Monthly Archives: February 2011

The Daily Feed
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Rep. Allen West’s “plan” for DC Voting Rights

Photo courtesy of
‘Bad Idea (crop)’
courtesy of ‘starbuck77’

While I applaud Rep. Allen West (R-FL) for taking a keen interest in the politics of the District of Columbia, his plans to address representation for the District through a taxation exclusionary zone in the District seem at odds with what the citizens of the District want (voting rights), at odds with how to accomplish what they want (through the will of those who live here), and at odds with his Tea Party backing (Really? You want to get increase the deficit by $20B+?).

I’m sure that this is just a trial balloon on West’s part, putting up a possible solution to a crisis without thinking it all the way through. While this would make DC an attractive area for the wealthy (what, “Real” Housewives didn’t do that already?), wouldn’t the influx of shelter-seeking Americans drive out those who already live here through higher rents (born by market demand) and further harm the area?

 

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The Daily Feed
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Hamilton’s Tap Dance

Hamilton's Tap Dance
‘Hamilton’s Tap Dance’
courtesy of ‘A. L. Huber’

Food and drink challenges are fun; secret, off-menu food and drink challenges are even more fun. The Tap Dance Challenge at Hamilton’s Bar and Grill falls into the later category. The challenge itself is deceptively and enticingly simple: for $30 you have the opportunity to drink one pint of each of the ten beers than Hamilton’s has on tap (Magic Hat #9, Coors Light, Lienenkugel’s Sunset Wheat, Miller Lite, Yuengling, Samuel Adams Boston Lager, Smithwick’s, Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA, Samuel Adams Seasonal, Guinness Stout), in order and within three hours. The rules are also simple: no vomiting. If you violate this rule and don’t manage to deposit your bodily fluids in an appropriate receptacle, expect to pay an additional $20 cleaning charge. Win and you secure bragging rights and a stylish tshirt.

So, if you decide to attempt this challenge, here are a few pieces of advice. First, don’t attempt this challenge if you enjoy sobriety.  You will get drunk: the human body can only metabolize approximately .5oz of alcohol an hour (about the amount in one 12oz beer, 6oz wine, or 1.5oz shot) and this challenge involves drinking at more than three times that rate. Second, eat a fairly large, balanced meal several hours before you attempt the Tap Dance. A mix of carbohydrates and proteins in your system will help slow alcohol absorption. Third, bring a friend. It will be very helpful if you have a friend with you who is not participating in the challenge so that they can help you out if you need it later (thanks to my lovely girlfriend for putting up with me Saturday night!). Finally, don’t be a hero. Understand that this is a fairly daunting challenge, both in terms of alcohol and volume. If you or your friends think it’s time to throw in the towel, it probably is; sometimes, discretion is the better part of valor.

Featured Photo
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Featured Photo

Photo courtesy of
‘Enlightened Reader’
courtesy of ‘pablo.raw’

There’s so much I admire about this shot. First, it’s well spotted and composed. Initially, I thought it might be posed, even, but there’s really no indication that is the case.

Secondly, pablo.raw certainly threw his camera into manual. With oncoming lights and the relative darkness of most Metro stations, it’d be all but impossible for the exposure and focus to have hit the right spot.

Lastly, Metro stations make great backdrops, and it’s still not illegal to take great looking pictures in the system!

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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We Love DC & SeamlessWeb Giveaway

Photo courtesy of
‘After all, coffee is bitter…….’
courtesy of ‘LaTur’

Do you like coffee? Do you like freebies? Well, we have both for you. SeamlessWeb, a website that lets you order delivery and takeout from 5,000 plus restaurants in 27 cities, is bringing its Free Coffee Days promotion to DC.

From February 7th to 27th SeamlessWeb will hand out out more than 75,000 free cups of coffee all over the city from a SeamlessWeb branded truck (Feb. 7-10) and partner restaurants (Feb. 14-27).

To coincide with this promotion, SeamlessWeb is giving us two $25 gift cards to give two of our lucky readers. Comment below telling us why you love coffee, and we’ll choose two winners using random.org.

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Entertainment, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Fern Knight/The Plums @ Comet Ping Pong, 2/5/11


Courtesy of Fern Knight.

