Category Archives: The Features

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

Special Events, The Features
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Eco Chic: Night of Stars and Rising Stars

Photo courtesy of
‘Eco Chic Star Award’
courtesy of ‘oparrish’

Last night at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the stars aligned.  Bringing together pioneers of the environmental movement in fashion, art, beauty, architecture, and interior design to celebrate the event, “Eco Chic: Night of Stars and Rising Stars”. The occasion, held on the eve of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day was the first of its kind; promoting awareness of Eco and Ethical Design, while recognizing the exemplary efforts of a few, key professionals on their pursuit of excellence.

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Special Events, The Features
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Let Teddy Win! Highlights from WeLoveDC’s Night at the Ballpark

Photo courtesy of
‘Teddy #191’
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

Thank you so much to every one who trekked out in the rain last night. Our small group certainly made a large dent in what turned out to be the least attended game in the National’s Park’s history… But the sparsely populated ballpark also made for a great playground for the Let Teddy Win group. After a great tour of the stadium, including a trip up to the press box and views of private suites and the Diamond Club, we headed back to our seats for presidential race trivia and prizes. And we were there at the finish line when Teddy’s umbrella slowed him down to a near halt, letting Abe pull into the lead.

Click below for highlights of the evening:

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We Love Weekends
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We Love Weekends, April 24-25


Legs 09 by Yospyn

Rachel: Friday I’m heading to the batting cages at Cameron Run Regional Park in Alexandria with a friend to sharpen my eye for Sunday’s big game with my new-found softball team. We might wash the “workout” down with a stop at Dairy Godmother on the way back into the city, here’s to keepin’ those fingers crossed!  Saturday begins a rigorous rehearsal schedule that I’m going to attempt to throw myself into as the “Great Search for Summer Gigs” rages on with no sign of slowing down. As of right now I’ve got a July 3rd gig booked at the Columbia Heights Community Market, so that’s a start. And then Sunday is a baseball double-header of sorts. I’ll be spending some time at Nationals Park to help Screech celebrate his 5th birthday (yes, mascots have birthdays too!) and then racing back to Cleveland Park after the game to go play my in my own for my second week with the Glover Park Co-Ed Softball League. Go Misses!

Kirk: I’m going to spend Friday evening at a send off party for myself before I head to the Sudan for a month-ish to do some humanitarian work.  We’re planning on sampling some of Shelly’s Back Room’s scotch selection, particularly the Glenlivet 25 Year. On Saturday, I’m going with Shenandoah Brewing Co. to brew with Dad as a belated father’s day gift.  Sunday is going to be for church and relaxation, which probably means drinking beer on my porch all afternoon.

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Food and Drink, The Features, We Love Drinks
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We Love Drinks: Dickson Wine Bar

Photo courtesy of
‘Dickson Wine Bar’
courtesy of ‘Jenn Larsen’

Dickson Wine Bar has been open for a few weeks now, occupying a three story brick building opposite Nellie’s. It’s got a rather nondescript industrial look outside, save for the old stone plaque “Dickson BLDG 903 You” from which the bar took its name. I walked by one night in late March, noticing the sexy candlelit interior, and vowed to hit it as soon as possible. I’ve been back twice and can say it will definitely become a regular stop for me from now on. You can’t beat having a bar like this five blocks from your house!

It certainly has a great pedigree – the owners are Tien Claudio (with her husband and DC legend Eric Hilton) and Steve Kaufman (with his husband Fred Paxton), all locals living in Adams Morgan. They wanted to create a friendly neighborhood bar, and that’s the vibe here – residents, workers, Howard University students – everyone’s mingling nicely in an atmosphere that manages to be both adult and fun. As my friend who lives a block away puts it aptly, “the clientele seemed more interested in the food and drink than in finding potential spouses.”

And that food and drink is definitely a draw. Executive chef James Claudio (who also helms the kitchen at Marvin) has dedicated the food menu to local ingredients, and the wine list designed by Jarad Slipp, restaurant director at Cityzen, features organic and biodynamic selections. Rounding out the team is Tom Street, who created the cocktail program and selected the beers. Tom told me they are planning on changing the entire beverage program “quite often,” and in keeping with the eco-conscious theme, the food menu will also change seasonally. Everyone on staff is incredibly personable and helpful, which imbues the bar with a kind of care and love that’s really striking.
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Media, Music, Special Events, The Features
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Apollo Theater Exhibit to Open at Smithsonian

Photo courtesy of
‘Vinyl’
courtesy of ‘tiffany bridge’

When I was a kid, I listened to my parents’ music almost exclusively until I was about 12 years old. Which meant that while my friends were listening to Pet Shop Boys and Material Girl-era Madonna, I was singing along (into my hairbrush, of course) with the Supremes, the Drifters, and Chuck Berry.

