Monthly Archives: April 2012

Food and Drink
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Cast Your Vote for the 2012 RAMMY Awards


2012 RAMMY’s Theme: Hats Off to the Restaurants
Photo courtesy of the author

Hey DC, here’s something you actually get to cast a vote on!

The Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) lets the public choose the winner for three categories at the RAMMY awards: Hottest Restaurant Bar Scene, Neighborhood Gathering Place and Power Spot. All you have to do is click and cast your vote before 11:59 PM on April 29th on the Washington City Paper’s site. One vote is permitted in each category per valid individual e-mail address, according to a press release.

The nominees in each category are:

Neighborhood Gathering Place

Power Spot of the Year

Hottest Restaurant Bar Scene of the Year

RAMMY winners are announced at the ceremony on June 24th and you can bet We Love DC will be live-tweeting the whole thing again this year.

Music, The Features, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Zarjaz @ CD Cellar — 4/22/12

Rick Taylor and The Zarjaz (Photo by author)

Rick Taylor champions all things forgotten or under-appreciated at his monthly DJ listening party, “We Fought the Big One,” where he spins eclectic post-punk selections in the same way his hero, the late DJ John Peel, might if he had played records in a friendly restaurant in Mount Pleasant instead of on BBC Radio 1.

Surely, the epitome of such records lovingly played by Mr. Taylor would be the cult record Love Backed By Force from the band Tronics, released in 1981 by Alien Records and re-released this year by What’s Your Rupture? The singer and songwriter of that band, who is now known as Zarjaz, appeared at the CD Cellar in Arlington, Va., Sunday night to play some 11 songs — some of which were from the Love Backed By Force album and some of which were from his new effort Freakapuss.

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Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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Bar Pilar Unveils New Upstairs Dining Room, Menu, Drinks

Photo courtesy of bonappetitfoodie
Bar Pilar Mural
courtesy of bonappetitfoodie

It’s a moment you’ve been waiting for on 14th street–Bar Pilar is back, in action and with an entire new upstairs, expanded menu and cocktails. The renovated space reopened several weeks ago and We Love DC finally snapped some pictures at a media preview last week.

Don’t get nervous about the menu changes–the downstairs section will still serve the small plates the restaurant built its reputation on, but now you’ll get to choose from either small plates or an expanded menu with appetizers, entrees and desserts upstairs. With 98 seats total, you’re also more likely to snag a table during the dinner rush.

“We’re excited to offer some larger plates upstairs for people who want a full dining experience,” said Executive Chef Justin Bittner in a press release. “We’ll offer a selection of entrees using a lot more whole animals, we’re getting back into offal, but of course we’ll keep the favorites that our regulars love.”

In addition to more dining space, the upstairs has an intimate six-seat bar with a craft cocktail menu of 25 or so options from the General Manager and Beverage Director, Jonathan Fain. We Love DC’s Arts and Culture Editor, Jenn Larsen,  says the expanded wine, beer and cocktail program is “sure to break new ground. Jonathan has a whimsical way with cocktails.” Look for highlights such as housemade syrups and sugar cane juice in their cocktails.

Check out photos of the new space after the jump.

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The Daily Feed
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Bruins Beat Capitals, 4-3 (OT)

Photo courtesy of clydeorama
Krejci Celebrates Win in Overtime
courtesy of clydeorama

Well we’re shipping up to Boston one more time, and this time the series is on the line for both teams. The Caps came into Sunday afternoon’s game against the Bruins leading three games to two in the series, but couldn’t quite close out the series at home, falling behind three times and tying up the score three times, only to lose in the overtime frame.
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The Daily Feed
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Desmond Sac Fly Bails Out Lidge: Nats Win 3-2

Photo courtesy of JoshBassettPhotography
108/366 – Brad Lidge Gets The Save
courtesy of JoshBassettPhotography

Forget the perfect season and World Series victory in 2008 for the Phillies. The most memorable image of Brad Lidge will always be him squatting on the mound with his head hung in shame as Albert Pujols admires the homerun he just sent over the train tracks in left. Brad Lidge has been a good closer for most of his career posting a 3.44 ERA in 600 innings pitched, but when it is all said and done or maybe even sooner people will remember him more for his failings than his successes.

