Category Archives: The Daily Feed

News, The Daily Feed
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Massive Layoffs at TBD

Photo courtesy of
‘How Much is that Bottle in the Window?’
courtesy of ‘Karon’

While it’s not yet clear who’s gone over at TBD, it’s clear that a lot of people lost their jobs today in a massive layoff the scope and depth of which are yet to be determined.  This is just short weeks after the writing went up on the wall when TBD was folded back in under Bill Lord’s chain of authority at WJLA.  It sounds as if a staff of 20 became a staff of 0 with 8 jobs.

We’ll be updating this post with details when they’re available.  In the meantime, we wish to thank each and every person at TBD that we’ve dealt with for their incredible professionalism, boundless enthusiasm, and detailed work.  We wish you all the best, and hope you’ll stay in this city, those who moved here for that job.

Update 1, 11:59a: According to our source, everyone involved with the Community team is out, as are all the news reporters and sports team. We’re so sorry, guys.

The Daily Feed
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New Menu at West End Bistro

Photo courtesy of
‘West End Bistro’
courtesy of ‘InspirationDC’

In two short years since coming to West End Bistro from Eric Ripert’s flagship New York City restaurant, Le Bernardin, Chef de Cuisine Joe Palma has quickly made a name for himself in DC. So it was with great pleasure that I got the chance to sample Chef Palma’s newest offerings for the spring menu at West End Bistro. I was not disappointed. Both Chef Palma’s reputation for simple, fresh ingredients and his southern heritage shone through in his newest creations. Details and pictures after the jump.

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The Daily Feed
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ICC Opens Today

Photo courtesy of
‘The Intercounty Connector In the Sky’
courtesy of ‘Photos by Chip Py’

7.2 miles of the new Intercounty Connector opened this morning in Montgomery Country, connecting I-270/370 to the Maryland-97 (Norbeck Road) and deploying the first of five sections of new toll road that will connect the 270 Spur to I-95. The Toll Road, the first segment of which will cost $1.45 or $1.15 depending on time and day, will add another 10 miles in two separate segments before the end of the year.

While they get people used to the new road, there’s no cost, so for the next two weeks, the ICC is free as in beer.  Currently, the road ends with a stoplight at Norbeck Road, and WAMU was reporting some traffic backups there today.  Did you take the new road to work this morning? Was it worth all the hassle and years of fighting?

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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The Daily Feed
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Comedy in DC: Don’t Block the Box Comedy Show Fire

Reggie Melbrough

Reggie Melbrough and Ahmed Huidobro are hosting the fourth Don’t Block the Box Comedy Show at the Wonderland Ballroom, 1101 Kenyon St. NW, on Friday, Feb. 25, from 7:00 PM to 10 o’clock in the evening. The show costs three dollars and is cash only. I know that cash is very medieval, but get some of change and go to a CoinStar or something. You will be fine.

Anyway, after the show the lights will go down and the dancing will begin. So get ready to laugh your ass off then put it back on and shake it off. That sounds kind of gross, but you know what I mean.

The Daily Feed, WMATA, WTF?!
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Metro Announces March Work Weekend on Orange/Blue Lines, 5 stations closed

Orange and Blue Lines of Metro, affected by closures

Fresh off a 3-day closure of two stations in the heart of the city, WMATA announced this morning that they’ll be closing five stations at the end of the Orange Line, as well as splitting the Blue Line, to perform NTSB-mandated maintenance over the weekend of March 4th through 6th.

The Orange Line will not operate between Stadium-Armory and New Carrollton, closing the stations at Minnesota Ave, Deanwood, Cheverly, Landover and New Carrolton. In addition, no Blue Line trains will traverse the gap between Stadium-Armory and Benning Road.  The closures begin at 10am on Friday March 4th, and will conclude when the system reopens on March 7th.

Metro will be working to repair aerial structures at Cheverly, as well as make upgrades to Stadium-Armory and “install 6,000 feet of cellular communication cables to ultimately improve cell phone coverage, replace 2,000 feet of track, 380 insulators, 1,400 rail ties and 400 track fasteners.”

