fedward – We Love DC http://www.welovedc.com Your Life Beyond The Capitol Thu, 06 May 2021 02:55:19 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.9.9 Why I (Still) Love DC: Fedward http://www.welovedc.com/2015/04/03/why-i-still-love-dc-fedward/ Fri, 03 Apr 2015 17:00:57 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=98597

When I moved to the Washington area in 1998, it wasn’t for any single good reason. I had a few reasons that added up to something, but I can’t say my logic was in any way sound. Mostly I was 27 years old and felt like I’d exhausted my opportunities in my home town. I didn’t have anything tying me down, and I figured I had enough connections here that I could make a go of it. When people asked me, I’d say that everyone else lived in DC for four years so I thought I’d give it a shot.

I had a friend who lived in a group house on the Hill, and she idly said she was thinking of moving out, but she needed a roommate. I told her I’d arrive in August, and she should find us a place to live. That first year we lived in a rented house in Crystal City, but a couple weeks after Metro’s Columbia Heights station opened up I moved into an apartment a few blocks away, where I lived for ten of those four years.

Seventeen years later, I’m a married homeowner and I have a different glib answer about why it would be impossible for me to leave: I can never live anywhere with fewer than three airports. Given the choice I’d never use any of them but National, but I’ll fly out of Dulles or BWI if the itinerary is right.

But that doesn’t really answer the question of why I (still) love DC.

When I came to DC I found a culture that didn’t revolve around the business of government. My friends aren’t lobbyists or politicians. I’ve come to know a few congressional staffers and lifetime feds over the years not because of their answer to the question “so what do you do,” but because of the things they do when they’re not on the Hill (drink, mostly). I know a few lawyers, but most of them continue to prove my belief that the happiest lawyers are former lawyers.

The culture that existed between the margins of what outsiders think of as Washington is now, to me, the dominant culture here. My friends make art; they build apps; many of them create spaces where other people can come together. I met my wife and got married here. An offhand joke resulted in a second wedding (immediately following the legal one) in the best bar in town, presided over by one owner as his brother walked my bride down the aisle. The rings were consecrated with single barrel bourbon.

Cherry blossoms, the Lincoln Memorial at night, fall colors on Grant and Sherman Circles and in Rock Creek Park, hearing monkeys at the zoo through open windows in Mt. Pleasant, concerts at the Library of Congress, Rodin sculptures at the National Gallery, even the three airports: those are all great things, but they’re not why I love DC.

In contrast to Tiffany’s comment, DC isn’t where I became who I am, it’s where I found my people. My people aren’t the people who come for four years, try to make a difference, and then leave again. My people are the people who make DC home. They are why I love DC.

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We Love Weekends: Apr 4-6 http://www.welovedc.com/2014/04/04/we-love-weekends-apr-4-6/ Fri, 04 Apr 2014 18:00:05 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=96911

Rachel: Friday night’ll kick-off when I catch up with some friends I haven’t seen in awhile. We’ll be gathering at the first-ever Unplugged 9 Songwriter Series show at Hierarchy Art Gallery in Adams Morgan. Then Saturday is a big day … er … night … since it’ll be my first Nats game of the year! I look forward to hearing the buzz of the crowd and seeing the skyline view of the city from the press box. I’m also really looking forward to breathing in the fresh air and keeping score in real-time. There’s just something so very zen about it all. Then, I’ll wrap the weekend with a softball game on Sunday afternoon in Glover Park. I’ve still got a broken foot but that doesn’t mean I can’t sit on the bench and help motivate my team toward victory!

Rebecca: Whoa nelly this weekend kicks ass. Friday afternoon I’m catching the early (6pm) sold out show  of Kraftwerk at the 9:30 Club. Saturday as part of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, I’ll be doing yoga on the Mall from 10-12 after which I’ll grab some noms at the returning District Flea as I peruse the stalls. Saturday evening I’ll hit The Dunes to check out DC’s very own Furniteur at her first show. Sunday it’s footie in the morning and Elsinore at DC9 at night.

Tom: Like a thirsty man returned from the desert, I will be drinking deeply of the waters of baseball this weekend. The Nationals have a three-game stand against the hated Braves this week, so I will be repping Natstown. Sunday is Screech’s birthday, so look forward to some random Mascot adventures that afternoon. Also this weekend is a neat event from our friends at Feastly which is part of a nationwide series called Salo. It’s a pop-up for Phillipino cooking, and the menu includes halang-halang and Agos-os, which you will have to google, but then will want immediately.

Fedward:  The Social Chair has left for NYC so I’m on my own until Sunday.  One option is to liquor up and riot, with perhaps a DB3 and a stop at Ivy and Coney, or maybe whiskey on tap at the Partisan. Or I could work on my career at Startup Weekend (but if anybody knows the organizers let them know they really need to up their social media game). Practically speaking I’ll probably just head to Annie’s and do some home improvements without the wife around to get nervous (which isn’t to say I won’t reward myself with a Red Apron steak when I’m done). Saturday afternoon also offers the opportunity to “welcome home” some WWII veterans at the Soldiers’ Home (complete with Marine Band). Sunday she’s back home, so we’ll wrap the weekend in our usual brunch-at-the-Passenger style.

