Category Archives: The Features

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

The Features
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D.C. blogging & defamation law – some expert input

Photo courtesy of
‘The First Amendment does not cover burping.’
courtesy of ‘wfyurasko’

After news of Meg’s firing started to make the round yesterday I dropped an email to Kevin Goldberg of Fletcher, Heald & Hildreth of Arlington. FH&H is a local law firm specializing in communications law – things like FCC filings or regulations, fines, copyright issues and so on. They’ve also got a blog about communications issues that several of their attorneys write for, including Goldberg. Sometimes it’s a little rarefied, but you can find items there about things like licensing fees on podcasts too.

Goldberg’s role there is more in line with some of Meg’s problems – he’s focused on freedom of speech issues, including in online publishing. I came to know him as a student in his Media Law class at George Mason University, which I’d highly recommend if you’re concerned about your vulnerability as a writer. He was nice enough to take a few minutes to talk with me and the best criminal lawyers in Melbourne on the phone about some of the issues raised by this situation and some of the local laws in play.

We started by discussing employment issues and free speech in general, where the news is pretty good… if you’re an employer.

When it comes to your bosses, Goldberg says, “There are varying degrees of control they can exert over you. If you say things that are disparaging to the firm – even if it’s done on your own time – that could be a punishable or fire-able offense.” We chatted a bit about a recent NPR story that discussed the fact that, for most of us, we have and keep our jobs at the whim of our employer. If they don’t like the way you slurp your coffee they’re pretty much free to can you.

Goldberg’s more relaxed about this than a lot of us, which you could write off as optimism about people or perhaps as a result of his professional consultations with employers looking to write policies. “It takes a lot of – let’s just say it nicely – chutzpah to” fire people for saying things you dislike, Goldberg says, and “put yourself … in the position of really painting yourself not only as a bad boss, but a censor.”

We spent a lot more time on the defamation issue, and what he had to say was a lot more reassuring to anyone concerned about getting sued by someone who doesn’t like the things written about them… mostly.

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Eat Like Me, Food and Drink, The Features
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Eat Like Me: February’s Best Dishes

Photo courtesy of
‘Not today’
courtesy of ‘JulieLG’

The theme of February 2010 was snow. SNOW EVERYWHERE, in flurries, in blizzards, in mounds. Even I was hesitant to head out in the big storm, only making it out once when I made it over to Westend Bistro to sit at The Pass on Sunday night after Round 1 of the storm had settled. Restaurants in our area struggled to stay open, they weren’t able to get wait staff in, shipments of food weren’t making it through the snowy streets, and even if places were open, it wasn’t the same turnover they would normally get on a Friday or Saturday night. It was a tough month – places were hurting after the break, and institutions like Jose Andres’ ThinkFoodGroup ran happy hours this month to make up for it. I’d encourage you to get back out there in March and support your favorite restaurants, they’re hurting, and don’t you need to get out of the house anyways?

But that PSA isn’t what I’m here about. I’m here about all the things I ate in February that I loved. Unfortunately, when you combine being out of commission for 7 days stuck in my apartment, along with February being a short month, and I think I have broken the record for LEAST amount of places eaten in one month. I did much more cooking for myself than letting others cook for me. Luckily, this short month, when I did eat out, was full of DC classics. I was still able to hit a few of my favorites, and wound up with some delicious dishes, regardless of the time constraints. Continue reading →

The Features, Where We Live
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Where We Live: U Street

Photo courtesy of
’13th & U, NW’
courtesy of ‘NCinDC’

As we’re wrapping up District neighborhoods before moving on to the Maryland and Virginia ‘burbs, this week our featured neighborhood is U Street– one of DC’s greatest neighborhoods.  It has had its ups and downs, but today U Street is a vibrant urban community filled with one-of-a-kind restaurants, galleries, and bars.  Read on to find what you need to check out next time you’re in the area (including the bar where everybody knows your name), some surviving institutions from U Street’s heyday in the early twentieth century, and what makes U Street such a great neighborhood.

