The Food Network Comes Back to DC!

I happened to catch a new Food Network show tonight called the "Hungry Detective" where they were checking out the culinary scene right here in our backyard. I've never seen this show before, and the guy isn't my favorite host ever, but I'm happy to watch a show about the great food choices in my town!

For the first stop, the HD was looking for a really authentic local meal.... so he ended up on U Street at Ben's Chili Bowl. Good choice! He talked to some cops to get some recommendations, then spent time with Ben Jr. in the kitchen. Ben Jr. revealed that back when Clinton was in the White House, they used to get calls fairly often for takeout orders! I haven't been to Ben's in a while, and I was actually a vegetarian last time I was there so I got the veggie chili. But it was good and I'd definitely be up for going back now for the meat version!

The host says he wants to leave the touristy area and head out into the neighborhoods... so he ends up where? In Chinatown.... but he bypasses Capital Q BBQ but is directed to the owner's other place down at the waterfront, the Cantina Marina. Which I've never heard of... but then again, I've never hung out on the SW waterfront. They showed the Sequoia, the former Presidential boat, which is permanently docked there. Interesting. BBQ shrimp tacos soon follow, plus some spicy drinks. Yeah, I don't see myself makin' tracks down there anytime soon.

The HD explored Adams Morgan, right in my backard. He called it "an eclectic hodgepodge of all kinds of things!" Of course, he ends up at Julia's Empanadas. Which I guess is to be expected... but I'm not the world's biggest fan, so I would've preferred he try something different in the 'hood. It sounds like there's a real Julia, though, cuz the woman he interviewed said Julia was her mother....

Continuing on, he went on a hunt for what he called "one of DC's signature dishes - Virginia Ham." Really? He goes to Colorado Kitchen with a few active duty soldiers he met up with. This HD host is former military and it sounds like he's a former cop, too, cuz he's recommending that you should always look for men in uniform as a stamp of approval at an eatery. Okay... although I would normally hope for healthier food than what he was showing us tonight. At the Colorado Kitchen, he went for a Virginia Ham and Gruyere Napoleon. Wow. This guy is really into fatty, heavy, greasy food!

Finally, he went on a search for some good "East Coast seafood" and made his way to Dupont for Hank's Oyster Bar. I've never been there, but it looks like it's right next to Trio's on 17th based on what they showed of the neighborhood. The owner is a woman, and Hank was her dad. Sweet. The HD goes for a lobster roll and a crab cake, and he did talk a lot about how crab cakes around here are so great. I'd agree, they are one of my regional faves that I've grown to love since moving here.

The HD host covered all this ground in just a 1/2 hour show.... and I don't even want to think about how many calories he consumed here in our nation's capital!

Superhero Envy

In honor of NBC's freshman hit Heroes, which had a *much* better episode tonight than last week, I pose a question to my faithful readers:

If you were suddenly to develop a superpower, what would you want it to be?

Would you want to fly? Or be invisible? See the future? Freeze things with your mind? Cast spells? Travel through time? Turn every stoplight green? See through people's clothes?

For years, whenever I'd be asked this question (more often than you might guess), I would say "I want the power to communicate with animals, because then I'd have a whole furry, feathered, and fishy army at my disposal when I need it." To which my brother once replied "What makes you think that just cuz you can talk to the animals, that they'll want to listen to you?"

Yeah, thanks. I guess little brothers always have the power to bring you back down to earth.

PS: Rock on, Mr. Sulu!

A Week with the Boob Tube

I've been sick this week. So I've spent a lot of time just vegging on my couch staring at the idiot box. Here are just a random collection of things that I've seen this week and how I feel about them....

TV Things that Make Me Happy:

1. Jim Halpert's facial expressions.

2. Keith Olbermann + Chris Matthews = Countball!

3. TV on DVD, and by association Netflix and the Barnes & Noble January blowout sale.

4. Dentists named Crentist.

5. Callie, Bailey, and Addison. I want to be their friend!

6. The strange but satisfying feeling of the universe making sense that comes when you happen to be eating a PB&J wrap with Smuckers jam at the *exact same moment* that Willard Scott does his Smuckers birthday roundup.

