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Carnivore BBQ
courtesy of yostinator
Ah Valentine’s Day. Will you be mine, food trucks? Always and forever! Be still, my heart!
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Monthly Archives: February 2012
By Brian Mosley
Featured Photo
blue iguana
courtesy of christaki
Scaley, definitely scaley. Nothing fancy today; no big photo lesson; no grand example of a type of photo style. Just a good, fun picture of a big lizard, sticking it’s tongue out at the world. Enjoy!
By Brittany
La Sandia Tysons Tamal Festival
One of my best friends is from L.A., where winter apparently means tamale festivals, and she was feeling like a mid-winter masa party would be just the ticket one of these unusually California-warm weekends we have been having this year. She sent out this round of emails trying to get people to come over and steam some corn husks up with her – but it turns out all our friends are too intimidated by the somewhat lengthy and labor-intensive preparation and nobody was game.
How lucky it was, then, that just about a week later, La Sandia would send me an email about their own Tamal Festival, happening throughout the month of February. She and I happily accepted the invitation to cruise out to the Tysons Corner outpost of Richard Sandoval’s food empire – which also includes Masa 14, El Centro, Zengo, and about two dozen other spots spreading from Mexico to New York to Dubai – and sample the special festival offerings.
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FREE FOOD ALERT: The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
Coffee: It’s why you got out of bed today
courtesy of afagen
Cupid wake you up on the wrong side of the bed today? Ease into the day with a free cup of Joe or tea and some breakfast treats at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf’s grand opening in the Dupont Circle Hilton.
Plus if you take a picture on your phone with the “Cupid” they have on site (please tweet those my way because I’d love to see you striking a pose with a goofy cupid for a little chuckle), you’ll get half off all drinks for the rest of February when you show the photo to the barista. Or you might be one of the lucky 12 to win a month of free drinks.
The open house goes from 7 AM until 10 AM today. The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is located at 1919 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, D.C. 20009.
Happy Valentine’s day!
By Addison H
Capitals Devoured by Sharks, 5-3
IMG_5055.jpg
courtesy of bridgetds
Down a number of players to injury and illness, the Capitals came into Monday night’s game against the San Jose Sharks desperately needing a win to stay relevant in the Eastern Conference playoff hunt. Unfortunately, despite getting several goals from unlikely sources, the Caps were easy dispatched by San Jose and fell further behind in the playoff race.
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By Brittany
We Love Music: Sockets Records Showcase at Black Cat
All Photos: Paivi Salonen for We Love DC
Local label Sockets Records put on a showcase at the Black Cat back on January 28th. That makes this recap is terribly overdue – and if I did not so like all the bands and people involved so much, I would just let it go at this point. But I really do.
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Capital Chefs: Fabio Trabocchi of Fiola (Part 2)
Tuscan Tomato Soup & Buffalo Mozzarella Toast at Fiola
courtesy of bonappetitfoodie
Put down the Kraft singles. Step away from the cheese whiz or whatever else you’re holding in your hand. Grilled cheese and tomato soup is about to be taken to a whole new level. Fiola style. And in this frigid weather as of late, this hearty soup and sandwich will keep you warm and your belly full.
For Fabio Trabocchi, the chef and mastermind behind Fiola, he says “there’s a lot to learn from what a kid likes,” and occasionally uses it as inspiration in the kitchen. In this dish, Trabocchi takes a childhood classic and makes a grownup version that I’m sure you’ll enjoy.
Click through for the full recipe and here for more pictures.
By Ben H. Rome
Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner: Scaling the World
Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner; Photo courtesy National Geographic
Tonight, Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner takes the stage at the National Geographic Museum. A prolific mountaineer, Ms. Kaltenbrunner is best known for being the first woman to summit all 14 8,000 meter peaks without supplemental oxygen or porters. She was nominated as one of NatGeo’s Adventurers of the Year for 2012.
She’ll be talking tonight about her daring climb of K2 in August 2011. Ms. Kaltenbrunner took a moment to answer a few questions for WeLoveDC before tonight’s event. Continue reading
By Don
Okay I guess I’ll allow this one
Abraham Lincoln Vampire Slayer
courtesy of srboisvert
Okay, yes, it might be a sign that I am a little too pissy about Hollywood getting things in our town wrong when my strongest reaction to the trailer for Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter was “oh come on, the Washington Monument was nowhere near done then!”
