
Yesterday we noted that Dunkin Donuts was still closed at 14th and U St, NW though a new one is coming soon to 12th and G St, NW. @TonyTGoodman now tweets:
“Dunkin & Subway have reopened at 14/U NW, after tax-related forced shutdown.”

Yesterday we noted that Dunkin Donuts was still closed at 14th and U St, NW though a new one is coming soon to 12th and G St, NW. @TonyTGoodman now tweets:
“Dunkin & Subway have reopened at 14/U NW, after tax-related forced shutdown.”

Lots of readers have been writing in about the closed/suspended Dunkin Donuts (and Subway) at 14th and U St, NW. On Friday we learned they had closed due to tax issues.

14th and U St, NW
In more positive Dunkin news – for those that work downtown – you’re getting a new double-wide one at 12th and G on G Street across from Macy’s:

12th and G St, NW

3103 Mt. Pleasant St, NW
From an email:
“The café will feature French and Brazilian dishes as well as fruit, salads, and desserts. The restaurant is named Lia’s Café after Ramona Barreiro’s niece and goddaughter. Ramona is the spa owner and one of the partners of the café.”
LIA Cafe and Ramona’s Salon & Day Spa Open House:
Join us for the opening of LIA Cafe and the relaunching of Ramona’s Salon & Day Spa!
We are excited about the soft-opening of Mount Pleasant Street’s newest Cafe and the relaunching of Ramona’s Spa with Minerva Mastacanu managing the spa which offers the latest and greatest treatment for the skin and body. Everyone who attends will get a 10% off next spa treatment coupon!
Also for the event, the spa is offering a special microdermabrasion treatment (an advanced skin correction system to gets rid of lines and wrinkles for $125 (originally $150).
French & Brazilian appetizers will be served as well as wine and other beverages during the open house.
Friday, June 19
5:00-8:00 pm
3103 Mount Pleasant Street

1020 19th Street, NW
Back in late March we learned that Retrospect Coffee and Tea would be opening in the former Java Green space downtown. They’ve now opened and the space looks great. Their website says:
“Retrospect Coffee and Tea specializes in bringing the best cafe experience. The freshest ingredients are used, and each cup is brewed to order, which results in a coffee and tea flavor which is unmatched. Coffees and teas are complimented by an assortment of soft drinks and snacks.
7AM-6PM Monday-Sunday”
You can see their menu here. Photos of the inside after the jump. (more…)

709 Kennedy Street, NW
Back in April we learned Culture Coffee was coming to Kennedy Street. Thanks to a reader for sending an update:
“Just wanted to let you know that I saw Culture Coffee on Kennedy street is having a free tasting preview on Saturday morning (9-11). They also have a new website up and running with their menu on it. Exciting!”

14th and Otis Street, NW
Thanks to a few readers for sending word about the new corner grocery store at the corner of 14th and Oak St, NW:
“There seems to be a fairly extensive small grocery/convenience store going in the corner space of the apartments at 14th and Oak. Everything but the fresh merchandise is on the shelves, but I always pass by it too late to catch anyone working in there. There are some fairly large bottles of olive oil on the front shelves, which makes me lean more towards thinking it’s a grocery store rather than a 7-11 sort of operation.”
The reader later found out the folks from Black Lion (14th and Otis, St, NW) have opened up this new spot called Columbia Heights Food Market. I stopped by on Sunday and was told they just opened up and are continuing to stock their shelves. The owner tells me that Black Lion will stay open for another month or so and then will close for renovations when it will be reopened as a new Ethiopian coffee bar. Updates when they get closer to opening.
Columbia Heights Food Market is located right next to George’s Shoe Repair:

