Author | Lightnews

Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · 15d

Taqueria La Placita in Hyattsville/Riverdale has an exceptional menu of tacos stuffed with offal, including head meat. taquerialaplacitamd.com/product-cate...

Tacos – Taqueria La Placita

taquerialaplacitamd.com

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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · 21d

I had the pleasure of speaking with Mike and Ian from NPR's How to Do Everything. We chatted about whether the Pentagon Pizza Report can actually predict major military actions. www.npr.org/2025/09/30/n...

AI, War, and Exercise, with Arnold Schwarzenegger : How To Do Everything

On today’s episode, how to get rid of Google’s AI summaries, and we help a listener who wants to exercise in her car during a long commute–with an assist from a very overqualified exerciser and a very...

www.npr.org

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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · 23d

We didn’t realize how good we had it in 2015. A look at a group of restaurants that helped reshape DC dining. Gift link: wapo.st/3WdFRsH

These restaurants opened 10 years ago — and redefined D.C. dining

Washington’s restaurant class of 2015 introduced new cuisines to the city, helped revive neighborhoods and raised D.C.’s national profile.

wapo.st

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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · Sep 11

Some thoughts on last night’s dinner in DC. Gift link: wapo.st/3KezhPU

Column | Trump was dared to dine in D.C. He played it safe at a chain steakhouse.

In a city awash with dining options, the president dined within his comfort zone, one block from the White House.

wapo.st

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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · Sep 10

More than 20 workers have been detained. Countless more have quit, called out of their shifts or scrambled to find alternative ways to get to work. The immigration crackdown in DC has the restaurant industry reeling.

Gift link: wapo.st/3VIggIc

ICE detentions roil D.C.’s already struggling restaurant scene

Restaurant owners say their workers are being targeted, picked up by immigration authorities while commuting to work.

wapo.st

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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · Aug 27

I got a lesson in the hard economics of plant-based restaurants. It helps to explain why Eleven Madison Park added meat back to the menu.
Gift link: wapo.st/3JRZ7Jj

Is Eleven Madison Park’s return to meat a sign of the times?

Eleven Madison Park is retreating on its vegan menu, proving the uphill battle plant-based fine dining can face.

wapo.st

Reposted by Tim Carman

Jake Berg @jacobsberg.bsky.social · Aug 20

Some y-o-y data herein. Not great!

Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · Aug 20

The administration argues that its crackdown on crime in DC has been good for restaurants. Numerous owners say otherwise.

Gift link: wapo.st/4mzcb4X

‘The city is dead’: D.C. restaurant reservations drop amid federal crackdown

August restaurant week can be a lifeline for D.C. food businesses, but high-visibility arrests and heavy law enforcement presence are driving some diners away.

wapo.st

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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · Aug 20

The administration argues that its crackdown on crime in DC has been good for restaurants. Numerous owners say otherwise.

Gift link: wapo.st/4mzcb4X

‘The city is dead’: D.C. restaurant reservations drop amid federal crackdown

August restaurant week can be a lifeline for D.C. food businesses, but high-visibility arrests and heavy law enforcement presence are driving some diners away.

wapo.st

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Reposted by Tim Carman

Barred in DC @barredindc.bsky.social · Aug 20

Excellent deep dive by Tim Carman and Warren Rojas into the impact on **all this** on DC restaurants this month.

contextualize the % opentable drops better than anyone I’ve seen (restaurant week in 2024 was Aug 12-18) but still shows the impact

wapo.st/4mzcb4X

wapo.st

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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · Aug 14

What does a lobster roll in Iowa and the White House have in common? Gold!
I have thoughts. Gift link: wapo.st/4mgSz5m

Column | Gold leaf lobster rolls in Iowa? Our tasteless obsession with gilded food.

Paired with caviar or a lobster roll at a state fair, edible gold remains a flavorless shorthand for status.

wapo.st

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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · Aug 14

When a sandwich is not sandwich: The new symbol for DC protesters.

Story for context: www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...

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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · Aug 6

For those who enjoy a good, bracing IPA, all jacked up with cascade hops, you owe a small debt of gratitude to Jack McAuliffe, the co-founder of New Albion brewing. He died last month at age 80. Gift link: wapo.st/4fqhtgd

Pour one out for Jack McAuliffe, who revolutionized craft beer

His company, New Albion, was the first American microbrewery since Prohibition. It helped inspire the creators of Sierra Nevada, Sam Adams and Dogfish Head.

wapo.st

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Reposted by Tim Carman

Aaron Hutcherson @thehungryhutch.bsky.social · Jul 29

"Genre movies often require a suspension of disbelief — which is just another way to say they require you to dial down your critic — to be fully enjoyed. The same can be said of restaurants." - @timcarman.bsky.social wapo.st/4ff7VEP

Review | When everybody’s a critic, they miss what makes restaurants special

Reader comments about Ben’s Chili Bowl show that to understand and even enjoy a restaurant, you may need to evaluate your evaluations.

wapo.st

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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · Jul 29

The D.C. Council didn't repeal I-82. But council members modified it in a way that, according to labor advocates, subverts the will of D.C. residents who approved the ballot measure with 74 percent of the vote. Gift link: wapo.st/4oqB4kO

D.C. Council’s compromise on tipped wages undermines voters’ will, advocates say

The council’s budget amendment will modify Initiative 82, which voters passed by an overwhelming majority in 2022.

wapo.st

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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · Jul 25

Sad news out of Wheaton. One of my favorite restaurants is closing after 29 years. The Yu family let me follow them for many months to show the damage, financially and emotionally and personally, that the pandemic had on them. You can read the story here: www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/202...

