Monthly Archives: October 2009

Food and Drink, The Features, We Love Drinks
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We Love Drinks: Gin at New Heights

Gin Flight, New Heights

"Gin Flight, New Heights" by Jenn Larsen, on Flickr

The first spirit I ever tasted was gin. It was that obligatory illicit shot from your parents’ liquor cabinet, the “hmm, what’s this all about?” experimentation. And – UGH – that first sip was enough to put me off “Mother’s Ruin” for life. For years afterwards the smell would provoke an instant reaction of, well, ick. 

It’s unfortunate, really, as gin’s complexity is overlooked by many like me whose introduction was less than ideal. But this lady with a past (I love the old Hogarth engravings of depraved Gin Lane in the 1700’s) is beloved by mixologists and enjoying a revival.

Case in point – New Heights restaurant has turned their downstairs bar into a gin joint, complete with a “Gin Manifesto” menu and gin flights. 

Wait, flights of gin? I just about fainted dead away when Rebecca first alerted us to this. In order to make it through a tasting without a PTSD attack, I needed back-up. It wasn’t hard to convince a gin-swilling friend – let’s call him Hogarth – to come along and help me get over the psychological trauma of my childhood sip, and enjoy a historic cocktail along the way.

Continue reading →

News, The Daily Feed
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Alexandria Police Capture Wachovia Robber

Bradlee.jpg

The Alexandria Police have caught the Wachovia Robber, according to their Facebook Page (now there’s a line I thought I’d never write.) After a 10:30am robbery of the branch on King Street in the Bradlee Center, a large police search took place, which included lockdowns at Frances Hammond Middle School, T.C. Williams High School Minnie Howard Campus, and T.C. Williams High School. Tweets indicated odd activity in the Bradlee center area, and it seems that the robber was caught shortly thereafter.

Crazy to see stuff like this go down in the neighborhood just next to mine! Glad they’ve got a suspect in custody.

We Love Weekends
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We Love Weekends: October 10-11

Photo courtesy of
‘Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes’
courtesy of ‘Kevin H.’

Despite the still-warm temperatures, the leaves are changing and it seems that fall is actually here. Which means that our weekend plans involve a lot less hanging out poolside with tasty beverages and a lot more cozying up in warm places with tasty beverages. What can we say? We’re creatures of the seasons.

Kirk: This weekend features one of the highlights of the year for me: the Purcellville Tag Sale.  This town wide yard sale features an awesome selection of antiques, books, oddities and assorted junk. I’m getting there early (like 7:30am) to make sure I can get my hands on the best of the selection.  Other than that, I’ll probably go to a HR-57 on Friday for some sweet, sweet jazz and possibly to Magnolias at the Mill on Saturday for some sweet, sweet beer (seeing as I’ll be in Purcellville, anyways).  All that aside, my main goal this weekend is not to be pulled over by the huge, and overly zealous Loudoun County PD.

Jasmine: I’m super excited about the Solar Decathlon houses being open to the public this weekend. If you haven’t been, it’s a little village of solar-powered houses designed and built by college students on the National Mall. They can be really creative and showcase some awesome technology, but it’s only through Monday so you have to get down there this weekend. Other than that, I’m thinking of taking advantage of the long weekend with one of the guilt-free getaways in Virginia. Loudon County? Shenandoah Valley? Maybe I’ll just close my eyes and point, they all sound just lovely. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Ben Ali Dies at 82

Photo courtesy of
‘busted!’
courtesy of ‘staceyviera’

Y’all, this is just so sad. Ben Ali, feeder of the hungry DC masses, has died at age 82. I don’t have a lot to add to that, so I’ll just provide some Ali-related reading material from around the Internets:

We’re sorry to see such a pillar of the DC Community pass on, and our thoughts, prayers, and best wishes are with the Ali family today.

Food and Drink, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The Great Outdoors
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Saloon Flea Market

Photo courtesy of
‘The Saloon, U Street’
courtesy of ‘Jenn Larsen’

Commy, owner of the Saloon, is hosting a flea market this Sunday at his famed, U St. pub.  He promises to offer “many unique items” for sale, the proceeds from which will benefit his international school building efforts.  On top of the interesting goods and the worthy cause, the Saloon will be offering $2 off its selection of excellent beers.  The market will run from 1pm-5pm and, contrary to normal Saloon rules, there will be a strict, no-sitting policy for the afternoon.  So, go out, enjoy a nice beer on what promises to be a lovely fall afternoon and support school construction in developing nations.

