Friday Question of the Day

Friday Question of the Day – What’s Your Favorite Summer Meal/Recipe? (reader request)

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user caroline.angelo

I’ve had a couple of requests to get some recipes from PoPville so I thought it would make for a fun Friday Question of the Day. Personally my number one favorite summer time meal is lobster and corn on the cob. So, quick side question – where’s the best place (that’s not a fancy restaurant) to get lobster and corn on the cob in DC? Or should I just switch to crabs and old bay?

But for the Friday Question of the Day – it’s a simple one – what’s your favorite Summer meal (and for the cooks if you are able to share a basic recipe – all the better!)

Back in ’09 we spoke about our favorite summertime drinks here.

Friday Question of the Day – What is Your Opinion of Franklin Square Park?

By Prince Of Petworth

A couple of folks have mentioned this in passing on previous posts but we’ve never addressed it directly. Basically, it is my understanding, that there used to be a lot of homeless in the McPherson Square park before it got fixed up. Today, in the nearby Franklin Square (14th and K St, NW) there are a lot of homeless people in the park. Others have mentioned that parks are for all people including the homeless. So I’m just curious what people think about Franklin Square nowadays? I know office workers used to eat lunch here all the time in the nice weather – does that still happen? Has the large number of homeless people in the park changed how often you visit it? Does the city need to step in with a more aggressive outreach program?

So for the Friday Question of the Day – what is your opinion of Franklin Square park? Can/should anything be done to improve its appeal?


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Friday Question of the Day – Will You (Do You) Send Your Children to School in DC?

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo of ‘Shenanigans with the marquee at Garrison Elementary’ by PoPville reader JS

In Feb. we had a discussion about schools in PoPville and I was (happily) surprised to hear many positive recommendations. Just a few years ago if I spoke to people who had young children or were planning on having them about 95% said they would move out of DC when it was time to send their kids to school. So I’d like to revisit that question to see if sentiments have changed over the years.

For the Friday Question of the Day – very simply – will you (do you) send your children to school in DC? If yes, will you/do you send them to public school, charter school or private school?

I’ve also heard that it is common to send your children to elementary school in DC but then move when they reach middle school or high school age – do you plan on sending your children to school in DC through high school?


Friday Question of the Day – What’s The Best Local DC Chain/Who’s the Best Local DC Restauranteur?

By Prince Of Petworth

On Wed. Washingtonian Magazine reported that Taylor’s will be opening a 5th store at 1910 14th St, NW (pictured above where Ruff n Ready currently resides by T St.) They note that Taylor’s currently has stores at H St, NE, at Fifth and K St, NW, and in Bethesda. Ed. Note: Thanks to all who sent emails about this. One reader notes that the new store on 14th St. is supposed to deliver to Columbia Heights.

So it got me thinking for the Friday Question of the Day – what is your favorite local DC Chain? I’ve expanded the definition to include multiple bars/restaurants/stores by the same owner ie Jose Andres of Jaleo and Zaytinya among others, fame. Others I’d include would be Cava Grill – who by the by are currently looking to open another spot in downtown/Penn Quarter; the Matchbox folks (recent scuttlebutt tells me that they are also looking for a new space around 14th and T St, NW); Spike Mendelsohn of Good Stuff and We the Pizza Fame, and who else am I missing? The folks from the Buffalo Billiards chain? Any other successful homegrown chains?

One quick side question: Do you think these local chains water themselves down by opening new stores or are they able to maintain the quality that they achieved in their first ventures?

So for the FQotD – what/who is DC’s best local chain and/or restauranteur?

Friday Question of the Day – What Retail is U Street Missing?

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoP,

The Georgetown valet signs are up at 13th and U St, NW (below Boundless Yoga). It is sad to see such a beautiful and prime retail location go to a dry cleaners. The cleaners is huge and spans the entire building along u st. It even has a nice cafe area – but totally lost on a dry cleaner. Sigh. Had such high hopes for this spot.”

It is a great building that we judged back in March ’11. So let’s make this a two part question – for this specific prime location (13th and U St, NW) what do you think U Street would have most benefited by? What do you think U Street is missing in general?

I would love to see a beer garden like H St, NE’s Biergarten. Though I’m pretty excited that some skiball will be coming shortly to U Street, NW.

What would you like to see?

Friday Question of the Day – Police Alerts – useful or just stressful?

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo of ‘last night’s battle’ by PoPville flickr user JosephLeonardo

“Dear PoPville,

I recently signed up for the DC alert text messages and e-mails. I now get several e-mails and texts a day about robberies and other crimes. It is quite surprising. I however caveat this with the fact that I have lived here for 2 years and have never really been near or seen anything bad go down (knock on wood). Will these constant notifications just get me scared/worried all the time or are they actually useful? Do you get them?”

