Yearly Archives: 2011

The Daily Feed
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Sports Pep Talk Mashups: An Idea So Good That Someone Probably Already Did It

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

Here I am, spending my lunch break snacking on a sandwich from the food court downstairs, flipping through one of my new favorite sports news sites, and I see a link:

“Ever wanted to see every classic sports-movie pep talk in one awesome montage, all backed by that “Friday Night Lights”-style guitar riffing? Best 3 minutes of the day. And after? Go get ’em!“

Legitimate thought process after reading that headline: “Why would the Caps be pushing ‘Unleash the Fury’ in the day after the all-star break and during Super Bowl week?” After all, it would be an oddly timed announcement to promote this in-game scoreboard vid that has been around for at least four seasons as a third period crowd inspiration piece. Save the online push for the playoffs.

I was wrong. It wasn’t the Caps video, but the folks at ScreenJunkies with their own offering into this catalog: Continue reading →

Sports Fix, The Features
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Sports Fix: The Last Midnight Edition

Photo courtesy of
‘Al Harrington and Andray Blatche’
courtesy of ‘Keith Allison’

Wizards

Record: 13-33
Last Two Weeks: 2-6
Place: 5th in the Southeast

In the middle of a four game road trip, the Wizards have yet to find that magic road W and fall to 0-23 on the road this season. The patience and reasons are running thin. The trip started with a promising double-overtime loss to Oklahoma City that was followed with a disappointing loss in Memphis that caused Wizards’ forward Nick Young to criticize the play calling.

Up until now the Wizards have taken their road losing streak in stride and have avoided pointing fingers. This looks to be the shot across the bow as the team struggles to figure out what they have to do to get a win on the road. It is surprising to see Young break away from his friendly, easy going, personality in the locker room, perhaps a sign of true frustration among the team. Maybe Young needs to start receiving $50 behavior fines like John Wall.

 

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Hot Ticket: The Radio Dept. @ Rock & Roll Hotel, 2/1/11

The Swedish invasion continues when The Radio Dept. hit Rock & Roll Hotel on Tuesday night. These veterans of the scene emerged from the Swedish underground with their murky guitar pop and shoegazer sensibilities almost a decade ago with their critical darling debut “Lesser Matters”. It has been interesting to see this group change, regroup, and evolve over the last ten years; as they have moved away from guitars and more towards synthesizers and keyboards. Not without hitting a few critical speed-bumps along the way, I might add.

The Radio Dept. sort of stunned people then when they emerged last year with their best album yet. “Clinging to a Scheme” put The Radio Dept. back on everyone’s radar with its masterful mix of guitar and synthesizers. On the heels of their new found critical success, The Radio Dept. have released “Passive Aggressive”, a two-disc career retrospective that illustrates the evolution of their sound perfectly. Comparing any two sonic points in the band’s career shows that dedication to atmosphere and texture has been their main modus operandi all along. Whatever instruments they use, The Radio Dept. are going to make layered, beautiful sounds with them.

Joining The Radio Dept. in this celebration of all things fuzzed and feedback drenched is San Francisco shoegazers Young Prisms. This is concert is going to be one robust feast for the ears.

The Radio Dept.
w/ Young Prisms
@ Rock & Roll Hotel
8pm – 2/1/11
advance $12, door $14

Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Archivists/Fluorescent Sense/Southern Problems @ the Rock & Roll Hotel, 1/28/11

Rock & Roll Hotel’s upstairs bar was packed with the usual Friday night denizens dancing away to the predictable throbbing drumbeats of the hired DJ. The downstairs bar was the place to be for rock music fans wanting to catch three fine, up-and-coming, local DC bands displaying their original songs and rock musical acumen. Archivists were headlining tonight, but on a good local bill like this, all three bands were given a full chance to provide a set of their original music to fans, friends, and people wanting to have something more than just a DJ’s beat with their buzz. And Archivists, Fluorescent Sense and Southern Problems delivered the goods.

