Category Archives: The Features

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

Talkin' Transit
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Talkin’ Transit: Weekend Edition

Photo courtesy of
‘eat right. get lots of sleep. drink plenty of fluids. go like hell.’
courtesy of ‘Jess J’

Two weeks ago, Metro’s board heard, again, about the possibility of eliminating late night service on the weekends. This has reopened the debate about what direction Metro should be going, and whom it should be serving.

Two of the most vociferous opponents of such a change on the WMATA board have recently left, and the new board seemed more amenable to the idea.

There are those who believe that late night service is a big boon to Metro’s bottom line and that it should be continued. Others, especially within Metro, argue that closing the system earlier would give them the equivalent of 45 days more maintenance time per year, and lower costs for overtime.

As always with Metro, it’s a balancing act. On the one hand, the system is overloaded during the rush hours, has long lead times in the evening, and pretty crappy service on the weekends. It is constantly facing budget shortfalls, and its funding is always under attack. It is aging, and it isn’t in a state of good repair. It wasn’t designed to handle the service we’re asking of it, and we won’t fund it well enough to even make it run “normally”.
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Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Broken Records @ Black Cat Backstage, 2/20/11

U.S. Royalty @ Black Cat
All photos by Erin McCann

Broken Records may have been the headliners at Black Cat’s show last Sunday night, but DC locals US Royalty stole the show. Having recently sold out a show at the Rock and Roll Hotel, and launching a national tour in support of their self-released debut album Mirrors, US Royalty had no problem filling up the tiny Backstage. US Royalty channeled this rock ‘n roll energy straight from the 70s – bombastic and fearless. Despite their relative lack of experience, they came off as true rock stars.

Broken Records, with their melancholy, indie-folk style, couldn’t live up to the energy of the preceding set. They occasionally hit their stride, with the entire group working together to create something large and beautiful – but after US Royalty’s set, I just wasn’t excited by most of their songs. They sounded like a band still trying to figure things out, rather than a band with two full-length albums behind them – and a band once praised as the Scottish Arcade Fire.

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Entertainment, Fun & Games, Music, We Love Music
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The Winning Ticket: Wanda Jackson

As a way to say thanks to our loyal readers, We Love DC will be giving away a pair of tickets to a 9:30 Club concert to one lucky reader each week. Check back here every Wednesday morning at 9am to find out what tickets we’re giving away and leave a comment for your chance to be the lucky winner!

Today we are privileged to raffle off a pair of tickets to see the Queen of Rockabilly perform at 9:30 Club on Friday night. We’re not worthy! We’re not worthy! (NOTE: This is a late show)

For your chance to win these tickets simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address between 9am and 4pm today. One entry per email address, please. If today doesn’t turn out to be your lucky day, check back here each Wednesday for a chance to win tickets to other great concerts. Tickets for this concert are available on Ticketfly.

For the rules of this giveaway…
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The Daily Feed, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Fuddy Meers

Photo courtesy 1st Stage

Playwright David Lindsay-Abaire enjoys his plays with a side order of surreality.

Whether it’s the science fiction undertones of Rabbit Hole or the mysterious conditions afflicting his protagonists like in Kimberly Akimbo, the perspective of Lindsay-Abiare’s works are distorted at best.

This holds true in 1st Stage’s production of Fuddy Meers, where the set takes on a jigsaw puzzle motif. That’s because Lindsay-Abaire never makes it easy for the audience, as they join the protagonist in figuring out what’s really happening. As the play goes along not only does the fog dissipate but you can appreciate what the playwright has done in revealing so much through characters that struggle to be heard clearly.

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Mythbusting DC, The Features
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DC Mythbusting: The Washington Monument

Photo courtesy of
‘Washington Monument, Washington, DC’
courtesy of ‘NeonGods’

George Washington was born 279 years ago today, and for the past 126 years our city’s skyline has been dominated by a tribute to him.  The Washington Monument is an iconic piece of architecture, but there are so many myths and legends about it that it could be one of the most misunderstood monuments in the city.  Here’s a collection of our five favorite myths about the Washington Monument. Continue reading →

Food and Drink, The Features
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First Look: PORCmobile

Photo courtesy of
‘PORC Mobile’
courtesy of ‘bonappetitfoodie’

I can’t yet claim to be a BBQ expert. But I do know good food, and I have tried many a food truck. For your next lunch stop at the food trucks, I suggest you briskly head out for some brisket and try the PORC Mobile.