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DC Toasts the Black Mixology Club http://www.welovedc.com/2013/04/22/dc-toasts-the-black-mixology-club/ Mon, 22 Apr 2013 17:38:31 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=91418

At this point you know how we feel about Dale DeGroff, Derek Brown, Garrett Peck, and the Museum of the American Cocktail.  You also know how we like fancy parties with good drinks. So I’ll be brief: all those people (and more) are organizing DC Toasts the Black Mixology Club, a benefit for the Museum, May 10 at the Howard Theatre. The Chuck Brown Band will perform.

The discount for early ticket sales has been extended through tonight. Regular tickets at the early access price are $65; VIP tickets with early admission are $90. For more information, check out the Washingtonian’s Best Bites Blog, this Kojo Nnamdi interview with some of the organizers, or the event’s about us page.

That is all.

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Rare Opportunity: Classic Silent Films at AFI Silver Theatre http://www.welovedc.com/2013/04/18/rare-opportunity-classic-silent-films-at-afi-silver-theatre/ Thu, 18 Apr 2013 17:28:49 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=91345 Promotional photo from Harold Lloyd's film Safety Last!, via Wikimedia Commons.

Promotional photo from Harold Lloyd’s film Safety Last!, via Wikimedia Commons.

This weekend the DC area’s finest movie palace, the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, begins a Silent Cinema Showcase. Many of the films and shorts will feature live accompaniment. While you’ve probably seen the image above, you may not know anything about the film Safety Last! itself. Even Roger Ebert hadn’t seen it before he reviewed it in 2005!  He wrote:

It is by general agreement the most famous shot in silent comedy: a man in a straw hat and round horn-rim glasses, hanging from the minute hand of a clock 12 stories above the city street. Strange, that this shot occurs in a film few people have ever seen.

Your chance to be one of the few comes this weekend. A new 35mm print of Safety Last! will be presented Sunday at 7:30, with live musical accompaniment. Other films in the series include two feature films starring screen legend Mary Pickford, a collection of experimental shorts called Wild and Weird, and shorts by Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy, and Buster Keaton (you get two chances for Keaton: one short is grouped with Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy, and then three Keaton shorts will be presented together).

The series starts this weekend and runs through May 4.

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Meanwhile, in Another City http://www.welovedc.com/2013/04/05/meanwhile-in-another-city/ Fri, 05 Apr 2013 17:00:23 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=90857

While this site is about and for DC and the surrounding areas, sometimes there are worthwhile events worth traveling for, such as the Manhattan Cocktail Classic. The opening gala on May 17 takes DC’s annual Repeal Day Ball and turns the dials up to about 35:  it takes over the main branch of the New York Public Library, with space for a few thousand guests and multiple bars, bands, speakeasies, and hidden delights scattered around four floors of the building. It ain’t cheap though.  This year the organizers have announced a new Uber VIP package, which includes VIP admission to the gala, transportation from Uber, and access to the MCC’s parallel Industry Invitational event, which runs from May 18-20.

What’s the Industry Invitational? It’s an inside look at all sides of the business, with sessions on history, operations, trends, best practices, and, oh, free spirits tastings all day long.  For three days. If you’ve ever wondered what really goes into your cocktail glass – the who, the what, the how, and the how much – there’s no better way to learn than by spending three days attending professional seminars. Last year (on a press pass) I attended talks on the economics of production, the effects of filtration, the importance of ice, and a demonstration on how to use a rotovap or an iSi siphon to infuse spirits with flavors like habañero pepper or coffee.  Plus countless others I’ve forgotten, since I had a cocktail in my hand by noon every day.

The gala is worth attending (if you can afford it, that is), and the public events are a blast, but if you’re a cocktail nerd the Industry Invitational might just be worth the cost of the ticket and the trip to New York.

Disclosures: we have received no compensation for this post but the Social Chair and I attended last year’s event on a press pass, and due to a misunderstanding, inadvertently crashed the opening Gala (and were let in with VIP passes once all was said and done). I wouldn’t recommend it if we hadn’t enjoyed and learned from it.

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The Rent Is Too Damn High http://www.welovedc.com/2013/02/07/the-rent-is-too-damn-high/ http://www.welovedc.com/2013/02/07/the-rent-is-too-damn-high/#comments Thu, 07 Feb 2013 13:00:47 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=90144

Make sure you check out the actual map version.

I’m keeping my eyes on the housing market this year. So when I saw a heat map of apartment prices in Boston (created by a Google employee and shared on Github) I thought that such a thing could be useful for me personally. So I made it. DC isn’t Boston, though.

DC’s enormous splotch of red (covering almost all of Northwest, and loosely tracking the Red Line) seems darker than Boston’s central red blob does. For this map I kept the colors chosen for the original Boston map, which makes it useful for comparisons but less useful for distinctions at the higher end. Since similar maps have now been made for San Francisco and Chicago as well, I’m leaving it.

I have added selectable layers for Metro stations and Bikeshare docks (both sourced from the DC Data Catalog). As in the Boston map, prices come from Padmapper. In DC, Arlington county, and Bethesda there are clusters of high prices near Metro stations, and by comparison the lack of transit-oriented development in Prince Georges county is made plain.

