Monthly Archives: January 2011

Capital Chefs, Food and Drink, The Features
By

Capital Chefs: Allison Sosna of DC Central Kitchen (Part 1)

Chef Allison Sosna, DCCK
Chef Allison Sosna of DC Central Kitchen. Photo by author.

Right off the bat, Allison Sosna tells me what she’s all about: “My life revolves around food and people.” Of course others in the food industry could say the same, but Sosna’s work as executive chef for Fresh Start Catering at DC Central Kitchen is a little different. Every day she and her team make 600 meals that go to students at a public charter school in Columbia Heights and disadvantaged boys at the Washington Jesuit Academy in Northeast DC.

“I’m a chef, but at the heart of it, I’m more of a food anthropologist,” Sosna says. She works with a niche that needs a lot of attention, so part of her job is talking to the kids, learning about social inequalities and about who’s cooking what at home. She finds a way to connect with the kids and gives them reasons to eat the healthy food she serves, you can find many of the appliances she currently uses at goodfoodblogph.com. Most often with the middle school boys at WJA, the reason is sports. “You recognize what makes them have fun. So it’s ‘Eat more of this so you can be a better athlete, a better dancer.’ You teach them that there’s a reason for everything they put in their bodies.”

Continue reading →

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
By

Neighborhood Brunch: Rustik

Rustik Brunch - Grit cakes

Friends, sometimes in the course of writing for our humble website, I experience a moral dilemma. Any out-of-the-way spot, any unadvertised specials, any uncrowded weekend brunch locations, and I have to ask myself whether I should share, and risk not being able to get a seat there again, or whether I should keep it to myself and continue to enjoy my unhurried drinks or meals or whatever.

So it’s with mixed feelings that I tell you about the weekend brunch at Rustik, the neighborhood pizza place in Bloomingdale. I don’t have mixed feelings about the brunch itself, mind you. But I came to hear about Rustik’s brunch via Twitter while right in the middle of a particularly horrible Sunday morning experience at a crowded Barracks Row restaurant. The hostess had lost our name from the list, so we had spent 45 minutes getting jostled around a crowded bar for what was supposed to be a 20 minute wait; we were cranky and hungry and had juuuust placed our order when @rustikdc tweeted about the maple-glazed pork belly on the brunch menu.

My first reaction was, “Wait, Rustik has brunch?” My second reaction was, “Why didn’t we just go there?” And third was, of course, “Mmm, pork bellyyyy…” We resolved to go there the following weekend. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
By

Wintry and Wet Wednesday Update

Photo courtesy of
‘Winter Commute 05’
courtesy of ‘matthewdlyons’

I drew the short straw, so that means I’m the WLDC meteorologist and traffic reporter today. We don’t have an official WLDC weather/traffic copter (my proposal was denied at the last secret meeting), but I was still able to pull together the afternoon weather story.

OPM has announced early release for the federal government – y’all can move along two hours earlier – as the bulk of any afternoon weather will likely be hitting right during rush hour. The National Weather Service is saying it’ll turn to snow around sunset, come down pretty substantially for a few hours, and the system will move out around midnight.

If you drive, drive safely. If you’re taking the metro, don’t punch anyone. If you’re taking the red line, I wish you luck. If you take the bus…um, walking is always a fun option.

UPDATE (from Tom): DCPS has closed evening events, and the Democrats for DC council candidate debate is also cancelled.

Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
By

We Love Music: Little Dragon @ Black Cat, 1/22/11

IMG_7091
all photos by author.

I don’t know if you’ve noticed but Sweden has been producing a ton of great new bands lately. So many, in fact, that I’m inclined to agree with Chris Richards of the Washington Post when he recently declared Sweden as the epicenter of emergent pop music for the new century. Lucky for DC music fans then that our city seems to be one of the friendliest frontiers for Swedish music in the United States. DC is virtually guaranteed a tour date from most of the Swedish invasion acts because we always give them a very warm reception. One of the finest examples of the new wave of Swedish pop is Little Dragon, who played a phenomenal set to a sold out Black Cat on Saturday night.

Continue reading →

Food and Drink, Special Events, The Daily Feed
By

Hot Drinks Cure All Blues

Flaming cafe brulot. Photo by author.

If you’re like me (and half the city, it seems) you may be struggling with a hacking cough caught just in time for the winter blues. It almost prevented me from attending the Hot Drinks event last night at Tabard Inn, but I rallied to see what Chantal Tseng and Adam Bernbach came up with to showcase warming cocktails. Three rounds of soothing hot liquid later and I felt much, much better. My camera, on the other hand, has met its maker, so forgive the foggy photos! But it was just the night to lift my battered spirits and I definitely recommend future events.