Back in the summer, We Love DC reported on the Purveyors of Rolling Cuisine (aka PORC Mobile) and their gradual start to get rolling in an environmentally friendly manner. At long last, they’re out on the streets purveying what I would call one of the tastiest pulled pork sandwiches I’ve had.
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Featured Photo
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Featured Photo

Photo courtesy of
‘Prepare for Liftoff’
courtesy of ‘rpmaxwell’

There are many ways to make a great picture. Sometimes, it requires you to look at a familiar subject from an unusual angle. It’s not always possible, but sometimes you get lucky.

Looks like Ryan Maxwell got a little luck and managed to take the time to put his camera on the edge of a Metro escalator. He was lucky not to have others walking up behind him to use it, for one, and luckier that it didn’t self destruct while he was there.

A long exposure from a low angle, and the escalator is transformed into something a bit more … sci-fi? Something bigger? More sinister?

We Love Music
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We Love Music: The Avett Brothers @ DAR Constitution Hall, 2/18/11

Avett Brothers @ DAR
All photos by Erin McCann

I didn’t much like the Avett Brothers when I first heard them. The banjo was too much, the vocal harmonies sometimes too off-key, the melodies sometimes just on the other side of pleasant. That changed a little bit for me one day when “Ballad of Love and Hate” from 2007’s “Emotionalism” came on, where the banjo was replaced by an acoustic guitar, and the melody was a simple tale of woe delivered in a clear, mournful voice by Seth Avett. And finally, when “I and Love and You” came out in 2009, and I first heard the chorus to the title track, I was hooked. I got it. I was a convert. I was in love. Continue reading →

Fun & Games, Sports Fix, The Features
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Running For President

Photo courtesy of
‘Dave and his alter ego 3’
courtesy of ‘tbridge’

For about 15 minutes this President’s Day Weekend, I managed to fulfill one of my Kindergarten aspirations – I was one of the Presidents of the United States.

You know, kind of.

Background: it’s become a bit of a President’s Day tradition that the Nationals host their annual mascot auditions at Nationals Park. As Rachel’s awesome recap last year was quick to note, sticking to the holiday weekend that recognizes the same men these mascots represent is so important that the try outs are held shine or snow.

I joined in with a few other members of the media – Lenny Bernstein of the Washington Post and Danny Rouhier from WJFK 106.7 The Fan – and we got a chance to go through the whole process. I will tell you: my respect for the people who don the Presidential Gear for about 35 games every season has shot through the roof after spending a lap inside the costume.

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Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
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We Love Music: The Drive-By Truckers @ 9:30 Club, 2/18/11

IMG_0360.jpg
all photos by Andrew Markowitz.

Drive-by Truckers, one of the most accurately named bands, have been working the road over a little over a decade. They have worked it hard and have built a huge fan base as a result. However, you have to also give them credit for several outstanding albums showcasing their quality songwriting, blasting guitar work, and Americana/alt-country twang. The result, as far as this weekend in DC shows, is two sold-out shows at the 9:30 Club. And on Friday night, the band showed they can still deliver the goods with a quite a bit of variety in their songs.

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Sports Fix, The Features
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From hockey to basketball at Verizon: A familiar routine

Photo courtesy of
‘Verizon Center change over’
courtesy of Max Cook

Last Saturday was a busy day for the bull gang at Verizon Center.

Then again, the operations crew working in the hub of Chinatown is always busy.

Yet, last Saturday was a little bit different. Verizon Center makes multiple switches every week from a hockey arena for the Capitals to basketball for the Wizards with modifications for both Georgetown and the Mystics. Normally, it goes from basketball to hockey, a familiar process for the crew. On Saturday it was a quick afternoon turnaround though from hockey to basketball as the Caps played an uncharacteristic early-afternoon matinee at 12:30 p.m. and the Wizards had a later-than-usual start at 8:00 p.m.

Both teams lost. Badly.