As for me, I’ll probably be sticking around Petworth, but maybe Brookland wouldn’t be such a bad place after all.

Nerd note: I have some ideas for future developments to this map (extending the borders beyond the rough bounds of the Beltway, better color selection for DC’s prices, another layer for sale data and not just rentals, and so on) but the first version was interesting enough I decided to post it as is.

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Brooklyn Is the New Black http://www.welovedc.com/2013/01/27/brooklyn-is-the-new-black/ http://www.welovedc.com/2013/01/27/brooklyn-is-the-new-black/#comments Mon, 28 Jan 2013 02:35:40 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=89963

They say imitation is the sincerest form of copying. At least somebody said that. I said it on my tumblr a while back and I didn’t think I was being original at the time, anyway. It should thus come as little surprise that there is now another bar called Passenger. What does come as a surprise is that it’s in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, whose hipsters are known for dismissing anything remotely unoriginal. Brooklyn’s Passenger is train-themed (obviously) although it substitutes a small upstairs space for the DC original’s narrow railcar.

The Brown brothers reacted on Twitter, with Derek tweeting, merely, “Ahem” and Tom asking, “Have you ever heard of this thing called ‘Google’?” Tom added the #FakePassenger hashtag, which I think sums the whole thing up rather well.

Hey, Brooklyn? We knew the Passenger before it was cool.

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We Love Drinks: Hogo Preview http://www.welovedc.com/2012/12/18/we-love-drinks-hogo-preview/ Tue, 18 Dec 2012 16:00:13 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=89459

The info sheet handed out at Hogo’s media preview reads, “Hogo is part of a project called Temporary Works that hopes to bring new late-night dining options to Washington, D.C. by giving talented chefs a platform to cook bar food with their own twists. Located inside Hogo, Temporary Works has a dine-in kitchen that will be helmed by a cast of rotating chefs from Washington, D.C. and other nearby cities.” If you read recent City Paper coverage you might be asking, “would they really open a bar knowing that it would have to close in a year?” Your answer is thus completely out in the open, proudly announcing itself with the name Temporary Works. Hell, that’s even the name that appeared on the ABRA notice.

This cannot in any way be an impartial report. Regular readers of this site — especially the weekend posts — might by now have the idea that the Social Chair and I spend a lot of time at the Passenger, two doors north of Hogo. It should thus come as little surprise that we’ve come to be friends with brothers Tom and Derek Brown (and in the interest of the fullest disclosure possible, we have known their landlords and partners the Rupperts for even longer than we have known the Browns). We first met Tom in the company of the Rupperts after a “garage sale” at the Warehouse Theater, in the Passenger’s early days. Presented with the horrible beach cocktail book we’d bought at the sale, he admitted that what he really wanted to open was a rum bar with tiki drinks. Several years and uncounted Tiki Tuesdays later, he has realized that dream with Hogo. Not only have we known the new bar was coming, though, we helped paint the place and move the furniture.

It was on one of those painting days that I saw the name Temporary Works on the ABRA notice and asked Tom about it. He said they’d had to put something down on the forms, and it was probably going to stick since changing legal names is too hard. He mentioned he was going to add the word “temporary” to the RUPPERT REAL RESTAURANT sign above the window and have some fun with it.

He’s had some fun, alright. Hogo features a painting of zombie skeleton Elvis on black velvet, a mermaid on the hood of an old Pontiac, and shelves upon shelves of rum, with a Siamese fighting fish in a mescal bottle nestled among them for good measure. Oh, and a painting of Bill Murray in character as Steve Zissou protects the front door from wayward sea creatures.

For the most part the Passenger is a rather unpretentious bar. Leave aside the Columbia Room and Derek’s “bar food that matters” job notice after chef Javier Duran announced his departure last year, and what you have is a roadhouse with loud music and a low-key vibe. Hogo takes the Passenger’s low-key vibe and drops it in an unnamed (and perhaps undetermined) Caribbean location, shifting the focus from rye whiskey to rum in all its forms. Standout cocktails include the ti’ punch, a French-Caribbean classic made with rhum agricole, cane sugar, and fresh lime; Blackheart’s punch, with blackstrap rum, cinnamon, and tonic water; and the Pinky Gonzalez, a variant of the Mai Tai featuring blanco and reposado tequila in place of the light and dark rum.

The aforementioned chef Duran (recently returned from California) gets the first crack at the Temporary Works kitchen, with a menu focusing on Hawaiian bar food. The most surprising menu item is Spam musumi (sushi rice, seaweed, and, uh, fried Spam) served with a wasabi aioli. The menu also features two variations on Loco Moco, which is a delicious but unholy mess of fried protein, egg, and gravy, with sides of rice and macaroni salad. Of the two versions I preferred the beef patty with sausage gravy. The highlight of the Hawaiian menu, however, is the miso saimin, ramen noodles in a rich broth with bacon dashi, a poached egg, vegetables, and pork belly. I hope this bowl lives on at the Passenger when the next chef takes over the Temporary Works kitchen. That next chef might be Ed Witt, until recently the chef at 701, but he also might have taken another job by then. Tom already has a small army of suitable candidates lined up to take the helm, however temporarily.

