Category Archives: The Features

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

capitals hockey, Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Caps Fall to Jets in Shootout, 3-2

Photo courtesy of photopete
Capital’s coach Dale Hunter
courtesy of photopete

Like many sports, hockey is a game of momentum and lucky bounces. As Caps’ coach Dale Hunter likes to say, “That’s hockey.” The Winnipeg Jets got a few lucky breaks last night to beat the Caps 3-2 before a sellout crowd at Verizon Center.

Ii was a wild ending. Four power play goals in the span of eight minutes late in the third period left the two teams tied at the end of regulation. After an inconclusive overtime, the Jets won the game in the shootout.

The Caps came out aggressively in the first period, peppering Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec with 12 shots on goal to the Jets 4. The Caps had another 13 shots that either missed the net or were blocked. Even though both teams play a “trap” style of defense, it was wide open hockey with fast rushes in both directions. It seemed like the clock had been turned back to the run-and-gun Caps of the best of the Boudreau years. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and to me it was a lovely sight. Continue reading →

Entertainment, Music, Night Life, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Thurston Moore, Kurt Vile @ Black Cat 2/6/2012

photos by author

At Monday night’s Black Cat show Thurston Moore  dished out jokes about Dischord house, stories about Black Flag, Jello Biafra, conspiracy theories about Jimmy Carter, credited Reagan for the birth of Hardcore, and had a gin & tonic chugging contest with his guitarist. Oh yeah, and played some amazing music too.

Moore, frontman of the iconic experimental/noise/post-punk band Sonic Youth is on tour in support of his latest solo album Demolished Thoughts, released in 2011 on Matador. He brought with him fellow Matador recording artist Kurt Vile, as well as a band on his own label, Ecstatic Peace Records – Hush Arbors, which features his touring guitarist, Keith Wood. Continue reading →

We Love Weekends
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We Love Weekends: Feb 10-12

Photo courtesy of Mr. T in DC
Takoma 1791 Boundary Stone
courtesy of Mr. T in DC

Tom: I’ve got a wild weekend of work this weekend, but I’ll be continuing my quest for a new breakfast place. My trip to Boundary Stone last weekend, though, was very promising. This week, it’s over to Rustik for some biscuits. I’m also looking forward to putting together my new garden frames and getting my new seeds in from Burpee’s. The garden season is coming!

Marissa: In addition to the copious amounts of sleep I’ll be catching up on, this weekend I’m headed to the International Wine and Food Festival. Rows of food vendors and wine tastings–it’s pretty much the stuff of dreams. Saturday or Sunday morning I’ll head back to Taylor Gourmet to snag one of those breakfast sandwiches, since last weekend they had run out. Then Sunday afternoon I might head out to Old Town, since it’s been a while, and stroll in and out of some shops.

Fedward: This weekend is pretty much a replay of one last September, so I’ll just self-quote and annotate: The Social Chair and I will be visiting friends near Front Royal, which usually means a winery tour. Past favorites have included Linden Vineyards (a Virginia wine pioneer and consistent producer of high quality wine – last time we didn’t manage to get by), Glen Manor Vineyards (check the updated where to buy list for restaurants and retailers in the area – I personally recommend the Hodder Hill, an excellent Bordeaux-style blended red), and Chester Gap Cellars (a place I’d go just for the view from the tasting room, even without Bernd’s excellent wines – last time we were torn between three Viognier bottlings, one from the nearby Boisseau Vineyard and two from Bernd’s grapes, of which one was oaked, and ended up buying some of each). If we’re organized we might even squeeze in a visit to a distiller or two (but Addison has now beaten me to Catoctin Creek). I should try to remember to bring along some WLDC business cards, huh. And then on our way back we’ll stop at the Apple House in Linden for some donuts (the Social Chair swore I had never taken her there, but admitted after we sat down that it looked familiar after all).

