Plus, DC Council fights for federal agent transparency ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌
Hey DC by City Cast

View in the browser

Wednesday, March 4 
55° F  

/

46° F

Morning! The cutest itty-bitty one-bedroom Georgetown townhouse is for sale, and I need it. The bright red 1,000-square-foot home was built in 1780 and is filled with wood beams, handmade glass windows, and brick fireplaces. All that for only a little over a million, such a steal! Check out the pics here.

What DC's Talking About

Thousands Denounce Trump’s Ballroom

The National Capital Planning Commission released over 9,000 pages of negative comments about Trump’s White House ballroom project ahead of tomorrow’s public meeting. Comments range from calling it a "complete DISASTER," to begging for "NO GAUDY FAKE GOLD STUFF.” [Axios]


Residents Fight Utility Bill Surge

Almost 100 residents and small business owners testified before the D.C. Council last week over surging utility prices driven by extreme weather and cost hikes. Many say they're facing brutal trade-offs and are being forced to cut back on groceries and essentials. [Axios]

  • Psst! If you’re looking to cut down on lifestyle costs, we’ve got some great tips in today’s podcast episode on the best cheap date spots! [City Cast DC 🎧]

New Bills Build Transparency Around Federal Agents

D.C. Council unanimously passed two bills concerning federal agents in D.C. One requires local police to release body-cam footage when federal agents use deadly force. The other requires police to collect names of federal agents who make arrests while patrolling with them. [X]


Amazon Buys GW Virginia Campus For Data Center

George Washington University has sold its Virginia campus to Amazon Data Services for $427 million. The tech giant plans to turn the 120-acre Ashburn campus into a data or information technology center. [GW Hatchet]

City Cast newsletter ad image

Sponsored by our friends at Awesome Con

Awesome Con is Taking Over DC!

Display ad for Awesome Con; March 13 - 15

Awesome Con will 🌸 bloom at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center this March 13-15! Celebrate fandom and meet your FAVORITE artists, authors, and celebrities, including Nathan Fillion & Alan Tudyk, Misha Collins, Jamie Campbell Bower, Gillian Anderson, Paul Giamatti, Critical Role, and many more!

Meet the Female Chefs Shaping DC’s Culinary Scene

Chef Amy cooking up something good at Centrolina. (The Washington Post/Getty Images)

Chef Amy cooking up something good at Centrolina. (The Washington Post/Getty Images)

Sunday is International Women’s Day and we’re celebrating in the best way we know how: food! From culinary legends to rising stars, here are eight women who are shaping D.C.’s restaurant scene with everything from pastries to pulao.


Shamim Popal (Lapis)

Chef Shamim Popal and her family fled Afghanistan when the Soviet Union invaded in the 1980s, eventually landing in D.C. Despite having no formal culinary training, she opened a successful restaurant group alongside her husband and children, which includes Lutèce, Pascual, Maison Bar à Vins, and Lapis. Popal still runs the kitchen at Lapis where she whips up delicious, healthy, home-style Afghan food.


Masako Morishita (Perry’s)

Morishita came to D.C. to be on the Washington Commanders cheerleading team, where she worked for five years (even becoming captain) before getting into cooking. “I learned a lot of relevant skills as captain because it was all about managing the team,” says Morishita. She took over Perry’s in Adams Morgan in 2024, quickly turning the local spot into a critically-acclaimed destination for Japanese comfort food.


Morishita in the Perry’s dining room. (Photo courtesy of Scott Suchman)

Morishita in the Perry’s dining room. (Photo courtesy of Scott Suchman)

Amy Brandwein (Centrolina, Piccolina)

Amy Brandwein is a six-time James Beard Award-nominated chef and mastermind behind D.C.’s contemporary Italian mainstay Centrolina. She is also a strong advocate for women in the industry and a legend in D.C.’s food scene. Centrolina has 100% female leadership. If you swing by, she says not to leave without getting their daily homemade pasta and the tuna crudo.


Rose Previte (Maydan, Medina, Sook)

Before opening her first restaurant, Compass Rose, Rose Previte spent three years traveling to over 30 countries. Now, she is the chef and owner of some of D.C.’s most acclaimed restaurants, including the recently opened Sook. She also published one of our favorite local cookbooks, “Maydan.”


Paola Velez (Providencia)

Paola Velez is an award-winning D.C.-based pastry chef and the author of “Bodega Bakes.” You may recognize her from shows like “The Today Show” and “What Am I Eating." She runs the desert program at Providencia on H St. NE and started the movement Bakers Against Racism. She told us her style is “whimsical, playful Americana foods — bursting with sazon and Latino flavors.”


Paola Velez (right) and the rest of the Providencia team. (The Washington Post/Getty Images)

Paola Velez (right) and the rest of the Providencia team. (The Washington Post/Getty Images)

Seng Luangrath (Thip Khao, Padaek, Baan Mae)

I, like many Washingtonians, am a Seng Luangrath fan girl. Luangrath is personally responsible for the takeoff of D.C.’s Laotian food scene. She fled Laos during the Vietnam War and learned to cook in a Thai refugee camp before coming to D.C. and opening Thip Khao in 2014 with unapologetically Lao dishes that got national attention.


Jovana Urriola (Cafe Unido, Colada Shop)

Panamanian chef Jovana Urriola spent time as a private chef for actor Owen Wilson and competing in "Top Chef" before coming to D.C. to revamp Cafe Unido and eventually, take over Colada Shop. She specializes in Latin American cuisine with a Panamanian touch. On her off days you can find her eating at Queen’s English.


Najmieh Batmanglij (Joon)

Known as the Julia Child of Persian cooking, Najmieh Batmanglij was born and raised in Iran before moving to the U.S. in 1983. Her multiple cookbooks have won dozens of awards and The New York Times declared her one of “seven immigrant women who changed the way Americans eat.” She now brings her recipes to life at her restaurant Joon in Tysons Corner.

City Cast newsletter ad image

Sponsored by our friends at National Museum of the American Indian

Sharing culture through the art of quillwork

Display ad for The Art of Quilwork; Saturday March 14 11 AM - 4 PM

Learn how the art of porcupine quillwork is used to create something special at the National Museum of the American Indian. Enjoy artist demonstrations, join a tour of the special installation Making a Statement, and get hands-on with objects to deepen your understanding of quillwork. Saturday, March 14, 11 AM.

What To Do

Wednesday, March 4

Thursday, March 5

More DC Events

🫣 Barbie pond is at it again with a perfectly satirical public diorama this week.


Thanks for reading!

💌 Kaela

City Cast DC cityscape image
City Cast DC newsletter
BY CITY CAST
 
 
 
mailtoinstagram