Continue reading →

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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Restaurants Love to Cook, Serve & Tweet!

barcode

“These days at a restaurant you have plates, tables, food and Twitter.”

-Barcode owner Antonis Karagounis

“People regularly ask for restaurant suggestions from other Tweeps on Twitter. When we are able to find those requests and immediately welcome them to our restaurant, they are floored by the quick response and personalized welcome. We’ve been lucky enough to gain many new diners this way.”

–Bourbon Steak Publicist Sangeetha Sarma

A recent Restaurant Week experience reminded me that you can’t always expect restaurants to be on 100% all the time, but if someone or something fails, speak up.

Like many patrons, I had an issue, vented about it on Twitter, and received a very satisfying response. SO I decided that every Friday I will write a small piece about The Week’s Winning Food Tweet. This could be a restaurant itself, a food truck, a chef, a manager, etc. The winner will be someone (something?) who puts a smile on my face for a different or interesting perspective.

The free, 140 character service has revolutionized the restaurant industry. It’s necessary for restaurants to actually engage their followers in order to create loyalty and really make patrons & potential patrons feel like friends.

I wanted to take a look at the Top 5 ways that restaurants use Twitter effectively. That means they aren’t just tweeting the daily specials, but following my rules to inform, satisfy, calm and entertain!

Continue reading →

Special Events, The Daily Feed
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The Race to Donate Life: Registration is Now Open!


Photo by Rachel Levitin

As the daughter of a heart transplant recipient, I feel it’s my duty as a human being to spread the word regarding the cause. As luck would have it, the Washington Regional Transplant Community has announced that registration is now open for the second annual “Race to Donate Life,” where all proceeds directly benefit the Washington Regional Transplant Community’s awareness programs for organ, eye and tissue donation.

This family-friendly event is a timed 5K run/walk festival with festivities taking place at Rock Creek Park (Picnic Grove 24) on Saturday, May 7, over Mother’s Day weekend.

Runners/Walkers can register online. Registration closes at 6 p.m. on May 6 and there is no option for race day registration. The entry fee is $20 until April 11 and $25 thereafter.

For more information, visit their Facebook event page.

capitals hockey, The Daily Feed
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Ovie Wins Breakaway Challenge at NHL All-Star Weekend

YouTube Preview Image
For the third year in a row, Alex Ovechkin won the Breakaway Challenge in the NHL All-Star Skills Challenge last night in Raleigh, NC. In a competition judged by the fans by text voting, each shooter took four breakaway attempts. Ovechkin faced off against goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury of the Pittsburgh Penguins. On his winning shot, Ovie used the butt end of his stick to control the puck in over the blue line, then dropped to his knees before flipping the stick around and deking past Fleury to score on the backhand. He won with 39% of the fan votes.

The All-Star Game is today at 4PM. The Caps return to action Tuesday night against the Montreal Canadiens at Verizon Center.

Adams Morgan, Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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Friday Happy Hour: Holy Molé Hot Chocolate

photo by author

It’s time for Friday Happy Hour, highlighting a drink we’ve recently enjoyed, every Friday at 4pm! Please share your favorites as well.

By all accounts, I could have gone in to the office after the big thundersnowstorm. Living pretty close to work, I do not have a hellish commute and anybody who has seen my closet can tell you I am well-stocked on boots and scarves for all situations. Nonetheless, I took advantage of my company’s liberal leave policy and good telework infrastructure and stayed home instead.

Working from home is great for my productivity and, in my case at least, the environment – but by the end of a day inside I tend to get antsy for human interaction. Besides, there was a beautiful snow-capped Washington to tromp around. I arranged to meet a friend at Tryst. Continue reading →

News, The Daily Feed
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DCPS Out-of-Boundary Lottery starts today

Photo courtesy of
‘Shiny Penny 2001 D Macro April 30, 20101’
courtesy of ‘stevendepolo’

This morning marks the start of the public lottery for parents to request their child be placed at a school other than the one they were assigned by DCPS.  The period begins today, but doesn’t finish until February 28th at midnight, and DCPS is only accepting applications online.  While you do not have a better chance of being chosen through the lottery by applying today, it’s always good to get a head start on application processes.