Left open, of course, is the question of how the Brown brothers and their partner Paul Ruppert actually feel about the temporary nature of the whole venture. They’ve stayed mum so far and I haven’t chosen to push the issue. From my perspective the only bad news is that the Passenger’s Tiki Tuesday is going away, since as Hogo’s Twitter bio says, it’s Tiki Tuesday every day there.  I doubt that Hogo is the last new venture we’ll see from the trio, but I’ll be waiting for announcements along with everyone else. At the bar. With a ti’ punch.

Hogo opens at 5pm today.

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Planning a DC Wedding: Venues http://www.welovedc.com/2012/09/11/planning-a-dc-wedding-venues/ http://www.welovedc.com/2012/09/11/planning-a-dc-wedding-venues/#comments Tue, 11 Sep 2012 16:52:17 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=87266  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While planning your big day can often seem daunting, First Class Functions will provide you with professional advice to help you know what is needed to make your special day everything you imagined.

Photo courtesy of Karon

 

Random Find
courtesy of Karon
The Social Chair returns to tell us all about finding a DC venue for a DC wedding.

After narrowing down the date for our wedding, Fedward and I began the long process of finding the perfect location. Alas, not enough of you voted for us to win a wedding, so our dream venue of the National Building Museum was quickly out of the running. What could be more DC than one of the locations of the Inaugural Balls?

There are a ton of resources for finding a venue in DC. Our best resource? Friends. DC is filled with event venues and wedding ballrooms. Ask around. Many businesses rent their spaces for private events. We joined forces with another recently engaged couple and shared Google docs with places we’d scouted after choosing our ring from the tungsten wedding rings for men collection.

Determining the style of wedding is the first step. In our case, that was decided within 90 seconds of Fedward popping the question: a short, non-religious ceremony with a really great party. Our thought was a cocktail reception instead of a sit down dinner. (you know we like cocktails, right?) The open style of our reception opened up a wealth of possibilities, and had the added bonus of not requiring a seating chart.

Photo courtesy of philliefan99
for the album
courtesy of philliefan99

Since we love DC, we quickly narrowed down possible venues to places in the city limits. Metro access was key, which ruled out a few otherwise lovely locations. Other criteria quickly came into play, including liquor selection and overall price. Some venues had low fees, but required renting tables and chairs. That can turn a low cost rental into one out of the budget ballpark.

Think outside the box. What do you like to do together? For us, that led to looking at theaters and, of course, our favorite bar. Do you have a favorite restaurant or art gallery? Does your apartment building have a roof or party space available? Who do you know that is a member of a private club? Almost any space can be transformed into your perfect wedding location with the right decorations.

Photo courtesy of dcjasmine
Wedding Photos in DC
courtesy of dcjasmine

Where did we look? Everywhere. In addition to the ones linked above, here are a few other venues that caught our eye:

So where have we decided to celebrate the big day? We had almost given up hope on finding a space that spoke to us. On a whim, I looked at the Historic Hotels of America to see if there was any space we had overlooked. There was one hotel I didn’t recognize, despite living in DC for well over a decade: The Phoenix Park Hotel (who knew there was a hotel attached to the Dubliner?).

Neither of us had wanted a hotel wedding, so we were wary on that first visit. Two steps into the hotel, we both fell in love. A spiral staircase leads to a beautiful wooden bar. Built in 1922, it seemed a natural fit for our cocktail inspired event. We went back with Darling Wedding Planner (who is now Darling Bridesmaid) a few days later just to be sure, and she also loved it. So that was that.

Photo courtesy of sciascia
metro wedding
courtesy of sciascia

If you are looking for a wedding venue, don’t give up hope. DC is filled with spaces that can match any style, from historical to modern. Keep an open mind, and never be afraid to ask about an unconventional space.

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Event (P)Review: On the Town with Dale DeGroff http://www.welovedc.com/2012/04/10/on-the-town-2012/ Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:15:40 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=83272 Dale DeGroff 1
All photos by the author

Dale DeGroff returns Thursday night for what I’ve been told is a bigger and better On the Town show, this time featuring pianist Dan Ruskin. This article, originally published last year, is a good preview for this year’s show.

The fact that you probably already know what a Cosmopolitan cocktail is, and most likely even have a mental picture of the sort of person you imagine would drink it, owes its existence to King Cocktail. Widely credited as the bartender who made it popular (if not ubiquitous) from behind the bar at the Rainbow Room in the 1980s, DeGroff has a long history both with his leg up in front of the bar and as the all-seeing, all-hearing master of ceremonies behind it. The “On the Town” seminar is a chance for him to tell a sample of the stories he has collected – or been a part of – since he moved to New York four decades ago.


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To hear him tell that history is to see him live it. In DeGroff’s eyes, the bars, saloons, and nightclubs that dot our cities are centers of communities, places where people find and cement friendships. He found his first New York bar before he found his first apartment, and it was in that bar that he met the person who would actually get him the keys. Beer cost fifty cents and he had only a buck fifty in his pocket, but he had a guitar and knew one song (“Your Cheatin’ Heart”) well enough that somebody bought him a beer – and another, and another – and he was still able to tip the bartender at the end of the night.

