Monthly Archives: January 2011

Entertainment, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: The Foreigner

Bill Largess, Rena Cherry Brown and Sean McComas in Bay Theatre Company’s The Foreigner (Photo courtesy Bay Theatre Company)

Outside the city limits of the District is a small gem that is a literal underground player in the DC Metro theatre scene. Located 45 minutes away in Annapolis, the Bay Theatre Company can be found in a small professional office plaza basement underneath a law office. The operation has a Mom & Pop feel that is highly reminiscent of the old county store where I would buy candy after school.

Everything about The Bay Theatre has a homey feel to it, from the cushioned Costco folding chairs to the post-show reception line where Artistic Director Janet Luby and Operations Manager Steven Strawn personally shook the hand of every patron that saw the show. The experience was much more intimate than any show I’ve seen at Arena, Studio, or Woolly Mammoth.

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The Daily Feed
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DC Empanadas Launches Today

Photo Courtesy of DC Empanadas

Though it maybe frigid outside, that doesn’t stop the few, the proud, the new food trucks from rolling out. After months of going through the oft-mentioned permit process, the DC Empanadas truck is finally fully operational and ready to serve.

DC Empanadas is brought to you by the husband and wife team of Anna Bran-Leis and Shawn Leis, a couple of Washington area natives who met in Kindergarten (everyone now…awwww). After Anna decided that life on the road was for her, she only had to figure out what the D.C. elite needed to eat. With her Guatemalan background and the fact that empanadas are quite delicious, it seemed like a no-brainer. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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JaVale McGee To Enter Dunk Contest That Blake Griffin Will Win

Photo courtesy of
‘B87F0702’
courtesy of ‘Keith Allison’

Word on the street is that the Wizards’ JaVale McGee has accepted an invitation to join next month’s Slam Dunk Contest as part of the NBA’s All-Star Game festivities in Los Angeles. He’s going against one of the hometown guys – and John Wall’s main competition for Rookie of the Year – posterizing forward Blake Griffin, and, barring some sort of miracle, Favre-ian unretirement from slam dunk contests from Dwight Howard, you have to think that Griffin is the favorite. Without the big name, McGee becomes his competition (along with the Bucks’ Brandon Jennings and the Thunder’s Serge Ibaka).

This would be the same JaVale McGee that also missed a certain dunk attempt in December that has been memorialized in glorious animated gif form:

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Comedy in DC
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Comedy in DC: Reggie Melbrough

I spent a rainy Sunday afternoon at the Columbia Heights Coffee House chatting with Reggie Melbrough, because he is a DC comic you need to know about. He grew up in Boise, Idaho and moved to the nation’s capital in March of 2007. He teaches U.S. History by day, but at night, or at least four to five nights of the week, he is on the streets seeking to help the rigid and stiff everyday man with his stand up comedy, because “Everyone deserves to laugh.”

Melbrough got the idea of performing standup comedy after his grandmother died. “I had an inkling to try it, but didn’t know how to do it,” he says, so he wrote down three pages of random stories and thoughts and sent it to a friend who was already performing. The friend told him, “You have about three minutes of material here.” Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Drafting Bryan Weaver?

The tweets started yesterday morning from occasional contributor to We Love DC Dave Stroup. The point was immediately clear: If Bryan Weaver wasn’t going to throw his name into the hat for At-Large Council, Stroup was going to throw him into the ring himself.  Organizing online, Stroup has gathered Tweet Signatures, Online Petition Signatures, and setup a website to get the Ward One community activist off the bench and into the At-Large race that currently has few inspiring candidates.

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Comedy in DC
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Holiday Leftovers

Marion Barry

While covering the mayoral inauguration on Sunday, Tom snapped this photo of Ward 8 Council Member and Mayor-for-Life Marion Barry. We think it’s begging for a caption. Some ideas to get you started from our Flickr friends:

“What, you mean I have to pay those taxes AGAIN this year?”

“Obama makes it to the White House, and here I am waiting in line for Sbarro. Stupid past decisions.”

Hit us up with your suggestions in the comments. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Why is Maryland still requiring Phone Books to be delivered?

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

If you’ve not yet seen the great 70s comedy The Jerk with Steve Martin, perhaps this snippet should inspire you?  This moment, where Navin Johnson notes that because he’s in the phone book, something good will happen to him now, is the height of irony, even in 1979.  Here it is, thirty years later, and we’re still delivering these beasties to every door.

Less than 11% of people used phone books for their intended purpose in 2008, and though many creative uses exist for these beasts from kindling for the fireplace to bulletproofing your Subaru, wouldn’t it just be better for the environment if these beasts were never printed?  Well, perhaps.  Generally speaking I’m not in love with the idea that Verizon should ever have to stop an obligation, but it seems like this might be a good idea whose time has passed.

