Review: Burger, Tap & Shake - Foggy Bottom

Everyone has heard about D.C.'s obsession with cupcakes. What many are missing, however, is D.C.'s burger craze. Face it: on any given Friday, after a long week of work, too much time on the Metro or the Beltway, and not enough real food, most of us find a burger, shake, and fries too tempting to resist.

So after a long week, two friends and I set out in search of Burger, Tap & Shake in Foggy Bottom. 

• Location - The close proximity to George Washington University means that college students fill the restaurant, children were definitely present and welcome and young professionals won't feel as if they're reverting to freshman late-night IHOP visits.
• Parking -  Metro-accessible. Parking can be tricky in Foggy Bottom on a Friday night, but it's definitely available if one is willing to walk a couple of blocks.
• Pricing  - A little pricey if you really just want a burger, shake, and fries, but reasonable for a food "experience". 
• Staff  - Friendly, fast, and helpful. 
• Food - Deliciously satisfactory. The burgers were generous and juicy, the buns were soft and fresh, and the shakes were inexcusably decadent. My only complaint is that the burgers are cooked to medium by default. The burgers were a little on the rare side for several of us, so if you're picky about how your meat is cooked, remember to say something.

If you haven't experienced a D.C. burger yet, you're legitimately missing out. Make plans to visit Burger, Tap & Shake this week. 

Review: Barre 3 - Georgetown

I am not normally easily won over by gyms, studios, or anything remotely related to working out in a public setting. Why would I work out in the light of day under the scrutiny of total strangers when I could work out under cover of darkness in the complete seclusion of my own living room?

But when I heard about Barre3 from a co-worker, I was curious. A studio that combined yoga, pilates, and ballet? Maybe this was worth trying. So one Saturday morning I proceeded to Georgetown.

• Location  - Beautiful. Located in the center of Georgetown, the studio was clean, comfortable, and tastefully designed with a lot of rock and wood elements and a fireplace. 
• Parking - As promised, it was available in plenty. During a busier time of day than 10:00 on Saturday morning, parking under the bridge is probably the best option.
• Pricing - This seems very reasonable. My favorite part about Barre 3 - Georgetown's pricing plans? The option to purchase a few classes at a time and then use them at my leisure. This allows me to buy classes at a discounted rate, but without having to commit to a regular membership.
• Staff - Lovely. All of them were friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful. As far as I can tell, each instructor designs her own class, so one might emphasize yoga while another might incorporate more ballet. Even if the first one doesn't quite suit your taste, it's probably worth your while to try a few and see if you enjoy the classes of one instructor in particular. I love the ballet aspect and highly recommend Sarah Milligan. 

I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at Barre3 - Georgetown and will definitely be returning soon.

*Please note that this is not a paid review.

Movie Review: Ides of March

Every now and then, I find a movie that eludes the standard categories and predictable plot lines, a movie that sticks with me for months, if not years.


Ides of March was such a movie. The phenomenal acting, intense plot, and captivating lines combined to create a memorable story, brilliantly directed by George Clooney. Stephen Meyers (played by Ryan Gosling) is a young idealist working on a presidential primary campaign for the driven, intelligent Mike Morris (George Clooney). Conflict in the movie arises as the personal, political, and professional ambitions of the characters collide and the Ohio presidential primary draws near.

*Photo Credit: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1124035/

Although I won't give away the ending, I will warn any potential viewers that the movie was not light-hearted. The themes are heavy and the ending is dark. Some movies allow viewers to walk away with a bright vision of the world. Not so with Ides of March.

In a good story, the characters have choices. In Ides of March, the characters consistently make the wrong ones. Not once, not twice, but every time a character in this movie is faced with the choice between their welfare and the well-being of another, between ambition and compassion, between an easy lie and a hard truth, they take the wrong turn.

And the most terrifying part of this movie is that the bad choices, the wrong choices, even the inhumane choices, are never hard to make. It's easy to relate to the characters and sometimes it's even easy to justify their choices. And then when disaster strikes as the moral fall-out from their decisions ensues, viewers will feel awkwardly surprised because, like the characters, they didn't see the fall-out coming.

I walked away from Ides of March feeling uncomfortable, not because I was shocked by the behavior of the characters, but because I didn't feel shocked enough. In the world of Ides of March, betrayal was all too easy. Audiences will walk away uncomfortably uncertain that, faced with the same choices, we would behave any differently. And this discomfort is possibly the most redeeming feature of Clooney's movie.

Review: In the Grip of Grace by Max Lucado

I recently completed Max Ludacdo's In the Grip of Grace (Word Publishing, 1996), in which Lucado examines the Biblical concept of grace.

Lucado uses metaphors, examples from real life, and his easy-going narrative style to show his readers their need for grace, the firm reality of God's grace, and the implications of God's grace in a believer's life.

Lucado's book is a great reminder and an approachable read. The concrete explanations, clear analysis, and terse writing style create a work that is comforting, convicting, and memorable.

I found the last section to be the most powerful. After discussion each person's need for grace and the concrete reality of God's offer of grace, Lucado turns to the practical implications of grace upon a Christian's life. He poingnantly demonstrates what it means to live a grace-filled, grace-giving life in perhap the most convicting section of the book.

As an aside, I occasionally found the writing to be a bit repetitive. Sometimes I also found it hard to connect to the style, which often seemed to lapse into Lucado's speaking style. Overall, though, this book is a wonderful reminder of the importance, power, and beauty of God's grace.

