Category Archives: The Daily Feed

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed, The District
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FREE FOOD ALERT: BGR Burgers Tomorrow

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

FREE BURGERS TOMORROW! For anyone that has a sharpie and skin. I quote you the press release:

“On Tuesday, November 10, 2009, 11:00 a.m. to noon customers who arrive at any of BGR’s three DC area locations with ‘BGR’ written on any body part will receive a delicious gourmet burger on the house. Customers can select either The Burger or Veggie Burger, and the promotion is limited to one complimentary burger per customer. ”

The locations are: Dupont Circle: 1514 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 2003 Alexandria: 106 North Washington Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 and Bethesda: 4827 Fairmont Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20814

The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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It’s December Holiday Season Already?

Snowman and Santas at CVS

Snowman and Santas at CVS

What is up with all the Christmas/Hanukkah decorations?!! It was like I blinked my eyes on Halloween, and the holiday elves  turned everything from orange/black to red/white, and moved all orange and black candy and creepy motion activated cackling wall mounts into the $.05 bin.

I’m not an Ebenezer Scrooge, but seriously, give us consumers some more transition time! This whole speed of light switch-a-roo is just way too jarring.

Besides, it’s not like there aren’t other holidays that come between Halloween and Christmas.  What about Veterans Day?!! Shouldn’t CVS be covered head to toe in American flags?!! Think July 4th decorations, but in November.  What about Thanksgiving! Tons of fake cornucopias, stuffed turkeys or pilgrim hats?!!

Until I celebreate these two important and historical holidays that come before the yuletide, I’m saying “BAH HUMBUG!”

Food and Drink, Penn Quarter, The Daily Feed
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Mad Hungry? Hooks Books Event at Zola Fills You Up

Photo courtesy of
‘Artomatic 2009 Kerrin’s Appetizers’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

Zola Wine & Kitchen is hosting a Cookbook Author Series with this Thursday’s author being Lucinda Scala Quinn, formally the food editor of Martha Stewart Living Television.

On November 12 from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., the nationally renowned culinary author will discuss her new book, Mad Hungry: Feeding Men and Boys, and will offer culinary demonstrations.

Tickets are priced at $75 per person and include a copy of her new release, along with appetizers showcasing the published recipes and two glasses of wine per person. Guests for the evening also receive a 10% discount on wine purchases from its wine shop during the event. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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World Series Finalist from MD


Royal flush, in spades.
Originally uploaded by tbridge

I’ll leave the spoilers for the WSOP below the cut, but suffice it to say one of the November Nine is from the Baltimore area, and he’s playing pretty solid. Darvin Moon of Oakland, Maryland (well west of the Baltimore Beltway) has had an incredible WSOP, taking his $10,000 stake to be worth at least $1.5M, and possibly as much as $8M if he prevails.

Continue reading →

Adams Morgan, The Daily Feed
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Deer Takes On Lions at the National Zoo

Photo courtesy of
‘Wild DC – O Hai! – 6-12-09’
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

You can’t make this stuff up. A deer, a resident of Rock Creek Park, made a very unwise decision on Sunday. This poor deer decided to take one small step for deer…and one giant leap for deerkind – right into the lion exhibit at the National Zoo. Merry Christmas to the two female lions that quickly became interested in their new dinner menu. But WAIT – not so fast. This little deer is a survivor. NBC 4 has the full story here.

According to the article, the whole ordeal took about 45 minutes and ended up with the staff at the Zoo rescuing the deer after its valiant fight to get away. Pics or it didn’t happen, right? How about video. Even better. You must watch this video of the deer escaping the female lions as a large crowd cheers on Bambi! This is seriously like watching the Discovery Channel’s footage of a lion attack in Africa. Must watch.

(Watch the video after the jump)

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Oh DNC, That’s Just Dumb

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

Sure, DNC, we know you think you’ve got it all made, what with your 60 votes in the Senate and control of both houses of Congress and the White House, but could you please pay closer attention to your automated email?

I mean, we know that Congresswoman Norton is vote-less in the House, which is something that pains us on a regular basis, and that you have taken no concrete steps toward fixing through Constitutional Amendment. And we recognize the importance of the Health Care Reform Acts currently in front of the body, but do you have to remind us via email that residents of the District are voiceless in these matters?

Fail. Fail. Fail.

The Daily Feed, WMATA, WTF?!
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WMATA Changes Mind – AGAIN

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

So it’s looking like Metro GM Catoe is backing off the planned SmartBenefits changes that WMATA originally announced last month. Apparently WMATA’s had a lot of questions tossed at them about the changes and how highly screwed up it is. During his noontime chat today, the following question and answer popped up:

Arlington, VA: Good afternoon – I have a question regarding the upcoming changes to SmartBenefits. Do we know yet what will happen to the current balances on our SmarTrip cards? For instance, if I have a $100 balance on the card beginning Jan 1, what “purse” will that money go into? Thank you!

