D.C. Culture/History Thread

[thebluefood]

On 2/8/2018 at 12:23 AM, PokerPacker said:

We have culture?

Well hell yeah we do! We're the most famous swamp in the world.

 

[Insert Shrek joke here]

[mcsluggo]

14 minutes ago, PleaseBlitz said:

 

That is probably true in the sense that the restaurants that make the main Michelin list are generally what is considered "fine dining."  The point of the Michelin Guide was to convince people to make special trips to go to these restaurants (and thus wear out their tires faster).  I think people are less inclined to make a special trip to holes in the wall, even if the food is good.

 

Also, several of the places in DC that made the list are both ****ing spectacular and without the least bit of snootiness (aside from the price). The Dabney, for example. 

 

The Michelin Guide has a different list, the Bib Gourmand, which is their list of less expensive places.  DC had 22 restaurants make that list, some of which I agree with, some of which I don't.  

 

 

Im not talking about hole-in-the-wall.   Not just the Cajun (which is great in its own way) ...and not just the creole (which is also great)... and the combination of the two, and their infuence on overall wealthy cuisine in the area also... its kinda the first "fusion"...and is the most unique and special contribution to world cuisine and flavors from the US

 

 

anyway... it is just recognizing that the list isn't looking for unique:   "travel here for the culinary experience..."  ideas... it is looking for unique:  "travel here for the most unbelievable impeccable service/presentation/experience  that money can buy..."   

 

which has its own appeal.. but doesn't catch my imagination as much.   

Edited February 9, 2018 by mcsluggo

[PleaseBlitz]

Just now, mcsluggo said:

 

 

Im not talking about hole-in-the-wall.   Not the Cajun (which is great in its own way) ...but the creole ... and the combination of the two is the most unique and special contribution to world cuisine and flavors from the US

 

I love several of the places in New Orleans that I've been to.  I guess my point is that the Michelin Guide can't go to every city.  It chose the top 4 cities in America for food and DC made the list.  10 years ago, the DC food scene was hot garbage, now it has a huge roster of superstar chefs.  Eric Ziebold, Jose Andres, Aaron Silverman, these guys are the absolute top tier of american chefs.  

 

A lot of other really strong food cities didn't make it either, LA and NOLA come immediately to mind.  

[mcsluggo]

but i fully admit... i am not a "fine diner"     i am a schlub.   

[PleaseBlitz]

I am a big-time foodie.

 

Here is my summary of Minibar, Jose Andres' 2-Michelin star restaurant, from the Damn Good Food thread. 

 

On 7/19/2017 at 8:32 PM, PleaseBlitz said:

 

It was a great experience.  The table is in the kitchen, so you watch them make the food, which is a lot of the fun.  There is a lot of liquid nitrogen involved.  Most things were plated with tweezers.  One thing made smoke come out of my nose like a dragon.  There was a tremendous amount of very good wine.  It was a home run of a gift for my wife's birthday.

 

It was also extraordinarily expensive.  I'm glad I did it.  I would not do it a second time (on my own dime). 

 

The French Laundry is happening in September

Here are two more pics. 

[mcsluggo]

sounds nice    but i would probably blow my $$$ on Pokemon cards, instead    

 

 

 

 

 

(but i don't have any pokemon cards, either)

 

 

(added..) what IS that green goo in the lobster skull ? 

Edited February 9, 2018 by mcsluggo

[PleaseBlitz]

Parsley and garlic foam. 

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

I've been gone for nearly 10 years, but I was pretty active with the theater crowd when I was there. I do think that outside of NYC and maybe Chicago, DC has the best theater scene in the country. Arena Stage is a treasure and it's one of the few regional theaters that seems to have actually lifted all boats around it.

 

I tend to put the Shakespeare Company and especially Ford's in their own boxes, but the point is you can see really interesting stuff in either a world-class facility or in the back of a bar.

 

I was probably slightly too old when I moved to DC to really dive into it, but I do think the local music scene was on the lame side when I lived there. Which was sad, because I grew up reading up the DC scene when I was a kid.

 

I think gentrification kills music scenes while it sustains theatre scenes. I'm pretty much of the opinion that another great band will never come out of Manhattan and will probably never come out of Brooklyn because there is no place to practice or perform on the cheap.

 

The food scene...Is there a city in the country without a burgeoning food scene? I have a friend from freaking Frederick who swears they have a food scene. Zoony is going to stop by here at some point and tell us all about the Knoxville food scene. Celebrity chefs + downtown renovations mean that any recent culinary grad can find a tax-free space to open a kitchen and present his or her version of Creole/Thai fusion.

 

If there is an issue with DC, it's that so so so much of the interesting history and culture is black history and culture, and it still felt very segregated on that level in 2010.