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Adams Morgan, Food and Drink, Special Events, The Features
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We Love Food: Speak Easy at L’Enfant Cafe

Photo courtesy of M.V. Jantzen
Le Soir courtesy of M.V. Jantzen

The French get it. At least when it comes to food and romance. Mix Paris with a little New York and you have yourself a seriously original duo. Enter L’Enfant Cafe, a tiny bistro in Adams Morgan, and you see that America à la France at its greatest. It boasts only 16 tables, but dishes out some serious french fare that transport you to a cafe in the center of Le Marais. On a weekend, it is a great spot to find a croque madame and espresso, and on a weeknight, a perfect date spot for intimate conversation and glasses of rouge. This place is just as one imagines a Parisian bistro to be: effortlessly fabulous.

But that’s just the half of it. L’Enfant is so much more than just a restaurant. Co-owned by Christopher Lynch and Jim Ball, two New Yorkers who wanted to bring the art-y to Party, L’Enfant has turned into an institution of fun fare. Known for their yearly Bastille Day French Maid Relay Race, as well as their infamous Saturday Le Boum brunches, these guys keep it coming. Now, they are making Sunday the new Funday with a one of a kind dining experience. What does that entail? One word: Cabaret.

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Entertainment, Music, The Features, We Love Music
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We Love Music: The Grey Area

IMG_0638-2

Photo Courtesy of The Grey Area

Happenstance is what brought The Grey Area together. It was March 2010 when Jason Steinhauer (vocals/guitar) stopped by Zoo Bar for an open blues jam. Drummer Timothy Jones (TJ) was playing with a few other guys on stage at the time, so Steinhauer sat at the bar and waited for his turn to join.

It didn’t take long for Steinhauer to get in on the action though. Instead of waiting for his name to be called, Steinhauer jumped on stage as soon as the song being played was finished. From there, he grabbed the mic, looked at TJ, and said, “‘You Shook Me,’ the Zeppelin version.”  TJ smiled, kicked the beat, and started the song. That’s all it took — an indie-rock band with the ability to write pop hooks and catchy choruses was born.

Steinhauer and TJ exchanged numbers that night, forged a friendship, and started writing music with each other. After toying around with the idea of adding a bass player, the duo made their official band debut eight months later at the Canal Room in New York City. Now they’re nominated for three 2012 Washington Area Music Association awards (including Best New Artist) and are playing an album release show at Strathmore this Friday.

Steinhauer took a few minutes to share The Grey Area’s story with We Love DC in anticipation of Friday night. Here’s what he had to say. Continue reading →

capitals hockey, Sports Fix
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Caps Blank Panthers, 4-0

Photo courtesy of clydeorama
Tomas Vokoun Makes a Pad Save
courtesy of clydeorama

The Caps scored early and often and rode a hot goaltender to a 4-0 win over the Florida Panthers last night at Verizon Center. With the win, the Caps vaulted past the Panthers into first place in the Southeast Division and a spot in the playoffs. Alex Ovechkin scored twice and Tomas Vokoun stopped 42 shots for his fourth shutout of the season.

The fans were barely in their seats when the Caps lit the red light for an early lead. Jason Chimera dug the puck out of the corner and fed a pass to Matthieu Perreault who slid the puck under Panthers’ goalie Scott Clemmensen just 13 seconds into the game. Continue reading →

Featured Photo
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Featured Photo

Photo courtesy of cruffo
Portal to Virginia
courtesy of cruffo

Metro shots are always fun. The bright, colorful lights, combined with the blacks of the shadows, go together so well. Cruffo’s shot is unique because of the lens flare, a refraction of light in the lens of the camera which shows up in the image as multiple blue circles. Sometimes these flares can ruin a picture; other times they add a bit of wonder to an ordinary photo. This one is definitely a benefit, with the added bonus of adding color to the image. Quite the shot!

Entertainment, The Features, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: The Gaming Table

Photo ©Carol Pratt/Folger Theatre

It’s a woman’s world out there. Now a days more women than men are attending college and these more educated females are putting off families and earning more money than men. As a late-20’s lost boy, I’m ok with saying that.  Folger Theatre’s production of The Gaming Table represents this new role of women well. In the show the women are empowered, smart, and clever while the males range from bumbling to sissy.