7. Mac and PC. I'd watch a whole show of them!

8. Oscar nominations! It's my favorite time of year!

9. When Izzy starts baking. I love that as a quirk! I wish I had a roomie who baked lot of stuff.

TV Things that Annoy Me:

1. That iVillage show. Dumbed down estrogen pandering.

2. When shows come back from a long hiatus and aren't as awesome as you remember. (I'm looking at you, Heroes!)

3. SOTU. And when the POTUS and his GOP suck. And the way that I've become so DC that I use an acronym for everything!

4. When a whole bunch of reality show stars are really evil and pick on someone, but then the stupid viewing audience all votes in a poll that shows that they AGREE with the evil clique and are all picking on the same poor schmuck!

5. Somehow, when I start watching "Deal or No Deal" I just CAN'T LOOK AWAY. And then thein bring on HANSON and they start singing MMMM BOP and I am trapped as if in tv quicksand!

6. Isaiah Washington is still working.

7. Commercials that talk about monkeys but are clearly showing chimpanzees. Not the same!

TV Things that Make Me Sad:

1. Clearly, Top Chef's Sam's power - and his hotness - were all in his hair. Now he looks stupid and acts like an a@@.

2. All this nasty made-up fluff and stupidity that disguise themselves as news, like the Obama / Muslim school story and all the discussion about whether Madame Speaker was having a good hair day or not.

3. When just one character sucks so hard that they can ruin an otherwise decent season of one of your favorite shows. (I'm looking at you, Vaughn's stupid double agent British wife!)

4. Reruns when you weren't expecting it!

5. When it's time to go to bed..... there are probably still some great bad movies I'm missing!

The Envelope, Please....

Well, kids, you've waited a whole year for it.... and now here it is:

Welcome to the

Second Annual Sterfanie Oscars Contest!!!!

Yep, that's right, it's a way for you to play along at home!

Here's how you play:

1. Check out the full list of nominees, which you can find right here.

2. Make your picks, one for every category.

3. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP -- answer these three tie-breaking questions:
a. Which movie will win the most awards overall?
b. How many awards will that top-winning movie win?
c. What time, without going over, will the Oscar telecast end? (Eastern time, please)

4. Email me your picks at stefsoscarpool AT yahoo DOT com. I will send you a confirmation email once I receive your entry. *Please send your entries no later than noon on February 25.*

5. Settle in for a long night at the Kodak and watch the Oscar telecast on Sunday, February 25 at 8 pm Eastern time and then check this blog to see who wins.

THERE WILL BE A DARN GOOD PRIZE!!!!!! :-)

The Field Grows

It's been an exciting week for the 2008 Presidential campaign on the Democratic side. We now have three more hat-tossers in the ring, and now it's time for them to show us what their vision for this country is. And it's our job to get to know them better as we prepare to make our choice for the next standard-bearer for the Democratic Party.

Here are a few of my thoughts on the three who've made it official this week -- I'd love to hear what you think, too:

Senator Hillary Clinton
I confess that I am one of those Democratic women who admires Hillary for what she's accomplished, but hopes she doesn't end up being the final candidate. She's a strong woman and seems to have really created a great place for herself in the Senate. I would love to see her stay there and become even more of a Democratic leader in that body, or I could see her being a very, very interesting member of a Democratic cabinet or, even better, a Supreme Court Justice. There are several really interesting potential avenues for Hillary to take, and the woman who has already broken down barriers and redefined the image of a First Lady, let alone the image of a "working wife" in general, could still achieve several "firsts" in her career.

However, I am afraid that if she were to become the Democratic candidate in 2008, all of the old anger and mudslinging and accusations about the state of her marriage would resurface, and we would be in for a really ugly campaign. I am afraid that the Republicans would gun for her like nothing we've ever seen before, and she would have to retaliate, the slimy state of campaign financing would turn off voters who'd want no part of the back-biting mess. And, mostly, I am afraid that there are people out there who have still never accepted her decision to stay with her husband.

