LAist is experimenting with blogging dates from J-Date, but finds the best men are found offline. Some date vicariously online and that is one reason why porn is big — really freaking big — so they ask if they should cover XXX since the heart of it lays in the city’s San Fernando Valley. A writer grapples with her food porn photography obsession, another gets censored on Flickr, one gets scooped by the LA…

Despite all the warnings, a few of us headed out to the DC101 Chili Cookoff on Saturday to take in a few bands and sample some chili, all for a good cause. The sun was out in full force, and so were the crowds. Adam and Sommer served as judges for the chili contest while I was down in the photo pit documenting the day’s musical offerings. I missed local boys Minus One while…

This Saturday, DC 101 is once again hosting its annual Chili Cook-Off, that popular concert, food and drink festival of gong show proportions that benefits the National Kidney Foundation. Tickets are sold-out, but for those of you who already got yours or are willing to brave the wilds of craigslist to score some, be sure to stop by the judging area and say hello to myself and DCist Food Editor Adam Bailey. Adam will be…

Hey there area concert goers. Do you like free stuff? You do? Well then I have just the thing for you. Our good friends at Filter Media had a few extra pair of tickets to some upcoming concerts and we talked them into letting us give them to you. We have a trio of giveaways in conjunction with some upcoming area shows: MSTRKRFT @ 9:30 Club on Friday, March 30 Pair of tickets, album…

Friday night D.C. welcomed a fresh face, an old friend, and a foreign band with a peculiar fascination with hands, eyes, and lights. We walked in to American University’s Bender Arena catching only the tail end of the Silversun Pickups’ set to find the bleacher seats completely filled. It was as if the concert goers were forced to attend some lecture rather than voluntarily choosing to buy tickets to a show. Maybe they were just…

MONDAY >> If you’re not high-tailing it to the Maryland end of the Orange line to see the Redskins take on the Vikings, you may want to pay the Black Cat’s backstage a visit to see The Whigs. This trio from Athens, GA has been called the “best unsigned band in America” by Rolling Stone. $8, 9 p.m. >> The haunting, violin-driven alt country of the Black Swans is coming our way. Catch these boys…