Food and Drink, The Daily Feed, We Love Drinks

Friday Happy Hour: Perfect Pairings at Flight

This photo perfectly sums up my night at Flight, DC’s newest wine bar in Chinatown. From the moment I stepped through the door, I was seduced by the simple, yet sophisticated amber-washed interior. So seduced that I forgot to take enough photos of the amazing food and wine. Sometimes drink writing is harder than it looks.

Luckily I snapped a photo of the tomato soup cake before we devoured it and drank all the madeira. I’m sure you’re a little curious, just like I was, as to what exactly tomato soup cake is. Put simply, think carrot cake only made with a can of tomato soup instead. But that just doesn’t do it justice. I was with a professed carrot cake hater who went crazy for it. I did too, of course. It’s spiced and sweet like carrot cake, but with a great tomato zing to it.

Spicy, sweet, a little fruity? Sounds like a perfect match for a glass of madeira. And hats off to Mike behind the bar for the awesome recommendation. Continue reading

The Daily Feed

Week in Review: 1/27-1/30

We’ve reached the last day of January 2014. I don’t know about you but I’m glad tomorrow is February. It’s like the 4-day work week of months. Soon it’ll be March and we’ll start getting excited about the signs of spring — flowers, warm temperatures, cherry blossoms, outdoor dining, tourists. Well, maybe not the tourists, but certainly the rest of it. Thanks for the memories, January, it’s been real.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at today’s Week in Review.  Continue reading

Entertainment, Music, People, The Features, We Love Music

We Love Music: Natalie York

Natalie York wants to rock. That’s her goal. And in a climate chock full of male rockers, her goal isn’t unfathomable but rather something to respect, admire, and follow.

This past week, York released her second full-length album titled “Promises,” which is an album crafted with that exact goal in mind – rocking out.

When York released her first album in 2010, the collection of songs ended up being a production effort associated with her final senior project at the University of Miami. While proud of the efforts on that debut album, York is finally ready for chapter two of her young and promising music career.

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Music, The Features, We Love Music

The Winning Ticket: Moogfest @ Asheville, NC, 4/23-4/27/14

Moogfest_1_29_7
We at We Love DC are no stranger to ticket giveaways! But today we have a very unique opportunity with a pair of general admission tickets to a respected music festival that takes place not too far away from our fair city.

We are giving away a pair of tickets to Moogfest in Asheville, NC, on Wednesday, April 23 through Sunday, April 27.

Moogfest 2014 celebrates the synthesizer, and the slate of headliners scheduled to appear this year cross genres and boundaries as groundbreaking artists. The five-day festival features three performances by German pioneers Kraftwerk as well as a dance party featuring disco legend Nile Rodgers and his band CHIC.

You may recall Rodgers recently collaborated with Daft Punk on their Grammy-winning album, Random Access Memories, as did Giorgio Moroder, who will be on hand as a DJ and a guest lecturer. Performance artist Laurie Anderson will present her solo show, “The Language of the Future.”

In addition to these strong headliners and dozens upon dozens of other bands, Moogfest only yesterday announced the addition of the Pet Shop Boys, M.I.A., Flying Lotus and Dillon Francis to the lineup!

Asheville, where synth inventor Bob Moog spent the last 30 years of his life, has been home to Moogfest since 2010. The pleasantly idyllic metropolis hosts Moogfest across a number of venues, including The Orange Peel, one of the most famous concert venues in the country. If you’re up for a road trip, Asheville is an easy seven-hour drive from DC.

For your chance to win these tickets, simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address between 9am and 5pm today. Feel free to leave any comment, but perhaps tell us what Moogfest artist you would most like to see! One entry per email address, please. Tickets for this show are also available through Ticketmaster.

For the rules of this giveaway…

Comments will be closed at 5pm and a winner will be randomly selected. The winner will be notified by email. The winner must respond to our email within 24 hours or they will forfeit their tickets and we will pick another winner.

The tickets must be claimed with a valid ID. The winner must be old enough to attend the specific concert or must have a parent’s permission to enter if he/she is under 18 years old.