History: The U Street neighborhood was originally developed between 1860 and 1900, and it was filled with Victorian-era homes for the post-Civil War influx of residents. Then a streetcar came along and led to more commercial development along U Street. The U Street corridor became the most desirable area for African Americans to settle in the early 1900s, leading to the country’s largest urban African American community (until that title was claimed by Harlem in the 1920s). It was a major cultural center for the black community, and it was known as “Black Broadway”, with Lincoln Theater and Howard Theater in the area. And Duke Ellington grew up in the neighborhood too!

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History, The Features, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Drawing Toward Home

DTH_Bowen House

Bowen House, Woodstock, Connecticut, c. 1846.  Joseph C. Wells, architect.  Courtesy Historic New England.

“A major component of the American pursuit of happiness has long been a home of one’s own (the automobile is a distant second: the one a castle, the other a chariot).”   – James F. O’Gorman, lead curator for Drawing Toward Home.

When talking about art we often highlight forms such as painting, theater, sculpture, dance, and photography – just to name a few.  However, often overlooked are the artistic endeavors of both the historic and modern architectural community.  The newest exhibition at the National Building Museum, called Drawing Toward Home, highlights the intricate and often-complex domestic architectural drawing.

As a traveling exhibition organized by Historic New England in celebration of their Centennial, the 100-plus drawings featured provide a unique look into the vast history of the New England Style home.  Ranging from the Federal to the International Style and spanning over 200 years, Drawing Toward Home “reminds us that the architecture of New England is a touchstone of American Architecture”.  The exhibition is uncomplicated; simple to follow and clearly displayed.  Organized chronologically into four sections, beginning circa 1800 and ending around 1980, Drawing Toward Home is much like the foundation of the architectural drawing itself – a cohesive way to convey pure information.

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We Love Weekends
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We Love Weekends, February 27-28

Photo courtesy of
‘A Place in the Sun’
courtesy of ‘LaTur’

Rebecca: Friday I’m celebrating a friends birthday party with some sake bombs and hibachi at Matsutake Hibachi Steak & Sushi. Then we’ll head on back to the district for some drinkypoos at Martin’s. Saturday I’m on an early morning plane ride to California, so that’s where my DC weekend plans end. :(

John: Friday, I’ll be grabbing dinner at 3 Bar and Grill and then playing with my band Juniper Lane at IOTA in Arlington. Saturday will be spent mapping out the planting schedule and cleaning out an area in the garage where I can start seedlings and then enjoying a dinner date downtown. Sunday I’ll be taking a class with NRA Instructor Tina Wilson Cohen in Herndon on hand to hand and non-operational gun fighting.   Continue reading →

The Features
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The Morning News

Photo courtesy of
’53/365′
courtesy of ‘brianmka’

Welcome to an occasional-but-hopefully-more-frequent series where I drag myself out of bed early and read the local news so you don’t have to.

From the NTSB hearings on the June 22 Red Line Crash:

Yesterday’s testimony dealt with the crashworthiness of the 1000 series cars, and their impending replacement (if 2013 can be called “impending) with new 7000 series cars with a stainless steel body that’s more resistant to crumpling on impact. That’s old news. What came out of the hearings that was new was that the manufacturer of Metro’s signaling equipment, Alstom, warned Metro in 2004 and 2006 about the dangers of mixing third-party equipment in with their Alstom equipment. The equipment from other manufacturers has higher power requirements than the Alstom devices and may have caused the signaling failure that led to the crash. Continue reading →

The Features
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Class Review: Deer Hunting for Locavores

Deer Hunting for Locavores
‘Field Butchering’
courtesy of ‘boboroshi’

I’ve been following Jack Landers’ blog for quite a while now, enjoying his mix of politics, firearms and hunting. The last article I read that he wrote was a hunting review of flashlight, which is a special hunting device that gives the best visibility for night hunters like me. Last fall he started offering a class for locals in Charlottesville about locavore hunting: those who want to get their food locally in a sustainable manner. The ultimate in free-range, no hormone or CAFO-raised meat? Well, in this part of the country, that would be whitetail deer. And that’s what the hunting class is set up to discuss. Two jam packed days of deer history, anatomy, ecology, gun safety, field butchering, cooking and more.

