Yearly Archives: 2009

The Daily Feed
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Panda Emergency!

Photo courtesy of Me

Panda Emergency!, courtesy of Me

When I came home from five days away to discover this sight my first thought was “this is a job for Tai Shan!” If the zoo really is having trouble getting food for them, here’s a great solution: I can’t be the only person fighting this satanic plant. Bring a panda around for a day!

Alas, if they can’t convince them to get an ultrasound it seems unlikely they’re in the market for a road trip. Too bad. Those stalks were under 1 foot high when we left town Thursday morning. The tallest was over 5 feet when we returned on Tuesday afternoon. These growth spurts come after a long period of dormancy. I wonder what specifically set them off.

Any of the rest of you fighting this menace?

Fun & Games, Getaways, Special Events
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Getaways: Virginia Beach (Part I)

Live the Life

This is a special edition of Getaways, which will be broken into two parts. Since Jasmine and I were both lucky enough to head to Virginia Beach, we’re tag teaming the trip for your reading pleasure.

Jasmine: Like many of you, after reading Katie’s post last month on Virginia Tourism Corporation’s mystery vacation giveaway, I put my name on the list. The temptation of an all-expenses-paid trip plus the mystery of not knowing where I would be going was just too much to handle. And a few weeks ago, after a particularly terrible day, I got the call: I had won! After extensive squealing and jumping up and down in the street, I immediately called diligent informer of awesome vacations and excellent travel companion Katie to invite her along with me. VA Tourism packed so much into our two days, we’re going to have to split this one up, with each of us taking a day. And so, without further adieu, here’s Katie to tell you all about that first crazy day. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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A Panda Resisting Medical Tests? Unpossible!

Photo courtesy of
‘Sloppy Stick’
courtesy of ‘Peter Gene’

Apparently worthy of homepage placement at WashingtonPost.com is the news that Mei Xiang has been resisting zoo efforts to perform an ultrasound to find out whether she’s pregnant. Imagine that! Less than a week after the zoo lures Tai Shan into a corner, drugs him, and sticks a camera up his behind, Mei Xiang doesn’t particularly want to participate in medical tests. 

Yeah, I know. Animals aren’t supposed to have sophisticated memory like that. But maybe she’s smarter than she gets credit for.

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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Spring Food Trends

Photo courtesy of
‘sushi at sunset’
courtesy of ‘staceyviera’

I’ve been out and about quite a bit lately, and have started to observe some notable spring food trends in the city. So here are some of my short thoughts on the DC spring food scene and what is hot now.

The rise of octopus. Most recently at Ardeo, also spotted at Potenza, charred octopus is both delicious and surprisingly tender. Look for it on more menus in the coming months, and take a chance, it’s worth it.

Sushi 2.0. This spring has seen the rise of the unique sushi. Sticky Rice branches out a bit, but newcomer Sei uses a sushi canvas to serve up otherwise hearty food like fish and chip. Ceaser salad even makes its debut in roll form at Sei. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed, WMATA
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Metro Considering Selling Food– But You Still Can’t Eat It!

Photo courtesy of
‘chillin”
courtesy of ‘staceyviera’

Big news coming out of Metro today: officials are considering allowing kiosks in certain Metro stations to sell packaged food in stations!  The move is an attempt to increase revenue by adding kiosks at a number of stations (in DC: outside Anacostia, in Fort Totten, in Gallery Place-Chinatown, and in Metro Center).  Kiosks could be newsstands, dry cleaning services, and even gourmet food stores.

But no, this doesn’t mean you’d be allowed to eat what you bought at a kiosk– the Metro food and drink ban is still in effect.  About three years ago Metro solicited proposals for kiosks that would sell anything but food, beverages, and tobacco– but they didn’t get a good response and realized it wasn’t profitable to not sell food in transit stations.

This seems a little weird to me.  I think I’d be really bitter if I were starving, and got a gourmet sandwich at a Metro kiosk (probably  marked up ridiculously because of the captive audience), and had to sit there just looking at it the whole ride home.  That’s just mean, Metro.

