Yearly Archives: 2011

History, News, People, The Daily Feed
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Inside Operation Dark Heart

Photo courtesy of
‘Nada News by Pepe Medina’
courtesy of ‘Newspaper Club’

On Thursday evening, May 12, join Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer at the International Spy Museum as he discusses his book “Operation Dark Heart” and the controversy it stirred up. Shaffer was a Defense Intelligence Agency senior intelligence officer who returned to active duty after the 9/11 attacks in 2001. During that 30 month period, Shaffer commanded a DIA operating base and conducted two successful undercover combat tours in Afghanistan. The objective of those tours? Searching for senior al-Qaeda leadership figures by recruiting informants and gathering intel.

His appearance at ISM so shortly after the events on May 1 is purely coincidental but timely. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Lightning Fans ‘Blue’ Themselves for Game 3 And the 5/4 Sports Ticker

Photo courtesy of
‘IMG_6500.jpg’
courtesy of ‘bridgetds’

The Lead Item: I really want to avoid going to in depth on the current woes of the Caps. Another loss last night at the hands of Vinny Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis (cathartic aside: Google auto complete brings up “Martin St. Louis Height” as one of the most common searches, haha, hockey midget), and the Solid-as-a-Rock Lightning PK unit have really cornballed every chance that the Caps have had.

Last night gave us a very interesting glimpse of the hockey fan life in Florida. The convenient excuse could be the 6:30 start time, but as the puck dropped, there were more seats dressed as Tampa fans than actual people dressed as Tampa fans (or at least the screen caps tell us). This is even after the Lightning’s front office dropped a weekend release to its fans to Blue themselves for the game. At least the chairs got the memo, but when you win, I guess you can ignore the criticism.

With Game 4 set tonight and the Caps facing the dreaded 3-0 series hole, this really is the Final Countdown for the 2010-11 Capitals. The glisten of the Stanley Cup seems really far away this Wednesday, and now would be as good as anytime to find the money in the banana stand. Otherwise, everything built this season going to be completely burned to the ground.

COME ON Caps. Get it going in Tampa tonight!

Footnote, I promised my editor six Arrested Development references as payment to use the headline. The last one was cheating.

More of the ticker after the jump.

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Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Sweetlife Festival 2011


all photos by author.

Sweetgreen is a locally established restaurant chain that was founded in 2007 by three former Georgetown students, Nicolas Jammet, Jonathan Neman, and Nathaniel Ru. In four short years, they have spread their environmentally conscious and healthy living message through the DMV area as well as into Pennsylvania. With a focus on sourcing locally grown and organic foods, Sweetgreen also provides a casual and relaxed dining experience. The three founders believe in leaving a the smallest carbon footprint possible and providing their customers with healthy food choices.

They also believe in throwing a kick ass music festival every year.

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Entertainment, Fun & Games, Music
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The Winning Ticket: The Twilight Singers

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!

We are very pleased to be giving away two tickets to see The Twilight Singers perform at the 9:30 Club on Monday, May 9th. The Twilight Singers consistently deliver great live shows and their lead singer Greg Dulli is in a class all by himself. Dulli has been knock ’em dead since his days with the amazing Afghan Whigs and with The Twilight Singers has somehow managed to craft five incredible albums that started where the Whigs left off and evolved into an even more mature and emotional sound.

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, We Love Drinks
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We Love Books About Drinks

Photo courtesy of
‘Temperance Fountain’
courtesy of ‘NCinDC’

It may come as a surprise to you that I have time to read in between all those trips to the Passenger for brunch, but it’s true. It probably won’t come as a surprise, though, that I’ve been reading a lot about drinking and prohibition lately. Two DC area authors have new books on those subjects.

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Food and Drink
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First Look: Lincoln Restaurant

Photo courtesy of
‘Hallway mural, Lincoln’
courtesy of ‘Jenn Larsen’
Lincoln Restaurant in McPherson Square is one of those places you could almost walk by without even stopping to take a glimpse inside…for now. Something tells me that in a few months the exterior of the Lincoln will stand out as much as the interior.