Full-sized trailer below the jump.
Capital Chefs: Fabio Trabocchi of Fiola (Part 1)
Chef Fabio Trabocchi of Fiola
courtesy of bonappetitfoodie
Ask Fabio Trabocchi what the biggest challenge for him is and you’ll get an interesting answer. “There are no challenges,” he says, and promptly laughs as if to correct himself. Normally, I’d be surprised by such an answer, but when you think about what the chef of Fiola has achieved–a James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Mid-Atlantic in 2006, Chef of the Year from the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington in 2005, Food & Wine’s Best New Chef in 2002, oh and not to mention working at a 3 star Michelin restaurant by 16 years old–you might think this super-chef has indeed transcended any challenges. Trabocchi clarifies: “It depends on how you look at a challenge. That’s what makes it fun. It’s challenging to run out of challenges. Every challenge is very exciting.”
The chef explained that while some other people might look at work in terms of hours, he chooses not to and frankly, says he doesn’t have time to. “I do this because I really like it,” he says. “I’m involved in the food, the financial side–in every part of the restaurant. I like all the aspects of [the restaurant industry].” As he moves around the kitchen and talks to me in our interview, it’s clear that Trabocchi operates with a certain degree of intensity and razor-sharp focus. Every move is done with purpose. He explains how his work as a chef differs from most: “Other professions can go back and fix their work. A cook puts food on the plate and gets that one chance.”
Food Truck Tracker
Gotta Have it!
courtesy of Phaesia2012
Happy Monday! Strugglin’ from the weekend still? Go find a food truck to make it all better.
By Brian Mosley
Weekend Flashback: 2/10-2/12
Cupid’s Undie Run 2012
courtesy of vpickering
Well, that weekend was cold. At least slightly warmer temperatures are expected for the week. Though we do have to deal with tomorrow…or as I like to think of it, the one day out of the year I can be a complete anti-social jerk, and no one can call me on it. Whether you have a lovey-dovey date planned, or will be wearing black instead of red as a sign of protest, we still need to get through Monday. Or Budget Release Day, as those in the capital city’s largest industry are calling it. See, this week is just full of events. Let me close with a blessing: may all your budgets be large, and the cuts superficial! Continue reading
By Patrick Pho
Theatre Spotlight: Really Really
Photo: Scott Suchman
Over on their website, this is how Signature Theatre describes their upcoming World Premiere of Really Really by Paul Downs Colaizzo:
“At an elite university, when the party of the year results in the regret of a lifetime, one person will stop at nothing to salvage a future that is suddenly slipping away.”
Many people have interpreted this description as a play loosely based on the Duke Lacrosse scandal, a description cast and crew members were quick to distance themselves away from. Colaizzo described the show as, “a play about a girl who wants a house.”
Even though there are some similarities: college elites, a big party, an accusation and scandal; after talking with several members of the cast the show has strong themes about how the Millennial generation is struggling to find what they want in today’s changing world.
In other words it’s right up my alley.
By Patrick Pho
LeBron and Wade Go Lob City in Victory Over Wizards
LeBron didn’t put up superstar numbers last night, but showed Washington, DC why he’s one of the NBA’s best.
Late in the second quarter Chris Bosh rebounded a missed shot from Nick Young and passed it to James. Racing down the court James passed it to Dwayne Wade who lobbed it up to James for an amazing slam dunk. It’s the kind of play the demonstrates the synergy that can happen when Miami’s Big Three are running on all cylinders.
“I think we’re probably 90 percent on the alley-oops this year,” James said after the game explaining that he’s not too concerned about showing a little pizzazz during the game. Miami Coach Erik Spoelstra commented after the game that he’d like to see the duo not get too fancy.
“We want to be efficient, and that’s the most important thing.”
However it didn’t take all three to be on top of their game as the Miami Heat beat the Washington Wizards 106-94. James only put up 18 points in what looked like a game he coasted through. Instead the production was left to Bosh (24 pts) and Wade who scored 26 points for the night- 18 of them coming in the first half where Wade put on an amazing second quarter show.