Moogfest
U.S. Cellular Center Asheville
Asheville, NC
Wednesday, April 23, to Sunday, April 27
$199-$499
All ages

Featured Photo

Featured Photo

Anacostia has a reputation that leads many to avoid the area at all costs. From personal experience I can say that it has some of the nicest folks DC has to offer and some beautiful old row houses and architecture. It also offers some good food options, art centers, and community outlets. Let’s not forget the big chair. If that’s not enough to convince you then maybe the sheer joy on the face of this young man captured by number7cloud as he hurtles down the ice slide at Gateway DC will do the trick. By using a higher shutter speed the moment is frozen in time even with a slower ISO of 100.  If you’re trying to capture a fast moving object it can also help to manually focus on a spot the subject is likely to move through, that way when it arrives all you need to do is hit the shutter. For more motion blur you can drop the shutter speed. The ice slide is only open for a limited time so take advantage while you still can.

Music, The Features, We Love Music

The Winning Ticket: Galactic @ 9:30 Club, 2/13/14

galactic930As 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 periodically. Keep your eyes open for opportunities to find out what tickets we’re giving away, and leave a comment for your chance to be the lucky winner!

Today, we are giving away a pair of tickets to see Galactic at the 9:30 Club on Thursday, Feb. 13.

It must be funk week here at We Love DC, what with our talk of Black Joe Lewis yesterday. But this is Galactic — the New Orleans sextet whose long career has seen them undergo stylistic changes to cast a wide net over various music genres. The core instrumental band brings in guest vocalists for many songs like their new song, Dolla Diva, which they released just last week.

This jazzy jam band may be just the thing to put you in the mood for Mardi Gras a few weeks early.

For your chance to win these tickets, simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address between 10am and 5pm today. Feel free to leave any comment, but perhaps share your favorite song by Galactic! One entry per email address, please. Tickets for this show are also available through Ticketfly.

For the rules of this giveaway…

Comments will be closed at 5pm and a winner will be randomly selected. The winner will be notified by email. The winner must respond to our email within 24 hours or they will forfeit their tickets and we will pick another winner.

Tickets will be available to the winner at the 9:30 Club Guest List window one hour before doors open on the night of the concert. The tickets must be claimed with a valid ID. The winner must be old enough to attend the specific concert or must have a parent’s permission to enter if he/she is under 18 years old.

Galactic
w/ Ryan Montbleau
9:30 Club
Thursday, Feb. 13
doors @7pm
$30
All ages

Entertainment

30th Helen Hayes Awards Nominees Announced

Helen Hayes Awards Nominations

Tonight Theatre Washington announced the nominees for the 30th annual Helen Hayes Awards. The DC Theatre community gathered on the stage of the National Theatre, a departure from the Helen Hayes Gallery where the nominees were announced in previous years. The new backdrop made for a great setting for both the people on-hand and the many who watched the nominations through Theatre Washington’s live webcast.

Arlington’s Signature Theatre led the board with a total 20 nominations while Woolly Mammoth Theatre led shows with a total eight nominations for their production of Stupid Fucking Bird.

Nominees for Outstanding Resident Play include Woolly Mammoth’s Stupid Fucking Bird and The ConvertRound House Theatre’s Glengarry Glen Ross, Arena Stage’s Good People and The Mountaintop, Ford Theatre’s The Laramie Projectand Folger Theatre’s Romeo & Juliet.

Nominees for Outstanding Musical include Olney Theatre’s A Chorus Line, Shakespeare Theatre Company’s A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the ForumKeegan Theatre’s Cabaret, Signature Theatre’s GypsyFord & Signature Theatre’s Hello, Dolly!Signature Theatre’s The Last Five Years, and The Rocky Horror Show from Studio Theatre 2nd Stage.

This will be the last year before the awards takes on a new format, however one notable change this year is the split of choreography awards into two categories: choreography in a musical and Outstanding movement in a play. Also the term “non-resident”, used for tours and other shows that are simply hosted in the city, has been changed to “visiting.”

The full list can be found below, the winners will be announced on Monday April 21st, 2014 at the National Building Museum, a change from the awards usual home at The Warner Theatre. With a new venue and a new show format allowing attendees to roam about the floor with drinks in hand; I can assure you that this year’s Drama Prom Diary will be one for the ages.

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Music, The Features, We Love Music

Hot Ticket: Black Joe Lewis @ 9:30 Club, 2/18/14

blackjoelewispressHailing from Austin, Texas, Black Joe Lewis has emerged as a funk dynamo since grabbing national attention with his band’s performance at the SXSW Festival in 2009. Last year, he released a new album, Electric Slave, which maintains Black Joe Lewis’ reputation as a funk and soul innovator. To my ear, the title track sounds like it also indulges in a whole lot of psychedelia.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/playlists/7642472″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]

Lots of folks cite James Brown when they talk about Black Joe Lewis but perhaps it’s time to cite Jimi Hendrix as well?