This afternoon against the Marlins Lidge had another one of his failings. After getting ahead of Hanley Ramirez 0-2 Lidge was unable to throw another strike and ended up walking Ramirez in front of Logan Morrison who hit .247/.380/.427 with four homeruns in 108 plate appearances against the Washington Nationals coming into this afternoon’s contest, and it took him only two pitches from Brad Lidge to add a fifth.

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The Daily Feed
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Nationals top Marlins 2-0 in pitchers’ duel

Photo courtesy of tbridge
Beautiful night.
courtesy of tbridge

It was a picture perfect evening to sit in the stands and root on the home team last night at Nationals Park. Perfect, that is, if you enjoy chewing your nails down to the quick. Ross Detwiler threw six innings of incredible baseball last night, showing once again the Nationals made the right decision in keeping him and demoting John Lannan. Detwiler was ruthlessly efficient, striking out six and walking just one, dropping his April ERA to 0.56, the lowest on the staff right now, and second in the league. 

K Street continues to be the reason for the Nationals place atop the NL East, without question. The Nationals’ hurlers lead the majors in strikeouts (138), and opposing average (.204), 2nd in WHIP (Walks + Hits divided by Innings Pitched), 2nd in ERA, and are 4th in earned runs allowed.  The bullpen has been just as dominant as the starting pitchers, Thursday night’s rough outing notwithstanding.

There are many reasons to be hopeful as a Nats fan right now, but there are a few reasons to be measured in your enthusiasm, as well.

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Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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Friday Happy Hour: Jungle Bird at Passenger

Tuesday was an amazing day. I went outside to see the shuttle glide overhead – and after that it seemed like my whole day was dusted with little bits of space magic. I was absurdly productive, managed to pull off some things I did not expect to work, and generally felt very accomplished and excited about the world.

Obviously, a day like that called for a celebratory drink with friends.

Being Tuesday, we headed over to Passenger for their long-running weekly Tiki night. The weather was a trifle chillier than “the islands” on that night, but recent warm temperatures and sunny days had well-primed me for tiki-style refreshment.

When I arrived and looked at the chalkboard of drink features for the night, I knew exactly which one was made for me. Jungle Bird brings together tiki classics of pineapple, lime, and rum – specifically Smith & Cross – with one of my favorite liquors of all, Campari. Served over crushed ice in a big, frosty hurricane glass, the drink was a little lighter in body and less-sweet than some tiki drinks, while still being perfect for imagining somewhere tropical.

By the end of the night, our group of six had gone through enough of them that an entire bouquet of little orchid garnishes had made their way into our hair or onto a sizable pile on the table. Rarely do I order the same drink twice in a row, even when I really like it – but this one I did. It was a magical day.

We Love Weekends
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We Love Weekends: April 20-22

Photo courtesy of caroline.angelo
Gingerbread pancakes
courtesy of caroline.angelo

It’s the weekend and it seems like every writer is planning to booze it up. Or in other words, business as usual. It’s hard to imagine that the weekend is going to live up to the week, what with most of the city getting dive-bombed on Tuesday by a 747 seemingly driven to insanity by the odd-shaped tumor on its back. But we’re willing to try.

Marissa: Lately it feels like I’m living for the weekends. Anyone else with me? Friday night, a friend and I are headed to check out the recently opened Maple in Columbia Heights. Saturday night I might mosey over to Georgetown to check out some local art and musicians at Listen Local First’s Record Store Day Showcase at The Water Street Project. If you don’t have any plans Sunday afternoon, I suggest you check out the second annual Food Experiment competition in DC from 12-3 PM. Last year’s competitors made tacos (yours truly having been one of them) and this year’s challenge is “the Chinese take-out experiment.” Word to the wise: buy your tickets in advance online since tickets at the door sold out quickly last year. Continue reading →

capitals hockey, The Daily Feed
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Caps Beat Bruins to Tie Series


Photo courtesy of clydeorama
Holtby: Rock
courtesy of clydeorama

Rookie goaltender Braden Holtby put on the best show of his short and stellar NHL career as he stopped 44 shots to lead the Caps over the Boston Bruins by a score of 2-1 to even the best of seven series at two games apiece.