I always think it’s a tad unfair to judge a place based on its opening week, so I went to Lincoln three times in a three week period. The drinks are solid, the service is still inconsistent, the decor is amazing, and most dishes suffer from the “presentation beats taste” syndrome. No dish left me disappointed, per se, I just had high hopes because they all looked beautiful. My guess is that in one month or so this will all be resolved as happens with most restaurants.
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Special Events, The Daily Feed, We Love Drinks, We Love Food
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Upcoming: Operation Smile’s Grin Gala

Photo courtesy of
‘Lauren Graham and Peter Krause’
courtesy of ‘greginhollywood’

Got plans Saturday night?

The Grin Gala, now in its fourth year, is a benefit for Operation Smile. It is described as “an evening of cocktails, dancing and silent auction.” Lauren Graham, pictured above, is this year’s honorary host. Tickets come in two varieties: general admission ($120, of which $95 is tax deductible), and VIP ($240, of which $215 is tax deductible).

VIP access includes an early reception on the Chamber of Commerce rooftop with top DC chefs and mixologists including Chef Todd Gray and Mixologist Simo Ahmadi from Equinox; Chef Peter Smith from PS 7; Chef Victor Albisu and Mixologist Troy Bock from BLT Steakhouse; and Mixologist Stephen Warner from Columbia Firehouse.

The Social Chair and I will be there as invited guests. Look for us there Saturday night, and a wrap-up of the cocktails and food here next week!

Entertainment, The Features, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Ruined

Jenny Jules as Mama Nadi and Rachael Holmes as Sophie in Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater’s production of Ruined April 22-June 5, 2011. Photo by Joan Marcus

There are 683 seats in the Fichandler theater at Arena Stage. The house was packed for Ruined, playwright Lynn Nottage’s 2009 Pulitzer Prize winning play about the atrocities inflicted on women during the Second Congo War (1998-2003). They laughed, they cried, they applauded. They applauded a lot. And then they left. I heard many say “phenomenal” as they exited the theater.

683 seats. In the program, production dramaturg Amrita Mangus notes that “in some villages, as many as 90 percent of the women have been raped.” Eight organizations are listed in the program, including CARE and V-Day, to encourage the audience to act upon what they’ve seen.

I couldn’t help wondering how many audience members would get involved afterwards. There was so much laughter, some of it perhaps nervous, through the first act of the play. So much applause at the end. Would they leave and go back to their comfortable lives, telling others “go see this play!” but not “go get involved!” Would I? There’s a danger with political theater. It allows us to feel involved by the mere act of watching.

Lynn Nottage conducted extensive interviews throughout the Congo with survivors of the brutality of mass rape. Their voices come through authentically in Ruined, and it’s in these moments – especially the monologue by Salima (a riveting Donnetta Lavinia Grays) that opens the second act – that the play is at its most powerful. Continue reading →

History, The Daily Feed
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Smithsonian Snapshot: Lexington Racehorse

Lexington Racehorse, 1878; Photo courtesy of the International Museum of the Horse

This week’s Smithsonian Snapshot looks at the skeleton of Lexington, the “Official Horse of Bluegrass Country.” Known as one of the greatest racehorses of his day and sire to more winning horses than any other American thoroughbred before or since, Lexington (1850-1875) is a symbol of the town of Lexington, KY.

Originally exhibited in the Osteology Hall at the National Museum of Natural History, Lexington was moved to the National Museum of American History in 1999 to be included in the exhibition “On Time.” His skeleton provided context to the story of the first mass-produced stopwatch that split time into fractions of seconds, allegedly developed to time Lexington’s feats on the racetrack.

In 2010 a team of conservators and specialists at NMNH prepared to return Lexington’s skeleton to his birthplace. They cleaned the bones, made minor repairs, and prepared the skeleton for travel to the International Museum of the Horse, where the skeleton had been approved for loan just in time for the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky—the first time these games had ever been held outside Europe.

