E10 | E X P R E S S | 0 6 . 2 6 . 2 0 1 4 | T H U R S D AY
Weekend Pass | dining
Artificial Flavorings
OFF COURSE WITH …
POST FIREWORKS
4TH OF JULY SHOW
Come meet Frobot, a fro-yo-filled robot, at its launch party
19TH
FRIDAY
HANNAH COLCLAZIER
STREET BAND JULY 4
BILLY JOE SHAVER W/ IF BIRDS COULD FLY
THURSDAY
JULY 10
DC Jazz FESTIVAL FRI, JUNE 27
2 SHOWS
SAT, JUNE 28
2 SHOWS
PAQUITO D’RIVERA
THE DIZZY GILLESPIE AFRO-CUBAN EXPERIENCE SUN, JUNE 29
ETIENNE CHARLES & RUDRESH MAHANTHAPPA SAT, JULY 12
NO BS! BRASS BAND SUN, JULY 13
HAMILTON LEITHAUSER OF THE WALKMEN
TUES, JULY 15
GOLDEN STATE LONESTAR REVIEW
FEAT. MARK HUMMEL, ANSON FUNDERBURGH, & LITTLE CHARLEY BATY WED, JULY 16
ELLIOTT YAMIN THURS, JULY 17
THE BASEBALL PROJECT
FEAT. SCOTT McCAUGHEY, STEVE WYNN, LINDA PITMON, MIKE MILLS SAT, JULY 19
PHOX W/ TRAILS & WAYS TUES, JULY 22
BOBBY RUSH FRI, JULY 25
START MAKING SENSE: TALKING HEADS TRIBUTE
FREE
LATE-NIGHT MUSIC IN THE LOFT EVERY FRI & SAT
Not pictured: Erica Skolnik’s buttery, flaky darned delicious croissants.
Erica Skolnik Here’s one more reason we can’t wait for the opening of Maketto, the culinary marketplace coming soon to H Street from Toki Underground chef Erik Bruner-Yang: Erica Skolnik of Frenchie’s Artisan Pastries and Desserts (frenchiesdc.com) has been tapped to set up a bakery within the space. Expect her signature croissants, whoopie pies and a few new tricks like kouign amann, a crusty French pastry.
What were you like in high school?
I worked after school at Old Navy and shopped a lot. I was a decent student and somewhat athletic. Finish this sentence: I am happiest when …
I pick my son up from school. He’s at the age [3] when he runs to me and almost tackles me. What time do you usually wake up?
Normally at 4 a.m. We deliver to La Colombe at 6 a.m., so I have to get to the kitchen early. If you could live in any decade in America, which would you pick?
DISH OF THE WEEK
I don’t think it was an easy time for African-Americans, but I’d chose D.C. in the ’40s. My grandfather owned a restaurant counter at 14th and S streets NW. I would go there and see it. What’s the best advice you’ve ever gotten?
THEHAMILTONDC.COM
When science fiction author Isaac Asimov penned his famed “Three Laws of Robotics,” he should have added a fourth rule: A robot must supply humanity with delicious frozen yogurt. Luckily for us mere mortals, Frobot does just that. The sleek vending machine, the creation of a D.C.-based startup, serves up frozen yogurt in less than 30 seconds. With just the swipe of your credit card and the touch of a screen, you can enjoy yogurt from your favorite fro-yo franchise or, for now, a rotating selection of ready-made mixes while the bot is in beta mode. According to founders Melissa Nelson, 26, and Jeremy O’Sullivan, 27, Frobot is just what the college campus/office building/public park ordered. Friends since the first day of college at Bucknell University, Nelson and O’Sullivan noticed fro-yo options ran few and far between on campus and even fewer and farther once they hit the workforce. “You’d never expect going to college and meeting someone the first day, then creating a frozen yogurt vending machine,” Nelson says. The two accountants hired engineers to make their sweet dreams a reality while Nelson attended law school. After graduation, she jumped into Frobot full time. O’Sullivan continues crunching numbers and
My grandmother told me never to hide myself, to let my personality shine. HOLLEY SIMMONS (E XPRESS)
HOLLEY SIMMONS (EXPRESS)
WITH
Your offering is found sufficient … Frozen blessings be upon you, mortal. You will be spared in the uprising.
STEPHANIE BREIJO (FOR EXPRESS)
LIVE
UPCOMING PERFORMANCES
devoting free time to fro-yo. For now, Frobot’s prototype sits in the break room of Dupont’s communal workspace, UberOffices, selling one flavor of proto-fro-yo, which include varieties like chocolate and strawberry, nearly every day to desk-renters at $3 per 7 ounces. “We really wanted to be around other startups,” Nelson says. The entrepreneurs at UberOffices have given the best feedback of all: Frobot sells out nearly every day.
The Frobot team is in negotiations with a number of national froyo chains, and expects versions of the bot will be more readily available by fall. Want to taste the future before then? Stop by the Frobot public launch party Thursday and welcome your new (F)robot overlords. STEPHANIE BREIJO (FOR E XPRESS)
UberOffices, 1200 18th St. NW, Suite 700; Thu., 6:30-10 p.m.; RSVP at frobot.eventbrite.com.
Public Trust Burger Available at Smith Public Trust Mercedes Delgado, executive chef at this Brookland newcomer, takes a hands-off approach to her burger ($11): “The more you mix the meat, the tougher it gets.” The ground chuck patty is prepared diner-style, meaning it’s pressed into a thin round and seasoned with a few basic spices. Matchstick fries come with. HOLLEY SIMMONS (E XPRESS) Smith Public Trust, 3514 12th St. NE; 202-733-5834, publictrustdc.tumblr.com. (Brookland)