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And I haven’t even mentioned that the admission to this seminar also included drinks. Upon checkin at the Passenger bar each attendee received a sherry cobbler from his recipe (PX and Oloroso sherry, Cognac, orange peel, sugar, and orange juice, served over crushed ice and garnished with berries). After a brief introduction DeGroff took the Warehouse stage, which had been set up with a portable bar, and picked up his guitar. After a song he led us through the past hundred-odd years or so via their drinks, from the cobblers of the 1800s through the absinthe frappé (the Cosmopolitan of its day, so popular a song was written about it), to a long discussion on Prohibition, its malcontents, and its aftereffects.

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One particular delight was the fact that some New York bars never closed, even during Prohibition (a fact you may wish to contrast with the hundreds of speakeasies in DC in those same years). The law stipulated that there had to be an intact container for there to be a crime. The Puncheon Club had collapsing shelves, a hole in the floor, and a staff member in the basement, sitting on a case of liquor, holding a baseball bat. In the event of a raid the barman would drop his bottle through the hole, and the guy in the basement would take that as his cue and grab his bat. With all the evidence smashed in a puddle on the basement floor, the lawmen would leave empty-handed. After a safe interval the barman would send for another case of liquor from his secret cellar next door and start pouring again. The night’s third drink came out of this story, as the night the Puncheon Club closed for good (to make way for Rockefeller Center) the proprietors (who went on to open the 21 Club) served a drink known as the Major Bailey (gin, lemon, lime, sugar, and mint) and handed axes to their guests. At the stroke of midnight the revelers tore the place down themselves.

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After Prohibition and the Second World War, the US became a nation of highball drinkers (which you probably know if you’ve heard of Mad Men). When he got a job bartending a friend recommended that he seek out Jerry Thomas’ Bartenders Guide, without mentioning that it hadn’t been printed in a number of decades. Nonetheless he found a copy and a calling. Cocktail culture didn’t begin its recovery until the 1980s, and DeGroff was a driving force in that resurgence. When the Rainbow Room opened, he created a bar menu of classic cocktails made with fresh ingredients as they had been in Jerry Thomas’ day. The bar was a sensation, quickly becoming a place to see and be seen, and the cocktails there made bar and restaurant owners take notice that it was possible to go without mixers and still have a successful, profitable bar.

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From the first moments of the cocktail restoration in the 80s his story moved to the present day, with bartenders continuing to rediscover lost or forgotten recipes and to create new ones using ingredients that had previously been unavailable. He illustrated this point with the last cocktail of the night, a yuzu gimlet (Hendricks gin, yuzu, lime, Rose’s lime cordial, and honey syrup). He then stayed around to chat, sip drinks, and sign books.

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There were many more stories, but given the limits of this space and my memory after four drinks I’ll have to stop there and recommend you catch him yourself the next time he’s in town Thursday night.

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We Love Food: Adour’s New Lunch Menu http://www.welovedc.com/2012/03/29/adour-lunch-menu/ Thu, 29 Mar 2012 13:00:29 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=82874 Amuse-bouches All photos by the author

Capitalizing on his new cookbook Nature, as well as an economy in the early stages of recovery, Chef Alain Ducasse is launching a new lunch program at Adour at the St. Regis hotel. I was invited to attend a preview of the new “simple, healthy, and delicious” lunch menu hosted by the chef himself. Having enjoyed one of the best meals of my life at another of his restaurants, I jumped at the chance.

Tea

Our lunch started in the bar, which will feature a monthly rotation of two new non-alcoholic beverages along with a few more permanent items. We were offered samples of both the first month’s beverages, a citrus iced tea made with green and jasmine teas, grapefruit juice, and lemon/lime soda, and a strawberry lemonade flavored with fresh cilantro syrup. Wine director Brent Kroll and I discussed them and agreed the tea might be improved by a healthy slug of gin, while the lemonade could benefit from some bourbon, but you didn’t hear it from me. These are supposed to be healthy, you know, and some employers frown on lunchtime tippling. I won’t tell if you don’t, though.

Amuse-bouches

The beverage service was accompanied by two amuse-bouches, a tzatziki (there’s a recipe on page 50) and a dourade ceviche garnished with parsley and popcorn. Yes, popcorn.

Chef

As we moved to the dining room we were greeted individually by the chef himself. I told him how much I had enjoyed my meal at Mix Las Vegas, and he smiled and responded, “I like that place.” I said I did too. Plates of additional amuse-bouches were served immediately, and the chef addressed the crowd, first in English, and then via an interpreter. His remarks were brief, though, as he quickly excused himself to head into the kitchen for “quality control.”

Spring Vegetable Tartine

The first course, a spring vegetable tartine, is also in the pages of Nature (page 55), and is an excellent example of the chef’s focus on seasonality and healthy, filling dishes. It features fresh farmer cheese, shaved parmesan, fennel, asparagus, and other spring vegetables, on bread toasted “on one side.” It was indeed light yet filling, with the two cheeses nicely complementing the crisp vegetables. This was accompanied by a “cookpot of farro grain,” which isn’t in the cookbook. It had a consistency similar to risotto, but slightly less creamy, and cut with the salty punch of a Taggiasca olive.