In the beautiful private room upstairs at Tabard with its preppily colored walls of pink and green, guests enjoyed two courses by chef Paul Pelt including perfectly prepared duck breast, ending the evening with pastry chef Huw Griffiths’ famous doughnuts. Though the food was delicious, it was the drinks that I needed! So, fellow sufferers of the winter cold blues, I give you Adam and Chantal’s remedies. I guarantee they will cure you (at least temporarily). Let’s start with Adam’s Genever Punch, whose amazing ginger and lemon scent led me up the stairs. Continue reading →

Entertainment, Fun & Games, Music, We Love Music
By

The Winning Ticket: Lissie

As a way to say thanks to our loyal readers, We Love DC will be giving away a pair of tickets to a 9:30 Club concert to one lucky reader each week. Check back here every Wednesday morning at 9am to find out what tickets we’re giving away and leave a comment for your chance to be the lucky winner!

This week we are giving away a pair of tickets to see Lissie perform at the 9:30 Club on Sunday, January 30th. This on-the-rise folk pop phenom was picked as Paste Magazine’s #1 best new solo artist of 2010. The sample of music on her Myspace page reveals a rather iconic new voice with bullet proof song-writing that lends every tune hit single potential. I have a feeling this will be one of those concerts that really sneaks up and surprises you.

For your chance to win these tickets simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address between 9am and 4pm today. One entry per email address, please. If today doesn’t turn out to be your lucky day, check back here each Wednesday for a chance to win tickets to other great concerts. Tickets for this concert are available on Ticketfly.

For the rules of this giveaway…
Continue reading →

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
By

Lights, Camera & Barbecue Shrimp Come to Bayou Bakery

PB300231

Photo Courtesy Katie T

I love when TV cameras pop in at restaurants for three reasons:

1) The diners who work so hard to get on camera (cute)
2) Parents who try desperately to get their kids to behave (funny)
3) People who refuse to be on camera and tell this to the cameramen over and over (slightly annoying)

Well, this morning cameras rolled into Arlington’s Bayou Bakery. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
By

New Belgium Confirms East Coast Expansion


’21:56′
courtesy of ‘Tom T’

In what is sure to qualify as the most glorious, unexpected, beer-related news of the day, New Belgium Brewing Company confirmed today that they will be expanding their operations to the DC, Maryland, Virginia area. Previously available only west of the Mississippi River and in North Carolina, the Fort Collins, Colorado-based brewer will begin retail operations in the DC area in September. According to the New Belgium Company public relations department: Continue reading →

The Daily Feed, WTF?!
By

About that vacant DC property…

Photo courtesy of
‘Pima County Assessor & Board of Equalization Cheat Raquel’
courtesy of ‘666isMONEY â�® â�¥ & â� ‘

There’s a possibility that you got a letter in the last week from the DC Office of Taxation and Revenue about your property taxes, and you opened it, like me, to discover “Oh shit! They’re gonna raise my property tax because they think no one really lives here!”

That’s right, DC OTR sent out letters to all vacant property owners about the upcoming tax assessment period, and it may have caught some people unaware.  DC maintains a significantly higher property tax rate for vacant properties, and an even higher one for those properties listed as “blighted.”  For those keeping score at home, blighted means: “unsafe, insanitary, or which is otherwise determined to threaten the health, safety, or general welfare of the community,” which I can surely say our house is not.

If you got listed by mistake, there’s steps you can take to fix it, read on.

Continue reading →

Entertainment, The Features, We Love Arts
By

We Love Arts: The Arabian Nights

Maureen Sebastian and David DeSantos in the Arena Stage production of The Arabian Nights. Photo by Stan Barouh.

There are two types of perfume. One kind hits with a ravishing force. You recognize the top notes instantly, as they drag you down an olfactory lane whether you want to or not. The other kind is subtly layered, ingratiating itself into your memory with a more delicate air. I expected Mary Zimmerman’s adaptation of The Arabian Nights to be a powerful whiff of rose attar or sandalwood, instead, it’s more elusive, like night jasmine on the breeze.