I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy venison or be able to handle the butchering. Could I actually take the responsibility of a start-to-finish approach to the meat that I eat? Walking into Wegmans or Whole Foods or Giant and picking up a steak is easy. It’s clean. It’s prepared. You don’t even see the old style butcher shop half cow hanging as they worked on it. Would this push me towards a closer relationship with the food I eat or turn me into a vegetarian-biased eater?

The goal was to leave Charlottesville after these two days confident that I could go out and actually harvest a deer with my new Thermo Gears and take responsibility for it at some point next hunting season. So after my gig at the 9:30 Club on Friday night, I packed up my car with my clothes, camera and Winchester Model 70 rifle and headed down to Charlottesville.

(Warning: some of the photos inside show the butchering process) Continue reading →

Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Editors @ 9:30 Club 2/21/10

EDITORS_BWPrint5web_medium
courtesy of Editors

Editors made a glorious return to the 9:30 Club on Sunday night playing to a sold-out house of enthusiastic fans and soon-to-be converts. These dark, Brit-pop masters treated the crowd to a set mixing their passion-fueled back-catalog with their synth-focused latest, “In This Light and On This Evening“. The transitions between the new and old songs were not always the smoothest, but the sheer power and presence of one of the best performing bands around was more than enough to carry the crowd and the evening.

I have seen Editors on every tour and was particularly taken with their debut opening stint for Stellastarr* back in 2006. Since then Editors have put out a second great album of passion-pop, seen a ground-swell in popularity, and most recently embraced a dramatic stylistic shift on their new album. I don’t think anyone was expecting their hard left-turn into synth territory but it does not feel entirely out-of-place either. Tom Smith’s deep vocal style and the band’s over-all darker tone adjusts pretty easily from their trademark guitar to the new album’s near Gothic synth. That doesn’t mean I wasn’t skeptical going into Sunday’s concert. In fact I was not really sold on this synth-shift based on my album-play-through and I was hoping for this concert to provide me a final verdict on how I really felt about it.
Continue reading →

Food and Drink, The Features
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WeLoveDC DRINKS: Fresh Squeezed Wisdom

Photo courtesy of
‘Wisdom #51’
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

In the calm before the storm (what? there’s another blizzard coming?), we were able to take a breather and have a little fun out of the house on a day when the brown/green grass was just starting to show itself again.

Good times were had last night at Wisdom Cocktail Parlour in SE DC. Guests who arrived with an ingrained hatred for the taste of gin were quick and surprising converts to the smooth and simple pairing of fresh squeezed grapefruit juice.

Cocktails in hand, the near-sellout crowd was buzzing with the talk of juices and liquors — with occasional pleas for another educational happy hour mixed-in. It was a moment of true concentration on and excitement for the subject at hand, with no fear or discussion of impending snow.   Continue reading →

Comedy in DC
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Comedy in DC: Flooded Basement Edition

Photo courtesy of
‘Drafthouse at dusk’
courtesy of ‘wfyurasko’

I love it when all the pent-up Snowpocalypse comedic frustration is unleashed upon an unsuspecting region. There’s a lot going on, but here are my picks for the week:

Thursday night is BrightestYoungThings’ “Family Hemerlein Variety Show,” featuring music and comedy, MC’d by Seaton Smith (for whom my fandom is well-known) and headlined by Ben Kronberg (who has appeared on both Jimmy Kimmel’s and Carson Daly’s show, which means you’ve never seen him). It’s at the Arts Club of Washington, located in the James Monroe House, and tickets are $15.

Friday night there are shows for the geographically choosy. At the Velvet Lounge on U Street is 3 Chord Comedy, featuring Eli Sairs, Jeff Maurer, Justin Schlegel, and headlined by Dave Hill (HBO, Adult Swim.) Only $4! Show starts at 7.

At the Arlington Drafthouse at 9:45, Will Hessler and Hampton will be bringing back their “There Will Be Laughter” show, hosted by Jeff Maurer. Yeah, Maurer’s a busy bee that night, and if he can get to both shows, so can you. Tickets are $8, so it ends up being a whole lot of comedy in one night for $12.

