A recent Washington Post article about the possible demise of DC institution The Waffle Shop made the rounds yesterday and I felt compelled to comment and reminisce
Back in the 90′s I worked across the street from The Waffle Shop at
Ford’s Theater. Early each morning I’d walk from my Chinatown apartment
through the pre-MCI Center urban blight to open Ford’s gift-shop. Back
in those days there wasn’t a lot of choice for breakfast along the way.
In fact the neighborhood offered up a whole lot of nothing, a bunch of
run-down abandoned buildings and a few wig shops. The area between
Ford’s and Chinatown was pretty depressing in any light, but especially
so in the early morning, pre-work gloom.
Each morning I made that walk ended with me rounding the corner of
10th and F to be greeted by the warm glow coming from The Waffle Shop. I
gave The Waffle Shop a try my first week working at Ford’s and romanced
by the atmosphere of the place I quickly became a regular at the
old-school, breakfast diner.
To me The Waffle Shop was a place where the real, honest, working
folk of DC went for a cup of coffee, a bite to eat, and a couple
scratch-off lotto cards before a long day at work. It was an authentic
place, its years of short-order grilling showing up on its walls and its
battle-scarred waffle-irons. It was a place to share tables with
strangers, to bullshit about the weather or politics, and to commiserate –
“another day another dollar”. The Waffle Shop was an original, a place
with an edge, earned through survival. Serving its loyal, clientele
even as the neighborhood around it had long since declined. My
breakfasts there always ended with either a good conversation, a wizened
nod from an old-timer, or a smile from one of the waitresses laughing
at that “crazy, white-boy from over at Ford’s”.
The late 90′s brought a whole lot of development to the area which
brought a mixed bag of emotions. Seeing life pumped back into blocks of
empty buildings was exhilarating at times. But also left me with
reservations about the ultimate goal of the project. Like eras of urban
renovation past, would this one become unchecked and rampant?
After reading about the possible closing of The Waffle Shop due to
newly formed development plans for that block I am inclined to say that
yes, development has become unbound. When we are forcing long-standing
businesses to close in the name of yet another new office-block among
pre-existing dozens we have moved beyond the downtown renovation project
into the territory of developmental vulturing.
The Waffle Shop has been serving Washingtonians breakfast for more
than 50 years through times both thick and thin. It is a place that has
been through the ringer with loyal, long-time customers who now border
on being family. While not as flashy, I equate The Waffle Shop to Ben’s
Chili Bowl in the importance of both places to their customers and the
living, breathing representation both places offer of local DC life over
the years.
The Waffle Shop is a DC original that can’t be reproduced in the
modern age. It is a museum thriving with life, a social mixing-bowl, and
a great place to grab a quick breakfast (or a long one if you’ve got
the gift of gab).
Make sure to swing by for a short-stack before this DC stand-out is long gone.
The Waffle Shop
522 10th St. NW
Originally published on December 12, 2006.
The Lincoln House down the street claims to be where The Waffle Shop on 10th St. NW moved after it closed. While Lincoln House is a great place for breakfast with a lot of character; it is just not the same as the original Waffle House.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
"Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut"
Just got finished watching the DVD of "Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut".
For those who don't know the background, Richard Donner was hired to direct 'Superman I & II" simultaneously from a 500 page screenplay by Mario Puzo. He filmed all of I and most of II, but then got fired by the producers who hired another director to finish II. The new director yanked a lot of Donner's scenes, re-filmed some, took Marlon Brando out of the movie, and finished II with a lot of the cheezoid humor resulting in the theatrical version that we all grew up with.
While I have always loved 'Superman II" ever since I was a kid, I have been intrigued by the more serious tone the Donner cut was supposed to have. Well after years of working on it, a dvd has come out recently with Donner's involvement. The new dvd isn't Donner's full version, because he never got to film all of his scenes. Instead the new dvd is Donner's existing never-b4-seen scenes edited into a Donner modified version of the theatrical cut of "Superman II".
The finished product is a little rough around the edges, but otherwise a fantastic viewing experience. The finished product is a lot more serious than the version we have seen. Most of the goofy crap the second director put in is removed (thank god) while the more sophisticated Lex Luthor humor remains. Lois and Clark's relationship works much better. Donner's scenes of Lois proving Clark is Superman are far superior to the theatrical release. To show Donner's original intentions for those scenes they edited in a scene from Margot Kidder's audition screen test to replace the Niagara Falls river jump scene. I was skeptical of this, but the screen-test scene really works and is so much better than Lois jumping in the river.
The big super-brawl is awesome in both versions, but feels cooler and much more intense in Donner's cut. Mainly because the villains are more evil in this version. They destroy the Washington Monument and the Statue of Liberty in this version.