The Daily Feed, We Green DC
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It’s a Green Weekend

Photo courtesy of
‘Gingko Rain’
courtesy of ‘geishaboy500’

This weekend has lots of fun green goings-on.

Friday night is the Extreme Green Gala at the stylist Mott House on Capitol Hill, with live bands, organic food, a cash bar, an art show and high-profile environmentalists. The last one was great, with everyone enjoying the patio there. It benefits CarbonfreeDC’s Extreme Green Neighborhood Makeover.

The Green Festival extravaganza is Saturday and Sunday, with 350 green businesses (great for holiday shopping) and dozens of community groups, plus 125 speakers including activist Dr. Cornel West; actor/activist Ed Begley, Jr.; and revolutionary journalist Amy Goodman.

And the Solar Decathlon opens on the National Mall; a small village of solar homes constructed by teams of students will be open for you to roam — and see how good life can be without an electric bill.

Dupont Circle, Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, Night Life, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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High Heel Race Date Set

Photo courtesy of
‘Are you gonna take me home tonight’
courtesy of ‘christaki’

OH MAN I JUST GOT RULL EXCITED because I just remembered that not only does October mean my birthday, it also means THE BEST EVENT OF THE YEAR, the High Heel Drag Queen Race! Squee!

Mark your calendars for Tuesday, October 27th, to watch all the ladies (and hot tranny messes) parade up and down 17th street. If you can’t wait ’til then, (and who can, honestly?) check out our past coverage including a photo gallery.

Entertainment, Food and Drink, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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61st Annual St. Mary Armenian Church Food Festival

Photo courtesy of
‘Skewers on the Grill’
courtesy of ‘Kevin H.’

Starting yesterday and continuing through this weekend  you can enjoy the culinary delights of the 61st Annual St. Mary Armenian Church Food Festival at St. Mary’s Armenian Apostolic Church (Metro Red Line to Friendship Heights Station).

The festival highlights delectable Armenian foods such as: lahmajoon, kufta,  stuffed grape leaves, grilled shish kebobs, lamb skewers and other traditional fare. You can also partake in authentic Armenian beer and grape wine.  Portions are ample and pricing is reasonable.

Lunch:  October 7, 8, 9 and 10th from 11AM to 2 PM

Dinner: October 10th from 5 PM to 9 PM

The Features, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Man Ray

Man Ray. Noire et blanche, 1926. Gelatin silver print. The Baltimore Museum of Art, Purchase with exchange funds from the Edward Joseph Gallagher III Memorial Collection; and partial gift of George H. Dalsheimer, BMA 1988.422. Photo: Mitro Hood. © 2009 Man Ray Trust / Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY / ADAGP, Paris

Man Ray. Noire et blanche, 1926. Gelatin silver print. The Baltimore Museum of Art, Purchase with exchange funds from the Edward Joseph Gallagher III Memorial Collection; and partial gift of George H. Dalsheimer, BMA 1988.422. Photo: Mitro Hood. © 2009 Man Ray Trust / Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY / ADAGP, Paris

I love Man Ray. There’s something still so – cool – about his photographs, even today in our digital informal age. Hauntingly evocative of my favorite era, I usually rather narrowly think of him in context of 20’s fashion. There’s no better representation of the iconic beauty of that time than his Noire et Blanche, seen above, appearing in 1926 Vogue.

However, there’s another angle to Man Ray’s work that a new exhibit at the Phillips Collection makes plain. Opening this Saturday, May Ray, African Art and the Modernist Lens highlights the link between his work and the movement to promote African artifacts, elevating them to the status of modern art. The exhibit showcases more than 50 photographs by Man Ray, with about 50 more of his contemporaries like Cecil Beaton and Alfred Stieglitz. Several are matched with the original African objects they feature, for the first time, allowing the viewer to make the connection on how photographers can influence perception.

