Could be cool. CB Twelve-Twelve recently opened in the former Almaz Ethiopian restaurant space at 1212 U St, NW.
Bars
Bar Pilar, 1833 14th St, NW, closed for renovations at the end of Nov. and hoped to be open by New Year’s. I peeked in over the weekend:
Well, I miss them, hurry up please. What do you guys think – another month?
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Great news for fans of Solly’s located at 11th and U St, NW – not only will they be getting a bit bigger – but you’ll soon be able to get food too. One of the few criticisms I’ve heard about Solly’s is that some folks would like the opportunity to grab a bite to eat as well as a cold beer. Well, after some renovations – you’ll soon have that option. Owner John Solomon tells me that there will be a one month reno and if all goes according to plan it should be ready at the end of Feb.
Admittedly, Solly’s is one of my favorite bars in the city – so I think this is phenomenal news. Can’t wait to hear more about the food options. Stay tuned for more details as we get closer to the date.
The only drawback, I will miss the “born to cook” awning:
Dear PoPville,
I have seen people cooking and cleaning at shaws tavern and update on them?
Back in mid-Dec. we learned of the new owners taking over the space.
Since that time they have applied for a new liquor license which says the new Shaw’s Tavern will be a:
“New Tavern. Gastro pub style American food, gourmet coffee and deserts. Jazz and Classical music as live entertainment. Occupancy load is 260. Sidewalk Café has 35 seats.”
In early Jan. Eater DC did an interview which revealed some interesting details:
First of all, it’s going to be a casual place. It’s not going to be fine dining. With the setup and everything it would be hard to go that way. You will see a lot of microbreweries still here and a lot of wine and also cocktails. Cocktails may be a little focused on American liquors and brands. Beers are mostly going to be microbreweries from the US, a lot of them from around here. And then back of the house, obviously, is all his.
The only change I did to the space is I got rid of some of those couches and I ordered some more of those high-tables that we have so that people have more tables to sit and actually eat. The only thing is they have leased the whole building now and the upstairs is commercial, so we’re thinking to expand upstairs in the near future. It’s going to be private dining.
And then we’re planning to hopefully add a rooftop deck as well.
Shaw’s Tavern is located at 520 Florida Ave, NW. I will update when an exact opening date is announced.
1432 Pennsylvania Ave. SE
Sweet. Details here:
Come try the local taste of DC at Wisdom as they offer a rare FREE beer tasting Jan. 19th.
Not only will we be serving up FREE locally brewed DC Brau, but you will also have the chance to meet the Brau’s brew master who will be making a guest appearance.
This won’t just be the DC Brau you’ve seen making appearances at a number of Capitol Hill and D.C. bars. Wisdom will be passing out DC Brau’s full line of beers.
There will also be beers on special throughout the night.
January 19, 2012 @ 7:00 pm – 9:30 pm
Wisdom
1432 Pennsylvania Ave SE
Well, they had a legendary 20 year run but last week brought the final drink at Asylum located downstairs at 2471 18th St, NW in Adams Morgan. Back in late Sept. ’11 the upstairs section of Asylum turned into a bbq joint with craft beer and bourbon called Smoke and Barrel (sister restaurant to Meridian Pint). [Ed. Note: Meridian Pint and Smoke and Barrel are PoP advertisers.] However the basement space remained Asylum. Owner John Andrade explained “all great things come to an end and with every end there are new beginnings.” He anticipates that the change downstairs will be gradual over a two week period. The downstairs will be renovated to match the decor upstairs. Like Meridian Pint, the upstairs will remain bar and dining focused while the downstairs will feature tv’s and games.
Anyone here remember Asylum from back in 1991?
Thanks to a reader for sending word that St. Arnold’s (and Underground) located at at 3435B Connecticut Ave, NW opened up last Thursday.