Amazing that the play the show was adapted from, The Basset Table, originally written in 18th century by playwright Susanna Centlivre. While additional material was added to modernize the piece, the play is still truly ahead of its time. Lady Reveller (Julie Jesneck) and her cousin Valeria (Emily Trask) are two different women who suffer from the same problem. Reveller would rather play cards at the Basset table she runs in her uncle’s (Michael Willis) house than put up with the affections of Lord Worthy (Marcus Kyd). Valeria isn’t much for cards, she is a woman of science. However her father would rather see her married to a Sea Captain (Michael Glenn) then dissecting frogs. Valeria doesn’t fancy Captain Hearty but does have an eye for his Ensign (Robbie Gay).

An 18th century play with a modern RomCom set-up. Doesn’t matter when the play was written though- you’ll be a laughing in the aisles all night.

Continue reading →

Entertainment, Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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The One Game That Represents The Wizards 2011-2012 Season

It was a bad weekend for Washington sports. However while some are bummed over the Caps loss to the Bruins yesterday, at least they are hovering above .500 with a 27-21 record. It would take a miracle for the Washington Wizards to achieve such a feat.

This past weekend the Wizards lost to the Clippers in a 87-107 blowout. At 4-20, you would think that the funk of defeat couldn’t penetrate any deeper. This game however struck me as a moment where everything that happened just felt apropos. Much like how the entire season can be viewed while listening to the Benny Hill theme song.

The game started on a high note. Blake Griffin put up a dunk to which Nick Young rebutted with a dunk of his own. DeAndre Jordan then caught a rebound for a dunk and John Wall took the ball to the other end and throw up a lob for JaVale McGee to slam home.

Perhaps the game would at least be entertaining if not competitive? It turned out the game would be neither. The rest of the night just went down hill from there.

Continue reading →

Weekend Flashback
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Weekend Flashback: 2/3-2/5

Photo courtesy of ekelly80
what remains
courtesy of ekelly80

Well, exciting weekend. And after all the activity at McPherson Square and Freedom Plaza, no mere game seemed able to compete. And from the sound of it, the commercials were much, much worse than the game. I decided to read a book instead last night and can tell you that Wall still stands. I’m not sure the same can be said of the New England half of my family…

Anyways, I’m sure many of you are shaking off either too much food, or too many adult beverages from last night. To that I say, take a load off and enjoy a slice from the weekend, in photo form. I can promise you there will be no barking dogs hoking cars; or sexist ads from crappy web hosting companies; or poorly made, jingoistic commercials from Belgian owned beer conglomerates. So enjoy! Continue reading →

Sports Fix
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Nats Sign Edwin Jackson to Bolster Ever Evolving Rotation

Photo courtesy of Keith Allison
Edwin Jackson
courtesy of Keith Allison

The question most often asked when people talk about Edwin Jackson is why has he been on so many teams. The Nats will be Jackson’s eighth team in his nine year career, and the reason is simple. Jackson has never cost much and always had top of the rotation stuff with back of the rotation results. Every new team that gets him believes they can be the ones that can finally unlock all that potential and the team getting rid of him was just tired of waiting.

The interesting thing about the one year $10 million contract that Jackson signed with the Nationals is that it is in line more with Jackson’s results than his potential, and Jackson was more than willing to take a one year deal in order to have a career year and cash in next off-season. The late Hall of Fame manager Sparky Anderson once said, “Just give me 25 guys on the last year of their contracts; I’ll win a pennant every year.”

With Edwin Jackson the Nats get one highly motivated pitcher that can’t wait to prove his value to the world. The Nats rotation has a lot of ifs but those ifs have evolved a lot in the last few years. No longer are the Nats hoping for the health of John Patterson or Shawn Hill or that a surprise can be found among a bunch of minor league free agents. The Nats have a legitimate major league rotation, and perhaps something even better.

Continue reading →

We Love Weekends
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We Love Weekends: Feb 3-5

Photo courtesy of arquitextonica
Stratified watermelon 2
courtesy of arquitextonica

Honestly, I’m not sure I understand why you’re reading this instead of being outside enjoying this beautifully abnormal day. But perhaps you just can’t wait to make your weekend plans. Well we couldn’t (because it’s an assignment and I’m a whiney editor who prods people about it) so you may as well read about it. And then go outside. Seriously.

