Category Archives: The Features

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

Capital Chefs, Food and Drink, The Features
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Capital Chefs: Dan Giusti of 1789 (Part II)

Photo courtesy of
‘This just makes me want to eat more gnocchi, immediately, from this spoon’
courtesy of ‘CathyLovesDC’

As you read earlier, Katie and I spent yet another Saturday morning slaving away in the kitchen for you, dear reader. Not that we mind.

While we waited for potatoes to bake (no really), we made ourselves quite comfortable in the 1789 kitchen. We sort of started to feel like a part of the family.  The best part was snacking on the homemade sugar cookie bits, chocolate hazelnut-dipped waffle cone triangles, and sugared, Italian pistachios. We watched a tray full of huge crabs slide into the steamer and a salmon salad artfully prepared for a group event. La de da. How are those potatoes coming along? Not quite completely, perfectly tender? Ok, no worries. There are some pepitos in a Tupperware over here that I might sample.

My dinner party on Saturday night was sort of similar. If those gosh darn potatoes hadn’t taken 2 hours to bake, well, we might have had dinner before 10:00 p.m.

Continue reading →

Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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We Have Georgetown Tickets. You Want ’em?

Photo courtesy of
‘Men’s Basketball’
courtesy of ‘Tulane Public Relations’

I don’t know how it happened, but it seems that we’re the giveaway kings this week! First the VIP Passes to ShamrockFest (congrats, Kay!) and then the Adventure & Travel Show (congrats, Lauren!) and now we’ve got 20 tickets to give away for tomorrow’s Georgetown Basketball game against the Bearcatst! The first 20 people to leave comments with valid email addresses and names will get tickets left for them at will call. You have until 3pm to claim these seats, so do not hesitate.

Capital Chefs, Foodie Roundup, The Features
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Capital Chefs: Dan Giusti of 1789 (Part I)

IMG_3906

I was having one of THOSE days last Saturday. I woke up to get ready for 1789, hopped in the shower, and the shower head flew off the spout and hit me in the head. Hard. Then I was running late, after the appropriate amount of panicking and curse words and feeling my head for a bump and wound up forgetting my wallet. Then I couldn’t find a parking spot that wasn’t metered, but I had no money. After finally parking, I burst into 1789’s bakery, which isn’t actually attached to the restaurant, and asked for Cathy, who I knew was already there. Everyone looked at me like I had five heads. Was I not at the right place? 1789 is located a block from Georgetown’s campus, right near The Tombs, and intermingles with the other restaurants located next door. I got flustered and tried to explain in a rush of words, “I’m having the worst morning ever, I got hit in the head, forgot my wallet, there’s no parking, you think I’m crazy right? I’m a writer, I’m here to do a story on 1789, I’m looking for Cathy…” Pastry Chef Travis Olson stood up from putting house made crackers on a rack, looked mildly amused at my storm of words and shook my hand and introduced himself. I unleashed the hurricane again. “I’m sorry, I know I’m crazy, I’m just supposed to be meeting Cathy in here, you probably think I’m insane, is this even 1789?” I trailed off. Thankfully, the kind soul of a woman baking bread in the window turns around, and volunteers that there was in fact, a girl dressed in street clothing who was writing an article that came in a few minutes ago looking for the chef. And then, as if on cue, Cathy walked in the kitchen to find me.

So after that sort of an entrance it was only appropriate that Executive Chef Daniel Giusti throw an egg at me. We were waiting for the potatoes to bake for the gnocchi he was going to show us how to make, and he was gathering up our necessary ingredients. Flour, a bowl, a knife, a cutting board, and eggs. He leaned back against the counter holding the two eggs for our pasta and all of a sudden an egg comes flying out of his hand and hits me in the knee, falling to the floor with a huge thwack and busting open. “Why you gotta throw an egg at me?” I laugh. “Haven’t I been through enough today?” Dan dissolves into laughter. “DID YOU EVEN SEE THAT? That was some Houdini shit right there! I didn’t even do anything! I didn’t even move my hand! We better get you out of the kitchen, this is like the worst place for you to be, there are knives in here.” And that’s what I love about the kitchen at 1789, Cathy and I were automatically comfortable there – we wound up having a really fun morning. I can tell why such good food comes out of the kitchen there. Continue reading →

