Dan Mudd unloads his 22-room manse, “Chef Geoff” and NBC’s Norah O’Donnell sell in Wesley Heights, and the El Salvadorian Ambassador buys on Macomb Street NW.

By Stacey Grazier Pfarr

Restaurateur Nora Pouillon bought a classic Victorian-era farmhouse at 3207 Highland place NW in Cleveland Park for $3.2 million. (Photo by Tony Powell)

THE DISTRICT

Daniel and Maura McGill Mudd sold 3542 NEWARK STREET NW for $7,625,000 with the help of listing agents William F.X. Moody and Robert Hryniewicki of Washington Fine Properties. Mr. Mudd, a former president of Fannie Mae, currently serves as CEO of Fortress Investment Group in New York City. The couple lived in the 22-room Cleveland Park mansion set on almost one acre of land for nine years. The purchasers of the 1927 Georgian estate are Andrew and Heather Florance.  Mr. Florance is CEO and founder of CoStar Group, Inc., the first independent commercial real estate information research organization. Washington Fine Properties’ Liz Lavette was the buyer’s agent.

Nora Pouillon, owner of Restaurant Nora, bought 3207 HIGHLAND PLACE NW in Cleveland Park for $3.2 million with the help of Tutt, Taylor & Rankin Sotheby’s International Realty’s Giorgio Furioso. Pouillon opened her namesake eatery in 1979; in 1999, the restaurant became America’s first certified organic dining establishment. The chef/owner has received national acclaim for her signature health-consicious and organic dishes and was featured in the documentary, “Chefs A’ Field.” Washington Fine Properties’ Ellen Morrell and Matthew McCormick were seller’s agents for the house, which is next door to the home of former White House counsel Greg Craig. The eight- bedroom Victorian farmhouse was built in 1890.

Douglas and Carol Steenland bought 3065 UNIVERSITY TERRACE NW in Kent for $3,575,000. Mr. Steenland is a director of Delta Airlines and was president and CEO of Northwest Airlines from 2004 until its merger with Delta in 2008. Listing agents for the 6,618-square-foot Jim Gibson-built house were Washington Fine Properties’ Anne Weir and Heidi Hatfield. Buyer agents were Washington Fine Properties’ Matthew McCormick and Ellen Morrell. The previous owners of the six- bedroom residence were Anthony and Ann Ryan. Mr. Ryan was the former undersecretary of domestic finance for the Treasury Department. Agents declined comment on both the buyer and seller.

4237 Garfield St NW

Geoff Tracy and Norah O’Donnell sold 4237 GARFIELD STREET NW in Wesley Heights for $1,650,000. Mr. Tracy is  local restaurateur “Chef Geoff” while Ms. O’Donnell is a commentator for NBC’s “Today” and chief Washington correspondent for MSNBC. The 1934 five-bedroom Center Hall Colonial was listed by Washington Fine Properties’ Matthew McCormick and Ellen Morrell. The buyer’s agent for the home with a “drop dead” chef’s kitchen and extensive outdoor grilling station was Washington Fine Properties’ Bobbe Ward.

El Salvadoran Ambassador Francisco Altschul Fuentes and his wife, Melinda, bought 3111 MACOMB STREET NW for $1,775,000. The vintage seven-bedroom Center Hall Colonial in Cleveland Park was built in 1921 and sits on a wooded lot across the street from the Washington International School. Sellers were Bainbridge and Ellen Eager, who resided there for 48 years. Best Address Real Estate’s founder Joseph Himali was the listing agent but declined comment on the sellers.

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The 14th annual record of notably social individuals from politics, diplomacy, business, philanthropy, and the arts.

Enrico and Andrea Cecchi (Photo by Joseph Allen)

A
Mr. and Mrs. JAMES ABDO (Mai)
Mr. and Mrs. WILLIAM ABEL-SMITH (Mimi)
The Honorable and Mrs. TYLER ABELL (Bess)
The Honorable DAVID C. ACHESON
Mr. GLEN ACKERMAN and Mr. ERNESTO SANTALLA
Mr. THEO ADAMSTEIN and Ms. OLVIA DEMETRIOU

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Chef Geoff’s own Geoff Tracy dishes on the secret to creating a successful soirée.

Chef Geoff founder Geoff Tracy

The key to entertaining is to have fun. Keep it simple, plan ahead, and hire a few extra hands to help make any holiday party less stressful. The tuna sashimi recipe below was created by one of my restaurant’s original chefs and it has been on the menu at Chef Geoff ’s for almost 10 years. Planning ahead is easy with this recipe because everything can be made in advance and the only “real” cooking required is for the wonton crackers. Get some help in the kitchen by hiring a few neighborhood kids to help with set up and clean up. I stayed very busy – and made a quite a few bucks- helping my neighbors with their holiday parties while growing up. In many ways, it was the humble beginnings of my career as a chef and entrepreneur. Happy holidays!