John Dory

The main course was a fillet of John Dory. Again the chef’s focus was on food that is simple, and filling without being heavy. The John Dory was served on a bed of spinach and tomato, with a light mushroom sauce. The flavors were delicate and in perfect balance, with the fish itself providing an appealing creamy texture.

Dark Chocolate Mousse

Finally the dessert course was dark chocolate mousse, topped with dark chocolate shavings and candied citrus peel. It was, well, chocolate mousse, which often feels obligatory to me. It was well enough executed but still managed to leave me flat. Three delicious dishes out of four ain’t bad, though.

The new lunch program will start in April. Dinner service will include a new tasting menu inspired by Nature as well.

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On This Day in 1934 … http://www.welovedc.com/2012/03/01/on-this-day-in-1934-%e2%80%a6/ Thu, 01 Mar 2012 17:00:09 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=81593 Photo courtesy of daveinshaw
Faith and Insurance
courtesy of daveinshaw

As y…

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Photo courtesy of daveinshaw
Faith and Insurance
courtesy of daveinshaw

As you might know by now, we’re big fans of the DC Craft Bartenders Guild’s annual Repeal Day Ball, which celebrates the national repeal of Prohibition. What you might not know is that DC’s local prohibition law remained on the books for a few more months after the national repeal.

Today is the anniversary of the repeal of prohibition in DC. According to Garrett Peck’s book Prohibition in Washington, DC, DC’s repeal went into effect just after midnight on March 1, with some 200 licenses hand-delivered by police and other DC officials. The first recipients? The National Press Club, who still have license ABRA-000001 [PDF].

Know of any official or unofficial celebrations? Post ’em in the comments.

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Census: 48% of DC Households Are Single-Occupant http://www.welovedc.com/2012/02/01/census-48-of-dc-households-are-single-occupant/ http://www.welovedc.com/2012/02/01/census-48-of-dc-households-are-single-occupant/#comments Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:40:26 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=80338

From Fortune, based on data from the 2010 Census…

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Major cities with single-occupant households, from Fortune

DC has more single-occupant households than any other city, including Manhattan

From Fortune, based on data from the 2010 Census: DC has more single-occupant households than any other major US city. DC’s 48% of households is even higher than Manhattan’s 46%.

Are you the 48%?

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Tonight: Tubachristmas! http://www.welovedc.com/2011/12/07/tonight-tubachristmas/ Wed, 07 Dec 2011 22:00:31 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=78466 Photo courtesy of Jeffrey Beall
Tuba bus.
courtesy of Jeffrey Beall

Got plans to…

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Photo courtesy of Jeffrey Beall
Tuba bus.
courtesy of Jeffrey Beall

Got plans tonight? Cancel them, and head over to the Kennedy Center for the 38th anniversary performance of TUBACHRISTMAS. 6pm. A volunteer group of tuba players (edit: and euphonium players. Whatever.) will gather and make a joyful noise unto the Millenium Stage. From past experience I can safely say you can stand or sit pretty much anywhere in the hall for good sound.

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Today’s Gridlock Brought To You By http://www.welovedc.com/2011/12/05/todays-gridlock-brought-to-you-by/ Mon, 05 Dec 2011 14:57:50 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=78382 Photo courtesy of Fedward Potz
Ouch
courtesy of Fedward Potz

PSA: If you play ch…

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Photo courtesy of Fedward Potz
Ouch
courtesy of Fedward Potz

PSA: If you play chicken with a firetruck, you’ll lose. This was at the corner of 18th & L NW this morning. You’ll note the sheet metal from the car’s door is still stuck to the firetruck’s bumper.

I hope everybody is OK.

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We Love Drinks (Lots of Them): Repeal Day Ball 2011 http://www.welovedc.com/2011/11/30/we-love-drinks-lots-of-them-repeal-day-ball-2011/ http://www.welovedc.com/2011/11/30/we-love-drinks-lots-of-them-repeal-day-ball-2011/#comments Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:00:44 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=78212 Fog Lifters
All photos by the author

We here at We Love DC are u…

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Fog Lifters
All photos by the author

We here at We Love DC are unabashed, unequivocal fans of the DC Craft Bartenders Guild and their annual Repeal Day Ball. So much so that, within about 48 hours of the announcement that tickets were on sale (by which I mean within about twelve hours, really), Jenn, Brittany, and I (and the Social Chair, naturally) had all bought our tickets for this year’s ball. It’s the biggest party of the year, it’s focused on craft cocktails, and it’s thrown by bartenders themselves. This idea intrigues me and I would like to subscribe to its newsletter.

The ball (8pm Saturday at Halcyon House) is sold out now, but those of you who are going for the first time are in for a treat. A continual supply of treats, to be honest. I won’t go over all the names (you can do that yourself) and I can’t predict what the drinks will be, but I can provide the voice of experience to get you to the end of the night with your dignity intact and your clothes unstained. Join me, won’t you?