Downtown, Food and Drink, The Features, We Love Drinks
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Drinks Preview: Oyamel’s Tequila and Mezcal Fest

Photo courtesy of
‘Oyamel 4’
courtesy of ‘maxedaperture’

Tequila flies under the radar as connoisseur’s drink. It’s had an unfair representation from co-eds pounding back shots on spring break in Cancun and middle aged women drinking slushy margaritas by some pool. But Tequila, much like anything, can be done right and can be done wrong. Chef Jose Andres and Co. at Oyamel want to highlight the former, something that they do annually with their two week Tequila and Mezcal Festival.

This celebration of all things agave is becoming a highlight of the DC cocktail scene. Not only do you get to sample some of Mexico’s finest in carefully constructed flights, you find some truly creative cocktails crafted by the mixologists at Oyamel, and from a few guests they bring in. The festival kicked off Monday night and I was fortunate enough to be able to sample a few of their highlighted drinks and appetizers.

Continue reading →

We Love Weekends
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We Love Weekends, March 6-7

Photo courtesy of
‘lost in your eyes’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

Max: On Friday I’ll be helping two awesome friends celebrate their birthdays by drinking alcoholic beverages and checking out the Rogue Wave show at the 9:30 Club, and on Saturday…ah yes, Saturday.Well it’s going to be awesome.First I’ll be attending the WPA’s Art Auction Gala and if I’m lucky I’ll walk away with an awesome piece of art like I did last year. Later I’ll be sprinting over to Long View Gallery to hang with my photographer peeps at the fourth annual DCist Exposed Photography Show, the best show in town to buy awesome, affordable photography! Oh and Sunday…ugh. I’ll be preparing my taxes. Way to end on a low note.

Rachel: I’ll have to second Max on the birthday celebration front. I don’t know what it is, but a whole bunch of my friends have March birthdays. Friday night I’ll be partying it up at The Tombs in Georgetown only to follow that performance up with a night of friends and shuffle board at Atomic Billiards on Saturday. Sunday has the potential to be a laid back, movie kind of day. I haven’t been to the Uptown in awhile, so it’s likely I’ll make a visit to see the always dreamy Leo in Shutter Island.   Continue reading →

The Daily Feed, Tourism, Travel
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Travel & Adventure Show This Weekend

Photo courtesy of
‘IMG_1076’
courtesy of ‘bradleyolin’

Right about now, though I’m liking the warmer weather, I’m craving something warmer. Part of me wants to drive up to BWI, get on a cheap flight to Phoenix, and go see some baseball, but then I remember what happened to Kevin Smith, so screw that noise. But, that brings me to the 6th Annual Travel and Adventure Show which runs all weekend at the Convention Center. Find a cool vacation, find a cool adventure, and there will be all kinds of travel discounts available on the show floor. Shopping for a honeymoon, or another big trip, this could be a fun way to think about escape for a day.

We’ve got two passes to give away, so leave your name in the comments, and we’ll pick a winner tomorrow at noon!

Sports Fix, The Features
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Caps Trading: Are All the Pieces in Place?

Photo courtesy of
‘Verizon Center ice’
courtesy of ‘afagen’

Yesterday was the NHL’s trading deadline for the 2009-10 season. Many hockey pundits (or wannabes, like yours truly) thought the Washington Capitals might make a minor move or two, or possibly stand pat with the current lineup. When it was announced on Tuesday that Flyers goalie Ray Emery was out for the season for hip surgery, I especially thought for sure the Caps would do some dealing with the hated Flyers. Let’s face it, the Caps have a strong backlog in goal – Theodore’s finally proving himself (though I think it’s a little too late for any hope of contract renewal), Varly’s been solid – when not injured, and both Michal Neuvirth and Braden Holtby show significant promise for the future.