While it was an excellent musical education, the local oldies station and my dad’s cassette tapes didn’t do a lot to put that music in the social context in which it belonged. I had learned about the civil rights movement in history class, and the general experience of African-Americans in the United States, but somehow had never connected the dots between the dates in my textbooks with the dates on those album covers until adulthood.

Which is why I so thoroughly enjoyed checking out the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (not yet built and currently existing as a gallery in the National Museum of American History) exhibit “Ain’t Nothin’ Like the Real Thing: How the Apollo Theater Shaped American Entertainment.”   Continue reading →

Adventures, Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival 2010

Coachella Music Festival Banner courtesy of Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival.

Everyone knows that sometimes the best way to appreciate where you live is to get away for a little while. It is also true that sometimes the best way for a music critic to reboot his love of music is to attend an awesome music festival without an impending review deadline hanging over his head. This past weekend I did both when I attended the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in Indio, California.

This was my third Coachella (2004, 2007*, 2010) and I think it is without a doubt the best music festival in the United States. After a three-legged, 12-hour journey by plane, I made my way into the California desert to enjoy some of the best music on the planet for three days. The weather was beautiful, the music was excellent, and I got the re-charge I was looking for. I decided to write mini-reviews of the bands I caught and to post them here for those who follow my music writing. Keep in mind, I was focused on enjoying the music this weekend without my reviewer’s hat on. So these little reviews are more personal and less detailed write-ups of the bands I saw over this great weekend.

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We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: [Title of Show]

Erin Driscoll, Sam Ludwig, James Gardiner and Jenna Sokolowski
in Signature’s production of [title of show].
Larry, as always, was excluded from the shot.

[title of show] is a musical that purports to be the actual events revolving about four people writing a musical about writing a musical.

Or something like that. Or more accurately, sometimes like that. The self-awareness of the characters that they are, at that moment, performers, comes and goes. I can only think of one moment where someone actually breaks the fourth wall but there’s many moments where the characters discuss the fact that what they’re doing will later be performed in front of said fourth wall.

If you’re already annoyed by this description you might want to skip it. [title of show] is sometimes painfully meta and if you’re irritated at just how twee it is in its description then you certainly aren’t going to enjoy it being milked for laughs for over an hour. If you’re willing to let the show wink at you fairly incessantly and prepared to overlook some imperfections in both the production and the underlying material then it can be a good time.

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Getaways, The Features
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Getaways: Vintage Ridge Vineyard

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It’s a widely known fact that I love visiting Virginia’s wineries. And not particularly for the wine, though I do wind up with some great bottles. But mostly for the sitting outside and relaxing with friends. We make a point to escape the city pretty regularly, and I’ve got a long list of favorites. But stop the presses, re-write my list of favorites, because I’ve found a winery that takes my perfect formula (sun, country, wine) and improves upon it – something I never thought possible. How can you possibly improve upon the experience of sitting around a table in the middle of rolling hills, with a chilled glass of alcohol in your hand, you ask? Here’s how: add food. So that’s where Vintage Ridge Vinyards comes into the picture. I’ve found a winery that gives you food pairings (cheese! salami! more cheese!), with your wine. Good lawd, I’ve died and gone to winery heaven. Continue reading →

Farm Fresh
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Farm Fresh: Mixt Greens

Mixt Greens Salad

Here’s another feature where WeLoveDC authors Donna (greenie) and Katie (foodie) have paired up to tell you about local restaurants that take on the challenge of being green. Donna will explain the logic behind the environmentally friendly trends, and Katie will tell you if the food tastes any good. It’s a rough life, but someone has to do it, right?

Katie: When I first heard about Mixt Greens opening in DC I was already bored. We have Chop’t, we have Sweetgreen, what in the heck are we going to do with another lunch-only salad place? But someone who eats as much as I do can always use a good salad. So when I was invited to try it out, I went hesitantly, and without much expectation. And I must say, I’m a convert. Continue reading →

Featured Photo
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Featured Photo


Barber Shop by Give Me a Vote!

While I generally shy away from featuring photos with watermarks, I readily made an exception for this one.  This photo by Joshua Cogan depicts a lot more than an oddly placed giant hand in a barber’s chair.  It’s part of a creative project by Albus Cavus and DC Vote called “Give Me a Vote!”  If you’re a resident of the District then you should be well aware of the fact that we pay taxes just like every other “state” does, yet somehow we lack full congressional representation.  In a country founded on liberty and just for all, one full of promise and Hope, our leaders tend to look the other way when it comes our voting rights.  In an effort to raise awareness, Give Me a Vote! will be placing these big hands across the city to represent our lack of a “voting arm”.  To quote from their website:

“Give Me a Vote! comments on the lack of democratic process available to DC residents. The voting arms represent new hope, and symbolize DC residents requesting the opportunity to practice one of their basic rights as U.S. citizens.  We aim to attract the attention of and promote action from DC residents who support DC democracy.”