It turned out to be a marathon day for this reporter. It came to the point where our fearless leader, Tom, was set to dispatch a St. Bernard to the Verizon Center with one of those little casks tied around its neck as part of a rescue team. Being a working Saturday, I naturally told Tom to have the St. Bernard’s cask (in my mind I called him TimBo) filled with tequila. A working man has a powerful thirst, you know.

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Capital Chefs, Food and Drink, The Features
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Capital Chefs: Adam Sobel of Bourbon Steak (Part 2)

Photo courtesy of
‘Venison, Bourbon Steak’
courtesy of ‘bonappetitfoodie’

It’s 70 degrees out today. But it’s still February, and that tricky March will probably make its entrance with a roar that will force all of us to bundle up once again. And chances are when it gets cold again, you’ll want to snuggle up with a nice big bowl of hot chili.

Here’s a recipe for venison chili (read: you can substitute plenty of other proteins) from Chef Adam Sobel. When I tried the chili, I believe my exact words to Adam were: “I could eat this for breakfast, lunch and dinner.” Do yourself a favor–don’t put cheese or sour cream on it; just enjoy it the way it is. Or you can do as they do at Bourbon Steak, put it on a half-smoke or on a monster of a burger.  Continue reading →

Capital Chefs, Food and Drink, The Features
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Capital Chefs: Adam Sobel of Bourbon Steak (Part 1)

Photo courtesy of
‘Adam Sobel of Bourbon Steak’
courtesy of ‘bonappetitfoodie’

Chef Adam Sobel describes his journey to the restaurant industry as one that came about naturally. He was drawn to cooking “like a moth to a light,” he says. “I was 4 or 5 years old and I would be messing around in the kitchen, making nasty concoctions as a joke,” he said. While I’m imagining a miniature Sobel standing over a mixing bowl combining ingredients from his parent’s pantry, he adds that he did indeed grow up to train at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. Sobel says he was 18-years-old when he really got passionate and serious about cooking.

Prior to moving to DC to replace David Varley as executive chef at Bourbon Steak, Sobel worked in Las Vegas as executive chef at Rick Moonen’s RM Seafood at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. “DC is like a different planet. It’s very unique–the feel, the people, the way things operate” he says. Frankly, I’m surprised Sobel isn’t more shell-shocked by the move (then again, maybe a cross-country move after living and working in Vegas is a breeze). Before accepting the role fo executive chef at Bourbon Steak, Sobel had several conversations with Varley, “I asked him, ‘Can I make an impact?’ I don’t want to just carry a torch that was already lit.”

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Five Favorites
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Five Favorites: Popping Up About Town

Photo courtesy of
‘Treasury’
courtesy of ‘InspirationDC’

While retail storefronts across the country are struggling to find full-time tenants, there is no decline in designers, curators, and vendors who want to sell their wares to the public. Many of them are opting to try pop-up stores either to promote an online business, test out the retail market, or gather together a collection of independent sellers.

Some might say the pop-up store concept is played-out at this point – having saturated other cities around the world in recent years to the point of boring shoppers – but much like the pop-up dining trend, pop-up retail is hitting DC hard right now and is supported, in part, by the city’s Temporary Urbanism Initiative. I prefer not to complain and instead get excited about the tremendous energy and entrepreneurship on display – as well as the terrific items for sale.

5. The Mt. Pleasant Temporium
The Mt. Pleasant Temporium opens on Friday and runs through March 18. Earlier this week, Rebecca wrote a preview of the Temporuim’s variety of crafty vendors and entertainment which you should check out for more details.

4. garmentDISTRICT
Housed at 1005 7th Street, NW until March 20th, garmentDISTRICT has converted a large unused space into a showcase for local art and fashion. Nineteen different local designers will be selling clothes and accessories, including Rachel Pfeffer’s whimsical jewelry, as well as twenty visual artists. The space will also host a variety of musical performances, beginning with an opening night party on Friday.
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Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Washington Wizards Mid-Season Report Card

Photo courtesy of
‘All Alone’
courtesy of ‘MudflapDC’

Last night the Wizards closed out the first half of the 2010-2011 NBA season in a way that characterizes their season so far.

A loss.

It was a loss on the road, bringing the Wizards to a road record of 1-26. Thank goodness for the post-LeBron Cavaliers for getting that monkey off our backs. Wednesday’s loss to the Magic was worse than a devastating, last-minute defeat like their loss against The Heat.