You be the judge! Catch Black Joe Lewis at the 9:30 Club on Tuesday, Feb. 18.

Black Joe Lewis
w/ Pickwick
9:30 Club
Tuesday, Feb. 18
Doors @7pm
$20
All ages

Weekend Flashback

Weekend Flashback: 1/24-1/26

With the super cold temps outside the inclination is to hunker down indoors and wait for it to all go away. The hearty transplants from points north and west of DC think this is ridiculous and instead spent the weekend basking in the glory of a “real winter.” We locals know all too well how fickle mother nature can be and would recommend enjoying the cold, snowy goodness while it lasts because it’ll be gone before you know it.

P.S. While a lot of freezing has occurred over that past few weeks it’s good to keep in mind that even though the ice looks solid that doesn’t always mean it is. Please be careful out there! Continue reading

Entertainment

Oscar Watch: Where To Watch Every 2014 Academy Award Nominee In D.C.

Once again Awards Season is in full effect and for Oscar Watchers like me, there’s an extra week to catch-up on films this year thanks to the Winter Olympics. So if you are up to the challenge of watching all nine Best Picture nominees, or perhaps you are like me and will try to watch all 58 nominated films, here are some tips on taking on the challenge and here is an updated breakdown on where you can find this year’s Academy Awards nominees in The District before the March 2nd ceremony.

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Food and Drink, We Love Drinks

Friday Happy Hour: Sixth Engine


For someone who writes a column called “Friday Happy Hour,” I’ve attended dreadfully few happy hours since I’ve moved to this city. Unless you count late night Industry happy hour at Eat The Rich, in which case, I’ve done more than my fair share. But this past Tuesday, with the city practically shut down due to snowmageddon, happy hour sounded like a perfect reason to check out the city, all decked in white, and have a few drinks along the way.

This started out with the best intentions, but after the freezing five block walk from the bus stop to Sixth Engine, I was starting to regret my decision. Once I got my butt in a seat at Sixth Engine, I was there to stay.

First order of business was certainly going to be one of their winter warmers. Everything sounded great, but when the weather’s so gosh darned Scandinavian out there, nothing quite warms me up like a Swedish Punsch. Bonus if it’s served with spiced butter batter and grated nutmeg in the cheekily named Hot Butter Röm. Swedish Punsch is a spiced liqueur made from a base of Batavia Arrack, a Southeast Asian spirit very similar to rum and distilled from coconut sugar. It makes for a smart variation on the classic Hot Buttered Rum (or tiki drink if you’re at Hogo). Simple, warming, delicious – this might replace my morning coffee for the rest of the season. Continue reading

We Love Weekends

We Love Weekends – Jan 24-26

Fedward:  For the third weekend in a row I’m without the Social Chair.  April may be the cruelest month for poets, but for actresses and meeting planners, January has it beat.  I’d say I’m at loose ends, but with the weather forecast I’m happy just to keep working on home improvement.  I had the realization after a recent shopping trip at Annie’s that “Ace” is only one character off from “Acme.” Luckily so far nothing has literally exploded in my face. If I do leave the house, I might head back to 2 birds 1 stone or Southern Efficiency or Petworth Citizen (bar manager Kristi and I discussed our Ace habits the last time I stopped by, over her delicious spiked hot cider and smoked old fashioned) or finally expand my horizons at Right Proper or All Souls. And once Sunday rolls around I’ll definitely be heading back to the Passenger for that loco moco.

Rachel: There’s music on my horizon this weekend, as if that was a surprise. Friday night I’ll be at Iota Club to cheer on my good friend Louisa Hall as she kicks off a night of spectacular music featuring birthday boy Justin Trawick and The Common Good as well as Black Masala. Next up will be Saturday night at one of my favorite new venues Gypsy Sally’s in Georgetown where I’ll be catching Paul Pfau and The Morrison Brothers Band. Then, at some point, I’ll be working on a feature article about Natalie York’s upcoming CD release show at Jammin’ Java with Dave Farah (that’ll be on Friday January 31) before finally shooting next week’s video for the weekly video series I’ve been doing for my YouTube channel. Good times.

