Yearly Archives: 2011

We Love Arts
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Theater last-chances and possible cancellations

Just a quick pre-weekend roundup on what’s going away and what may or may not be threatened by the weather.

We’re not aware of anyone officially cancelling anything as of yet; several places have made affirmative statements they’re going on with the show.

Shakespeare Theater Company’s Free-for-All is still on. They’ve promised to update via Twitter and Facebook so the simplest thing to to is open up their twitter feed before you head out. If you’re feeling twitchy you have till Sep 4. If you’re a brave one this may be your chance to wait in a smaller line. With current projections having the ugly weather starting after 6p you’ll only be  outside for part of it… if that’s right.

Capital Weather Gang says you shouldn’t be anxious about today or tonight’s weather, so there’s no reason not to go see the show if you’re interested. And if you’re adventurous I think you should go.

As should surprise nobody, Cherry Red not only will be going ahead with the Aristocrats! but have taken inspiration from the adversity. So earthquake, hurricane, now fire and vengeance. If there was an airplane involved we’d have every 70s disaster movie trope covered. Just in case, keep an eye on Ian’s twitter feed for updates if you’re planning on going.

Studio Theater’s POP! closes this weekend with the last scheduled show on Sunday. Jenn was underwhelmed and, having just seen it Wednesday night, I second that “meh.” It’s a well-produced show with some standout acting (alongside some almost inexcusable hammery) and a few catchy songs, but it adds up to a forgettable whole. But if you’re interested these are your last few chances to see it.

Studio, sadly, isn’t big with the twitter but they do update sometimes and used it to verify their continued survival after the earthquake. So it’s possible they’ll be good about announcing there if they cancel shows for weather. However I’d still call their main line at 202-332-3300 before heading out if you’re at all uncertain.

Arena says the show will go on but they’re gonna let you wiggle out of it if you don’t want to get rained on. The linked Capital Weather Gang post above says the peak effects will be in the evening so your 2pm Oklahoma! seats are probably pretty safe. The 8p Saturday show is likely the only one that’s going to be really impacted (unless there’s power outages persisting on Sunday…)

The Features
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Irene’s Comin’

Irene's Coming

All week long I’ve been watching the models from NOAA (and marveling what groups like Storm Pulse can do with them) with a little bit of dread. While Irene does not look like it will directly hit the District, the storm is 580 miles wide, and that means there’s a broad swath of the area that’s going to get slammed by high winds, a bunch of rain, and a storm surge in the Chesapeake that will backup into the Potomac and Anacostia watersheds.

The storm is likely to arrive starting Saturday in the late morning, and last through the night into Sunday.  Ocean City has been ordered to evacuate, and much of the Delmarva Peninsula looks to get hit the worst, and coastal flooding along the Potomac looks like a certainty. Rainfall totals in the District, as of late yesterday, were slated in the 1/2″ to 4″ range, depending on location, with the peninsula looking for totals well above that.

So, now what?

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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The Nats Bulllpen Implodes in 8-1 Loss to Arizona

Photo courtesy of
‘The bullpen looks on’
courtesy of ‘randomduck’

Thurdsay night’s game versus the first place Arizona Diamondbacks didn’t go the way starting pitcher John Lannan wanted it to. The left-handed pitcher gave up seven hits and two runs in six innings against the top team in the National League West, including a two-run bomb homerun to center fielder Chris Young.

That at-bat weighed heavy on Lannan’s mind after the game which ended in an 8-1 loss when a bullpen implosion followed his exit.

“You’ve just got to bear down and keep it as close as you can,” Lannan said. “You can only control what you can control and that’s just throwing strikes. Right now, I’m not thinking too much about what’s going on offensively. I know that these guys are going to come through but you know you just got to do what you can do and that’s what I’ve been doing.” Continue reading →

We Love Weekends
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We Love Weekends – August 26th through 28th

11-04-01 - Cherry Blossoms - Flashback of Mom

Mosley: Fun filled weekend for me!  One of my photographs (above) was selected as a semi-finalists for the DC State Fair Photo Contest.  I could win a blue ribbon.  A ribbon!  And it could be blue!  Tough competition though, so keep your fingers crossed for me.  And since I’m going to be waiting with bated breath in Columbia Heights, I might as well enjoy Columbia Heights Day and the DC State Fair.  I’m sure I will be eating many fried foods I shouldn’t be eating.  And the night will be caped by seeing Highlander at the AFI in Silver Spring (You know it won the Academy Award? For “Best Movie Ever Made”!).  As for Sunday, assuming Irene doesn’t change things up, I’m planning on braving the crowds to see the dedication of the King Memorial on the Tidal Basin.  Assuming security isn’t crazy, I’m eyeing a spot by the Jefferson, hoping it stays open to the public.  If we do get sweep up by the hurricane, I plan on holding out, with lots of beer, in my apartment in Thomas Circle.  It’s a good back up plan.