It was apathetic.

Apathetic in terms of the attendance I’ve seen at home games,where the lower level is a sea of empty seats. Apathetic where you wouldn’t think twice about leaving in the last quarter if the Wiz were down. Apathetic where we look talk about the Redskins, Capitals, and even the Nationals.

The Wizards may not be last place in the NBA, but they are last place in DC sports.

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Entertainment, Penn Quarter, The Features, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Oedipus el Rey

Oedipus El Rey at Woolly Mammoth

Jocasta and Oedipus (Romi Diaz and Andres Munar)
by Stan Barouh for Woolly Mammoth, used with permission

Oedipus. We all know the myth. Ill-fated to kill his father and marry his mother. The solver of the riddle of the Sphinx. Pride before fall. Blinded at the end.

Now take that myth, rattle it in Zeus’s dice cup, and roll it out into a barrio in LA. Throw in gang culture, incarceration, full nudity and onstage bloody eye gouging – not to mention desecration of the Bible and forced heroin use – and you have yourself quite the reinterpretation of the Greek myth.

It’s rare that I see a play whose audacity leaves me speechless. Not every re-imagining of familiar myth is successful, but playwright Luis Alfaro grounds his firmly in machismo and folklore, and it works. Backed by the stark prison of a set by Misha Kachman, all clanging iron and cutting wire, and a haunting musical mix by composer Ryan Rumery weaving the power of industrial with wistful ballads, Oedipus el Rey dares you to be shocked. The worldly audience at Woolly Mammoth, long used to boundary breaking, laughed a bit nervously at press night as the opening scenes unfolded with the Coro (the traditional Chorus) speaking rhythmically in Chicano accents and asking repeatedly “quien es este hombre?” while Oedipus (Andres Munar) holds plank for what seems like forever. Imagine the reaction when he and Jocasta (an absolutely riveting Romi Diaz) strip down to their tattoos and make out. And as for that eye gouging… when the eyes hit the floor, my jaw did too.

Those last two are probably the elements you will hear about the most, because they are shocking, even in our blase times. The ancients described these moments in words, but they were never shown onstage. But don’t let that deviation from the classical norm overshadow what is essentially a deeply poetic, moving play. It contrasts the fear of the futility of escaping your fate with the desire to be more than what you are seen to be, by your peers, by your parents, by yourself. The universal human desire to soar above the dirty hard world we live in, to be “un rey.”

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We Love Weekends
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We Love Weekends, February 19-20

Photo courtesy of
‘Lincoln Logs’
courtesy of ‘His Noodly Appendage’

Dave: Have you seen the weather report? Give me a patio on Friday afternoon and watch out. Whether or not it’sactually spring, I’m going to pretend it is. I have to take it pretty easy, though: to truly ring in the President’s Day weekend, I’m going to don a giant President’s costume as I cover the Nationals Racing Presidents auditions this weekend (look for that full story on Monday). From there, it’ll be a little more normal – perhaps a little extended brunching on Sunday with the benefit of the Monday holiday.

Patrick Palafox: I’m going to go to the DC Improv this Sunday to take my first class of their Five Minutes to Funny Course, which is where Brad and Ralph met before having their Awesome Thursdays at R.F.D. Open Mic. Looking forward to learning more about the art of making people laugh. My best joke so far is I put my hand on somebody’s arm pit and give them a tickle. It works every time, but will also lead to jail. I need to tickle people without actually touching them. Continue reading →

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed, We Love Drinks
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Gin and Tonic Throwdown?

Here is another of my gin y tonic..... on Twitpic
“Here is another of my gin y tonic”
via @chefjoseandres

Who doesn’t love a little smack talk?

After Adam Bernbach’s recipe got a little love from the Post (and, for what it’s worth, from Katie Nelson in these pages) Chef José Andrés Took matters into his own hands, or at least his own twitter account, posting “thats a great drink, agree! and i love estadio but aint a gin and tonic! let me post my gin&tonic(love controversy)”.

Now Derek Brown has offered to host such a showdown at the Columbia Room. I said it to him on twitter, and now I’ll say it here: Jenn and I will be happy to assist with any judging. Just make sure that Todd Thrasher is included too, since Adam said his gin and tonic was the inspiration.