It also features my favorite Man Ray photograph. Continue reading →

News, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Protestors in the Intersection at 14th & I

14th&I.jpg

There are approximately 150-200 Anti-War Protestors in the intersection at 14th & I St NW, blocking traffic and obstructing free movement near the intersection. There are approximately 30 of DC’s Finest hanging out with them as well. No word yet how quickly they’ll be dispersed, but a several-block traffic jam is occurring at this time.

[Update by Ben H. Rome] I managed to get caught in the protest by the “Students for Democratic Society.” Supposedly it was against the war in Afghanistan, but I overheard several different reasons as to what it was about, depending on which student was being interviewed. The war, education reform, health care, “party rights” (WTF?), reefer legalization… All I could really figure out was that a bunch of students decided to make some signs, go marching down some erratic route with a police escort (that got larger as they progressed) and finally stop in the middle of Eye St. NW between 14th and 15th, blast some dance music from a portable jury-rigged setup and dance. Stupidly. In the middle of the rush hour.

Oh, and dressed as a farm animal, in one case.

Needless to say, several motorists let the kids know what they thought about their “protest.” In words I’d rather not repeat.

Check out the photos I took of this peculiar “non-event.”

News, The Daily Feed, WMATA
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Repairs Complete at Fort Totten

Photo courtesy of
‘metro’
courtesy of ‘spiggycat’

Metro announced this afternoon that the repairs of track circuits between Fort Totten and Takoma Park have been completed, ending the last of the emergency maintenance after the crash this summer. This means that trains will be permitted to operate at their usual speeds through the area, and not under the degraded speed that they have been using during the repairs.

It’s not immediately clear if this will permit a return to Automatic Train Operation mode, which would return the Red Line to full speed, but we’ve asked Metro to clarify the situation.

Metro will still be working at Fort Totten and Takoma Park on the weekends, however, as part of regularly scheduled maintenance, and trains will single-track through that area in the late evenings. With the longer delays between trains in the late evening, though, additional delays are unlikely.

Update: ATO is still off-limits until the NTSB Report comes back, which would give a conclusive ruling as to what caused the accident.

Capital Chefs, The Features
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Capital Chefs: Cooking with Chef Palma of Westend Bistro, Part II

Photo courtesy of
‘Chef Palma’s Westend Shortribs and Brussels Sprouts’
courtesy of ‘CathyLovesDC’

As you read earlier today, Katie and I had the extreme fortune of gallivanting around a farmer’s market this weekend with a 3 Michelin star chef, Joe Palma, the Chef de Cuisine of the Eric Ripert Restaurant, Westend Bistro.

Chef Palma took us to the Old Town Farmer’s Market, determining his menu on the spot based on the market fare. I followed close in his footsteps, requesting identical produce at each stop: “I’ll have the same.” We picked up fresh sage, Asian pears, green tomatoes, Brussels sprouts and garlic before returning to the kitchen at the Ritz.

I asked Chef Palma to be very mindful of keeping the ingredients simple and the equipment minimal, and he gave us a first course and a main course that are to die for and very, very simple.

To start, Chef Palma threw together a green tomato, Asian pear, and spiced pecan salad with the most incredibly balanced, light and fresh blue cheese dressing. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Local Athletes and Advocates Team Up Against Domestic Violence

Photo courtesy of
‘Becky’s Fund – Walk this Way’
courtesy of ‘CathyLovesDC’

Last night, Becky’s Fund hosted a charity fashion show on the rooftop of The Liason Hotel to raise awareness for domestic violence. The show, titled “Walk this Way,” featured Clinton Portis, among a dozen other Redskins and United players, modeling the custom clothes of “DC’s Best Custom Clothier,” Eric Finn.

In addition to the DC sports figures, the raised catwalk over the center of the hotel’s rooftop swimming pool featured female models demonstrating actions of domestic violence before charging forth on the runway. The final action: Becky Lee, the founder of Becky’s Fund, untying the hands of the model and removing her blindfold, before embracing.

Becky Lee has demonstrated incredible advocacy against domestic violence, and last night’s event was a huge success for her cause. We’re proud to have such a hard-working advocate here in DC, and we’re looking forward to featuring her soon to find out why “She Loves DC.”

