‘IMG_0758’
courtesy of ‘dbking’

Thanks to several laws in the last few years, the DMV area is a smoke-free region in public places. For non-smoking patrons, public smoking bans are a beautiful thing. No more worries about second-hand smoke after going to a bar, no more worrying about your family being around smoke unnecessarily. And generally, just a little bit more fresh air in a crowded restaurant can’t be a bad thing, right? Continue reading →

It’s not quite Monica’s blue dress, but Michaele Salahi’s red sari certainly has a place in the wardrobe lore of Washington. After all, this was the garment she wore when she allegedly crashed the White House state dinner in November.

If you just can’t get enough of Michaele (and who can?), you’ll be happy to know that she will be auctioning off said sari in the coming weeks. The exact date of the auction hasn’t been announced, but it will coincide with the party crashing episode of Real Housewives. Is it just me, or does this say Smithsonian purchase all over it?

Proceeds from the sale will benefit Haiti’s earthquake victims and people suffering from Multiple Sclerosis.

”
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’
I’m a big fan of New York Magazine. In fact, I actually subscribe to the print version. But they came out yesterday with an article titled, “Is D.C. the Next Big Food City?” and I honestly wasn’t thrilled. I expected the standard argument that D.C. is cool now that we have Spike, and Top Chef and Eric Ripert, but instead it essentially says that D.C. is cool because it’s finally becoming more like New York.

They cite the introduction of New York chains like Seredipity 3 (opening later this summer) and Carmine’s, and the embrace of New York food trends like cupcakes and food trucks as the impetus for this elevation in the food city caste system.

Though they point out that D.C. has a diverse and vibrant ethnic food scene and seem to be especially in love with Five Guys, they are pretty harsh on the finer dining options in town. And in an explanation I still can’t quite connect, they seem to blame this on the fact that D.C. residents dine out less on average than the rest of America and on the fact that there is “a lack of good bread.”

So what do you think? Is D.C. finally becoming a “food city”? Or have we been one all along?

‘Fojol Bro’
courtesy of ‘brmurray’
Brave the muggy weather today and chase a food truck down.
Continue reading →

‘Black-Footed Ferret’
courtesy of ‘Smithsonian’s National Zoo’

Apparently the black-footed ferrets at the National Zoo’s conservation center have been having a baby-pocalypse of their own. At one time, this species was thought to be extinct, but there have been 50 of them born at the Zoo’s facility, 48 of which through “natural” means. Seems like the ferrets have a thing or two to teach the pandas about how to ensure the existence of one’s species.

But you don’t care about any of that. What you care about is that they’re really freakin’ cute. And because we are all about cute baby animals here at WLDC, there’s a slideshow after the jump. Continue reading →

Looks like you won’t have to pack up and head to Annandale the next time you want some Korean BBQ. TaKorean, a new food truck coming to Washington at the end of this month, has got the market cornered on Korean BBQ…tacos. Operating under the theory that everything is better in a taco shell, TaKorean’s recipes are home created and made fresh each day.

On the menu will be Korean style Bulgogi beef, tangy chicken or caramelized tofu tacos topped with one of two slaws and a plethora of sauces. TaKorean also plans to have vegetarian and vegan options, along with daily specials.

Not only will you get healthy meals at a reasonable price ($5-$9), but TaKorean will be pledging 1% of its gross sales to local environmental and youth based non-profit organizations. Delicious food AND a little charity? That’s a lot packed in to a taco shell.

Tonight the 9:30 Club hosts an awesome line-up of post-metal bands that is guaranteed to deliver a much needed dose of guitar annihilation to your summer.