But once again, GM George McPhee had other plans. The Caps made four moves in the eleventh hour yesterday, pulling in two forwards (Eric Belanger, Scott Walker) and two defensemen (Joe Corvo, Milan Jurcina) and shedding Brian Pothier and Oskar Osala from the rolls. Osala has spent most of his Caps career with the AHL Hershey Bears, so his absence is a non-factor outside of potential future development. McPhee instead gave away four draft picks (three in the 2010 draft, one in the 2011 draft) in his wheeling and dealing.

So, what to make of this roster “shake-up”? Continue reading →

Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Muse @ The Patriot Center 3/1/10

Photo courtesy of
‘Muse – Patriot Center – March 1, 2010’
courtesy of ‘Mrs. Gemstone’

Even though I consider Muse one of my favorite bands, I have written very little about them over the years. The majority of the 6 times I have seen them perform took place far away from DC and therefore the majority of their shows did not end up reviewed on any of the DC sites I write for. It is fitting that Monday night’s show at George Mason University’s Patriot Center is the one to finally get a feature review out of me. Fitting because it was without question the best performance of theirs that I have seen. Fitting too because I have followed this band since they first washed up on American shores and have witnessed their progression as a live act. Over the seven years or so they’ve been touring here, Muse have not so much shown an evolution as performers as they have consistently demonstrated their massive power as a live act; an act so huge that whatever stage I saw them on seemed tiny in comparison to their unbridled, power-pop fury. With each tour, each stage got a little larger, and Muse seemed one step closer to realizing their master plan of becoming the best live band on the planet. Having seen them on Monday night, I think it is safe to say that they have finally realized that master plan.
Continue reading →

News, Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Terps Beat Duke, Fans Storm Court, Light Things on Fire

Maryland fans storm the court from Wash Post Sports on Vimeo.

This video comes to us from the great Dan Steinberg, from the floor of the Comcast Center in College Park as Duke (4) is vanquished by the Terps. Maryland (22) is now tied for first in the ACC with 12 wins, and could win the ACC were Duke to lose on Saturday. There are some great shots at the DC Sports Bog, which include some of the fires set by students at University of Maryland last night, and the large police presence on campus after the game.

Congrats to Maryland for beating the Dookies, but did ya’ll really need to light things on fire?

New Category, Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Caps Make Four Moves Today

Photo courtesy of
‘Rock the Red’
courtesy of ‘afagen’

This has turned into a banner trading day for the Washington Capitals, as they made four trades before the 3pm deadline. Yes, you read that right: four trades.

Who’s In?

The Caps picked up: D Milan Jurcina from the Blue Jackets, D Joe Corvo from Carolina, C Eric Belanger from Minnesota, F Scott Walker from Carolina

Who’s Out?

The Caps sent off: a sixth round draft pick (to Columbus, for Jurcina), D Brian Pothier, prospect F Oskar Osala and a second round draft pick (to Carolina, for Corvo), a second round draft pick (to Minnesota for Belanger), a seventh round draft pick (to Carolina, for Walker)

Wow. That’s a lot of shake-up and increased talent for the Caps. We’ll hopefully have some insightful things to say tomorrow when our head stops hurting from all the various parts of these deals from McPhee’s office. Whew!

Life in the Capital, The Features
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Fitness District: Barre at B.fit

Photo courtesy of
‘Studio – B.Fit DC’
courtesy of ‘prettylovelythings’

Author’s Note: This article is part of an ongoing We Love DC series, Fitness District.

I admit it; I am by no means a gym rat.  If you were to perhaps bump into me there, it would not be on a regular basis. Sometimes I might be busy reading something at myfitnesshub.com, sitting somewhere with my phone on. I exercise, sporadically, because it is the healthy choice to make – good for the body and the mind.  But let me say this one time for the record, I dread a morning, afternoon, or evening workout.  I dread them all.

Furthermore, I don’t think that the gym itself makes the experience any more delightful.  In my personal opinion, the gym atmosphere is often times unwelcoming, intimidating, and outright aesthetically unpleasing.  I honestly have no idea where the typical gym owner got the idea that horrendous lighting is flattering, because those harsh lamps with the yellow-ish CRI won’t make even the buffest of the buff look good, let alone poor me.

