‘Whole Foods Cakes -5856’
courtesy of ‘Joe Tresh’
Contests come and go in this city, but this is one I can really get behind. Eatonville and Church Lady Cake Diaries are teaming up to host a coconut cake challenge. Fire up the KitchenAid mixer, call your grandma and pry the family recipe out of her, use the entire 72-hours of your holiday weekend to craft the perfect cake–it’s time for a bake-off. Continue reading
By Addison H
‘Big Cheese truck’
courtesy of ‘BrianMKA’
Looking for something better than that chain restaurant with goofy stuff on the walls and mozzarella sticks?
Click on through for our ThestrEATS-powered lunch map to find your favorite food truck (although you will have to find your litrecola somewhere else) and have a terrific tasty Tuesday! Continue reading
By Ashley
‘Great Lettuce Harvest of 2009’ courtesy of ‘Wayan Vota’ Though it may seem months away, spring is fast approaching. With it comes puddles, unpredictable clothing needs and pollen. But it also means finally having fresh vegetables that aren’t of the kale variety, and if you’re a go-getter and an urban dweller, the best way to get those veggies is through an urban garden. Or a grocery store, but growing them with help from gardeners dublin is way more satisfying.
Tiered wooden outdoor plant stands with shelves allow you to save space (micro apartments) and can be used to layer your plants according to the size. Tall plants in the lowest tier, shorter ones in the middle and the shortest ones on the top tier works best. If there are a variety of plants, use stands of different sizes to arrange them.
If becoming an urban veggie warrior seems daunting, plan to head over to Coolidge High School this Saturday for the fourth annual Rooting D.C. Conference, a day-long forum for urban gardeners. They cater to everyone from those with the greenest of thumbs to the newbies. The event is free and open to the public, and will include interactive workshops that run the gamut from the basics of gardening to how to cook your perfectly cultivated produce. So much more better than standing dumbfounded in front of the produce section at Whole Foods. For information on community gardens in your area, check out D.C.’s Field to Fork Network.
By Ben H. Rome
‘Bryzgalov Makes a Save’
courtesy of ‘clydeorama’
One shot in the final 8 minutes, down one goal? Last year this would have been unheard of. This year, it’s becoming the staple of most Capitals’ games, and it does not bode well at all.
The Caps surrendered 3 goals on 18 shots last night to a Phoenix team looking for positioning in the tight Western Conference playoff race. Though the Caps did pepper Coyotes goalie Ilya Bryzgalov with 31 shots – 11 between Alex Ovechkin and Mathieu Perrault – the Caps just couldn’t get it done. The power play was a dismal 0-5 on the night as well. Michal Neuvirth stopped only 15 of the shots he faced and the Caps just looked absolutely flat on the ice.
Special teams has been a focus during practice, but the Caps still drag along a goose egg over their last 15 chances. It’s not that they’re not shooting; last night’s contest saw 13 shots on their first four chances. “We were moving it around and we looked like a power play,” said coach Bruce Boudreau. “I thought for sure we were going to score a couple of goals on it. Sometimes, it’s not meant to be.” Continue reading
‘DC Love’
courtesy of ‘Tony DeFilippo’
As I write this, I may appear to be calm, cool and collected. But on the inside, I’m screaming like a schoolgirl who just won tickets to Justin Bieber: Never Say Never. Why? Because after weeks of delays and taunts of “Coming Soon,” the Mt. Pleasant Temporium is finally here. The pop-up arts, crafts and culture shop will open its doors on Friday, Feb. 18 for 24 consecutive days of intense awesomeness. Not only will the retailer feature handmade wares from 30 local artists and crafters, but the shop’s theme of storytelling will be fleshed out with live performances, readings, workshops, and kid-friendly events. Creative and community-oriented, this is commercialism done right.
