Monthly Archives: March 2011

The Daily Feed
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Special Election Update: Campaign Finance Reports

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

Last week when the final numbers came in for the latest reporting period in the At-Large Council seat election, I was on assignment down in sunny Florida. These money numbers tend to be a barometer for successful campaigning, and with just 44 days until the election, how quickly these candidates can spend their cash effectively becomes the biggest part of the question. Here’s the breakdown thanks to the new top expense management software.

Sekou Biddle: Raised $47,000, On Hand $15,000 (potentially needs to be refiled)
Patrick Mara: Raised $29,000, On Hand $19,000
Jacque Patterson: Raised $15,000, On Hand, $18,000
Bryan Weaver: Raised $21,000, On Hand $20,000
Josh Lopez: Raised $16,000, On Hand, $19,000
Arkan Haile: Raised $4,000, On Hand, $11,000
Vincent Orange: Raised $191,000, On Hand, $191,000

Wait. $191,000 for Vincent Orange? Yep, had to look at that PDF filed by his campaign twice. So, what does it all mean?

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The Daily Feed
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Capitals look good against Blackhawks, still more work to be done

Photo courtesy of
‘IMG_2530.jpg’
courtesy of ‘bridgetds’

Everybody around the Capitals are starting to get a little bit antsy. Washington is a point back for the top seed in the Eastern Conference, it has won eight straight games and doing so in gritty style. The trade acquisitions are paying off and it does not seem to matter who is in goal, Washington is pulling out victories.

The Caps themselves do not seem to be antsy. If anything, a good adjective to describe them would be focused. Focused describes the surrounding media and fan base also, all looking towards the ice and seeing a team that is playing well and asking ‘what is it going to mean in the playoffs?’

Sunday’s 4-3 overtime matinee win against the defending Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks was a showcase game. It was the NBC Game Of The Week and had a little bit of a “what-if” surrounding it. What if the Caps had not gotten run by the Canadiens in the first round? What if they were able to grind through and make it through the Eastern Conference to play in the Finals? What if the faced this same Chicago team last June for it all?

One thing is for certain … it would have been fun to watch.

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Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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The Blake Show Topples The Wizards

Photo courtesy of
‘Blake Griffin’
courtesy of ‘Keith Allison’

For a 122-101 loss against The Clippers, there was something about the night that made it somewhat enjoyable.

Well at least until the last quarter.

Maybe it was the energy of the sold-out crowd or my return to the Verizon Center’s blogger’s row after a lengthy absence (I was busy watching Oscar films for much of February). Maybe it was the anticipation of watching the 2009 top overall draft pick go up against the 2010 top overall draft pick. Whatever it was I found myself having a great time with my colleagues.

However I know The Wizards can’t say the same thing. They lost. Badly.

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Essential DC, History, Life in the Capital, Monumental, People, The Features
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Monumental: The National Mall & Memories

Photo by Rachel Levitin

My first physical encounter with the ivory American tower that is the Lincoln Memorial was at the age of 12. When I graduated from my four-year stint at American University at age 22, I maintained and continued to proclaim that the Lincoln Memorial is my favorite place to “sit and do nothing” in D.C.

Its hallowed marble grounds and view of the Reflecting Pool is a unique visual shot only available in D.C. Thousands of visitors flood the site daily. It’s a nice stop for a group photo and the corner stone of an essential plot point in Wedding Crashers but at the age of 23 I have no idea why I still call the Lincoln Memorial my favorite place to “sit and do nothing” in D.C.

When you live in Washington for long enough, the tourist appeal loses its initial flare. Often times, those of us who announce residency for longer than a Presidential term are left to visit historical sites, memorials, landmarks, and museums when family or friends are here from out of town … or we’ve guilt tripped ourselves into venturing out into the District’s finest attraction – the National Mall. Continue reading →

Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Nats’ late heroics top Yanks, Harper sent down

Nationals vs Yankees at Space Coast Stadium

Spring Training is full of common hero tropes, and that’s part of what makes Sports into big entertainment and big drama for the fan. Today, we got a bit of the “underdog makes good” plotlines as the Nationals beat the Yankees 6-5 in the bottom of the ninth off the bat of a young phenom that the club is very excited about.

No, I don’t mean Bryce Harper (though he was right there when it happened, he was on second base), I mean catcher Derek Norris.

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The Daily Feed
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Capitals gone streaking: Seven in a row as Holtby withstands Hurricanes

Photo courtesy of
‘IMG_6630.jpg’
courtesy of ‘bridgetds’

Things are really starting to go the Capitals way.

Seven wins in a row. A fresh young goaltender riding a hot streak. A string of victories in one goal games. And now they have retaken second place in the Eastern Conference within striking distance of the Flyers for the top spot heading into the playoffs.

Where has this team been most of the year?

Washington was good in the fall. They were mediocre in November, January and a good portion of February. They were terrible in December. Yet, with a scrappy, opportunistic 2-1 win over the Hurricanes on Friday, Washington controls its destiny in the Southeast Division and is within a game of where everybody thought they would be when the season got rolling in October.