Tom: This weekend could go a bunch of different ways thanks to the storm that’s heading up the Eastern Seaboard. We have a friend coming down from Pittsburgh Friday, so I figure there’s a good chance we’ll take him out and show him a good time. I suspect that we’ll likely see the new MLK Memorial on the mall, but also hit up some highlights of DC Food & Fun. Saturday we’re headed out to Leesburg to congregate with a few other talented sysadmin types and enjoy some great beer at Fireworks. Columbia Heights Day is also on my radar, and there may well be a Hurricane party on Sunday at a friend’s in Fairfax, which means I need to find some glassware and passionfruit juice in a hurry.

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Food and Drink
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Opening Soon: 5 Restaurants I’m Anxiously Awaiting

eliser

Courtesy Eliser: Dinner Menu

Ok, so if you’re the least bit familiar with restaurants and the supposed opening dates in DC, you know that they are almost never met due to permitting delays, construction delays, staffing delays…you get it. Still, the eternal optimist, these are the five restaurants I can’t wait to try when they open later this year. (Note: I better not have to wait until 2012 to see you!)

1) Elisir:

The fine dining, Italian restaurant brought to us by Enzo Fargione will join the culinary heaven that is Penn Quarter. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because Chef Fargione was previously the chef at K Street’s Teatro Goldoni. Publicist Janet Donovan tells me that the restaurant will open sometime in the Fall — so I’m crossing my fingers for late September/early October. Elisir’s Facebook page is getting more and more active, which is always a good sign. You can check it out for construction and menu updates.

427 11th St NW

ETA: Fall 2011

Continue reading →

Adams Morgan, The Features, We Love Arts
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Greetings from DC!

For fifteen years, the West-facing wall of Mama Ayesha’s restaurant on Calvert Street stood bricked and barren, save for a narrow painted banner of Middle Eastern desert. In 2007 it was time for a tune up, decided manager Mohammed Abu-El-Hawa, whose family has owned and operated the Adams Morgan icon since 1960.

Originally founded as Calvert Café by Ayesha Abraham, a Palestinian immigrant who arrived in Washington in the late ‘40s, the restaurant has “served ambassadors, foreign dignitaries, and U.S. officials,” according to its website, and found a regular in one DC institution in particular: reporter Helen Thomas.

The distinguished (and now controversial) White House correspondent seemed the perfect fit for his DC venue, and Abu-El-Hawa envisioned a mural of Ms. Thomas interviewing every president since the start of her career, beginning with Kennedy and on through, at the time, George W. Bush.

He just needed an artist. Continue reading →

Sports Fix, The Features
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Mental Errors Doom Nats In 4-2 Loss To Arizona; In Memoriam Mike Flanagan

Photo courtesy of
‘Desmond touches ’em all’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

Any Washington Nationals fan who bothered to sit through the entirety of Wednesday night’s 4-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks would probably have felt a nasty shock of recognition. For one night, the Nationals of April and May re-emerged and reminded the 17,881 in attendance that there was a time when the team was in the bottom half of the National League table in every major offensive statistical category. They allowed 24-year-old Lynchburg native Daniel Hudson to come within one out of a complete-game shutout before back-to-back solo home runs by Laynce Nix and Jonny Gomes forced Hudson to yield to J.J. Putz, who forced Wilson Ramos to lift a foul popout to Lyle Overbay to end the game. Continue reading →

Food and Drink
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First Look: Graffiato

graffiato

Earlier this year it was Toki Underground and Shake Shack that were pretty much the buzz everywhere before they opened their doors. When that died down, Graffiato became the restaurant everyone was talking about. The 130-seat dining spot in Chinatown comes to us courtesy Top Chef Mike Isabella, and it has been consistently crowded since it opened in June.

As most foodies can tell you, Isabella is no stranger to DC. He spent three years in a kitchen a few blocks northwest of Graffiato, as the executive chef of Jose Andres’ Zaytinya. If that doesn’t ring a bell, he also appeared on Season Six of Top Chef and he was the runner up on Top Chef All-Stars.

Continue reading →

Business and Money, Essential DC, Fashionable DC, Life in the Capital, The District, The Features
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CB2 Fall Line: Space May Be Limited, But It Can Still Be Chic

IMAG0410

Continuing on the heels of my Etsy Round Up: Washington DC feature apartment decorating finds, I ventured over the CB2 in Georgetown recently to check out their Fall 2011 collection. The latest and greatest from this Create&Barrel and Land of Nod, “affordable” sister shop centers on providing innovative, space saving options for DC’s small apartment, loft and efficiency occupants.  Although that is not a revolutionary concept (see IKEA, West Elm, etc.) and was not chosen to meet the particular needs of DC urban dwellers, it is well executed. Continue reading →

We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Reggie Watts at Woolly Mammoth

Reggie Watts, photo by Wendy Lynch Redfern

Andy Kaufman would have loved Reggie Watts.