Rebecca: Friday I’m in for cuban food goodness at Banana Cafe & Piano Bar on Capitol Hill. Vaca frita here I come! After dinner, my friend and I will check out some up and coming writers’ short plays at The Fridge. The plays center on unconventional subjects so that should be some good fun. Saturday I’ve planned a tasting visit to Green Hat Distillery in NE. Definitely looking forward to seeing their facilities and tasting their gins. Saturday night I’m off to Pulpo for engagement party for two good friends of mine. I’m sure the night will not stop after dinner, but I’m leaving the locale up to the happy couple to be. Since I moved to DC, I’ve known that Two Amy’s makes bagels, biails and the toppings (smoked salmon, cc, capers, etc.) for Sunday brunch, but I’ve never been. Crossing that off the list Sunday morning. Will be sure to bring the NY Times with me.

Tom: As a parent now, I have a totally different weekend structure. Most of the time it involves getting up no later than 7am, which means I’m becoming a bit of a connoisseur of places that open early. For example, I’ll never have to wait for a table at Ted’s Bulletin because I’m going before all those new residents even think about rolling out of bed. After that, I’m giving serious thought to running up to the Chinese New Year Festival at the Smithsonian American Art Museum which looks freaking amazing. Sunday will be about recovery and zen, so I’ll be walking with Charlie again to get some outdoors time. See you on the streets of Brookland!

Don: I think this weekend is going to involve alternating between “avoid the cold” and “play in the snow.” What can I say, I’m a study in contrasts. Playing in the snow is pretty self-evident, though we might try to go a little farther afield than our front yard this time. The boy is at an age where he’s more confused by this cold white stuff than he is amused but if past time in a wagon is any indication he might enjoy being pulled in a disc. There’s a rope and a trash can lid in his future, probably at a local park. I’m also considering an outing to Roosevelt Island because it always amuses this Miami boy to see partially frozen bodies of water. In the avoid category it’s likely that means “bar,” most specifically a little Sunday brunch with Fedward at the Passenger.

Paul: Ideally this weekend will either be spent in bed, under many, many covers or at work, making many, many tasty drinks.I might nip down to Eastern Market for some bone marrow and ox tail, because this is chili-making weather. Then I might head to Dr K’s Vintage for a snazzy new [old] coat, because even in the cold, you’ve gotta look cool. Maybe they’ll have that scorpion-emblazoned members only jacket I’ve been dying to find. If I still need to warm up, I’ll head to Eat the Rich on Sunday for some chowder and heavy metal. Because nothing warms the body and soul like heavy metal. And then I’ll cap my weekend with getting paid to watch the new episode of Sherlock (sometimes I love a TV in the bar).

Music, The Features, We Love Music

Hot Ticket: Lauryn Hill @ Lincoln Theatre, 2/9/14

lauryn
Killing you softly with her song, Lauryn Hill visited the 9:30 Club in December and sold out the place! Now she’s returning for a seated show at the Lincoln Theatre on Sunday, Feb. 9.

Many still remember Hill best for the lead vocals on the 1996 cover of Roberta Flack’s “Killing Me Softly” by the Fugees. She loomed large in the public eye in 1998 with the release of her only solo album to date, the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. That album alone earned her 10 Grammy nominations, of which she won five (including Album of the Year).

Her recent burst of activity comes at a time of revitalization for the singer, as she has new material with songs like “Neurotic Society (Compulsory Mix)” and “Consumerism.”

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/113740341″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

The Washington Post highly praised Hill’s 9:30 Club appearance, calling her connected and engaged. “Once L Boogie took the stage, she kicked off her shoes, showered the audience with compliments (‘You’re great, if no one told you today!’) and worked some of her best-known material into beautifully complex arrangements without erasing their most beloved elements. Best of all, her voice sounded rich and strong,” wrote Sarah Godfrey.

She seems like she’s on a roll. Check her out when she returns to play the Lincoln Theatre on Feb. 9

Lauryn Hill
Lincoln Theatre
Sunday, Feb. 9
Doors @8pm
$75-$125
All ages

Entertainment, Get Out & About, Life in the Capital, Music, The District

We Love Music: Phosphorescent @930 Club – 01/22/14

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Last night, playing in front of a sold out crowd at the 930 Club, Phosphorescent laid down a poignant, vibrant, and captivating show.

Matthew Houck, the sole member of Phosphorsecent, donned a cream white, eagle crested bolero jacket paired with a straw cowboy hat and glistened in front of the stage’s shimmering floor to ceiling metallic curtains. Backed by a seven person band, Houck pulled from his six albums to lay down a serious jam session set along the lines of the Allman Brother’s Jessica and Led Zeppelin’s Kashmirone seriously got lost in the wonderous, free-flowing sounds Houck and his band created.