 

[PleaseBlitz]

29 minutes ago, Lombardi's_kid_brother said:

 

 

The food scene...Is there a city in the country without a burgeoning food scene? I have a friend from freaking Frederick who swears they have a food scene. Zoony is going to stop by here at some point and tell us all about the Knoxville food scene. Celebrity chefs + downtown renovations mean that any recent culinary grad can find a tax-free space to open a kitchen and present his or her version of Creole/Thai fusion.

 

 

So I think this is correct, but it's a matter of degrees.  Your friend is Frederick is probably specifically referencing Volt, which is owned by a Top Chef-type celebrity chef* who for whatever reason decided to go to Frederick.  I'm sure Knoxville has a great food scene doing farm-to-table cuisine for the young-ish inhabitants of a vibrant medium-sized city.  I seriously doubt it has the breadth and depth of talent that DC has now.  

 

DC has gone from pretty much being known for K-street overpriced unimaginative power lunch steak restaurants (Sam & Harry's, Charlie Palmer's) to being one of the best and most diverse cities in the country for food in about 10 years.  It's really been amazing.  There is a big difference between Culinary Grad X and the top tier of chefs in DC.  Jose Andres was the leading edge, but a lot of the top talent in the country has flocked to DC.  

 

* I use this as a term of derision, i.e., they are celebrities for being on a reality TV show and bickering like assholes, not for being for-real top-notch chefs who are famous solely because their food is amazing. I've come to learn that the people on TV are on TV because they are better in front of a camera than in a kitchen.  

Edited February 9, 2018 by PleaseBlitz

[Dan T.]

Reeves  Restaurant and Bakery on F Street made famous strawberry pies.

 

 

 

 

My mom ate at Sholl's Cafeteria on K Street, NW on her lunch break as an x-ray technician at the Yater Clinic on Mass Ave. near Dupont Circle  I went there a few times before it closed.  Really good, freshly made food at reasonable prices.  There were multiple locations for awhile... the last one closed in 2001.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sholl's_Colonial_Cafeteria

 

From at least the 1940s and throughout the period of the fight for racial integration, Sholl's took a stand against racial segregation and served African Americans.

 

 

Here's a good write up of the history of the place:

http://www.streetsofwashington.com/2013/07/celebrated-sholls-cafeteria-featured.html

 

 

Remember the green walls of Whitlows on 11th and E Streets, NW before it moved to Arlington?

 

 

 

 

Edited February 9, 2018 by Dan T.

[PleaseBlitz]

My mom grew up in Brookland, near the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.  For awhile, she was neighbors with legendary DeMatha basketball coach Morgan Wootten.  

Edited February 9, 2018 by PleaseBlitz

[No Excuses]

55 minutes ago, Lombardi's_kid_brother said:

I was probably slightly too old when I moved to DC to really dive into it, but I do think the local music scene was on the lame side when I lived there. Which was sad, because I grew up reading up the DC scene when I was a kid.

 

The local music scene is still pretty bad in DC. There aren't really any places left in the city that institutionally or communally support musical talent.

 

There are a bunch of hipster music/performance halls in DC now but almost every band or performance I've seen there has been underwhelming.

Edited February 9, 2018 by No Excuses

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

3 minutes ago, No Excuses said:

 

The local music scene is still pretty bad in DC. There aren't really any places left in the city that institutionally or communally support musical talent.

 

There are a bunch of hipster music/performance halls in DC now but almost every band or performance I've seen there has been underwhelming.

 

I would live to see a deep dive on this, but is there any city in the country where four or five guys can live practically rent free in a place and play loud music for 8 hours a day without getting arrested? Maybe Detroit.

[JCB]

For me as a teen in the 80s (also born Columbia Hospital for Women, btw) it really was about the music and the Skins. Dischord and Go-Go were the soundtrack. Old 9:30 Club, Wilson Center, DC Space, etc. Good times in the miserable Reagan era.

[Spaceman Spiff]

 

[SoulSkin]

This is a pretty interesting follow on twitter. https://twitter.com/GhostsofDC Has a FB page too, and a website http://ghostsofdc.org/.

I just watched a video on the website about Thompson's Dairy, where my parents worked when they were young. 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 9, 2018 by SoulSkin

[thebluefood]

2 minutes ago, SoulSkin said:

This is a pretty interesting follow on twitter. https://twitter.com/GhostsofDC Has a FB page too, and a website http://ghostsofdc.org/.

I just watched this video on the website about Thompson's Dairy, where my parents worked when they were young. 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for sharing this! The Historical Society of D.C.'s Facebook Page also has a lot of good mementos from the city's past.

