Category Archives: The Features

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

Food and Drink, The Hill, We Love Food
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First Look: Boxcar Tavern

DSC00058
Photo courtesy of Tricia Barba

I went to Boxcar Tavern the first day (night) it opened – just two days before the New Year. When staring in from the outside it was impossible to see just how crowded it was, but upon opening the door, the excitement surrounding the new establishment was tangible. There were a lot of people (think standing room only) and it was loud and lively.

Boxcar Tavern is Xavier Cervera’s fifth restaurant on Capitol Hill. His empire includes Molly Malones, Lola’s Barracks Bar & Grill, and Senart’s Oyster & Chop House. With just one glance, those accustomed to dining on the Hill can tell whose baby Boxcar is. It has that “Cervera look.” The restaurant, situated right next to Tunnicliff’s Tavern on 7th Street SE in the old Petite Gourmet space, is long and narrow, filled with maple and marble decor. From the entrance, to your left is an elegant bar that stretches almost there entire length of the restaurant and to your right begins an endless row of small booths. Basically, it looks like Senart’s, just a bit darker.

Another similarity to Senart’s is Executive Chef Brian Klein, who is now running Boxcar’s kitchen.  The menus look the same physically as well; content-wise, Boxcar actually serves a Seafood Lasagna – my favorite dish at Senart’s before, sadly, it disappeared.

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Talkin' Transit, The Daily Feed
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Metro like you haven’t seen it

Metrodistort

Map by MV Jantzen

We all have our own internal mental map of the Metro that takes into account weekend track work, single tracking, transfers between lines, transfers to buses, and I suspect they look an awful lot like MV Jantzen’s Distorted Metro Map. The cleverly-done HTML 5 app moves the iconic map around a polar scale, putting time distance between station at a premium instead of a clear map, moving stations into closer proximity if they’re closer by time than necessarily by distance.

There’s also a bad-ass Pac-man mode where you get to gobble up the stations like power pellets, which, frankly, is all I’ve ever wanted to do to the Red Line.

Sports Fix
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Capitals douse Flames, grab 3-1 win

Photo courtesy of bhrome
DSC_5742
courtesy of bhrome

On the coldest night of the winter so far, Mike Green returned to the ice at Verizon Center warm Caps fans’ heart, as the Caps defeated the Flames, 3-1. Though he was not his usual sterling self throughout the game, with a little over 15 minutes of playing time, Green was back in action in the Red on Tuesday night in front of a a packed house happy to see him.

The Capitals struck early, with a power play goal in just the second minute of the night off a beautiful one-timer by Ovechkin, fed by Marcus Johansson, on a well-executed 2-on-1 after some strong neutral zone play.  The neutral zone would be the focus of the first period, with the Caps transforming gradually into the Dale Hunter-lead team that fights hard in the neutral zone to maintain control of the game through the middle part of the ice. For the most part they’d succeed in pushing for possession battles outside of their own end.  Ovechkin said post game, “Everybody’s buying into everything and working very hard. That’s the most important thing. No one is taking it easy.”

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We Love Weekends
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Weekend Flashback: 12/30/11-1/2/12

Photo courtesy of kimberlyfaye
(365/365)
courtesy of kimberlyfaye

Well, that “weekend” was nice and long. Depending on how you want to count, it could technically have been a week. With that in mind, I’m sure everyone had the same thought waking up this morning: I don’t want to go back to school/work/normal routine. Sorry to tell you, but you do. But worry not, and take a few minutes to look back, say one last good-bye to 2011, and give a loud hello to 2012. And just to point it out, a super-long weekend calls for a super-big Weekend Flashback! I hope you enjoy it. Continue reading →

Entertainment, Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Boston’s Big Four Puts The Hurt On Wizards

If you have been referring to Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett as Boston’s “Big Three”- you need to think again.

Rajon Rondo is out to prove this season that it’s actually Boston’s “Big Four”. The Wizards were the latest victim to the Boston Point Guard that started the season with back-to-back double-double performances and unleashed terror on the court last night with a triple-double performance (18 points, 11 rebounds, 14 assists) in a Celtics win over the Wizards 94-86.

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Sports Fix
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Eagles defeat Redskins 34-10

Photo courtesy of KCZooFan
Liberty Bell
courtesy of KCZooFan

At the end of the first half the Redskins had the chance to get on the board after being handed a gift of a possession after a Brian Orakpo sack led to a fumble recovery by Perry Riley deep in Eagles territory. The Redskins couldn’t help but be the Redskins though. The first issue came on a incomplete pass to Santana Moss were he was in the belief that the defender deserved to be called for pass interference. Unable to keep his emotions in check he ripped off his helmet to better scream at the officials. It resulted in a fifteen yard penalty and a loss of down.