By Tom Bridge
‘THE PRESTIGIOUS JULES VERNE RESTAURANT’
courtesy of ‘Globe Trotteur’
It’s Valentine’s Day, and that means if you haven’t made plans, you’re probably screwed. We talked to our favorite Cranky Reservationist this afternoon, and she shared some tips with us for you to consider as you call around because you forgot it was Valentine’s Day:
By Dave Levy
‘Haynesworth_hires’
courtesy of ‘Tennessee Journalist’
Honestly…is there a once-storied franchise having a worse month than the Redskins? Here’s another one for the file: Albert Haynesworth has been accused of sexual abuse by a waitress who claimed the defensive lineman got a little too close for comfort. From the police report, obtained by NBC Washington, which has sources that say “Subject 1” is in fact Haynesworth.
According to a police report obtained by NBC Washington, the waitress stated that her hands were full carrying glasses as she was clearing the table at about 1:30 a.m. Sunday.
She said that “Subject 1” tried to pay his bill by giving her his credit card, but he asked if it was OK to stick the card in her blouse near her breast area. She nodded her head yes and, according to the report, she said he then placed the card into her blouse gently, sliding the card further into her left side of the blouse and then started to caress her breast.
This marks the second legal run-in for Haynesworth this month, and if it wasn’t for the looming lockout preventing any real contract decisions, I’m sure there would be a nice debate brewing about the future of AH with the team.
Further, I will now take suggestions for the appropriate tag we use to describe all future Redskins’ failings. We have “Natinals” for mix ups by our baseball club, give me something more creative than “Fail to the Redskins.”
By Brittany
‘kitchen’
courtesy of ‘needlessspaces’
Valentine’s Day is one of the most popular nights for dining out in the United States. Many of the professionals involved in creating those restaurant experiences in the front and back of house love restaurants and find real fulfillment in helping diners create positive memories. Hidden from the average diner’s view, however, are a variety of challenges facing restaurant workers.
The Restaurant Opportunity Council of DC held a meeting this morning to discuss the findings of their report, Behind the Kitchen Door: Inequality and Opportunity in Washington, DC’s Thriving Restaurant Industry, delving into racial inequalities, employee mistreatment, low wages, and risks to worker safety and public health. Many diners may understand that working in a restaurant kitchen or even waiting tables are far from lucrative or glamourous occupations, but the findings of the report include widespread wage theft (workers being pressured to clock out hours before being allowed to leave work to avoid overtime payments) and tip theft, verbal abuse by managers, and gender and racial disparities in hiring and promotions – even at fine dining establishments.
Of particular concern to public health officials and policy makers presenting at the meeting were the very small number of food service workers who have paid sick days from their jobs. Almost 60% of the 562 surveyed restaurant workers in DC said they had come in to work and handled food served to customers while they were sick and potentially contagious. DC Councilmember Phil Mendelson compared the campaign to get paid time off for sick workers to the campaign for a smoking ban, both in terms of public health importance and the push-back from some industry and consumer groups.
Continue reading
By Rebecca
‘National Building Museum’
courtesy of ‘kimberlyfaye’
What’s an engineer? He’s that guy who wears overalls, that cute stripped hat and shovels coals into the trains engine, right? As Auntie Shrew would say “Wrrrrrrrong!” Engineers are much, much, much more than that. And to find out how engineers and engineering impacts our everyday lives, visit the National Building Museum this Saturday from 10am-4:30pm and celebrate National Engineers Week.
Watch PBS’ Design Squad Nation catapult beach balls across the Great Hall, discover the principles of aerodynamics, operate Lego Robots on the FIRST Lego League playing field. The event features other hands-on activities like building a “flinker,” an object that neither floats or sinks, design your own parachute drop, test/build handmade watercrafts, and expore a tsunami wave tank.
By Tom Bridge
Jayson Werth’s Beard, by Bill Ladson
Used with Permission
No, I don’t mean your uncle Jack’s “wife” Mimi. I mean the best beard in DC Sports: Jayson Werth’s beard. Pitchers and Catchers don’t technically have to report in Viera, FL until Wednesday, but several players arrived early to start their Spring preparations, and among them is new outfield Jayson Werth.
