Roll Call reporter Shira Toeplitz turned the lens on longtime photog Tom Williams Wednesday as he showed off what looked to be lunch for a family of four and maybe a horse. Actually, it was the “World’s Largest Reuben” sandwich, which they discovered while covering the Altmire-Critz primary. Someone on Critz’s staff suggested they find it at the legendary 40-year-old establishment, The Haven Bar.

“Tom didn’t finish the sandwich, but he got through half of it and took the rest home,” Toeplitz explained to FBDC this morning. “I never tried the sandwich because I was too full from eating my own southwestern Pennsylvania delicacy — a grilled chicken salad with french fries on top.”

This is Toeplitz’s third five-day Roll Call road trip with Williams during this campaign cycle, following trips to Iowa in august and Cleveland in February. “Things are getting serious, too,” she joked. “He met my mom yesterday when we were in my hometown of Pittsburgh.” (Shira got engaged to her real beau in February.)

Toeplitz wrote on Twitter, “This is what a $12 Reuben looks like in Johnstown, Pa. #pa12,”

Photograph by Tom Williams of Roll Call.

In news of the absurd…FishbowlDC recently stumbled upon some photos of Megan Whittemore, deputy press secretary to House Maj. Eric Cantor (R-Va.), spreading her legs all over the Capitol grounds. But unlike Jessica Cutler (“Washingtonienne”), Whittemore’s posing provocatively in the name of art. That’s right, she’s a dancer.  Earlier this week, Roll Call highlighted Whittemore’s modern dance moves in a feature story headlined “Choreographing Her Career.”  The photos from her shoot that didn’t make the cut (though captured beautifully by Tom Williams) are hilariously superb — Whittemore hanging upside down in a short, tight green dress with elderly tourists watching on; legs spread eagle in Statuary Hall, then up a wall in a stairwell. We’re not sure who green lighted this bizarre photo shoot but we are concerned about Cantor’s press ops. If Brad Dayspring is preoccupied with soft porn tweets and Whittemore’s out  igniting tourists with her sweet interpretive dance moves, just who is manning the phones?

Maybe they could combine efforts. Are you thinking what we’re thinking, SexyTwitPics?

If you want to see more photographs, visit here.

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As the campaign trail heats up, we’re once again seeking reporters to talk with us about their travels. Today’s guest is USA Today‘s Jackie Kucinich, who recently flocked to Iowa for an intense several days. If you have someone you’d like us to interview on the road, let us know at FishbowlDC@mediabistro.com or FishbowlBetsy@gmail.com.

Photo by Roll Call‘s Tom Williams: Taken at Newton’s Paradise Cafe en route to the Black Hawk County GOP fundraiser where Rick Perry, Rick Santorum and Michele Bachmann all spoke.

1. What’s the worst thing you ate last week….and the best? Mango sugar-free red bull smoothie … for both questions.

2. Would you ever want to live in Ames? I could live in any state they have Diet Coke and Big Ten football (except Michigan).

3. Is there camaraderie within the press corps on the road? Of course! How do you think I found the red bull smoothie? The competition never goes away of course, but just like covering Capitol Hill or anywhere else where there are a huge group of reporters covering one event, at the end of the day you are all in it together.

4. What kind of hours did you keep generally? I feel like time exists only two ways on the campaign trail – whether you are late to an event or early.

5. What is the strangest thing you observed last week? The line for meat sundaes and the sundaes themselves.

6. If you had to guess right this second, who will be the GOP candidate? My Magic 8-ball says “Better not tell you now.”

From L to R: Budding Fashion Reporters Jocelyn Luddy and Reilly Folsom.

WHCA President David Jackson (USA Today) and NYT’s Mark Leibovich

What’s a party with Washington’s media elite without bourbon, beer, wine, Food Truck quality mac ‘n cheese and 11-year-old fashionistas to put guests in the hot seat?

The view from the American Gas Association offered guests a perfect shot of the Capitol. The crowd at last night’s WHCD party thrown by QGA and FD blended White House correspondents like CNN’s Ed Henry, Ebony‘s Kevin Chappell, The Hill‘s Sam Youngman and USA Today‘s David Jackson , USA Radio Network’s Connie Lawn, and Politico’s Julie Mason with Fortune‘s Tory Newmyer, Politico‘s Amie Parnes, RealClearPolitics‘ Erin McPike, Roll Call‘s John Stanton and NYT‘s Carl Hulse. Let’s just get one thing straight: NYT‘s Mark Leibovich has heard all the “bcc” jokes out there. And yours will not be special. Welcome to the first party leading into WHCD weekend.

The food was catered by D.C. food trucks of lore CapMac and Sauca and guests were dying over the mac ‘n cheese. Dessert was Good Humor ice cream bars from a cart complete with an umbrella. One partygoer remarked that the party could have been held on an outside corner. But a party outside wouldn’t have allowed for the two-station open bar, where bartenders made unsolicited repeat drinks for many of the journos. One guest called one of the bartenders “the motherf*cking man.”

