Category Archives: The Daily Feed

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Choose Your Own (Empanada) Adventure

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘erin m’

Tired of just taking what a restaurant is willing to give you? Do you want a place that finally listens to your needs? Well, this one’s for you, because Panas Gourmet Empanadas is taking it to the streets and taking it to the fans with their newest empanada recipe. The “Duponada” will be made completely of ingredients found at the wonderful Dupont Circle Farmers Market. And what will these fantastic ingredients be? That’s where you come in.

Panas is holding a contest to decide the final recipe. Entrants (that means you) may submit recipes or lists of preferred ingredients for the Duponada using up to four ingredients that can be found at the Dupont Farmers Market. The restaurant will develop these recipes, and on October 3rd, a panel of esteemed judges will choose the three finalists. Those three empanadas will be on sale in the restaurant for one week, where your adoring public will be able to vote for their favorite. The winner will be unveiled on October 10th and officially crowned the Duponada.

To enter, drop your recipe by Panas (2029 P St. NW) or email it to order@panasgourmet.com, subject “Duponada.” All entries must be received by September 24th.

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D.C. Big Flea

Photo courtesy of
‘Georgetown Flea Market’
courtesy of ‘InspirationDC’

Another opportunity for me to buy random crap – fantastic!

This time around, the event that will be sucking me in is the D.C. Big Flea Market.  The flea market will will run on Saturday and Sunday at the Dulles Exposition and Convention Center and will feature over 1100 unique booths. 

The chance that I will come home with at least one porcelain nicknack seems likely.  Which got me thinking.  If you could buy anything at the D.C. Big Flea, what would your one purchase be? 

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Clinton Portis on Women Sports Writers

Photo courtesy of
‘Clinton Portis’
courtesy of ‘Keith Allison’

What started out as a run-of-the-mill Tuesday conversation with Redskins running back Clinton Portis on D.C. sports radio’s 106.7 The Fan has now been immortalized by Dan Steinberg via the Sports Bog as another example of male chauvinism in D.C. sports.

During The Mike Wise show at 10:30 this morning, Portis offered his opinion regarding the buzz currently circulating female reporter Ines Sainz. Sainz has made headlines in recent days due to the NFL investigating a complaint filed by the Association of Women in Sports Media on behalf of Sainz who claims that members of the New York Jets harassed her on the field and in the locker room when she visited their practice facility to do a story on their quarterback Mark Sanchez.

The matter is still under review according to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen who received word from a league spokesman, but in the meantime Mr. Portis offered his two cents: Continue reading →

Adventures, All Politics is Local, Essential DC, History, Life in the Capital, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Happy Birthday Star Spangled Banner!

Photo courtesy of
‘The Glory That Is Old’
courtesy of ‘ojbyrne’

On this day, 196 years ago, young lawyer Francis Scott Key wrote the poem that would eventually become “The Star Spangled Banner.” Mr. Key who has been sent to negotiate the release of Dr. Beanes, an American taken hostage by the British, witnessed the Battle of Fort McHenry from a British sloop anchored behind the British Navy ships.

As night fell and the over 5,100 rockets, bombs, cannon balls, flares, etc. reined down on the fort, the immense American flag disappeared from sight. Come morning, as the lyrics go “our flag was still there” signaling that the British attempt to take Baltimore had failed.

Once off the British sloop, Key rested at the Indian Queen Tavern, where he recorded his famous poem. 5 days later, the poem had been printed and circulated all over the Baltimore area. Unsurprisingly, considering Baltimore’s “colorful” tavern atmosphere, someone eventually figured out that the poem’s lyrics worked smashingly well with the popular English drinking song “To Anacreon in Heaven” and the rest is, well, the history of our National Anthem.

All Politics is Local, The Daily Feed
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Primary Day is here

Photo courtesy of
‘Campaign signs’
courtesy of ‘tbridge’

The polls open this morning at 7am, with multiple city-wide offices hotly contested, including the office of Mayor of the District of Columbia.  Whether you back Fenty, Gray, Alexander or even Faith, today’s your day to vote.  If you have questions concerning where to vote, whether you’re registered, or how to register on-site, DCBOEE has activated their election day website which has quick answers to all of those questions.  There is on-site registration this year, but there is not instant party-switch this year.  If you’ve not declared yourself to the DCBOEE to be a Democrat, Republican or Statehood Green party member, you cannot vote today, but can vote in November.

I’ll be working as part of the elections team in Precinct 70 today, as a technician on their equipment, so if you’re over that direction, do say hi.  Working the elections is a long, long day, with workers reporting at 6am, and then not leaving until usually 9 or 10pm, so go easy on your precinct people today if you’ve not voted already.

We’ll have live coverage of the returns when they start to come in tonight, both here on the site, and on our Twitter account, and we’ll have a full breakdown tomorrow of the winners.

