Category Archives: The Features

These are our features. They come back either weekly, bi-weekly or monthly.

Food and Drink, The Features, The Hill
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First Look: Smith Commons

Photo Credit: Greg Powers

I have to believe that one of the worst locations to open a restaurant right now is on the south side of H St. NE. If it wasn’t hard enough to establish yourself, try doing it from behind chain link fencing and the giant crater that will hopefully be a street car track one day. I have a hard enough time figuring out where to cross the street that most of the time I just give up and end up at Sticky Rice. I was determined the other night though, so I made it through the war zone that is the construction barricades and finally found myself at Smith Commons, the newest restaurant/lounge to open on H St.

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The Features
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Photos: MAGfest 9

Magfest 2011

Chances are, you’ve played a video game or two in your day. Maybe you haven’t picked up a controller since Mario made his first (of many, because man she was helpless) attempts to rescue Princess Toadstool. Or maybe you’re a little tired this afternoon because you stayed up too late last night obsessively launching birds at pigs. Me, I picked up an Intellivision controller as soon as I was old enough to grip things, and I’ve been at it ever since.

Which is why I jumped at the opportunity to spend last weekend with 3,000 other people at the Hilton Mark Center in Alexandria for MAGfest 9, an annual four-day celebration of music and gaming.

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Comedy in DC, Entertainment, Night Life, Petworth
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Comedy in DC: Wayne Manigo

Wayne Manigo

Two huge speakers were blasting at me and Wayne Manigo as we chatted at the bar in Ras Restaurant on Tuesday evening while the snow started sticking to the streets. It was Wayne Man’s Comedy open mic night at the restaurant and it did not seem like anyone was going to make it.  This DC comic was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York and has been a Washingtonian for nine years. He was your every day working man until  he was laid off one day, which was not funny, but the  job loss helped him to discover comedy. At the time he was plotting his next move he said to himself, “This is the perfect opportunity to see if I can be funny.” Wayne worked with a friend that was already doing stand up to write some jokes and performed for the first time at the Palace of Wonders, Red Palace now, on H Street. He said to me that after his performance people said, “Hey, you don’t suck.” He has been stepping into the spotlight for two years strong since he found his ability to make people’s abdominal muscles contract. Continue reading →

News, The District, The Features
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All About Voting Centers

Photo courtesy of
‘VOTE’
courtesy of ‘nevermindtheend’

The news came out about a week ago, that DC was considering moving to voting centers for the special election in April.  Since then, there’s been a lot to say on both sides of the issue, and some excellent points made by both sides about what it would mean to cut the budget for elections in the city.

Some have said that cutting back on voting is cutting back on government legitimacy.  If this new plan to move to voting centers dramatically alters the turnout of an election, or if the placement of the polls is such that prevents people from attending, I might agree with that contention.  Instead, it seems to be a way to increase turnout while also lowering costs.

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Dupont Circle, Entertainment, Special Events, The Features, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Return to Haifa

Raida Adon and Rozina Kambos in The Cameri Theatre of Tel Aviv's "Return to Haifa" at Theater J. Photo credit: Stan Barouh.

Two women are arguing about their son. One gave birth to him, the other raised him. The adoptive mother makes a cutting comment about the son being more likely to listen to her than his birth mother. Many in the audience laugh. It’s a grim laugh, low and knowing.

A women next to me says out loud in frustration and disbelief, “Why is that funny?”

It was a strange preview night at Theater J, watching the production of Return to Haifa performed by the Cameri Theatre of Tel Aviv in Hebrew and Arabic. Uncomfortable for some, painful for others, odd for me in my role as critic – as the talkback session afterwards becomes a bit of theater unto itself, worth investigating just as much as reviewing the play. I didn’t know what to make of the whole thing when I left. I still don’t.

Two mothers. One Jewish, one Muslim. One Israeli, one Palestinian. And their son, all of the above, or none of any of it. Questions arose at the talkback with Anton Goodman, Jewish Agency Shaliach, and Ari Roth, artistic director of Theater J, that still whirl in my head: Is it a play appropriating a beloved piece of Palestinian literature, as one member of the talkback accused? Is it a play attempting to own a dual narrative, to both celebrate and mourn at the same time, as Goodman believed? A play that makes soldiers unable to be strong for their country, as a mother in the audience feared?