By Tom Bridge
First Drink: Blind Dog Café
Tucked into an end rowhouse in Shaw is Darnell’s, just north of the 9:30 Club on Florida avenue. It doesn’t exactly look like the sort of place that would be a coffeeshop. At least, not until you’re inside. Then it’s the most natural thing in the world. The long tall bar that greets you as you walk in is dotted with all of the accoutrements of a great coffeeshop: chemex pourovers, house made syrups, an espresso deck, and great coffee. Noah and Jonas have partnered with Black Strap Bakery to create a pop-up coffeehouse at Darnell’s called Blind Dog Café at Darnell’s.
By Patrick Pho
Theatre Spotlight: Peter Pan: The Boy Who Hated Mothers
(Photo courtesy No Rules Theatre Company)
The entertainment we are consuming has taken a turn towards the dark side. The likes of Adam West’s Batman and Christopher Reeve’s Superman are long gone, replaced with darker retellings of our classic stories and heroes. Christopher Nolan re-imagined Batman with his Dark Knight trilogy and even Disney, the biggest name behind the glitter and glam of the 90’s, tapped Tim Burton when it decided to make Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Shows like Grimm and Once Upon a Time have taken our childhood fairy tales and turned them into chilling dramas.
That being said, it’s only fitting that No Rules Theatre Company‘s production of Peter Pan: The Boy Who Hated Mothers would be grittier than anything that Cathy Rigby would do.
By the way, I can’t believe she’s still playing the role at 58.
This week the production opened at the H Street Playhouse, I talked with cast members Adam Downs, Nathan Mendez, and John Evans Reese (who plays Pan) about Michael Lluberes’ adaptation of the classic J. M. Barrie tale.
The phrase “darker adaption” was thrown around a lot during our conversation but Downs adds, “you can call it darker but you can also say the stakes are more real.”
There are no songs, no sugar coating, no spectacle with Pan. Instead the show works out to be an essential reaction to the “Disney-fication” of our youth. A leap away from happily ever after and more towards something more authentic and real, as described by Reese.
“We’re really hungry for the truth,” Reese explains, “so what is true about Peter Pan? He steals children, takes them back, thins then out when they start growing up…there’s so much death in this story that’s been glittered.”
By Where to Eat For Valentine’s Day
(049/365)
courtesy of kimberlyfaye
I am not the biggest fan of those forced celebrations that are genius ploys by Hallmark to make bank on pre-written love notes. Anytime the local grocery store and CVS look like cupid just vomited everywhere with so much red and heart shaped sugar it makes my eyes hurt. I promise there’s a romantic in me somewhere. But, whether we love or hate it, people get very into this Hallmark Holiday, so here are a few spots for making or breaking that big date, celebrating the single life, and just general breaking the routine.
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By Alexia
We Love Music: The Darkness @ 930 Club, 2/8/2012
photo by Nicole Geldart
Tight pants, long hair, moustaches, falsetto and acrobatics abounded onstage Wednesday night at the 930 club. Freddie Mercury would have felt right at home. British glam-rock extravaganza The Darkness blended sex-appeal, silliness and virtuosity into a delicious pop explosion at their sold-out show. They were joined by outrageous openers Foxy Shazam.
Cincinnati rockers Foxy Shazam took to the stage with theatricality, lead singer Eric Nally swooping on draped in a black-sequined cape. (When he removed his cape to reveal his tight black pants and cropped leather jacket, combined with his Prince Valiant haircut he somehow looked to me like what Sonny Bono might have looked like as a member of The Ramones.) Continue reading
Food Truck Tracker
Basil Thyme Food Truck
courtesy of bonappetitfoodie
I dunno about you truck trackers, but this was one heck of a rough week. Go get something from your local food truck and call it a day.
Lamb Ragu for the American Lamb Pro-Am
Rigatoni with lamb ragu
courtesy of bonappetitfoodie
Author’s note: This post is for the D.C. American Lamb Pro-Am competition. The task: come up with a lamb recipe for the competition for readers like you to vote on here. If I make it to the top 4 contestants, I get paired with a DC chef, go on to rep We Love DC and cook a lamb dish for 200 people!
Any time I cook for a big group of friends or take a stab at concocting my own recipe, I try to remember this tiny little truth: stick to what you know. Of course, I take that with a grain of salt, but the principle remains the same. Hosting a dinner party for eight, especially if you’re aiming to impress a certain member of the crowd, means that it’s probably not the right time to try your hand at that chocolate souffle recipe you’ve never made or even tasted. I’m all for taking risks in the kitchen. But there are times and places when it’s better to do so.
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