For those that have see the update bar above me, here’s what I know: after struggling with operational costs the servers that house this vast empire of blogs worldwide has become too costly to maintain. Online revenue has take a hit in recent months and Sean had to make a tough decision.

Since announcing the news there has been an outpouring of support that may save DC Metblogs as well as the Metblogs site all over the world, but right now nothing official has been stated.

As the man in charge of DC Metblogs I can only wait and see what Sean, Jason, and the team out west figure out. It’s been an honor to take the reins of the site for the past year or two and I support everything Sean has done with this network. I think Washington, DC is one of the most blogged about cities in the country and I dare compare it to the likes of NYC and LA.

Right now the outlook looks hopeful but nothing is certain just yet, but what I can assure you is that I will continue to write and blog about my adventures in the Nation’s capital and I hope you’ve enjoyed the ride so far.

h/t Consumerist

The chef was right: the not-so-cranky strawberries made for a delightful salad. The sliders were amazing too! (Photo credit: www.staceyviera.com)

I swear I’m not going to become a food blogger. But I do love food- and apparently people notice when I write about food.

After writing about my brunch at Liberty Tavern, Silver Diner across the street invited me to a dinner with other bloggers to try out their new Fresh & Local menu. The new menu features items that are locally bought ingredients, gluten and allergy free, and health conscious.

I was surprised that co-founder and CEO Robert Giaimo was bluntly honest about the demographic of his customers. He asked how many of us have dined at one of his establishments and then asked how many of us were sober while doing so. Since I live across the street from this particular location I was proud to keep my hand up (even though I think I spent the later night of a Cinco de Mayo there as well.) However since he understands his clientele he also knows where the future of dining was going- and wants Silver Diner to lead the charge as they become the Next Generation Diner.

I was also impressed by the other co-founder and Vice President of Culinary Operations Ype Von Hengst. A chef born in The Netherlands, he was not what I pictured Silver Diner’s top food man to be. He knew how to entertain the crowd, comparing the new local produce as food that wasn’t cranky from a week long trip across the country.

Like I said I’m no food critic, if you want more informed opinions of the the new menu please consult my good friends at DC Gluttony and Every Food Fits.

I will say this though- they certainly treated us to a feast and it was good- and fellow TMG alumni Lisa approves as well.

Silver Diner is located all over Virginia and Maryland- check out their website to find out where the closest one to you is and if they carry the new menu, which is being rolled out in phases.

Courtesy Flickr user afagen

In honor of Mother’s Day The Daily Beast (home of an extensive blogger roster including my republican dream girl Meghan McCain,) published a list of the Best and Worst cities for mothers, can you guess where Washington DC ended up in the ranking of the top 200 cities? Try 7th to last- right above LA.

The list took into account mothers per capital; quality of child care, schools, and maternity care; and an all-important metric: per capita searches on Citysearch.com for “Mother’s Day Brunch,” and “Hair Salon.”

That last criteria is where they lost me but take a lot at the DC compared to the top ranked city (Bosie, ID) and see for yourself:

#193, Washington, DC

Moms-per-capita: 186

Child care: 162

Schools: 5 out of 10

Maternity care: 35

Pampering: 48

#1, Boise, ID

Moms-per-capita: 61 out of 200

Child care: 20 out of 200

Schools: 7 out of 10

Maternity care: 63 of out 200

Pampering: 86 out of 200

With cities like Coral Springs, FL and Elk Grove, CA topping the list I wonder if this ranking is skewed towards smaller cities but then again these cities ranked high in child care and pampering. Again I don’t know about that last metric…

Other notable cities on the list: Arlington, VA (#37); Alexandria, VA (#127); Baltimore, MD (#130)- DC what do you think? Is it that bad out there for a mother and family in The District?

Now that I’m working in Rosslyn I’ve become accustomed to the food carts that park themselves right outside the Gannett building.

First I tried a Gryo at the Metro Halal Food Cart, because if you know me you know I love Halal food. It’s pretty good and my former co-worker/foodie Kristen agrees.

Once I popped my food cart cherry I had to check out the other regulars, including District Taco. The breakfast tacos I had there were awesome, I ordered three which were probably more than I actually needed- good to note for future breakfast meals. (Also good for company lunches- NMS loves District Taco!)

The next food cart I’m trying to track down is Vietnamese sandwich truck Rebel Heroes. As a proud Vietnamese American, I know my mom would be delighted to hear that I’m actually actively seeking to eat Banh-Mi for lunch. New blogger friend Stacey Viera recently got to talk with owner Tan Nguyen who told her they are “revolutionizing the sub.”

Of course these mobile food providers join a growing list of DC area mobile restaurateurs. It appears that you can get everything from Pizza to Cupcakes from a truck. Even local salad chain Sweetgreen is joining in the fun with their Sweetflow truck. However some of the most well known DC food trucks specialize in more foreign cuisine.

The Fojol Brothers have been recognized as the Best Mobile Food Truck by Washington City Paper. They serve Indian dishes with flair- just visit the site and look at the family portrait!

Sauca serves up global menu of dishes and not only do they sell food from around the world but music as well.

Like many of the above businesses, On The Fly has an eye towards the planet and tries to run a green operation through electric powered GEM carts that haul their warez.

I’m sure there’s even more out there- I know that Pupatella is currently in the process to roll out around the Arlington area, what’s your favorite DC Food Truck/Cart?