Shoe Shine

First off, you’ll want to dress for the occasion. If you’re like me, your trusty tuxedo will do. Yes, I have a trusty tuxedo (I was a music major in college and this is actually my fourth trusty tuxedo. It came from eBay). Renting is a fool’s game; a one-time investment pays off in fit and convenience, and makes it possible for you to do things like be somebody’s last minute date for a formal event where people bring you drinks and food. But if you can’t bring yourself to buy a tuxedo, a well-pressed suit will do. I can’t speak about women’s fashion except in examples, so: if you’re like Brittany, you’ve probably got some awesome vintage dress with a story attached, and lots of fancy accessories. If you’re like Jenn, you’ll end up with something slinky like this:

Jenn at the Repeal Day Ball

Voice of experience: last year’s event was on a particularly cold night, and the line for the coat check was long. If you can see your way to leaving your coat at home, you can skip the coat check and head straight inside. And forget about being fashionably late. You’ve paid for that time with those bartenders making those drinks. Don’t waste it!

Once you’re inside, do two things: take a moment to identify the bartenders you want to meet and the cocktails you want most to try, and locate water. It is critical to pace yourself. Drink too much too fast and you’re not getting the full benefit of your experience; sip too slowly and you’ll leave feeling like you’ve missed something special. Also, the moment you see food, eat some of it. It will run out early.

Voice of experience: it’s OK not to finish a drink that isn’t wowing you. Last year the Social Chair and I took turns with the drinks from various stations, and we lived to talk about it.

The Cosmopolitan Is a Fine Cocktail

Know what you can skip, but be open minded. Last year’s event featured a Cosmopolitan made by King Cocktail himself, Dale DeGroff. Under most circumstances I’ll skip vodka-based drinks in order to make room for something not made with a spirit defined as flavorless, but Dale’s Cosmo (each served with a flamed orange peel) was one of the highlights of the night.

Tom Cruise Not Included

Move around. Mingle. Compliment people on their outfits and body art. Drink water. Keep notes of what you’ve liked, because people will keep asking all night long. If you repeatedly hear the same answers to that question, waste no time in trying for yourself. While there has been an ample supply of booze remaining at the end of the night at both of the balls I’ve attended, individual cocktails did run out, some of them quite early. Some surely will this year.

3:1 Dry Martini (former)

Most of all: have fun! If I told you to drink responsibly at a party run by bartenders you’d laugh in my face (and rightly so), but remember to make travel arrangements that don’t require driving, remember to hang up those fancy clothes when you get home, and drink a couple glasses of water before going to bed. The next morning when you’re wondering what hit you (hint: the last martini) you’ll be glad you had at least some sense the night before.

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The wedding series continues – who ELSE is using your big day? http://www.welovedc.com/2011/09/22/the-wedding-series-continues-who-else-is-using-your-big-day/ http://www.welovedc.com/2011/09/22/the-wedding-series-continues-who-else-is-using-your-big-day/#comments Thu, 22 Sep 2011 17:00:54 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=75807 Photo courtesy of
’18 Sep 2010 – No 030′
court

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Photo courtesy of
’18 Sep 2010 – No 030′
courtesy of ‘B Jones Jr’

The following is a guest entry by the Social Chair, who is far more qualified than I am to discuss this particular subject matter.

So here’s the problem with being a girl who hasn’t been planning her wedding since she was a little girl:

When it’s time to plan your wedding, it’s a bit daunting.

When last we met, I had just purchased my wedding dress (es).No, I still don’t know which I am going to wear. Luckily, I have some time to figure that out. We decided to push the big event to 2012 and enjoy being engaged, instead of frantically rushing to get it planned this year. Our wedding will take place in October 2012. The logic went something like this:

November-February: Holidays, cold, maybe snow. March & April: Could be nice, could be cold and rainy. May & September: Generally busy months, with weather that sometimes doesn’t cooperate. June: Could be nice, could be terribly hot. July or August: Are you kidding? Who wants to be in DC then? October: It’s the most wonderful time of the year in DC. We have a winner!

And then the fine-tuning begins.

Photo courtesy of
‘bride & groom at the fare machine’
courtesy of ‘nevermindtheend’

fedward did a bit of historical research about weather patterns to help narrow down the specific date. Did you know that, on weekends in the first 24 days of October, Friday has the most days of rain and the most rainfall? Saturday has three fewer days of rain and generally less rainfall than Friday, and Sunday has three fewer days of rain than Saturday, and even less rainfall. This is why I love the internet.

But being a DC bride means some extra planning when it comes to choosing your wedding date. My research started on the Meeting Planners site for Destination DC. It includes a searchable calendar for the Convention Center. This won’t cover meetings that take place in one hotel, but it can indicate dates that might make getting a hotel block more difficult. A big convention means fewer rooms available – and at a higher rate. In our case, October includes the meeting for Association of the United States Army – with an estimated 20,000 attendees. We marked that weekend right off our list.

Photo courtesy of
‘More wedding photos’
courtesy of ‘max8319’

Nice weather in DC also means marathons, marches, and festivals. Those street closings can make travel difficult for you and your guests. In addition to checking the Convention Center calendar, it is worth checking dates for annual events such as:

Think of it this way: check the dates of any event that makes you immediately respond, “man, traffic is gonna suck that weekend” to see if it might impact your plans. It’s better to plan ahead than your guests missing the wedding because they can’t get across Constitution Avenue.