The Redskins still had time, but not much and were out of timeouts. Rex Grossman either needed to throw the ball into the end zone or out of bounds. He did neither and completed a short pass over the middle. The kicking unit had to scramble onto the field to attempt a last second field goal. They never made it and the half ended in the most Redskins fashion that it could.

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Featured Photo
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Featured Photo

Photo courtesy of flipperman75
Sky on Fire
courtesy of flipperman75

Did you see that sunset we had last Tuesday? It was simply breathtaking. And flipperman75 got a great shot of it. Not only did he get the fiery colors of the setting sun, but he also got an amazing angle of part of the city’s skyline. Getting both the Washington Monument and the Old Post Office Building, along with the puff of steam, gives the shot a wonderful amount of scale. A beautiful shot for a beautiful sunset.

Food and Drink, The Features, We Love Drinks
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Best Of: Drinks 2011

Photo courtesy of Jenn Larsen
Architectural Ice
courtesy of Jenn Larsen

Another year, another round for the bar. Before launching into the drinks team’s reminisces of 2011, forgive me for doing something I rarely do as a writer – get a little personal. Just imagine you’re a bartender, and I’m pouring out my sob story at last call.

I almost gave up on drinks writing in 2011. After three years, frankly, I was feeling a bit jaded, and then personal set-backs began piling up, cruel jokes galore, making it difficult to stay focused. So I took some trips, detoxed on coconut water, did the “what’s it all about?” cliche. But after my return I was sitting at American Ice Company, as Patrick Owens happily sparked flames off an orange peel and Black Sabbath blared for Metal Night, and it hit me: what the hell am I thinking? I love drinks, I love DC and especially I love these people whose passion it is to create something so ephemeral and magical as a cocktail. Thoughts of sabbatical left my head, and I was back.

Through it all, the fantastic drinks team of We Love DC held it together – Brittany, Fedward, Moses – and now we’re lucky to add Addison to our imbibing crew. Let’s take a look back at our authors’ thoughts on drinks in 2011. And cheers to the bartenders who fill our glasses with craft, care, and a little magic.

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Entertainment, Music, The Features, We Love Music
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Top Tunes of 2011 According to The Torches

The Torches

Here at We Love DC we were asked to do a roundup of the year in some way, and so I decided to ask my bandmates in The Torches for some help picking some favorite tunes from 2011. The Torches are Stephen Guidry on vocals/banjo, Joe Barbee on accordion, harmonica and hollering, Jocelyn Frank on oboe/vocals, Tina Plottel on bass, Thomas Orgren on drums/vocals, Claire White on violin, and Alexia Kauffman (me) on cello/lap-steel guitar.

Stephen: JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound “To Love Someone (That Don’t Love You)”: technically came out as a single last year but then was released on their album this year, which I haven’t heard all of yet. Best falsetto of the year for sure.

Slim Cessna’s Auto Club: Unentitled: This is the entire album, as it’s just a bit too hard to pick out just one song from their records that I like in particular. Munly and Slim’s voices together give me similar chills to John Doe and Exene’s.

Brass Bed has an album with Feu Follett, the only indie pop/cajun split EP that I have ever heard, and although I am dear friends with the Brass Bed boys, I have to admit that my favorite track from the album is from Feu Follett, playing Brass Bed’s “Farmer Song,” probably cause it’s got accordion. Continue reading →

Sports Fix
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Best of: DC Sports 2011

Photo courtesy of Mr. T in DC
Nats Game Seats Below
courtesy of Mr. T in DC

2011 was not a banner year for sports in the District of Columbia, I’m afraid to say. While the Nationals worked hard to move up the NL East ladder, they still had a losing record. The Capitals once again flamed out in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Wizards finished with a .280 winning percentage as the team struggled to gel. Once a bright star in DC’s sports constellation, D.C. United finished out of the post-season again. And of course there was the Redskins’ struggles this year, even as they parted ways with McNabb and Haynesworth.

It wasn’t all bad news, though, and we’ve gathered up some of the top moments in DC Sports for 2011 for you after the cut.

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Sports Fix
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Redskins Preview Week Seventeen: The Eagles

Photo courtesy of Homer McFanboy
Eagles8
courtesy of Homer McFanboy

If you have made it to this point in the Redskins season then it might feel like you deserve a prize. It is unfortunate that there is no prize given out to Redskins fans that make it all the way to the end of the season. Perhaps they have bragging rights, but that is like bragging about eating all of Aunt Briana’s rotten green bean salad at Christmas dinner.