The back room is filling up at Comet Ping Pong in anticipation of two intriguing bands set to showcase their sound and songs. Ping Pong tables are being pushed aside to make way for the crowd as the rather confused method of having people go back and pay a cover charge takes place. Martin Bisi and band [correction: The Plums]* set up and go through the laborious sound check as everyone eagerly awaits the music. And this is a fine bill with the talented New York based producer/engineer Bisi leading a band that sound a bit like some of the bands he has worked with such as Sonic Youth and Swans followed by Fern Knight, an always interesting DC/Philadelphia band with wonderful psyche and folk elements in their songs.

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The Daily Feed
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The Winning Ticket (Extra): Gang of Four

We’ve got a pair of tickets to see post-punk legends Gang of Four at 9:30 Club with your name on them!

The gang are back under the leadership of Jon King and Andy Gill with a new rhythm section and a great new album. This is one of my favorite bands and their show at the club in 2005 made my short-list for the year’s best by living up to and surpassing my highest expectations. Gang of Four perform at 9:30 Club on Wednesday, February 9.

For your chance to win these tickets simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address between now 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…
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Food and Drink, Foodie Roundup, The Features
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Valentine’s Day for Every Couple: The Problem Solving Edition

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘erin m’

It’s t minus one week until Valentine’s Day, and if you’re reading this, you’ve got problems. You haven’t decided on the year’s most romantic meal that will impress not only your significant other, but every person you’ve ever met. There’s a lot of pressure when it comes to Valentine’s plans, and there are way too many choices. So this year, we’ve shortcut it for you. For every stage or annoyance in your relationship, there is a Valentine’s Day option for it.

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Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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New Chef at Buddha-Bar

Photo courtesy of
‘Buddha Bar 16’
courtesy of ‘maxedaperture’

Downtown Buddha-Bar has announced a new executive chef, Simon Volante, who officially joined the restaurant last week.

While Volante most recently worked as the executive chef at RED Restaurant & Bar in Los Angeles, he has also worked at DC’s Willard Room Restaurant, Jeffrey’s at the Watergate, Aquarelle and The Jefferson Hotel. At RED, Volante focused on an Asian-fusion dining concept, which he’ll undoubtedly carry over to Buddha-Bar.

Mikhail Don, co-owner of Buddha-Bar said in a statement, “Chef Volante is a natural fit to lead Buddha-Bar DC’s culinary team, and we are thrilled that he accepted our offer. You can expect inspiring things from us this year, as I’m confident that Chef Volante will take our innovative, fresh cuisine to even greater heights.”

Buddha-Bar’s previous executive chef, Greg Fortunato, left on good terms with Buddha-Bar and moved back to Las Vegas to be closer to his family, according to a public relations representative for the restaurant.

Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Monotonix @ Comet Ping-Pong, 2/4/11

Monotonix at Comet 018
All photos by author

So this is what anarchy feels like.

Even with over 700 shows under their belt, Monotonix’s show on Friday night at Comet might’ve been the best chance to catch them on this tour. For reference, their show earlier this week in L.A. attracted 600 fans to a tiny venue – the cops ended up shutting down the show. Comet, on the other hand, can only hold 120 people in the back room. The show was sold out around 11pm, and the staff were kicking out people who didn’t have tickets, to stay within fire code.

For those lucky enough to get in, Comet’s back room was ideal for vocalist Ami Shalev’s antics. Sure, I’m a big fan of Monotonix’s brand of garage rock – noisy, positive, exciting, with energetic drums and dirty guitar licks. But a Monotonix show is more performance art than concert. The packed crowd offered a platform for Ami to climb around the room on our arms and shoulders, using every bit of space in the room from the floor to the rafters. I’ve never seen a band so utterly destroy the 4th wall between band and audience.
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Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Wizards Collapse Late In Defeat Against Hawks

Photo courtesy of
‘Wizards’
courtesy of ‘erin m’

There’s no “me” in Wizards.

Go with me on this one, I had to change up the adage a little bit.

After half-time the Wizards went back onto the floor trailing the Atlanta Hawks 52-46. Over the course of the second half the Wizards managed to catch back up to within striking distance but didn’t have enough juice in the final quarter and fell short 92-99. The key difference was in their free throw shooting where they went 8-18, compared to 26-35 from the Hawks. Doesn’t matter if you criticize the FT% or the free throw attempts, it’s still a terrible number.

On the surface the team didn’t do too bad: the players shot 50%, Nick Young had another solid night with 21 points (and a new fro), and Al Thornton had a dunk that is already being called “Dunk of the Year.

