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DC Empanadas!
courtesy of kimberlyfaye
Don’t forget! This is the last week to donate a new, unwrapped toy for My Sister’s Place through the DC Food Truck association. Drop off your toy at DC Empanadas before this Thursday, December 15th.
Monthly Archives: December 2011
By Tom Bridge
If you enjoyed Luck last night…
RO9A6705
courtesy of Keith Allison
If you caught the HBO preview of their new horse-racing centered Luck last night and enjoyed it as much as I did, you might want to look in our own back yard for a place to play the ponies. Laurel Park is just off I-95 north of the Beltway is just close enough to be intriguing to many and accessible, as well. Tomorrow afternoon, a horse named Rapid Redux goes for his record twenty-first straight victory. We asked former Thoroughbred Times reporter Ed DeRosa about Rapid Redux, and he said, “He’s a lower level horse so it’s more a blue-collar tale of consistency than a superstar deal. Drama every day though!”
Doors open tomorrow at 11:00am, admission is a scant $3, and post time is 12:35.
By Brian Mosley
Weekend Flashback: 12/09-12/11
(344/365)
courtesy of kimberlyfaye
Christmas Season is in full swing! If you haven’t done it already, you’ll be spending this coming week and weekend doing shopping, tree raising, and party planning. And after that, then all those last minute people (such as myself) will get to work; so leave some for us lazy people. And to distract you…I mean entertain you, for a little while, check out this past weekend in photos. Continue reading
By Lamont Peterson brings a Title to DC
As soon as the decision was announced the crowd erupted with the fury they had held in all night. For most of the evening the cheers of Amir, Amir were louder and more numerous than those of DC, DC. It sounded like the typical Nationals vs. Phillies game that happens in DC, or the games the Capitals played against the Penguins before the arrival of Ovechkin. Perhaps that is why the crowd was so reluctant to be loud before they knew a winner was in hand.
It has been 20 years since a major championship has been won in a major sport by a DC based team. In recent years DC faithful have had to suffer through the Dan Snyder led Redskins, back to back 100 loss seasons by the Nationals, Capitals early exits from the playoffs, and the Wizards. As soon as the decision was announced all that recent heartbreak turned into utter joy and Hall E of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center erupted with cheers.
The fight itself was one of the better fights in recent memory, and before going much further the controversy should be discussed. It is rare these days to find a major boxing match that is lacking in controversy, and those that focus on the two points deducted from Khan will end up missing the athletic battle this fight was. The problem with blaming the two point deduction is it focuses more attention on just how close this fight was. It wasn’t predicted to be a close fight, and when a fighter is as heavily favored as Khan was going into this fight then two points shouldn’t make that much of a difference. Plenty of people doubted the fight would even reach the twelfth and final round where the second, and more controversial, of the points was deducted.
Pro-Boxing Returns
Freddie Roach/Amir Khan
courtesy of SportsAngle.com
Tonight the nation’s capital will host its first major prizefight in over a decade as Amir Khan looks to retain his WBA and IBF light welterweight titles against local Lamont Peterson. Amir Khan comes in ranked as one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world with an overall record of 26-1 with 18 knockouts.
Peterson brings in a professional record of 29-1-1 with 15 knockouts, and hopes the support of the local crowd and Khan’s overconfidence will be enough to propel him to the upset victory. Fans of boxing in the District hope for a good showing and a ruckus crowd that will help to draw more pro-fights to the nation’s capital.
It all gets underway tonight at 6:30 PM live from the Walter E. Washington Convention Center Hall E, and live on HBO PPV starting at 9:45 PM.
By Brittany
Friday Happy Hour: Dolcezza Hot Chocolate
As Americans, I feel like we very often describe something as “European Style” as a euphemism. It either means that thing is classy and refined or, as in the case of my apartment’s “European Sized” washer-dryer, simply small. The hot chocolate at Dolcezza is certainly the former – but served in a rather American-sized portion.
The dark, glossy chocolate arrives spilling just over the edges of the cappuccino-sized mug, dribbling little trails down the outside, pooling in the saucer. It is aromatic with cinnamon and spices and has a substantial, silky mouthfeel without being quite as thick as the more shot-glass sized portions one sometimes gets. Accompanied by a warm, crispy churro, it is completely decadent without being overwhelmingly sugary. Though less-dense than some, the full six ounces was a bit too much for me to finish, I must admit, and could almost be split between two people.