I am thrilled at the possibility of having a powerful, viable female candidate for our nation's highest office, yet I worry that Hillary's own history of being a powerful female who had had to make tough personal choices will be held against her. I don't like feeling this way, but I am concerned that she would not win in a general election. I believe that none of us want to see 2008 look like 1998 all over again.


Senator Barack Obama
I want to like Obama. I've heard really good things about him from people who've worked with him. I agree that he's exciting, and brings a fresh feeling of hope and positivity to politics that hasn't been there in a while. He has inspired a pretty astounding frenzy of passion from both the people and the press. But, I'm not quite on the Obama bandwagon yet.

I remember watching Howard Dean become a superstar over night. Was it Time or Newsweek that had him on the cover as the man likely to be our next President? Remember that? That was a whole lot of media buildup and spin, hails of a grassroots revolution and huge expectations, that just fizzled out in the primaries. So it's a good reminder that the term "front-runner" is usually just a media appellation -- no one's actually voted on anything yet.

Yesterday, a friend of mine who had been a strong Obama supporter for his Illinois Senate race said she thought it was an incredible "act of hubris" that Obama is already seeking the Presidency. Does he believe his own hype? He's young and untested - which doesn't necessarily have to matter when the voters decide, but it could make a difference in how he would be able to handle the job.

I was reminded that I thought one of the classiest moves that Hillary Clinton ever made was to NOT run in 2004. No matter what her real reasons were, I thought it was a great sign of her commitment to serve the people of New York. She fulfilled her complete 6-year term and didn't try to take advantage of the media push to run for higher office so early on. She outlived those "carpetbagger" accusations and has become a real advocate for the State of New York. So what are we to think of Obama's service to his constituents? Only 2 years in, he's announcing that he wants a new job. He'll likely spend the next 2 years fundraising and campaigning in the primary states. So what of the people of Illinois, the people who gave him his current job?

Obama's exciting and ambitious, all right. I just worry that he's too much so.

Governor Bill Richardson
Today, Governor Richardson became the latest contender. While I don't know much about his specific issue positions, I have been impressed with him when I've seen him interviewed in the past. He's Hispanic and he's governor of New Mexico, a state that could become more and more prominent as our demographics keep changing. He has a long resume with exactly the kind of experience you'd want in a serious candidate - elected to Congress, serving as US Ambassador to the UN, appointed to a Cabinet office, and being asked to be a negotiator in major foreign policy situations, including North Korea, Iraq, and the Sudan.

Richardson's biggest challenge will probably be name recognition and just making himself known in such a crowded field. But I think he could be a great potential VP candidate, who could boost the experience and the appeal of any of the current top 3 Democratic contenders. I definitely need to learn more about Richardson....

A Milestone

It's January 20th! Know what that means? We've hit the halfway mark! Or, really, the 3/4's-way mark!

Two years ago, January 20, 2005, was Bush's 2nd Inauguration. That means exactly two years from today, January 20, 2009, will see someone new taking over the White House. Hallelujah!

730 days to go!

Fashion Advice?

Trusty readers, I need your opinion....

What exactly does one wear to a couples shower these days?

I've been to bridal showers in the warmer months, when all the ladies wear their loveliest floral dresses. But what about in the winter? When it's bitch-a@@ cold?

Pants and a nice sweater? A long skirt? A mermaid costume?

(Just checking to see if you were reading!)

Thoughts?

One to Watch

Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska worries me. Why does he worry me? Cuz I think he could be some very tough competition.

I firmly believe that the biggest litmus test for the next crop of Presidential wannabes, on both sides of the aisle, will be where they have stood on the Iraq War, from the beginning to the middle to the end. And while he did vote for the original Iraq Resolution, Chuck Hagel has been a very vocal, very passionate, very ANGRY critic of Bush's Blunder for a long time - longer than most Democrats, even longer than my beloved John Edwards.