The problem is the team isn’t performing to the true sum of the parts. Everybody is trying to one the game on their own, not as a team.

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News, The Daily Feed
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Fire at Museum of Natural History this morning

Photo courtesy of
‘Smoke on the Mall’
courtesy of ‘kimberlyfaye’

A mid-commute fire at an out-building at the Museum of Natural History on the Mall started a bit of a fracas, traffic-wise near the intersection of Constitution and 9th street NW this morning.  The fire is reportedly the result of a welding mishap in the building that holds the museum’s cooling equipment.

The smoke cloud was disturbing to many this morning, resembling a mushroom cloud in shape, and certainly not the way one would want to start a Monday morning.  The fire was quickly doused by DC Fire/EMS, and they have reported the museum was in no danger.

Shake it off, DC. No problem here.

Weekend Flashback
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Weekend Flashback: 2/4 – 2/6/11

Photo courtesy of
‘_DSC0637’
courtesy of ‘mediaslave’

After perusing the Flickr pool this morning, you would have never thought there was some big game on television last night. Apparently dominating everyone’s mood was the celebration of the Chinese New Year in Chinatown yesterday afternoon!

Still, it was a jam-packed weekend for most, along with some great weather. As you settle back to work, take a moment to reflect on the weekend past, including victories won, contests lost, and celebrations galore. Continue reading →

capitals hockey, Sports Fix
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Caps Evolve, Shut Out Penguins 3-0

DSC_9741

Last year at this time, DC was buried under Snowmaggedon. The Caps lit the region with a hard-fought win over the Penguins as everyone prepped for the Super Bowl. This year, it’s deja-vu…sorta.

The Caps came into this afternoon’s contest on a mission to establish themselves and their game plan. After their dominating win over Tampa on Friday, it was imperative the Caps continue their new-found momentum as the Pittsburgh Penguins visited the Verizon Center.

Pittsburgh, however, arrived missing two of their marquee players. Sidney Crosby was currently out of the lineup due to lingering concussion symptoms from a Jan 5 game against Tampa Bay, and Evgeni Malkin was out, awaiting a second opinion on his torn MCL/ACL in his right knee. (Malkin may be out for the season at this point.) Continue reading →

capitals hockey, The Daily Feed
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Caps Turn Back Clock, Strike Lightning

Photo courtesy of
‘Backstrom’
courtesy of ‘Dan4th’

Tuning in the Caps/Lightning contest last night was like watching a game from last season. The Capitals’ top line dominated, the team was ready offensively, goaltending was solid, and it felt like it was 2010 all over again.

The Caps dropped Southeast Division rival Tampa Bay by a 5-2 score, putting 5 goals behind Lightning goalie Dwayne Roloson, who has previously stoned the Caps – twice. Nicklas Backstrom potted two goals and four points, captain Alex Ovechkin contributed a power play goal (his first since Oct 30) and three assists, and linemate Jason Chimera finished it off with an empty netter. The result was a happy one for Caps fans, who let out a collective sigh of relief across the DC area.

Whether the team that showed up last night in Tampa is the one returning home this weekend remains to be seen, however. The Caps face a battered Penguins team on Sunday during a Super Bowl appetizer match-up; game time is 12:30 on NBC.

The Caps’ penalty kill streak was ended at 27 when Brett Clark tipped a puck in behind Semyon Varlamov with only 7 seconds left in a Matt Hendricks penalty. But it was the last score the Lightning would get on the night.

The Caps are now only three points behind Tampa in the division.

The Daily Feed
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Arenas returns to help Magic grind out Wizards

Photo courtesy of
‘Introducing Gilbert Arenas’
courtesy of ‘afagen’

It came down to a grind.

The Wizards do not grind well.

Dwight Howard had 22 points and 15 rebounds, Jameer Nelson had 11 assists against one turnover and weary Magic blew away the Wizards at Verizon Center 110-92.

It was the first game that Gilbert Arenas, traded for Rashard Lewis in December, played the team he had been with for seven years. He got a mixed ovation when he first entered the game late in the first quarter and, ironically, was the epitome of the grind that the Magic used to carry the win. Arenas played 24:38 and had 10 points, six assists and six rebounds and when it was time to play defense handled himself beyond his coach’s expectations.