Other guests in the crowd: QGA’s Jack Quinn and wife, Susanna, FD’s Jackson Dunn, Stacey Bowlin, Jared Allen and Mary Kathryn Cover, Terry McAuliffe, QGA and FBDC’s Matt Dornic, WaPo‘s Amy Argetsinger, SELF’s Marc Adelman, Pamela Sorensen of Pamela’s Punch, The Hill‘s Christina Wilkie and Emily Goodin, CNN Publicist Edie Emery and Megan Grant and TWT’s Emily Miller.

Miller said WHCD week makes her feel like an awkward teenager. “It brings out the worst 16-year-old in me,” Miller said, explaining that her worries go like this: ‘”Why wasn’t I invited to that party?’ or ‘Was I too fat for this dress?’” She adds, “At least I was invited to the pre-pre-pre-pre-pre party.”

The fashionistas at the party were Jocelyn Luddy (daughter to Jack and Susanna) and her friend, Reilly Folsom, who were testing out their journalistic skills by interviewing female party guests and Adelman. They’re trying out for a fashion blog out of San Fran called StyleBistro.com. They asked their subjects questions about what uniform they’d want for work if they had to have one and what styles they missed and didn’t.

The girls in flowered skirts and white T-shirts weren’t amateurs. They had practiced their questions for days. They cajoled by saying funny things like, “Come on, I want all the deets.” As the pair interviewed USA Today‘s Jackie Kucinich, the whole scene became so focused that photographers like Roll Call‘s Tom Williams began snapping pictures of the interview. Afterwards, Kucinich and Argetsinger (also interviewed by the girls) second-guessed their answers that involved Pappagallo purses and culottes.

Alec Jacob contributed to this report.

More pictures and guests after the jump…

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It’s cocktail time…at least that’s what our friends at FamousDC tell us.  This Thursday, the famed bloggers of FDC and an equally famous event committee: Anne Brady, Jessica Brady, Charles Chamberlayne, Sara Diaz, Robert Grant, Blair Milligan, Marissa Mitrovich, Lauren Torlone, Brian Walsh and Tom Williams, will host a recess bash on the roof of Cava at 527 8th St. SE.

If you’re famous for DC, fame-curious or just need an excuse to booze, join the crew at Cava from 6-9 pm.  *Cash bar.

Photographers Tom Williams and Bill Clark made out like bandits in this weekend’s White House News Photographers Association photo contest.  The dynamic duo from Roll Call won a total of six awards combined.  Williams, a FishbowlDC fav,  took 1st place in the “On Capitol Hill”  category for his photo of Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) after being censured on the House floor for ethics violations.  Clark won the “Portrait” category for his photo of Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) supporters posing with Michelle Obama magazine covers.  Congrats to Bill and Tom!

For the full list of winners and photos, click here.  For the winning Roll Call photos, here.  Internal memo from Doug Graham announcing the guys’ successes after the jump.

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Another one bites the profession.

Elizabeth Brotherton, lead writer for Roll Call‘s HOH gossip column, is going to Green Media Toolsheds Netcentric Campaign Division as the new media senior writer and editor. A goodbye fest has been scheduled for next week.

We wish her all the best.

Brotherton remarked to FishbowlDC, “I’m sad to be leaving Roll Call, and I’ll especially miss all of the wonderful people who I’ve worked with here over the years. But I’m excited about this new opportunity.”

Photograph above taken by Roll Call photog Tom Williams.

Among Ali McSherry’s duties as a staff writer at Roll Call is hunting for Capitol Hill offices that are visually interesting.

But it’s more than that, she explained to FishbowlDC. Videos created for the “Office Space” series (reported by McSherry and shot by video producer Andrew Satter) are vastly improved when lawmakers have entertaining stories to match the visuals.

Most recently “Office Space” took viewers on a journey of Rep. Paul Broun’s (R-Ga.) animal kingdom. Watch it here.

“Occasionally I’ll go on a scouting trip and wander the halls of Congress popping my head in to various offices,” McSherry said. “The idea for the last Office Space came from a photo that [RC photog] Tom Williams took of the lion being rolled through the hall as Broun moved into his new office. I kept the photo for months and eventually called his press secretary.

“Believe it or not a good Office Space is less about what’s on the walls and more about how chatty the member is. A combination of both is ideal, but it doesn’t always work out that way. They key is meeting with a member of Congress who is a good story teller and eager to share personal details.”

She explained Satter’s role.
“I have to admit, Andrew Satter is the brains behind making the videos look like Cribs. While I find the Member and do the interview, he does the editing.”

Other spaces the pair has visited for the series include former Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), Sen. Kit Bond (R-Mo.) and Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.).

Victoria Michael hosted BlackFinn’s opening on 16th and Eye St. NW Wednesday night and DC’s media-types came out to celebrate… FBDC spotted CNN’s Edie Emery, Reuters’ Tim Ryan, Tom Williams, Pamela Sorensen, Jessica Gibson, Kate Michael, Potomac Strategy Group’s Matt Mackowiak and John Reid.

The new hotspot is located directly across the street from BLT Steak… and NYT‘s Washington bureau.

Congrats to Roll Call’s Tom Williams. The RC photog. snagged an award from the White House News Photographers Association yesterday. Williams’ image; a pic of Nancy Pelosi and Rahm Emanuel whispering after the House passed the Emergency Economic Stabilization garnered a third place award for Roll Call.

In addition, RC’s Philip Andrews – a contributing photographer netted an award of excellence in the “Pictorial” category.

Well done gents!