If I were a moderate Republican and looking at the field of potential leaders out there, I think Hagel and maybe Giuliani would be the only ones that seem attractive as a candidate for 2008. And we all know the challenges Giuliani might face on the Republican side of a general election... Hagel's a real man's man, a Vietnam vet and Purple Heart winner, and he's a social conservative. So he's the type of guy that Republicans across the country could really embrace.

I've been watching Hagel for months now. And with every turn and every move that he makes, he starts looking more and more like a contender.

I am counting down the days until the end of this NeoCon regime - 736 to go! - and while I'll be glad to wave goodbye to the Bushies no matter who comes next, I am going to do my damnedest to make sure the next residents of that big mansion down the street are Democrats. So seeing a potentially viable Conservative Republican emerging has me more than a little nervous...

Another Sign We're Getting Old....

Van Halen..... REM.... Grandmaster Flash? Wow, I remember when these guys were all huge. Number one hits on the radio, videos on MTV, frequent rotation at our middle school dances. And now they're getting inducted into the Rock 'N Roll Hall of Fame. Yikes.

I think I will officially hit my mid-life crisis point when they induct my college bands like Hootie & the Blowfish, the Indigo Girls or Dave Matthews. It's not that far away, folks!

In fact, I had a conversation recently after that episode of "The Office" when they all started singing "Closer to Fine" -- the woman I was talking to is 23, and she didn't recognize the song. I said "that was a huge song for me in college - I would stand on tables and sing along at the top of my lungs - it as an anthem!" She still didn't get it, so I said "Oh, whatever, you were probably 9 or something...." Then she did the math. And, yes, she was 9.

I'm going to go whimper in a corner now - where has our youth gone????

History is Made

Third in line.... and there are now 90 women in the Congress. We've come a long way, baby! Happy Democrat Day!

Jealous Much?

I am!

My mom just called to tell me she and my Dad have figured out their plans for their joint 60th birthday celebration, which will hit for both of them in 2008.

Now, some parents may want a big party, or maybe a romantic weekend trip somewhere.

But no, not my ridiculously carefree globe-trotting parents.

They plan to climb Mount Kilimanjaro!



It's a 7-day hike up the mountain with guides and porters and such, and they'll extend the trip to spend some time in Botswana. They have been to Africa 4 or 5 times already and said all they really want to do for their birthday is go back. Mom really wants to go now before the snows of Kilimanjaro all melt. (See Al Gore's movie for details.) They're all ready - planning to use their hiking gear from Amazon trips and their winter gear from their trip to Antarctica. Do you kinda hate them a little bit? Yeah, me too. They're even hiring a trainer to get them in shape for climbing the mountain.

And how did they come up with this plan? They read an article about it in the paper this morning. By the end of the day, they'd made all the calls and set up their arrangements.

Wow, I really wish I had my parents' life!

Is Representation in Sight???

Word on the street (and by street, I mean news sites) is that one of the top agenda items for the new Democratic Congress is fixing a 200-year-old wrong and giving the residents of the nation's capital - including yours truly - true representation in our legislative process.

Key leaders have been trying to make this happen for a long time, but it finally appears that a number of major puzzle pieces just might be in place. Pelosi's behind it, as are Conyers and Lieberman, and they will have a large role in setting this part of the legislative agenda. The Utah Senators are also behind it, and they are key as the Davis-Norton plan involves adding one House seat for DC and one House seat for Utah. That trade works for me.

And from that CNN article, just a reminder of exactly how wrong this problem is:

...the 600,000 citizens of the district are still the only residents of a national capital in any democracy in the world without full voting rights.

In fact, it wasn't even until 1961 that DC residents could vote in the Presidential elections. That doesn't do a very good job of reflecting our core belief in a government of, by and for "We, the people" now does it? Let's hope the new Congress remedies this problem, pronto.