Food and Drink, Night Life, The Features, We Love Drinks
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We Love Drinks: Ben’s Next Door

Citrus District, Ben's Next Door

"Citrus District, Ben's Next Door" by Jenn Larsen, on Flickr

Catching up with friends who’ve been away from DC for a while is always interesting. You want to take them someplace that’s different, that shows the changes of the city over the past five years or more, but also you require a vibe which allows you to actually hear each other. I had this challenge recently with a friend who’d returned to DC from living in London, so naturally I wasn’t going to kill myself trying to impress her, I just wanted to find a place that simply said “Welcome Back to Washington.”

We found it at the bar at Ben’s Next Door. What could be more Washingtonian than the new bar and restaurant opened by the Ali family of Ben’s Chili Bowl fame? I mean, have you seen the crazy lines of tourists outside Ben’s lately? I had to show her how the legend of U Street continues to grow. 

Funnily enough, we made it just before the news of chef Rock Harper’s departure. I’m really glad we both had the instant instinct to stick to the bar. It’s a looooong one (53 feet, to be exact), which always makes me a bit nervous about service, but there was no need to worry. We spent several hours catching up under the careful eye of bartender Anthony, who made sure we never wanted for anything. 

It was a real locals crowd that night, U Street denizens cheering on the Caps against the Pens, but it never got too loud and there was a happy buzz to the place. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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In Memoriam, Doug Clifton


Doug Clifton IMGP0009_1
Originally uploaded by carlweaver

A sad note reached me this morning via Patrick Pho of Metblogs, Doug Clifton, who wrote with us there for years, passed away last Tuesday. Doug was an excellent photographer and writer for Metblogs until his departure for the Chronicle of Higher Ed in 2007. He had a quick wit, an infectious laugh, and was always into something in Silver Spring.

He will be missed by all who knew him. His talent for programming, for all things electronic, was significant. We are all poorer for his departure.

I’m working to get in touch with the family, that we might offer something in his memory.

Peace, Doug. We miss you already.

The Features, We Love Arts
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Art Spiegelman: Comics From Mickey Mouse to Manga

def: comic

On a large screen behind legendary comic artist Art Spiegelman is an image of a page from the dictionary. A fat red loop lassoes the definition of “comic strip.” “comic strip. A narrative series of cartoons.” The comic strip, Spiegelman explains is an inherently narrative form and their story-telling capability puts them at the heart of our culture. “And any definition of comic strip that is illustrated by Nancy is getting something right,” he joked of the marginal picture.

This was “Comix 101,” or, as Spiegelman retitled the Corcoran’s Argentina Copello Dudley Lecture, “What the %@~*!! happened to Comics?” It was a walk through the halls of the museum of comics and culture, the walls lined with panels of characters both familiar today and obscure: Little Nemo, Donald Duck, Little LuLu, Charlie Brown, and – of course – those poster boys of the comic book – Batman and Superman. Spiegelman, winner of a Pulitzer-prize for his Holocaust narrative Maus, traced the graphic evolution and influence of comics as well as underlined the politics of the genre. Continue reading →

All Politics is Local, The Daily Feed, The District
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Obama Extending & Eliminating DC Vouchers

Picture 4.png
via alexashrugged and twitpic

In a day that saw a crowd of over 1,000 kids and another few hundred adults opposite the Wilson Building, including a number of students who are directly part of DC’s current voucher experiment, the White House announced that they will seek to continue the voucher program for those already in it, but will allow no further applicants to the program. The new plan is contingent on the Congress reauthorizing funding for the vouchers of those students currently in the program, which would be an uphill battle.

Seems odd to discontinue this popular program right now, but, well, what the unions want, the unions get…

The Daily Feed
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Pepco twitters… tell them what for

Photo courtesy of
‘Towers of Power at Sunrise’
courtesy of ‘macmoov’

While I mean that in a “give em hell” sense, there’s also an opportunity to tell them exactly how you’d like to see them use this new tool. Their social media lead, Andre, sent us a message which asked us to share this with y’all:

We launched an online survey to start gathering follower feedback giving folks a chance to share ways they’d like to interact with us via Twitter.