Brittany: This weekend I make a rare excursion west to check out the Tamal Festival at Richard Sandoval’s Tysons property, La Sandia. Looking forward to some tasty tamales and margaritas with a Virginia friend to celebrate the unseasonably warm weather. It is a big weekend for DJ nights too: I will be stopping by St. Ex for Color Wheel – a DJ night offering “the rainbow of grooves.” Who could say no to that? There is also ZOo00OOM! at the 9:30 Back Bar and We Fought the Big One at Marx Cafe to consider. Sunday afternoon may find me at Smoke & Barrel for some of their tasty and super crowd-pleasing brunch – they are the rare brunch spot that can please vegan, gluten-free, and omnivore friends with ease.

Photo courtesy of volcanojw
christmas eve
courtesy of volcanojw

Joanna: It’s my birthday weekend! I plan to spend Friday with friends drinking Guinness, eating fried stuff, and then drinking more Guinness. On Saturday my husband Michael is taking a day off from studying, and we decided to hit up the museums we’ve been missing. I’ve yet to see the Hope Diamond or Declaration of Independence, which makes me – lover of galleries – a pathetic, backwards wannabe. So we’re going to remedy that and catch a few obscure galleries, too. We may turn so touristy that we go ice skating afterward. Saturday night what I’d like to be doing is seeing Genesis Reboot at Synetic but dang it that hasn’t opened yet, so I’m still deciding – but it will probably involve tapas. And on Sunday we’re watching the Super Bowl with friends over my favorite mac and cheese. This year Michael might experiment by adding bacon. Suck it, resolutions!

Photo courtesy of RTLibrary
moviebillboard
courtesy of RTLibrary

Mosley: Quiet weekend for me; I’m still recovering from my birthday last weekend.  I’m hoping that the weather stays good for Friday night, because I’m thinking of going on a nice photo walk through town.  I might even lug my tripod around for some long exposure, night shots!  Saturday I’d like to go and see the Maltese Falcon playing at the American History Museum.  The museum is doing a Humphrey Bogart film festival this weekend to celebrate the opening of their new theater.  I’d prefer to see Casablanca on Friday, but it’s sold out.  That night I’m having dinner with my family at Toscana Cafe near Union Station.  Sunday…I’ll probably watch the game somewhere but I really could care about the outcome, or the commercials.

Photo courtesy of Kevin H.
Flowered Cross
courtesy of Kevin H.

Rachel: The first weekend of February should prove to be a good one! I’m gonna kick things off by catching up with an old friend around the Tenleytown area. Maybe we’ll hit up Public Tenley … not sure where we’ll end up yet though. Saturday will be my first live performance of 2012. It’ll be at my alma mater American University in the Tavern. Doors open at 1, show starts at 1:15, and I’ll be playing until around 2 p.m. The best part is that it’s f-r-e-e! Then, Sunday is the Super Bowl, so I’ll be hulled up at Ragtime in Arlington watching my friends from New York root for their beloved Giants.

Photo courtesy of M.V. Jantzen
Come to the Theatre
courtesy of M.V. Jantzen

Fedward: Saturday night the Social Chair and I will be hobnobbing at the Zinoplex during the Studio Theatre’s annual gala. Last year I had a ring in my pocket I never got the chance to produce (and oh, the awkward conversation with a particular flirty/pushy board member – some of you will know who I mean); this year that ring is on her finger and we’ve got a date set, so I can already predict how our conversations will go (the aforementioned board member should approve). Sunday we’ll stop by the Passenger for our usual brunch, and maybe swing by the new Odd Bar at Eventide.

