By 
‘Red Hook Lobster Roll’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’
Lunch from a food truck is so good it’s almost guaranteed to make you lose your mind and shout, “I’ll have what she’s having!” And to have what she’s having, check out thestrEATs map after the jump.
Monthly Archives: June 2011
New Food Truck Basil Thyme Hits the Streets
Basil Thyme Food Truck
Brace yourselves, foodies. A new food truck, called Basil Thyme, focused on from-scratch Italian food made from local ingredients hit the streets this week. Brian Farrell and chef Malik Umar are bringing the District fresh pasta, homemade sausage, ricotta and sauces, each and every day. And they’re also making their own tiramisu and cannolis, if you happen to have a sweet tooth craving.
Farrell, one of the owners, worked in IT for 12 years when he decided to switch gears and pursue his passion for food with the truck. He cites his desire to work and connect with people along with his desire to make authentic Italian food as reasons for why he started the food truck. He also credits his never-ending appetite and his mother’s job as a home economics teacher for his early love for food.
“One of my favorite experiences is going to restaurant and you can tell the chef puts absolute love and care into the food that comes out of the kitchen,” said Farrell. “My thought in creating Basil Thyme was, I’d love to do that too–to make someone else have that great feeling of enjoyment from a meal.”
Farrell is assisted by chef Mailik Umar, who has worked in a variety of restaurants, according to Farrell.
You can find out their daily location either on twitter or on our handy strEATs-powered food truck map.
By Hernandez Throws Complete Game Shutout, Trumps The Cards
‘Livan Hernandez’
courtesy of ‘Keith Allison’
The St. Louis Cardinals seemed to have left their ability to play defense somewhere in the Midwest because the Washington Nationals put them to shame Wednesday night. Pitcher Livan Hernandez threw complete game shutout to lead his team to a 10-0 victory. The game was Hernandez’s 50th complete game and ninth shutout of his career.
Washington played errorless baseball. Nine-time St. Louis All-Star Albert Pujols committed two errors at third base. Each National who went to bat, with the exception of starter Hernandez and eighth inning left field substitution Brian Bixler, got at least one hit. Continue reading
A Capitol Fourth: 2011 Concert Lineup Announced
Photo by Rachel Levitin
If you’re anything like me then you tend to steer clear of the National Mall on Independence Day due to massive crowds. This year, though, I may make a trip down there. Why? The lineup for the Capitol Fourth concert sounds like fun.
Acts ranging from multi-platinum recording artist Josh Groban to rock legend Little Richard are scheduled to take the stage with appearances by American Idol winner Jordin Sparks, Glee’s Matthew Morrison, actor/comedian Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers, and the National Symphony Orchestra.
A Capitol Fourth marks its thirtieth season this year and is celebrated for being one of the highest rated programs on PBS over the past decade. The concert will air live from the Capitol’s west lawn on Monday, July 4 from 8 to 9:30 p.m. (ET) The show can also be heard live in stereo over NPR Member stations nationwide, but why be a television viewer or radio listener when you can get down there and watch the show in person?
Plus – there’s fireworks when it’s over! You can’t go wrong.
By Tom Bridge
A PSA from VP Joe Biden
Via NBC Washington, and presented entirely without comment.
By Tom Bridge
Scandal Tracker, DC Council Edition
‘Grand Larceny vs. Petty Larceny; Or, Political Justice Exemplified’
courtesy of ‘Cornell University Library’
Let’s see if we can do some yeoman’s work tracking where we are with a lot of the political scandals that are currently underway here in the District relating just to District Operations. If we had to handle Congressional and Executive scandals, this post would be too long for anyone to digest, so let’s keep politics local, shall we?
By Alexia
We Love Music: Dawes/M.Ward/Bright Eyes @ Wolf Trap, 6/11/11
Bright Eyes photo courtesy of Wolf Trap.
We recruited Alexia Kauffman to hike out to Wolf Trap and cover this show for us.
Saturday night the audience at Wolf Trap heard three unique angles on American indie-folk music. Omaha, Nebraska’s Bright Eyes, currently on an international tour, brought along Portland’s M. Ward and Los Angeles’ Dawes for what was a spirited evening of Americana, indie-folk, rock, and just plain good music.
Up first were rockers Dawes.
Continue reading
Food Truck Tracker
‘Pleasant Pops Food Truck’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’
Lieutenant Dan! I got you some ice cream! And you can get some ice cream (well, ice pops) from Pleasant Pops today at a farmer’s market near you. Click through the map to see where they and the rest of the food trucks are.
