Quick! Bring your dogs to Marie Reed to poop all over the kickballers’ field! Bring them to romp and dig into the baselines where kids from the learning center play! Clearly, this park belongs to dogs and their owners. Never mind there’s only a single coat of paint over “NO” and “AT ANYTIME.” No one paid any attention to the original sign anyway. Never mind there’s an actual dog run up the hill at Walter Pierce. I get it. It’s too far to walk. That would be, like, giving you and your dog way too much exercise. Maybe you’ve heard this all before. I know I have.

The News & Observer reported last week on a study from the Journal of Marriage and Family, which found that stepdads and stand-in pappies often make better parents than married biological dads:

Mothers reported that stepfathers were more engaged, more cooperative and shared more responsibility than their biological counterparts did, according to the study, published in this month’s issue of the Journal of Marriage and Family.

Lawrence Berger, the study’s lead author, cautioned that the findings applied only to “fragile families,” defined as low-income urban families prone to nonmarital births.

Could this be good news for DC kids? (I’m thinking of the middle school misfits who lollygag around Jefferson and 7th, and occasionally interrupt my stoop reveries to ask if they can “get some peanut butter on that cracker.”) The numbers say it should be great news. In 2006, the most recent year for which the Census Bureau has data, 4,093 unmarried DC women gave birth to screaming new DC residents. Even if we dismiss half of those births as intentional (i.e., the offspring of well-off domestic partners)–and I suspect those numbers are laughably optimistic–that still leaves quite a few unwed moms and daddy-less kids, many of whom I’d place in the category of “low-income urban families prone to nonmarital births.”

Unless one wants to contend that unwed, low-income dads have a tendency to stick around and act as good role models, here’s to the possibility that at least a few of DC’s single moms will cease to fret over the significance of a flesh and blood connection between their kids and the men who raise them. And why were at it, let’s hope that biological dads have enough pride to compete with the Prince Charmings who might usurp their roles at home.

Dino in Cleveland Park (3435 Connecticut Ave., NW) is, like, the Michael Phelps of Restaurant Week, truly unbelievable and smoking the competition. Really, you say? Can Dino be that good? Can Dino be completely and utterly peerless?

Tell me about the menu: Everything’s on it, Phelps Phans, not just three paltry dishes for each course. The only up-charge is for some ridiculously large steak. If you want some ridiculously large steak, why are you at a “rustic Italian” joint in Cleveland Park? Why are you not home watching Michael Phelps listen to his iPod?

Rather stay home and watch Michael Phelps listen to his iPod while Rowdy Gaines endlessly oogles him? Restaurant Week at Dino is Restaurant Month, through the end of August. Phew! Phelps!

How about the booze? Wine list is large. It’s on a clipboard. There’s another edited, annotated version for non-sommeliers. It includes clues like “explosive” and “bracing.” So does Rowdy Gaines when he’s oogling Michael Phelps. Go with wine, which comes in a 5 oz. or 8 oz. pour. I started with a G&T while waiting for a friend and it was just shy of $11. It was “bracing” and all, but not worth $11 and not worth missing Michael Phelps swim a 200 IM heat, winning while still conserving energy.

What if I like cheese as much as I like Michael Phelps? You’re totally in luck. Instead of the graham-nut apple crumble topped with black peppercorn gelato, you can get a selection of cheeses for your third course. But why would you want to? Only Frenchies do that and did you see the way Michael Phelps‘ relay team SMASHED the Frenchies in the 4 by 100? Because Rowdy Gaines did and he thought it was AWESOME. U-S-A!!! U-S-A!!!

Can I have some more booze please? Yes, yes you can and—get this—it’s free! Dino, in an unprecedented RW move, offers a complimentary pour of dessert wine, grappa, or (for the non-boozer) limoncello. Michael Phelps would order the limoncello, Rowdy Gaines? Total grappa guy. You decide.

So how’s the food? O-M-G!!! O-M-G!! It was like Michael Phelps did a flipturn in my mouth! Get the caprese salad. The heirloom tomatoes are gold-medal contenders right now. By next week, they may be only bronze, but next week Michael Phelps will be the greatest human being of all time and you can again leave the house.