Meandering metaphor? Well, yes, and that seems to be the play’s point. After almost three hours of stories intertwined with stories, you might feel like you are on the hunt for that beautiful scent. This isn’t a play intending to make a political statement about our continuing entanglement with the Middle East, or even a social statement about women’s rights. I may have wished for those things, and felt sorely disappointed when I didn’t get them, but perhaps that desire for “relevance” was misguided. I didn’t fully appreciate the production’s intention until a few days after seeing it, when an image of rolling bodies in white like ghostly sheaves of paper in the wind re-entered my mind.

The best way to approach The Arabian Nights, performed in the round at the Fichandler in Arena Stage’s Mead Center for American Theater, is to just drop any expectations and let the perfume take you where it will. It’s a drifting play, born of improvisation, about the healing power of myth as a mad king is shown the slow road to salvation.

But it’s not all perfumed nights and sensuality. There’s some castration. Oh, and a lot of farting. Continue reading →

Business and Money, Crime & Punishment, The Daily Feed, Ward 5, WTF?!
By

Dispatches from Ward 5

Photo courtesy of
‘DSC_0940’
courtesy of ‘mediaslave’

The Ward 5 lists were active this week, with several things going on to talk about.

Numerous discussions ensued across both the Eckington and Ward 5 lists after the Truxton Circle murder of Billy Mitchell, who was on his way home from the theater when he was shot at the corner of North Capitol and Florida NW while trying to help a woman involved in a conflict with a man, who in turn was the shooter.

In addition to the typical point-scoring and debates about gun control and concealed-carry, there were numerous calls for additional steps to make that specific area safer, including neighborhood watch groups, coordinated dog-walking groups, a surveillance camera, etc. There will be a vigil held for Mitchell at the site of the shooting at 6PM tonight, followed by an emergency public safety meeting with the Fifth District police and Ward 5 Council Member Harry Thomas at Wesley AME Zion Church at 1712 North Capitol Street. Continue reading →

Mythbusting DC
By

DC Mythbusting: DC Flag

Photo courtesy of
‘DC Slices Flag’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

We love seeing how the District ranks against other cities (not against entire states, thank you very much), especially when we come out on top.  So here’s another first place trophy for DC: the best-designed city flag.  Back in 2004, the flag experts of North America (called vexillologists) came together and voted on their favorite city flags, and DC was voted to have the best city flag out of all of them.  We’re number one!  Interestingly,  in second place was Chicago, with a design that looks like they took ours, rearranged it, and added in another color.  And even though we’re not a state, the good old DC flag also ranked as the eighth best state/provincial flag too.

Anyway, we have a pretty cool flag, get it now at the link.  But where did it come from?  And is it really based on George Washington’s coat of arms, as the legend goes?  Or is it the basis for the original United States ‘stars and stripes’? This week’s Mythbusting gets to the bottom of the DC flag.

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
By

The Internet says: Snow Tomorrow

Photo courtesy of
‘Snowflake Study’
courtesy of ‘Smithsonian Institution’

While we toil away at work, and while we sleep at night, Meteorologists and their babbage machines and difference engines churn away at weather modeling.  The latest models seem to indicate we’re in for a cold and snowy Wednesday,and that means it’s time to daydream about having the day off work (not bloody likely) and schools closing ahead of the storms (probably already happening).

The weather men are working with fickle nature and that always leads to hilarity when the storms don’t seem to go the way the models work.  Best among the sentiments I’ve seen today is my friend Erin: “Anyone want to bet on who is more accurate about tomorrow’s weather — the “scientists” or me just randomly writing things based on feelings”

Regardless, we can all daydream about the white fluffy stuff, and if we need a good chuckle, we can laugh at the customer service fail of this Harrisonburg snow gear shop, or be dazzled by the Smithsonian’s collection of snowflake images.

News, The Daily Feed
By

A Return to Vouchers?

Photo courtesy of
‘vouchers’
courtesy of ‘springwools’

Retiring Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) will be introducing a bill to bring private school vouchers back to the District. The program first started under Mayor Williams in 2004, under the orders of the then-Republican-leaning 108th Congress. Shortly after the 2008 elections, when the Democrats retook not just the Senate and House, but the White House as well, the Congress put a stop to the program that for four years sent students from DCPS to private schools.

Continue reading →

Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
By

We Love Music: Tokyo Police Club @ 9:30 1/19/11


all photos by author.

I had heard of Tokyo Police Club before and knowing that they were popular on the indie scene I thought I’d take the opportunity to check them out at the 9:30 Club last week. I knew this was a hot ticket; it sold out rather quickly and there were people in front of the club looking for extras, so I anticipated seeing a good show.