Some fancy hot chocolates in town distinguish themselves by the addition of spicy elements or interesting “adult” ingredients (both of which I like) or piles of whipped cream and other toppings (which I generally could do without), but the Dolcezza version is simple and avoids taking the treat over-the-top.
It more clearly reminds me of the hot chocolates of my childhood, typically served from silver pots on trays of hotel room-service breakfasts in various now blurred-together Continental locales – and when it comes to hot chocolate, more like one’s childhood memories is generally better. Like cupcakes and grilled cheese sandwiches, hot chocolate is one of those nostalgia foods I waver on if adults should even consume at all – but when you make the nostalgia this appealing and delicious, it is certainly hard to write it off.
Evening Star Cafe Remodels and Reopens with New Chef
Evening Star #1
courtesy of Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie
The first restaurant in the Neighborhood Restaurant Group got a major facelift over the last few months and officially reopened last night on December 8th. Evening Star Cafe now has a newly redesigned and refurbished dining room and bar which was led by Hailey Designs, LLC. The same company also designed Rustico and Buzz Bakery, two other NRG establishments.
The remodeled space combines retro furniture, such as chrome-accented tables, along with a double-sided banquet for a little bit of a 1950s diner feel. In the neighboring Majestic Lounge attached to the restaurant, staff and neighbors in Del Ray have donated trophies which line a case from the floor almost to the ceiling. When you go, also check out the cool lighting fixture made out of about 180 mason jars. Washingtonian has a slideshow with pictures of the newly renovated space.
In addition to a new space, the restaurant is now being led by executive chef Jim Jeffords who is incorporating a stronger southern flavor on the menu. Jeffords recently came from CityZen in Washington, DC. Some highlights on his new menu include a moultrie sausage dish, a risotto with housemade tasso ham, mustard greens, black eyed peas and parmesan, as well as a classic buttermilk fried chicken.
There’s no word yet on where the previous executive chef, Will Artley, has decided to go, though Twitter confirms he’s staying in the area.
Looking ahead to the new year, the restaurant plans to offer brunch as well as open a 2,000 square-foot rooftop garden where Jeffords will grow herbs and other produce for his menu with the help of Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food & Agriculture.
Food Truck Tracker
‘Fojol Bros Trucks’
courtesy of ‘mediaslave’
Happy Friday! Now go get lunch from a food truck if you haven’t already this week.
Redskins Preview Week Fourteen: The Patriots
Tom Brady
courtesy of Keith Allison
Ever since Drew Bledsoe went down with an injury and Tom Brady emerged on the scene the Patriots have been the class of the NFL. They have down it not just by having one of the best quarterbacks in the league, but also by mixing in talented by high risk players with a steady flow of high character and work ethic football players. It is a method where the big name players like Randy Moss or Albert Haynesworth aren’t the focus or the focal point for a season.
Tom Brady is the face of the Patriots and over the last few seasons he has been one of the most consistently great quarterbacks the NFL has seen. In 2011 Tom Brady has been just as good as expected passing for 3916 yards, 30 touchdowns with 10 interceptions, and 66.7 percent of his passes completed. All of this has added up to the Patriots having the second best passing offense in the NFL in both yards a game and touchdowns.
By Tom Bridge
So, Who’s Playing Marion Barry?!
courtesy of Max Cook
Mayor-for-Life Marion Barry looks to be getting the biopic treatment according to HuffPo, and the Hollywood Reporter, in a Spike Lee Joint.
And he’ll be played by Eddie Murphy.
Folks, this is not April 1st, but I’d just about swear that it was.
I’d have gone Danny Glover or Don Cheadle, myself. Or, if I was going for parody, Samuel L. Jackson. But Murphy? really? For reals?
By Don
We Love Weekends: December 9 – 11
Happy Holiday Shopping Season, folks. If you don’t recognize that thing in the sky or the feel of your skin it’s called “the sun” and “being dry.” Capital Weather says it’ll still be cold this weekend but it’ll at least be dry. What will you do with the time?
