‘hisssss’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’
Another weekend has come and gone. Well, let’s try to keep the “Mondays” at bay for alittle longer, and relive some small pieces of the weekend! Continue reading
By Brian Mosley
Monthly Archives: June 2011
By Brian Mosley
By Tom Bridge
The White House on Zillow, only $262M!
‘Hi Honey. I’m home!’
courtesy of ‘cruffo’
When you consider that the winning campaign in the 2008 Presidential Election spent about $800M or so to achieve victory, Zillow’s prediction concerning 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue at $262M of value seems a bit off. Now, the 16 bedrooms and 35 bathrooms, not to mention an attached garage, make it a pretty nice house, not to mention all of the security features that it contains, many of which aren’t listed in the property detail.
At 55,000 square feet, it does cut a stunning profile, and there’s central air and heat, so you’ve got that going for you. I hear the owner’s in a load of debt, so they could probably turn it into some quick cash if you threw a bunch of money at them.
By Tom Bridge
Nationals drop game to Orioles 7-4, end streak at 8
‘Moon over Nationals Park’
courtesy of ‘BrianMKA’
Streaks are hard things.
Streaks take you out of seeing the Big Picture, and they change your focus to the tiny reality of the streak. Streaks of either kind aren’t microcosms, they’re localized disruptions of the normal. As a good friend said Sunday, “Losing streaks are the result of talent, while winning streaks are the result of luck.”
The Nationals came into Sunday’s game riding as high as they’ve been all season, winners of eight straight and 10 of their last 13. They didn’t hardly look like the same team on the field on Sunday. Maybe they indulged a bit too much at Saturday night’s Dream Foundation Gala, but the Nats just couldn’t get it going. 3 errors, and some rough plate appearances were their undoing, and they dropped the game, and the streak, in a 7-3 loss in front of 35,439.
By Tom Bridge
Nationals enjoy the catbird seat, win eighth straight over O’s 4-2
‘reach for the prize’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’
The Nationals picked up their eighth straight victory on Saturday afternoon against the struggling Orioles and climbed to within a win of a .500 record. They did it today on the bats of Michael Morse and Ryan Zimmerman, each of whom had a towering shot. Zimmerman struck in the bottom of the first with a tape measure blast to left field that tied the game at one, and Morse struck a two-run shot, his thirteenth, in the sixth, putting the Nats ahead for good.
Jordan Zimmermann, despite struggling a bit in the first few innings, put together 6 1/3 IP of 2-run ball, and picked up his 5th win. His record is now 5-6, and his ERA dropped just slightly to 3.08. Drew Storen saved his 17th game of the season, facing just three batters in the 9th. Henry Rodriguez came in to pitch 1.2 IP in the 6th and 7th, and pitched the Nationals out of a nasty jam in the sixth. Rodriguez sent Adam Jones down on just three pitches, two 83-mph sliders sandwiching a 101-mph fastball. As Mark Zuckerman said, “That’s just not fair.”
By Tom Bridge
Nats rack up 8 in 7th straight win, beat Orioles 8-4
Photos by Patrick Pho, special to We Love DC
Oh, for a real crosstown rivalry.
The Nationals came into the Battle of the Beltways (or whatever they’re calling it this year) on a tear, having won six straight, and having just swept the formerly hot Cardinals. Tonight, they put their best starter on the mound against a slumping Baltimore team, and the damnedest thing happened. The Orioles ganged up for a dozen hits off Marquis, but only plated four runs. They’d pick up another half dozen against the Nationals’ bullpen, but couldn’t strike again, while the Nationals picked up 8 runs on just 10 hits, striking for 7 runs on 6 hits in the fifth and sixth innings.
By Brittany
Friday Happy Hour: PKNY
If there is a better spot in DC to go with a friend for a drink and a lot of talking than the courtyard patio of Bourbon Steak, in the Georgetown Four Seasons, I do not know where it is. The spot is utterly peaceful – there are comfortable outdoor sofa things to lounge on, amazing staff who are attentive but laid-back, and actual birds chirping. It is not exactly a banging dance party scene, mind you. On an early Wednesday evening, the crowd seemed skewed toward hotel guests and Georgetown Ladies – but with weather that gorgeous, a setting that pleasant, and delicious drinks to sip, it did not matter at all.