On the top.

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Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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Friday Happy Hour: ARTINI Edition – Week One

Photo credit: Daniel Swartz/REVAMP.COM Courtesy of Corcoran Gallery of Art

As Jenn posted at the beginning of the week the Cocoran’s annual fundraiser ARTINI 2011 is underway. Each of the twelve participating bars have a created a special cocktail inspired by works from the Cocoran’s collection which are on offer leading up to the April 2nd gala.

Throughout March, each bar gets one “feature night” when their creation is showcased and a portion of the proceeds is donated to the Corcoran – though the drink continues to be available the entire month. Because the We Love DC drinks team loves both drinks and art, we are especially enthusiastic about this project and will be using the Friday Happy Hours to recap the “feature nights” of each week.

The Week One contestants (and there is a competition element to this, too, after all): SEI Restaurant|Lounge, Farmers & Fishers, and Mie N Yu.
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Capital Chefs, Food and Drink, The Features
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Capital Chefs: Ed Witt of 701 (Part 2)

Photo courtesy of
‘To make a good salad is…….’
courtesy of ‘LaTur’

The recipe for this week is a simple one, but can be used in variety of ways. According to Witt, these maple candied walnuts are used to garnish the red wine pear, arugula, date and goat cheese salads at 701. While that sounds delicious, I’m sure you creative and ambitious foodies could find plenty of other uses for these walnuts. Read on for the full recipe.
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Entertainment, Interviews, Music, We Love Music
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Q&A with Andy Moor of The Ex


courtesy of PMA PR.

Andy Moor, guitarist in The Ex since 1990, lives in the Netherlands; his adopted home ever since he accepted the invitiation from The Ex to join their ever-changing ranks. I have been a fan of The Ex since high school, which means I have been a fan of theirs for (ahem) quite some time. The Ex are playing at the Black Cat tomorrow night and I thought it would be a fine opportunity to interview Andy about one of my favorite bands.

The first time I tried to call Andy, he was sleeping off jetlag having just returned from Addis Ababa. The second time I tried to reach him, he was out for a bike ride. The third time, he was on a boat ride with visiting family. I guess that’s what I get for expecting a so-called “anarchist” to stick to a schedule! Andy and I finally connected via Skype on the fourth try and we proceeded to have an epic conversation about some of Andy’s side projects, The Ex’s rich history of collaboration, the recent departure of G.W. Sok (the group’s lead singer for 30 years), the band’s excellent new album “Catch My Shoe”, and that pesky “anarcho-punk” label that follows The Ex everywhere, much to their chagrin.

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Food and Drink, The Features
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Capital Chefs: Ed Witt of 701 (Part 1)

Photo courtesy of
‘Chef Ed Witt of 701’
courtesy of ‘bonappetitfoodie’

Like many chefs I talk to, Ed Witt went into the restaurant industry in a sort of roundabout way. He had cooked in high school and enjoyed it, but it wasn’t until after four majors and three years in college that he decided to really pursue being a chef.

After stints in San Francisco and New York City, Witt returned to the DC area in 2009. Although he is originally from Binghamton, New York, Witt went to high school in DC and later attended University of Maryland. In June 2010, he became part of restauranteur Ashok Bajaj’s empire when he was hired as the executive chef of 701 Restaurant in Penn Quarter.

At times working in a restaurant downtown with a largely tourist-based clientele can be challenging. But for Witt there are plenty of positives in the kitchen. “I get to be pretty creative as long as it’s within our costs,” Witt says. At 701, Witt gets to experiment with housemade charcuterie and he’s excited about getting a pasta extruder for the restaurant. For those not familiar, a pasta extruder is a machine that can make pasta in various shapes that cannot be done by hand. “We keep pushing it, keep the menu fresh and keep changing things,” says Witt. Continue reading →

Adventures, Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The District
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WARL’s Pasta for Pets

Photo courtesy of
‘Cats Eating Pasta’
courtesy of ‘Lee Coursey’

Spaghetti Dinner? Yum! Bingo? Well, Bingo! Raising money for in need kittens and puppies? Snorgle-rific! Combining them all? Epic interspecies snorgling and noming, which is exactly what the Washington Animal Rescue League has planned for its annual Pasta for Pets event to be held Saturday, March 19 from 6:00 – 8:30pm at Eastern Market’s North Hall.

The night features delicious pasta from local restaurants, an assortment of homemade desserts and, most importantly, fundraising for WARL’s Project Rescue, which provides support for local families and individuals who are finding it difficult to provide for their pets in this challenging economic climate. Continue reading →

Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Nationals face off with the Mets in Spring Training Action

Nats v Mets

The Nationals are off to quite a start in their Spring Training in Viera, Florida.  Their 7-3 start makes it the best start since the club left Montreal, but March baseball isn’t the sort that counts in the longterm.  Today’s matchup with the Mets was delayed slightly by a torrential downpour that covered much of Florida, but that didn’t seem to dampen the spirits of the fans or the club.

