How I celebrate St. Patty's Day, DC style!

Last fall, along with 6 of my best duders, I went to Dublin, Ireland for my buddy Doug's bachelor party. We set out for four days of drinking, laughing and general tomfoolery. It just so happened that we arrived there the same day as Arthur's Day (250th anniversary of Guinness, which was about the biggest party Dublin has ever seen). As I was guzzling pint after pint Temple Bar and singing drinking songs with the locals I thought to myself how cool it is to experience a party like this. Dublin has Arthur's Day, Munich has Oktoberfest, Tennessee has Bonaroo, New Orleans has Mardi Gras, Brazil has Carnival…and DC? Well we have ShamrockFest.

The first time I came to DC to visit was for Shamrockfest. This was back in 2006 when it was still being held near the Ballston Commons Mall. My friends Doug and Ben had an apartment overlooking the festival so they naturally got a keg and threw a little pre/post game party at their apartment and invited me down from Cleveland.

I was not disappointed. The weather was fantastic (low 70's) and though we didn't make it down to Shamrockfest for a long time, it was still a pretty amazing time. It's seriously the biggest party I had ever been to.

Now, the best thing I discovered at Shamrockfest that is the VIP passes. Not only do you get all-you-can-drink beer, which is a complete steal, but you also get access to private stages and way better bathrooms. Trust me, the bathrooms alone are worth the few extra dollars you pay. These days it might be hard to justify the extra expense, but you'll thank me later. Just make sure you buy them in advance ($79 vs. the $129 at the gate).

National ShamrockFest 2010 features over 40 amazing Bands and DJs on a 10 stages (this year’s line-up will blow you away), plus roving entertainers, endless beer stations, food and craft vendors, an Irish Village, Shamrock Pub Games, carnival rides & games, massive tented and open areas, and much, much more. And since this is the TENTH anniversary of ShamrockFest they're making some major additions, including the Men's and the Women's Irish Football National Championship Tournament (being played right at ShamrockFest), and the Chest Bump Against Cancer (we will be setting a world record with this event and raising money for Susan G Komen Global Race For The Cure at the same time), and much more. http://ShamrockFest.com

See you kids there!

Crowd surfing optional:

The best sandwich you'll have for $3.50

I've always said that one of the best parts about living in this area is the diversity of the food culture. Almost without exception you can find your favorite kind of food, no matter where it may have originated from. And anyone who knows me will tell you that my absolute favorite ethnic food is Vietnamese.

I was first exposed to Vietnamese with Pho. Pho, for the unacquainted, is a traditional Vietnamese thinly sliced meat and rice-noodle soup dish. Immediately recognizable by its rich and hearty broth and interesting plate of accouterments, this soup has become very popular in the US over the last decade and is one of my favorite things in the world to eat (especially if I'm hung over).

Well one day, I happened to be in Eden Place (a local Vietnamese Strip Mall in Falls Church). It was after lunch time and my belly was rumbling. I was looking for a place to pull up and knock back a big bowl of the magical Vietnamese super soup, but it looked like of the Pho shops had lines wrapped out the door.

As I walked around thinking about whether or not I wanted to wait I noticed a little deli that still had a decent line, but nothing I couldn't manage. I thought maybe I could get a small sandwich and much on that while I waited for Pho. Feeling a little adventurous I walked in and asked the woman at the counter what their best sandwich was.

She told me I should try the #8 (roasted pork) and if I liked it, to come back for a #10 (lemongrass beef).

I thanked her, ordered the sandwich and in a couple of minutes this pretty normal looking sandwich came out (also called Bánh mì ). It was a hard French baguette stuffed with thinly sliced grilled pork, cilantro, jalapeno peppers, pickled carrots, cucumber and onions. It also seemed to be slathered in some kind of spiced mayonnaise. It smelled delicious so I dug in.

Wow. The flavors hit you immediately. It's really very different from any other flavor I had ever had, but somehow, because it was in a sandwich, it seemed very familiar. The meat was deliciously tender and the vegetables and cilantro added a lot of fresh tastes to balance out the thick and crusty baguette that was slathered in this mayonnaise. I woofed the entire thing down in a few minutes, immediately forgot the Pho and ordered a #10.

Want to try one? Stop by Song Que in Falls Church and see what $3.50 will get you there.

Jamaican me crazy!

Ok, bad title. It's all I could come up with. Forgive me.

But I'll make it up to you with letting you in on a little known secret in DC; Negril. Negril is one of the very few authentic Jamaican restaurants in the greater DC area. A fixture in the DC area since the 80's, Negril offers fast, affordable and absolutely delicious Caribbean treats.

If you've never had Jamaican food, you're really missing out. A strange cross between Latin, Caribbean and Soul food, the flavors meld into some of the most flavorful dishes I've ever had.

