Make it stop! Endless papers pitting low-carb, low-fat, keto, Mediterranean, whatever diets against each other when ALL the differences are just a few pounds. It doesn't matter. No diet ever tested works for long-term, substantial weight loss. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

My colleague @timcarman.bsky.social has a beautiful essay on the music of Chris Whitley, who died 20 years ago www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...

Should a Big Mac knockoff taste like the real thing? Or just steal the architecture of the famous burger? Emily Heil and I have a fun back and forth on the topic. wapo.st/3JOGab2

Numerous restaurant owners say the District’s new guidelines and fee structure will force them to close their streateries. Some Washingtonians won’t miss them. wapo.st/3LXgc5F

I've known Elazar for a couple of years now. He's an exceptional human being and a wonderful food critic. You're in good hands, D.C. www.washingtonpost.com/food/2025/11...

Three restaurateurs, three memoirs, three very different perspectives on what makes a successful life, in and out of dining rooms. wapo.st/47wCPX5

"Tim Carman ALMOST makes me want to go to Arby's," my husband says to me this morning. This is why. Terrific piece. @timcarman.bsky.social writes so well about food.. www.washingtonpost.com/food/2025/10...

We interrupt your regularly scheduled scrolling for this lark of a review on Arby's new steak nuggets. wapo.st/3WPNbLL

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...

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

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

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

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

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

The administration argues that its crackdown on crime in DC has been good for restaurants. Numerous owners say otherwise. Gift link: wapo.st/4mzcb4X

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

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

When a sandwich is not sandwich: The new symbol for DC protesters. Story for context: www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...

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

"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

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

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...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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/...

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.

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

Erin Gore, the CEO of @WCKitchen, will be leaving the organization on Friday, May 16, for another job. "It's been the honor of a lifetime to help lead this chapter alongside such a determined and compassionate team." Gore wrote in a departing email, obtained by The Post.

The DHS sweeps last week could lead to a worker shortage and more closures in a restaurant industry already expected to contract this year. Gift link: wapo.st/4iYK24F

Owners don’t know what I-9 employee audits will mean for their restaurants, or the future of the industry as a whole, but they say it doesn’t bode well. Gift link: wapo.st/3YCKmyS

This is how the psycho circus of DC plays out: One minute, I'm wading through interviews with anxious restaurant owners who are dealing with the Department of Homeland Security demanding paperwork. The next, I'm reading messages that I got a James Beard nomination. www.jamesbeard.org/stories/2025...

For Ringer millennial week, I wrote about...bowls. (With help from @doughboys.bsky.social, @timcarman.bsky.social, and Bret Thorn.) www.theringer.com/2025/05/06/f...

DC is looking to overturn a voter initiative for the second time. wapo.st/3RQ83Qo

I worked w/ the International team on this. Via WhatsApp, I spoke with several Palestinians on the ground in Gaza. One story that didn't make it into the piece: an NGO worker visited a mother, who is living off energy biscuits and Plumpy’Nut, a peanut-based paste reserved for emergency malnutrition.

It’s always so much fun to hang out with Julie Mason in the studio. Sometimes we talk about things you might care about, like Popeyes and tipping. www.siriusxm.com/clips/clip/f...

Few people know Washington like Michael Schaffer, my friend and former editor at Washington City Paper. I went on CityCastDC to talk about the state of the restaurant scene. As always, Mike knows how to cut through the B.S. and ask the tough questions. Listen in. dc.citycast.fm/podcasts/is-...

The pickle lemonade is magic. The rest of the menu ain’t bad either. www.washingtonpost.com/food/2025/04...

The D.C. restaurant scene is at a critical crossroads for many operators, especially those in the small, neighborhood category. We gather anecdotes from one owner and then take a look at the hard data. It's pretty sobering. Gift link: wapo.st/3Rh8S4w

An absolute delight from @timcarman.bsky.social who went to see Jacques Pepin for an omelet lesson and also got a lesson in how to live a good life. www.washingtonpost.com/food/2025/03...

You had to catch Hill Country on a right day, but when you did, it made you remember why Texas barbecue is beloved around the world. Gift link: wapo.st/4ip2ofV

The growing legend of the missing Oval Office ivy, via @maurajudkis.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/style/power/...

I obtained audio from today's board meeting at the Kennedy Center, which Trump presided over in his role as chair. My latest: www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...

In Israel, alarming new rules for foreign NGOs assisting Palestinians, restrictions aid groups say would politicize their work, put local and international staff at risk and undermine relief efforts in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. by @timcarman.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

Some important news out of the Middle East. Many international aid groups don’t know what the future holds in the occupied territories. wapo.st/4bDPlog

McDonald’s and Krispy Kreme is the combo meal absolutely no one needs. The two chains have joined forces to sell doughnuts alongside burgers and fries. But for whose benefit?by @timcarman.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/food/2025/03... via @washingtonpost.com