Brad Pitt Has Your Secret Shit: Rolling DC

I wouldn't necessarily disagree with anything he said there, but I still think it's a HUGE leap from that to "he most important restaurant to debut in the city's history"

oops, "the most important restaurant to debut in the city's history"

(and I'm sure there's an argument to be made for a number of places by people who know the restaurant history of the city better than I, but Jean-Louis at the Watergate springs to mind immediately for 30 years of being incredibly influential on a local and national level)

hey i don't care about horse races so much but where could i get a good julep on derby day?

Bourbon! They make a huge batch of mint-infused bourbon every year and they go all out w/ it on derby day.

but is it full of douches, too?

ps anyone who wants should have juleps w/ me or something bc i have no friends and i work too much to make them oops.

The bar is often full of douches, but this is also a typical feature of anyplace that celebrates derby day.

The Round Robin bar at The Willard has some history w/ the mint julep.

Tehresa I'm in VA that afternoon meeting a friend's baby but should be back some time that evening and up for julep action. I like Bourbon but haven't been to the Round Robin, so up for trying that.

The Washington Post Going Out Gurus re Derby Day:

It's Kentucky Derby Day, and if you're wondering where to watch the Fastest Two Minutes in American Sports, we suggest the high-brow Bonnets and Bow-Ties viewing party at the Willard Hotel's Round Robin Bar, with hat contests and bow-tie contests and some of the finest mint juleps outside of Churchill Downs; the lower-brow Derby Day party at the Red Derby, which kicks off with $2 drinks at brunch from 11 to 3 and continues with $4 juleps until close; and the whiskey-soaked Derby parties at Bourbon, where the mint juleps are made with mint-infused bourbon and served in frosted metal cups, and you can sample a half-dozen new whiskeys from the cult Willett label.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/goingoutgurus/2010/04/nightlife_agenda_103.html

wow bourbon sampling sounds awesome. also scary since it's in press.
considering going neighborhood shopping this weekend but it seems so exhausting. can't an apartment just materialize for me?

http://dcist.com/2010/04/michael_schaffer_named_editor_of_wa.php

Washington City Paper changes

How many DC restaurants and clubs do Eric Thievery Corporation Hilton and his brother have a hand in, 10? Feature article on them in today's W. Post Food section

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/04/AR2010050401208.html

They plan to open three restaurants by the end of this year: the Brixton, at the corner of Ninth and U streets Northwest; another in what was formerly Billy Simpson's House of Seafood and Steaks on Georgia Avenue; and a spot that's coming along next to Marvin (working name: Blackbird Warehouse). It will make for quite a year, one in which they also have opened Patty Boom Boom, invested in the new U Street Music Hall and advised Eric's wife, Tien Claudio, and partner Steve Kaufmann on the recently opened Dickson Wine Bar.

The brothers have 200 full-time employees working for their projects, but "it's not corporate," says Ian, 38. "We don't want to corner the market. We're a family-owned shop." They don't advertise, and they don't pay for PR.

It's gonna be 9 places. Hats off to a certain someone who is complimented in the article.

kudos.gif

He's keeping a low profile now I guess.

Meanwhile I'm curious about a place he's not associated with-- the Babylon Cafe out in Bailey's X-Rds./Falls Church that has Ethiopian and Middle Eastern and Caribbean music and I'm not sure what's on the food menu(or if its mostly just a nightclub). Not on metro either.

I'm not gone! Just enjoying all the newfound fame and fortune that comes from being mentioned in the 17th paragraph in a Food section article.

^^^ ballin'

which of the new hilton places are you most excited about?

also, why didn't the article say anything substantial about brixton? that building looks pretty cool. and way beat up.

Of the ones that haven't opened yet, I'm really excited about Blackbird and another project I can't even mention yet.

The article seemed like it was more focused on the places that are already open than the ones that are coming up - it didn't really say anything substantial about any of the future projects.

Post review of U Street Music Hall is up now, too:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/profile/u-street-music-hall,1161767/critic-review.html

hey i was repping the gibson to a coworker earlier! i think we will plan an outing someday.

i still need to check out u street music hall in its finished state!

yah i'm embarrassed to say i still haven't been. would like to see michael mayer but got an early meeting the next day. maybe derrick carter.

Do DC foodies and biz people respect these Rammys restaurant Awards that are coming up in June?

http://www.ramw.org/Rammy-s/

hello

hello EL TB, my schedule is actually somewhat reasonable now and we should get drinks!

and no, curmudgeon, nobody respects the Rammys.

It rhymes with Wammies and Grammys

yeah let's just say it's a lot like the Wammies.

what's everyone think of tyler cowen (profiled, not for the first time, in the post today)? i'm impressed by the scale of his ethnic food guide but unsure of its credibility. his takes on a few places i've eaten at seem accurate enough, though.

It's a lot more useful as a blog where you get an accurate picture of the most recent info rather than as a dining guide. His takes are pretty good, but based on the sheer number of restaurants a lot of places he's reviewed have closed, changed ownership, or gone downhill in the intervening time and it may not be reflected in his guide for years.

Also, most of his takes seem to be based on a single visit, which is dangerous - he may miss out on a place's best dishes, it may be an off night, etc.

Hi TB I live here bow btw and also want to has drinks! Also if you have an apartment up your sleeve I will take that, too.

seems like he returns again and again to his favorites, which is not surprising but yeah, could mean he is missing out on stuff. many of the ones i spot-checked were from 2008-2006.

seen three white tops flying over in the last 30 minutes--over the years i've seen probably hundreds but it still makes me wonder who's flying where and why

now it's six so i figure training exercises

Wow.

The photo of Cowen in that article is at Eyo, an excellent Ethiopian place in Bailey's X-Rds/Falls Church near Arlington and Alexandria (but not metro train friendly). I ate there recently. But you folks are right--some of the information is out-of-date.

Area btw u st and col heights: shady or no? Coworker says it can be... Is that just because he's from indiana?

It can be, but it depends block-by-block, and what street you'd be on. Less shady than Columbia Heights itself, though.

Just gonna live in the damn metro. Those seats aren't so uncomfortable...

block-by-block is right, but i don't know that i'd agree that the streets going up the hill are less shady than CH proper on average.

i've lived in CH for more than two years, with a number of roommates both male and female, and i know a number of other people who live in the area, but i don't know anyone who's been a victim of non-vehicular crime here. a couple friends have gotten mugged around U street, however. personal anecdote, sure, but i think outside of targeted violence CH is about as safe as other central DC neighborhoods.

CH is best if you stick around the corridor btwn 11th and 13th st imo.

on a north/south tip, where does ch begin?

meant to go to dj set at u st tonight but i just remembered and am home in alexandria :\

i think it's like florida (south) to spring (north)

I would maybe put CH starting at Clifton or even Euclid to the south, with the area to the East of Meridian Hill Park kind of being neighborhoodless? It's never seemed like CH to me, but it doesn't really belong to U St. Sort of "U St Heights", I guess.

btw tehresa you missed out on U Hall tonight for sure! The DJs were great, as was the crowd. daria g was there!

I really wanted to go but after last minute stress over an event today it completely slipped my mind when I left work! However, anyone who's up for a drink around 8 tonight, hollaaaaa. I'm gonna need it.

Sorry, I saw that post about a drink too late :-(

hey dc, i was walking home on U street this evening and i found a random drawing on the sidewalk. really:
http://i49.tinypic.com/vzuw4.jpg

HUNTER AGE 3! we missed you!!!

waaaaaauuuuu

i don't even know. it was just there. so weird.