DC Outlook

Sunday, September 20, 2026

The Score Twitter/X Theatre Review

Brian Cox stars in The Score (Photo: Teresa Castracane)

He's Bach!

Celebrity and a polished resume make it a bit easier to win over an audience; but some actors not only deserve the accolades... they command them. Case in point, Brian Cox, CBE, star of @ShakespeareinDC's magnificent season (and U.S.) premiere, The Score. What begins as a (literal and relative) sleepy opening builds to a roaring boil, tackling faith, frailty, pride and tyranny in blistering fashion. There's so much to love in this production: Cox's Johann Sebastian Bach is equal parts card & curmudgeon, bouncing back and forth as he deems fit at that moment. Bach is a star and knows it, but he's also near the end of his career/life. That back & forth isn't easy, and didn't go unappreciated by this critic. Also tremendous (although in smaller doses) @stephen_hagan as the foil (Frederick the Great) and scene-stealer Juliet Garricks as Emelia. They're terrific on their own, but even better opposite Cox. It's nearly three hours long, so it's not perfect (I slow down after two) but it's pretty darn close.

Grade: A-

Mission Dupont Twitter/X Food Review

Mission Dupont's Mexican Chile Wings

Mission: Overdone

Prior (dine-in) visits to @missiondupont have been great, but tonight’s delivery (via @DoorDash) left me disappointed, with 1️⃣ notable exception. Mission’s Arrachera Steak Taco ($7.50) was small but packed with steak. Unfortunately tough & overdone 🥩 ☹️ Late in the day perhaps? But no excuse. Vibrant cilantro & jalapeños subsequently got lost in the mix. D More disappointing? Mexican Chile Wings ($17.95) which were even more overdone. 8 wings with an A+ rub, cooked to death. I’ve had ‘em before (normally awesome) so I was really surprised. So surprised, I barely finished 3. D- (Thank God for the rub!) The aforementioned notable exception? A bag of $4.95 Chips & Salsa that seemed to come from Heaven above. Impossibly light but crispy chips & a perfectly zesty salsa (not thick, but delicious.) A (So good, they almost saved this meal.)

Grade: D+ (High expectations went unmet.)

Drunken Noodles with Chicken at One Fish, Two Fish

Surprise, Surprise 😮

Friendly, quick delivery from One Fish, Two Fish in Georgetown. Might not look like much from across the street; but the food is really good, starting with a $3.55 cup of Miso Soup (nice but a little salty) B- followed by surprisingly tasty crinkle-cut French Fries ($5.25) B. Then things get… interesting. As in extra good. 3 gigantic Chicken Wings (a steal at just $7.59) were hot (sans BBQ sauce, which I forgot to apply) and chock-full of perfectly cooked meat. Even the skin was tasty. A- Last but certainly not least, a HUGE portion of Drunken Noodles with Chicken ($13.95) which easily feeds 2! Tons of chicken, all kinds of extras (carrots!) and zesty noodles = another A-. Affordable, plentiful & yummy.

Grade: B+

The Salt Line Twitter/X Food Review

Portuguese Egg Sandwich at The Salt Line

Spice > Salt

Late breakfast at @thesaltline in Ballston. A+ reception by hostess, followed by a spicy takeaway Portuguese Egg Sandwich with Fries ($16.) Easily one of the best breakfast sammies in the DMV, starting with a full-size, soft semolina sweet roll (holds up well) fried egg, linguica sausage, beer tomato gravy (meh) and the aforementioned heat from a surreal scallion relish that demands to be on your radar, not to mention in a bottle in your fridge. Nice & big too. A- Their skin-on fries are good, but a bit flimsy & in need of (any/some) salt 🧂 B-. Sterling hostess & great sandwiches = many happy (future) returns.

Grade: B+

Jacob Elordi & Margaret Qualley (r) star in The Dog Stars

I Am (Not) Legend

IMDb Plot: In a post-apocalyptic world, a virus wipes out humanity. Survivors face roaming scavengers called Reapers. Protagonist Hig, a pilot, survived the flu but lost his wife. Directed by Ridley Scott.