I always start with one of their beef patties. Flaky pastry on the outside, spicy meaty goodness on the inside. Next up? Fricassee Chicken. Chicken that is fried then stewed in a tomato based sauce served with rice and peas. Oh. My. God. I could eat this every day. Seriously. Still hungry? Looking for something you can eat on the go? Try the Jamaican Jerk chicken sandwich. The only thing it's missing is a warm beach and a six pack of Red Stripe beer.

Misses? There are a few. The Ox Tail Stew is rich but unbalanced. The veggie pattie isn't bad, but compared to the beef pattie it's certainly lacking.

Finally, not being much of a fish guy, I can't vouch for this personally. But apparently their seafood dishes are their best. So it looks as though some return trips may be in order.

Overall, highly recommended. Cheap (entrees between $6-$12, seafood may be slightly higher), generous portions, and great flavors. I just wish I had some of that Jamaican weather right about now...


Negril - Silver Spring
965 Thayer Ave.
Silver Spring, MD
(301) 585-3000
Monday-Saturday 11am-9:30pm
Friday til 10pm
Closed Sunday

Located in the heart of Silver Spring off Georgia Avenue, 2 blocks from the Metro.

A beautiful day has come to Washington DC

So last night me and Girlfriend were out and about in DC near Friendship Heights and as we turned to head home we decided to stop at the Rodman's (a small boutique grocery store out there) to see if they had any really cool beers we could take home with us. And Rodman's, you didn't disappoint:






I've heard the rumors and read the blog posts, but I had yet to see it in the wild. Great Lakes Brewing, the pride of Cleveland, Ohio, has finally come to grocery stores in DC. Well the magical day is finally here (for me anyways).

Being originally from Ohio, I occasionally like being able to enjoy some of the fruits from the city of my youth (however few they are). And like perogies and stadium hot dogs, nothing says Cleveland native more than Great Lakes Beer. In the past, I would have to haul back a load of 12 packs every time I went back home to visit and inevitably share them with all my friends and neighbors down here.

I immediately scooped up a sixer of Dortmunder Gold (their most popular and arguably best beer) and Burning River Pale Ale (which Girlfriend has taken a liking to). As we headed home I couldn't wait to not only open up a few while sitting on the couch that evening but tell my friends where they can get their own!

A Pretty Epic Message to The Bank

"Oh you're going to foreclose on my house? How would like that house bulldozed first?"

Frustrated Owner Bulldozes Home Ahead Of Foreclosure

Man Says Actions Intended To Send Message To Banks

http://www.wlwt.com/news/22600154/detail.html


MOSCOW, Ohio --

Like many people, Terry Hoskins has had troubles with his bank. But his solution to foreclosure might be unique.Hoskins said he's been in a struggle with RiverHills Bank over his Clermont County home for nearly a decade, a struggle that was coming to an end as the bank began foreclosure proceedings on his $350,000 home."When I see I owe $160,000 on a home valued at $350,000, and someone decides they want to take it – no, I wasn't going to stand for that, so I took it down," Hoskins said.

Hoskins said the Internal Revenue Service placed liens on his carpet store and commercial property on state Route 125 after his brother, a one-time business partner, sued him.The bank claimed his home as collateral, Hoskins said, and went after both his residential and commercial properties.Hoskins said he'd gotten a $170,000 offer from someone to pay off the house, but the bank refused, saying they could get more from se lling it in foreclosure.

Hoskins told News 5's Courtis Fuller that he issued the bank an ultimatum."I'll tear it down before I let you take it," Hoskins told them.And that's exactly what Hoskins did.Man Says Actions Intended To Send Message To Banks

The Moscow man used a bulldozer two weeks ago to level the home he'd built, and the sprawling country home is now rubble, buried under a coating of snow."As far as what the bank is going to get, I plan on giving them back what was on this hill exactly (as) it was," Hoskins said. "I brought it out of the ground and I plan on putting it back in the ground."

Hoskins' business in Amelia is scheduled to go up for auction on March 2, and he told Fuller he's considering leveling that building, too.

RiverHills Bank declined to comment on the situation, but Hoskins said his actions were intended to send a message."Well, to probably make banks think twice before they try to take someone's home, and if they are going to take it wrongly, the end result will be them tearing their house down like I did mine," Hoskins said.

Holy Taco

On the corner of George Mason Drive and Columbia Pike in Arlington sits an unassuming lunch cart waiting for its daily stream of customers to arrive. On Sunday afternoon, like you see here, business trickles in slowly but steadily. On the weekday lunch rush however, this little cart looks ready to be overrun by a swarm of customers. A mix of immigrant laborers and a local office workers, they all come here looking for the same thing; The best tacos in DC.

What they serve are these amazing carne asada street tacos similar to the ones you’d find on the streets of Mexico city. I’d been looking for these authentic street style tacos since I moved to the area. These aren’t your typical “Tex-Mex” style tacos you get at Chevys or Don Pablos.