The highlight of Donner's cut is Marlon Brando. As Jor-el he interacts with Hackman and Reeves and those scenes are dynamite! Donner's version feels like a much more epic film than the theatrical release. Especially in the scenes where Superman gives up his powers and then goes to get them back. Those scenes play huge in Donner's version thanks to Brando and Reeves terrific acting and the great previously unseen dialogue by Puzo.
In all, I'd recommend this to anyone who loves Superman I & II but always felt II could have been a little better if taken more seriously (as it is in Donner's Cut).
Originally posted on December 5, 2006 on Myspace.
For those who don't know the background, Richard Donner was hired to direct 'Superman I & II" simultaneously from a 500 page screenplay by Mario Puzo. He filmed all of I and most of II, but then got fired by the producers who hired another director to finish II. The new director yanked a lot of Donner's scenes, re-filmed some, took Marlon Brando out of the movie, and finished II with a lot of the cheezoid humor resulting in the theatrical version that we all grew up with.
While I have always loved 'Superman II" ever since I was a kid, I have been intrigued by the more serious tone the Donner cut was supposed to have. Well after years of working on it, a dvd has come out recently with Donner's involvement. The new dvd isn't Donner's full version, because he never got to film all of his scenes. Instead the new dvd is Donner's existing never-b4-seen scenes edited into a Donner modified version of the theatrical cut of "Superman II".
The finished product is a little rough around the edges, but otherwise a fantastic viewing experience. The finished product is a lot more serious than the version we have seen. Most of the goofy crap the second director put in is removed (thank god) while the more sophisticated Lex Luthor humor remains. Lois and Clark's relationship works much better. Donner's scenes of Lois proving Clark is Superman are far superior to the theatrical release. To show Donner's original intentions for those scenes they edited in a scene from Margot Kidder's audition screen test to replace the Niagara Falls river jump scene. I was skeptical of this, but the screen-test scene really works and is so much better than Lois jumping in the river.
The big super-brawl is awesome in both versions, but feels cooler and much more intense in Donner's cut. Mainly because the villains are more evil in this version. They destroy the Washington Monument and the Statue of Liberty in this version.
The highlight of Donner's cut is Marlon Brando. As Jor-el he interacts with Hackman and Reeves and those scenes are dynamite! Donner's version feels like a much more epic film than the theatrical release. Especially in the scenes where Superman gives up his powers and then goes to get them back. Those scenes play huge in Donner's version thanks to Brando and Reeves terrific acting and the great previously unseen dialogue by Puzo.
In all, I'd recommend this to anyone who loves Superman I & II but always felt II could have been a little better if taken more seriously (as it is in Donner's Cut).
Originally posted on December 5, 2006 on Myspace.
More on that crazy Velvet Underground auction
A little article about the record and the seller.
The link to the ebay auction. It's up to $125,000 now!Originally posted on December 5, 2006 on Myspace.
Dinner in the Shire
After a long day stripping windows on Saturday, I went down to the
Old Town Waterfront in search of some grub. Something about the smell of
saw dust always puts me in the mood for seafood, so I tried my fav spot
The Fish Market. The holiday crush was in full effect after the “boats
w/ christmas lights” parade however and I couldn’t get a table. So I
ended up wandering and found myself eating in a little restaurant that I
never, ever thought I’d step foot in.
I always assumed because of the name that Old Town’s Bilbo Baggins Global Restaurant was a wheat-grass, granola, hippy-trippy type joint. The kind of place where earthy types went to eat and drink after a hard day working at the used book barn or the flower shop. But much to my surprise it was far from that.
Bilbo Baggins is a really cozy, culinary oasis. The main dining room has got this great lodge feeling to it, all wood beams and rustic. It reminded me of a BBQ beer-hall I went to in rural Quebec once. The tables are crammed pretty close together but that worked in my favor. As I reluctantly sat down to order my skepticism dissolved after catching eye-fulls of other patrons’ wonderful looking plates of meats and potatoes.
The menu is mostly meat dishes prepared with imaginative garnishes and seasoning. Almost every dish comes with a variety of mashed potato and an exotic combination of fruit and vegetables. Being the original meat-and-potato man I couldn’t believe how wrong my impression was of this place.
The atmosphere was warm, cozy, and festive. I could almost see Sam and Frodo raising a glass in there after dispatching that rascally ring. Our waitress was cute and cudly, almost as if she were a hobbit herself. Needless to say, it was a setting I am hard-pressed to find elsewhere in the DC area. But it was the food that really sold me on this place.
The Duck and Shiitake Spring Rolls appetizer was terrific. Hand-made blend of flavors that was out of this world.
The Lobster and Shrimp Bisque needed a little pepper but otherwise was the perfect warm-up after working on those windows out in the cold.