As my co-worker/blogger extraordinaire Nisha can attest,  the view is great from the Hay-Adams Hotel rooftop. I was there last week at a reception to celebrate the maiden voyage of OpenSkies Airline’s new “Capital to Capital” route from Washington D.C. to Paris.

The cuisine of Michel Richard Citronelle was served as well as this interesting little cocktail that you can see was in my hand that night.

The British Aiways owned airline is the only airline to offer Business Class-only travel between Paris – New York and Paris – Washington D.C. The airline already flies a route out of New York to Paris and plan to operate non-stop flights from New York to additional Continental European cities including Brussels, Milan and Frankfurt.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-fCbSHBJ7A[/youtube]

Congrats to Grace of Sunshine and Potatoes and Ms. Very Married!

The Marriage of Figaro at Washington National Opera (Photo by Karin Cooper)

What does that awesome Old Spice ad have to do with the Washington National Opera? Not much, the spot is stuck in my head now thanks to a recent Ellen Show clip- but if you listen to the ad you could assume that the opera is one of those things she likes but you may not.

More of today’s generation enjoys watching tanned-up guidos on TV rather than talented sopranos and tenors. However the Washington Opera has worked hard to shed old perceptions that the Opera is for old, boring, rich stiffs. In fact with the Washington Opera’s Generation O program- the art has never been more accessible to younger crowds.

The program is free to join for students and young professionals under 35. Members receive discounted tickets and invitations to special events. The group is strong with over 15,000 members and sounds like a great deal according to Generation O Advisory Council Chairman Arthur Bochner, who wrote in a 2009 Washington Life magazine piece, ” Generation O tickets mean you can enjoy an incredible evening of opera for under $100 – ideal for dating in a recession. At the last performance I attended, my casually dressed friends and I paid $50 for notoriously expensive orchestra seats.”

It does sound like a bargain for a younger generation that can’t afford to go out to classy events like the Opera.

Generation O’s latest event will be A Late Night Affair on May 6th, a benefit for WNO’s Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists, the company’s resident training program for artists on the verge of international careers. Event packages includes admission to a performance of The Marriage of Figaro as well as an after party at Circle Bistro following the performance where patrons can enjoy cocktails, hor d’ouevres, dancing, and have a chance to smooze with the production’s cast and production staff.

Those that are interested in joining Generation O or attending the Late Night Affair event can check out WNO’s Generation O page, but thanks to our friends at the WNO, DC Metblogs is very excited to be able to send a pair of lucky readers to the event for free!

We will be giving away a pair of tickets to WNO’s Late Night Affair, complete with tickets to the May 6th performance of The Marriage of Figaro and invites to the Late Night Affair party afterwards. There will also be a runner-up prize of a pair of tickets to the Figaro performance- sans after party.

What do you have to do to win? Just leave a comment below telling us what would be your “two tickets to that thing you like.” I will take all the names below and draw them out of the good ol’ Nationals hat on Sunday May, 2nd- you have til noon that day to enter.

Two rules:

• One entry per person (make sure you fill out your e-mail and name when leaving a comment!)
• In the spirit of Generation O only those under 35 may enter.

That’s it! So tell all your friends and leave us a comment below- good luck!

Thanks to Destination DC for the honor and be sure to check out DC Insider for your one-stop DC Blog stop.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user somewhatfrank

DC is certainly a brunch city, and while I didn’t really like Washington City Paper’s best brunch choices, I recently experienced the brunch phenomenon myself at a really classy place.

I stumbled out of bed two Sundays ago with a headache and a growling stomach. My cell phone rang, it was my roommate Maricha asking me if I wanted to get brunch over at Liberty Tavern (where my other roommate, the who shovels snow with a rake, works.) I decided to give it a try and walked down the street.

We were lucky to get a table outside on what was a nice and sunny afternoon. When I went upstairs to check out the buffet spread my hungry eyes couldn’t of been happier.

Just check out some of the selections from the brunch menu:

• Frittata with peppers, tomatoes, green onion, mozzarella
• Scrambled Eggs with bacon, cheese, and veggies
• Brioche French Toast with warm maple syrup, strawberry sauce, apples
• North Country Applewood Smoked Bacon
• Dave’s Fluffy Biscuits, Honey Glazed Ham, Milk Gravy
• Roasted chicken chimichangas with sour cream, cheddar
• Smoked Salmon, capers, crème fraiche, egg
• Stuffed Leg of Lamb, spinach, pecans and spiced prunes with lamb jus
• Chocolate-Banana Trifle with Vanilla Pastry Cream

Just typing out the menu just made me hungry again- and I just finished lunch.

The only thing that would of made this brunch perfect would probably be mimosas, because what would brunch be without a little adult beverages? I don’t even think I’ve had mimosas yet but I wasn’t in the mood to be drinking in the middle of the afternoon- that will have to wait for my return visit to Liberty Tavern for brunch. The food is good and for what you pay it’s a great value. Plus I still need to figure out how to ask out the cute waitress with the short brown hair. Liberty Tavern you can expect me for future returns.

Liberty Tavern serves brunch every Sunday starting a 9:30 AM and lasting til 2:00 PM. They offer a buffet and a la carte options, I highly recommend the buffet.

Liberty Tavern
3195 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington, VA 22201
(703) 465-9360