Reply: Hi Arlington. I see a few questions about SmartBenefits here in the queue. Over the past couple of weeks, we have heard a lot of comments from customers about this change in SmartBenefits. I’ve decided that we need to rethink the changes that we are making. At this point I do not have any new details to share. I hope to be able to provide more detail about the program in the coming weeks that will be able to clarify these sorts of questions. Rest assured, I have heard what people have to say and your comments will be taken into account as we develop the plan moving forward. (emphasis mine)

Last I knew, WMATA, employers need to have employee commitments for SmartBenefits by December 10 at the latest in order to apply the changes for January’s deductions. Some contacts I have in the Golden Triangle have indicated they’ll be dropping the program due to the inability of Metro to answer their questions regarding the “sendback” funds. So Mr. Catoe, WHEN are you going to make this decision?

In this instance, time really is money.

The Daily Feed, We Green DC
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Did Your Bottle Really Get Recycled?

Photo courtesy of
‘Dumpster empty’
courtesy of ‘Hugo90’

Have you ever wondered…do those soda cans you faithfully put in the recycling bin actually make it to the recycling center? Well, if you’re in the District, folks, the chances are hit and miss.

At least according to this Washington City Paper article, which an alert friend just forwarded to me.

If you own a business in DC, you have to have a recycling program. But once the recyclables hit the bin, the haulers are in charge. And that’s where the system breaks down.

This story says 75 percent of the city’s trash and recycling comes from commercial buildings, including multi-unit apartments and condos. Private haulers carry it away — sometimes separately, sometimes mixed together and bound for the dump.
Continue reading →

Music, The Daily Feed
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Choral Arts Offers Surround Sound For Cheap

Photo courtesy of
‘Kennedy Center @ Night’
courtesy of ‘* Chris D’

One of the most impressive things a choir can do is spread themselves to the four corners of a hall and offer forth in antiphonal chorus. The Washington Choral Arts society is doing just that next weekend at the Kennedy Center, with works by Gabrieli, Tallis, Biebl, Britten, Tavener and Frank Martin’s Mass for Double Choir. This should be an awesome awesome concert, and tickets are 20% off for We Love DC readers with code FRIEND at checkout. This is one not to miss. See you there.

The Daily Feed
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New SmarTrip reload locations

Photo courtesy of
‘NO SMARTRIP -6480’
courtesy of ‘Joe Tresh’

We still don’t have online loading but WMATA has announced the addition of 42 more SmarTrip purchase & reload locations. They have a listing of all the locations on their website but continue not to map the locations.

Well, I grabbed the addresses and slapped them into an online tool that plotted the locations, so here you go: The list of WMATA partner locations where you can buy a SmarTrip card and add value to it, as of November 6th, 2009. You can check to see where your nearest location is visually. Perhaps in the future WMATA will commit to a map & finder tool.

Essential DC, Food and Drink, Life in the Capital, The Daily Feed
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Food Aromas of DC

Photo courtesy of
’02 pan frying bacon’
courtesy of ‘jasonlam’

What is it about walking cities and the various food aromas wafting around?

Growing up on the Upper West Side of New York City, it was the smell of freshly baked and doughy H&H Bagels. In highschool at soccer practice, the ladyfingers and swiss fudge cookies of nearby Stella D’oro made my mouth water during drills.  In Baltimore’s Fells Points area, it’s the bread baking at H&S Bakery.

And in DC, for me it’s the smell of bacon cooking in the early morning along M Street.

What are the food aromas you associated with our Nation’s Capital?

The Daily Feed, WMATA
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Metro Delays This Weekend

Metro Delays

Metro Delays

Metro is planning track work this weekend that will affect the Orange, Blue, and Yellow lines.  If you’re traveling on the Orange line between Cheverly and Stadium-Armory, add half an hour to your trip because they’re single-tracking.  On the Blue line, add half an hour of travel time to your trip because of single tracking and track maintenance between Braddock Road and Van Dorn Street on Saturday and Sunday.  Similarly, on the Yellow line, add half an hour of travel time to your trip because of single tracking between Braddock Road and Huntington.  All Yellow and Blue trains will go to Huntington, with a special Blue line shuttle train running between Franconia-Springfield and King Street.  So if you usually take the train from Franconia-Springfield, I’d recommend just parking at Huntington instead to save yourself an additional transfer.

There are also a number of bus re-routings because of Sunday morning”s Gynecologic Cancer Foundation Half Marathon and 5K race along a part of Pennsylvania Avenue.