What I can tell you about Return to Haifa… is that you will leave with many questions. Continue reading →

Food and Drink, The Features, We Love Food
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We Love Food: Tackle Box

Photo courtesy of
‘Tackle Box Sign’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

Though I live in the general area, I don’t spend much time on M St. in Georgetown. It’s not that I have anything against it, except that I run the risk of driving myself in to serious debt every time I walk down the street. Intermix, your siren song calls to me. There is one place that I’m willing to risk credit card debt for, and thy name is Tackle Box.

Tackle Box is the cooler little brother to its snooty boarding school sister, Hook, next door. While Sis spends her days rolling her eyes at all those outlanders who come to Newport in droves every Memorial Day weekend, Little Bro spent his summers working at a dockside restaurant and drinking on the beach with his friends at night. In other words, while Hook is a great meal for a special occasion, Tackle Box is at your service for a tasty lunch, brunch, dinner or snack just about any time.

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Entertainment, Interviews, Music, We Love Music
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The Magician Shares His Secrets


courtesy of Stephen Fasano.

Last year, Stephen Fasano shocked the world of electronic music with the announcement that he was leaving his Belgian DJ duo Aeroplane to start a solo project. This was particularly surprising because Aeroplane had just completed a successful U.S. tour in support of their latest album “We Can’t Fly”. One of the stops on Aeroplane’s 2010 tour was to serve as the opening night performance at DC’s new underground dance mecca, U Street Music Hall. Now ten months after U Street Music Hall opened and six months after leaving Aeroplane, Stephen Fasano is returning to the club to introduce his solo music persona, The Magician! Stephen took some time to answer some of my questions about his career, his decision to leave Aeroplane, and his taste in music.

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Featured Photo
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Featured Photo


Off Duty by DPinDC

If I were to win a warehouse full of money and suddenly lose the pressure of planning for retirement, there are some peculiar jobs in this world that I would love to try my hand at. How about a toll booth operator on the Dulles Toll Road, a gas station attendant, or a high school janitor?  Or maybe one of those guys who rides on the back of a trash truck, listens to his headphones and jumps from curb to curb at five in the morning?  A movie projectionist has always been a dream job of mine, especially at a theater like E Street where I could watch amazing flicks all day long.  Or how about a crane operator, swinging tons of steel around in my own little game of SimCity?

If you look carefully at the jobs that I mentioned, you’ll notice a common theme: to be by myself with just a small dash of human interaction.  There are those who thrive on being around others and shrivel when they are alone, and those who are built for a life of solitude.  While you’re enjoying your power lunches and chattering nonstop into your bluetooth earpiece, I’ll be eating at my desk and making sure your corporate machine keeps humming like a German car.  We can chalk our differences up to genetic evolution, or perhaps correlate them directly to how many hours we spent playing video games as kids.  Regardless, it’s no wonder that I love photography, another lonely profession.

It took me a while to realize what I love about today’s photo.  While I was first drawn to its cinematic quality and the capture of an every day city scene, it soon dawned on me that this is the work of a lonely photographer, shooting a lonely cab driver who is reading a newspaper full of photographs taken by other lonely photographers.  I see that I’m not alone in this world of loneliness.

Sports Fix
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Wizards, Blatche and Wall Live A Dream in MLK Matinee

Photo courtesy of
‘Wizards Home O King, Jr. pener’
courtesy of ‘MudflapDC’

On this Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday, it’s really quite appropriate that we’re talking about dreams.

Who would have thought that it would be one from Wizards forward Andray Blatche?

“I had a dream last night. That we won today, then we won the road. I woke up, then had a dream that we made the playoffs.”

What Blatche failed to tell the media is if his dream happened to have any hints on the type of game him and the Wizards would have in the 108-101 win over one of the best from the Western Conference, the Utah Jazz.

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People, The Features
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Why I Love DC: Patrick Palafox

Me and Charles
My first D.C. roommate.

I drove from El Paso to D.C., 1,962 miles, in the Spring of 2009, because my former editor, Charlie Ericksen from Hispanic Link News Service, invited me to crash at his house and use his free parking spot to find a job here. I was one of his reporter interns during the summer of 2008 and one day he called me out of the blue while I was a recent college graduate to see what I was doing. He assumed I was up to no good when actually I was registering for an online dating site and watching T.V. at my parents’ house. He was right. Things were not looking good.