Chang Chang Twitter/X Food Review

Chang Chang's Sweet & Sour Spare Ribs

So-So

Relatively disappointing “Chang out” from Chang Chang. $4 Hot & Sour Soup provided a cold start. Bitter with a syrupy texture D $2 Purple Rice was a bad idea (clumpy) D $13 Chili Wontons were a bit better, nicely sized with plenty of pork & shrimp 🍤 filling and a strong dose of chili 🌶️ but not much else. C+ Best for last? $16 Sweet & Sour Spare Ribs. Tons of ‘em. Lots of meat (came clean off) not too salty with a rich sauce B+ Looking forward to a “Chang in” next time (great looking dining room) but today’s lunch? Meh.

Grade: C (Affordable, but average.)

P.J. Clarke's Twitter/X Food Review

The PJs 1884 Cheeseburger (sans cheese) at P.J. Clarke's

Cold as Ice

@PJClarkes is less than 3 miles away from home, but a burger & fries shouldn’t take an hour + 20 minutes to arrive (on a Sunday night) should it? The PJs 1884 Cheeseburger ($24, sans cheese) arrived RARE (requested medium) with ice cold fries in a paper bag. What a shame, as the burger was generously sized (good quality meat) and the shoestring fries were somehow tasty despite their temperature. Not sure what happened, but the end result = mass disappointment.

Grade: D-

Drunken Noodles at Thai Station

Bait and Switch

There's an old joke that ends in, "Beige, I think I'll paint the ceiling beige." It has something to do with dull and uninspiring, the same thoughts I had while eating takeaway from Thai Station (incorrectly advertised as @SalaThai_DC on @wonder!) last night. The latter would be ashamed to be associated with anything this bland, so let's reiterate... this was Thai Station in Brentwood. Station's Chicken Wings (an apparent deal at $8.95) turned out to be only four unflavored wings, screaming for (any kind of) sauce. D As for the aforementioned beige, look no further than a large portion of Drunken Noodles that had zero heat (asked for medium spicy, received bland instead) for $16.95. The price was right, but I expected more than two measly strips of red pepper and half a cherry tomato, surrounded by beige (and opaque beige) chunks of dry chicken and (stuck-together) noodles. I can live with a lack of color, but no heat is unforgivable.) D (At least the noodles are a very generous portion.) Next time, I'll double check that the restaurant I'm ordering from, matches where it actually comes from (Wonder gets an F for that.)

Grade: D

Mutiny Twitter/X Movie Review

Jason Statham stars in Mutiny

A Man of Action

IMDb Plot: After his billionaire industrialist boss is murdered in front of him, Cole Reed is set up to take the fall for the crime -- leaving him on the run as he works to uncover an international conspiracy. Directed by Jean-François Richet.

The End of Oak Street Twitter/X Movie Review

Ewan McGregor & Anne Hathaway (r) stars in The End of Oak Street

(Life) in the Past Lane

IMDb Plot: The Platt family bands together to navigate their new surroundings after a cosmic event transports their suburban neighborhood to someplace unknown. Directed by David Robert Mitchell.

The Well Dressed Burrito Twitter/X Food Review

Steak Chimichurri at The Well Dressed Burrito

40 years. That’s how long @welldressed has been around. They’re (relatively) hidden in an alley near 19th & M, and my 1st visit arrived via (@wonder) delivery; but aside from the worst chips & salsa in the DMV, I actually enjoyed my dinner a lot. The tortilla chips were bitter/stale, and my salsa closer resembled a poor-man’s salad instead of pico de gallo. Lettuce? No thank you. Only $1.99 & $1/29 (not so) respectively, but still an F. The grilled steak (5 generous, well-seasoned strips) were delicious, even better with a zesty Chimichurri & Brazilian Garlic-Herb Sauce duo B+ atop a dozen or so steak fries B. I still haven’t tried a trademark burrito 🌯 yet, but I’m now looking forward to it.

Grade: B (even with the chips & salsa.)