Go! Vote! Participate!

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Nation’s Tri Draws Record Crowd

Photo courtesy of
‘IMG_8384’
courtesy of ‘timkelley’

It was cold, wet, and rainy, but that didn’t stop me and a couple thousand of my closest friends from competing in the Nation’s Triathlon yesterday morning.  It was a (potentially) record-breaking crowd swimming in the Potomac (which was actually quite pleasant– my favorite leg by far!), biking out to Maryland and then up Rock Creek Park, and running around the Mall and Hains Point.  Even Mayor Fenty got in on the action.  The Nation’s Tri is a major Team in Training goal race, and yesterday’s event raised millions for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Entertainment, Music, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Dismemberment Plan Announce Tour Dates, Vinyl Release of “Emergency & I”

“Emergency & I” sounds like home. Released in 1999 on local label DeSoto, it is the essential album of one of the essential bands of Washington, DC, The Dismemberment Plan and, along with other records by the Plan, would go in my desert island jukebox for the music itself, even if it were not the case that everything that mattered to me in high school happened with these songs as the soundtrack.

In January 2011, “Emergency & I” will see it’s first-ever release on vinyl – indeed a two-LP gatefold fancy thing, completely remastered, and including several rare tracks not previously on the album. As was reported by the WaPo Click Track blog the release, now on Barsurk, will also feature “an oral history of the album.”
Continue reading →

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Get Ready for a Food Truck Smackdown

Photo courtesy of
‘CH Day 2010 Food Trucks’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’
The time has come and gone for camaraderie among the food trucks. In the beginning when it was just a few folks roaming the streets, they were all friends, even sharing their wares with each other. Well, those days are over. It’s a dog-eat-dog (or truck-eat-truck) world out there and it’s high time for a little competition.

Just like the We Love DC crowd’s love of food from a tiny window, our friends over at Brightest Young Things also have a thing for mobile cuisine. So they’ve taken it upon themselves to put together the first annual Curbside Cook-off. Together with the DCRA and the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, BYT will host twenty mobile vendors (both carts and trucks) in the old Convention Center/new giant Chinatown bus parking lot downtown on October 7th and 8th, just a week before the new D.C. food truck legislation comes up for a vote.

BYT is leaving the participant list up to you, and will release the method by which you can vote for your favorites on Wednesday at 9am on their website. And to kick off the voting process, Chinatown Coffee will host a special happy hour from 6pm-8pm on Wednesday with some great $3 beer specials. Vote early and often, I know I will!

Entertainment, Fun & Games, Music, The Daily Feed
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H Street Festival This Saturday

Photo courtesy of
‘h’
courtesy of ‘Mary Hockenbery (reddirtrose)’

This Saturday, the Rock and Roll Hotel is presenting “H Street Festival Stages” in conjunction with the H Street Festival in NE.

Live local music will run from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. as part of the urban outdoor festival.

In addition to continual afternoon concert lineups, the H Street Festival includes: an urban sports & boxing ring to get out the post-work week aggression, “green street” exhibits, a speed chess challenge, all-day parades, and more.

There will be a free bike valet and free shuttle bus service from Gallery Place and Eastern Market.

Gates open at noon, admission is free, and the weather’s looking to be sunny with a high of 79 degrees — it can’t get any better than that.

Food and Drink, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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AGAINN’s Cocktail Class

Photo courtesy of
‘JP Explains It All’
courtesy of ‘Samer Farha’

Party season is fast approaching (seriously, when is it not?) and that means it’s time to brush up on your hosting skills! One of my favorite mixologists, the lively JP Caceres, will help guide you through five cocktail recipes at AGAINN this Wednesday, September 15 at an interactive cocktail class.

Starting at 6:30pm, JP will demonstrate how to make such classics as the Old-Fashioned, the Sazerac, and the Daiquiri. If you’ve never tried an original daiquiri, invented around 1900 in Cuba, you are in for a real surprise. In addition, enjoy a welcome punch called the Gun Hill featuring pisco infused pineapple, hibiscus, velvet falernum, and sage. Sounds luscious.

JP is probably the least intimidating bartender I’ve ever met (ask for one of his business cards to see the best self-deprecating quote) and I’m sure will be a wonderful and fun teacher. The session costs $35 and reservations can be made by calling (202) 639-9830. I’ll be there, brushing up on my Sazerac skills, so please say hi!

Adventures, Business and Money, Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Today’s Fashion Crawl with Stacy London

Photo courtesy of
‘delicious meatpies selling next door’
courtesy of ‘LaTur’

Today from 11am-5:30pm, Stacy London of TLC’s “What Not To Wear” fame is hosting a fashion crawl around DC to promote the launch of  Style For Hire (SFH). SFH recruits London-esque stylists who can help us everyday folk edit, add to and transform our wardrobes into expressions of our personal and unique sense of style.