Their twitter id is PepcoConnect if you want to follow them and see how they end up using the service.

The Daily Feed
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Rocket Update

Photo courtesy of
‘Rocket Garden’
courtesy of ‘milan.boers’

Everything’s better with Rockets. Everything!

Due to weather, NASA scrubbed the launch last night, and for good measure, they decided to wait until the weather picture looks better, which is Thursday. The countdown begins again at noon tomorrow! C’mon ROCKETS!

Comedy in DC
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Comedy in DC: A Week of Free Laughs, Redux

Photo courtesy of
‘Stand-up’
courtesy of ‘Aaron Webb’ , used with permission

So I was flitting around the interwebz, trying to come up with something to recommend to you this week in the world of local comedy, and ran into… a wasteland.  A lot of the local comics I pay attention to have been touring, so are either out of town or, well, sleeping. I checked the Improv, and there’s not a single Lounge show on their calendar for the next month; even the mainstage is full of people I couldn’t get excited about until the first weekend in June. (Russell Peters. He’s hilarious.) I checked Facebook and mostly found stuff happening way out in the nether regions of Maryland.

I checked DCStandup.com,  and while there wasn’t a ton listed for new shows that weren’t ALSO in the nether regions of Maryland, they did mention that open mics and the like are seeing a resurgence. With the economy in the tank, suddenly regularly-scheduled, free entertainment is seeming like a better deal to bar and restaurant owners.   So since these shows are constantly passing into and out of existence, I decided it was time to update the week of free laughs:

Sunday: There’s still an open mic at the Palace of Wonders on H Street every other Sunday.  Since the organizer keeps the total number of comics low, the sets are longer. That’s handy, since a 5 minute set is barely enough time to get warmed up. Continue reading →

Music, The Daily Feed
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Awesome Band Names Unite

Setting up at Rock and Roll Hotel
Setting up at Rock and Roll Hotel by dcjasmine

Choosing a great band name is just about as tough as coming up with a sitcom plot line that the Simpsons haven’t already done. But tonight, two clear winners are coming to Rock and Roll Hotel: Future Rock and Shout Out Out Out Out. Who doesn’t want to experience the future of rock and roll, and SOOOO went with capturing the vibe a la Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.

Apparently, the future of rock is electronica, because that’s what both these bands are. You can dance to the beat tonight at 8:30 pm for $10.

Food and Drink, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Kids RW: Baby Foodies

Photo courtesy of
‘Orion – DSC_5880’
courtesy of ‘Dylan Parker’

I am not going to be eating out from June 13 – 21st. This is big news, since I basically live at our area restaurants.

Why, might you ask? Because it’s kids restaurant week. Now, I realize kids need to eat too. And I realize that it is great news for parents who aim to expose your children to fine dining, and in a cash-strapped economy a deal like this is excellent. I get that you tire of feeding your child hot dogs and applesauce. Good on you!  I am just of the ilk that doesn’t want your child’s whine with my wine. (Ala Samantha in the S&TC episode A Woman’s Right to Shoes).

So, with that, I’ll gracefully bow out and your kids may dine in peace (or chaos, depending) from June 13-21st when tots from around the city can take over places like Art and Soul and Juniper. Word to the wise? Try the mac and cheese at Art and Soul, ’tis divine, and will kick Kraft’s butt any day.

I’ll have more recommends next week when Cookie and Gourmet magazine, in partnership with Destination DC, announce the full participating restaurant list, as well as menus on the Web site. Adults pay $29; Kids 11 and under pay their age. Early dinner seatings are cleverly available from 5:00-7:00pm.