The solution to my dilemma, as painted above, has been to engage in alternative forms of exercise such as Yoga and Pilates. Quite recently I read the article on the Neuropathy Cure website when I was trying to find the apt medication for my damaged nerves and found that for my condition it is much suitable for me to practise yoga than lift weights. Since finding a fit that worked best for me, exercise was no longer a burden – but something that I truly enjoyed and looked forward to.  And the best part, when it comes to the typical Yoga and/or Pilates studio you are almost always guaranteed good, natural lighting.  However, with any routine, sometimes you need to be a bit daring and switch things up.  Which is exactly what I was about to do by enrolling in my very first Barre Class at B.fit.

Continue reading →

Talkin' Transit
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Talkin’ Transit

Richard Sarles at the groundbreaking of the Mass Transit Tunnel in June 2009. Courtesy former Gov. Jon Jon Corzine's office

Richard Sarles at the groundbreaking of the Mass Transit Tunnel in June 2009. Courtesy former Gov. Jon Jon Corzine's office

Greater Greater Washington and the Washington Post both have the news that Metro is hoping to name former New Jersey Transit Executive Director Richard Sarles as interim head of the agency on Thursday. The Post reports that Metro Board Chairman Peter Benjamin confirms they do not currently have a contract with Sarles, but that he “is certainly a person we would like to appoint.”

Benjamin goes on to praise Sarles’s background, and calls him “solid on safety.” Sarles was appointed head of NJ Transit in 2007 after five years as Assistant Executive Director for Capital Programs and Planning there. He retired in January. Before working for NJ Transit, Sarles was at Amtrak where he led development of the Northeast Corridor High-Speed Rail program. He also has an engineering and project management background that spanned 20 years at the Port Authority.

Salres obviously has the chops to deal with the problems facing Metro. We aren’t privy to the interview process, and not living in the NY/NJ area, are not as familiar with his thinking on transit. Luckily, Sarles participates as a panel expert on the National Journal‘s transportation blog, commenting on many of the issues facing transportation planners. Read on for a little bit of insight.

Continue reading →

Sports Fix, The Features
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The 2010 Washington Nationals: A Chance To Finish Above .500

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Spring Training games start today. The Washington Nationals are in Viera, Florida and ready to play the best the Grapefruit League has to offer. Opening Day is 33 days away. Here’s your sneak peak into what you have to look forward to this season.

It’s safe to assume that 2010 will not be the year the Washington Nationals win a World Series. They’re still building a franchise and are mere youngins when compared to the veteran clubs in the Major Leagues today.

The Nationals haven’t had a winning season since moving to the District. They came close in 2005 by going 81-81, but since then they have finished last in their division (National League East) every year except 2007 when they finished second to last. So – it’s easy to understand if you haven’t made your way to the ballpark these past few years.

If you wanted to see a team win, a trip to Baltimore, dare I say … Philly, might be a better idea. Not this year though. The 2010 season has the potential to be different for the Nationals. And no – that’s not a joke. Continue reading →

Mythbusting DC, The Features
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DC Mythbusting: The Lost Forts of DC

Photo courtesy of
‘Fort Gaines at Tenleytown 1864’
courtesy of ‘NCinDC’

Some of the myths about the city seem a little far-fetched, particularly the more historic ones about the layout of the city.  Traffic circles meant to confuse invading armies?  No J Street because Pierre L’Enfant held a grudge?  Come on.  Here’s another one I heard– there’s a system of forts on the outskirts of the District designed to protect the city from an invasion.  This story, like the other two, has to be a myth, right?  The only fort in the city I can think of is Fort Totten, which (as far as I know) is a Metro station and not some Civil War encampment, and I certainly can’t picture an entire ring of forts around the city.  So this myth is pretty easily busted, right?

Not quite. It turns out to be true– there was an incredibly extensive network of forts that once surrounded the city, and today, many of these forts are again being linked together to create a greenway trail for recreational uses. The Fort Circle Park system was a surprise to me, and digging through the history of these parks turned up some other interesting facts.

