble, performed by a stuntman, the stairs were padded with rubber). |
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| At the end of the week, on my actual birthday, it was a day of sailing on the Chesapeake Bay with Brendan Sullivan, my friend and lawyer. He spent five years getting me unglued from a nasty web of misfortune that involved federal fraud charges, a bankrupt business and intransigent landlords. (You go to Brendan for that kind of mess). He’s the senior partner at Williams & Connolly, where he was handpicked for the leadership role by his mentor, Edward Bennett Williams. Enter Brendan’s name in Google and you won’t find little fry like me, but instead a roster of notable clients, among them Rupert Murdoch, Sen. Ted Stevens and Oliver North, and global corporations. Let’s just say it’s a lot more fun to sail with Brendan than to sit in his downtown office, navigating legal woe. Either way, you feel safe with him. |
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| We were four on the boat, Celebration, which he keeps tied up at the dock of his home on the Severn River across from the Naval Academy. Brendan invited Cathy Merrill Williams, who lives just up the river and whose mother, Ellie Merrill, and late father, Philip Merrill, were close to Brendan and his wife, Lila. Cathy is also publisher of Washingtonian magazine, where I have my current day job as editor-at-large. I invited Jean Perin, from Upperville, a dear friend of a few decades and one of my son’s godparents. She’s a globetrotter and always up for any adventure. We sailed together two or three times before, including trips up north among the Elizabeth Islands and down south off Florida. |
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| Brendan served us lunch at his and Lila’s delightful cottage (part of a compound they share with her sisters) that has views of the water from windows facing south, west and north. He was quite proud of himself for personally provisioning lunch, which is not part of his typical repertoire of services. We had lemonade, ham and cheese sandwiches, a variety of salads, and chocolate chip cookies, and it was just right. Cathy took a photo to record the landmark event for Lila. Out on the water there wasn’t much breeze but it didn’t matter. There was enough. We sailed for three relaxing hours. We posed for photos, sat in the cockpit and at the bow, sunbathed, enjoyed the breezes, waved at other boaters and talked about everything from what was serious and mundane to the sensational and gossipy, but at the very outset he invoked “Vegas Rules,” and so I must obey: what was said on Celebration, stays on Celebration. |
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| Saturday night Spencer and Kate took me to dinner at a family favorite: Toki Underground, a lively, yummy and tiny ramen and dumpling house. If you haven’t been, go. It’s in the neighborhood known as the “H Street Corridor” or “Atlas,” soon to be one of the debut locations of the city’s new streetcar system. The chef and owner is the talented Erik Bruner-Yang, who is soon to open a second and innovative, 6,000 square foot restaurant-retail venue in partnership with another hugely talented Washingtonian, men’s fashion impresario Will Sharp of Durkl (www.durkl.com). Will’s looks – alternative and authentic – aim to be the bridge between “over-the-top streetwear and boring menswear.” He hits that goal nicely. It may be menswear but I’ve bought myself Durkl jeans and jackets and benefit from my son’s hand me downs. |
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| I can’t wait to see what Erik and Will create together with the new place, Maketto. Saturday night was all about the wrap-up birthday feast, though. For cocktails, Spencer had the Toki Monster, bourbon with Barenjager, bitters and a skewer of pork belly; Kate had the Not For Nothing, a blend of Catoctin Creek rye, lemon juice, rice vinegar, honey and Moab IPA. I adventuresome: vodka with a splash of fresh grapefruit. We shared many plates of Erik’s irresistible interpretations of Asian favorites, each as good as the next, with on this night a special emphasis on chicken: Fried Chicken Dan Dan Mien, Fried Chicken Steamed Buns, Caramel Chicken Wings, plus Stinky Tofu, steamed Pork Dumplings and the Toki Classic, ramen with pulled pork, greens, egg and pickled ginger. |
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| The dessert menu had three items: Chocolate Chip Cookies, Berries Berries Berries, and Xie Xie (a round of beers for the kitchen). We ordered the last two. By the way, service should always be commended when it is outstanding, and the service was outstanding. That's no small thing. It speaks to hiring the right people, their passion, and good training. Reservations at Toki are hard to come by but are available on a limited basis at CityEats. They do carry-out and delivery, too, and so – if you’re in DC, you have no excuse not to give it a try. Toki Underground 1234 H Street NE 202-388-3086 |
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Follow Carol on twitter @caroljoynt |