If your child has already “won” an out-of-boundary lottery, you don’t need to reapply to keep them there, they get to remain at that school and follow its feeder path.

Good luck, DCPS parents! Hope your lucky penny is handy when you hit submit.  More questions? DCPS has a handy FAQ for the lottery.

For those who don’t have access to the Internet at home, parents can apply at any DCPS school or Library, any DCPS Parent and Family Resource Center, or the DCPS Central Office. The Office of Bilingual Education will also be able to help any parents whose primary language isn’t English.  DCPS is also hosting two events for parents with questions: February 10th at Deal Middle and February 15th at Patterson Elementary, both at 6pm.

Food and Drink, The Features
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First Look: Mandu

Photo courtesy of
‘Ducks, Mandu’
courtesy of ‘Jenn Larsen’

It’s fascinating to me how one place can unite a diverse selection of people. Mandu, the unassuming, lively Korean restaurant in Dupont Circle, does just that for many friends of mine who don’t even know each other. Crowding into the tiny front bar enjoying one of the best happy hour deals in town, I’m guaranteed to bump into any number of people from all areas of my life.

The Lee family have opened a second location of their much-beloved Mandu, with a larger, sexier space in the CityVista complex. I’m sure it will become just as popular as the original location. I recently checked it out and was thrilled to see bar manager Christian Diep, one of the most gregarious and fun-loving bartenders in town. Sitting at the end of the floating wooden bar (hooks underneath? check), I tucked into several of my favorite Mandu dishes and got a tour of the modern space. It was just as welcoming as it always is at the Dupont location – somehow they make everyone feel like they’re home.

And with a late night menu where you can nosh on shredded pork tacos or quesadillas filled with kimchi, chicken and cheese… well, you may not ever have to leave. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Maryland and the Redskins/Ravens Border

via Reddit via SBNation

A few places around the Internet have been sharing the above image, a map of the lower 48 with redrawn borders to reflect the 32 NFL teams. Go ahead, click it to embiggen it, then come right on back to this post.

Back now? Great. Here’s where we’re going with this examination: what say you about that Redskins/Ravens border that cuts its way through Maryland? You know, this one:

Continue reading →

Talkin' Transit
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Talkin’ Transit: CEO Sarles

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘erin m’

We are putting building blocks in place – making safety investments, improving our tracks and rail system, putting new buses in service, expanding staff training and designing new rail cars – while it may not be immediately evident and there are inconveniences along the way – we are literally building a new Metro for our customers and employees. — Metro’s GM/CEO, Richard Sarles

As we reported yesterday, Metro’s board named Richard Sarles as the permanent General Manager and Chief Executive Officer. It’s a move they should have done in the first place, and one that I said might happen when we first heard of Sarles.

Over ten months, Sarles has brought an engineer’s attitude and has been acting less interim than his title would have implied. He said he wasn’t looking to come here full time, but he always seemed to want to make an impact. “I came to Metro as the interim general manager,” he said at the board meeting yesterday, “simply wanting to help put the agency on the right path.”
Continue reading →

Entertainment, Music, The Daily Feed
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Hot Ticket: Office of Future Plans @ The Wind-Up Space, TONIGHT!

By now maybe you have heard some rumblings about Office of Future Plans. They have slowly but surely been building up buzz over the past year or so with select opening slots and some low-profile headline gigs around town and in Baltimore. After opening for one of The Dismemberment Plan reunion shows last weekend and this week revealing their first recorded music in the form of an excellent 7″/digital single (pictured above), Office of Future Plans are poised to break-out as one of the most exciting new bands of the DC-Baltimore region.