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Entertainment, Fun & Games, Music, People, The Features, We Love Music

We Love Music: A Q&A with Benjamin Wallace of The 18th Street Singers

Photo Courtesy of The 18th Street Singers

Photo Courtesy of The 18th Street Singers

There’s this (nearly) perfect moment in vocal music when a chorus of individuals come together to not only sing four-part harmonies broken up into individuals parts but rather a moment when the group creates a pure tone of unadulterated sound on pitch. This is not only a goal for the 18th Street Singers, this is what they do.

Earlier this fall, I spent some time watching the 18th Street Singers in their natural habitat — their rehearsal space at First Trinity Lutheran Church — and I was quick to learn that this group is comprised of passionate voices from many different walks of life all coming together for a common purpose.

The 18th Street Singers’ Executive Director Benjamin Wallace took some time to speak with us one-on-one via e-mail to answer our questions regarding the group and their upcoming performances on Friday, January 24 and Saturday, January 25.

Tell us a bit about how you originally got involved with the 18th Street Singers? How do you fit into the overall puzzle?

I have been involved with the 18th Street Singers since its founding in 2004, and let me tell you, my participation was a classic case of being in the right place at the right time. I was living in a group house with a talented conductor (our musical director Benjamin Olinsky) when a tenacious young woman and college classmate of ours approached us saying she missed singing. While there were other choirs in D.C. none of them were exactly what we were looking for. We wanted a younger, hipper, more personable group, so we started brainstorming names and advertising on alumni list, in the paper, and on Craigslist.

It was a pretty humble beginning: I think our first season we had 14 people singing simple four-part harmony. We knew we would need a place to rehearse and perform, and having no money, we were shocked and delighted when the First Trinity Lutheran Church offered to host us. We have had an incredible partnership with the First Trinity ever since and are so thankful for their support for us and the arts. The group grew quickly up to our current size around 45 people, and as we had greater and greater success, we attracted ever more talented members. For me, much of the early days was spent working on fundraising and helping build the kind of social environment we were hoping for. After leaving D.C. for a few years, I was delighted to rejoin the group in 2012, and to start working with our board of directors to keep fulfilling the same aspirations we had in the early days: making music and friends with a fun, talented collection of young people from all walks of life.

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Music, The Features, We Love Music

We Love Music: Dates (a.k.a. DeenaOH & Co. @ DC9 – 1/16/14)

cabmicrophoneLet me quickly point out that DeenaOH’s experimental cabaret seems to be settling into a band to be called Dates, so be sure to be on the lookout for the new name.

DeenaOH herself is Deena Odelle Hyatt, a bluesy chanteuse who makes a living curating and supporting art around DC. She was opening as DeenaOH & Co. for folk singer Marian McLaughlin’s debut album release last week to a crowded room at DC9. The experimental nature of DeenaOH’s collective became clear when I counted nine musicians, including Ms. McLaughlin, contributing various vocals or instruments to the short set of songs, leaping on and off stage as required.

The songs hung together well in the amber of Ms. Hyatt’s bluesy, forlorn voice. The romantic “Moon Song” called for unconditional love over a calypso beat. Hyatt has a pleasing range, and she rolls through “Moon Song” with the cute trick of echoing herself in words extended like with “together, …together, …together.” Like all unrequited love affairs, the song ends abruptly! But the room fell into a hushed silence simply at the sound of her voice.

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Featured Photo

Featured Photo

DC (Maryland and Virginia) may not be able to handle snow events, well, at all but that doesn’t mean the city’s not a gorgeous backdrop when the white stuff falls. Victoria Pickering braved the obviously terrible weather conditions yesterday and captured this wonderful shot at the Capitol Reflecting Pool. You can almost hear the quiet; the sound of the snow falling and the crunch of it under your feet. Many of our fellow Americans make fun of our ability, or lack thereof, to handle inclement weather, perhaps rightly so, but I can think of no other major city in the country that looks as lovely as Washington, DC in the snow.

Take a look through our Flickr group for more snow photos and be sure to post some of your own.

Adventures, Entertainment, Food and Drink, Get Out & About, Life in the Capital, The Daily Feed, The District

We <3 Snow Days (Part 2): Solid Places To Hunker Down

Screen Shot 2014-01-21 at 2.40.12 PM

Got cabin fever already? Wow…jeez….yeah…..us too. Here are a few spots to escape to – that is if you can make it there safely. Yes, all listed below are open. I checked. If you’ve got other recos, post ’em in the comments section or reach out to me @digibec

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