Tuna Sashimi with Wasabi Aioli on Baked Wonton Crackers

FOR THE SASHIMI MIXTURE:
3 lbs Yellowfin tuna, skinned, cleaned, and diced
½ cup scallions, sliced thin
1 cup wasabi aioli
1 cup soy vinaigrette
To taste salt and pepper
32 wonton crackers
Gently mix the first four ingredients together and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon a generous amount onto each wonton cracker and serve.

FOR THE WASABI AIOLI:
1 cup mayonnaise
1 ½ T wasabi powder
1 oz rice wine vinegar
To taste salt and pepper
Whisk ingredients together. Can be made in advance.

FOR THE SOY VINAIGRETTE:
4 oz soy sauce, low sodium
2 oz rice wine vinegar
2 oz canola oil
½ oz lime juice
To taste salt and pepper
Whisk ingredients together. Can be made in advance.

FOR THE WONTON CRACKERS:
16 square wontons, wrappers
cut in half into 32 triangles
2 oz canola oil or spray
As needed black and white sesame seeds
To taste salt
Lay wontons on a tray lined with parchment. Brush or spray with canola oil or spray. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and salt. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until lightly golden. Allow to cool. Can be made in advance.

Kate Marie Grinold, Adrian Loving, Lindsay Czarniak, Michael Dove, Dominique Dawes and Francis Hoang represent a few of the many successful locals on the list.

In a city filled with some of the nation’s most dynamic young people, the 250 individuals who comprise this year’s Young & The Guest List repeatedly stand out; as leaders, risk-takers, givers, connectors, and changemakers. Their achievements vary widely, but each was nominated, researched, and debated before being added to the list. What emerged from this process is a more accomplished group than ever before, and so for the first time, we’ve decided to include their professional titles alongside their names. The past three months have reminded us all how quickly the city’s young power players can change. But after four years, The Young & The Guest List is still the only place to find them all.

A

Miss Huma Abedin
Aide, Office of Secretary of State Hiliary Rodham Clinton

Mr. Marc Adelman
Principal, Adelmania Consulting

His Excellency the Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates Yousef Al Otaiba

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Anthony Williams and Adrian Fenty

Location: Nationals Ballpark

WL EXCLUSIVE – Photos by Tony Powell

THE EVENT: Nationals owner Ted Lerner and wife Annette Lerner are more than sports fans; they’re quite literally sports supporters, as their brand-new Nationals Park will support the weight of hundreds of thousands of Washingtonians eager to catch a home game. After so much planning and prepping, it’s no surprise that this Opening Day 2008 celebration was attended by so many VIPs. THE GUESTS: Frederick Shaufeld, Nancy Brinker, Paxton and Rachel Baker, Beth Dozoretz, Catherine Reynolds, Norah O’Donnell, Geoff Tracy, Claire Simmons, Nancy Taylor Bubes, Mark Ein, David Dupree, Dan and Rhoda Glickman, Hanayo Kato and Japanese Amb. Ryozo Kato, Tony Kornheiser, Tony Nader, Alphonso Jackson, Deborah Epstein, and Wolf Blitzer.

WL’s highly anticipated list of those we consider are the future leaders of Washington.

Left to right: Michelle and Adrian Fenty, Kirsten Pollin, Joel Limmerick and Katie Rost, Philippe Cousteau, and Mae Haney Grennan and Michelle Haney Maddux.

Since its debut two years ago, the release of The Young & The Guest List annually creates quite a buzz. The issue sells out in three-days, we receive lengthy nomination letters and last year, several tried to crash our party. We become just as excited about this issue, because it seems this is the only time the spotlight is brightly shined on the under forty set whose formidable accomplishments including best-selling books, multi-million dollar companies, congressional seats and mayorships sometimes go without their deserved fanfare.

Each year, we sit down with a committee to compile a list of 150 members who significantly contribute to the vibrancy of city. More often their names are unknown: are sometimes overshadowed by their boss (these range from the President to financial heavyweight David Rubenstein), perhaps they rarely go out because their writing groundbreaking State policy on Africa or maybe they are helping to securing an election for their candidate. Make no doubt though, these are the future faces of Washington, who behind the scenes are an integral part of making this country work. Listees range from the president of the Corcoran 1869 Society to our very own Mayor and his wife, to award-winning filmmakers and authors. For the third time, we present The Young & The Guest List.

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At home with Chef Geoff and Norah O’Donnell.

By Deborah K. Dietsch
Photography Bob Narod

Nearly every day for seven years, Norah O’Donnell and Geoff Tracy drove past a cheerful yellow cottage in Wesley Heights on their way to work from their tiny Georgetown row house. “We always thought it was such nice house,” Tracy recalls, “It’s well situated next to a park, near a community garden and close to our jobs.”

When the 1932 dwelling was put on the market in 2005, the couple quickly bought it and spent the next six months overhauling its outdated rooms. It is remarkable that they found the time to take on this project given their consuming careers. O’Donnell is MSNBC’s chief Washington correspondent and Tracy is Chef Geoff, the owner of two eponymous restaurants and the recently opened Lia’s in Chevy Chase. This May, a year after moving into their renovated home, the busy couple became parents of twins, Grace and Henry.
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