Werth was sporting a soul patch for his introduction to the team in December, but has used the off-season to cultivate an epic mountain man beard. Even Brian Blessed, upon hearing of Werth’s fresh growth, acknowledged its supremacy, saying, “Though my beard is the best in all of Britain, it cannot hold a candle to the lushness of Jayson Werth’s beard.”(1)
I mean, the beard has its own twitter account, people. How can you not love that? There may be some team rivalry going, though, as Stephen Strasburg was last seen sporting an Abe Lincoln.
(1) Brian Blessed didn’t say this. He probably should have.
By Tom Bridge
‘Dick Turpin: Horsethief’
courtesy of ‘The National Archives UK’
Last November, when police arrested Jack and Leslie Johnson at their residence, it made a bit of a stir, mostly because Mrs. Johnson was attempting to smuggled $79,000 in her brassiere, leading to a lot of questions about Mrs. Johnson’s undergarments and about Mr. Johnson’s business dealings.
Today, eight counts of federal bribery, extortion, witness tampering and other related corruption charges were filed with the Federal Court in Baltimore, based upon an affidavit sworn by Wendy Munoz of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which alleges at least $120,000 in kickbacks were provided for Johnson’s help in an official capacity in securing federal funds for development.
Something tells me this is just the tip of the iceberg for Prince George’s County.
By Ben H. Rome
‘BrySi | Bryan Simon’
courtesy of ‘Joriel “Joz” Jimenez’
The Smithsonian American Art Museum is inviting the public to help select the video games that will be included in its upcoming exhibition “The Art of Video Games,” which opens in Washington, DC on March 16, 2012. Voting is taking place online beginning today and running through April 7. A valid e-mail address is the only requirement to vote.
The exhibition is the first to explore the 40-year evolution of video games as an artistic medium, with a focus on striking visual effects and the creative use of new technologies. Chris Melissinos, founder of Past Pixels and collector of video games and gaming systems, is the curator of the exhibition.
The website offers participants a chance to vote for 80 games from a pool of 240 proposed choices in various categories, divided by era, game type, and platform; winning games will be displayed in the exhibition as screen shots and short video clips. The website includes an online forum where gaming enthusiasts can campaign for particular games and voice their opinions about the selections. The games on the voting site were selected for their graphic excellence, artistic intent, and innovative game design. Results will be available online in May. Continue reading
By Tricia Barba
All photos by author
Well, Bullfeathers definitely isn’t a “dive-bar” anymore. The first word I would use to describe it is bright…like really bright.
In the interest of full disclosure, I should point out that I went there on a Sunday to see how it’s doing on the weekends. Most “regulars,” aka politicos and staffers, will probably head to the establishment after the Congressional workday, but I wanted to see if Bullfeathers is succeeding at drawing in the neighborhood crowd.
So far it looks like yes. The restaurant wasn’t full by far, and my purse and coat had a seat each at the bar, but there was a steady stream of Capitol Hill residents coming in to check the place out. The most common initial reaction? “Wow.”
Foodies will remember that Bullfeathers closed in July of last year and is now owned by the team behind Tunnicliff’s Tavern. Now on to the food…
Continue reading
By Tom Bridge
‘Petition for Council–signatures’
courtesy of ‘rochelle, et. al.’
Wednesday’s a pretty big day in the upcoming special election, it’s the day that ballot petitions are due. Each of the seventeen candidates must collect the signatures of 3,000 DC voters by Wednesday, and so you might see a horde of people outside of Metro stations, bars, and your favorite social space. You may find this process tedious, and I assure you, you’re not alone. This process, though, is how we get electoral choice.
So, a word of advice? Sign the petition.
By Tom Bridge
‘Badged Audience’
courtesy of ‘M.V. Jantzen’
A home invasion robbery in Brookland last night (10th and Irving Streets NE) turned into a shootout with police late last night, according to Commander Lamar Greene of the Fifth District. Greene reported that officers were responding to a reported burglary in process and “confirmed a home invasion, officers surrounded the home when suddenly the suspects began to exit the house from the rear while firing weapons at the officers, the officers while in fear for their lives returned fire striking the suspects. Two of the suspects were transported to area hospitals, another suspect was taken into custody as well.”
