All stories about "Washington Dc"

More than half a million Salvadorans live in Washington DC, which means that all those DC politicians hating on Mexicans are wasting their time. They're also missing out on pupusas, El Salvador's greatest export after MS-13 and Efren Ramirez. For those gringos not in the know, bienvenidos to the quintessential Central American comfort food: fried cornmeal patties stuffed with grilled-cheese goodness and piled high with curtido (pickled cabbage), then sprinkled with vinegary hot sauce. Yum! Pupusas also come stuffed with other things, like loroco, refried beans, rendered pork fat, or revueltas, but beginners should probably stick to con queso. Let New Yorkers be bagel snobs -- with about a hundred pupuserias in town, we Washingtonians get to be muy picky about our pupusas.

Everyday on Gridskipper we give you a new map. Some are new, some are fetched from our archive, newly updated. Happy Gridskipping. Washington DC is a middle-class town filled with middle-class tastes. That explains the 45 minute wait at the Cheesecake Factory and why chicken fried steak is a daily special every day, everywhere. But what if you're making money in this town? And you wanna blow loads of cash? On food that means something? Where can you go? Wealthy Washingtonians usually skip town for the glamours of the Inn at Little Washington, which twice made it to Forbes' list of the Top Ten Most Expensive Restaurants in World. Otherwise, petit bourgeois get their inner peace at the following venues, where price matters as much as taste. Any restaurant that you can walk out of without dropping a hundred bucks doesn't make the cut. (photo)

I still can't figure out why my boyfriend doesn't desire a day at the spa like I do. It's especially odd, because there are all kinds of barbershops, boutique salons and spas that cater to the manly men of this city. Maybe he thinks that a $100 treatment called "The Commander in Chief" that includes a manicure is both emasculating and expensive? It sounds good to me. Anyway, here are a few spots in Washington where you can clean up your filthy boyfriend.

A few weeks ago I was raving to my father-in-law about Rustico, a neighborhood restaurant in Alexandria, VA, just outside of DC. Between its 331 types of beer and new American cuisine, I figured it'd be a great place to take him on his next visit. But when I said that my favorite meal there was macaroni and cheese, he laughed. "You go to a restaurant for macaroni and cheese? How much is it?" "$16," I whimpered and his laughter intensified. You know, maybe I am a fool. But damn it, ex-editor Chris's write up of New York's best restaurants for mac and cheese was one of the most read posts of 2007 on Gridskipper. So I can't be the only idiot. Maybe as current editor John said, "All these urban sophisticates are just softies once you crack the surface." Regardless, whether you're a fool, urban softy, or yuppie who can't fathom paying $0.50 for something when you could pay $16 for it, here's are DC's best restaurants for mac and cheese. (photo)

To say I love Eggs Benedict would be a bit of an understatement. One of the greatest challenges I face at brunch is wrenching myself away from my beloved Eggs Benny and trying other options on the menu. This post is a roundup of my favorite restaurants for Eggs Benedict in the District. It is also purely selfish, as I'm hoping to get suggestions on some fantastic new Eggs Benedict spots to satisfy my craving. Comments welcome! ()

Spring has sprung and along with the cherry blossoms and cute baby animals is a raging army of workaholics just dying to break out of the office and go totally wild. Not some bikini blitz or a round of jello shots -- we're talking into the wild, you know . . nature.

But is it possible, you ask, to experience real nature in the metropolitan madness that is Washington, D.C.? Sure it is. Whether you're looking for a coyote pack, a hooting owl, or just a quiet spot under a tree (sans dog poo), the Capital is like a big old national park, except with interns instead of moose (though we do have black squirrels). To guide us through our backyard jungle, we turn to our good friends at DCNature.com, a bunch of local shutterbugs who showcase their candid photography of local wildlife in and around the beltway. (photo)

Washington, D.C., is moving forward with its plan to require meters in all taxicabs by June 1, with the month of May given over to warnings for those who haven't yet installed them. From June, cab pricing will no longer be determined by the current system, made up of 22 concentric zones, but instead with a more straightforward distance method. The initial cost will be $3, plus $0.25 for each sixth of a mile driven; each additional rider will cost $1.50. What will May be like, with the potential for two systems to be operating at the same time? Confusing. [WaPo; non-DC meter: aleksejs.busarovs/flickr]

Last week the Washington City Paper came out with its annual Best of, with a multitude of categories both essential (Best Burger, Best Bikini Wax, Best Place to Have Your Mom Buy You Slacks) and arbitrary (Best Front Desk Operators, Best Remnant of the Liberal Media, Best Wonk). Some highlights after the jump. (Holzer sculpture: afagen/flickr)

Without ice cream, there would be darkness and chaos, Olympic marathoner Don Kardong once said. He was right. There is simply no way to survive a sweltering DC summer without that frozen goodness, calories and all. So, why would you even try? Without further ado, your ice cream/gelato survival guide. Suggestions welcome via the comments. (foot-slogger/flickr)