There is a lot to get excited about here. First and foremost is that OoFP is the latest band put together by indie-legend J. Robbins. In these parts Robbins is considered indie-royalty for being in or founding several great area-based bands like…oh let’s see…Government Issue, Burning Airlines, Channels, Report Suspicious Activity, and Jawbox (just about the best 90’s band ever). To form Office of Future Plans, Robbins has enlisted some old DC/Baltimore music pals like Darren Zentek of Kerosene 454, Brooks Harlan of Avec, and rock cellist Gordon Withers. Together the four are creating some terrific angular, post-hardcore sounds that rank right up there with some of Robbins’ best.

Office of Future Plans plays tonight in Baltimore at The Wind-Up space with mysterious, post-punks SPRCSS and Baltimore’s own spazz-rock kings Whoarfrost.

Office of Future Plans
w/ SPRCSS & Whoarfrost
@ The Wind-Up Space
1/28/11 – 9pm
$7

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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Feeling Brave? Try Galileo’s Unusual Tasting Menu

Photo courtesy of
‘Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?’
courtesy of ‘LaTur’

Maybe you started 2011 off by resolving to make your tastebuds be more adventurous. Or maybe you’re just tired of all the seared salmon and roasted chicken you ate last week during restaurant week. Either way, if you’re looking to try some bizarre foods, you can head over to Galileo III for their “unusual tasting menu.”

For $55, you get seven courses and bragging rights to tell all your friends that you ate lamb brains once. Start off with “piedino”–braised veal feet with beets and potatoes, and then move onto “lingua”–sauteed lamb tongue with turnips and pearl onions. By the time you get to the last course, you’ll say: “pork sausage and calf’s liver? That’s nothin’.” Plus, don’t all those unusual courses sound so much better in Italian?

The restaurant has made the unusual tasting menu a part of it’s regular dinner menu, so you have plenty of time to muster up the courage to try it. Chef Roberto Donna of Galileo III said he decided to offer the unusual menu because it’s the type of food he enjoys, so he wants other people to experience and fall in love with it too. So far, they’ve had a “great response. DC customers are ready and excited to try new food,” according to an email statement I received from the chef.

So what are you waiting for? I double dog dare you.

Food and Drink, Foodie Roundup, We Love Food
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Dining One Year Later: Bistro La Bonne

DSCN0535

Photo Courtesy Tricia Barba

This is the first of our “Dining One Year Later” look, where as the title suggests, we take a glance back at restaurants that have been open for one year and see how they’re doing. We will run this feature once every two weeks.

Snapshot Verdict: Great food in a relaxed atmosphere.

You could almost walk by the restaurant if you weren’t paying close enough attention. That is until you see the  “Bistro La Bonne” sign, named after the owner and chef Daniel Labonne.

The eponymous French restaurant opened at the end of 2009, taking over the space where the bar Axis once stood. With its friendly service, steak-frites, and escargot, Bistro La Bonne has been a welcome addition to this neighborhood. Chef Labonne tells me that the 50-seat restaurant serves more than 100 people on the weekdays and 200 on the weekends.

It’s a tight fit; the restaurant is narrow, though it does have a loft as well. You won’t be on someone’s lap on table next to you like you might be at Bistro Du Coin, but you won’t be stretching out either, especially if you are sitting near the bar. Speaking of the bar, it is long and perfect for watching soccer (or football as us World Cup fans would say).  Diners will like the brick walls and pictures on display.

Some gossip here — Labonne tells us he’s going to expand physically, but won’t divulge if it will just be an addition to the existing restaurant or a completely new concept. Ugh, ANC, ABRA boards here I come.

Continue reading →

Entertainment, The Daily Feed
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Oscar Watch: A Look at the Nominees With the DC Film Society

Photo courtesy of
‘Academy Award for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the Walt Disney Family Museum’
courtesy of ‘Loren Javier’

I love this time of year.

Awards season.

I rolled out of bed this past Tuesday to watch the nominations for the 83rd Academy Awards and after Monique finished reading off the names, the clocked started.

