Category Archives: The Daily Feed

Adventures, Entertainment, Food and Drink, Life in the Capital, News, People, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Cochon 555: Get Your Pig On

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

This little piggy went to market. This little piggy stayed home. This little piggy had roast beef. This little piggy had none. And this little went “wee. wee. wee” all the way home. And by home, I mean The Ritz-Carlton for Cochon 555 on Sunday, May 2.

This yearly competition travels the US in search of  the “Prince / Princess of Porc” and has 5 local Chefs go head-to-head in a pig preparation throw down. Last year’s Prince, R.J. Cooper of Vidalia returns to defend his title and chefs from Bourbon Steak, Bibiana, Eola and Westend Bistro will try to usurp him. Lots of Pre-cooking, braising, grilling, pressing, pickling, rubbing, smoking, searing, saucing, spicing, injecting, marinating, etc. is involved and top-chefs have been known to use the entire animal.

Tickets for the event go for $125, and guests not only get to enjoy some tasty pork, but will witness a whole pig butcher demonstration, taste great wines, brews and enjoy a plethora of pig perfect desserts. There will also be an after party at a location to be determined.

The Daily Feed
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Office Drones: New Food Truck Headed Your Way

Photo courtesy of
‘Cubano’
courtesy of ‘jeffreyw’

I don’t know why I bother getting excited about food trucks, since they pretty much never make it down to the extreme end of the Mall where I work, but I am nonetheless excited to hear about El Floridano, a food truck that originated with owner Stephan Boillon’s quest for the perfect Cuban sandwich. Because the only thing better than a Cuban sandwich is a Cuban sandwich that can come to me. (Even if it doesn’t, in practice.)

It’ll be a couple of weeks before Boillon’s truck will be on the road and ready for service, but follow him on Twitter to get all the news.

Adventures, Entertainment, Fun & Games, Music, People, The Daily Feed
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Bethesda DJ School Opens Wicka Wicka

Photo courtesy of
‘Hirshhorn After Hours #60’
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

Just when you thought Bethesda couldn’t get any cooler, Beat Refinery, a DJ school modeled after NYC’s famed Scratch DJ Academy, opens its doors to teach students how to drop the beats and trip the light fantastic DJ style.

Classes take place in an all-new, tricked out room in Bethesda’s Bach to Rock music school, and classes have been designed by famous DJs who jetset around the globe dropping killa beats. Class size is small, 8-10 students, and are a manageable 90-minutes and the course runs for 6 weeks. Beginner class start with the basics: an overview of DJ theory, usage of DJ software, equipment set-up, basic beat counting/matching, etc. You can learn more details about the classes at Thrillist.com

So now it’s time to think up you’re stellar DJ pseudonym. I call DJ We<3DC. If you’re having trouble thinking of a moniker, Rum & Monkey offers a sweet DJ Name Generator. I also call “DJ ThunderCat”

The Daily Feed, We Green DC
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Jolly Green Giants

Photo courtesy of
‘Green grass, Masonville Cove’
courtesy of ‘sidewalk flying’

In its just-released May issue, the Washingtonian names the winners of its 2010 Green Awards, which honor those who protect the environment and teach others the importance of eco-friendly living.

Loyal We Love DC readers may recognize a few names — Philip O’Neal and Rhon Hayes, co-founders of Green DMV, whose Greater Washington Green Jobs Corps graduates weatherized the Gospel Rescue Ministries homeless shelter earlier this year; Seth Goldman, co-founder of Honest Tea, who told us why he loves DC; and Tracy Bowen of the Alice Ferguson Foundation, which organized the massive Potomac River Watershed Cleanup for which We Love DC co-sponsored a site earlier this month.

See the issue for more on the efforts these and all honorees have made. A hearty congratulations to all the winners! Keep up the great green work!

capitals hockey, The Daily Feed
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Caps’ Green Finalist for Norris

Photo courtesy of
‘Washington Capitals Defenseman Mike Green’
courtesy of ‘marc.benton’

Congrats to Washington Capitals defenseman Mike Green being named a finalist for the NHL’s Norris Trophy, awarded to the league’s top defenseman. Green was named one of three finalists on Friday, alongside Drew Doughty (LA Kings) and Duncan Keith (Chicago Blackhawks).