Be careful how you take that bit of praise. If you’re of my generation and largely remember Kaufman solely as loveable goofball Latka on TAXI you’re not getting the right picture. Watts’ stage performance is reminiscent of Kaufman – a wandering path that includes comedy but isn’t limited to it. Slotting him as a comedian, as GQ did, is no more accurate than calling him simply a musician or a monologuist. Watts is a Performer; I’d call him a performance artist if that wasn’t such a loaded phrase.

Reggie Watts live performer makes a lot more sense for Woolly Mammoth and their commitment to adventurous on-stage performance than Reggie Watts, internet & television performer. Reggie Watts puts on a multi-faceted and entertaining show that combines music, jokes, subtle comedy and physical humor. It’s right up my alley and I loved it all the way through. If you think it might be to your taste I suggest you get in to one of the remaining four shows. If you’re looking for a straight-up comedy performance… you might want to adjust your expectations.

Case in point, my darling wife’s reaction.

Continue reading →

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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FREE FOOD ALERT: Make Your Own Pizza Kit

Photo courtesy of
‘rakhi and her pizza’
courtesy of ‘staceyviera’

Cheese is fatty, meat toppings tend to be rich, and the sauce is sweet. Pizza toppings are also packed with a compound called glutamate, which can be found in the tomatoes, cheese, pepperoni and sausage. … But according to culinary scientists, they contain flavor compounds that taste even better when eaten together.

Getchyer pizza! Potomac Pizza’s four locations (listed below) will be giving out a free slice of pizza and soft drink to all customers from 12 PM – 4 PM today. The restaurant is calling it their “final slice of summer.” And to quell your sadness about summer ending, you can go eat your feelings in the form of delicious pizza.

Homemade pizza, even with the cost of electricity factored in, is ridiculously affordable. However, it does take some time to make. Most of it is hands off time, though (oven heating, dough rising), so as long as you’re at home already, it won’t feel like it takes that long. 

It’s probably because you’re making it at home in a home oven. Those top out at 450 or 500 degrees F, which is a refrigerator compared to a pizza oven. You can compensate for that somewhat by getting a pizza stone and letting it preheat in your oven. If you are a fan pizza chef, check this link https://www.dough-re-me.co.uk/ for tips on your pizza dough.

The four locations are at:

  • Chevy Chase Center: 19 Wisconsin Circle, Chevy Chase, MD
  • Potomac Promenade: 9812 Falls Road, Potomac, MD
  • Traville Village Center: 9709 Traville Gateway Dr. Rockville, MD
  • Kentlands Market Square: 625 Center Point Way, Gaithersburg, MD

Note that there’s a limit of one free slice per customer.

The Daily Feed
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Neat view of the Quake through a Seismic Array

God I love science. Yesterday in the wake of the day’s events, I sat in Rustico in Ballston with a couple of geoscientists from NSF trying to find this exact imagery, and Jen sent it over last night late. It’s pretty impressive to see the seismic waves roll through the whole of the continent, even if they likely weren’t felt by anyone on the other side of the Appalachians.

The Daily Feed
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Updated Closures for 24 August

Photo courtesy of
‘Sidewalk Closed Signs’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

Several closures were announced in local and federal government artifices overnight. They are as follows:

Local:

DCPS is Closed today. They changed their minds from open-but-for-three-schools at 10:30pm last night to All Closed at 5:50am today.

Federal:

According to OPM, the following federal agencies are closed:

  • Department of Health & Human Services
  • Department of Labor
  • National Building Museum
  • National Endowment for the Arts
  • Department of Agriculture
  • Department of Homeland Security
  • Department of the Interior
  • Department of Commerce Building A in Franconia
  • Office of the Secretary of Defense at One White Flint in Bethesda
  • Department of Health & Human Services in Laurel
  • Archives in Suitland

It’s not yet clear why DCPS felt the need to close all of their schools today, aside from “an abundance of caution.”

The Daily Feed
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Nats Strand Men On Base, Drop 2-0 Game to Arizona

Photo courtesy of
‘Washington Nationals starting pitcher Jordan Zimmermann (27)’
courtesy of ‘Keith Allison’

After one strange (earthquake filled) day in Washington, D.C., the Nationals did their best to keep things on the diamond interesting. Washington took a 2-0 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks in what was likely right-handed pitcher Jordan Zimmermann’s penultimate game of the season, but it was a well fought battle.

Neither team scored until the seventh inning. Arizona third baseman Sean Burroughs hit his first homerun of the season, a two-run shot, off Zimmermann to give his team the upper-hand. The Nats biggest issue of the night was stranding men in scoring position.

Washington had eleven base runners Tuesday night. Five of those runners reached scoring position. Continue reading →