We Love Music
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We Love Music: Appleseed Cast @ Rock and Roll Hotel, 4/30/11

appleseed_1
All photos courtesy of The Appleseed Cast

Over their 15-year career, The Appleseed Cast have slowly morphed from their emo roots into a dynamic and powerful post-rock group. I must say, I haven’t paid too much attention to the band since 2003’s Two Conversations. But Saturday night’s show at the Rock and Roll Hotel impressed me – I felt like I was discovering a new band. Their current sound has only sparse vocals, and rarely anything resembling a catchy chorus. It’s all about the swelling guitar lines – with three guitarists, they have plenty of flexibility to create intricate harmonies.

Post-rock shows like this are hands-down my favorite shows to see. I like my music LOUD. But post-rock brings a certain kind of intensity that goes beyond volume. I imagine the creative process for The Appleseed Cast goes like this: “that’s a nice melody you wrote there. Wouldn’t it sound better if we nearly drowned it out with slow, droning riffs?” And it does. It takes a little extra work to hear the melody, but the melody’s more powerful because you had to work to find it. It’s a diamond in the desert.

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All Politics is Local, The District, The Features
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A Conversation with Eleanor Holmes Norton

Photo courtesy of
‘EHN @ Artomatic’
courtesy of ‘tbridge’

Last weekend Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) sat down with We Love DC for conversation over a number of topics particularly  focusing on the recent federal budget negotiations and the resulting protests.

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton is still angry.  After weeks of negotiations between the White House and both Congressional Republicans and Democrats over the federal government budget narrowly averted a shutdown, Norton believes the District became a pawn in the negotiations with the inclusion of two policy riders in the budget agreement.  These riders banned the District from using local funds to provide abortions primarily for low-income residents and authorized the continuation of the school voucher program which helps pay for private school tuition.  “Congress is too busy messing with the DC code,” said Norton.

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The Daily Feed
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Collection Drive for Alabama Tornado Victims

Photo courtesy of
’20_16A’
courtesy of ‘m hoek’

In the wake of last week’s horrendous storms with EF-5 tornadoes that tore through central Alabama, many people have been looking for ways to help.  A group of University of Alabama alumni in the DC area are working to promote various supply drives to help provide needed items for the devastated reasons.  There’s a drive Tuesday, collecting at Fairlington United Methodist looking for a long a list of supplies, from clothes to non-perishables to toiletries to baby supplies.  Collections start at 8am tomorrow (Tuesday), and will run into the evening.  if you can, lend a hand?

Downtown, Education, Special Events, The Features, We Love Arts
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National Geographic Live: May 2011

©Sunny Khalsa; courtesy National Geographic

May winds down the Spring 2011 National Geographic Live series of programs. If you’re looking for something to do in the evenings, we highly suggest you check out some of their offerings this season. And to provide further incentive, we are providing two lucky readers with a pair of tickets to an event of their choice this coming month!

To enter the drawing, simply comment below using your first name and a legit email address, listing the two events from the following program list you’d like to attend. (Note that there is one event not eligible and we’ve noted it for you.) Sometime after noon on Wednesday (May 4) we’ll randomly select two winners to receive a pair of tickets (each) to one of their selections.

(For ticket information, visit online or call the box office at (800) 647-5463.)

Music On…Photography Moby ($18) (SOLD OUT)
May 9, 7:30 pm
Moby has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide, played over 3,000 concerts in his career, and has had his music included in hundreds of films, such as Heat and The Beach. He has been taking photographs for as long as he’s been making music. See his riveting images and be among the first to learn about his much-anticipated new project.

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Food and Drink
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One Year Later: The Chesapeake Room

My favorite part of The Chesapeake Room is the decor. Everything inside looks absolutely beautiful and hand-crafted. There aren’t many bars I would call elegant, but this one is a beautiful maple color and has some of the highest and most comfortable bar stools.

When Chesapeake Room opened on Memorial Day 2010 I was there just one week later, and the place was still working out the kinks. One year later, I think some of its dishes are just amazing. The restaurant has what it calls a simple mission, highlighting products from Mid-Atlantic farms and waters, so you can taste how fresh all the ingredients are.

