From: The Washington Post

The classic crab cake is a simple dish: fresh meat, a little seasoning and just enough eggs, mayo and/or bread to hold it together. Yet just one in three restaurants made the cut for our list of Washington's best crab cakes, equal to the number that left us feeling, well, crabby.

BlackSalt Restaurant and Fish Market
Two 4.5-ounce jumbo-lump crab cakes, $28 to $32; available as a dinner entree if the crab cakes are in stock at the market

Sauteed just long enough to create a crisp top and bottom, then finished briefly in the oven, these crab cakes were about the handsomest of our taste test. Bits of jalape�o pepper should have been a deal-breaker ingredient, but they work, as do the aioli and onion. The fish market at the front of the house earns points for being one of the few establishments currently using Maryland crab. The crab cake sold at lunch comes on a rich brioche bun with lemon-caper aioli and a smart house slaw ($16).

4883 MacArthur Blvd. NW, 202-342-9101; http://www.blacksaltrestaurant.com.

DC Coast
Two 2.5-ounce jumbo-lump crab cakes, $28

Minimalism is the watchword of this crab cake. The recipe calls for Gulf of Mexico crab with just a pinch of bread crumbs, a little mayonnaise, mustard, egg, lemon and chives, and a dash of Tabasco sauce and cayenne pepper for a tickle of heat. The crab is all jumbo lump, but the cakes hold together thanks to a nice, crisp exterior. These are pricey for the size, but other touches on the plate -- a tangy piquillo pepper sauce, saffron vinaigrette and arugula -- elevate the cakes to the level you'd expect at this genteel power-lunch spot.

1401 K St. NW, 202-216-5988, http://www.dccoast.com.

Jerry's Seafood
Jumbo-lump baby "bomb," $26 for six ounces, $34 for 10 ounces

"Home of the Crab Bomb" is the motto of this no-frills family restaurant with three Maryland locations, and for good reason. The snow-white meat from Venezuela is picked on premises. The marble-size chunks are then tossed with a touch of mayonnaise and Old Bay, not a bread crumb in sight. The result is a seemingly impossible but awe-inspiring combination of delicacy and all-American satisfaction.

Multiple locations, http://www.jerrysseafood.com.

Johnny's Half Shell
Two 3-ounce jumbo-lump crab cakes, $32.50

Of all the offerings on the menu, a great crab cake is one of the hardest to get right, says chef Ann Cashion. She has pulled it off in the beautifully formed cakes served at her sprawling Capitol Hill grill. Each patty pulls apart to reveal hefty lumps of sweet American crab, seasoned with just enough Old Bay, Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce. Our only complaint: They're just not big enough.

400 North Capitol St. NW, No. 175, 202-737-0400, http://www.johnnyshalfshell.net.

Kinkead's and Hell Point Seafood
One 4-ounce jumbo-lump crab cake, $16, appetizer; two for $32

Bob Kinkead knows how to make a crab cake: Never deep-fried, the meat is mixed with mayonnaise and seasoned with celery, tarragon, lemon and just a pinch of bread crumbs to hold it together. Both the formal Washington restaurant and the dockside Annapolis space -- ask for a seat on the patio -- follow the blue crab season from the Gulf up the East Coast for the sweetest meat, shown off by a rich mustard creme fraiche sauce and fresh corn relish.

Kinkead's, 2000 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 202-296-7700, http://www.kinkead.com; Hell Point Seafood, 12 Dock St., Annapolis, 410-990-9888.

PassionFish
Two 4-ounce jumbo-lump crab cakes, market price (our visit: $26)

Chef Chris Clime keeps his crab cakes simple: jumbo-lump meat plus a touch of Old Bay, Tabasco and chives for seasoning. Then he lets his customers dress them up. Add two sides such as french fries, mashed potatoes or asparagus, and dip the flaky, snow-white meat in one of four sauces including Thai curry or beurre blanc, though we're partial to the butter pickle tartar that comes standard on the lunchtime sandwich.

11960 Democracy Dr., Reston, 703-230-3474, http://www.passionfishreston.com.

Read more here.... <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/28/AR2009072801044.html?sub=AR>

Ritz Camera Centers last week won bankruptcy court approval to sell almost all of its assets to a group led by the chief executive, David Ritz, for $24 million, Bloomberg News reported.

The approval was granted over creditors� objections. The buyer, RCI Acquisitions, has agreed to keep at least 163 of the 375 stores open.

Ritz was the largest United States camera-store chain when it entered bankruptcy.

The Red Sox - Never made it to Fenway Park, but still enjoyed the two World Series wins

Back Bay - Brownstone houses, great gift shops, book stores(Trident) and rstaurants

Newberry Street - All the beautiful people live and meet here

Boston University - The Fine Art shows 

North End - Everything Italian and of course great food

Charles River - Walk along it, float on it, or just watch it roll by

O'Kellys Seafood - Quick, good and inexpensive

Newberry Comics - Best collection of new and used CDs

463 Beacon Street Guest House - Quaint and nice

Faneuil Hall Market - Great place to shop for all things fresh

Charestown- Narrow streets and no parking but quaint

Pizzerina Regina - Best pizza in Boston

Mike's Pastry - Worth the wait in the long lines on Sunday

Revere Beach - Not the best beach but minutes from Boston

The Coop - Best book store at Harvard Square

Squantum - Coolest place south of Boston and I could live there

Rockport - Resort town on the Atlantic an hour north of Boston

HD Radio Ressurection: WHFS Comes Back to Life as 94.7 HD2

Washington, D.C. is getting back something long gone: WHFS - a legendary rock-formatted radio station. But, this time it's on HD Radio.