The fashion crawl will be happening all over DC, so check the schedule to see when SFH and Stacy London will be headed near you.  Also, bring an orphan garment that needs a little embellishment, and SFH will help you give it a whole new life.

The Daily Feed
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Nats Fifth Consecutive Loss Prompts Lengthy Post-Game Meeting

Photo courtesy of
‘Blogger Day’
courtesy of ‘MissChatter’

Five consecutive losses later, Nationals Manager Jim Riggleman laid down the law.

Riggleman held a lengthy post-game meeting with his team expressing not only his concerns, but the concerns of the entire coaching staff. “This is what I see, this is what the coaches see, this is what Mike [Rizzo] sees, this is what the fans see, so if anybody in the room thought that was acceptable, then they need to be made aware that we certainly don’t think it’s acceptable.”

This deep into the season, a motivational or even constructive post-game spiel from a manager or coach isn’t going to turn a team’s season around – especially a team who’s been out of contention for months. That means it’s up to the players themselves to make a 180 in attitude. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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The Glory of Gold Pants

Photo courtesy of
Photo originally appeared on Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog

Expect a little more on the Redskins opening night victory over rival Dallas when the Sports Fix gets rolled out, but there is at least one point worth discussing before we get to the coverage of the game itself: the glory of the gold pants that the ‘Skins trotted out in last night. I’m a sucker for nostalgia, and even though I am not a native of the area, I know that the classic Redskins look is one of the greatest in NFL history. Dan Steinberg had been tracking the signs that a home uniform surprise may be in the works since early in the summer, and his sleuthing was proved last right night as the “gold” (alright, they’re a little more yellow, but still) hit the field.

Paul Lukas of Uni Watch commented on the minutiae of the uniforms this morning, and I agree with him when he says,”all of a sudden the ’Skins have one of the best home looks in the league.” What do you think?

The Daily Feed
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QVC Teams Up With Smithsonian

Photo Credit: Cheryl Stepanek

Tomorrow, QVC will officially launch a new jewelry line inspired by the Smithsonian‘s gem collection at the National Museum of Natural History.  This is the first time that the Smithsonian has offered licensed products through a multimedia retailer. Gemologist Christine Webb of the gems and minerals department in the museum is scheduled to appear during the broadcast to present a wide-range of jewelry designed exclusively for QVC.

Prices will range from $65 to $950 and your baubles can be purchased on Tuesday, September 14th from 7 to to 9 p.m. (EDT) on QVC.

The Daily Feed
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D.C. Architecture Week

Photo courtesy of
‘Downtown DC Architecture HDR’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

The Washington Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) began celebrating Architecture Week on Friday and will continue the party for a full 20 days.  You can join in the fun by attending one of the many great events planned, which will all honor the work of some of the country’s most visionary architects. And of course, you won’t want to miss the finale of the AIA D.C. celebration on September 30th which will be a sneak peak of the Jones Day law firm’s addition, located in the spectacular building designed by Pritzker-prize winner (2007) Sir Richard Rogers.

The Daily Feed
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Side by Side Opens at Phillips

Photo courtesy of
‘Man Experiencing Art’
courtesy of ‘Kevin H.’

Side by Side: Oberlin’s Masterworks at The Phillips Collection opened yesterday and will be on exhibit through January 16th. Twenty-five significant works, 24 paintings and one sculpture, from the collection of the Allen Memorial Art Museum at Oberlin are presented in conjunction with selections from the Phillip’s permanent collection.  Many of the featured works have not left the Allen in half a century, but have made the journey to D.C. for safekeeping while the Allen is currently closed for renovations.

Rare works by painters such as Paul Cézanne, Claude Monet, Mark Rothko, Peter Paul Rubens, and Jan van Eyck are displayed.

The Daily Feed
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Anibal Sanchez Dominates Washington

Photo by Cheryl Nichols / Nationals News Network

Apparently the Nats make for a good comedy act.  During Saturday’s 4-1 Nationals loss to the Marlins, Collin Balester was caught tripping over his own feet on the mound. Laughter ensued after the rousing bit of physical humor, but besides that there wasn’t much else for Washington to smile about.

Balester crushed his tailbone and behind on an attempt to pick-off Marlins left fielder Logan Morrison in the eighth. Balester ended up striking out Marlins short stop Hanley Ramiriez who was at-bat during the pick-off attempt, and the Nationals lost what could have been another chance for Jason Marquis to win a game.

For a guy who’s known for pitching for contact, he put up some numbers to make a power pitching case. Marquis struck out eight over six inning and held on to a no-hit bid until Marlins first baseman Chad Tracy started the fifth with a lead off single. Continue reading →