Capital Chefs, Food and Drink, People, The Features
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Capital Chefs: Cooking with Chef Palma of Westend Bistro, Part I

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WeLoveDC authors Cathy (cooking queen) and Katie (restaurant aficionado) have paired up to bring you a double-hitting feature about great seasonal dishes that chefs at local area restaurants are whipping up this fall. Katie gets insider info about the chef and the restaurant, and Cathy recreates the chef’s recipe at home. Cheers to that.

After our previous adventure with Glenn Babcock of Nage Bistro, Cathy and I were invited to cook a seasonal fall dish with Westend Bistro by Eric Ripert‘s Chef de Cuisine, Joe Palma.

It was early Saturday morning on a perfect fall day, the type that is sunny and warm but with crisp, fresh air. Cathy and I were trailing chef Joe Palma through the Old Town farmers market in Alexandria as he pondered what seasonal dish to show us how to make.

“I sort of just wander around and see what looks good,” he said. “Kind of like Top Chef?” I tossed out. “Yeah,” he replied. “I can create bistro food on the fly, but I don’t think I’d enjoy being thrown a random ingredient.” And yet, that’s sort of what happened that Saturday morning at the market. Palma paused at the pears, then brussel sprouts caught his eye. “You guys like brussel sprouts?” he asked. “Yeah”, Cathy and I chimed. “How about green tomatoes?” “Of COURSE! I’m a southern girl!” I laughed. If Palma thinks it would be good, I’m totally happy to eat it. He’s one of the few chefs in the city that I have complete blind faith in.

Westend Bistro is currently my favorite restaurant in DC, and that’s quite a proclamation. I rarely choose favorites (don’t ever ask me my favorite book!) but I think there’s something uniquely lovely about Westend. I spend a lot of my time in restaurants these days, and Westend rises to the top of my list every time. Maybe it’s the relaxed, yet sophisticated atmosphere. Maybe it’s the buzz of the place, and the fact the wait staff are trained in the ways of the Ritz-Carlton. But mostly, I believe it’s that Palma puts the focus solely on the ingredients and purchases only the best possible.

“When I first came on, I cut costs down to about 28%, and it should be at about 32%,” Palma said. “I used that margin of cost savings to find the best possible ingredients, meats, produce.” It shows. Westend’s food is simple food. Sous Chef Adam Barnett told me one night that he likes working for Palma because he doesn’t get fussy with his food. Barnett said Palma doesn’t pile ingredients on a plate, that chef thinks about his ingredients before assembling them. So how would that translate for Cathy and I learning how to cook one of Palma’s dishes? Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Find free eats for your kid

Photo courtesy of
‘Every Food Fits – Pasteles de Guayaba’
courtesy of ‘staceyviera’

This isn’t going to pony up any really avant guard places, but sometimes when you’re trailing some rugrats you just want to eat and get a deal. Website KidsEatFor.com has entries for our area that identify places with free or cheap eats for your kids. I don’t see Michel Richard’s Central listed, but some quality restaurants are to be found: Lebanese Taverna and Hard Times Cafe are in there along side the Denny’s and Boston Market.

More usefully, it helps you find the places that only have deals on certain days and at what times.

Life in the Capital, People, The Daily Feed, The District
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Auto Accident at Bethesda Salon

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘erin m’

Tuesday afternoon, an elderly driver crashed into the storefront of Bethesda’s Citrine Salon. ABC 7 reported that the driver approached the building via the driveway, sped up, hit a pylon, traveled along the retaining wall and then crash into the front of the building. The accident occurred around 3pm and the driver and two salon employees were taken to the hospital for treatment. The cause of the crash is still under investigation by the Nehora Law Firm.

The incident is eerily similar to last week’s accident at the Georgetown Whole Foods where, luckily, no one was injured.

For me, the two events bring to mind the question of when someone (our grandparents, parents, and eventually, though we don’t want to think about, ourselves) should stop driving. And with the increasing age and life expectancy of the US population, the potential risks of having elderly drivers on the road are only going to become more and more pertinent for both our families and our public safety. If you ever have a car accident, Hiring the right accident attorney will speed up the process. If you get into a car accident on the High Five Interchange or if your child falls on the playground at Coffee Park because of a broken railing, you may need the support of a compassionate and successful broken bone injury lawyer mesquite tx from Fielding Law. Continue reading →