Favorite quotes from In the Grip of Grace:

"The problem is not that God hasn't spoken but that we haven't listened."

"All of life is a gift of grace...and the call of grace is to live a gracious life."

"Where the grace of God is missed, bitterness is born. But where the grace of God is embraced, forgiveness flourishes."

"You will never be called upon to give anyone more grace than God has already given you."

Review: Father Fiction by Donald Miller

My brother, knowing that books are a sure path to my heart, gave me Donald Miller's recent work, Father Fiction (Howard Books, 2010), for Christmas. I read A Million Miles in a Thousand Years early in 2010 and felt like that book played an instrumental role in my year. It seemed fitting, then, to begin 2011 with Father Fiction. I wasn't disappointed.

Father Fiction seems to specifically target young men who, like Donald Miller, lacked a strong father figure in their youth. With this qualification in mind, I found much of Miller's wisdom in this book both profound and refreshing, regardless of the status of one's parental relationships. With wit and a clear, readable style, Miller practically and candidly advises young Christians on everyday issues like dating, money, peer groups, and work ethic.

Miller's breakdown of the metaphor of God as a father-figure and Miller's discussions of forgiveness, wisdom, and patience were especially poignant. My only quibble with this book is that, occasionally, Miller's discussions of his issues with his father seem to stray a bit heavily into the "inner-child" territory.

Overall, though, Miller's approach to issues that young men and women face every day are both surprisingly simple and refreshingly realistic. His examples are poignant and his words are inspiring. Ultimately, Father Fiction helps readers navigate the often tricky path of young adulthood with maturity and grace.

Favorite quotes from Father Fiction:


"Relationships, while rewarding, actually make life harder. They will bless your life, but they will bless your life through sacrifice. you are going to get more muscle out of it, and that's the attitude you have to have going into it in the first place."

"Love acts out of faith,which rarely involves feelings. Love is action; it's deciding something is true and living out that belief."

"We work to participate in the God life, to imitate God. That's also why we take a Sabbath. Work is one of the ways we engage in life, one of the ways we participate. . . . Work, the idea of work, is God's invention, and it is part of our spirituality to do it."

"When you forgive, you bear the burden somebody has given you without holding them accountable."


Miller, Donald. Father Fiction: Chapters for a Fatherless Generation. Howard Books, 2010.

Image taken from http://search.barnesandnoble.com/books/product.aspx?r=1&isbn=9781439169193&cm_mmc=Google%20Product%20Search-_-Q000000630-_-Father%20Fiction-_-9781439169193

Review: Pagan Christianity by Frank Viola and George Barna

Pagan Christianity by Frank Viola and George Barna (Barna Books, 2008) addresses current issues in the modern church. Viola analyzes today's church in light of a New-Testament church model. He also examines the extra-Christian influences on the church throughout history.


Viola makes the point that many traditional aspects of today's church are simply the results of pagan influences throughout history. Viola believes that these non-Christian influences have undermined the integrity of the modern church. Viola believes that the modern church could solve many of her current issues by simply adhering solely to a New-Testament model.

Viola walks readers through a fairly comprehensive history of the church in order to demonstrate his point. He demonstrates why he believes specific current church practices such as the church building, church leadership structures, and the traditional order of worship are simply remnants of pagan influences.

While thoughtful readers could certainly benefit from considering the issues that Viola raises, his choppy style and lofty tone are difficult to overlook. Furthermore, his arguments are hard to follow, are occasionally based on inaccurate interpretations of historical events, and often only make sense if the reader agrees with Viola's initial analysis of the problem.

His all-encompassing statements, his vilification of opposing arguments, and his overly exaggerated examples make many of Viola's points hard to swallow.

Mark Driscoll provides a fairly comprehensive analysis of Pagan Christianity here.

Jessica Muto provides another insightful review at her blog Shiny Mess.

Review: Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller

I just finished Donald Miller's Searching for God Knows What (Thomas Nelson, 2004). Overall, I appreciated Donald Miller's fresh approach to the Gospel. His fast-paced, witty style was less mature in this book than in some of his more recent works, but his writing still kept me turning pages.




It is easy to slip into a checklist version of Christianity. Went to church...check. Didn't steal a car...check. Gave money to charity...check. However, in this book, Miller takes a step back and presents the Gospel in a way that is both refreshing and convicting.

Miller's description of "The Lifeboat Theory" and his comparison of the Gospel to William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet were particularly powerful.

My quibbles with Miller are generally political. He tends to lean towards the political left and, quite frankly, I just don't agree with many of his conclusions on matters political and social. But that's another issue for another time.

If you can overlook the occasional jab at political conservatives and can be open-minded towards the potential pit-falls of formulaic Christianity, then Searching for God Knows What will be a rewarding read.

Favorite Quotes from Searching for God Knows What:

"There are two essential problems with believing God is somebody He isn't. The first problem is that it wrecks your life. The second is that it makes God look like an idiot."

"It seems like, if you really knew the God who understands the physics of our existence, you would operate a little more cautiously, a little more compassionately, a little less like you are the center of the universe."

"But if [the gospel of Jesus] is more, if it is a story about humanity falling away from the community that named it, and an attempt to bring humanity back to that community, and if it is more than a series of ideas, but rather speaks directly into this basic human need we are feeling, then the gospel of Jesus is the most relevant message in the history of mankind."

Miller, Donald. Searching for God Knows What. Thomas Nelson, 2004.

Image taken from: http://missionalchurchnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/searching-for-god-knows-what.jpg