Today’s the last day to vote for the strEATS DC team (the providers of our lovely Food Truck map) in Tech Cocktail’s DC’s hottest early-stage startups!
Continue reading
By The Winning Ticket: Michael Franti & Spearhead
As a way to say thanks to our loyal readers, We Love DC will be giving away a pair of concert tickets 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 have a pair of tickets up for grabs to see Michael Franti & Spearhead perform at the 9:30 Club on Tuesday, June 21st.
I don’t really know a lot about these guys, so I’m just going to let this amazing quote from the 9:30 Club’s website convince you to go: “The Sound Of Sunshine — the inspired and inspiring new album by Michael Franti & Spearhead — is a kind of musical sun shower, a bright, beautiful and often buoyant song cycle created to bring all kinds of listeners a sense of hope during rough and rainy times for so many in our world.”
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 event are available on Ticketfly.
For the rules of this giveaway…
Continue reading
By Tom Bridge
Nats mount comeback, deal Cards 8-6 loss
‘bang, zoom go the fireworks’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’
On the night when Ryan Zimmerman returned to the lineup for the first time in over two months, the Nationals put together one of their more impressive rallies. In the seventh inning tonight, they plated six runs against the St. Louis Cardinals, four of which scored with two outs. The Nationals got to their former teammate Miguel “Miss Iowa” Batista for five runs in a “6-run, 5-hit, 3-walk, 1-hit batter, 1-wild pitch, 12-batter rally.”
Second only to the offensive explosion against the Cardinals’ bullpen was the quality of the fans this evening at Nationals Park. The crowd of 26,739 was on its feet for a good part of that 7th inning rally, likely fortified by the new Shake Shack at the ballpark. On a day when many feared that the fans of Nats Park could only be plied by fancy bawbles and gewgaws in the form of concessions, fans of the home team showed that they could get into a close game, and were on their feet and rallying around the home team as they beat the Cardinals’ bullpen into submission after being down by four.
By Tom Bridge
One less free museum: Building Museum to begin charging admission
‘10.28.10’
courtesy of ‘Paige Weaver’
It’s difficult in this town to compete with the quality and price of the Smithsonian. DC is uniquely blessed with such incredible public museums that private museums often have to compete, and while they often do it incredibly well, it’s tough to see one move from a free model to one supported by admission fees. The National Building Museum announced today that by the end of the month they will be charging an $8 fee for adults, and a $5 fee for children, students, and seniors.
The museum had begun charging for special exhibits in 2010, with the debut of the Lego buildings exhibit running $5 per patron. The NBM joins the Corcoran, the International Spy Museum, the Newseum, and other quality private museums in charging an admission fee. I can’t be too upset, given the incredible quality of the NBM, and the reasonable-ness of the admission fee, that the museum is making the change. Maybe this will mean fewer events like the terrible Late Night Shots party from a few years ago.
By Tom Bridge
Clearing the air, with Nats COO Andy Feffer
This morning, a lot of fans and writers were bristling at Nationals’ COO Andy Feffer’s comments about the opening of the new Miller Lite Scoreboard Walk in center field at Nationals Park, wherein Feffer said that the fans would remember the new concessions and social area out there more than anything else. A lot of people were upset by the idea that the fans wouldn’t take home their memories of a Nats win, or of the game as the prime attraction. Feffer is the head of the Nationals’ non-baseball operations, so it’s natural that his focus is going to be on the stadium product, not necessarily the on-the-field product.
By Addison H
Nationals Park Adds New Food Options
All photos courtesy of the author
Although Nationals Park already features a number of iconic Washington-area restaurants, such as Ben’s Chili Bowl and Hard Times Cafe, the Nationals partnered with New York City’s Union Square Hospitality Group to bring in four new dining options: Blue Smoke BBQ, Box Frites, El Verano Taqueria, and Shake Shack (which also just opened a brick-and-mortar location near Dupont Circle to much fanfare).
Continue reading
Food Truck Tracker
‘DC Empanadas!’
courtesy of ‘kimberlyfaye’
Oh the food trucks. They had me at hello. Show them the money today and order lunch from one in your neighborhood.
Don’t forget to go vote for the strEATS DC team (the providers of our lovely Food Truck map) in Tech Cocktail’s DC’s hottest early-stage startups!