If you prefer an open mic environment, the weekly Sabores Lounge show in Cleveland Park will also be happening.

On Saturday night, it’s local comic-turned-touring-headliner Rob Cantrell at the Arlington Drafthouse. The show starts at 9:45 and tickets are $18.

On Monday night at Eleventh Street Lounge, the regular Monday open mic is going to be given over to the ladies- Girls’ Night Out will feature Lisa Fine, Aparna Nancherla, Anupama Pillalamarri, Jessica Brodkin, Hillary Buckholtz, Sarah Donnelly, and Julie Fox. I’m excited about this one, since most open mics are pretty much sausagefests, and how many “my girlfriend so crazy” jokes can you really hear in one night and still laugh? The last time I performed at Eleventh, I was the only woman in the lineup for like, weeks. So it’ll be fun to see some new faces.

Entertainment, Penn Quarter, The Features, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Henry V

HNRYV_248_resized

Michael Hayden as King Henry V in the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production of William Shakespeare’s Henry V, directed by David Muse. Photo by Scott Suchman.

Now this is more like it.

From the first moments of Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Henry V, there’s a feeling of power and potency that I found lacking in Richard II, playing in repertory at Sidney Harman Hall. This is a company in command, helmed by David Muse’s tight, almost economical direction which sets the play firmly on course.

Productions of Henry V can veer from pro-war to anti-war (most famously, see the contrast of two films – Laurence Olivier vs. Kenneth Branagh). Here, war is certainly horrible, but it’s simply what kings must do to reign. This exploration of duty is the key to Muse’s production, in my opinion, and to the performance that leads it – Michael Hayden’s superb Henry. He embodies not just Henry’s description of himself as “plain soldier” but also of a man whose study of humanity in his wild days serves him well as king.

He’s also a scrappy fighter and a man whose bad side you want to avoid. No matter how close or safe you think you are, cross him at your peril.

From the beginning, when Muse chooses to split the Chorus into three characters (wonderfully played by Larry Paulsen, Robynn Rodriguez and Ted van Griethuysen), we’re on alert that there’s something different in store. With enthusiasm, sadness and humor they guide us through the history play by connecting directly with the audience, controlling lights and sound as if performing a lecture. It’s a conceit already inherent in the play itself, and here it lends a sense of the magic of theater that is echoed in key brilliant choices – stirring singing, unfurling maps, ghostly helmets hanging in air, a bright red laser pointer.

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People, The Features
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A We Love DC Interview: Author Stephen Salny

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Image Credit: Stephen Salny via Michael Taylor Design

Last night at the Corcoran, author and design expert Stephen Salny provided a comprehensive look into the legendary designer Michael Taylor.  One of Architectural Digest’s “20 Greatest Designers of All Time” and best known for his popularization of the “California Look”, Taylor continues to revolutionize the industry 25 years since his passing.

I had the unique opportunity to chat with Salny about his book Michael Taylor Interior Design.

Continue reading →

Adams Morgan, Featured Photo
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Featured Photo


2010-02-19 AdamsMorgan Time Series Pano – 20×30 by m hoek

When I think of Adams Morgan, I think of twenty year old kids drinking enough cheap alcohol to bring themselves to the brink of death.  I think of Big Slice with the smell of puke and hookah drifting through the air.  I think of breakfast at The Diner, coffee at Tryst, and the occasional dinner at Cashion’s.  No offense to those who love Adams Morgan, but if it ceased to exist, I wouldn’t shead a tear.

The great thing about today’s Featured Photo is that it encompasses nearly all of the memories I have in my head about this particular part of DC.  I recommend that you look at the big version to get a better look at all of the images that went into making this montage.  I love that you can see the different personalities of Adams Morgan, from the sober girl drinking coffee, to the woman carrying her groceries, to the stretch limo (which no doubt is carrying a gaggle of drunk bachelorettes with penis-shaped lollipops), to the lack of parking, to the flattened pizza box on the sidewalk.  This is Adams Morgan in all of its glory.