I was reluctant to return to Washington, but when I thought about my experience that summer, I recalled that I met tons of great people, always had something to do, and felt good about myself. I had a lot of reasons to return and now have even more reasons to stay.
D.C is an important city where major decisions are made all the time. Politicians can make us a little jaded about the political system, but when you stop and stare at the Capitol you realize that this is a place where winners are. That may sound lame, but all of the presidents of school clubs, top notch students, and worldly people are here doing what they can to make a difference in the world. Sure the news may make us believe otherwise, but hey, there is a demand for negativity so I don’t blame them for supplying the fix to those bad news junkies. Anyway, you can pry my viewpoint from my warm fuzzy hands. I stole that from a poster at the Rally for Sanity. I thought that was so cute. Continue reading →

Sports Fix
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Sports Fix: Two Sport Edition

Photo courtesy of
‘Close-in Ice’
courtesy of ‘tbridge’

Editor’s Note: This is the next to last Sports Fix roundup. Starting in February, we’ll be doing sport-specific features on a bi-weekly basis.

Capitals
Record: 25-14-7, 57 points
Last Two Weeks: 2-2-2

Place: 2nd in the Southeast, 5th in the East

Welcome to Thunderdome, er, I mean, January, where many hockey seasons are made or broken. The Capitals have marked January with offensive struggles and some serious road game failures, and it’s taken its toll on their position in the standings. While the Caps are still in the middle of the playoff picture, they’re closer in points to 8th place than they are to 1st place. Continue reading →

Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Das Racist @ Rock and Roll Hotel, 1/14/11

dr - shanghai4
Photo courtesy of Das Racist

Das Racist went viral last year with their track “Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell“. It would be easy to write them off as a novelty act, but anyone who dug a little deeper would find a rap group spitting intelligent, unique, stream-of-consciousness verses that demand your full attention. Last year, they put out two mixtapes for free online, completely bypassing any sort of physical distribution. They’ve garnered praise from critics at Pitchfork and NYTimes. So, do they give away their music for free, just to promote their live show? I had this in mind when I went to Rock and Roll Hotel last Friday to check out their sold-out show. Unfortunately, their show didn’t impress me as much as their mixtapes have.

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The Features
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Hey Capitals: Where are your superstars?

Photo courtesy of
‘Ovechkin Tosses First Star Puck to Crowd’
courtesy of ‘clydeorama’

The Capitals have to figure that eventually, something has got to give.

In seven games in the month of January, the Capitals have scored 14 goals. That is two goals per game and even those have been a struggle. Yes, coach Bruce Boudreau changed his game philosophy in mid-December to be more defense-oriented, but he was probably counting on at the time of the switch that Washington would also be enjoying the fruits of the labor of its superstar point scorers. After all, Alex Ovechkin, Mike Green, Alexander Semin and Nicklas Backstrom all scored over or near 80 points in 2009-10 (with Backstrom and Ovechkin both over 100) and there was a reasonable expectation for them to perform to similar levels this year. The team is not greatly changed, the same coach is in place, Verizon Center is still continuously sold out and there is motivation after two-straight years of disappointing playoff defeats.

So, D.C., where are your superstars?

Ovechkin is due for 29 less points this year than last (109 to 80), Backstrom 28 (101 to 73), Semin 22 (84 to 62) and Green 39 (76 to 37). That factors out for a whole season to be 116 points less between the Capitals’ top four players. That is the equivalent of a great season for any NHL superstar or about three Brooks Laichs.

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Sports Fix, The Features
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Are the Hoyas Trying to Prevent an Orange Overthrow at Verizon?

Photo courtesy of
‘WE ARE GEORGETOWN!’
courtesy of ‘petesolecki’

The Georgetown/Syracuse rivalry has plenty of history from these last few decades, dating back to the rounds of bouts between John Thompson, Jr. and Jim Boeheim during the 80s. Recent memory has certainly reinvigorated this: both teams have made Final Four appearances in the last decade, and both have been incredibly competitive in the Big East.

As rivals in the 16-team conference, SU and Georgetown are one of the few pairs of teams that will often play twice during the regular season, once at each team’s home court. While Georgetown fans don’t exactly jump at the opportunity to head north every February to cheer on the road at the Carrier Dome, the same can’t be said for the opposite: between the many Syracuse alums who live down here and others who are willing to make the drive from various corners of the northeast, Verizon sometimes feels like some weird version of Syracuse South.

Otto’s Army, a Syracuse fan blog, is suspicious that Georgetown has had enough of this Orange invasion – so they are doing something to try and prevent it for the February 26 match in Chinatown.