The Caps managed to score twice on just 21 shots, but it was enough to make Holtby’s heroics count. Alexander Semin scored the game winning goal on a power play. Continue reading →

Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Nationals drop laugher to Astros, lose 11-4

Photo courtesy of BrianMKA
Failure
courtesy of BrianMKA

The first-place Washington Nationals stumbled in the first inning on Thursday night, with Edwin Jackson giving up six hits – three of them triples – before the side was retired. The damage was done, and the Nats trailed 5-0 on the back of some shaky routes from their outfielders. A few of those triples might’ve been doubles from a more experienced and fielding-focused outfield, and might have saved a run. 

After the rough first inning, Jackson settled down to his previous self, retiring 12 of 13 in four additional innings, and notching 5 Ks on the night. After 89 pitches, he’d head for the showers just a run behind. The Nationals would score in the 2nd on a pair of singles and a wild pitch, and pick up three runs in the third on Ryan Zimmerman’s towering drive over the visiting bullpen – his first of the season, and a moon shot at 410 feet – but that wouldn’t be enough to stop the Astros.

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The Daily Feed
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Mayor Anthony Williams named CEO of Federal City Council

Photo courtesy of Max Cook

courtesy of Max Cook

With Mayor Vincent Gray’s term having descended into scandal before it could even get underway properly, and Mayor Adrian Fenty having lost his re-election bid in a disastrous confluence of cronyism, hubris and effectiveness, it’s hard not to think back to the days of Mayor Anthony Williams and smile just a bit, especially given his immense popularity as mayor. Today, Williams was named to be the next CEO of the Federal City Council.

The Council has spearheaded several large projects in the history of the District, including the massive redevelopment of Southwest DC in the 1960s, the redevelopment of Union Station in the 1980s, the move of the Wizards to the Verizon Center in the late 1990s, and the construction of the Convention Center in the middle of the last decade. One local blogger compared the Federal City Council to the Stonecutters.

Williams’ return to the forefront of the District’s stage is a welcome breath of fresh air, given the last 24 months of scandal, infighting and drama. Attach the stone of triumph, Tony!

The Daily Feed
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Metro adds more information on Rush Plus

Metro is releasing more about what their new “Rush Plus” service, which will start this summer, in video form. Highlights include additional orange line trains through the core of the system, as well as additional green and yellow line trains with new destinations. The service kicks off June 18th and is said to affect upwards of 110,000 riders each day.

The Daily Feed
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Mattheus Vultures his Way to Nats 3-2 Victory

Photo courtesy of MrStinkhead
Happy Fan
courtesy of MrStinkhead

It is almost the perfect formula for a vulture win. The starting pitcher, Jordan Zimmermann, pitched a masterful seven innings giving up only one run on four hits and no walks with three strikeouts. The Nationals once again weren’t going to make it easy on him as Jordan Zimmermann has given up a run in every one of his starts but only one, and before the eighth inning tonight the Nationals had scored exactly zero with Zimmermann as the pitcher of record.

That all changed in the bottom of the seventh when Ankiel hit a double after Jayson Werth had grounded out for the first out of the inning. During Ramos’ at bat the Astros pitcher, Lucas Harrell, balked to advance Ankiel to third with one out. Needing only a sacrifice fly to tie the game the Nationals poor situational hitting would continue with Ramos striking out. Roger Bernadina would pick up his teammates and tie the game by lacing a double into left.

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The Daily Feed
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Celebrate Young Playwrights With YPT

Photo courtesy of Mr. T in DC
New Gala Theatre Sign and Light
courtesy of Mr. T in DC

In case you haven’t noticed, the DC theater community is growing, and fast; but what kind of plays can we look forward to down the road? If you’re interested in the future of DC theater, there’s no better place to look than toward our youngest playwrights.

Next Monday and Tuesday, April 23-24 at 7:30pm, Young Playwrights’ Theater (YPT) will present 12 new plays by area youth at their annual New Play Festival at GALA Hispanic Theatre.