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Reposted by Tim Carman

Emily Guskin @emgusk.bsky.social · Jul 23

I am pleased about the wrap comeback, which I will be calling the wrapback

Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · Jul 23

Wraps, like just about everything else rn, are divisive. Some wish they'd go the way of Doc Martens and the macarena. Some write love letters to corporate heads, hoping to bring them back.
For better or for worse, wraps are back. I dove into the fray. wapo.st/4kUqz6e

Review | Who has the best chicken wrap? We ranked 8 fast-food brands.

For the top tortilla-wrapped option, look beyond McDonald’s and Popeyes.

wapo.st

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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · Jul 23

Wraps, like just about everything else rn, are divisive. Some wish they'd go the way of Doc Martens and the macarena. Some write love letters to corporate heads, hoping to bring them back.
For better or for worse, wraps are back. I dove into the fray. wapo.st/4kUqz6e

Review | Who has the best chicken wrap? We ranked 8 fast-food brands.

For the top tortilla-wrapped option, look beyond McDonald’s and Popeyes.

wapo.st

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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · Jul 18

Some thoughts on the culture of criticism that dominates our daily life -- and how it affects our relationship to restaurants.
Gift link: wapo.st/46d2xzG

Review | When everybody’s a critic, they miss what makes restaurants special

Reader comments about Ben’s Chili Bowl show that to understand and even enjoy a restaurant, you may need to evaluate your evaluations.

wapo.st

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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · Jul 7

You have a week to eat at the original Ben’s Chili Bowl before it closes for months for renovations. The family wants to retain the diner’s original character but they don’t yet know the extent of the repairs. wapo.st/40ItCXN

As Ben’s Chili Bowl closes for repairs, owners hope to keep its spirit

The family that owns Ben’s Chili Bowl wants to make sure the much-needed renovations don’t damage the diner’s nostalgic character.

wapo.st

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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · Jul 1

To say I was skeptical about Pentagon Pizza Report would be an understatement. So I put on my reporter's pants and dug into the account. I talked to Pentagon sources. I traded emails with the Pentagon police. I even managed to track down the account's founder. Here's the full report: wapo.st/4exjPtl

Can pizza orders predict military action? One man keeps track.

The Pentagon Pizza Report’s founder says, “It’s stupid, it’s funny, but you can’t help but feel there’s also something there.”

wapo.st

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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · Jun 12

New York’s celebrated bagel shop dropped anchor in DC with a commissary model that allows the company to ship parbaked and frozen rounds straight from Queens. Our panel had widely divergent opinions on how H&H compares to Pearl’s, one of the best bagel shops in DC.

Gift link: wapo.st/3SJSQkm

Review | New York’s H&H Bagels just opened in D.C. Does it live up to the hype?

The New York bagel shop has cultural cachet, but the rounds from its first D.C. outpost didn’t wow us.

wapo.st

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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · Jun 3

Every story is a learning experience. But putting together this seemingly simple quiz was, for me, like taking a master class on U.S. food imports.

Take the quiz, and see how much you know: wapo.st/451OQD6

Do you know who exports these foods to the U.S.? Test your knowledge.

The sources of America’s imports of sugar, coffee, tea, oil and other common foods potentially subject to tariffs might surprise you.

wapo.st

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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · May 27

Congratulations to @bbqsnob.bsky.social and @texasmonthly.bsky.social on another indispensable bbq guide: six of the top 10 are located in small towns, none in Dallas and only one in Houston. Also: Franklin didn’t make the top tier. This is how you cover a state. www.texasmonthly.com/interactive/...

The Top 50 Texas BBQ Joints: 2025 Edition

Is there such a thing as too much good barbecue? If you’re trying to determine the fifty best barbecue joints in the state, the answer is yes.

www.texasmonthly.com

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Tim Carman @timcarman.bsky.social · May 24

Yesterday, I was on foot, waiting for the light to change so I could cross. A young man behind me shouted, “Really? Denim on denim?” He shook his head, offended by my combination of faded jeans and gray-denim jacket.

Just like that, I realized I was the victim of a drive-by fashion critic.

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Reposted by Tim Carman

Society for Features Journalism @wearesfj.bsky.social · May 23

FOOD FEATURE, DIV 3

A story focusing on food, excluding reviews or commentary.

🥇 1st Place: @timcarman.bsky.social
🥈 2nd Place: Emma Glassman-Hughes, @civileats.com
🥉 3rd Place: @hannaraskin.bsky.social
🏅 Honorable Mention: @sharynjackson.bsky.social

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