Green was a finalist last year and a runner-up to Boston’s Zdeno Chara. Green led all defensemen during the regular season in goals (29), points (76), assists (57), and power-play goals (10). He faces some tough competition for the Norris with Keith and Doughty; the winner will be announced on June 23 during the NHL’s awards show in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Cheer on Green and the Caps tonight as they attempt once again to close out their first round playoff series in Montreal versus the Canadiens.

The Daily Feed
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Asia After Dark

Photo courtesy of
‘Sackler Stairway’
courtesy of ‘andertho’

If you thought that our post on the Hirshhorn After Hours was interesting, then perhaps this event may find you well.  On Thursday night, the Freer and Sackler Galleries will be hosting a similar event called Asia After Dark, Tibetan Twilight.  You can enjoy music via DJ Chris Linux or see Tsewang Yangzom perform traditional Tibetan songs, while also taking in the artwork of Gonkar Gyatso with a drink in your hand.

Interesting note:  The suggested attire for the event is to wear blue, red, white, green, and yellow – all significant colors in Tibetan Buddhist culture.

Asia After Dark will be held at the Sackler Gallery on Thursday from 6:30 – 10:30 PM.

The Daily Feed
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Happy 5th Birthday, Screech!

DSC01682

As some of your may or may not know, today was Screech the Eagle’s 5th Birthday. He celebrated all over every nook and cranny of Nationals Park with the help of some of his closest mascot friends from the greater DC, Maryland, and Virginia region.

Check back in tomorrow for an inside look at how Screech and the rest of NatsTown celebrated their dear feathered friend’s birthday!

For now, here are a couple photos to tide you over after the page break. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Breaking: Redskins Trade Jason Campbell to Oakland

Photo courtesy of
‘Jason Campbell on the big board’
courtesy of ‘brianmka’

With every new quarterback acquired during the off-season (Rex Grossman, Donovan McNabb), it was getting more and more likely that Jason Campbell’s time with the Washington Redskins was running out. Apparently, his last days with the team are now final. Adam Schefter is reporting that the ‘skins have traded Campbell to the Oakland Raiders, and terms appear to involve Washington acquiring a 4th Round pick in 2012. A developing story, and more to come…

The Daily Feed
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Congratulations, Totten Life, On Skeeball Glory

Photo courtesy of
‘the view from behind the net’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

The dark corners of H Street Country Club last night shone with the brightness of DC’s vast blogging scene. Representatives from a dozen DC blogs came out to play the mighty sport of knaves, skee ball. Wooden spheres flew mightily up the ramps and into the gaping maw of the waiting machine, ringing bells, flashing buzzers and all manner of sirens, while bloggers chatted, cheered and imbibed. The stakes were high: pride, glory and the love of the city.

The event was thanks to The Hill is Home‘s Claudia Holwill, who felt that the only way to unite the city was through the power of skee ball. So, what followed? Camaraderie, inebriation and epic skee ball. Continue reading →

Adventures, All Politics is Local, Life in the Capital, News, The Daily Feed
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DDOT To Implement New Safety Rules For Pedicabs

Photo courtesy of
‘DSC_2432’
courtesy of ‘bhrome’

Under new rules proposed today by the DDOT, D.C. pedicabs will have to meet additional safety standards.  The new rules include requiring seatbelt usage for every passenger, establishing pedicab equipment requirements, mandating that pedicabs only operated  on public streets and in accordance with the “safe operation of bicycle regulations,” and prohibiting pedicab operators from parking or riding on a sidewalk, from riding while intoxicated, from parking in a restricted zone identified for other vehicles and from riding on any D.C. street with a posted speed limit of more than 30 mph.

Across the U.S. pedicabs are growing in popularity as are the number of accidents involving pedicabs.  It’s quite possible that these new rules may open the door for further regulations, such as pedicab licensing and mandatory insurance for all operators. The new rules are currently under public commentary and will likely be adopted in 30 days.