Continue reading
By Ben H. Rome
Smithsonian Snapshot: The Star-Spangled Banner
‘Old Glory’
courtesy of ‘Tyrannous’
In honor of Flag Day, the Smithsonian Snapshot brings you some history of a very famous flag. In the summer of 1813, Mary Pickersgill was contracted to sew a 30 x 42–foot garrison flag for Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland. That flag later became known as the Star-Spangled Banner, the very flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write what later became the national anthem. The flag remained the private property of the commander of Fort McHenry, Lieutenant Colonel Armistead’s widow, Louisa Armistead, his daughter Georgiana Armistead Appleton and his grandson, New York stockbroker Eben Appleton, for 90 years.
In 1912, Appleton donated the flag to the Smithsonian with the intention to “present the flag to an institution where it could conveniently be seen by the public and where it would be well cared for.” Continue reading
By Samer Farha
Featured Photo
‘I Can’t Hear You’
courtesy of ‘pablo.raw’
Juxtaposition is a powerful tool, especially in photography. It lets you make commentary on an otherwise silent picture.
Pablo.raw must have either waited for a bit in front of the Studio Theater, or was lucky enough to have a flip-flop wearing, iPhone toting guy walk by as he got on the scene. The yelling mouth certainly screams “can you hear me now?” from the old Verizon commercials.
Whether he needed to hang around or not, it pays to keep an eye out on your surroundings and know when that makes the picture.
We Love Music: Glee Live 2011 at the Verizon Center
Sing // Photo by Rachel Levitin
The pilot episode of the award-winning Fox television program Glee describes the definition of its moniker within the first two minutes of run-time. “By its very definition,” the show reveals, “Glee is about opening yourself up to joy.” Two seasons and a few Billboard records later, Glee has gone beyond its namesake. It is a cult classic in the heart of its heyday.
The show’s drawn a devoted group of fans who have deemed themselves “Gleeks.” They are a proud group stretched over a wide range of demographics preaching the same message of acceptance and love of music over all else. Whether you’re a fan of the program or not, it’s impossible to deny the influence Glee has had on an expansive American audience. Continue reading
By Tom Bridge
Homestand Preview
‘the best chance to score’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’
The Nationals return to DC on Tuesday, and there’s a lot for everyone to look forward to. One of the longest homestands of the season starts with a three game set against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Nats are here through the middle of next week, and there are plenty of reasons to get out to the ballpark. Let’s take a look at what this run of baseball brings, shall we?
Call for Food Truck Tracker Pictures
‘The Barr Building’
courtesy of ‘vpickering’
Every day we, along with the strEATS DC, bring you the Food Truck Tracker. And everyday all of you fine readers add more pictures to our awesome We Love DC flickr photo pool so that we can continue to bring you snazzy, cool content.
Now this is somewhat of a personal plea, but my eyes (and I’m sure yours as well) grow tired of seeing the same pictures time and time again. So, my roving eaters, I’m asking you all to take a minute the next time you dine at a food truck, snap a picture and submit it to our flickr pool. Be it a picture of the truck, the long lines, the food–anything food truck related–we want to see it. Make sure you tag it with the label “food truck” when you add it to the pool. You’ll get credited and all the world will see your food truckeriffic photography, and you’ll give my eyes (and everyone else’s) something new to feast on.
By Brian Mosley
National Geographic Museum: The Etruscans – An Italian Civilization
‘Nattional Geographic – Etruscans 01 – 06-09-11’
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’
I love history. And for me, the older the history, the more I love it. There’s something that fascinates me about seeing how the first people of a given culture tried to figure out the concept of civilization. And for the first couple of millenniums of human history the difference between civilized and true barbarism was incredibly fine. But sadly, DC doesn’t have a large selection of museums that cater to ancient history nerds like me. The Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum has an exhibit which hasn’t been updated since I was in elementary school; and Dumbarton Oaks Museum has a nice collection on the Byzantine Empire, but that is more medieval history than ancient. There isn’t much else without going to another city.
Imagine my excitement to find out that the National Geographic Museum was holding exhibit on the ancient Etruscan Civilization! For the non-history buffs out there, the Etruscan Civilization was an Italian peoples which inhabited roughly the area of modern day Tuscany (which is where we get the name). That area is, roughly speaking, bound by the Tiber River (and Rome) to the south, the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west, and the Apennine Mountains to the north and east. The Etruscans were an important culture in Italy from about 750 BC to around 500 BC, and were an significant influence on Roman culture and history. Continue reading