‘farragut food court’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’
Somebody once told me the world is gonna roll me…a food truck. It’s been a while since I’ve done a themed FTT. So let’s make this week’s theme awesomely bad 90s hits, shall we? Hum those catchy tunes while you’re biting into your food truck lunch.
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By Michael R
My blood is too thick for this humidity: my mind boils, I rant and rave, and I’m unable to properly explain myself. And I channel Hunter S. Thompson. I moved to DC before I knew what the summers were like; heatwave or not, I boil like a potato in this climate. But everyone who loves hanging idly around a swamp going to fairs and farmers markets, let’s reminisce. Welcome to yesterday, DC. And the day before. And Friday, when the Redskins started back up and squashed the Steelers in their first preseason game. Busy weekend around town – let’s do this thing!
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By Tom Bridge
Photo by Gordon Withers, special to We Love DC
About 10:30 last night, as I was getting ready for bed, the heavens were rent asunder, and the entirety of a swimming pool was dumped on my back yard. For the next 30 minutes or so, the storm was without pause. Across town on Twitter, the storm was met with universal awe.
Somehow, WMATA didn’t notice.
This morning, the tunnels between Braddock Road Metro and National Airport were still flooded with the results of last night’s deluge, and as of 8:45am this morning, the pumps were still in action, struggling to deal with the load. Service between the two stations was interrupted, and only at 6:20am was shuttle service listed as being “requested” by Metro.
The situation at Braddock Road, as crowds waited for the shuttle buses, is a commuting disaster, where hundreds are waiting for shuttles to bridge the gap.
Metro’s going to take a beating today if they can’t get ahead of the frustration with today’s situation. The storms were mostly east of I-95 by 11pm last night, but the 2-3″ that that strong cell brought with it seem to have been missed by all of Metro’s staff, leaving the delays to be found the next day when trains approached the tunnels. How that was missed, well, I just don’t know.
By Brittany
One of my favorite things about Room 11 is the taste of the folks behind the bar. On any given evening, there are only a couple of featured cocktails, but they are consistently interesting (as are the wine selections which take prominence on the menu). Wednesday evening, as they celebrated their second anniversary in business, was no exception. There was special strawberry-allspice birthday punch. And, painted on the window, the GNR Lies.
The GNR Lies turns out to be very nearly my spirit drink.
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‘Chopping tomatoes’
courtesy of ‘bonappetitfoodie’
It’s summertime and if you look around, you’ll notice that tomatoes are ripe and abundant. They’re in salads, they’re on sandwiches, they’re in your gazpacho. They’re everywhere! So here’s a recipe for something a little different from Will Artley: a tomato jam. The chef suggests serving it on scallops, on toast, and I think it would even go quite well on some roasted chicken. Plus, if you are a little more advanced, you can can the jam and have it last for months. Click through to find the full recipe.
By brownpau
Susan Burns of Alexandria, most notable for an earlier assault on a Gauguin painting at the National Gallery, struck again last week, this time attacking Henri Matisse’s “The Plumed Hat.” Continue reading
‘Will Artley of Evening Star Cafe’
courtesy of ‘bonappetitfoodie’
Will Artley greets me with a bear-claw handshake, wearing bright Nantucket red pants and a matching hat that succinctly and accurately states, “No Farms, No Food.” After a quick cup of coffee, the executive chef of the Evening Star Cafe suggests we head out to the restaurant’s small “farm,” a gorgeous and overflowing vegetable patch about a mile away. “I put the doors on my Jeep since I knew you were coming,” he laughs. “I figured you wouldn’t want to ride on the motorcycle!” Will takes the opportunity to educate me on the “Jeep wave,” which has different protocol depending on the varying degrees of Jeep-ness.
I had met Will before at a few food events, but it quickly became clear that Will is a character in the best sense of the word. He’s incredibly friendly, but if you saw his serious face, you probably wouldn’t want to mess with him. “I like the instant gratification of cooking,” he says. “You can change people’s mood with food. They can have sat in traffic and be in a bad mood. But if you give them one taste and it changes their attitude, that’s rewarding.” Will adds that he also volunteers time each Monday at the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority teaching low-income families how to cook and eat healthy. “Cooking can change lives. If you’re in this business, you should be in it to make people happy,” he says.
‘CapMac’
courtesy of ‘yostinator’
You made it to Friday! And that deserves something with carbs, perhaps. Like some ooey gooey, good CapMac.
And don’t forget that today is Truckeroo 3! Twenty food trucks, live music, throngs of interesting people! You should go.