So what makes these $2 street treats so special? Try two corn tortillas stuffed with marinated and shredded skirt steak then topped with fresh pico de gallo and “ranchero-style” salsa. Sound good? Try this:

Sorry for the half eaten taco picture, but I just couldn’t help myself. As you can see, they’re hard for me to resist. Anyways, next time you find yourself on George Mason Dr in Arlington with $2 in your pocket, try one of these little delights. You might just find more reasons to head back.

Comida Latina Express (parking lot of Food Star Supermarket, 950 S. George Mason Dr., Arlington; 703-855-1961) Open daily 11 to 8.

Here's a hint

Just because that white dude on the bus is old, he still has a Marine Force Recon tat on his forearm. And if you hit him he'll probably bust you up pretty good:

Valentine's Day - Aka The Day I Brought The Tyrannosexy Back

So last night me and the girl (here and forever known as Girlfriend) were chillaxin' on the couch eating dinner and trying to find something on the tube. Since we had already celebrated V-Day the evening before with a little dinner, wine and music we were no longer obligated to try and be overly romantic. Even though we sat there in our sweatpants, me eating a giant mound of chinese dumplings and her chowing down some leftover shepherd's pie we still thought it would be nice to find something kind of romantic on TV (since it was technically Valentine's Day).

We both figured since it was Valentine's day and all it would be easy to find some cheesy romantic comedy or maybe showing of the Notebook somewhere on the 50,000 channels we have. Well, once again the people who in charge of television programming have baffled me once again. The following was the selection of choices available to us:

1. The NBA All-Star Game (which Sweetass immediately veto'd)

Most people don't care to watch a bunch of millionaire athletes compete in what is essentially a 60 minute long string of trick shots and dunks, but either I'm enamored by all the star power on the court or I'm easily amused by anything shiny.


2. Strange Sex

Not just a show about people with strange sexual disorders, but an entire series (I immediately added it to the DVR schedule). Cases explored included Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder. Apparently since childhood, a woman has suffered in silence from unrelenting episodes of sexual arousal, which can only be temporarily abated by self-stimulation. After finally being diagnosed, she and her doctor seek to alleviate the symptoms of the debilitating and consuming affliction that her physician describes as "Tourette's syndrome of the genitals." I know the question you're all asking yourselves and the answer is: No. She wasn't hot.


And when Strange Sex was on commercial we flipped over to:

3. Tyrannosaurus Sex (No, i'm not kidding)

Ah yes the age old question. "How did the T-Rex get all his bitches?" Well now a whole gang of ubber-nerds - who probably haven't been laid lately themselves - have given us the answers. According to the director Gabriel Gornell "Ultimately we had to make sure that everything we were doing was spot on. It's one thing to have the sizzle of animating dinosaurs having sex, but what takes it to the next level is when the information is there. It really is a learning experience for the viewer." Yes, you actually got to watch to watch as T-Rex turned the lights low, lit some candles, turned up the Barry White and got his freak on with Mrs. T-Rex. The only thing I could think while watching was this: If I was the guy animating this scene, would I being thinking to myself "I went to art school to animate dinosaurs fucking. Fuck my life."


And what did I learn from this documentary? Girlfriend is not aroused by dinosaurs fucking nearly as much as I am....




(EDIT, I randomly found this picture on the internet. I just noticed something... is this girl blind? That just made it 10x funnier. )

The Friday News

Every Friday I'll find and post one ridiculous/incredible/awesome news story for everyone to enjoy. We'll start with this one. I don't know who this guy is, but he'd probably be a pretty fun neighbor....





Tree carved in shape of penis in Tempe offends some

Feb. 11, 2010 06:12 PM
12 News

A dead tree is creating quite a stir in one neighborhood in Tempe these days. Neighbors say the carved woodwork went up in the backyard of a home in the 2000 block of E. Dunbar a few weeks ago.

"They carved it, all by themselves it looks like," said Susan Wood, who lives nearby.

"I'm a little bit speechless," said Wood. "A little bit funny but probably something that needs to be taken down."

"I'm thinking it looks a little phallic," said Tim Sunday, who was driving by.

"It's 8 feet tall," said Aaron Freidman, who walks his dog by the carved object daily. "It's a big tree that was carved into a male phallus."

The City of Tempe received at least one anonymous complaint about the carved tree last week. The owner was issued a violation notice for having a dead tree, said Jeff Tamulevich, code compliance administrator for Tempe.

"The violation was served," said Tamulevich.

Neighbors say the tree was dead and unattractive before it was carved up. The wood now rises over the side of a cement wall in the owner's backyard where it is visible to people walking by.

The homeowner was not available for comment right away.

Snowboarding in downtown DC?

Why not?

Hello world

And welcome to the first post of Porkchop Sammiches. This blog is written by a food and fun loving guy living in Northern Virginia. I write about food, stuff from my life and random stuff I find on the Internet. I hope you enjoy and if you don't, let me know. I love a good Internet food fight..