You can even take an active part in this project by designing and adopting a sculpture to display in your home or business.  Eventually our collective voice will be heard and one day we’ll have representation just like the rest of the country.  That said, I’m also a fan of the alternative, that is, you keep your vote and we’ll keep our taxes.

The Features, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Fiddler on the Roof

05 Fierstein and Company © 2009, JOAN MARCUS

What is the best way to teach the daily struggles of family life and change to a modern generation: physical comedy or unadulterated sincerity? Harvey Fierstein’s Tevye does both. On the other hand … he has some competition what with the starlet vocals of his three daughters in-production. On the other hand … he’s Harvey Fierstein, part of the reason this run of Fiddler on the Roof at the National Theatre has been so successful.

Fierstein first starred as Tevye during the critically acclaimed Broadway revival, having previously won four Tony Awards, including Best Play and Best Actor in a Play for Torch Song Trilogy, with his most recent win in 2003 for Best Actor in a Musical for Hairspray. Now, he’s filling seats for sold-out crowds of all-ages at the National Theatre, reprising the role as Tevye and doing justice to the name while still maintaining his sense of self on stage. Continue reading →

Food and Drink, The DC 100
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DC Omni 100: #71 Gazpacho

Photo courtesy of
‘Chilled Soup, Hot Summer’
courtesy of ‘LaTur’

It’s time for another item on the DC Omnivore 100 list of the top one hundred foods every good omnivore should try at least once in their lives.

With warm weather hitting the area, palates and appetites turn from stews and comfort food to lighter, refreshing dishes in an effort to cool off during the summer. Gazpacho, a cold liquid salad, originating from Andalusia, the southern most region of Spain, is a thirst-quenching option that should definitely be on everyone’s mind.

Typically, Gazpacho includes hard bread, tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, garlic, olive oil, vinegar of wine, onion and salt. However, there are many modern variations of gazpacho, often in different colors and omitting the tomatoes and bread in favor of avocados, cucumbers, parsley, watermelon, grapes, meat stock, seafood, and other ingredients.

A good gazpacho’s viscosity should be a tad short of a thick tomato sauce and the ingredients should be completely blended. And in my opinion, there’s nothing worse than getting a gazpacho that’s watery and filled with cubed peppers.  This should be a substantive, cold soup. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed, We Love Arts
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Funding for the Arts to See Cuts


knife by youngthousands

When times are tough and governments start cutting their budgets, arts programs are often the first to feel the pain.  Case in point, Arlington County is planning on cutting arts grants by 36% next year, an equivalent of $100,000, while DC is proposing a 10% or $1 million cut (PDF) to its operating budget.  As a patron of the arts, this isn’t something I like to hear about, but understand that other spending generally takes precedence over the arts.  Susan Kalish of Arlington County’s parks and recreation department says, “Arts or cops? The county’s got to make a tough decision.”

My hope is that as the economy improves in the years to come, arts funding will go back up.  If you’d like to speak your mind about the arts budget cuts in DC, stop by to testify at the budget hearing for the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities on April 27th at 10AM.

News, Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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¡Livan! Shows He’s Still Got It

Photo courtesy of
‘Livan Hernandez back pitching for the Nats’
courtesy of ‘afagen’

It’s rare, in these days of six to seven inning starters, that someone goes all nine. It’s rarer still that they don’t give up a single run. Yesterday, MLB had two complete-game shutouts, but no one will remember Livan Hernandez’s incredible effort, except for the 18,000+ on-hand and Nats fans. The other CGSO yesterday was a no-hitter by Ubaldo Jimenez of the Colorado Rockies, and will be remembered longer. That’s not to say that ¡Livan!’s effort shouldn’t be lauded, oh no, his 9IP 4H 0R 112-pitch effort should absolutely be celebrated.

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News, Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Nats Stage Comeback Over Brewers, 5-3

Photo courtesy of
‘daylight fireworks’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

Last night’s game was one that could’ve gone either way. It was either going to be one of those shake-your-head lost chances sort of games, or it was the kind that made you grin a bit on the way home. It didn’t look so good to begin with. Adam Dunn was thrown out in the bottom of the first for jawing at 3B umpire Andy Fletcher over balls and strikes, and probably will get a nice fine for tossing his helmet as part of the affair. The Nats stranded runners at third twice in the first five innings, and it looked that, despite Johnny Lannan’s first good outing, the team was in a bit of a bind.