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By Alexia
For the past week I have had the privilege of volunteering as a band coach for Girls Rock! DC camp. It has been a whirlwind, but Girls Rock! DC camp is coming to a close. The end of camp week is finally upon us. For those of you unfamiliar with GRDC, it is a week-long day camp for Washington, DC area girls, ages 8-18. It teaches girl-empowerment and community building through music. During the week girls receive small-group instruction on instruments, turntables or digital music, form bands or DJ teams, and collaborate to write a song or DJ set which they perform in a showcase at the end of the week. The camp is completely volunteer-run. Continue reading
By Brian Mosley
‘Fall Equinox – Aligned – 9-15-08’
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’
When I was asked to write this piece, my first thought was “well this could be a long article or this could be very short.” If I listed everything I love about my hometown, I’d have a multi-post series; or I could sum it up with a simple “everything.” But neither would do. So I sat down and started thinking. When is it that I say “I love this city” and mean it? I started to realize that I say that almost every time someone says “I hate this city because.” Sounds wrong right? Normally when people start complaining, everyone piles on. Not me…well, not always me. Continue reading
By Brittany
‘031199-05Crop’
courtesy of ‘furcafe’
If you notice a flurry of beer related activity in the coming week – perhaps roving bands of brewers walking the streets – the third annual DC Beer Week is likely the reason. From August 14 to 21, spots around the city will host events including tastings, meet-the-brewer nights, pairing dinners, and the breaking open of rare and special beers. The week will see the debut party for DC’s newest commercial brewery, Chocolate City, as well as the releasing of other new beers and those not often available in this area.
As Jeff Wells, the co-founder and co-organizer of the event states, “DC Beer Week is a celebration of craft beer culture in Washington, DC and the people who make it, the places that serve it and the people who drink it. [It] is a unique opportunity to discover the flavors of Craft Beer and to celebrate its role in DC’s diverse restaurant and nightlife scene.”
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By Don
As if the week didn’t usually feel long enough now we have this beautiful weather to tease us. Nobody but your boss would blame you for playing hooky tomorrow and trading Friday’s mild and sunny for the possibility of significant (but needed) rain on Sunday. If you need other ideas, well, we’ve got some…
Patrick Palafox: This is an eventful weekend of comedy. Evan Valentine and Mike James are throwing their comedy showcase “Everybody Gets Laid” Friday night over at the Velvet Lounge starting at 7:30 PM. Saturday is a great night to get some tasty food as well as tasteful comedy happening over at The Gibson. They are having the comedy showcase “Barbeque and Comedy” that is serving food at 8 and comedy at 9. It costs $22 to be able to eat as much barbeque as your body can hold and see the show. If you want to go I suggest you reserve a seat in advance.
‘A pickle-back’
courtesy of ‘theCSSdiv’
Tom: Saturday is the highlight of my weekend, without question. We’re headed out to Berryville for the wedding of our good friends John and Whitney at a lovely piece of Georgian architecture. Friday night, I think it’s time we finally got out to Toki Underground, but I suspect that given their usual level of busy we may have to have a backup plan. Depending on how late Saturday goes, Sunday may well just be a day of rest, but it could be that I head out to American Ice Company for a tasty pickle back
By Tom Bridge
‘MLK Memorial’
courtesy of ‘nevermindtheend’
With the newest monument on the Mall slated to open at the end of the month, to crowds of “hundreds of thousands,” District residents are going to get a free sneak preview. Tickets will be available at the MLK library in DC, as well as on the city’s website starting early next week. The memorial will be open to DC residents from 8am to 8pm on August 23rd, five days ahead of its dedication.
Ahead of the dedication on the 28th, the city is urging all city residents to turn out for a DC Full Democracy day on the 27th with a rally at Freedom Plaza, and a march from the Lincoln Memorial to the King Memorial. We’ll have more on that in the coming days.
‘DC Empanadas – La Venganza de Tio Shawn’
courtesy of ‘bonappetitfoodie’
Put a lil pep in your step this Thursday with some DC empanadas. That melted cheese is calling your name.
By Brittany
Photo: Daniel Swartz/Revamp.com
Of all the daily deal, flash sale, and flash-local-deal sale sites that have launched in the Washington area lately, none of them can quite match up to Gilt City for sophistication or excitement. While you might expect some of the deals they have offered since their launch in DC – booklets of airline tickets, fancy dining, and high-end spa packages (not the usual half-off spray tan in Fairfax or other “deals” nobody actually wants) – they also really set themselves apart with their organizing of exclusive events or VIP treatment just for Gilt City members. Thievery Corporation and My Morning Jacket have been among the entertainment featured recently, with more curated entertainment experiences yet to come.
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By Tom Bridge
‘Lower Invertebrates Exhibit in West Wing, Smithsonian Institution Building’
courtesy of ‘Smithsonian Institution’
You know how you have this awesome friend, but you forgot their birthday this year, and it turns out it was a big one? Yeah. That. [Update, 11:45: As it turns out, We did cover this yesterday. So, I feel a little better, but still, birthday! Yay!]
Yesterday was the Smithsonian Institution’s 165th birthday, having been finally founded on August 10th, 1846, over a decade after Congress agreed to accept the bequest. The original gift of approximately $500,000 was incredibly controversial when it had been initially granted, and the decade of time necessary to establish the Institution.