14th and Oak Street, NW

1700 K Street, NW
From a press release:
“Dunkin’ Donuts, America’s all-day, everyday stop for coffee and baked goods, and franchise owner Hank Huth, CEO, Quality Brand Capital LLC, have debuted a new Dunkin’ Donuts flagship restaurant in Washington, D.C. featuring a brand new cutting-edge store design. The restaurant is located in the heart of the downtown business district at 1700 K Street, NW.
In celebration of the new K St. location, the restaurant will host a ribbon cutting ceremony at 10:30am on Thursday, June 27 with Dunkin’ Donuts franchisee Hank Huth, and elected officials from the area. The grand opening celebration will include free coffee from 10:30am – 1:00pm, and a raffle from which 100 lucky customers will win free coffee for a full year.
At the grand opening event as part of the brand’s continued commitment to the Washington D.C. community, a grant of $1,000 will be made on behalf of franchisee Hank Huth and The Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins Community Foundation to the Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes, a national nonprofit dedicated to rebuilding the lives of severely wounded veterans. In anticipation of the July 4th holiday, the restaurant is also offering the Stars & Stripes, which is a festive star-shaped red, white and blue decorated donut for a limited time.
The new restaurant features the brand’s new “Jazz Brew” cutting-edge design with a contemporary, modern details and deep rich colors and textures that provide an inviting environment for guests. Highlights include a digital menu board, flat-screen television, free Wi-Fi, a glass partition with LED lights that change hues, tiles and chairs made with recycled materials, and colorful, soft seating where guests can relax with friends, have a business meeting, or work on their computers at mobile workstations. The restaurant is designed to get guests going in the morning and also provides a welcoming environment for guests who are looking to take a moment to relax or recharge. The restaurant also offers a complete menu of Dunkin’ Donuts’ internationally recognized coffee, lattes, donuts and bakery goods, as well as a full catering program to accommodate local businesses. The new restaurant will be open from 5:00am-9:00pm weekdays, 7:00am-7:00pm weekends and will employ approximately 25 crew members.
Huth has opened four units this year in the D.C. metro area alone, and plans to open three more later this year, bringing his total number of D.C. area units to 12 by 2014.”

Photo by PoPville flickr user Joe in DC
Janette writes:
“Bloomingdale now has a new place to get a cup of joe and delicious French-style pastries. Showtime Lounge is serving both in the A.M.”
Showtime tweeted:
“Showtime now open at 7 am Mon-Fri! $1 coffee, $2 iced coffee, $3 pastries from local farmers market regulars Panorama Bakery”
Showtime is located at 113 Rhode Island Ave, NW.

Photo courtesy Janette from Bloomingdale
From an email:
The Bike Rack is offering free coffee (hot and iced) for bicycle commuters Wednesday morning, June 19th from 7:30 until the coffee is all gone. We will be at the corner of 14th and Q, NW handing out free cups of Peregrine coffee as you make your way into work tomorrow morning.

1916 I Street, NW
From a press release (All photos copyright Anice Hoachlander courtesy Studio 27 Architecture):
Be Civilized – Be Urban
Installation and Exhibit at Filter Coffeehouse, Washington DC, through September 2013
Architect: Studio Twenty Seven Architecture
Design Team: John Burke, Jon Grinham, Todd Ray, Sophia Zelov
Location: Filter Coffeehouse, 1916 I Street, NW, Washington DC.Taking Dr. Spiro Kostof’s dictum “To be civilized is to be urban” as inspiration, Studio Twenty Seven Architecture has launched the first in a series of installations and exhibits with which it hopes to challenge urban norms and encourage non-standard thinking and discourse on our city and beyond. Be Civilized – Be Urban is on display at Filter Coffeehouse at 1916 I Street, NW through the end of September, 2013.
This installation focuses on Studio Twenty Seven’s research concerning Washington DC’s most urbanistically fraught administrative quadrant, Southwest. A neighborhood in its own right, Southwest is markedly different from the rest of Washington DC, a difference that can be attributed almost completely to the rise of the District’s commuter culture.
Southwest is bound by federal and civic infrastructure and the Eisenhower era highways that were built to provide easy access to the core for the 20th Century’s newly suburbanized workers. Isolated in this way, the quadrant was further marked by one of the nation’s most concerted federal efforts at urban renewal. National policies that encouraged suburbanization also spurred urban divestment, and the built result of this cycle, along with decades of attempted remediation, are writ large in Southwest. (more…)