Brittany: This weekend is all about seeing friends (how, exactly, did I agree to six holiday parties?) – and buying gifts. Friday night, my pal Denman will be spinning future bass at the 9:30’s Back Bar (part of their new collab with U Hall) at a night called ZOOo00OOM! I do not really dig malls or mass-produced gifts, so Saturday I will be stopping by GRUMP Holiday Market and Cheap Art Sale for SMYAL for hand-made items and maybe the Thelma’s Vanity Trunk Show in Anacostia for some vintage finds. Along the way, I will take a culture-break from the commerce for Audio Warhol at the NGA. Sunday night, I will be out in VA for a Cricket Cemetery showcase (the label is run by a friend who is also in one of the performing bands) for some super fun “rock music” at Galaxy Hut. Continue reading
By Tom Bridge
DC-CAN adds 100-Gbit links to their services
2008_04_biketrail_infrastructure_145
courtesy of dsearls
One of the difficult parts of the digital divide, the part that few have been able to begin to posit solutions for, is home delivery of fast internet connectivity to neighborhoods where the income level is low. Most of the big network providers whose offers can be compared on the usave website, push their high bandwidth solutions to upper-middle and upper income neighborhoods, so they can finance the high cost of building fast data networks, and poorer neighborhoods are left to whatever facilities are available, often meaning that some neighborhoods get much less bang for their buck.
DC-CAN, the DC Community Access Network, is looking to bridge some of that divide by providing “middle mile” service to other ISPs for reasonable costs, allowing them to serve high speed needs cheaply in neighborhoods where that service just isn’t available. The first of those links to neighborhoods east of the river went live yesterday, (as an aside, this story at GigaOm misses much of the point of this kind of network, which is sorta sad) adding in a 100-Gigabit core link, the first of a series of core links th;at will spread throughout the city eventually, but beginning in Ward 8.
How fast is 100-Gigabit? Well, consider that the fastest common home broadband package in DC is 50 megabit, and costs around $100/mo, you could power 2,000 of those connections with just one of these core links. Consider that most of these connections are really just burstable limits, and you could safely oversubscribe them, or limit service to 20 megabit, and you get a picture for just how many options you’ve got and what this will mean for ISPs. What will mean for consumers East of the River? It’s not very clear, yet.
This doesn’t solve a pair of problems, and the solutions to those problems aren’t even close to clear yet: this isn’t last mile coverage, you still need to find someone to connect the actual houses and create the actual service, including run billing systems and do installation, and that’s not something that just happens overnight; and how do we make good computers cheap enough, but useful enough, to make these more common fixtures in homes all over the city that currently lack any connectivity or method for getting connected.
“This is more smoke and mirrors,” said Nikki Peele of Congress Heights on the Rise, when I talked with her by phone this morning. “I’d much rather have seen this money spent on a slower WiFi network that blankets the area than something that’s just going to benefit outside ISPs,” she continued.
This is a great looking network, for sure, but what it will mean for actual citizens of the District is a long ways in the future, and definitely far from clear.
We had hoped to have some word from DC-CAN, but no response was available at the publish time of this article.
By Alexia
We Love Music: Tori Amos at D.A.R. Constitution Hall, 12/5/2011
all photos by "D"
Ruby-tressed siren Tori Amos brought a breathtakingly beautiful evening of music to DC’s D.A.R. Constitution Hall on Monday night. She is in the midst of a world tour in support of her latest album, Night of Hunters, released in September on Deutsche Grammophon Records. The album is described by Amos as “a 21st century song cycle inspired by classical music themes spanning over 400 years.” For the tour she brought along the string quartet who played on the album, Apollon Musaget Quartett, from Poland.
Seeing Tori play in DC, her hometown, is always a special experience, and Monday night was no exception. The stage of Constitution Hall appeared at once both grand and intimate- set with beautiful, draping curtains, drawn to expose a backdrop that was at times illuminated to look like a sky full of twinkling stars. Above her glossy, black, Bosendorfer Grand piano hung a chandelier. First on the stage came the string quartet, and they began a musical introduction. Then Tori entered the stage to a sea of applause, and bowed, as she always does, to her fans, before taking her seat at the piano. Continue reading
Food Truck Tracker
‘Fry Captain Food Truck’
courtesy of ‘bonappetitfoodie’
Ah, looking back on most of these food truck tracker pictures reminds me of the warm days of summer. And while it may not be warm outside, the food trucks are still serving up warm food to go in your belly.
By Ben H. Rome
Late Caps Rally Torpedoes Senators
Vokoun Sprawls to Save
courtesy of clydeorama
The Capitals won their first game in regulation under new coach Dale Hunter, and their second victory since the bench boss’ debut. Like the last win, this one came against the Ottawa Senators. We’d also like to take a moment to welcome back Alex Ovechkin, whose goal last night was reminiscent of seasons past, when he actually played like a superstar.
The game wasn’t an easy win; the Caps had to rack up four goals in the third period in order to finish the comeback. But a win is a win right now, with the Caps having stumbled their way down the Southeast Division standings.
