2nd floor of 18th and Wyoming Ave, NW
More coffee news for Adams Morgan – from an email:
“Anyone out-and-about in Adams Morgan should drop by Friday, April 17, from 9am – 7 pm to welcome our newest neighbor, Sweet Science Coffee, that shares space with the legendary home furnishings store, Skynear Designs, at 1800 Wyoming Avenue, NW…
Friday will mark the soft opening of this delightful coffee boutique…”
2477 18th Street, NW
From a press release:
“Upon opening in D.C. on Friday, April 17th, Songbyrd Record Café will be the first of its kind in the city. Songbyrd is defined by the freedom to enjoy, consume, and interact with music in a comfortable, social environment. In addition, the Adams Morgan cafe houses one of the country’s only 1947 Voice-O-Graph recording booths, on which anyone and everyone is encouraged to record their own sounds directly onto a 45-rpm record.
Microphone from Voice-O-Graph. photo: James Jackson
The moniker Songbyrd pays tribute to legendary DC musician, Charlie Byrd. One of the first to blend jazz and bossa nova in the early 60s, he is credited for introducing Americans to Brazilian music with the release his album: Jazz Samba, which was recorded in Washington, D.C. Drenched in musical history, the new café occupies the same space as the former Showboat Lounge, where Byrd and Stan Getz dreamt up the idea for the career making album. To locals, the Showboat Lounge was the “finest” music room in Washington and Sonbyrd hopes to build on that legacy.
photo: James Jackson
Sonbyrd aims to re-imagine a musical destination in which devotees and aficionados can explore, create and purchase music while also enjoying a café atmosphere. With the Voice- O-Graph, artists can record up to three minutes and ten seconds of music, comedy, thoughts, or anything at all and take home their very own “45’” for $15. Ultimately, Songbyrd will offer approximately 350 vinyl records featuring an array of genres with a special emphasis on soul, funk, R&B, hip hop and indie albums that would make the cafe’s namesake proud. Want to discover new music? The café will suggest featured releases and custom digital listening stations will be available to sample albums as well as curated playlists.
Industry vet Alisha Edmonson and fellow audiophile and Adams Morgan resident Joe Lapan are hoping to build a sense of community with the perfect blend of music and food. “Moments in life are defined by music; it is as much a part of the human experience as food,” said Edmonson. “We wanted to create a place that accentuates the listening experience, where music becomes integrated into the very fabric of the meeting with friends, not overpowering it, but not fading into the background either.”
The coffee program plays an essential role in creating the harmonious atmosphere Songbyrd hopes to be known for. Fair trade, organic blend coffee brews from small batch producers in Africa and South America compliment the espresso program powered by a high performance Simonelli machine using a Full City blend, which provides an ample bodied flavor.
To create a mouthwatering menu for audiophiles, Songbyrd tapped Matthew Richardson, former chef of notoriously food-savvy spots in the District area: 1905, The Argonaut and Gadsby’s Tavern. When it first opens, Songbyrd Record Café will serve an assortment of sandwiches including a chicken and brie schnitzel with raspberry sauce, an eight hour braised pork shoulder on sourdough with melted gruyere and red wine au jus, and the roast ‘byrd’ with sage roasted turkey breast, creole mayo, sprouts and cranberry relish on a baguette. The jumbo slice and mumbo slice, open-faced sandwiches on focaccia, serve as Chef’s homage to the evolving neighborhood.
Those who have walked pass the record café will notice that Songbyrd is also working on a “music house” at the adjacent space at 2477 18th Street, N.W. News on plans for that space will follow.
Songbyrd Record Café will be open from 10am-10pm Sunday through Thursday and from 10am-12am on Friday and Saturday.”
3213 Georgia Avenue, NW
It’s been about a year since we first heard Heat Da Spot would be replacing the former Tibet shop (near the former Mothership space.) Owners say they should be open in a couple of weeks.
Now if their fireplace logo is not to your taste:
Fear not, the inside has some great details:
3118 Georgia Ave, NW
Colony Club has passed their final inspection, Colony Club has passed their final inspection!
I stopped in yesterday for a quick update and was told the good news which means the soft opening is coming as soon as they finish training staff. The space as we got a taste last time and can see much better now looks amazing. I’ll update when they announce the official opening date but to start just the coffee and ping pong elements will open. In the coming weeks, after their liquor license is finalized, we’ll see some beer and more (beer/wine/spirits menu here.)