And delicious all our drinks were. Perhaps slightly under the radar, the cocktail program at Bourbon Steak is really top-notch. Sure, with a name like that, one might focus on the whiskey section of the substantial binder that serves as a menu – and there are many fantastic choices available individually or in curated flights. However, flip toward the front of that binder and you will find several pages of seasonal cocktail suggestions which include classics and newer creations, all well-selected and well-executed.
The bar had just switched over to a summer menu, punctuated with a few tropical touches which make for fun things to sip on in the sunshine and I decided to go with their version of a painkiller, called PNKY.
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By Tom Bridge
Montgomery County shuts down kids’ lemonade stand
‘NOT SAFE FOR PUBLIC USE’
courtesy of ‘Metro Centric’
Montgomery County decided today to shutdown a lemonade stand near the Congressional Golf Course run by the children of two local families because they did not pay $300 for a vendor permit. While the $500 fine has been waived by the County, and the kids can setup somewhere “more private” this still seems to be the kind of thing that just brings me down.
Sorry kids, lemonade stands cost $300 in baksheesh to the county. Next time plan ahead.
By Capital Chefs: Quanta Robinson of Black’s Bar and Kitchen (Part 2)
‘Black’s Bar and Kitchen-10’
‘courtesy of spiggycat‘
Summertime rolls around and if you’re like me and have a kitchen that turns into a sauna from June through September, you want to spend as little time as possible over the stove. That’s not to say that you’re willing to sacrifice having a good meal. After the jump, you’ll find chef Quanta Robinson’s recipe for Malt Mussels with Frites (read: french fries). It’s straightforward and doesn’t take a ton of time to cook. Plus who doesn’t love a brothy bowl of mussels with a good chunk of crusty bread or frites?
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By Brittany
Local Authors Debut “An Illustrated Guide to Cocktails”
“Strong, sweet, and bitter—a good cocktail has the intrigue of an alluring drama, the joy of a salty-sweet dessert, and the sin of a vice. From the raucous innkeepers of the 18th century to the gangster bootleggers of Prohibition, liquor has always had a dark side, and cocktails are the keepers of its lore. Some creation legends include tales of the New York gangster and poker hustler Jack Rose, the famous matador film Blood and Sand, and a club dancer named Margarita Carmen that eventually became the pin-up actress known as Rita Hayworth. Where there’s a drink, there’s a story.”
That is the description offered for An Illustrated Guide to Cocktails by locals Orr Shtuhl and Elizabeth Graeber. The new release features recipes and origin stories for a variety of classic drinks, accompanied by beautiful and whimsical illustrations.
“Cocktails seemed like the perfect subject for us,” Shtuhl says of how the idea for the book came about. “They each come with their own little self-contained tales, and that’s how we wanted to set the book up. There’s a new story on every page, so it’s the kind of book you can open up in the middle and read here and there.”
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By Hot Ticket: Weekend Edition
courtesy of Iceage.
There are more live music options than you can count on two hands happening around town and beyond this weekend. To help you cut the chaff, we’ve cooked up some concert recommendations that can’t miss. Read on about four upcoming shows that have the We Love DC stamp of approval!
Food Truck Tracker
‘Curbside Cupcake Van’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’
Lunchtime has rolled around. And you forgot to pack something. You’re peeved, and a crummy bag of chips from the vending machine just won’t do. But as you sit at your desk you remember the food trucks! And you proclaim: “As God as my witness, I’ll never go hungry again!” before triumphantly dashing to one of the trucks nearby.
Thus concludes the week of movie-themed Food Truck Trackers. Enjoy your weekend, everyone!
Capital Chefs: Quanta Robinson of Black’s Bar and Kitchen (Part 1)
‘Black’s Bar and Kitchen-17‘
‘courtesy of spiggycat‘
A lot of people will say that food can open up a whole new world for a person, be it a new world of flavors and ingredients or insight into a foreign culture. Quanta Robinson, executive chef at Black’s Bar and Kitchen in Bethesda, sees it as her job to open people’s minds with cooking.
