I was surprised yesterday when I saw that there was an announcement that the Metblogs network will close down at the end of the month. Right now I am on the remote island of Hatteras, NC enjoying a beach vacation on The Outer Banks.

For those that have see the update bar above me, here’s what I know: after struggling with operational costs the servers that house this vast empire of blogs worldwide has become too costly to maintain. Online revenue has take a hit in recent months and Sean had to make a tough decision.

Since announcing the news there has been an outpouring of support that may save DC Metblogs as well as the Metblogs site all over the world, but right now nothing official has been stated.

As the man in charge of DC Metblogs I can only wait and see what Sean, Jason, and the team out west figure out. It’s been an honor to take the reins of the site for the past year or two and I support everything Sean has done with this network. I think Washington, DC is one of the most blogged about cities in the country and I dare compare it to the likes of NYC and LA.

Right now the outlook looks hopeful but nothing is certain just yet, but what I can assure you is that I will continue to write and blog about my adventures in the Nation’s capital and I hope you’ve enjoyed the ride so far.

I’ll let the ad speak for itself- my apologies if you know the guy looking for a roommate/specimen:

h/t Consumerist

The chef was right: the not-so-cranky strawberries made for a delightful salad. The sliders were amazing too! (Photo credit: www.staceyviera.com)

I swear I’m not going to become a food blogger. But I do love food- and apparently people notice when I write about food.

After writing about my brunch at Liberty Tavern, Silver Diner across the street invited me to a dinner with other bloggers to try out their new Fresh & Local menu. The new menu features items that are locally bought ingredients, gluten and allergy free, and health conscious.

I was surprised that co-founder and CEO Robert Giaimo was bluntly honest about the demographic of his customers. He asked how many of us have dined at one of his establishments and then asked how many of us were sober while doing so. Since I live across the street from this particular location I was proud to keep my hand up (even though I think I spent the later night of a Cinco de Mayo there as well.) However since he understands his clientele he also knows where the future of dining was going- and wants Silver Diner to lead the charge as they become the Next Generation Diner.

I was also impressed by the other co-founder and Vice President of Culinary Operations Ype Von Hengst. A chef born in The Netherlands, he was not what I pictured Silver Diner’s top food man to be. He knew how to entertain the crowd, comparing the new local produce as food that wasn’t cranky from a week long trip across the country.

Like I said I’m no food critic, if you want more informed opinions of the the new menu please consult my good friends at DC Gluttony and Every Food Fits.

I will say this though- they certainly treated us to a feast and it was good- and fellow TMG alumni Lisa approves as well.

Silver Diner is located all over Virginia and Maryland- check out their website to find out where the closest one to you is and if they carry the new menu, which is being rolled out in phases.

Courtesy Flickr user afagen

In honor of Mother’s Day The Daily Beast (home of an extensive blogger roster including my republican dream girl Meghan McCain,) published a list of the Best and Worst cities for mothers, can you guess where Washington DC ended up in the ranking of the top 200 cities? Try 7th to last- right above LA.

The list took into account mothers per capital; quality of child care, schools, and maternity care; and an all-important metric: per capita searches on Citysearch.com for “Mother’s Day Brunch,” and “Hair Salon.”

That last criteria is where they lost me but take a lot at the DC compared to the top ranked city (Bosie, ID) and see for yourself:

#193, Washington, DC

Moms-per-capita: 186

Child care: 162

Schools: 5 out of 10

Maternity care: 35

Pampering: 48

#1, Boise, ID

Moms-per-capita: 61 out of 200

Child care: 20 out of 200

Schools: 7 out of 10

Maternity care: 63 of out 200

Pampering: 86 out of 200

With cities like Coral Springs, FL and Elk Grove, CA topping the list I wonder if this ranking is skewed towards smaller cities but then again these cities ranked high in child care and pampering. Again I don’t know about that last metric…

Other notable cities on the list: Arlington, VA (#37); Alexandria, VA (#127); Baltimore, MD (#130)- DC what do you think? Is it that bad out there for a mother and family in The District?

I never thought I would order food from a truck but these treats are not your typical tourist food trap.

Now that I’m working in Rosslyn I’ve become accustomed to the food carts that park themselves right outside the Gannett building.

First I tried a Gryo at the Metro Halal Food Cart, because if you know me you know I love Halal food. It’s pretty good and my former co-worker/foodie Kristen agrees.

Once I popped my food cart cherry I had to check out the other regulars, including District Taco. The breakfast tacos I had there were awesome, I ordered three which were probably more than I actually needed- good to note for future breakfast meals. (Also good for company lunches- NMS loves District Taco!)

The next food cart I’m trying to track down is Vietnamese sandwich truck Rebel Heroes. As a proud Vietnamese American, I know my mom would be delighted to hear that I’m actually actively seeking to eat Banh-Mi for lunch. New blogger friend Stacey Viera recently got to talk with owner Tan Nguyen who told her they are “revolutionizing the sub.”

Of course these mobile food providers join a growing list of DC area mobile restaurateurs. It appears that you can get everything from Pizza to Cupcakes from a truck. Even local salad chain Sweetgreen is joining in the fun with their Sweetflow truck. However some of the most well known DC food trucks specialize in more foreign cuisine.

The Fojol Brothers have been recognized as the Best Mobile Food Truck by Washington City Paper. They serve Indian dishes with flair- just visit the site and look at the family portrait!

Sauca serves up global menu of dishes and not only do they sell food from around the world but music as well.

Like many of the above businesses, On The Fly has an eye towards the planet and tries to run a green operation through electric powered GEM carts that haul their warez.

I’m sure there’s even more out there- I know that Pupatella is currently in the process to roll out around the Arlington area, what’s your favorite DC Food Truck/Cart?

As my co-worker/blogger extraordinaire Nisha can attest,  the view is great from the Hay-Adams Hotel rooftop. I was there last week at a reception to celebrate the maiden voyage of OpenSkies Airline’s new “Capital to Capital” route from Washington D.C. to Paris.

The cuisine of Michel Richard Citronelle was served as well as this interesting little cocktail that you can see was in my hand that night.

The British Aiways owned airline is the only airline to offer Business Class-only travel between Paris – New York and Paris – Washington D.C. The airline already flies a route out of New York to Paris and plan to operate non-stop flights from New York to additional Continental European cities including Brussels, Milan and Frankfurt.

Well time to draw the winner of the Late Night Affair Giveaway!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-fCbSHBJ7A[/youtube]

Congrats to Grace of Sunshine and Potatoes and Ms. Very Married!