 

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The Daily Feed
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Hot Ticket: Weedeater @ SONAR, TONIGHT!

If you are a fan of ultra-heavy, sludge guitar; slow-churning, reverb-effected bass; and swampy, primal drum patterns then this show is a must see.

In the late 90’s, stoner doom metal band, Weedeater rose from the ashes that spilled out of “Dixie” Dave Collins’ bowl when his former noise-rock band Buzzov*en called it quits. Active for over a decade now, Collins and his crew have managed to shake off their pot-induced haze to cut four fantastic albums that fall somewhere between Clutch and Sleep. Weedeater don’t put on airs, they don’t play intricate intellectual post-metal, they just blast through some of the heaviest, thickest sludge known to man. On their latest album “Jason…the Dragon”, that sludge sounds oh-so-sweet. Not many metal bands tap Steve Albini to do their production work but Weedeater did and the result is a monolithic slab of reverb-drenched, stoner doom from start to finish.

Underneath the swirling swamp waters of Weedeater’s sound, is “Dixie” Dave Collins; a maniac front man with a viscous howl and a larger-than-life persona. Already a legend for his down-home antics with Buzzov*en, Bongzilla, and Sourvein; the myth of Collins’ grew even larger when the front-man accidentally blew off one of his toes while cleaning “his favorite shotgun” last year! Head up to SONAR tonight to ride those ultra heavy grooves and embrace the insanity that is Weedeater!

Weedeater
w/ ASG and Radical Discharge
@ SONAR (Baltimore)
2/22 – 8pm
$12

capitals hockey, The Daily Feed
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Caps Finish Road Trip with 1-0 Shutout of Pittsburgh

Photo courtesy of
‘Washington Capitals’
courtesy of ‘a digital cure’

The Caps topped off their latest 5 game road trip with a hard-fought 1-0 victory in Pittsburgh. The game capped off a wild cross-country journey that saw the Caps bring in 6 points out of a possible 10. And for many, it also brought about a rebirth of sorts of Alex Ovechkin. He got the lone tally with a 45 foot blast during a second period power play that proved to be all the Caps needed to hold off a struggling and injured Penguins team. The goal was Ovechkin’s third in the last four games; he’s got 6 points total over the same stretch, and has 9 goals (17 points) over his last 15. Slump? Over.

“That is what he does, and this is what he wasn’t doing in the first 45-50 games,” said coach Bruce Boudreau. “He wasn’t getting his shot off. I didn’t even see it (the goal) in the replay at all. He has been playing like that for the last two weeks and being a real leader.”

The Caps’ win also marked an odd trivia point for the team that won’t likely be repeated by anyone in the NHL any time soon. In the Caps’ last three visits to Pittsburgh, they’ve beat the Pens in three different venues: the Civic (Mellon) Arena with a 6-3 win on April 6; the 3-1 Winter Class victory at Heinz Field on January 1; and last night’s shutout in the new Consol Energy Center. The game was also Michal Neuvirth’s second shutout in 15 days, both against the Penguins.
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Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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Food & Friends 15th Annual Dining out for Life

Dining Out for Life Logo
Courtesy of Gold Standard PR on behalf of Food & Friends

The 15th Annual Dining out for Life on March 10th is right around the corner. More than 150 restaurants across the DC-area will donate portions of the day’s proceeds to Food & Friends. And all you have to do is eat at one of the restaurants.

For those who don’t know, Food & Friends delivers meals to DC residents who are living with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other debilitating illnesses. Last year, they raised $27o,000 from Dining out for Life. Participating restaurants can donate anywhere from 25 percent to 100 percent of the day’s proceeds. And if you can’t dine out that day, you can always give a donation.

Some of the restaurants donating 100 percent of their proceeds include Ristorante Tosca, Posto, Annie’s Paramount Steakhouse and Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant in Arlington, which is donating 110 percent of the day’s proceeds. For a complete list of participating restaurants, click here.