“It’s rewarding to hear, ‘I would never have tried ‘blank,’ but I did and I liked it,” she says. Quanta says that sometimes it’s as easy as changing the seasoning or the approach to a dish or particular ingredient, in order to get people to try something new (and like it). “I’m horrible with change, so I know it’s hard to break out of a comfort zone,” she jokes. But when a server or a guest at Black’s tells her that they enjoyed a dish they never thought they would, that’s when she can smile and cherish a “small victory.” “A lot of people aren’t chance-y or they’re picky, so it’s about making those people leave happy,” she says.
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By Tom Bridge
Nationals shuffle the deck, beat Cards in extras 7-4
‘Washington Nationals second baseman Danny Espinosa (18)’
courtesy of ‘Keith Allison’
The Nationals came into Thursday night’s game with their longest winning streak since 2009, having strung three wins together in San Diego to close out their road trip, and in position to complete the sweep against the Cardinals. Standing in between them and their goal was the best-hitting team in the National League, and Kyle Lohse.
John Lannan’s last four starts put him in a strong position to command the respect of hitters, with an ERA of just 0.68 representing just 2 runs. Lannan thankfully got his groundball outs tonight, and faced just six more than the minimum through 7 innings tonight, getting 16 groundball outs. His sinker was sinking tonight, and the defense behind him mitigated the six hits hie gave up.
This was a game of home-runs. The ball was just flying out of the park tonight, and of the seven homers, not a single one was even close to the wall. The Nats launched four bombs, while the Cardinals hit three, none shorter than 375 feet. The biggest came in the bottom of the tenth, as the rain bore down on our fair city, Danny Espinosa evacuated the ballpark with a shot into the Nats bullpen to end it.
By Brittany
We Love Music: Beirut @ Black Cat, 6/14/11
‘Zach Condon’
courtesy of ‘ElfieTakesPictures’
Zach Condon breezes on stage before the sold-out audience with his shirt-sleeves rolled up and smiles as he takes his spot in the center. To either side of him are the five other musicians who make up the current line-up of Beirut, sharing amongst the six of them about a dozen instruments, but this one-time solo bedroom project remains clearly Condon’s band and he looks comfortable in the starring role.
Beirut’s distinctively lush and exotically-influenced style is recreated beautifully live. One notices early in the set that Condon really, truly sings more than the average male indie vocalist – and when he does it is stunning. Presumably honed by years of projecting out over the massive crowds on the European festival circuit, he fills the Black Cat with his voice. When not singing, he alternates between six-string ukelele and trumpet and, at one point, switched to piano.
There is a sophistication to the whole band’s performance that set it apart. There is a trope in concert reviewing to describe musicians as having “raw energy” or “blistering power.” That is not Beirut. Which is by no means to say they lack emotional intensity or seem unenthusiastic about live performance. Instead, the band simply seems rehearsed – not surprising given the time they have spent with the majority of the night’s songs at this point – and genuinely musically proficient and talented.
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New Chef at Ripple in Cleveland Park
‘Making gnocchi at Ripple’
courtesy of ‘bonappetitfoodie’
In the most recent chef news in DC, Logan Cox has taken the helm at Cleveland Park’s Ripple. Previously, Cox was the executive chef at New Heights and had also worked with Frank Ruta at Palena and Tarver King at Woodlands Resort and Inn in Charleston, SC. He started working at Ripple in May.
From the looks of it, the menu won’t be changing much. There’s a farm-to-table emphasis (which I’m pretty sure existed previously), and dishes like the crispy duck breast, gnocchi and baked-to-order chocolate chip cookies remain on the menu with slightly different twists. Cox studied for a year in Italy, so perhaps we can expect this influence to peek through on the menu. For example, there’s a smoked quail agnolotti with hazelnuts and English peas that is available, according to a press release.
As for the previous executive chef, Teddy Diggs, word on the internet indicates he has moved to Martha’s Vineyard where he is the current chef at Home Port Restaurant, an 80-year-old institution. Sad to see Diggs leave Ripple, but it should be interesting to see if and how Ripple’s menu will change under the new chef.
By Tom Bridge
We Love Weekends: June 19-20, 2011
‘Another Pass’
courtesy of ‘qr7d88 (Alex)’
Rachel: I’m embarking upon a self-imposed stay-cation for the weekend and will be hiding away in my studio apartment. What will I be doing? Turning off all electronic devices, sticking a guitar in my hands along with a pen and paper on the side, and writing. My goal is to come away with at least one solid song from the process and a lot of additional material to continue to work on as time progresses. If I weren’t tucked away in songwriter’s solitude, I’d likely find myself at Kramer’s — which happens often on the weekends — for a bagel and lox on Saturday. I’ve also been trying to stay active now that I have my mountain bike, so I’d like to scope out some good riding paths around town that are as far away from major streets as possible. When I need a break from music making, my bike will take me somewhere to clear my cluttered head. Any suggestions of where to ride? Leave ’em in the comments!