Photo courtesy of Edward Hoover
Rothko II
courtesy of Edward Hoover

Jenn: Like Joanna, it’s my birthday weekend, and I’m in search of some Zen. Perhaps I’ll wander over to the Phillips to continue my Rothko research after having seen Red last week, also catching the new photography and painting exhibit opening Saturday which features photos snapped by artists like Bonnard. More passionate art could include Federico Garcia Lorca’s hauntingly poetic play Blood Wedding, as Constellation Theatre Company’s production opens tonight. But who am I kidding, I’m sure there will be drinks as well as art. If our winterless weather continues, Poste has a lovely thing going with its new winter cocktail menu out on the patio. Snuggle under a cosy blanket with your lover and sip some bacon-infused bourbon hot chocolate or mulled wine while fondue bubbles seductively. Yeah, that kind of artsy weekend.

Entertainment, The Features, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Elephant Room


Photo by Scott Suchman

This past weekend I saw magic. No I’m not talking about a win from the hapless Wizards or miracles of that sort- I’m talking about a real magic show with magicians, tricks, and illusions. However this show did not have the showmanship of Houdini, the polish of Copperfield, or the rock and roll of Criss Angel. No the trio of Dennis Diamond, Daryl Hannah, and Louis Magic that star in Arena Stage’s Elephant Room look like a cheesy act that’s more Reno than Vegas.

Not only is there magic, but mustaches and mullets as well.

The look and feel of Elephant Room ties into a line said during the show: “We have nothing new to show you.”

With magic’s biggest secrets since revealed, showmanship is now as important as the illusions themselves. The Diamond/Hannah/Magic wolfpack provides a refreshing new take on the magic show. It is essentially the anti-David Blaine. These men aren’t sporting hard bodies or designer jeans, they look more like extras off the set of Napoleon Dynamite than someone that would lock himself in a ball full of water.

And that’s what makes the show so much fun to watch.

Continue reading →

Entertainment, The Features, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Red

Edward Gero as Mark Rothko and Patrick Andrews as Ken in the 2011 Goodman Theatre production of Red. Directed by Robert Falls. Photo by Liz Lauren.

De Kooning. Pollock. Rothko. Giants of the Abstract Expressionist movement. Killers of Surrealism, only to be swept aside themselves by Pop Art. At least, that’s how the legend goes (even Rothko would disagree with the precise classifications). But is a revolutionary’s story compelling if it doesn’t end in a young, glorious death? In Red, playwright John Logan sets up his genius protagonist to play defense against the onslaught of age and change. His Mark Rothko is engaged in a constant struggle against accusations of hypocrisy and potential irrelevance, while his paintings stand silent, their internal monologues quietly stealing the scene.

A joint production between Chicago’s Goodman Theatre and Arena Stage, Red is an exploration of an important moment in the life of artist Mark Rothko (played by Ed Gero). He took on a commission in the late 1950’s to produce murals for the Four Seasons restaurant in the Seagram Building, itself a gorgeous modernist tower designed by Mies van der Rohe and Philip Johnson. We’re supposed to feel somewhat shocked that Rothko would paint for this much money, would consent to house his paintings in a consumerist palace (as if Michelangelo never did anything similar for the Medici, but conveniently forgetting our art history, let’s say it is shocking). Rothko claimed to want his murals to disquiet the diners. The commission was certainly one of the most lucrative of its day. Red encapsulates that struggle between art and consumerism (on the verge of Pop Art’s embrace of it) in the relationship between Rothko and his young assistant, and if it did nothing else, the battle between the two would still make for a fascinating and unnerving evening. Continue reading →

Featured Photo
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Featured Photo

Photo courtesy of pablo.raw
Wisdom
courtesy of pablo.raw

I decided to do something completely different for the Featured Photo segment today. What you see above is called a sterographic projection, or polar panorama. By using a photo editing program, like Photoshop, a photographer can take a regular, 360 degree panoramic photo and turn it into a little planet. If you have the skill to do it, you can make some fascinating photographs.

Pablo creates a unique world here of a statue in the National Gallery of Art. It’s as if the goddess Gaia has been born from Khaos and looks on the blank slate of a world that she is about to give form.

Entertainment, Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Derrick Rose Takes Out His Anger On The Wizards

Photo courtesy of Keith Allison
Derrick Rose
courtesy of Keith Allison

Reigning MVP Derrick Rose was in a mood.