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Entertainment, Special Events, The Features, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Dogugaeshi

Basil Twist's production of Dogugaeshi. Photo credit: Richard Termine.

The only reason I didn’t give Basil Twist’s hypnotic Dogugaeshi a standing ovation was that I was simply too stunned to rise from my seat.

Certainly I was prepared to be enchanted, after my last experience of the Basil Twist Festival – Petrushka at Shakespeare Theatre Company – but this was even more intense. Over the course of one hour I’d been transported, body and mind, to a theatrical state I had never experienced before.

There’s a haunting beauty to Dogugaeshi. As it’s a very brief run I urge you to catch it this week before closing on April 22. If it were just a presentation of Japanese folk puppet theater, that would still be reason to see it, but Twist takes this classic form and reframes it as a profound elegy on time and the ephemeral nature of beauty.

It’s the dogugaeshi itself, a “set change” stage mechanism, that tricks the eye until the viewer is almost in a trance. Or is it that strange, playful fox blowing out a candle? Continue reading →

Capital Chefs, Food and Drink, The Features
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Capital Chefs: Billy Klein of Café Saint-Ex (Part 2)

Photo courtesy of bonappetitfoodie
Udon Carbonara at Cafe Saint-Ex
courtesy of bonappetitfoodie

A good pasta carbonara separates the strong from the weak, the great from the average. Master that dish and you can certainly wow some dinner guests. The carbonara from Café Saint-Ex’s executive chef, Billy Klein, uses udon noodles and fresh pea shoots for a slightly different spin. The result? A pasta dish that remains light and fresh, even with a creamy sauce.

I can’t make any guarantees that yours will turn out as good as it does at Café Saint-Ex, so if I were you I’d head there first to check out the original with what was the best pork belly I’ve ever had (not an exaggeration)—crisp on the outside and not a bit of grizzly fat on the inside. And while you’re there the rest of this month, check out some of Billy’s creations for National Grilled Cheese month (read: grilled cheese on “potato bread”–gooey cheddar cheese and bacon in between slices of potatoes or the brioche encrusted with Fruity Pebbles and melted brie inside).

The full recipe, broken down by parts (roll up your sleeves and get ready for a little challenge!), is after the jump.

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Capital Chefs, Food and Drink, The Features
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Capital Chefs: Billy Klein of Café Saint-Ex (Part 1)

Photo courtesy of bonappetitfoodie
Chef Billy Klein of Cafe Saint-Ex
courtesy of bonappetitfoodie

There’s something refreshing about a direct answer to a question these days. A simple statement that gets to the root of what you’re asking, that needs no follow-up question, leaves no confusion or wiggle room for ambiguity. And when I asked Billy Klein why he became a chef, I got a succinct, straightforward answer: “I love food. I love people. I love being artistic.”

The executive chef of Café Saint-Ex elaborates: “With cooking, there are no limits, no boundaries.” Growing up, Klein says that family meals were “always a big deal” in his household. Years later, that thread now carries over into his job as a chef where he says he loves bringing people together and that he enjoys making food that’s not “too cerebral—so that people don’t forget who they’re with.” Klein reminds you that yes, a meal is about the food, but it’s also about the experience and the people you share it with.

So unsurprisingly, after chatting with Klein it’s easy to see that he’s the type of down-to-earth person you’d not only want cooking your food, but that you’d also want to share said food with. He’s level-headed—which is not to say that he’s some vanilla shade of boring—you’ll see the flashes of badassery in tattoos peeking out from his shirt sleeves or when he and a few kitchen crew members slam a shot of whiskey before wrapping up a Saturday night shift. But for example, Klein explains that achieving balance in life is important as a chef. “I love what I do and I work my ass off. But you need balance in your life,” he says. “Being a successful chef is a sacrifice. You have to put in the work, the time and the training.” Part of that life balance is knowing that a chef can’t be at a restaurant all the time, obsessing over every detail and watching their kitchen staff like a hawk. Klein emphasizes that part of a chef’s job is teaching and trusting staff to turn out dishes that are as close to the original version from the chef.
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