Japanese noise-metal daredevils, Boris, are going to crush during their headlining set. This is a band that has dabbled in just about every genre of guitar-rock imaginable over their long career, but have alway been rooted in insane Japanese metal. Currently Boris are touring to support their sort-of greatest hits compilation “Variations”. I say sort-of because almost half of the songs on it have been re-recorded with an extra guitarist, because the original versions just weren’t heavy enough, ya know? Boris are a band that are supposed to be legendary live and tonight will be my first time finally catching their act. Lately the band has been doing some really interesting stuff, including cutting an EP with Ian Astbury of the Cult and prepping to perform their Sunn o))) collaboration album, Altar, in full at next month’s All Tomorrow’s Parties NY. Boris have never played 9:30 Club before and I expect that these sonic reducers will level the place with their super-heavy riffs and shoegazer-metal feedback attack.

As if Boris wasn’t enough, we also get Russian Circles as an opening act. These guys play heavy post-metal guitar symphonies that have left me speechless on more than one occasion. Last seen kicking ass at DC9 with Young Widows about eight months ago, Russian Circles return to DC tonight and will sound epic on the 9:30 Club’s sound system.

I highly encourage metal and guitar innovation fans alike to check out tonight’s show.

Boris
w/ Russian Circles & Disappearer
TONIGHT
@ 9:30 Club
$16

‘A Few Bites into the Merguez et Frites’
courtesy of ‘Kevin H.’
Please welcome to the group…Sidewalk Sweetsations, which serves cupcakes (though they classify them as ‘cup-pies’ and ‘cup-tails’) and the mysterious Yellow Bulgogi Cart, which seems to be a roving incarnation of the famous Bulgogi Cart at 14th and L St. NW.
Continue reading →

‘Java #5’
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

The Wall Street Journal recently released retailers’ shopping data that shows what we’re really shopping for.  And in Washington DC, just like every other major city listed, the top choice is underwear.  The top five brands that Washingtonians are shopping for are Victoria’s Secret, Nine West, Banana Republic, New York & Co., and BCBG.

We’re also spending a lot more on clothes than many other cities, third only to New York and Los Angeles.  But despite all this spending, we apparently still look worse than Dallas: “Though Dallas has a flashy, big-spending image, the average woman there spends less on fashion than one in notoriously frumpy Washington, D.C.”

So, long story short: you’re probably spending too much on clothes, because your drab business suit simply can’t compete with the bedazzled cowboy hats in Texas.

‘Twitter Fail’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

DCist has a good piece today on Social Media in the local political campaigns, and I have to say, this is an excellent batch of candidates for the large part, when it comes to using social media and the web to influence voters. Over the weekend, I used Twitter to get in touch with two of the Ward 5 candidates for City Council, both of whom said they’d be out and about in the ward this weekend. We offered lemonade to the teams of any of the campaigners who happened to be out, and we had a great group from the campaign of Kenyan McDuffie stop by to talk with us, and the candidate himself dropped by after the forum on Saturday. It was nice to use something like Twitter to meet up with, and talk issues with, a candidate in a city as big as ours. I was really impressed with his dedication to the Ward, and his willingness to pursue potential voters through social media to bring his platform forward.

Nice job, Kenyan, sorry DCist didn’t mention your efforts.

Penn Quarter is about to get a lot more delicioso. Carmine’s, the New York chain, is opening it’s first Washington location on 7th Street tomorrow. The restaurant will be a massive 20,000+ square feet, and will seat 700 patrons at a time, with a 40-seat bar and nine private rooms.

The menu is offered in family style portions and they will have all the favorites from their New York locations on the D.C. menu. Look for the eggplant parmigiana, homemade meatballs, chicken saltimbocca and seafood fra diavolo. And no Italian meal is complete without the dessert, so try and leave room for the cheesecake, Tiramisu, or the chocolate covered cannolis.

Though they brought a lot of the New York charm down with the restaurant, the new location has the D.C. power broker’s interests in mind. The restaurant will be equipped with Wi-Fi and USB ports in their lounge area. Perfect for getting your work done mid-meal, because after a giant plate of their linguine and clam sauce, all you’ll want to do is take a nap.