Beginning June 10, 2009, "94.7 HD2" sparked back to life at 12 noon with a special inaugural debut featuring D.J. Cerphe, an original member of WHFS from the late 1970s.

94.7 HD2 will feature a mix of current and retro alternative music, archival material, live studio performances, artist interviews, and other programming.

In a few weeks the station will also be available online and via mobile streaming at www.hfs2.com.

Listeners with a new HD Radio receiver can find the station by first tuning to 94.7, then tune up one notch to 94.7-2. (An HD radio receiver is required.)

A Growing Buzz Surrounds the Increasing Number of Capital Beekeepers

Washington Post

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Something unusual is happening on Washington rooftops, a new addition to the satellite dishes, HVAC units and snipers that are the usual fixtures atop the city's buildings.

Urban beekeepers, who prowl their rooftops in full beekeeper regalia, are becoming chic in the nation's capital, and their semi-secret society is less so, given the growing popularity of their peculiar and ancient hobby.

The White House recently added a hive to the South Lawn, and the Fairmont Hotel in the West End started two hives on its rooftop, where the chefs-turned-beekeepers tend their hives and wax poetic about the District honey they will drizzle on cheese and incorporate into their white chocolate mousse dish.

There are several dozen known beekeepers in the city. For years, they have tried to stay beneath the radar, uncertain about whether their neighbors would be pleased knowing several thousand stinging insects are next door.

"You know, there are lots of people in this community who think I'm crazy for talking to you," said Toni Burnham, 45, who is in her fifth summer of beekeeping and has emerged as one of the city's most prominent and vocal beekeepers.

Burnham keeps two hives atop her Washington townhouse. She tends to them on weekdays, when her neighbors are at work, slowly climbing the spiral staircase to her roof in her "bee costume," looking left and right to make sure no one is out gardening or sunbathing when she pries open the hive to check on her "girls."

She wants to keep the location of her home a secret, though she isn't breaking any laws.

Nothing specifically prohibits beekeeping in the District. But that was also the case in New York City, where a city health code banning animals that are "wild, ferocious, fierce, dangerous or naturally inclined to do harm" was applied to beekeepers.

Some apiarists are romantics who enrolled in beekeeping classes after reading "The Secret Life of Bees" and fantasizing about amber jars of honey. ...read article here... ...see movie here... �@

When it comes to healthy living, Washington, D.C., is seldom mentioned in the same breath as cities like San Francisco, Portland, Ore., and Seattle, all of which are known for their active, health-conscious residents.

But according to a new report, the city of pomp and politics is the healthiest in the nation. In the second annual American Fitness Index (AFI), a publication released by the American College of Sports Medicine, Washington, D.C., edged out Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn., Denver, Boston and San Francisco.

Go to Forbes.com to see where your city ranks

Time to give my analysis of the Reality TV shows I watch. First, Celebrity Apprentice. Annie Dukes should have won. Annie played the best game throughout the show and raised more money for her charity than anyone else, including the winner Joan Rivers. And this includes the $500,000 Joan won on the last task, which was changed so she would stand a chance to win. Donald with the "sympathy" win for the loud-mouthed Joan Rivers and her daughter.

Next was The Amazing Race. For the first time I did not have a clear favorite to win it. All three finalist couples had their good and bad moments. The winners, Tammy and Victor, had a huge advantage in China where a lot of the race took place but everything was even when they left China for the U.S. so can't say it helped them win.

Survivor. Each "season" I say I am not going to watch but end up doing so, because nothing better to watch on TV. JT definitely was the best player and derved the win. Wasn't anyone else even close, including Steven, his "shared brain" with JT. I would like to have seen the "most popular" (and $100,000) go to Taj, or someone other than the $1,000,000 winner, JT.

Dancing With the Stars. Best season. Ever. Anyone of the three could have won without an argument from me. Melissa overcome a last-minute start as a repacement. Gilles danced to perfection. Shawn was a competitor and Inproved the most during the season of the three finalists, so she would be my pick as the winner, so I am glad Shawn won.

American Idol. My favorite of the Reality TV shows. Watch every episode every season. Alos probally the best Top 10 and Fian 4 ever. I was a big Danny Gokey from the beginning an I predicted a Danny and Adam final, after the first couple of weeks of the season. But, Danny ran out of steam, and Chris Allen kept charging the last few weeks and made it to the final two with Adam Lambert. Adam was the most consistent throughout the season and is definitely the most marketable of this season's cast. Adam should win tonight, but don't count Chris out of it. Both are deserving of the title. Both will have singing careers, as will Danny. �@