By Tom Bridge
‘proof.glass’
courtesy of ‘bhrome’
The violent unrest in Britain is certainly concerning, given that several of the same underlying conditions may be present in the District. Freeman Klopott of the Examiner talked with several Chinatown business owners who are concerned about a program to engage with the youth in Chinatown:
“We’ve been assured that the police department will deal with it,” said Proof owner Mark Kuller, who has decided to close the restaurant’s patio Friday night — one-third of his summer seating — rather than submit his customers to the sound and crowds he expects to come. “But it’s a mistake to have a youth engagement even in this area.”
It’s disappointing to see Klopott feeding the trolls by highlighting the overly concerned Kuller, who seems to think that the only modality of operation for young residents is rioting and violence (Please see addendum, these comments appear to be taken without context.) Given that the MPD program looks to engage with the youth to try to help defuse some of the underlying issues of disenfranchisement and alienation, it seems odd that business owners are freaking out when the police are trying to help.
When you look at the crime statistics for the area 1000 feet around the corner of 7th and G Street NW, there are six more crime incidents (an increase of 9% from 65 to 71) in the two month period from June 10th to August 9th, as compared to the same period last year. Violent crime is up, with five incidents of assault with a dangerous (non-firearm) weapon in two months, instead of just one, but property crime remains unchanged.
This seems like fear-mongering of the worst sort from the Examiner, and a brand of cowardice bit of overconcern from Proof’s Mark Kuller than is more disappointing than anything else.
UPDATE, 6:15pm: Mark Kuller has responded directly (in full) to the characterization of the article, which he says was unfair:
The quote in the Examiner was out of context – an amalgam of soundbites from a seven minute conversation
In addition, Kuller lays out the timeline for being informed of the event, which happened the day before yesterday, which is short noticed giving the scheduling necessary for shuffling shifts of his service staff and the valet stand that Proof offers. In addition, Kuller lays out some significant concerns with the crowds:
this event was not properly executed – it should not be done as a popup with no input from those most critically affected and also without consideration of the potentially large logistical challenges – until our meeting with the mayor Tuesday there was no plan to even have any porta potties, which would seem prudent to me.
It seems that Klopott was concerned with cramming in the irresponsible parallel to the London riots, and then putting that opinion in the only business owner he could get to go on the record about the event, in Kuller.
Shame on us me for not getting the full story, and shame on Klopott for throwing a local source under the bus to write an inflammatory piece for the paper rag.
By Brittany
‘The Cool Kids | All Points West 2009’
courtesy of ‘Matt Kleinschmidt’
None of the problems at last night’s show were actually The Cool Kids’ fault. Which is not to say there were none, of course, but they mostly fell under the categories of venue issues and a terrible opening act. The headliners themselves did their best to deliver their trademark style of hip hop to an upbeat and receptive crowd.
The show did not sell out in advance, but by a bit after nine when the openers took the stage, the room was mostly full. It was a diverse group – while still heavily male, there were rather more women than I used to see at the indie-leaning hip hop shows that I frequented during college.
The kids and the newcomers may not remember, but back then, in the mid-to-late aughts, one usually had to drive to Baltimore (uphill both ways, naturally) for a show like this. There were not as many mid-sized venues in DC back then, before places like Rock & Roll Hotel came into town. As much as I want to like the Hotel for filling that void, the place rarely manages to really work for me. On this occasion, the lighting was so bright, white, and clinical on stage, that the headliners had to practically beg to have them turned down to something a bit less squint-inducing and more party-appropriate. Similarly, the sound mixing was off such that the MCs’ vocals were not completely clear and the bass fuzzed out rather than delivering the desired resonant bounce.
Nonetheless, The Cool Kids carried on. From the moment they arrived on stage the crowd was enthusiastic. Clearly, these people remembered them from their EP and earlier mixtapes because as soon as they got to an older song, people shouted the words along with them, hands and mobile phone cameras held aloft. I was actually pretty surprised at the level of excitement people seemed to bring to the club with them given the hiatus the group had been on prior to the recent release of their first full-length, When Fish Ride Bicycles. The club must have felt like a claustrophobic and abrupt switch from the massive outdoor festival they had played just 36 hours or so before, but from their second song on, they seemed to fit into a comfortable rhythm on stage.
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By Tom Bridge
‘Garrett’s Terrace’
courtesy of ‘Kevin H.’
If you’ve ever wanted a piece of Garrett’s Tavern in Georgetown, now’s your chance. They’ve put the entire contents of the restaurant up for auction. If you want to inspect any of the items, tomorrow is the inspection day from 10am to 4pm, so you can check out any of the items in the online catalog. I’m kinda excited for the Railroad Crossing sign, myself. The auction requires a credit card, and will be done online. They’ll hold $100 from your credit card to make sure you’re legit, so recognize this isn’t eBay.
‘PORC Mobile’
courtesy of ‘bonappetitfoodie’
We may not be in the south, but PORC mobile makes a damn good pulled pork sandwich. That stuff is addictive.
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