It’s a very good question and one that I often wrestle with when deciding about what crime stories to post or not post here. I’d say I regularly get over a dozen emails a week (sadly, sometimes many many more) from readers talking about crimes (and this is not including the daily alerts sent by MPD.) Often times when I’m on a walkabout I recall a horrible crime on the street I’m passing by. These are obviously not pleasant thoughts. When people introduce themselves to me and tell me where they live, my brain automatically catalogs what crimes have happened nearby. I don’t think this is necessarily a healthy thing. I can’t help it.

For me personally, I think it’s very important that I know what’s going on because of the blog. But if I weren’t running this blog – I honestly don’t think I’d want to know about every single crime that takes place. However, having said that, I still think it is useful to know that some crimes are happening and where they are happening just to remind you to be alert. And some people like to know what is the cause of every single siren they hear – and this is a good way to do that.

So for the Friday Question of the Day: What do you guys think – do you think it is useful or stressful to sign up for MPD police alerts? If you are interested you can sign up for the MPD listserves here.

After the jump you can see an example email from Thurs. sent out daily by all MPD Districts (more…)

Friday Question of the Day – What’s Your Favorite Food Truck?

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user ekelly80

It’s been a long time since we’ve spoken about food trucks and I can’t believe how many there are today. I don’t recognize half the names. If you haven’t been keeping up, Food Truck Fiesta has, by far, the most extensive list of trucks (full list after the jump).

So for the Friday Question of the Day – what’s your favorite truck? How often do you eat at trucks (once a week, daily)? How long is the wait generally? How much would you say an average lunch costs? Do you find that they come near where you work or do you have to seek them out?

I’ve only tried a couple – I loved the Lobster truck but I’ll never wait on a line that long again. What’s your favorite?

Full list after the jump. (more…)

Friday Question of the Day – What’s Your Favorite “off-the-beaten-path” Activity in DC? (Reader Request)

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo of ‘the stingrays and fish in the Amazonia House’ by PoPville flickr user Lauren PM

“Dear PoP,

What are some different, off-the-beaten-path, or other things to do in DC other than the usual monuments or museums? list can include free, paid, tours, restaurants, delis, wineries in the area, etc.”

Wow that’s a general question! But I like it. I like it because one person’s “off the beaten path” activity my be obvious to some but not to all. So I hope this will be a good repository for the fun not so obvious things to do around town. So the picture I chose above may seem obvious to some – the National Zoo is not exactly off the beaten path but I know tons of people who’ve never visited the Amazonia House – which is my favorite part of the zoo. Back in July ’09 we also had a general discussion of fun things to do – but I’d say we’re do for a refresh.

So for the Friday Question of the Day – let’s say – what are your top three not so obvious favorite things to do/eat/see in DC?

I’ll say Franciscan Monastery in Brookland, Capital City Market in Near Northeast and Deli City Restaurant is located at 2200 Bladensburg Road NE.

What are your top 3 favorite “off the beaten path” activities in the DC area?

Friday Question of the Day – Where’s Your Favorite Hotel Pool in DC?

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoP,

I have received conflicting information from neighbors, but are there hotels that allow pay-for-use pools to the general public? I’ve been told the Hinkley Hilton and Omni, but have then heard no from some people – anyone know the real deal? Hilton keeps trying to sell me $150 a month pool memberships which I really have no interest in. Any help would be appreciated!”

While we’re waiting for the public pools to open – this is a great question. I know I’ve heard people mention great hotel pool deals (I think one is near Scott Circle) but I can never remember the details. So where are some good hotel/private pool options and how much does it cost?

Friday Question of the Day – What Restaurant Can Take Care of 60 People on Little Notice?

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoP,

I’m in a bit of a bind and figured PoP readers may have some suggestions. I had a rehearsal dinner scheduled for next Friday at one the Georgetown Waterfront restaurants. Needless to say, since it was inundated with about 4-5 feet of water Monday, we are in desperate need of an alternative location.

I’ve found some options, but they all fall outside our desired geographical area (Dupont, U st, Woodley Park). Any suggestions for a place that can put together a diner for 60 on short notice?”

Hmm what about Cassa Nonna located at 1250 Connecticut Ave, NW? Where would you guys recommend?

And for the Friday Question of the Day – where are the best restaurants in DC that can take care of a big group?

And on a side note: I’ve been meaning to share some good news of my own. So a month from today I’m getting married! I am beyond happy and promise to share a photo from the wedding (Pablo.Raw and Kay Campbell will be taking some shots). I know I don’t talk about personal things too much but I’m gonna be out of the loop a bit for a week at the end of May and for a week in the beginning of Sept. My fiancee is the greatest and doesn’t mind my insane blogging hours but I promised that I’ll be completely offline for our wedding and honeymoon. I hope to have the LoP, Eric Nuzum, fill in a bit while I’m gone. Thanks in advance for understanding!

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