The owners of Peregrine Espresso are really excited about opening their Capitol Hill cafe–which’ll occupy the space vacated by snake-bit Murky Coffee.

In an August 8 Web posting, the caffeine impresarios wrote, “We got our patio furniture in yesterday and we’ll be putting it out on weekdays for your sitting pleasure. Come try it out. The wireless is working, too, so if you are bored at your home office and want a free place to perch for awhile, stop on by.”

But this morning, at around 11:30 am, the front of Peregrine Espresso–while tendering a wireless signal that, tested on a MacBook, came in strong and clear– was empty of patio furniture.

When asked about the disappearance of the trendy gray chairs and tables, owner Ryan Jensen responded, “False promise, I know,” and explains that he’s had to put the furniture away until next week, because “we are working on the floor in the shop and those two are related somehow to each other.”

Jensen adds that he hopes to have Peregrine up and running in a couple of weeks but also says that there are “still a lot of loose ends, so no promises at this point.”

At least the store appears intent on delivering on its name: On Monday the shop’s La Marzocco GB5 4-group espresso machine was installed.

For those of you looking for gainful employment, the independent coffee shop is currently hiring. For the most part, the three-and-a-half-page employment form–available online–is pretty basic, though you should be prepared to speak to this rather fussy prompt: “Describe your favorite coffee beverage/origin/brewing method.”

–Rend Smith

There’s really nothing more ominous than a circling police helicopter. Action movies are to blame: for immediate drama intensification, just show a chopper cutting across the sky, or better yet, zipping between skyscrapers. Works every time. When I saw a helicopter in Columbia Heights on Saturday night around 11 p.m., I immediately thought the worst. With its spotlight beaming, it made several tight rotations in the area. On Girard Street, the block between 13th and 14th was closed off, and there were several parked cop cars. Soon, rumors were circulating amongst onlookers. There was a murder! There was a drug bust!

Wrong, and wrong. Of course, these were realistic options. And, for the record, at the moment, the homicide count in D.C. is up from last year’s numbers: 112 today, as compared to 106 on August 1, 2007, as stated on MPD’s website. But those figures are not part of our story. Apparently, the helicopter was called over to Columbia Heights after checking out a fight reported around O Street in Southwest, according to Marco Santiago, the third district’s community relations coordinator. Then, a call came in describing sounds of gunshots on Girard Street. A black revolver was recovered from an alley on the above-mentioned block. Then, the helicopter flew directly west where a rifle was recovered at 1620 Columbia Road, said Santiago.

Image by Mr. T in DC.

Now to find the pigs, chickens, cows, and/or goats. A former colleague whose name rhymes with Joe Eaton is convinced someone somewhere in the bounds of the District of Columbia keeps some form of livestock on their property…. Anyone have any leads on this?

On my way home from the National Arboretum just now, I passed a pretty grisly scene: the convenience store on the corner of Rock Creek Church and Warder, NW, has been burnt to a crisp. To wit:

The proprietors still don’t know what caused the fire, which witnesses say began around 3 o’clock this morning. By the time I got there, they were explaining to their employees that there’d be jobs in the future–they just didn’t know when. The fire department expects to have an explanation by early next week. As for the owners…well, all one of them could tell me was that “shit happens.”

Indeed. In the meantime, does anybody have a clue as to what the hell happened here?

Holly Hughes, editor of the much-loved Best Food Writing anthologies, has discovered what we here at City Paper have known for some time: Tim Carman is doing great work when it comes to telling food stories.

We also have to agree with Hughes that Carman’s Young & Hungry column in defense of fat and the processed food he dares to love is among his best. “Fat’s What I’m Talking About,” which ran in the March 28 edition, will appear in Best Food Writing 2008.

Here’s a sample:

Ever since that Crisco cookie, I’ve reconnected with some of the foods, or some of the places, I used to like before I felt the need to squirrel away my pedestrian eating habits. You know what? I still really like the Burrito Supreme at Taco Bell, particularly when the pimply kid pumps the sour cream evenly across the beans, shredded lettuce, cheddar cheese, ground beef, and diced tomatoes. I also can’t believe how much I drool over the crumbly biscuits at Popeyes; they’re even tastier after you slather them with strawberry jam squeezed from a packet. And I swear that some days the cracker-crust pizza at Stained Glass Pub in Silver Spring tastes better than any of those boutique pies—especially when you can play Buzztime trivia while eating.

