AltWeeklies Wire
Inside D.C.'s Food-Truck Warsnew

How some of Washington's most powerful interests are trying to curb the city's most popular new cuisine.
Washington City Paper |
Tim Carman |
09-23-2010 |
Food+Drink
A ‘Fan’ Letter to National Eater.comnew
Over the weeks, I’ve become a huge fan of Eater.com's renegade editorial approach of poaching other people’s content and reposting it on their Web site for fun and profit.
Washington City Paper |
Tim Carman |
04-20-2010 |
Food+Drink
Tags: Eater.com, Sam Sifton
Is Your Coffee In Season?new
You care when your beans were roasted. How about when they were harvested?
Washington City Paper |
Tim Carman |
04-15-2010 |
Food+Drink
Tags: Coffee
The $2,475 Grill of Your Dreamsnew
Is Ben Eisendrath's Argentine-style grill worth $2,475? Tom Brokaw says yes.
Washington City Paper |
Tim Carman |
04-01-2010 |
Food+Drink
How Did Local Restaurants Stay Open During the Recent D.C. Snowstorm?new
Murat Uzuntepe admits to making a trip to the co-op just down the street to buy produce that he can’t get his hands on now. His suppliers simply can’t navigate the streets. Then he tells us about a woman who walked into his restaurant and wanted to buy eggs and bread.
Washington City Paper |
Tim Carman |
02-25-2010 |
Food+Drink
Dear Zagat: We Don't Need Your Little Burgundy Restaurant Guide Anymorenew

The Zagat guide turned 30 years old this year, and in honor of the occasion, I'd like to give founders Tim and Nina Zagat a hearty thanks for all their years of service to the restaurant industry. And, if I may, I'd like to offer some friendly advice, too: You can go away now.
Washington City Paper |
Tim Carman |
09-17-2009 |
Food+Drink
How Not to Hire a Chefnew
The owner of D.C. cafe chain Busboys & Poets spent thousands on a contest to find the right chef. So why's the runner-up doing the cooking?
Washington City Paper |
Tim Carman |
05-21-2009 |
Food+Drink
A D.C. Eatery’s Owners Violated Federal Laws. One More Entero, Please?new
There’s another layer to ethical eating, buried way underneath the heavier issues of animal rights, fair-trade products, sustainable ingredients, and organic foods. There are diners who will never frequent a restaurant or coffeeshop because the owners have crossed some line.
Washington City Paper |
Tim Carman |
02-12-2009 |
Food+Drink
Tags: El Pollo Rico, food ethics
D.C.'s Obama Cuisine Tops Out with Spam Sushinew

Local restaurateurs' inaugural pandering-cum-marketing plans span the gamut, from kitschy promotions tied to Obama's place in presidential history ($44 bottles of wine, anyone?) to one serious-minded effort at fyve restaurant lounge to create an all-Hawaiian tasting menu.
Washington City Paper |
Tim Carman |
01-15-2009 |
Food+Drink
Dropping Acids: Life is Sweet with 'Miracle Fruit' Pillsnew

My friend Jim and I are here to purposely warp our palate with a "miracle berry tablet," the amuse-bouche of choice these days among food chumps who host "flavor tripping" parties. The tablets apparently turn your tongue into your own personal Krispy Kreme outlet.
Washington City Paper |
Tim Carman |
10-10-2008 |
Food+Drink
Want a Decent Bagel in D.C.?new
Fire up your oven.
Washington City Paper |
Tim Carman |
09-25-2008 |
Food+Drink
Why Wine-lovers Should Avoid Wine Barsnew

It's the culture of wine at these places—the idea that drinking wine somehow makes you more sophisticated, even if you don’t know squat about grapes--and the price that you must pay to join this faux high society.
Washington City Paper |
Tim Carman |
08-29-2008 |
Food+Drink
The Japanese Condiment That will Make You Give Up Soy Sauce Forevernew

The first time I ever heard about nikiri wasn't at a sushi bar, where you'd expect to learn about the Japanese sauce that's lightly brushed onto bite-size pieces of fresh nigiri.
Washington City Paper |
Tim Carman |
08-25-2008 |
Food+Drink
How'd the Smithsonian Folklife Festival Get Texas' and Bhutan's Food So Wrong?new
Has the chef ever been to Bhutan? No. Has he ever tasted Bhutanese cooking before? No. Has he ever cooked Bhutanese food before now? No.
Washington City Paper |
Tim Carman |
07-18-2008 |
Food+Drink
Maryland's Pupusa Trucks Try to Survive a Crackdownnew

Reina Ramirez estimates she's received a ticket a week since late November, when Prince George's County began cracking down on the mobile pupusa and taco trucks in Langley Park. This crackdown, fueled by business and residential complaints, has killed off one of the tastiest, most intense food cultures in the entire D.C. area.
Washington City Paper |
Tim Carman |
05-30-2008 |
Food+Drink