Brittany: On Thursday, I am heading to the Black Cat (second time this week) to see charming English twee-pop outfit Allo Darlin’. I really am terribly twee, after all. Friday night, I will be stopping by the headquarters of The Dunes LLC in Columbia Heights for a fashion-photography exhibit closing party, featuring a few vintage and boutique vendors to shop while partying – including my beloved Ginger Root. I cannot stay very late though, because I have to wake up rather early to embark on a mini-road trip up to Brooklyn. This will call for a coffee stop at SOVA or Peregrine before I drive anywhere. My companion and I will devote the rest of our weekend to an intense schedule of seeing friends, shopping, drinking awesome cocktails, and, possibly, the McQueen exhibit.
By Tom Bridge
Parenting: Let’s just pretend last year’s rankings never happened, shall we?
‘At the newspaper stand’
courtesy of ‘faungg’
I can’t even try to explain this one.
Last year, Parenting magazine put Arlington atop its annual “Best Place to Live & Raise a Family” rankings, while the District, whose features were touted by the magazine as its strength through proximity, was ranked #71.
This year’s rankings are out, and it seems there’s a bit of a flip-flop. This year, DC is ranked #1, and Arlington is #70.
Has so much changed in the last 365 days since the last rankings were out? Nope, not really, but it seems that the algorithm at Parenting Magazine sure has. What I said last year, applies now in reverse:
“I don’t mean to bag on the District here, it’s definitely a great place to live, but it’s a great place to live in part because of its proximity to Arlington. I’d say having now lived in both DC and Arlington, there’s no way at all that Arlington is #70 while DC is #1. Something’s deeply broken here, and I’d love to know what. I won’t come out and accuse Parenting of anything short of faulty math and bad writing.”
By Tom Bridge
Crazy Beltway Sex at 85mph leads to car crash, claims cabbie
‘Jaguar E-Type 4.2 at Samuel’s in Allston: View from the driver’s seat’
courtesy of ‘Chris Devers’
“Stickshifts and Safetybelts, bucket seats have all got to go, because when I’m driving, in the car, it makes my baby seem so far.” – Cake, “Stickshifts and Safetybelts”
Tom Jackman of the Post has the highlights for this one, but here’s the summary: A cabbie is suing a Woodbridge man for an accident that wrecked his cab.
The defendant is claimed to have been driving at 85mph on the Beltway in Fairfax, intoxicated, whilst having relations with another occupant of the vehicle, which caused the car accidents.
There are a couple problems here that make me doubt the veracity of the cabbie’s claim:
By Tom Bridge
Kolzig returns to Caps as coach
‘Ollie Kolzig’
courtesy of ‘rjv541’
Per the team and On Frozen Blog, the Capitals have signed a deal to return Olie Kolzig to the Capitals, this time as Associate Coach for Goaltenders. Kolzig spent much of his NHL career in Washington, spending over 700 games in net for the Caps. Olie is the holder of just about every goaltending record that the franchise has, “including games played, wins (301), shutouts (35) and minutes (41,259) and ranks fourth (minimum 3,000 minutes played) in goals-against average (2.70) and third in save percentage (.906)”.
By Tom Bridge
SW Safeway cashier in epithet fracas
‘FEWFOO’
courtesy of ‘christaki’
DC magazine Metroweekly reported late yesterday an incident that occured between two local men and a cashier at the new Safeway store in Southwest DC. The new location on 4th Street has been a real boon to the neighborhood, but apparently the staff hasn’t undergone any kind of real customer service training. The two men, purchasing groceries last weekend, were subject to harassment from the cashier.
It’s hard for me to imagine why this cashier still has their job five days later, even with a weaksauce apology. Then again, given our recent trips to the Starburst Safeway (famous for selling unrefrigerated expired ground turkey), attention to the needs and wants of their customer base isn’t exactly priority one over there, is it?