The book, out in the fall, compiles the best writing from newspapers, magazines, and, in recent years, blogs. Past editions have included well-known food writers Ruth Reichl, Jeffrey Steingarten, R.W. Apple, Calvin Trillin, and Todd Kliman (former columnist at City Paper and current dining editor at Washingtonian), among others. We’re delighted that Carman, who has been writing the Y&H column since March 2006, is in their deserving company.

Not sure if this is old news but Congress Heights on the Rise just linked it. So we follow. The blog called The Barry Stops Here! appears to be–at this point–a warehouse of old Barry articles on his past drug abuse and a list of “Barryisms.” The blog also includes a “Why Now?” post:

“In the best of circumstances the mere mention of his name will illicit chuckles generally followed by a “that’s Marion Barry for you”. The only thing shocking about the life and times of Marion Barry is the life and times of Marion Barry. With every new scandal…every lack in ethical judgement he trumps the scandal before and tests the true faith of his few (but die hard) believers and attest to the ineffectiveness of his detractors.”

How about a blog devoted to the other councilmember across the river? She’s interesting and new. And there’s plenty of stuff worth documenting–the slow development around the Minnesota Avenue metro, the amazing empty space that will soon be filled up with new housing at the far end of East Cap, the persistence of the Shrimp Boat.

My good friend, roommate, and I decided to check out Commonwealth, the new restaurant in Columbia Heights, last night, and though many of the menu items were unavailable, we ended up having a pretty good meal. Our server was very helpful and knowledgeable about the menu, though it was obvious the kinks with the service haven’t been ironed out yet. Thank goodness we weren’t in a hurry, and all three of us are pretty patient. The restaurant was out of most of the beers I wanted to try, so I settled on a monkey ale, and it was pretty good. The highlight of my meal, though (besides the company), was the roasted trout with stuffed bread and butter. I was warned that the fish would come with its head and tail still on, but I was up for something new. Boy, was it delicious (and expensive)!

I know Ruth said she’d probably wait until sweater season to sample the entrees, but I’ll be headed back to try a new dish.

Okay, before people start jumping down my throat about this one, I’ll acknowledge Columbia Heights has other oft-mentioned restaurants besides Logan @ The Heights: Rumberos, Taqueria Distrito Federal, RedRocks Fire Brick Pizzeria, etc. Still, Logan @The Heights is frequently referred to as the area’s only decent sit-down place with a pretty standard, broad American menu.

People constantly complain about the dearth of good restaurants in the area (if you want to note some hidden gem in the comments, feel free). Since everyone else in the world has already blogged about it, I’m not going to spend too much time discussing CommonWealth, Chef Jamie Leeds‘ gastropub, opening up in Columbia Heights today. But, during one of the restaurant’s two mock openings earlier this week, I walked in and picked up a menu. So, here’s a short report:

The restaurant’s “English-inspired and American-bred” cuisine includes a wide assortment of U.K. bottled and canned beers, mostly in the $7 to $12 range. For those looking for some cheaper suds, there are drafts on tap for $5 and $6.

The food itself sounds, frankly, like your classic heavy, winter fare. I might wait until I’m in a wool sweater and a scarf to sample some real entrees, which range from $15 to $38, for a two-person dish. The “Mains” include London Broil, Smithwick’s Beer Battered Fish & Chips, and Butcher Breakfast (2 poached eggs, streaky bacon, black pudding, surrey ham, pork ‘n beans).

In the meanwhile—while the weather is still in the 80s and 90s—there are snacks and “butcher plates” with pick-and-choose-your-own meats and cheeses. The dessert section is also relatively robust with Sticky Toffee Pudding, Lemon Trifle w/Rasberry Sauce, and Chocolate Pudding Cake w/Ice Cream. The list goes on.

Commonwealth is located at 1400 Irving Street NW.