Continue reading →

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
By

Who’s Extending Restaurant Week

Photo courtesy of
‘back to business’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

Did you wait too long to snag a reservation at a coveted restaurant last week? Fear not! There are still plenty of restaurants in the District that have decided to extend the good deals that only comes twice a year. Below you can find an exhaustive list, but if you’re craving some more guidance on where you should go, here are my top five picks.

My first pick: 701, because I had a fantastic meal there during last year’s restaurant week, the ambience was great and there was live jazz. Second pick: Kellari, because their seafood is fresh and what they’re offering on their RW menu is a good deal. Third pick: Zaytinya, because I love Jose Andres and they’re offering four courses which would normally cost you more than $35.11. Fourth pick: Smith Commons, because I’m curious to try their food after Ashley’s First Look. And my fifth pick: Coco Sala, because so often RW desserts can be rather lacking, so I would sincerely hope a restaurant built on chocolate would dispel that notion!

Continue reading →

Featured Photo
By

Featured Photo

Photo courtesy of
‘tournament-5’
courtesy of ‘dr_kim_veis [”o ]’

Sports photography can be a very difficult business. Everyone’s moving, making it hard to follow while looking through a lens. Indoor sports are even harder to photograph, with lighting often being sub-par.

But the rewards are often great. Motion and emotion captured for all time. Dr Kim Veis does a great job shooting an amateur boxing tournament. His shots show the power and fluidity of motion, the emotion of winning and coaching.

And, once again, it’s a nice project. And it’s one that anyone can do in a single day (or just a few hours). Photography projects don’t have to take weeks to do — a simple series done well can be just as rewarding.

capitals hockey, The Daily Feed
By

Caps Fall to Rangers in Shootout

Photo courtesy of
‘Matt Hendricks’
courtesy of ‘bridgetds’
A late fluky goal led to a shootout loss for the Caps, marring an otherwise strong defensive performance and a stellar evening for Matt Hendricks last night at Verizon Center. The Caps took a precarious one-goal lead into the third period against the New York Rangers only to let victory slip away. The Rangers managed to tie the game late in the period, then outlasted the Caps in a high-scoring shootout to win 2-1.

The last time these two teams faced off in Madison Square Garden on December 12, the Rangers handed the Caps the worst pounding of painful 8-game losing streak. This time, the Caps showed up ready to play … except they forgot to shoot the puck. The registered only one shot on goal in the first 12 minutes of play, and only 11 shots through the first two periods. “We’ve been passing up shots to create plays,” said coach Bruce Boudreau. “You score your goals by shooting the puck and going to the net.” Continue reading →

Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
By

Meet The Newest Washington Wizard: Mustafa Shakur

Photos courtesy DC Sports Bog

The Wizards were dangerously low on Point Guards heading into last Saturday’s game against the Boston Celtics. The night before Kurt Hinrich sustained an elbow injury and wouldn’t be able to play in the game. Late Friday night, the team decided to call up Mustafa Shakur from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. Shakur arrived to the Verizon Center on Saturday and found an NBA jersey with his name and number on it.

However it wasn’t a perfect fit. That’s what you get when you are signed and asked to play within the same 24 hours.

That didn’t stop Shakur from making an immediate contribution, starting Point Guard John Wall ran into foul trouble early in the game and just like that Shakur would make his debut in the NBA.

Continue reading →

Music, New Category, The Daily Feed
By

Dismemberment Plan for Newbies

Photo courtesy of
‘Dplan applause’
courtesy of ‘tbridge’

No one wanted to leave last night’s Dismemberment Plan concert. I can totally understand why. Like many things about DC, I was late to the party.  I moved to DC as the band was at its Zenith, with Emergency & I a recent hit with the indie rock community, but my tastes tend toward more strophic rock and roll, rather than the frenetic unversed music of Travis Morrison and his cohorts. But, recognizing what an opportunity this was, I bought my ticket and stood in the packed balcony of the 9:30 Club last night for the last of the DC concerts.

The four-piece band played their fifth concert in as many nights, and looked totally at home on stage at the 9:30 Club before a sold out crowd that was deeply reverent of the Plan.  As far as the audience was concerned, these guys could do no wrong.  City Paper said of the show today, “D-Plan records are great because they’re personal. D-Plan shows are great because they’re communal. It’s all about the ritual.”

Right on.  As someone who went to figure out what it was that everyone was so excited about, and to understand a bit of DC’s rock history, it was an incredible glimpse into a band about which no one seems to utter a negative, or even merely apathetic, word.  Color me a fan of their live show, and now an owner of Emergency & I for future reminders.