Food and Drink, The Features, We Love Food
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First Look: Capital City Diner

Capital City Diner Front

I met Matt and Patrick, the owners of Capital City Diner, last September. I stopped by the former used car parking lot on Bladensburg Road to tour the then mid-construction diner. They had a chain-link fence up around the restaurant, and there was a gaping hole in the ground where grass now grows. The guys had been waiting on plumbing inspection by Richtek, and Patrick had decided to dig a hole himself for the water connection, since it would speed up the process. The history of Capital City Diner’s permit getting has been well documented here on We Love DC and over at Young & Hungry. In short, it’s been a mess. “Is it to the point that it’s funny? You guys have had such a tough time, that all you can do is laugh.” I asked Matt in December. “No. It’s definitely not funny,” he replied, looking frustrated. I heard a sordid tale of ridiculous permits, incompetent government workers, and a process so frustrating I probably would have just quit. So when I was invited to a soft opening at the diner over the weekend, I was thrilled. I couldn’t wait to belly up to the counter on a stool and get a first look at what Matt and Patrick have worked so hard for.

I couldn’t have asked for more. It is exactly what I had pictured when I heard the vision – Trinidad’s first sit-down restaurant serving true diner food to H street hipsters, city workers and neighborhood folks alike. I remembered listening to Matt and Patrick talk about their vision for who would come by. Matt told me about the city workers shifts, and how there isn’t a good place to grab breakfast at the crack of dawn in the neighborhood. He told me all about the neighbors who have stopped by the diner to inquire about jobs, some of them laid off chefs from DC’s hotels and restaurants, hoping to help out. The guys explained their vision of staffing entirely from the neighborhood so that they kept integrated into the tight-knit community, and were able to employ the people that would keep them in business. The more I heard them talk, the more I believed in what they were doing. And while a soft opening, when a restaurant isn’t yet open (they open tomorrow, Tuesday the 23rd, for the public), is a great time to identify issues, figure out processes, and basically work through the kinks, I saw a huge, burgeoning success story. Continue reading →

Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Try Out for the National Anthem at Nats Park

Photo courtesy of

‘US Flag waving at Nationals Park’
courtesy of ‘daveynin’

One of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve had singing the National Anthem came at the Nats Tryouts in 2008.  It’s time to tryout again and the Nats are offering 75 tryout slots to the average Joe and Jane musicians of DC.  So if you’ve got an awesome rendition for ukulele, saxophone and triangle, go sign up, it’s free, just be prepared to back it up with a sweet headshot and performance resume.  And remember, people, the National Anthem isn’t something for you to put your stamp on, it’s something to honor our nation.  It’s a drinking song, not a funeral dirge.  Over-modulate, over-embellish, and frankly, I’m gonna boo you for trying to own the Star-Spangled Banner.  No 12-minute Bleeding Gums Murphy editions, okay?

Special Events, The Features
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PechaKucha Night Vol.11

Photo courtesy of
‘Reception – PechaKucha Vol.11’
courtesy of ‘prettylovelythings’

Capitol PechaKucha Night Vol. 11 was held Friday night at the Embassy of Austria as a unique means to provide global awareness about the earthquake that shattered Haiti. In addition to the Nation’s Capital, on February 20th, 280 other cities across the world held PechaKucha’s in collaboration with Architecture for Humanity to help rebuild Haiti 20 seconds at a time.

The PechaKucha originally began in Tokyo circa 2003 and was developed by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham of Klein Dytham Architecture as a way to get young designers sharing ideas under one roof.  PechaKucha is translated from the Japanese term for “chit chat” and refers to the type of presentation format that is utilized for the now globally celebrated event.  Each presenter at a PechaKucha displays 20 images, each lasting for 20 seconds, while talking alongside their slideshow – a format that supports a presentation that keeps things interesting for both the presenter and their audience.

Continue reading →

Food and Drink, Special Events, The DC 100, The Features
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DC Omnivore 100: #19 Steamed Pork Buns

Photo courtesy of
’04 Small Steamed Pork Buns’
courtesy of ‘jasonlam’

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.