Food and Drink, Fun & Games, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The District
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Cafe [This Is Not That]

Photo courtesy of
‘Café Stühle’
courtesy of ‘mueritz’

The Phillips Collection is opening a new cafe tomorrow. This would be rather blase news, except this cafe is not that. Almost too-deep and meta for me to grasp (I’m having to reach back to my time at art school, here) Cafe sounds badass. Pairing actual art, with a literal eat-place, bound by the concepts in and around art, (see, told you this was deep) Cafe challenges the typical. Continue reading →

Foggy Bottom, Interviews, People, Special Events, The Features
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He Loves DC: Antonio Burrell

Antonio from Commonwealth

It’s been a wild ride for Antonio Burrell, the Chef de Cuisine at CommonWealth Gastropub. Since the opening in August of 2008, the British food joint CommonWealth has fast been popular with foodies and Columbia Heights regulars. I was able to catch up with Burrell, talk through his opinions on the DC food scene, find out what he does in the city on his days off, and discuss what his ideal food day in the city would be composed of.

Katie: How long have you lived in DC?

Antonio: I moved to DC in October of 2000. I actually took two months off and took a nice vacation, stayed in North Carolina played a lot of golf and fished a lot with my Dad. For the first year and a half I lived in Alexandria, but have lived in DC since then.

Name the best part of DC, in your opinion?

I like a great many things about DC, chief among them are the people I have met and its central location to Manhattan and my extended family, who live in North Carolina. However, the best part of DC is all the great cultural things you can do. The Smithsonian Institute Museums are a great way to spend a day, topped off by a nice stroll down the Mall, taking many stops along the way, especially to dip your feet in the fountain at the Korean Memorial.

Continue reading →

Food and Drink, Night Life, The Daily Feed
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Tuesday Night Escape

Cocktail at Bar Pilar

"Cocktail at Bar Pilar" by Jenn Larsen, on Flickr

Starting tonight, you only have three more Tuesday nights to enjoy Cocktail Sessions with mixologist Adam Bernbach at Bar Pilar, before he leaves the 14th Street digs on May 19th (GOG has the full scoop on his future plans).

I really love Pilar, love Adam’s cocktails, especially anything featuring cardamon syrup… but I can’t make it tonight. So my loss is your gain, there’ll be an extra seat, get over there!

The Daily Feed
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You Inspected What Exactly?

Scooter Gate 2 by epmd

I mentioned last week that I bought an old Vespa scooter and surprisingly I’m still alive and well.  The first thing on my list of things to do was to get it inspected – a thought that makes every DC resident shudder.  Few people have ever had a smooth experience at the inspection station in SW.  I was fully prepared to wait in line for an hour or to be turned away for some idiotic reason.

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Incoming: Bliss Spa

Photo courtesy of
‘Bliss spa goodies’
courtesy of ‘SanFranAnnie’

Word around the DC fashion blogosphere (ie: Capitol Hill Barbie and Capitol Hill Style) says we’ve got an incoming bliss spa.

Aside from offending my sensibilities with the FatGirlSlim line of products (Really? You think you can rub that fat off with a body scrub?) I enjoy bliss. The services are affordable, and if you’re not into coming to the spa, they offer sets of products for spa-at-home DIY treatments. You can even book your services online.

So, welcome to DC bliss, we’re happy to have you! P.S. – Bliss is hiring… 30+ Bliss Spa jobs are available. CHB has the deets.

Food and Drink, Foodie Roundup, The Features
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Foodie Round-Up: Mother’s Day Brunch Edition

Photo courtesy of
‘Mother & Child’
courtesy of ‘nathangibbs’

I want to be my Mom. No, seriously. I do. You know when you read those things that are all like “Oh no! We are turning into our mothers!” – to that I say, YES! Can I please? This is because my Mother is phenomenal. She’s the wisest person I know, and she always knows just what to say to give me a new perspective on something, or make me feel better, and she and my Dad are the only people I can call about some problem in my life who will care as much as I do about it.  She is basically just is the best person to ever exist, period.

So I can’t put together a foodie round-up for Mother’s day and not get picky. I’ve been told about a lot of brunches, practically every restaurant in the city is doing something for Mother’s day brunch, I’m not joking. I’ve been inundated with menus, options and press releases. So instead of just listing them out for you like I did for Easter, I’m going to get more selective and only tell you about the brunches that I’d take my own rockin’ Mother to. So with that, a very subjective short list of brunches worthy of Katie’s Mother, in no particular order. Continue reading →