For our main plates we tried the Wild Mushroom Beef Filet w/ garlic spinach and blue cheese mashed potatoes, and the Cinnamon Porkloin with fruit chutney and butternut squash. Both main dishes were perfection. The grilled porkloin was best when mixed with a little squash and apple – combining texture and taste for a really fun and delicious dish. My filet was a good sized cut prepared just shy of melt-in-your-mouth. Mixed with the mushrooms and sauce each bite of my steak was one bite closer to food nirvana.
We rounded the meal off (and our stomachs) with an unholy pralines ice cream sandwich that looked too good to resist. The desert was huge and totally share-able.
In addition to the dining room, Bilbo Baggins also has a pretty nifty looking bar that features a long list of international beers, ciders, and wines (but no Old Winyards or Miruvor!).
The bill was around $75. Which is more than we would have paid at the Fish Market but the extra bucks were worth the unexpected discovery and the gourmet meal.
Bilbo Baggins
208 Queen Street
Old Town, Alexandria, VA
Originally published on December 4, 2006.
I always assumed because of the name that Old Town’s Bilbo Baggins Global Restaurant was a wheat-grass, granola, hippy-trippy type joint. The kind of place where earthy types went to eat and drink after a hard day working at the used book barn or the flower shop. But much to my surprise it was far from that.
Bilbo Baggins is a really cozy, culinary oasis. The main dining room has got this great lodge feeling to it, all wood beams and rustic. It reminded me of a BBQ beer-hall I went to in rural Quebec once. The tables are crammed pretty close together but that worked in my favor. As I reluctantly sat down to order my skepticism dissolved after catching eye-fulls of other patrons’ wonderful looking plates of meats and potatoes.
The menu is mostly meat dishes prepared with imaginative garnishes and seasoning. Almost every dish comes with a variety of mashed potato and an exotic combination of fruit and vegetables. Being the original meat-and-potato man I couldn’t believe how wrong my impression was of this place.
The atmosphere was warm, cozy, and festive. I could almost see Sam and Frodo raising a glass in there after dispatching that rascally ring. Our waitress was cute and cudly, almost as if she were a hobbit herself. Needless to say, it was a setting I am hard-pressed to find elsewhere in the DC area. But it was the food that really sold me on this place.
The Duck and Shiitake Spring Rolls appetizer was terrific. Hand-made blend of flavors that was out of this world.
The Lobster and Shrimp Bisque needed a little pepper but otherwise was the perfect warm-up after working on those windows out in the cold.
For our main plates we tried the Wild Mushroom Beef Filet w/ garlic spinach and blue cheese mashed potatoes, and the Cinnamon Porkloin with fruit chutney and butternut squash. Both main dishes were perfection. The grilled porkloin was best when mixed with a little squash and apple – combining texture and taste for a really fun and delicious dish. My filet was a good sized cut prepared just shy of melt-in-your-mouth. Mixed with the mushrooms and sauce each bite of my steak was one bite closer to food nirvana.
We rounded the meal off (and our stomachs) with an unholy pralines ice cream sandwich that looked too good to resist. The desert was huge and totally share-able.
In addition to the dining room, Bilbo Baggins also has a pretty nifty looking bar that features a long list of international beers, ciders, and wines (but no Old Winyards or Miruvor!).
The bill was around $75. Which is more than we would have paid at the Fish Market but the extra bucks were worth the unexpected discovery and the gourmet meal.
Bilbo Baggins
208 Queen Street
Old Town, Alexandria, VA
Originally published on December 4, 2006.
In-friggin-sane!
This is a great story. Guy in NY finds one of the rarest rock-n-roll records of all time at a yard sale and buys it for .75 cents.
Now it's on Ebay and bidding just topped $110,000 dollars!
Originally posted on December 4, 2006 on Myspace.
I now have an official copy of The Velvet Underground Acetate on Limited Edition vinyl courtesy of Record Store Day Black Friday 2012.
Originally posted on December 4, 2006 on Myspace.
I now have an official copy of The Velvet Underground Acetate on Limited Edition vinyl courtesy of Record Store Day Black Friday 2012.
Presidential Comparisons
While I don't agree with everything in this article, it is an interesting collection of comparisons about Bush and former 'failure' presidents.
Originally posted on December 4, 2006 on Myspace.
Originally posted on December 4, 2006 on Myspace.
Noddin' Noggin
Check out my big, balding, nodding, noggin found in some stranger's
video of Pegboy playing in Chicago at the Touch And Go Anniversary show.
How random is that?
Michael head - lower right hand corner - 9 seconds in.
Originally posted on December 3, 2006 on Myspace.
Michael head - lower right hand corner - 9 seconds in.
Originally posted on December 3, 2006 on Myspace.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