The good:
- Ovechkin showed up on the score sheet after a five game drought; he scored on a beautifully skilled play in the third period to give the Caps a 3-2 lead.
- Returning veteran Jeff Halpern knocked in his second of the season, putting the Caps on the scoreboard.
- Troy Brouwer had his second Gordie Howe hat trick of his career, assisting on Halpern’s goal, scoring the team’s fourth marker, and taking on Jesse Winchester in the first period.
- Nicklas Backstrom’s power play goal in the third ended an 0-for-24 slide in the special teams department; it was also the team’s first road PPG in over a month.
- The Caps had 44 shots on goal.
The bad:
- Inconsistent play kept Ottawa in the game, even late in the third.
- The Caps still racked up the penalties, giving the Senators seven chances throughout the game (not counting Brouwer’s fisticuffs).
- The power play still sputters; the Caps had a 5-on-3 advantage for 1:47 in the first period but failed to take advantage of it.
The quote:
“I glad [sic] we got the win and of course it’s nice it to get a goal, finally. Last couple of games I tried to score, but this time it worked.” Alex Ovechkin, on ending his goal drought.
By fedward
Tonight: Tubachristmas!
Tuba bus.
courtesy of Jeffrey Beall
Got plans tonight? Cancel them, and head over to the Kennedy Center for the 38th anniversary performance of TUBACHRISTMAS. 6pm. A volunteer group of tuba players (edit: and euphonium players. Whatever.) will gather and make a joyful noise unto the Millenium Stage. From past experience I can safely say you can stand or sit pretty much anywhere in the hall for good sound.
By Brittany
The Winning Ticket: Jane Birkin
This week we are giving away a pair of tickets to see Jane Birkin at the 9:30 Club on December 9th. Tickets for this concert are available on Ticketfly or at the 9:30 Club box office.
For your chance to win these tickets simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address between 9am and 5pm today. One entry per email address, please. Comments will be closed at 5pm and a winner will be randomly selected. The winner will be notified by email. The winner must respond to our email within two hours or they will forfeit their tickets and we will pick another winner.
Tickets will be available to the winner at the 9:30 Club Guest List window one hour before doors open on the night of the concert. The tickets must be claimed with a valid ID. The winner must be old enough to attend the specific concert or must have a parent’s permission to enter if they are under 18 years old.
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.
Food Truck Tracker
‘Big Cheese truck’
courtesy of ‘BrianMKA’
Tis the season to be jolly. And you know what will make you feel jolly? Lunch from a food truck.
By Don
We Love Arts: Much Ado About Nothing
Kathryn Meisle as Beatrice and Derek Smith as Benedick in the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production of Much Ado About Nothing, directed by Ethan McSweeny. Photo by Scott Suchman.
Shakespeare Theater Company’s production of Much Ado About Nothing is odd. Not on stage – there it’s very entertaining with only minor flaws. Odd in selection, odd in its last-minute casting kerfuffle, odd in tone choice.
The selection and tone choice weirdness is the most prominent. Why do this now, two short years since Folger did their own production of Ado with a Caribbean bent? It’s a well-loved play and good fun but this seems like very recently-trod ground given the similarity in cultural tone. The play notes credit the concept to a 2007 production by Vivian Benesch at Chaucautua in New York, where Director Ethan McSweeny is artistic director alongside Ms Benecsh, so it pre-dates Folger’s production, but why not stretch a little and give us something a little more divergent than what happened down the street?
Deja vu aside, the show swings for the fences and pretty consistently delivers.
By Tricia Barba
First Look: Elisir Restaurant
I headed to Elisir for its first dinner post soft-opening, and was pleasantly surprised there were no signs that the restaurant in Penn Quarter had literally just opened its doors that same week. The staff was beyond attentive without being intrusive and knew the menu cold. The lighting was bright and refreshing, and the open kitchen area was amazing. Basically, Elisir lived up to Italian fine dining as billed, without being pretentious or stuffy.
Chef Enzo Fargione is on his game. The former chef of Teatro Goldoni on K Street is the model of concentration at Elisir. There’s no yelling in the kitchen; it was almost serene. Surprisingly, I didn’t feel like going the tasting menu route…I think I’ve been a bit overwhelmed by the whole culinary journey craze as of late. At Elisir you’ll find for dinner a seven-course $75 tasting menu, and 10-course $95 menu, but I went for the a la carte.