The Daily Feed
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PSA: Be Adults, Don’t Boo “O, Canada” at Game 5

Photo courtesy of
‘Canadian Embassy’
courtesy of ‘InspirationDC’

The fan base of the Montreal Canadiens, the opening round foe for our beloved Capitals, has gained a little infamy in recent playoff memory: a vocal minority has been heard at games hosted in the Bell Centre booing the Star Spangled Banner when played before the puck drops.

There are two options here now that the series has returned to D.C. with the Caps just one win away from the next round. Some misguided folks may think it’s appropriate to mirror the response during the Canadian national anthem. However, this wouldn’t exactly be a great mark on the District, and a completely childish way to act. Please note that the better option is a heck of a lot classier, and Russian Machine Never Breaks is hopeful that we’ll get it right:

I have a feeling the Caps fans in attendance on Friday will do the right thing.  They might even follow the example of the much-loathed Boston Bruins fans, who faced the exact same situation a few years ago.

Behold:

YouTube Preview Image

So go this evening and Rock the Red. Cheer the Caps to a series win as loud as you can. Just remember that your friends here at We Love DC ask that you do so with class, especially during “O, Canada.”

Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, News, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Panda on Preggers Watch

Photo courtesy of
‘Panda sign’
courtesy of ‘brianmka’

Starting at 4pm, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s female giant panda, Mei Xiang (may-SHONG), will be a 24-hour pregnancy watch.  FONZ volunteers and animal care staff will closely monitor the panda for maternal behaviors (nest building and cradling of small objects) through keeper interactions and a series of 38 cameras set up throughout the giant panda habitat.

You can check on Mei Xiang through the National Zoo’s pandacam and view a birth should it occur. FYI: Because of increased traffic levels, pandacam visits will be limited to five minutes per session. You can refresh the page to continue viewing, unless there’s just way too much site traffic.

Zoo scientists instated the 24 hour watch as tests of Mei Xiang’s hormone levels approached baseline and indicated that the end of either her pseudo or real pregnancy is near.  If the pregnancy was legit, we should see a new cub within 24 hours.

Media, The Daily Feed
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Jonathan Slevin Done As Washington Times Publisher

Photo courtesy of
‘examiner’
courtesy of ‘(afm)’

Patrick Gavin of Politico is reporting that the contract Jonathan Slevin, just six months after being named publisher and president of the Washington Times, will not be renewed. It has certainly been a trying time for the second daily in town over the last few months, which has axed its sports coverage, gone through layoffs and tried to find many other ways to try and cut costs. While WaPo has been able to grow in revenue in the last few financial quarters, mainly on the back of some of its non-media entities like Kaplan education, things are certainly not going as well in the other press shop in town.

Update, 2:03 p.m.: Patrick Gavin has taken to Twitter to stick up for his report, even as a Times spokesmen is denying it.

The Daily Feed
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Meddle in our local governance? Let’s see how you like it.

Photo courtesy of
‘West Point wins collegiate boxing championship’
courtesy of ‘The U.S. Army’

Utah’s rep, Jason Chaffetz, has tried to meddle in our voting rights, gay marriage, and gun control issues. Shadow rep Mike Panetta figures that if they want to mess around in our sandbox then we’ll mess around in theirs. So he’s planning on using his two-year-old political action committee, the “Free and Equal D.C. Fund,” to spend money going after folks like Chaffetz who have decided to reach out and tinker around here with DC’s choices.

As of 11am April 23rd the current effort, the ActBlue “send Jason packing” fund, has raised $101. I don’t think Chaffetz is shaking in his boots here, but I admire the symmetry.

I’ll suggest, though, that rather than targeting a highly secure seat in Utah perhaps the money would be better spent continuing to educate people.  I’m always amazed when I talk to distant friends and find that highly educated folks are completely unaware that DC lacks voting representation and can have its legislative decisions overridden by Congress. Panetta has indicated that perhaps that’s the kind of content he’d like to see in the ads he’d run against Chaffetz, but I’m inclined to think a less specific and more positive message would be more successful.

