Arlington, Food and Drink

Top Dog Half-Smoke Challenge

Photo courtesy of
‘Top Dog – Jackson 20 & The Grille’
courtesy of ‘Hans Bruesch-Olsen’

The half-smoke is a venerable DC institution, dating back to the 1930s when Briggs & Company Meatpackers combined equal mixtures of coarsely ground beef and pork. Locals and tourists alike flock to Ben’s Chili Bowl and various cart vendors around the Mall to experience this glorious bit of Washingtonian foodstuff.
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Eat Like Me, Food and Drink, We Love Food

Eat Like Me: June’s Best Dishes

Photo courtesy of
‘this is generally what my life looks like at 6:30 p.m. any given day’
courtesy of ‘needlessspaces’

People ask me all the time if they can have my job. NO! Mine. Well, you can have my day job, but you’d have to fight me to the death for my foodie blogging job. And it would be your death, not mine. Along the way, through press dinners, media previews, nights out with friends, and places I’m reviewing for our We Love Food feature, I run into some damn good dishes (for up-to-the minute reviews, follow me on Twitter). Forkful after forkful, I wind up eating some dishes that make me think back with ultimate fondness, and leave me longing for them. Last month I told you all about with them in a little piece I called Eat Like Me. It was so popular with you guys, and I enjoyed writing it so much, that I decided I’ll do it every month. Sort of like a what’s worth it of my food intake – a satoralist of food, if you will.

So. June. It was rainy, right? Ugh. But it was also chock full of food for me, my calendar was overwhelming. June is a busy month in the foodie world. New warm weather menus come hot off the presses, restaurants open their doors to hungry summer crowds, and my friends want to eat out more. It’s pretty glorious. So, click on through to see what made the cut.  Continue reading

Arlington, Food and Drink, News, Night Life, The Daily Feed

Domasoteca to Close, Domaso to Shorten Hours

Photo courtesy of
‘Hotel Palomar Rosslyn’
courtesy of ‘NCinDC’

Bad news for Rosslyn – Domasoteca Wine Store, located in the Palomar Hotel, will be closing its doors on May 30. Also, effective immediately, Domaso restaurant will be closed for lunch and dinner service on weekends.

Sounds like Domaso is going to get a bit of a face lift to focus more on the folks who work in the neighborhood – “Based on the increasing success of its lounge and in response to clientele for a more casual dining experience, the lunch and dinner menus will be updated significantly, and the bar will serve an expanded selection of signature cocktails and lounge menu items.” Spokeswoman for Kimpton restaurants, Charissa Benjamin, confirms, “The restaurant is very busy during the weeks with the work crowd but it did get slower over the weekend.” Stay tuned for more coverage of the new revamped menu and bar experience, I’ll have the scoop for you when it happens.

As for Domasoteca Wine Store, you can snag some good deals. Starting May 11, Domasoteca will have a closing sale, with 20% off all bottles, 30% off mixed half cases and 40% off mixed full cases.

Food and Drink

Spring Fever: Rooftop Bar Guide

Photo courtesy of
‘Dinner at Perry’s’
courtesy of ‘starbuck77’

DC is an al fresco city. I live for the few weeks of the year like this one that are warm, yet humidity-free. I adore waking up on a sunny Saturday and knowing that most of my day will be spent outside, and hoping that the warmth will last into the night so I can stay outside as long as possible. I’ll spend mornings running or on my bike, lunches on the patio, afternoons lazing in the park and then dinner seated street-side along Wilson Boulevard or out in Dupont. So by the time it gets to be night, I’m ready for something beyond a patio.

In fact, tons and tons of places in DC have a patio, what I crave is a rooftop. I want to look out over my city, and risking the cliche, I want feel on top of the world as I drink or dance the night away with friends. So in my quest for the ultimate rooftop bar, I’ve rounded up some possibilities for you. Continue reading