In the spirit of the recent Chinese Lunar New Year and the Year of the Tiger celebrations, let’s explore the sweet, doughy, BBQ-esque goodness of steamed pork buns. In China, these roll sized delights are regularly consumed street cart food and are also a staple of the traditional Chinese family gathering of dim sum.

The bun’s exterior and its steaming bamboo container might have you thinking that this is just another dumpling. And while you’d be right, this is a dumpling, the steamed pork bun offers a sticky, rich, doughy and savory experience that starkly differs from the clean and fresh taste of shumai and the nutty flavorings of potstickers. Continue reading →

The Features, Weekend Flashback
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Weekend Flashback: 2/19 — 2/21/2010

Photo courtesy of
‘the big melt’
courtesy of ‘lisa cee’

A weekend without any snowfall? I still don’t believe it myself. The city is starting to thaw. The mounds of snow resembling Mount Everest are melting into small, manageable to climb hills (even Mount St. Fenty seems to be decreasing in size). And — best of all — the sun’s chosen to peek its pretty head once more. So, enjoy the rising temperatures and lack of freak snow storms. Here are a few snapshots of DC’s thawing out process to tide you over while you wait for all that powdery white stuff to disappear from our streets and sidewalks. Continue reading →

Life in the Capital, Sports Fix
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Curling: Sweeping the Nation’s Capital

Photo courtesy of
‘Dave Drags the Foot 3’
courtesy of ‘tbridge’

I’ve talked a very big game all week when it comes to curling. Inspired by the perfect combination of Norwegian pants, live broadcasts online and the sheer novelty of the sport, I have tried to throw all of my perceived curling expertise around whenever I got a chance. I’ve made my puns about throwing rocks at houses and bacon curling in pans (including overusing the #CurlingRocks hashtag). I have cheered loudly and emphatically for the US teams in Vancouver, and have conversely made criticisms of John Shuster that would make Byung-Hyun Kim say, “alright, easy there.”

It’s been a wonderful hobby for the week; part of the appeal of the sport is not only how often it is on during the Olympics, but the accessibility of it. “That totally seems like something I could do.” I gave it in my first run on a modified, synthetic sheet on Friday afternoon at the Hilton Garden Inn’s weekend long expo. After a well-documented victory over DCist’s Aaron Morrissey, my confidence was at an all time high. I still believed I had a handle on the sport.

And then I took my first steps on the sheet out at Potomac Curling Club in Laurel, Md., and I finally had to admit that this whole thing is just a tinge harder than it looks. Confidence swept away, all my hopes and dreams for a birth on the Sochi 2014 team were on thin ice.

Continue reading →

Entertainment, Penn Quarter, The Features, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Richard II

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Michael Hayden as King Richard II in the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production of Richard II, directed by Michael Kahn. Photo by Scott Suchman.

I don’t normally write the kind of review that I’m writing today. But to be blunt, I’ve had enough. What is going on at Shakespeare Theatre Company? Inconsistent vocality, acting styles ranging all over from natural to downright hammy, condescending directorial choices, flubbed lines. With so much talent at its disposal, I can only attribute it to growing pains with the Harman Center. But even that excuse is not going to last much longer with me. I love theater and I love Shakespeare. I want everyone to succeed. But if you don’t start bringing it, STC, I’m going to lose faith.

My first hint something was not right with Richard II, now playing in repertory with Henry V as part of an exploration on leadership themes, was in reading Michael Kahn’s directorial notes. He had decided to add a prologue from an anonymously penned Elizabethean play called Thomas of Woodstock because “I’ve always been aware of how mystified the audience is for the first four scenes.” Um, what? The audience has to piece together what happens at the first scene of Hamlet too, but I don’t see anyone advocating giving the ghost’s secret away right off the bat. So this is a choice to enlighten the audience? Why, we’re too dumb to catch up on our own? The patched together prologue is interminable and unnecessary, giving us our first glimpse of Richard’s neurosis and paranoia far too soon, not to mention solidifying in my mind –

Ok, deep breaths. Let’s jump back for a minute. Continue reading →