The Daily Feed
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Food Truck Tracker

Photo courtesy of
‘farragut food court’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

Happy Presidents’ Day! If you’re lucky and have today off, grab lunch from the food trucks that are out rollin’ today. If the founding fathers had food trucks back in their day, what do you think their favorites would be? Pie? Curry? Empanadas? Lobster? WWGWE – What Would George Washington Eat?

Click on through for our ThestrEATS-powered lunch map!
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The Daily Feed
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A Presidents Day Tribute

In honor of Presidents Day, we present this tribute to our 6’10”, quadriballed, 2000-lb namesake for our city, George Washington. He saved the little children. But not the British children.

The Daily Feed
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Hot Ticket: Thursday & Underoath @ 9:30 Club, 2/22/11

Thursday - Full Collapse [2001]

It might be easy to lump the group Thursday, playing tomorrow at the 9:30 Club, in with other aging emo bands such as the Get Up Kids. But Thursday have come a long way since they first cracked the scene in 2001 – their full-length debut “Full Collapse” spawning the hit singles “Cross Out The Eyes” and “Understanding in a Car Crash”. Well, they were hits in my mind, at least. This was always one of my favorite emo bands – they were dramatic and serious, and just a bit heavy. Tomorrow night, they’ll be playing this album in its entirety.

Since then, they’ve consistently revived their style on each album. Lately, frontman Geoff Rickly has been working with a side-project, United Nations, which is sort of a tribute to extremely heavy 90s hardcore bands like Orchid and Pg. 99. Geoff’s instincts have consistently driven Thursday in a heavier direction – even 2003’s “War All the Time” was much darker and angrier than “Full Collapse”. Since splitting ways with Island Records in 2007, Thursday have toured with bands that don’t quite match their emo style – heavy bands like Converge and Envy.

Tuesday night’s pairing with Underoath is a perfect example. Underoath is a metalcore group from Florida, combining the vocal style and attitude of hardcore punk with metal riffs. I personally love this style of metal – it means I can scream along with the lyrics, or just bang my head to the riffs. A Skylit Drive do something similar, with alternating screaming and melodic vocals – but I’m most excited about Animals as Leaders, one of my favorite progressive metal bands. This DC-based group delivers quick bursts of heavy, jazzy, complex riffs without the pretention or epicness of bands like Dream Theater.

I caught Thursday last year at the Black Cat, and it had one of the most energetic crowds I’ve seen in DC. Dozens of kids shove their way to the front of the pit for the chance to shout lyrics in Geoff’s face. Look out for me – I’ll be the guy in the black hoodie in the front row.

Thursday & Underoath
w/ A Skylit Drive, Animals as Leaders
9:30 Club
Tuesday, Feb. 22nd, 2011
$20

The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Kwame Brown’s Navigator, and Vincent Gray’s Deep Pockets

Photo courtesy of
‘BIGGPAPA’
courtesy of ‘lazzarello’

It’s been a bad weekend for Mayor Vince Gray and Council Chairman Kwame Brown. The former, it was revealed by the Post’s Nikita Stewart, has been spending quite a lot of money on senior staff.

Vincent Gray has hired a number of senior advisors at significantly higher dollar values than Adrian Fenty, with several salaries approaching, or meeting, $200,000 per year. Most of the people in these positions are getting paid significantly more than their predecessors. Gerri Mason Hall, the mayor’s chief of staff, is being paid over the bracketed salary for the position at $200,000, which is about what the mayor himself draws from city coffers. For comparison, Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel at the White House made $172,000 per year. While it’s certain that the White House also pays people in prestige and notoriety, it’s a difficult pill to swallow for many city workers facing furlough and layoffs.

And then there’s Kwame Brown’s “fully loaded” Lincoln Navigators. Yes, he has two of them. Mike DeBonis of the Post did some excellent digging into the circumstances around the council chairman’s ride, and boy is this one ugly. The city has now leased a pair of Navigators – yes, that’s plural on purpose – for the Council Chairman, due to the requirement that the vehicle be black-on-black. The city will pay close to $3,600/mo for these two vehicles, which is, with insurance, about double my mortgage payment in Brookland.

