Yesterday we threw together a list of the people in the District we considered influential, taking after a similar annual list put together by GQ that compiles the movers and shakers on the federal side of the city. One of our nominees was Dorothy Brizill, a well-known civic activist and political gadfly who runs DC Watch, the closest thing we have to a citizens’ inspector general. And as we expected, last night she offered us…

RAMMY’s All Around! Sunday was the Restaurant Area of Metropolitan Washington’s 25th annual RAMMY awards, the local dining scene’s big gala event. 1,500 people packed the Marriott in Woodley Park, listened to speeches, clapped for the winners, danced like teenage hooligans, and probably drank more booze than they wanted to/were happy about the next day. But, why else would so many people get together in one place? Oh, the awards? Yeah, I’ll get to them….

Welcome to this week’s Feed, coming to you from Albuquerque, N.M.! This Feed will be a little more free flowing than usual. Why? I’m sitting on the patio, drinking a Fat Tire, enjoying the dry climate, and looking out on Sandia Peak. I just wanted to rub it in. 2007 RAMMYs To Feature Snakes That’s what “Black Tie and Boas”—the theme of this year’s RAMMY awards dinner—means, right? Tuxedos and Anacondas? Seems like a bad…

D.C.’s 2007 Taste of the Nation to support “Share Our Strength” was held last night at the Washington Hilton Hotel to raise funds to combat childhood hunger in our region. The event featured over 70 restaurants, chefs, and distributors from the D.C. metro area who all came out to support the cause and glad hand with their fans. An estimate of a whopping 1200 people showed up for good food, drinks, company, and a noble…

Written by DCist Contributors Gayle S. Putrich and Mike Roscoe Awards season: long gone in Hollywood; just getting started for D.C.’s restaurants. If you don’t believe us, just ask Cathal Armstrong of Restaurant Eve, Eamonn’s, and the forthcoming Majestic. Armstrong has been named a contender for two awards in as many days: Best Mid-Atlantic Chef from the James Beard Foundation on Monday and now Chef of the Year by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington….

We noted earlier this month that D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty planned to overhaul the D.C. Department of Health in his first 100 days, and the Examiner reports that this is well under way. Earlier this week the pyramid underneath reappointed Director Gregg Pane got a little narrower, as the eleven agencies were consolidated into seven, and a number of senior deputies and chiefs of staff were let go. Notably, pregnancy prevention and care and school…

Now Departing Union Station, Trans Fat I’d watch out on the red line over the next few days if I were you. Courtesy of today’s Examiner, we learn that both B. Smith’s and Capitol City Brewing Company are booting Trans fat out the door, and he is going to be pissed off. There’s no telling what some Trans fat will do, all newly-jobless and lacking a hydrogen atom, he may cause some bedlam by wantonly…

Amid alcohol, music, rain, and a little glam rock style, the 2006 Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington awards — a/k/a the RAMMYs — were handed out last night at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Woodley Park. Fabio Trabocchi’s Maestro took home the Best Picture equivalent by winning the award for top Fine Dining Restaurant in the D.C. area, while tapas king Jose Andres earned Chef of the Year honors. Among the other victors were…

International Wine and Food Festival Those of you who intend to hit the 7th Annual Washington D.C. Wine & Food Festival this Saturday and Sunday at the Omni Shoreham may want to come up with a strategy before you arrive. With 1,200 wines from more than 280 wineries to sample and chef appearances aplenty, walking in will be like stopping by Target or Wegman’s without a list, just to pick up a few things….

Taming persnickety phyllo dough is the bane of many home cooks, but Zaytinya chef Abdel Hashhoush makes it look so easy. “Yes, brothers and sisters, yes?” Hashhoush asked the enthusiastic crowd several times while rolling out and flipping 24 gigantic paper-thin sheets of phyllo separated by tons of cornstarch — the secret to keeping it unstuck — on a rickety folding table at the Penn Quarter FRESHFARM market on Thursday night. His able “assistants,” Zaytinya…