Dear PoPville,
Upstairs: (seating for around 40)…very cool tables, light fixtures, full service bar. Complete menu of $18 mussel frites and then sandwiches/entrees/dessert waffles. Management says they are going to roll out brunch services in a few weeks to become more regular in the future. They are hoping to capitalize on the lack of good brunch spots in Cleveland Park (besides Dino, which happens to be next door). If you’re familiar w the former Sabores location, this upstairs seating area has roll up windows and will also have some outdoor seating when it gets warmer.
Downstairs, St Arnold’s Underground, is cool and a different atmosphere…basically a classier version of Atomic Billiards (also next door). Most exciting thing down here is a separate menu featuring New York Crif Dog style hotdogs…about 10 different variations from the classic (wrapped in bacon, deep fried) to the “Vietnamese.” $5 each.
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Pizza and Craft Beer is coming to Brookland. Menomale is coming soon to 2711 12th St, NE:
Their Facebook page says:
“We are Americans inspired by our Italian and Irish roots to bring authentic beer and real pizza to the Brookland area of Washington D.C.”
It sounds like the pizza is gonna be the real deal:
Our oven was custom built and imported by us from Naples, Italy. Weighing in at 5,500 lbs, it’s made of a particular salt based stone only found in Positano, Italy. American manufacturers of this oven use a sand based stone, though it retains heat, the salt adds a unique texture and flavor to the crust. Typically US pizza ovens are most often gas fired, 550 degrees, and cook a pizza in about 8-10 minutes. Menomale’s centerpiece is wood-fired, 900 degrees, and will cook a pizza in about 90 seconds.
I emailed the owner who is hesitant to announce an exact opening date but believes they should be open by mid-Feb. They have already received their liquor license so beer will be pouring at that time as well. I’ll update with an exact opening date when it is finalized.
Back in late Oct. we learned that a new neighborhood bar called All Souls was coming to 725 T St, NW in Shaw. Earlier this week I was able to sit down with owner David Batista to talk more about his plans and vision for All Souls.
David has years of experience in DC’s restaurant and bar scene most notably as a manager at Jose Andres’ Jaleo and Zaytinya. I always ask folks who are opening up new spots – whether or not they see their place as a restaurant that also serves drinks or a bar that also serves food. All Souls falls into the later category – mostly due to the size. Though I was assured the quality and style will match those of an Andres restaurant. My impression is that this is def. gonna be more of a welcoming watering hole rather than a fancy restaurant.
As you can see from the photo above, it is a rather small space measuring about 775 square feet. Inside there will probably be seats for 40 or so. So you can imagine there isn’t a ton of room for a kitchen. I imagine it’ll be more like the kitchen from Red Derby and (in size comparison only) the kitchen at Room 11. And actually let me take the opportunity to share another similarity with those two spots – anyone who has met the owners of Red Derby and the owners of Room 11 say the same thing to me all the time – they are the nicest people. And while I def. echo that sentiment – I’d like to add David to the list. When you meet him you’ll see what I mean – he just happens to be a really nice guy.
Ok, back to the space itself. They also hope to feature a patio on the side that should fit around 20 or so. The description of the idea reminded me of how the patio at Dodge City looks (though with more chairs.)
While the space has some great details that will be kept like original tin ceilings, it will still require an extensive redesign. If all goes well they hope to start construction around the March time frame. The design is being done by The General Design Company – the same folks who designed Graffiato, Rogue 24, the former Commonwealth, and the new Sticky Fingers redesign.
All Souls will feature a variety of craft beers and mainstream beers. But it’s also gonna be a spot to pick up a glass of wine. Even a glass of sparkling rose (see below.) While there will be no live music or djs, David is confident that the Jukebox will be among the best in town.
Batista is a pretty eclectic guy – while he has tattoo sleeves on his arms he also talks about his love for sparkling rose wines. I imagine that this combination will be reflected in All Souls. He emphasized over and over again how this is going to be a neighborhood spot with a comfortable ambiance where everyone feels welcome. And I have no doubt, that is exactly what we’ll see.
If you live in the neighborhood and have any questions or concerns you can contact David directly via email at dtb1514(at)Yahoo(dot)com and if you’d like to support the plans be sure to let your ANC reps know.