Business and Money, Food and Drink, Life in the Capital, News, The Daily Feed
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Get Your Greek/Turkish On

Photo courtesy of
‘Greek Salad’
courtesy of ‘christaki’

Starting April 30th, Dupont Circle will be getting a new Greek and Turkish restaurant. Agora will feature small plates prepared on the wood-fired oven and charcoal fired BBQ grill, and overseen by Turkish born Chef Rasit Gulsen, formerly of Nizam’s Restaurant in Vienna, VA.

The restaurants menu will feature Turkish and Greek fare reflecting owner, Latif Guler’s, heritage growing up in the small town of Foca, Turkey.  The restaurant will highlight wines and beer from the Mediterranean regions of Turkey and Greece, and will serve a nice selection of Ouzo, an anise-flavored spirit widely consumed in Greece.

The two-story, 170-seat restaurant located at 1527 17th Street, NW, (aka the “doomed” spot that was formerly Jack’s, Le Pigalle, Peppersm, etc.) has been transformed to a Mediterranean oasis by Brie Husted Architecture and features a collection photos that capture the everyday life of picturesque Foca. Other features an upstairs expansion complete with 48 seats that can be used for private dining and a sidewalk café that can accommodate 34 guests for both the lunch and dinner service.

The Daily Feed
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Peter Max in DC

Photo courtesy of
‘Peter Max’
courtesy of ‘brew ha ha’

Pop Icon Peter Max will be in DC this weekend.  Making two appearances at the Wentworth Galleries tomorrow, April 24th. Max is known for his bold colors and ‘psychedelic’ imagery of american culture. This weekend’s show will feature 100-plus pieces of art – ranging from his well known “cosmic” images to his more iconic paintings such as “Flag with Heart”.

Wentworth Galleries

[Saturday, April 24th, 1-3 PM] Montgomery Mall.  7101 Democracy Blvd. Bethesda, MD.

[Saturday, April 24th, 6-9 PM] Tysons Galleria. 1807 U International Drive. McLean, Va.

Adventures, Entertainment, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Georgetown’s French Market Kicks Off Today

image courtesy of www.georgetowndc.com

image courtesy of www.georgetowndc.com

Today and tomorrow, the Book Hill neighborhood of Georgetown (Wisconsin Avenue: P Street to Reservoir Road) is hosting the 7th Annual French Market from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

This quaint section of Wisconsin Avenue offers fantastic window shopping and perusing opportunities for the art galleries, boutiques, antique shops and cafes. Additionally, there will be discounts of up to 70% at over 30 Georgetown merchants, and features live entertainment, French food, and children’s activities.

Should you work/live in the area, the French Market is the perfect lunch/coffee break activity and should you live further away the market is the perfect reason to check out these cute, locally owned shops.

The Daily Feed
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Blatant Misspellings on Bus Stops Across Town

For the past several weeks, I keep thinking I see street names misspelled on bus shelters across the city, but I haven’t had proof… until now.  I finally whipped out my iPhone in time to catch this one at “Connecticutt Av & Dupont Circ NW”.  I’ve seen this misspelling of Connecticut Avenue at multiple places across town, including in Chevy Chase (one sign, at Connecticut Avenue and McKinley Street, had two misspellings– “Conecticutt” and “Mckinley”– and was eventually taken down).

My question here is, who is making this mistake repeatedly?  Clearly someone can’t spell Connecticut, but why is there no quality control before these things are installed?

While WMATA manages the bus stops, I believe they are property of ClearChannel, but I’m not sure who keeps putting up misspelled signs.  Anyone know?  I’d love to figure out who let this happen. WMATA has confirmed that they’re responsible for the bus stops and bus shelters.

Large image of the offending sign after the jump.

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Come On Ride It (The Train)

Photo courtesy of
‘IMG_2126’
courtesy of ‘cliff1066â�¢’

Love trains?  Love Union Station?  Love actor Taye Diggs?  Head down to Union Station on May 8 between 11 and 4 for National Train Day, Amtrak’s annual celebration of trains and rail travel.  There will be exhibits and performances to see, you can check out various trains and model trains while you’re there, and National Train Day spokesman Taye Diggs will be on hand.  Want to take a tour of the trains?  Reserve a free ticket ahead of time.  No word on whether Taye will be leading tours himself, but if he is… sign me up!