None of the responding officers were injured in the response. The suspects are being questioned as to involvement in a string of local home invasions, according to Commander Greene.
By Dave Levy
‘Wizards’
courtesy of ‘erin m’
While this game is still guaranteed to be a cage fight of futility, with the Cavaliers getting over their league record 26 game losing streak on a Friday overtime win over the Clippers, it’s just be straight mean to offer running commentary on a tired and still road-winless Wizards. I know, I know, cancelling a live blog seems like giving up, so there will still be the necessary jokes about Nick Young’s fro, promise. We’ll update this post below after the game with a recap – if we can stomach it.
By Dan Rowinski
‘Flip Saunders’
courtesy of ‘Keith Allison’
Don’t blink.
Ah, you blinked, didn’t you?
You missed it then.
What did you miss?
Any semblance of the Wizards being competitive against the Spurs at Verizon Center on Saturday night. San Antonio rolled through Washington and trounced the Wizards like a line of ants across the highway with a 118-94 victory.
It was not even that close.
By Dan Rowinski
‘IMG_7557.jpg’
courtesy of ‘bridgetds’
The message after the game was loud and clear in the Capitals dressing room on Saturday afternoon.
It is time to wake up.
“It is like we are waiting for something. I don’t know. Waiting for something,” forward Mike Knuble said. “We are entering the toughest part of our season right here and it is going to be a real indicator if we are going to be a serious contender or not, quite honestly.”
By Brittany
It’s time for Friday Happy Hour, highlighting a drink we’ve recently enjoyed, every Friday at 4pm! Please share your favorites as well.
Tuesday was my rad friend Julie’s birthday. Julie does really important work at a really important non-profit and is always surrounded by super cool activist types, musicians, and the like. I showed up to her impromptu party at Haydees in Columbia Heights straight from a meeting, dressed like someone who has to get up early to take the train to work on Wednesday mornings; I was the only one so attired. Pitchers and pitchers of margaritas came as the group swelled in size and grew louder to try to compete with the blaring music. As it got later, I realized I was going to have to be that loser who leaves the party first – thus confirming everything the cool kids probably thought of me and my sell-out job all along.
My friend Jeffrey agreed to leave at the same time, but as soon as we got out of the loud, loud restaurant, he made clear he was not actually ready to go home. He knew our friend Iris was working over at Room 11 and so we made our way there. I may be giving away a secret here, but around midnight on a Tuesday night is the perfect time to go to Room 11. The snug, warm bar had only a few other patrons and the atmosphere is extra cozy. Room 11 is generally open until at least 1:00 – part of the owners’ commitment to creating a “neighborhood bar” feel.
On the chalkboard was a Burnt Sugar Old Fashioned which, Iris told me, was one of the first special cocktails the staff created upon the bar’s opening but which is sometimes unavailable when they cannot get the special sugar in question. When prepping a syrup of it, the bartenders burn the sugar to caramelize it and add extra molasses. This creates a dark, opaque cocktail with a depth of flavor. Iris added Maker’s Mark bourbon, Fee Brothers Bitters – and a peel of orange which took a bit of effort as she was working with one injured hand. The drink was rich and delightful and a perfect way to end the evening. It was even better than the sticky, bright green margaritas in huge cups I had been drinking all night (which is shocking, I know.)
By Tricia Barba
‘shrimp n grits’
courtesy of ‘@heylovedc’
New (and even old-time) Tweeters can learn a thing or two from Chef Geoff Tracy. With @chegeoffs, Tracy might not hold the record for the most tweets per day, but all the messages he sends out are either informative (specials of the day), enticing (pictures from the kitchen), or funny (as you will see below).
The famed chef from Chef Geoff’s and Lia’s writes on his Twitter profile “Don’t get pissy here.” Love it. Tracy has about 1,700 followers and is constantly telling them what’s on his mind and what’s coming up at his restaurants. His account is unique and personal.
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