And yes, I’ve been waiting all week to post a picture of me looking impatient in my Halloween costume, so I’m glad it’s actually relevant here.

The Daily Feed
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So David Baldacci is the inspiration for Castle?

Photo courtesy of
‘unmounted’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

WTOP has an article up about the traits of MPD Chief Cathy Lanier that made their way into David Baldacci’s new book, True Blue. Just like Castle, Baldacci intends to produce more books in a series about D.C. Police Chief Beth Perry. Unlike Castle there is no mention of Baldacci making his one ride-along a regular event as he and Lanier solve many wacky crimes and trade bon mots.

Lanier said she was amused at the various traits and bits of her own history that Baldacci used, but makes no mention of the fact that he gave her character a sister named Mason. That’s right: Perry comma Mason.

You’re no Nathan Fillion, DB.

Music, The Daily Feed
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Young@Heart Coming to DC

Photo courtesy of
‘Young@Heart æ��滾å�§ï¼�ç�ºå¥¶’
courtesy of ‘CielChen’

There’s not much better than a good rock ‘n roll show, in my opinion. And yet, Young@Heart does us one better: they’re a chorus of delightful senior citizens who perform the pop and rock songs. I saw the documentary on these guys a few months ago, and I’m not afraid to admit that I bawled my freaking eyes out. Especially when they performed “Fix You,” right after the death of one of their members. Gets me every time.

Anyway, although the film has its sad moments, their live shows look absolutely awesome, and they’re stopping by DC for a performance at the Warner Theatre on December 5. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased by emailing events@iona.org or calling 202-895-9416. Even better, the proceeds of the concert will go towards Iona Senior Services, a non-profit that helps senior citizens in DC.

The Daily Feed
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VRE Leaving Amtrak

Photo courtesy of
‘VRE heading south’
courtesy of ‘drewsaunders’

Final approval has been given to the Virginia Railway Express to abandon its 17 year relationship with Amtrak. The Northern Virginia and Potomac and Rappahannock transportation commissions all voted today in favor of awarding a new five-year contract to Keolis Rail Services America, a subsidiary of a French transport group. Keolis is the largest private sector transport group in Europe, based out of Paris, France.

The plan was initially approved by the VRE Operations Board in mid-October. The new contract begins July 1, 2010 and has two five-year renewal options.

The Daily Feed
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New! Twitter Lists

Photo courtesy of
‘Dropped list.. i’d like some’
courtesy of ‘Tyrannous’

We’ve got a new feature to announce here associated with our Twitter Account: Local Lists! We’ve got five to start with, and we’re working on four more. Here are the five we’re announcing today:

We Love DC Food
We Love DC Blogs
We Love DC Sports
We Love DC Music
We Love DC Theatre

To start with, all of these are venues, either restaurants/bars, concert halls, theatre companies or their management. Are we missing someone? Either put it in the comments here, or email twitterlists at welovedc dot com with the appropriate folks. What else would you like to see us turn into Twitter lists?

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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Picks for Weekend Wineries

Photo courtesy of
‘Winery’
courtesy of ‘InspirationDC’

My favorite weekend activity this fall has been heading to wineries. I celebrated Virginia Wine Month with a fervor – give me a bottle of wine and some cheese, a nice patio, sunshine and a view and I’m pretty close to heaven. I love to escape the city and relax – if you’ve never been I’m here to tell you, it’s as good as a day at the spa. This upcoming weekend is going to be a gorgeous one, they say. And with the fall leaves at their peak, this weekend is an ideal one to head outside the city and experience what the Virginia countryside has to offer. So where should you go? Well, here are some of my favorites from this season for your consideration. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Because there hasn’t been enough bum-talk today…

Photo courtesy of
‘@px with @TomGreenLive after the show at the Irvine Improv’
courtesy of ‘playerx’

If Dr. Ruth Jacobs’ incoherent discussion of the purposes of the anus wasn’t enough bum-talk for you today, I’ve got another one for you.

A new inmate security device is being tested in Maryland prisons. Invented after an offhanded remark by a corrections officer that their biggest security problem was “people hiding things up their rear ends,” I am astonished that nothing like this has been invented before. Called the Body Orifice Security Scanner (or BOSS, which is the best acronym ever for something like this), it’s a chair that the inmate sits in so that the machine can scan them for metal objects hidden in their bodies. Sometimes it’s something simple like keys hidden between the toes, but it can also find cellphones stashed in more intimate locations. How has it taken us this long to figure out how to non-invasively determine whether a more invasive search is needed?

And finally, if you’re wondering why I chose a photo of Tom Green for this entry, congratulations for having never been subjected to the song that you may watch below:

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