In front of a light audience, the Nationals put on a clinic in the first, getting a pair of singles from Nyjer Morgan, and Ian Desmond, and a nice full-count walk to Jayson Werth put Adam LaRoche up against the Mets’ Mike Pelfrey with no one out and the bases loaded.  Another six feet on the ball he crushed to dead center would’ve put the Nationals up by four, but it was enough to put the Nationals ahead by a pair.

The Mets would threaten against the Nationals in the fourth, but Chad Gaudin worked himself out of a 1-out jam with runners on the corners with a filthy off-speed strikeout and a well-timed short fly.  The Nats play a pair today, we’ll have a full wrap of the games after this evening’s tilt against the Astros.

The Daily Feed, WMATA
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Metro set to “realign” Blue/Yellow lines, confuse riders

Photo courtesy of
‘125/365-2 Courthouse tunnel’
courtesy of ‘eschweik’

Today, Metro announced plans to “realign” service on the Blue and Yellow lines (actually on the Orange line too, but we’ll get to that) as a way to relieve some of the pressure of people transferring between the Blue and Orange lines at Rosslyn, prepare for the Dulles Metro extension, and “realign service to match changing ridership market.” The changes are planned to take effect in June 2012, meaning you have plenty of time to think through the implications for your commute.

The full report and presentation are worth a read for you Metro geeks, but for those of you who just want to know how it’s going to affect you, here’s the summary: Metro is trying to get suburban riders out of your way. Continue reading →

Food and Drink, We Love Drinks
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Drinks Special: Irish Whiskey


‘Redbreast’
courtesy of ‘philipmatarese’

I come from a line of whiskey drinkers. Well, that’s really only about half true. The other line drinks whisky. But perhaps I should explain. Irish whiskey gets the ‘e’ (as does most American whiskey), while Scotch whisky goes without (and shares that spelling with Canadian whisky). Even the paper of record updated its style on the subject. By surname, my father’s family is more Irish than anything else. On the other hand, my mother’s family can be traced to Scotland. Both family histories, for what it’s worth, pass through Kentucky, itself no slouch when it comes to distilling. To the best of my knowledge there weren’t actually any distillers (or moonshiners) in the family, but I digress.

I do enjoy a wee dram now and again, but I like to do so on the merits of the spirit, not just for the benefit of getting blind. As such I tend to avoid bars on the major drinking holidays. Since I believe that one should respect the spirit, and I also believe that Irish whiskey deserves that respect, here’s a primer on some of the Irish whiskey you can find in the DC area in advance of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. If I’ve left out your favorite, please feel free to set me straight in the comments. It’s been too long since I’ve had Clontarf for me to have an opinion on its merits.

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Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Environmental Film Fest Starts with Party Tonight

Photo courtesy of
‘Bizarro Tulips’
courtesy of ‘theqspeaks’

Tonight marks the launch party for the 2011 Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital; soon the lights will go down for 150 films from 40 countries that illustrate the connection between energy and the environment.

The festival runs from March 15-27 in various locations around the city, and it includes talks by 55 filmmakers and 94 special guests. Tonight’s kickoff starts at 6:30 in the Warner Building Atrium and features art, dance, and music.

Which of this year’s films are of local interest?
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Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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This Week in Food

Photo courtesy of
‘Ray’s Hell-Burger’
courtesy of ‘KentonNgo’
It’s been quite a busy week in food!

The food truck/cupcake/small business/personal quest (?) wars continue…and get quite strange indeed. Read Sprinklegate turns food truck war in The Washington Examiner.

Are you always arguing with friends about which burger joint in DC is actually the best? Well, Food & Wine picks two DC restaurants for us as part of its “Best Burgers in DC” slideshow. Their picks: Ray’s Hell Burger in Arlington (shocking) and Palena Café.

Agora is adding a new fixed price, three-course lunch menu at $14.99 per person Monday through Friday from 11 AM until 3 PM. You can pick Turkish and Greek inspired dishes like grilled ground lamb and beef kebab with sumac onions & Baklava, along with a choice of non-alcoholic beverage. 

If you really follow chef moves, Top Chef Finalist Carla Hall joins DC Central Kitchen’s Board of Directors. DCCK is also looking to start a Truck Farm. Curious? Find out more here. 

Executive Chef Brian McBride has tapped Eric Fleischer as the New Chef de Cuisine of the Award-Winning Blue Duck Tavern. Most recently, Fleischer worked as chef de cuisine at Zola in Penn Quarter.

Speaking of PQ, accoring to Penn Quarter Insider, Hill Country BBQ opens on Saturday (or maybe the 17th?). So check it out one of those days or go to U Street’s newest sports bar, Touchdown. TBD reports that Touchdown opened its doors Tuesday in the former space of Momo’s Sports Bar. The bar shows-off old photographs of the Washington Senators from the 1924 World Series.

Happy eating!