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Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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Friday Happy Hour: Goose Island Dominique

It’s time for Friday Happy Hour, highlighting a drink we’ve recently enjoyed, every Friday at 4pm! Please share your favorites as well.

I may be against eating meat but I am totally in favor of day drinking. When Addison arranged a ChurchKey for brunch on Sunday, I asked to tag along. As a vegetarian, I wanted nothing to do with the Luther – I just wanted to socialize and drink beers at noon.

Noon seem early for a bourbon-barrel aged wild ale – but by the time we wrapped up the multi-hour brunch session, several glasses of Goose Island Dominique had made their way to our table. I think everybody ordering beer at the table had at least a small glass.

Goose Island produces the very delicious Bourbon County Stout, which is aged in used bourbon barrels. After they age the stout in those barrels, they recycle them again to age a wild-yeast farmhouse style ale to produce the Dominique. The barrel-aging infuses the beer with a bourbony, spirituous quality and vanilla note, which blends perfectly with the more tart, sour, and rustic flavors.

The fascinating thing about this beer is that it seems to be so balanced that it really appeals to a wide variety of tastes. Everybody with whom I have sampled this seems to enjoy it. When I found myself at ChurchKey again with another beer nerd, his sip of mine turned into him ordering himself another glass. (I forced myself to have something else and ordered a different Goose Island, the Pepe Nero, for my next drink.)

It does not go overboard in any single direction which may not impress the heads who want something really intense or distinctive. Instead, the beer has a certain elegance and subtlety – without being boring.

Capital Chefs, Food and Drink, The Features
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Capital Chefs: Tom Marr of Pete’s Apizza (Part 2)

Photo courtesy of
‘squash’
courtesy of ‘ekelly80’

So I didn’t manage to obtain the secrets behind making New Haven style pizza (besides, would it even compare to the real thing if you made it at home?) But, I did get a great recipe for one of Pete’s Apizza’s antipasti: carmelized winter squash, sundried cherries and apple crisps with a cider vinaigrette. According to Chef Marr, you can use a variety of squash for this recipe–butternut squash, acorn squash–depending on your preferences and what’s available or in season. For those of you wary about stepping in the kitchen, fear not. The dish is an easy, but impressive, appetizer to serve to your friends the next time they come over for dinner. The recipe is for a large amount, so feel free to scale it down if you’re not cooking for a crowd.

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The Daily Feed
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Hot Ticket: Chromeo @ 9:30 Club, 2/6/11

Hey Ladies,

While all your boyfriends and husbands are jumping out of their armchairs, hooting at the television in their salsa stained Rothilsberger jerseys on Sunday, you can be at the 9:30 Club listening to the sexy smooth sounds of Canada’s most recent threat to monogamy since k.d. lang and Gordon Lightfoot. Of course I’m talking about Chromeo.

It’s your choice. You can be at home, relegated to sitting on the ottoman to make room for your fella’s friends on the couch; watching your man give his bro a touch-down celebratory hug that contains more affection than he’s shown you in a year; or you could be at the 9:30 Club on Sunday night, being seduced by Chromeo’s sultry sythesizers and worked-over by their brassiere busting bass.

Head over to 9:30 Club on Sunday and let Chromeo’s P-Thugg and Dave 1 give you the attention you deserve.

Chromeo
w/ MNDR and The Suzan
@ 9:30 Club
2/6 – 7pm
$25

Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Girl Talk @ 9:30 Club, 2/1/11

IMG_2392.jpg
All photos by Andrew Markowitz

If you’re looking for a good dance party, you can’t do much better than Girl Talk.

Gregg Gillis, the man behind the moniker Girl Talk, sits as the king of the mash-up, where different parts of different songs are combined into a track that’s both retro and fresh. The genius of Girl Talk is that he shifts from one part to the next so quickly that it doesn’t get stale – before you can name that tune, it’s on to the next one. It’s the perfect soundtrack for the ADD generation.

I thought that the best way to enjoy Girl Talk was to sit around with your friends, drinking beers and calling out which Radiohead beats were mixed with which Missy Elliot verses. Of course, Girl Talk’s music is solid enough to stand on its own, beyond being just a long game of ‘name that tune’, and the live show propels it to a new level. It seizes your attention and never lets go. If you stop paying attention, you’re bound to get hit in the face with toilet paper propelled by a leaf-blower.
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