 

Also wanted to drop this here. Seems obligatory considering the forum and the byline: 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/redskins/longterm/1997/history/allart/37title.htm

 

Quote

Baugh Stars as Redskins Annex Title

By Shirley Povich
Washington Post Staff Writer
December 13, 1937; Page 1

Wrigley Field, Chicago, Dec. 12—In a wild frenzied battle for points on the frozen turf of Wrigley Field, the deft arm of Slingin’ Sammy Baugh prevailed today and Washington’s Redskins emerged as the champions of the National Football League.

From the stabbing efforts of Baugh’s rapier-like heaves, the big bruising Chicago Bears, champions of the West, reeled and stumbled and finally yielded to the Redskins, 28 to 21. It was a triumph of Baugh over brawn, of East over West.

Huddled in the stands, Spartan-like, in the sub-freezing temperature that hovered around 20 degrees, were 15,878 football fans who had heard tell of Baugh and the Redskins saw for themselves today. It was a dissapointingly small crowd, but it was a lot of football that they witnessed.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

I like that writing style from back in the day.

 

Quote

Into that third period Baugh and the Redskins packed a 21-point uprising, dashed away with the ball game as a gang of bewildered Bears had no reply.

 

 

Quote

Ed Justice, who until that point had taken no part in the pass catching, drifted downfield while Baugh faked a short pass to Malone and then heaved a long spiral that Justice gathered in on the 11-yard line. From that point it was a romp for Justice.

 

And that is the story of the Redskins and what they did today.

 

[thebluefood]

When I was in college, I got a volunteer gig as a blogger for an ECU sports site a classmate had started and modeled my writing style off of Shirley Povich. 

 

I...I was not as good as Shirley Povich. Not even close. 

[thebluefood]

https://www.washingtonian.com/2018/02/09/dcs-funeral-homes-are-disappearing-heres-why-that-makes-us-sad/

Quote

The former site of Grace Murray Funeral Home on Georgia Avenue will soon be occupied by an 18-unit apartment building. Austin Royster Funeral Home in Columbia Heights has been replaced by a condo building. Frazier’s Funeral Home, which served Shaw for nearly 80 years, has given way to an apartment house where rents start at $2,300 a month. A Petworth property once occupied by Latney’s Funeral Home is awaiting demolition.

Y'all...what is going on?!

[China]

On 2/8/2018 at 9:25 AM, PleaseBlitz said:

I think it's taken a long time to realize, but DC's food scene, in the last 10 years, has gone from a bunch of boring snobby steakhouses to one of the most vibrant in the nation.  It's now one of 4 US cities that the Michelin Guide awards stars to, along with NYC, Chicago and SF.  

 

So, will you be checking out these top 100 and ranking them for us?

 

Métier Is the Best Restaurant in Washington

 

Here's a sneak peek of the top 25 restaurants on Washingtonian's 100 Very Best list for 2018
 

Click on the link for the list

 

[PleaseBlitz]

14 hours ago, China said:

 

So, will you be checking out these top 100 and ranking them for us?

 

Métier Is the Best Restaurant in Washington

 

Here's a sneak peek of the top 25 restaurants on Washingtonian's 100 Very Best list for 2018
 

Click on the link for the list

 

 

I use the Washingtonian list every year to plan my assault on the food scene.  Have not been to Metier, but went to Eric Ziebold's other restaurant, Kinship, in January.  It was the best or second-best meal I've had in DC (along with Minibar).  Have been to the Dabney several times, it is tremendous.  I go to Rasika probably once a month b/c it is near my work, so whenever I have to do a work-lunch, we go either there or Blue Duck (which is overrated for food, but a very cool bar).  Have not yet gone to Pineapples and Pearls, it is really tough to get into on a weekend, but I have heard it is out of this world.  That is next on my list.  

[thebluefood]

Now for the important question for you foodies: where are the best places to eat in Washington on a budget (and for reference: my base salary is about $25,000 before taxes and company health insurance, though I get a bi-monthly commission and have a little more to throw around) 

[PleaseBlitz]

5 minutes ago, thebluefood said:

Now for the important question for you foodies: where are the best places to eat in Washington on a budget (and for reference: my base salary is about $25,000 before taxes and company health insurance, though I get a bi-monthly commission and have a little more to throw around) 

 

2 questions:  Are we including the whole DMV or just DC?  And are you looking for cheap eats  or where to get a fancy-pants dinner that won't break the bank?

[thebluefood]

4 minutes ago, PleaseBlitz said:

 

2 questions:  Are we including the whole DMV or just DC?  And are you looking for cheap eats  or where to get a fancy-pants dinner that won't break the bank?

1.) Prefer D.C. proper but I wouldn't mind suggestions for Maryland especially since my family in the area primarily lives there. 

2.) Either/or. I feel more at home at a greasy spoon or a pub but sometimes it's nice to be a nice sit-down kinda place.