The fans aren’t the only people to make it to the end of the season. The Redskins players have as well, or at least some of them. There are quite a few Redskins that won’t be playing in this game; Cooley and Landry and others are hurt, Fred Davis and Trent Williams would have played but then they got high, and Ryan Torian has been cut. The Redskins that are playing will be ready to play and have more to prove than an Eagles team that was picked to run away with the NFC and couldn’t even manage to make the playoffs.

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Food and Drink, Foodie Roundup, The Features
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Best of: Food 2011

Photo courtesy of Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie
courtesy of Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie

If you ask me, 2011 pretty much knocked it out of the park on the food scene. A plethora of new restaurants and bars opened, old restaurants expanded, chefs stirred up controversy and did good deeds, and in the end our fair city took home two James Beard Awards among others we were honored with. DC showed we’ve got the chops when it comes to food and it’s only up from here.

So fellow food writer Tricia and I took a look back at the year in food and rounded up all our favorites from the year. Find our Best of 2011 list after the jump and have a happy new year!
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Interviews, Opinion, People, The Features
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Best of…DC Perspectives

Photo courtesy of Danilo.Lewis|Fotography
268|365
courtesy of Danilo.Lewis|Fotography

I’ll admit, I struggled a bit trying to figure out what to write a “Best of…” article around for this week. Sports? Covered. Food? Taken. I had to look deeper than the usual fare: what was it about DC—and about WeLoveDC in particular—that I really enjoyed over the past year? I realized that one of the perks we have is the slew of interview opportunities we’re given for the site. So why not look at some of the more interesting interviews we’ve done over the course of 2011?

Often, I find that through the glimpse of someone else’s eyes and perspectives, we’re given a mirror to gaze into our own lives and see where we are, what we’re missing, and what we can hope to achieve. We wrote quite a few interviews and features on people who live, work, and/or visit the DC area this year and I wanted to take a moment and point out some of the ones that really stand out. I hope you take a moment to dive into these great features and either revisit some old friends, or find your own inspiration to make a better 2012. Continue reading →

Entertainment, The Features, We Love Arts
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Best Of: Theater 2011

Photo courtesy of thisisbossi
2011 07 16 – 6398 – Washington DC – Redrum at Fort Fringe
courtesy of thisisbossi

We Love DC authors Don, Patrick, Rachel and I may have different backgrounds in criticism and performance, and varying preferences for theatrical style, but we share a goal – to bring you our thoughtful, honest opinions on the passionate, challenging craft of live theater. Though the actual season calendar isn’t over yet, it’s time for the annual wrap-up of 2011. Here’s at look back at some of the highlights (and a few lowlights) of our theatrical year. Continue reading →

Entertainment, Sports Fix, The Features
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Should DC Really “Shut Up” About Andray Blatche?

Photo courtesy of Keith Allison
Nick Young and Andray Blatche
courtesy of Keith Allison

For most of the country the main headline coming out of the Washington Wizards’ first game of the season was the boos directed towards ex-Kardashian Kris Humphries. I feel bad for NBA fans and coaches who probably have no idea why Humphries is the most hated person in the league.

For DC and the rest of Wizards Nation, they saw yet another game slip through Washington’s hands as the Wiz went from a 37-16 lead over the Nets to a 84-90 defeat Monday night. The main Wizards headlines consisted of Andray Blatche being Andray Blatche in the locker room. After kicking off the game by addressing the crowd as the team’s “captain”, he ended the night addressing reporters in the locker room with complaints about the play-calling, telling reporters and Twitter that he needs the ball in the paint.

This isn’t the start the Wizards were looking for. Not only are fans already writing off the team as the one that hasn’t won more than 26 games in the past three years- but they are also growing tired of Blatche, who the team signed to a five-year extension back in September 2010. As for Blatche, he has one thing to say to the fans and media: shut up.

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Anatomy of a Scandal
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Worst Of: The 2011 Political Scandals

Photo courtesy of stevelyon
Facepalm.
courtesy of stevelyon

If 2011 has left us with any political message at all, it’s that the term annus horribilis has to be recalibrated now and again, just to be relevant to a new generation. 2011 begin with the inauguration of Mayor Vincent Gray, and saw a nearly uninterrupted run of DC political scandals. The sheer quantity, if not quality, of these scandals runs fairly deep into the WTF scale (similar to the Beaufort scale, the WTF scale is measured in the amount of “This Blows” that local citizenry experience.) and have left many disillusioned and remembering the Fenty Administration fondly.

While this list is hardly comprehensive, the sheer volume of scandals this year make it impossible to pare it down to a single article, these are the five worst of the local political scandals to have rocked the DC area in 2011.