It's bizarre. Washington, D.C., is not on the coast, doesn't have an abundance of top-tier seafood restaurants, and the Asians have been shunted to the suburbs. But a lot of DC restaurants serve excellent tuna tartare, the most delicious pink, moist, fishy-smelling appetizer that doesn't leave you picking hair out of your teeth afterwards. (photo)

Back in college I thought I was allergic to wine; a few glasses and I'd have a two-day hangover. But then I graduated, got a job, and was able to afford wine out of a bottle. Good bye Franzia, hello muse! But as much as I enjoy wine now, I hate the pretense that goes with it at some stores and restaurants. It's been a while since I gnawed on bark, so saying a wine has a "slightly oaky tint" doesn't tell me whether or not I'll like it. And the prices can be even more off putting. When I'm in your store at noon on a Tuesday reeking of last night, wearing a t-shirt that says "Dykes against Bush," with a cigarette butt in my hair, do I look like I'm in the market for a $30 "special occasion" wine? Here are some DC area wine stores that offer good selections at reasonable prices with minimal affectation. (photo)

If video killed the radio, then the iTunes and other downloadable music options have effectively killed the music store. OK, not entirely. While a few of the independent music stores that I had planned to include on this list -- Kemp Hill Music and Orpheus Records -- have closed or will soon, a handful of DC's independent music stores have survived the war. Here's a few of my favorites -- add yours in the comments.

The Washington Post has a great map compiling the hundreds of farmers markets in the metro area. What makes it most useful is the ability to filter by day as well as by area. Trending up at most of these markets are outlets selling meat and dairy -- "People are treating their trip to the farmers market as one-stop shopping," says one of the co-directors for a group of the markets. (Carly & Art/flickr)

Yankee liberal John F. Kennedy referred to Washington as a city of Southern efficiency and Northern charm, but that ain't so funny if you know your history. The Union came mighty close to losing its capital to the Confederacy, and if it wasn't for Grant pulling his troops out of Richmond, Washingtonians would all be speaking Southern. But the War of Northern Aggression is finally, officially, actually over and time heals all wounds, right? Exceptin' the ones that don't heal -- that's what rememberin' is for! Not racism or bigotry folks, but a simple celebration of the South and the fine American tradition of insurrection. Seein' as half the tourists who visit the Union come from Dixieland and the rest of 'em is good ol' boys, Washington, D.C., demands its very own list of confederate highlights. Alas, none of the following venues take Confederate dollars, yet. (spike 55151/flickr)

When I told my friend that I wanted to do a post on DC's most overrated restaurants, he sagely said that there is not enough room on the Internet to list them all. It's a phenomenon I don't understand. Unrelenting praise and enormous crowds in this city are always elevating mediocre, overpriced restaurants. Could it be that Washington as a whole lacks taste? Put down your theories in the comments; in the meantime, here's a list of the worst of the worst.

Weed lovers in D.C. find themselves wading through a pool of over-accomplished and pompous d-bags. So chill, brah, and partake in many of the fine red-eye friendly eating establishments and thought-provoking outdoor activities. It's hard to brave the tourist haunts and general public when you're sober, so numb the pain a little and blow your mind at some of D.C.'s more stimulating attractions. (photo)

Meet the Newseum, the latest Arlington resident to flee the 'burbs for D.C. The museum, which opens to the public today, is at Pennsylvania Ave. and 6th St., NW., giving it a stunning view of the Capitol and proximity to thousands of fanny-packing (and ticket-buying) tourists. Artifacts range from pieces of the Berlin Wall to a bullet-ridden truck Time reporters drove through the Balkans in the 1990s. (No word on whether Hillary accompanied them.) In a town of free museums, the $20 price tag for the Newseum seems steep, but it's worth it. Totally broke? Check it out on your lunch break. Admission is free today only. Inside, some of the exhibits and items that make it worth a stop.

Whether you are a bi-curious woman who's part of a couple, a hardcore swinger without time for idle chitchat, a bear into the leather scene, someone who thinks fat-bottomed girls make the rockin' world go 'round, a confused man willing to put part of yourself into a hole in a wall and hope for the best, an elderly homosexual into autoeroticism, or a dedicated practitioner of doggystyle, Washington, DC, has a club for you. Although these sex and swingers clubs cater to a wide range of interests, most them have another thing in common: they bill themselves as "classy." (For the record, and to protect my wife's integrity, all research for this piece was conducted online or through interviews. And what's below the jump is NSFW, unless of course you work for Gridskipper.) (photo)

Mirror, mirror, on the wall, which bar's the queerest of them all? Well, do you mean "gay" or do you mean, like gay? Because Washington's gayer than sushi and scented candles on Sunday, but the district also boasts one of the highest concentrations of homos in America. If it's "gay" you're looking for then skip to the mall and all around the RNC. If you simply want gay, then you must go into a local bar that has men inside it. Sadly, some of the best bars closed down and other bars just suck.

Washington's Citypaper has a cool photo-essay with a slideshow of some well framed store windows, bus shelters, and other glass structures throughout the city.