As of right now I have a little over 31 days and counting to watch 56 films. All 56 films nominated for an Academy Award this year.

It’s something I’ve been doing for a few years now, and it’s a challenge I’ve yet to fully complete. Last year I managed to watch 46 out of the 58 Oscar nominated films.

This year I’m ready to give it another go, and last week I thought I’d visit some film geeks that would share the same excitement. I dropped in on a meeting of the DC Film Society’s Cinema Lounge discussion group. The group meets on a monthly basis to talk about various topics in film. The topic of that night: Oscar Prognostication. I listened and quipped in some thoughts as the small group argued over potential nominees and attempted to predict who would get a nod from the Academy.

Continue reading →

Food and Drink, History, The Daily Feed, The Hill
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Senart’s Readies for Spring Opening

DSCN4684

Photo Courtesy Tricia Barba

Xavier Cervera’s Pacifico might still be working to get a liquor license, but Senart’s Oyster House, the restaurateur’s fourth Barracks Row location, looks more and more like a restaurant every day.

When I was putting together my list of 2011 Restaurant Openings, I noticed that Senart’s was originally “aiming” for a December 2010 opening. Of course, with the snails-pace that is DC sometimes, a “missed” target date is always expected. Still curious, I spoke with Shawn Case, one of Cervera’s right-hand-men. Continue reading →

Food and Drink, The Features, We Love Drinks
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Drinks Preview: Church & State

Photo courtesy of
‘Church and State’
courtesy of ‘Samer Farha’

Consistency and creativity are the two elements Erik Holzherr strives for in his bars. Add to that the well-deserved cliche of infectious enthusiasm – after just a few minutes of talking to him about his newest venture at the media preview for Church & State, I swear fellow WLDC authors Ashley, Samer and I are ready to go forth and open our own bar! Strike that. We’ll just be content with spreading the cocktail gospel.

Erik already has two popular bars in DC, both serving as outposts in developing neighborhoods. Wisdom was followed by Fruit Bat, and now Church & State is open to the public. Upstairs from Fruit Bat on H Street NE, it’s got such a gothic sensibility I found myself seriously craving a clove cigarette. Next time you feel the need to don the vintage finery, this is the bar to visit. Dimly lit, with reclaimed wood, flickering altar candles, and plenty of stained glass make for a striking effect. Add in an actual confessional room that gave Ashley and I total Exorcist chills, plus a raised alcove with a majestic leather couch that will definitely be fought over, and you have a small temple to the American cocktail. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed, WMATA
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Sarles named Metro GM/CEO

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘erin m’

Richard Sarles, who has been the Interim General Manager of Metro since the departure of John Catoe, was officially named the permanent General Manager today by Metro’s board this afternoon. He was also given the title Chief Executive Officer, signaling the board’s desire for a shift in role for Metro’s chief.

In speaking to the board after his confirmation, Sarles set a number of expectations for his tenure. Samer will have more details tomorrow in his Talkin’ Transit column, but a few highlights:

  • A “secret shopper” program to evaluate Metro services. (Anyone who has ever tried getting help from a station manager is pleased about this.)
  • A “virtual tunnel” to make transferring easier between Farragut West and Farragut North. I don’t have details on this, but I take this to mean that if you leave one Farragut Square station to transfer lines at the other, you’ll be charged as if it were a continuous trip, rather than being charged the base fare twice.
  • A commitment to implement external recommendations regarding escalators and elevators to keep them functional.

According to official Metro Twitter account @metroopensdoors*, Sarles said, “I see what is possible in the future, which is why I am here today; I could not pass up this opportunity to stay.”

*Without warning, the @metroopensdoors account shifted from being a bot that broadcast service disruptions to live-tweeting the Metro board proceedings. After months of complaining that Metro’s only Twitter presences weren’t actually staffed by humans, this is almost news in itself. No telling yet whether there’s more to come from @metroopensdoors.