Council Chairman Brown was uncharacteristically silent on Twitter yesterday, but that didn’t stop the rise of a new hashtag: #whatshouldkwamedo. Personally? Cancel the contract of the spare unit, and trade the Navigator for the Mayor’s old Smart car. At least that one’s already paid for.

News, The Daily Feed
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National Christmas Tree felled by high winds

National Christmas Tree blown over
Photo by Brownpau

The National Christmas Tree, a 48-foot Colorado blue spruce from York, PA planted during the Carter Administration in 1978, was a casualty to the very high winds in the District today.  The tree was split near its base, and felled without injury or structural damage, according to DC Fire EMS and the National Park Police.

No plans are immediately available for the replanting of the tree, or the disposal of the current tree.

An NPS horticulturalist, and National Park Service spokesman Bill Line, are saying that a “successor” tree is ready for planting on the spot as soon as the current tree is disposed of — chipped and mulched, starting today. The tree that fell today was the third tree of its kind on that spot — prior trees had also been blown over in high winds, and the Park Service specifically has advance plans in place for just such an event.

The next tree will be up in time for “next year’s Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony.” Not clear from that if Mr. Line was thinking in 2010 terms and meant to say “in time for the next Christmas Tree Lighting,” or if it’ll take till 2012 to get a new tree into the spot.

More photos after the jump:

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Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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Friday Happy Hour: Jack Rose Cocktail

It’s time for Friday Happy Hour, highlighting a drink we’ve recently enjoyed, every Friday at 4pm! Please share your favorites as well.

My friend Kirk (pictured above) has been reading Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises specifically, which got him thinking about the Jack Rose cocktail. In the 1926 novel, the narrator sips one in a Parisian boîte and the drink has benefitted from that bit of product placement ever since. When I asked him what I should drink for the column this week (after a spate of fairly unremarkable imbibition) he had a clear answer: a Jack Rose at The Gibson.
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Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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Food Tweet of the Week: Baked & Wired

Photo courtesy of
‘Baked & Wired, Georgetown’
courtesy of ‘allisonkirchner’
Nice profile from Georgetown’s Baked & Wired:

Born on 4:20, we celebrate the art of getting baked daily. From handcrafted baked goods to our amazing coffee bar…you’re never too old or young to get baked!

Baked & Wired has been serving popular handcrafted coffee drinks in Georgetown since 2001, and it’s been on Twitter (@bakedandwiredDC) for two years. The coffee shop has more than 2,000 followers, and tweets about everything from a new expresso machine at the store, to employee birthdays, to a new coffee flavor.  About a week ago there even seemed to be a fun Sega Genesis conversation going on.

Baked & Wired wins this week because of its hilarious Valentine’s Tweets…loved when the store asked “me” if it could “be the fruity pebbles” to my bam-bam. The winner:

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The Daily Feed
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Hot Ticket: Los Lobos / Taj Mahal @ 9:30 Club, 2/21/11

If you are looking for a double billing with two legendary acts, it is hard to pass up on this one. Taj Mahal is one of the most inventive players in the blues field. No surprise that one of his most famous albums (issued over 25 years late) came out of the short lived band “The Rising Sons” which featured another hard to categorize guitarist, Ry Cooder. Although they did not work together much, they both share an explorer’s heart in searching out musical forms from all over the world and finding new ways to express the personal interpretation of their discoveries. I remember how welcome it was to see what Taj Mahal came up with when I saw him on the old late night television shows “In Concert” and “Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert”. He is three years shy of a half century of performing and it will be exciting to see what he comes up with at the 9:30 Club.

Joining him is Los Lobos, far removed from the “just another band from East LA” label they placed on themselves with an album now over 30 years old. I find it hard to believe they have been around that long, especially when their latest album, “Tin Can Trust” sounded so fresh and strong. It got a positive review from me, and most other reviewers give it raves as well. Like Taj Mahal, I know the band pretty well but have somehow missed them over their long career. Thankfully, I get to accomplish two goals in one night.

Taj Mahal
Los Lobos
9:30 Club
Monday, Feb 21st
$40