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We Love Music
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We Love Music: The Submarines @ Black Cat, 4/28/11

Submarines @BlackCatDC-2
All photos courtesy of Paivi Salonen

I’m a pretty cynical guy, to say the least. It would be really easy for me to write off The Submarines for writing corny love songs. But I can’t.

I’ve seen plenty of bands that are too cool to acknowledge the audience; I’ve seen rock stars that act like gods. So it’s refreshing to see a band as humble and genuine as The Submarines. You could tell how excited the band was to play for us that night. They were pumped that they sold out the venue – the tiny, intimate Backstage at the Black Cat. I felt like we were the biggest audience they’d ever played for!

I mean, I’m sure we weren’t, considering their profile. The Submarines rocketed to fame by getting their songs into iPhone commercials, and TV shows such as Gossip Girl, Grey’s Anatomy, and Weeds. Their synth-infused indie pop provides a background of optimism, although the cheery vocals mask the heartache hidden in the lyrics. It’s hard to ignore their similarities to The Postal Service – bright, well-crafted pop songs with male/female vocals.
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Eat Like Me
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Eat Like Me: April’s Best Dishes

Photo courtesy of
‘Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup’
courtesy of ‘[F]oxymoron’

This month saw me head to Spain for a family trip, where I ate my weight in jamon. To prepare for the trip I didn’t bother learning any Spanish, but I did make sure to eat a ton of American comfort food so I wouldn’t miss the land of my birth. And that land is one of Chinese take out, Wolfgang Puck, and nachos. It’s a complicated land, but it’s mine.

Where I Ate: Smith Commons, The Source, Fireworks Pizza, Ted’s Bulletin, Young Chow, Bourbon Steak, Meridian Point, Le Pain Quotidien, Ventnor Sports Bar, Lyon Hall, Sushi-Ko, Wisey’s.

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The Daily Feed
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The Spontaneous Party


DSC_2508
Originally uploaded by maria jpeg

The news started to trickle out around 10:15 last night that US Forces with help from US Intelligence agencies had found and killed Osama Bin Laden in Abottabad, Pakistan. I got the news during the cleanup from yesterday’s Sweetlife Festival, and as the news began to firm up, the word passed through the remaining staff at Merriweather Post Pavilion, and everyone’s eyes lit up.

For those of us who were resident here ten years ago when Flight 77 hit the Pentagon, this is a day that many of us thought wouldn’t come. The first response from everyone I told was raised eyebrows and surprise, followed almost universally with a fist-pump.

There’s been a lot of hand-wringing this morning on social media services about what it means to celebrate in the face of another death among the tens of thousands that followed the attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon in September of 2001. But celebrate many did, with a raucous gathering in Lafayette Park and around the Northwest Gate to the White House last night, and spilling up Vermont Avenue toward K Street.

The photos from our Flickr Group are just starting to flow in as people wake up and process what it was that happened last night.

In a town where we’ve had more cause for mourning than celebration, to see DC go wild like it hasn’t since Election night in 2008, well, color me happy for the momentary jubilation.

Sports Fix, The Features
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Caps Dropped By Bolts In Overtime of Game 2

Photo courtesy of
‘Ovechkin Tosses First Star Puck to Crowd’
courtesy of ‘clydeorama’

A group of reporters huddled around a television in the press room at Verizon Center on Sunday night after the Capitals had lost Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Stanley Cup Playoffs semifinals 3-2 to the Tampa Bay Lightning in overtime. Deadlines momentarily forgotten, the drama of the night swirled up in wonder and emotion that has nothing to do with hockey.

Osama Bin Laden Is Dead.

Normally this would be the spot where I lay on the analytics. The logic of how the Caps have let two games at Verizon Center slip away after dominating much of the play only to come up short handed and staring the end of their season in the face. But, hockey is a game played by grown men. In the grand scheme of things, it is almost a trivial pursuit.

At the same time, it is anything but.

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