Continue reading →

Featured Photo
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Featured Photo

Photo courtesy of
‘the moon.’
courtesy of ‘erin m’

When I spotted this picture in the pool last night, I knew it had to be the featured photo for the week. As you might have noticed, we have a thing for the Statue of Freedom sitting atop the Capitol (if you haven’t noticed, look at the logo).

Erin has been taking pictures of the moon rising from and around the Capitol grounds for a few years now. Each is stunning, and in some ways iconic. We see a lot of shots of monuments and official buildings in our photo pool. Most are good pictures, even if we’ve seen the like of them before. But the moon rising over the Capitol dome is special, requiring dedication and timing to get. And we love rewarding good effort, around here.

The Features
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How To Move In DC

Photo courtesy of
‘Echo #13’
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

My wife and I are in the process of handling a number of niggling little tasks related to our impending move into the District, and this short post is a series of lessons that we’ve learned as part of this process. Trust us when we say: learn from our mistakes. There are some key details that you need to know as part of any move, and as G.I. Joe taught all of us Gen-Xers, “Knowing is Half the Battle.”

Continue reading →

Sports Fix
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Sports Fix: Olympic Hangover Edition

Photo courtesy of
‘Up in the rafters’
courtesy of ‘afagen’

Whew. I don’t know about you, dear reader, but today I am an emotional mess.  That overtime gold medal hockey game yesterday was a heart-wrencher, a true rollercoaster run.  But, that means the Olympics are now done, and we can return to cheering for the Caps and Wizards, and to start thinking about the Baseball season.

Capitals

Record: 41-13-8 (90pts)
Last Two Weeks: None
Place: 1st in the East

The Caps have begun to reassemble, skating yesterday and today at Kettler, and getting ready to head up to Buffalo for Wednesday night’s first game back against Ryan Miller and the Sabres. The Caps then come back to the Phone Booth to face off with Tampa Thursday night, and then the Rangers on Saturday. Hopefully the Caps will be able to move past their three-loss streak heading into the Olympic break, and clinch their title quickly. The Caps have a 13-point lead on their nearest conference foe, and 27 on their nearest division rival. It’s been a pretty amazing run for the Caps, let’s hope it’s an easy and injury-free road to the Playoffs.

Continue reading →

The Features, We Love Weekends
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Weekend Flashback: 2/26 — 2/28/2010

Photo courtesy of
‘snow melter’
courtesy of ‘ann gav’

The Snow Melter has been spotted. It exists! About time, right? Of course the orange wonder makes its grand appearance just as the temperature starts to rise and the snow starts to melt on its own. Go figure. On the positive side, Saturday was a picture perfect day. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. That mixed with non-freezing temperatures and a serious lack of Thunder Snow is exactly what DC needed to wake up and get out after too many weekends spent hibernating. Continue reading →

Music, The Features
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ShamrockFest is Coming

Photo courtesy of
‘DSCF5844’
courtesy of ‘joelogon’

It’s hard to believe that winter’s nearly over. Monday marks the calendar switch to March, and there’s just three more weeks of foul nastiness before we turn the corner on Spring, which will be a fantastically wonderful sight for all of us who’ve spent the last four weeks staring at ever-present snowbanks. It’s enough to dream of blooming cherry trees, days spent at the park over a grill, surely, but what about getting some celebrating done?

Enter ShamrockFest at RFK on March 13. It’s your standard outdoor arena concert that runs all day, features about a dozen national and regional acts, and is generally a good excuse to get out of the house for a day. This year’s lineup features area darlings Carbon Leaf and Scythian, as well as Canada’s Enter the Haggis (whom I have on good authority from a friend in upstate New York kick more ass than Chuck Norris in a room full of midgets), as well as national touring acts The Roots and Train.

So here’s the deal, we have a pair of VIP passes to give away, so leave a comment below (remembering to use a good email address, as that’s how we’ll reach you) and we’ll pick a winner by the end of next week. One important thing to remember: VIP passes come with all the beer you can drink (provided you do so responsibly.) so you must be 21 to win, and Shamrockfest will be checking your ID.

Regular tickets can also be purchased for $24.99 right now, and VIP passes can be bought for $69.99. So, drop off a comment here, and enter to win! We’ll see you there.