Sunday night he blamed himself for a loss against the Miami Heat that left him angry, emotional, and determined to make it up in the next game he’d play.

Unfortunately for the Washington Wizards they were that next game. Rose looked like a madman on the court in a 35 point performance as the Chicago Bulls defeated the Wizards 98-88.

The Wizards tried everything they could to stop Rose and the Bulls but it was to no avail. The loss left Wizards coach Randy Wittman a little testy, transferring his frustration to the press after the game. When asked about the team’s Pick and Roll strategy against Rose he answered to the reporter asking the question , “Did you of that question all day? If you have a new strategy, call my office tomorrow. We tried four different things. The way he played tonight, I don’t know if there’s anything we would have thrown out there that could have of. So did he dice it up? Yea, is that what you want me to say?”

I hope Wittman doesn’t read the column I wrote about him.

Continue reading →

Sports Fix, The Features
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Randy Wittman: The Coach Washington Deserves, But Not The One It Needs

Photo courtesy of Keith Allison
Randy Wittman
courtesy of Keith Allison

“Why’s Randy coaching, Dad?”

“Because we had to fire Flip.”

“He didn’t do anything wrong.”

Flip Saunders may have not done anything wrong, but he certainly didn’t do anything right. In one way Flip will be the fall guy for another failed Wizards season, but in another way Flip was never the answer at coach, leaving with a 51-130 coaching record in Washington.

Time after time I’ve seen that sleepy-eyed look at press conferences. Time after time I’ve heard him expound on how players are holding on to the ball too much or how they throw the game plan out the window after they fall behind. Perhaps the problems were easier said than done.

You can say Flip took on a job he didn’t sign up for. He was suppose to help squeeze one more season from the old guard of Arenas, Butler, and Jamison. He wasn’t originally brought in to coach a team full of first and second year players.

In reality Flip never had control of the locker room. It got out of hand to the point Gilbert was offering firearms to his teammates. Flip was then left with a class of kids who tuned him out.

Regardless of the reason, Flip is out and Randy Wittman is in- but will that be a difference?

Continue reading →

Entertainment, The Features, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: The Two Gentlemen of Verona

Euan Morton as Launce, Oliver the dog as Crab and Adam Green as Speed in the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production of The Two Gentlemen of Verona, directed by PJ Paparelli. Photo by Scott Suchman.

Ah, love. The kind that makes you stalk your lover, lie to your best friend, steal someone else’s girl. We’re talking young, hormone-addled, angst-ridden love. Add in some fervent karaoke singing, late night fast food binges and way beyond last call drinking, and it’s love in Shakespeare Theatre Company’s The Two Gentlemen of Verona.

Rarely performed (STC’s artistic fellow Laura Henry notes in Asides that it’s only been staged twenty-four times in London and five times in New York City), Two Gentlemen is commonly thought of as difficult to produce. It’s an early play in the canon, containing many characters and plot devices that seem half-baked next to their later manifestations. There’s also the question of that pesky final scene – which moves from the threat of violence and rape to forgiveness all too quickly – often tinkered with to make it more palatable. It’s always been a prime candidate for conceptual settings and modernization.

Director PJ Paparelli goes for a pastiche of teen movie metaphor in the current production. It’s a risky choice to add in neon corporate logos and U2 cover songs. That kind of concept can, and often does, fall flat. But here, a kind of pure earnest beauty marries text and concept. Kick your cynicism to the curb, and remember that time when love meant losing everything, including even your self-respect, and yet you just didn’t care that it wasn’t cool.
Continue reading →

Weekend Flashback
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Weekend Flashback: 1/27-1/29

Photo courtesy of pablo.raw
Year of the Dragon I
courtesy of pablo.raw

Happy Lunar New Year! Welcome to the Year of the Dragon. Granted the Chinese New Year started last Monday, but the parade in Chinatown was held yesterday, so I feel it is official, official. Hope this second new year brings you all good fortune and cheer. In honor of the New Year, we have a double helping of photos from the Flickr pool. Not even counting the parade, it was a happening weekend, and it was just too hard to narrow the photos down. Enjoy! Continue reading →