What they’re proposing to the Maryland Public Service Commission, though, is an opt-in program where you can ask for a phone book instead of just having them dropped off on your porch (where, in my case, they have remained since they were dropped off).  The PSC has asked for proof that people aren’t using them anymore, and I think that’s a fair request. We’ll see what Verizon can come up with in terms of proof besides the obvious, “Um, have you heard of Google?”

Verizon is also intending to petition the District’s PSC in the not distant future.

Entertainment, Fun & Games, Music, We Love Music
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The Winning Ticket: Virginia Coalition

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, local boys done good, Virginia Coalition perform at the 9:30 Club on Saturday, January 15th. (Note: This is an early show with 6pm doors). When it comes to genre, VACO (as they are affectionately called) covers them all. Their hometown shows are always a riot and sometimes feature guest-spots from former members. This show is being billed as an evening of old and new favorites, so maybe an appearance by Steve Dawson or John Patrick is in the works. Only one way to find out! Win those tickets!

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…
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The Daily Feed
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St. Louis sparks Lightning over Caps, Tampa retains first place

Photo courtesy of
‘IMG_6289.jpg’
courtesy of ‘bridgetds’

The Capitals and Lightning battled for first place in the Southeast Division on Tuesday. Just about halfway through the season and both teams had 51 points and compare well to each other in prominent statistical categories. After Tuesday is there any doubt that Tampa Bay and Washington will battle for the division all the way down to the last week of the regular season?

It was Tampa that would triumph on Tuesday, taking home a 1-0 victory on a Martin St. Louis goal 2:54 into overtime at Verizon Center. The teams played a scoreless three periods, matching each other surge for surge, penalty for penalty, shot for shot. It was not playoff hockey but it was as close to the feel of postseason play that opponents can get in the first week of January.

“Half way through the game you could tell that it was one of those games that might be going to overtime,” St. Louis said. “The whole game both teams had their surges. Both goalies were tremendous and we needed extra time and we just, you know, got a bounce and made something with it.”

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The Daily Feed
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RFK and the Winter Classic

I got lots of great responses to today’s earlier post about where DC could host a Winter Classic, and because the discussion was good, I figured I’d take a crack at laying down the ice at RFK. I was a little surprised by the clamor from commenters and on Twitter for the exclusion of using the Armory neighborhood for the game, but then again, I don’t have the long ties to the town/Redskins that many others do, so who am I to argue on its part of history.

For those on the site, a full size version of the above shot is inside the post, so click through. Those in RSS readers, hang tight.

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The Daily Feed
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License plate tragedy

Photo courtesy of
‘Eat the kids first!’
courtesy of ‘gotgenes’

Gawker network (motto: “all your passwords are fit to print”) site Jalopnik breaks the news: the best VA license plate ever has been revoked by the DMV. It’s not so shocking that they’d revoke the plate – the humorlessness and kowtowing to the Imsooffended Brigade of DMVs everywhere is well-established – but that they claim the underlying issue is the plate promotes oral pleasure of the pedophilia kind.

Today’s entry in things I never thought I’d type:

I would think it’s obvious the joke is about cannibalism, not pedophilia.

I have to wonder – what will they claim this one is about? BSDM sex?

License plate

The Daily Feed
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ICYMI: January 4th 2011

Today’s edition of ICYMI is powered by 1990s flashbacks, the awesome power of the animated .gif, the idea of Mary Cheh hunting parking ticket scofflaws like vermin, and the fact that it’s still light outside at 4:55pm. Enjoy the hysterical Ovechkin ad on ESPN, above, and click through for a few more great things to read at home.

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The Daily Feed
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Is Restaurant Expansion Always a Good Thing?

Photo courtesy of
‘Komi’
courtesy of ‘M.V. Jantzen’
There’s no doubt about it that one of my most hated conversations is one that ends with, “we’ll have a table ready for you in 45 minutes.” But I’m hungry now. So it would seem like a little more space for me to plant my hungry butt would be a good thing. And a lot of times, it is. When Ardeo+Bardeo increased their seating with their recent makeover, it was great. Same goes for Lauriol Plaza when it moved up the street a few years ago to its current feat of massive architecture.

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Sports Fix
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Sports Fix: Delayed Gratification Edition

DSCN0905
DSCN0905 by bhrome

Capitals
Record: 23-12-5, 51 points
Last Two Weeks: 4-0-1
Place: Tied for first in the Southeast, Fifth in the East

We’re pretty much at the halfway point of the 2010-2011 Season, and the Caps have settled into a winning groove after their brutal losing streak in early December. They’re about to be tested, though, as January looks to be a defining month for the season. Two games against co-leader of the Southeast Tampa Bay, tough games in Philly and Atlanta, and home matchups against the Rangers and Senators, with just a few matches against teams they should beat.