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News, Sports Fix
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Caps fall short, drop home game to Canucks 4-2

Photo courtesy of
‘DSC_6298’
courtesy of ‘bhrome’

The Caps faced off with the best of the NHL on Friday night at the phone booth, knowing exactly how difficult an opponent they faced.  The Vancouver Canucks entered Washington with 62 points and the best road record in the NHL.  The Caps, though, possess the East’s best home record, and the clash of the titans was on Friday night at the Phone Booth.

Short some inspiration until the third period, by then it was too late to make up the difference, despite skating the ice like demons possessed.  Alex Ovechkin tried to single-handedly skate through the fire for the Caps tonight, running four consecutive shifts late in the third to spark something for the struggling offense, and they just couldn’t convert their chances.

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Food and Drink, The Daily Feed, We Love Drinks
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Friday Happy Hour: Bloody Mary

Photo courtesy of
‘Bloody Mary’
courtesy of ‘Jenn Larsen’

It’s time for Friday Happy Hour, highlighting a drink we’ve recently enjoyed, every Friday at 4pm! Please share your favorites as well.

Wait, a Bloody Mary on a Friday? They’re just for brunch, right? Ok, perhaps you won’t be having one this evening, but I happen to harbor a soft spot for the most ubiquitous of hangover helpers. I especially love its history, around since the 1920’s in Paris or 1930’s in New York, depending on the tale – its exact origins are somewhat disputed. Vaudevillian George Jessel claimed to be the first to mix vodka and tomato juice as a morning cure-all, while famous bartender Fernand Petiot added the spice element now considered essential. Petiot worked at Harry’s Bar, frequented by another master of the cocktail, Hemingway. This gives what we usually consider a humble drink a very sexy past.

I’m partial to my Bloody Mary with a Bull Shot, that is, adding beef broth which gives it a lot more depth. This is probably due to my hating tomato juice with a passion as a child. It was only as an adult that I grew to tolerate it, spurred by a friend who swore by tomato juices’s healthy and healing qualities. Slowly I saw the light. Continue reading →

Comedy in DC, The Daily Feed
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Local comic participates in Guinness Record attempt.

Brian Kerns Headshot

Former area comic Brian Kerns will be stepping into the spotlight at Magooby’s Joke House in Timonium on Jan. 20 from 2:00 PM till 3:00,  one of the 81 hours of comedy that the club needs in its attempt to. break the Guinness World Record for the longest comedy show ever. The event kicks off Jan. 17 at 2:30 PM, and the club must maintain a minimum of 10 audience members at all times in order for the record to be valid.

The usual two-item minimum has been lifted for this event, and you can show up at any time during the 81 hours and donate whatever you can at the door. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Special Olympics Maryland. You can find more information at the Magooby’s website.

Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
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We Love Music: The Ghost Of A Sabertooth Tiger @ Iota Club & Cafe 1/11/11


All photos by Santiago Gamboa.

Guest reviewer Alexia Kauffman attended the show at Iota on Tuesday. Here are some of her thoughts about it.*

The blustery wind and threatening snow didn’t discourage the crowd from assembling at Arlington’s Iota Club & Cafe on Tuesday night for the unusual pairing of NYC’s The Ghost Of A Saber Tooth Tiger and solo experimental vocalist Julianna Barwick. The GOASTT is Sean Lennon’s latest musical project, a collaboration with his model girlfriend Charlotte Kemp Muhl. They are on their first US tour in support of their debut album, “Acoustic Sessions”. Fresh from appearing on the Jimmy Fallon show in New York last week, the GOASTT seemed at home on Iota’s small, Christmas-light-adorned stage.

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Fashionable DC
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TheFashionMagpie: Fashion, Illustrated

Fashion Illustration by Inslee Haynes

Image Copyright © Inslee Haynes

Last Thursday, I was in the midst of my blissful daily blog prowl when I stumbled upon a series of whimsical fashion illustrations that stopped me in my tracks.  After snooping around for more information on their provenance, I was surprised to discover that the illustrator behind the series was Washingtonian Inslee Haynes.  When I caught up with the talented artist over coffee (turns out she’s a neighbor of mine in Glover Park!), I was even more enchanted: the 20-something “greater DC area” native is not only incredibly gifted — she’s also sharp and ambitious, having launched, maintained, and grown her own fashion illustration business since 2005. Continue reading →