We’re hoping to avoid some of those street closings by choosing a Metro accessible location. Keep your fingers crossed that there is very little track work in October 2012.

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Friday Happy Hour: Long Drinks for a Long Weekend http://www.welovedc.com/2011/09/02/friday-happy-hour-long-drinks-for-a-long-weekend/ Fri, 02 Sep 2011 20:00:24 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=75018 Photo courtesy of
‘01497-07Crop’
courtesy of R

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Photo courtesy of
‘01497-07Crop’
courtesy of ‘furcafe’
A long drink, a term with which you might not be familiar, is a bartender’s term for a cocktail which is longer on non-alcoholic mixer than it is on base spirit. You may already know some long drinks as highballs, a slightly younger name which refers to a long drink made with just a single base spirit and a single mixer, often with a fruit garnish. A gin and tonic is a highball, but a Tom Collins (containing not only gin and soda but sugar and lemon juice) is a long drink. The Tom Collins, by the way, gave its name to the archetypical tall glass in which these drinks are served. A highball glass is usually synonymous with a Collins glass (and vice versa).

Cocktails follow formulas, and the combination of a single base spirit and a particular mixer often lends its name to some other concoction made with the same mixer and a different base spirit. The Tom Collins, for instance, begat the Vodka Collins. You could ask a bartender for a Whiskey Collins, and while he or she might look at you funny they’d know exactly what you mean without having to stop to think. Some names have lost popularity over time (Mamie Taylor, anyone?), but others are still current and show up in all sorts of interesting combinations. The Mojito, by the way, is also a long drink; replace the rum with gin and it becomes a Southside; add lemon to that and it turns into a Major Bailey. Formulas! They’re magic!

Common long drinks include DC’s native Rickey (soda, lime juice), the aforementioned Collins (soda, lemon juice, sugar), the Buck (ginger ale, lime), and my current favorite, the Mule (ginger beer, lime — a Mule made with Gosling’s might be better known to you as a Dark and Stormy). The best known Mule is the Moscow Mule, made with vodka and traditionally served in a copper cup.

I like rye whiskey in my Mule, since the spicy rye and the spicy ginger beer really play well off each other. Thanks to the recent boom in artisan spirits, at both the Passenger and Bourbon Steak I’ve recently had Mules made with white whiskey. Bourbon Steak calls theirs the High Plains Mule, and it’s made with High West Silver Whiskey. Oat whiskey! Oat!

So the next time you think of ordering a Dark and Stormy, think of the many variants of the Mule and try branching out. Try gin! Try rye! You’ll be glad you did.

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PSA: Peak Northwest Cherry Season Is Here http://www.welovedc.com/2011/08/02/psa-peak-northwest-cherry-season-is-here/ Tue, 02 Aug 2011 21:02:52 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=73884 A Bowl of Cherries

In February I posted a recipe and photographic s…

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A Bowl of Cherries

In February I posted a recipe and photographic step-by-step instructions for preserving your own cherries. In that post I noted, “supply is unpredictable and the cherry season is short.” If you’ve got the time, hie yourself to the supermarket, where Northwest sweet cherries are $1.99/lb through tonight (Safeway) or Thursday (Giant).

My local Safeway had Mason jars in stock the last time I looked, too. Target carries some attractive jars, but their supply can be unpredictable. I have also bought jars at Logan Hardware. What are you waiting for? Get preserving!

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Reminder: Rickey Month Party Tonight http://www.welovedc.com/2011/08/01/reminder-rickey-month-party-tonight/ http://www.welovedc.com/2011/08/01/reminder-rickey-month-party-tonight/#comments Mon, 01 Aug 2011 16:00:01 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=73825 August Rickey on the @tabardinn patio. Yum.

You may recall from previous years that July is R

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August Rickey on the @tabardinn patio. Yum.

You may recall from previous years that July is Rickey Month. July’s over, but tonight the DC Craft Bartenders Guild wraps things up for 2011 with its Rickey Month Party at Jack Rose.

Finalists, announced via email on Friday, are after the jump, along with a few tasting notes from our team on the ones we tried.

  • Gina Chersevani, PS 7’s, Rapture of the Rickey (made with green tea infused with pineapple and yuzu, it’s surprisingly bright and crisp for a bourbon Rickey, with a vanilla finish from the Woodford Reserve)
  • David Fritzler, Tryst, Summer Lovin’ Rickey
  • Julia Hurst, the Passenger, Rhubarbra Streisand (tastes a lot like rhubarb pie, with the Woodford Reserve’s vanilla note accented by extra vanilla and spices)
  • Alexandra Nichols, Estadio, Riquitita (Brittany wrote this one up Friday)
  • Jason Strich, Rasika, Plum Rickey
  • Chantal Tseng, Tabard Inn, August Rickey (berry-forward, with blue plum brandy and a garnish of frozen blueberries)

The contest and party announcement seemed to come from nowhere this year. We’re still asking around to find out what went wrong with the PR, but I guess we can’t be too surprised that bartenders, of all people, aren’t the most organized planners around (and they make it up by serving us drinks). Jenn, Brittany, and I will all be at the party tonight, and we hope to see you all there.

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