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Food and Drink, The Features, We Love Food
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We Love Food: Ripple


Pumpkin Soup at Ripple, Courtesy of Elizabeth Parker

I checked out Ripple when they first opened back in 2010, before there had been much buzz about it, before the restaurant expanded and back when it was one of those restaurants that I just had a good feeling about. The restaurant has changed chefs and menus through its almost two-year history, but one thing has remained a constant: the food.

One thing that stands out right away when you go to Ripple is the presentation. There are thoughtful details on each plate, such as the rouge pumpkin soup that’s poured at the table for a little added effect. The thick, bright soup goes with a somewhat unusual combination of eggplant, pine nuts, cippolini and squid, and somehow it all works well together. If you want to go for something a little heavier, try the mushroom risotto with the poached egg nestled on top. The runny egg yolk and tender mushrooms over a bowl of hot risotto make for great comfort food on a chilly day. And whereas other restaurants have little bites or snacks that are tasteless throwaways, the bacon-roasted pecans are addictive and pleasantly salty and smoky. If you go and the pork rillette is back on the menu, don’t pass it up.

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Capital Chefs, Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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New Chef Takes the Helm at Blue Duck Tavern

Photo courtesy of prettylovelythings
Entrance – Blue Duck Tavern
courtesy of prettylovelythings

It caused a bit of a stir when Brian McBride, the long-time chef at Blue Duck Tavern left in November to team up with Robert Wiedmaier on a concept that has yet to be unveiled. But now the restaurant in the Park Hyatt in Georgetown has a new executive chef leading the way: Sebastien Archambault.

The 34-year-old chef was born in Texas but trained in Paris, and has worked under the direction of big names such as Alain Ducasse, Jean-Francois Rouquette and Guy Savoy. Additionally, Archambault has worked in France, Mexico and in Corsica, where he earned a Michelin star during his time at Restaurant Le Pirate. In 2008, he became the executive chef at the Andaz West Hollywood hotel’s RH Restaurant where he met the McBride, the former Blue Duck Tavern chef McBride who assisted in the opening of RH.

“Sebastien is certainly the ideal choice for my successor at Park Hyatt Washington & Blue Duck Tavern,” said Brian McBride, former executive chef of the Park Hyatt Washington in a press release. “He is not only an incredibly talented chef, but also a friend who I have had the pleasure of working alongside in many kitchens – from sharing menu ideas and new dishes to collaborating together at the esteemed Masters of Food & Wine event in Buenos Aires. Sebastien’s culinary vision and commitment to sustainability mirrors the spirit and concept of Blue Duck Tavern and he will work closely with Chef de Cuisine John Melfi to bring the true flavors of seasonal ingredients to the table.”

Featured Photo, Weekend Flashback
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Best Of: Photos 2011

Photo courtesy of pablo.raw
January moonrise II
courtesy of pablo.raw

Four days left in 2011. It has been a doozy of a year: government shutdowns, and people exercising their right to protest. Evil men dying, and squeal worthy, cute animals. Big events; personal milestones; and sad farewells. And throughout the year, our contributors to the We Love DC Flickr pool have kept the photos coming. While none are Pulitzer-prize winning pictures (despite their excellent quality), they do mark the passage of time here in our home city.

We decided to do a “year in review” of photographs for 2011. The majority are shots from the pool, with a few special ones sprinkled here and there for big events (or cute animals). I hope you’ll take a few minutes and look through them all, and think back on the year. And let’s make a resolution to keep the top-notch photos coming in for 2012! Or better still, you’ll start contributing photos in the New Year… Continue reading →

Sports Fix
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Vikings defeat Redskins 33-26

Photo courtesy of Homer McFanboy
Seahawks6
courtesy of Homer McFanboy

There are a lot of plays in from the Vikings 33-26 defeat of the Redskins that sum up how the game went. It was a game of mistakes for the Washington Redskins. The Redskins had a Rex Grossman fumble that led to a Vikings field goal, a off-sides call on a Vikings punt that led to a Vikings touchdown, allowing a two play scoring drive after taking the lead in the third quarter, retaking the lead and subsequently allowing another quick Vikings scoring drive, the holding call on what should have been a Brandon Banks touchdown run, and worst of all immediately following that with a Rex Grossman interception leading to a Vikings field goal.

Saturday against the Vikings was the first time in a long time the Redskins had been favored to win a game. It was a competitive match-up between two defenses that seemed completely unable to stop offenses that are not highly regarded. The biggest issue for the Redskins came when Joe Webb entered the game. All season long the Redskins have been unable to stop running quarterbacks. Two of the Redskins defense’s worst performances came against Cam Newton and Michael Vick.

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