Looking back on the Winter Classic, we saw a Caps team that continued their first period struggles, their second period explosion, and a third period full of fight. That’s been this Capitals team all season long, and until they can figure out their first period struggles, I think they’re not going to be strong contender for Lord Stanley’s Cup. There’s much to work on this season, and still a good amount of time to see it happen. Continue reading →

Fashionable DC, The Daily Feed
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The Fashion Magpie: Tari DC, A Different Kind of Consignment

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘erin m’

When Julep–a well-stocked consignment shop in Georgetown–closed its doors in the spring of 2010, I was thoroughly disappointed.  I had been peddling my clothes there (with great success) for months, an arrangement that had come to be handy in my bi-monthly “closet-cleaning” practice, not to mention useful in funding the purchase of new and exciting wardrobe additions.  You can imagine my delight when I learned that the same space (1525 Wisconsin Ave, N.W.) had been purchased by Sara Mokhtari, a real estate developer seeking to launch a consignment boutique of her own.  When Tari DC opened its shutters in late November, I made it my business to set up an appointment to consign some of the items that had been gathering dust in my apartment and quickly realized that this shop was entirely different from your run-of-the-mill second-hand store.

For starters, the ambitious and charming Mokhtari had totally renovated the interior with dark paint, exposed brick, dramatic sconces, and an enorma-TV on the wall.  The space now appears vaguely European, much more attractively appointed, and altogether the way I would imagine a consignment shop owned and operated by the Kardashian sisters.  (Meant as a compliment.)  Then there’s the merchandise, which caters less to Julep’s former target audience (Georgetown’s young professionals and college/graduate student population) and more to frequenters of higher-end outposts.  (Think Christian Louboutin and vintage fur rather than last season’s J. Crew and Shoshanna.)

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Food and Drink, The Features, The Hill, We Love Food
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We Love Food: Ted’s Bulletin

Photo courtesy of
‘Dine-In At Ted’s Bulletin’
courtesy of ‘[F]oxymoron’
Growing up on the mean streets of suburban Maryland, I ate at my fair share of diners. Silver Diner, Broadway Diner, Hoffberg’s Deli…the list goes on. There are obvious benefits to diner eating – major portions, the food you wish your mom made all the time (and made well), and breakfast all day. One thing that diners didn’t necessarily do for me was always taste good. They can be great, or they can be plastic cup of coleslaw on the side bad. I think we call that inconsistency. Now that I’m a big girl living in the big city, I’ve graduated from the diners of greater Rockville Pike to Ted’s Bulletin. Though it may not be a traditional diner, it’s the diner of my dreams.

Much like the diners of my youth, Ted’s is a fantastic fall back restaurant. Not to say that it’s not a destination unto itself, it just works as my go-to place when nothing else excites me. And in this dreary time of year, I’m uninspired and therefore eating at Ted’s a whole lot. And it’s really working out well for me. Continue reading →

News, The Daily Feed, Ward 5
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Dispatches from Ward 5

Photo courtesy of
‘Brookland Hardware’
courtesy of ‘mediaslave’

First in a series where we bring you the best from neighborhood mailing lists, ANC and civic association meetings, and other neighborhood news sources.*

In Brookland, the Patel family reopened the Newton Food Market on 12th Street on New Year’s Eve. The father, Raj Patel, was killed during an attempted robbery on December 20. If you’re in Brookland and you want a snack or a soda, I suggest you buy it there, instead of at the CVS across the street.

On the Ward 5 list, the discussion this week was about the planned  public art installation on the new New York Avenue bridge. The sculpture, which will frame the vista from the crest of the bridge with abstract metal trees, was designed by Kent Bloomer, a Yale School of Architecture professor and a specialist in architectural sculpture. Bloomer has done a wide variety of architectural ornamentation around the country, including one at National Airport. The Ward 5 list discussion predictably centered around how much the project cost and why a DC artist couldn’t have been found. (Probably because architectural sculpture is a pretty specific discipline, and DC isn’t exactly crawling with practitioners.) Bloomer gave an informative interview to Next American City magazine a few years ago about building ornamentation in urban environments that’s worth a read, what with DC being so chockablock with it. Continue reading →

Sports Fix, The Features
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Where Would a Washington Winter Classic Be?


All screengrabs from Google Maps, photo editing by D. Levy, in scale to fit this column.

I’ve spent a lot of time tracking the Winter Classic, both this year (station break, go read all three of Ben H. Rome’s awesome posts about the Caps’ WC debut and win; they’re really good) and last when the Bruins were a part of an outdoor fest at Fenway Park’s temporary rink, which incidentally also hosted an incredible college hockey matchup the following week that featured the two most recent national champions.

Couple that with an exciting win and the chatter that bubbles around who hosts January 1, 2012, and we have ourselves a photo editing project. Now, it’s highly doubtful that the NHL will repeat a participant in back-to-back years – especially if warmer weather is a concern again – so it’d be pretty surprising to see the Caps back in the Classic next year (my proposal: Stars/Wild at Target Field with Emilio Estevez in a Gordon Bombay jacket dropping the puck). Still, it’s fun to dream, and maybe some day, the Classic will be in the District. With that in mind, here are a few ideas for where to build an outdoor rink in DC.

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