In the meantime – have a look around:
Lots more shots after the jump. (more…)
14th and L Street, NW
From a press release:
“April is National Poetry Month and in celebration, Busboys and Poets will be promoting the art of reading poetry out loud. Throughout the month of April, guests are encouraged to read a poem via a microphone for the full store to enjoy. Guests may choose to read a poem of their own or from a selection of poems the restaurant will have available. In return, we will give that guest one free coffee drink of their choice, including espresso, drip, lattes, etc.”
731 15th Street, NW via google maps
From an email:
“Pleasant Pops is thrilled to announce that we will be opening our second cafe this spring in Downtown DC. Located a quick block and a half from The White House, the new cafe will reflect the inviting and friendly nature we’ve developed at our current Adams’ Morgan location. Pleasant Pops Downtown will serve a full coffee menu (including our house-made chai, refreshing cold-brew iced coffee, and a range of drinks using beans from Ceremony Coffee Roasters), freshly baked morning pastries as well as our homemade ice pops! We’re excited to be situated on the ground floor of The Woodward Building at 731 15th St. NW. While we’re serving the tenants living above us, our neighboring office buildings and tourists checking out Obama’s digs, we look forward to becoming part of a new DC community! Set to open in June, Pleasant Pops Downtown will start your morning with a perfectly poured cappuccino and end your afternoon with a refreshing, healthy and delicious pop!”
2477 18th Street, NW
First heard about Songbyrd’s plans back in September. For those not familiar:
“This has been a long journey, but we’ve lived in this neighborhood for a long time and are truly excited to create a space that will add to the character and draw of Adams Morgan. There are a few things that we are supper excited to share with everyone once the record café is open; Matthew Richardson’s amazing food, great coffee, our Voice-O-Graph for people to record directly onto a vinyl record and a really chill space to enjoy. As for what we are calling our Music House where food, music and libations come together, that will be opening in the near future as well!!!”
Glad to see things are moving forward. This is high up on my list of most anticipated openings for 2015. Stay tuned.
3118 Georgia Ave, NW
I apologize in advance but this is one of the transformations that makes ramble because I’m so happy. First of all I had no idea it was gonna turn out so nice. I just thought Colony Club was gonna be a very bare bones ping pong hall. I was very very wrong. Their website says:
“Colony Club is a neighborhood coffee shop, bar, and ping pong club. We serve quality products in a friendly and approachable setting.
Located on historic Georgia Avenue in Park View, Washington, DC, Colony Club tries to capture an old-school vibe, and pay homage to the history of the street (including the family flower shop, pictured below).”
Photo via Colony Club
Check out their beer/wine/spirits menu here and breakfast and bar snacks here.
So a bit more info – which I totally didn’t realize. They’ll be a proper coffee shop during the day. They’ll open Monday-Friday from 7am-11pmish (hours likely to change a bit based on what folks want) and 8am-midnight(ish) on the weekends. Coffee is ceremony. Pastries will come from Bakehouse (14th and T St, NW.)
As for the evenings – while they have a small wine and cocktail list – the focus will be on good beer. Four draft lines, four cans, four bottles and a small cellar list. and Porkslap will only be $3!
As for the ping pong – it’s upstairs. One table. The space wasn’t photo ready when I stopped by but they are very very close. And you could definitely get a feel for it. It reminds me of when Temperance Hall (now Looking Glass) first opened on Georgia. It doesn’t remind me of the same style but in that what a huge deal it is. There is nothing like this around the 3100 block of Georgia (all due respect to Bravo Bar which is great for different reasons.) This place is a game changer for this section of Georgia Ave. You will see very, very soon.
I take this as a very good sign:
This is so much nicer than I was expecting, just a taste, but wait till you see proper photos:
There will be bike parking out front:
To properly gauge the amazing transformation – here’s how it looked in 2009 as Hadiya Cafe before it became Ma Ma’s Southern Cuisine:
1535 7th Street, NW
From an email:
“Compass Coffee
1535 7th St NW
On April 1 and April 2, Compass Coffee customers will receive free coffee, courtesy of Cambria hotels & suites (starting at 7:00am, while supplies last).”