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The Features
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Why I Love DC: Dave Levy

Photo courtesy of
‘morning light’
courtesy of ‘ekelly80’

It’s the assignment that I knew was coming. “Why do you love, D.C.?” That’s the requirement for writing here at We Love D.C. (loving D.C., that is, not prose, but I digress), so I’m happy to oblige.

One role I pride myself upon is that of storyteller, and that’s how I plan to approach this. My M.O. for the next 700 words or so is as follows: I’m starting with Henry David Thoreau, I’m ending with a fairy tale, and I’m including at least one piece of live music.

In Walden (and then heavily alluded in 1989’s Dead Poets Society), HDT writes of his time alone while living in the backwoods of Massachusetts:

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, to discover that I had not lived.

And that’s where I am: D.C.’s my forest. And I’m here to live deliberately. Continue reading →

Capital Chefs, Food and Drink, The Features
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Capital Chefs: Alain Roussel of La Ferme (Part II)

Photo courtesy of
‘Chef Alain’s Perfect Chocolate Souffle’
courtesy of ‘CathyLovesDC’

Nestled away in a gorgeous residential neighborhood, a delightfully rustic French restaurant has been catering to nearby residents for the past 25 years. We were greeted with a handshake and said our farewells with the typical kiss on each cheek. Presenting us with perfectly typed out recipes and instructions, Alain was quick to jump right into the good part: eating. He orchestrated our kitchen experience like no chef has done before, alternating a little cooking with a lot of eating.

We started off making his Grand Marnier Soufflé. The presentation of the huge Grand Marnier bottle was enough to make me want to “Ooo” and “Ahh,” but then I asked if I could taste the bucket of pastry cream hanging around on the table, and oh boy, I could have stolen that whole container and taken it for myself and been set for the afternoon – or the week, really, because he said that’s how long it could last for. But there was work to be done, and as it turns out, many, many more pastries and delicious things to be eaten.

Before we made our first soufflé, we paused to drink our perfect French coffee. And while our soufflé was rising in the oven, we were treated to hot pain au chocolat straight from the kitchen of the French patisserie, Lenôtre. Crusty, brown, warm and with the perfectly crunchy essence of butter, the pain au chocolat would be just one, of the many, reasons to return to La Ferme. I can even respect Chef Alain for not attempting to make his own pain au chocolat or croissants, because really, why mess with something so perfect? Continue reading →

We Love Weekends
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We Love Weekends, April 17-18

Photo courtesy of
‘Kermit :)’
courtesy of ‘Daniel.Techie{TaiShan~4Ever} @ 127.0.0.1’

Katie: Now that the weather is nicer, that means the farmers markets are coming into full swing. This weekend marks the beginning of the full-fledged Arlington Farmer’s Market at Court House, and I’ll be there, reusable bags in hand. The first few weeks are generally plants, but I’m looking forward to May andstrawberry season! In the meantime, I’ll be eating farm fresh eggs, freshly made pastas and the beginnings of asparagus. As for the rest of the weekend? I’ll be spending time on U street getting my hair did at Bang, and sweet-talking WLDC author Jenn into hemming a dress I bought last fall to wear this summer.

Michael: This weekend I will be rocking out in the California desert at the Coachella Music Festival. But if I was here, I would definitely be going to the Positve Force-sponsored Titus Andronicus concert on Friday at St. Stephen’s Church. One, because Titus Andronicus’ new indie-rock concept album about the American Civil War is bloody inspired! Two, because seeing a show in a church is a really old school DC kind of this to do. Three, because Positive Force does great things for DC!   Continue reading →

Capital Chefs, The Features
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Capital Chefs: Alain Roussel of La Ferme Restaurant (Part I)

IMG_2008

So I have a few chef crushes in this city. DC is full of adorable, smart, funny and talented chefs – how can a girl not wind up with favorites? I’m not going to show you my whole hand, but I will let you in on one chef crush of mine – this guy. Chef Alain Roussel of La Ferme. After Cathy and I took a trip out to Chevy Chase to learn how to make souffle, we walked out of the restaurant and I gushed “AH! If only he were younger, I’d totally be smitten!” “I know!” agreed Julie Feldman, his PR person, “He’s great!”

Each of these Capital Chef articles is different – some chefs are business-like, some chefs are delightfully casual to the point of throwing eggs at me, and some chefs, my favorite chefs, feed us nonstop. Chef Roussel is the latter – everything about him is warm and old-school. Chef is oh-so-French (fraunchhhh, if you will), and spending a morning learning how to whip up the classic French souffle was such a fun experience. You can’t help but feel comfortable in his kitchen, surrounded by his favorite foods. He brought us (excellent, crave-worthy) coffee, (excellent, crave-worthy) croissants, lemon and sugar crepes, and of course, two souffles. Continue reading →