MATT COHEN

Matt Cohen is a Journalist, Associate Editor at DCist, and plays bass for the band Collapser.

What was the food highlight of your year?

Literally buying $80 worth of Trader Joe's snacks to drive across the country with a friend. We ate at a lot of great restaurants during the trip (Laramie, Wyoming's only vegetarian restaurant, other places), but Trader Joe's snacks are tops.

What was the music highlight of your year?

I was fortunate to participate in a thing called Call + Response this year. It's a semi-annual art show in D.C. that pairs writers with artists, with the artists creating something inspired by a piece of writing by the writer they've been paired with. This year, the organizers mixed things up a bit by introducing a musical element. Philadelphia's Restorations, one of my favorite bands, wrote and recorded a 12-minute instrumental track for the show, which was given to us writers as inspiration. The short story I wrote was probably garbage (haven't had the courage reread it since I submitted it), but to be involved in the project was incredibly cool. At the opening, Restorations performed the track live. The song and all the stories were published and package as part of a limited 7-inch. It was a huge honor to be invited to participate in such a unique project.

Was there a moment when food and music came together in a memorable way?

This summer, some friends and I organized a DIY music and arts festival in D.C. called In It Together Fest. I can go on and on about what a raging success it was and how proud I am to have been involved, but I'll just sum it up with one spectacular moment: we concluded the festival at a skate park underneath a bridge in D.C. We partnered with Food Not Bombs to sell some grub to raise money for charity, had a skate demo, and live music. But the main event featured a buddy of mine jumping over 50 gallons of homemade ramen in a bathtub on his dirt bike, while another buddy shredded the National Anthem on guitar. 'Merica.

@matt_d_cohen

MATT COHEN

Matt Cohen is Associate Editor at DCist and a columnist at The Week.

What was the food highlight of your year?

There’s this ramen restaurant in D.C. called Toki Underground that’s arguably one of the most popular, highly regarded restaurants in the city. It’s got a reputation not only for serving the best ramen (again, arguably), but also for being impossible to get a table at. The restaurant, situated above one of my favorite dive bars in Northeast D.C. is a tiny space (the entire place seats maybe 20-30 people), doesn’t take reservations and there’s always at least an hour wait. I’ve lived in D.C. for four years and have tried to go to this place many different times, only to find that the wait was almost two hours every time. I finally managed to eat at Toki Underground this year, and it was glorious. An exceptional ramen place that’s easy on the wallet and surpasses its reputation. If you’re ever in D.C., make it a point to go here (my advice is to put your name on the list, then go drink at the bar below, The Pug).

What was the music highlight of your year?

Oh man, there are many to choose from, but I’ll try to keep it to three: 1) I’m always skeptical of band reunions, but I thought the show I caught of Texas Is The Reason’s reunion tour at the Black Cat in D.C. was particularly memorable, if only because it felt like such a warranted, welcomed reunion. So many bands reunite and tour for the wrong reasons, but theirs felt so natural and organic, and created such an energy between the band onstage. 2)  I’m not a huge festival person, but I went to Pitchfork Festival for the first time and really enjoyed it. So many great bands—The Breeders, Swans, Bjork, Waxahatchee, Yo La Tengo, El-P and Killer Mike, Pissed Jeans, Wire—all in one place. It’s hard for anything to top that. 3) Reviewing albums for year-end lists last week, I had the revelation that friend’s bands made some of my favorite albums of the year. I couldn’t be more excited for them. 

Was there a moment when food and music came together in a memorable way? 

There’s a legendary free summer concert series in D.C. at a park called Fort Reno that’s been going on for decades. Over the years, many of D.C.’s finest have played it regularly—Fugazi, The Dismemberment Plan, Q and Not U, Teen Idles, Ted Leo, etc.—and its become a summer staple for me. I can think of no better moment of when food and music came together than packing up a homemade picnic with friends and trekking over to Fort Reno to eat and catching some of the best local bands play. 

@matt_d_cohen