When it opened more than a decade ago, Compass Coffee was one of DC’s feel-good business stories. Now the company’s in bankruptcy. I plotted out how it went from one to the other.

Gift link: wapo.st/3MihGbs

Smash burgers have come to dominate the landscape. This one stands out among them all. wapo.st/4yTAqAn

Speaking of beef prices, I present to you this $13 combo: a 1/2 lb smoked and seared patty made from our American Wagyu (@snakeriverfarms) and Prime brisket trimmings (@CreekstoneFarms), served with our very own Rosemary Chips.

EPISODE 320

Participants

@mattshumer_
@ZacharyDonnini
@AJentleson
@anniekarni
@timcarman
@CookPolitical

cbsnews.com/video/091826-t…

You’re not imagining it. Burger inflation is real. We have the data.

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BREAKING: The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts closed Tuesday afternoon after its board of trustees, led by President Donald Trump, voted to immediately shutter its doors for two years of renovations.

From Grey Battle on the ground

It's an age-old debate: Are D.C. drivers the worst in the Washington region, or does that distinction belong to Marylanders or Virginians? @andrewvandam dug into lots of data to try and settle the argument once and for all. In today's @washingtonsun: washingtonsun.com/analysis/dcdri…

What's your favorite D.C. area sports bar?

We're asking readers to share their go-to places to watch games, whether that's because of big screens, great wings, or championship-level vibes.

You've got two weeks to nominate your spot.

Read more here: wapo.st/4iUV3rf

Houston-based Shipley Do-Nuts has expanded into the Mid-Atlantic. Which means I now have (sort of) daily access to the chain’s kolaches for the first time in 25 years.

I have thoughts. Gift link:

wapo.st/4iRbpBg

The reformulated chicken nuggets at Burger King take fast-food nuggets to a whole new level, according to food reporter Tim Carman.

The former head chef at Popeyes who developed its famous chicken sandwich is helping Burger King raise its game. wapo.st/4xJDe2U

You might be surprised by my take on BK’s new chicken nuggets. I certainly was, until I learned who the chef was behind the revamped nugs.

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D.C. diners are spoiled for choice, so allow us to help guide you to 40 of our top picks right now.

These are the recommendations we share with visiting friends, family and readers, and the foods that make this evolving dining scene a joy to explore. wapo.st/4gy9C2J

The Food team spent the last few months dining around the D.C. region to compile a new list of the area's 40 most essential dishes. The results, and mouth-watering photos, are finally here.

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For @esquire, I wrote about losing a dream job earlier this year in the same month our daughter arrived.

About the fear and anxiety of it all.

And about the clarity on the other side: esquire.com/lifestyle/mone…

EXCLUSIVE: Contradicting public statements, Trump took secret flight from Turkey amid Iranian threat

washingtonpost.com/national-secur…

Analysis: “Tony,” the Anthony Bourdain biopic, wants viewers to see his time as a teenage cook in Provincetown, Massachusetts, as a hopeful spark, not the beginning of a descent. wapo.st/4fUxawT

Some thoughts about the new film on Anthony Bourdain.

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A tough story to read, handled sensitively by my colleague Tim Carman.

washingtonpost.com/food/2026/07/2…

This was a terrible story to report and, no doubt, a difficult one to read.

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File this under things I will never eat again.
Gift link: wapo.st/4h5PtSj

“I, Too” by Langston Hughes, 1926

s.si.edu/4eXo1TO

📸 “The American Flag: Photographs from the National Museum of African American History and Culture”