From the folks at Room 11 (corner of 11th and Lamont St, NW):
“Come to Room 11 tonight for a Hendrick’s Gin Happy Hour from 6-7:30pm featuring free samples of Hendrick’s cocktails and drink specials.
Also debuting tonight is our Sexy St Germain Summer Strawberry Sangria!”
“Dear PoP,
Do you know anything that is happening with the Brixton at 9th and U..it looks like that project has fallen through.”
I’ve been getting lots of emails like this so I just wanted to add a very very small update. If you’ll recall this is the place that will be open by the folks who own Marvin and Gibson on 14th St, NW just north of U. In a brief email exchange I’ve learned that the Brixton is still going forward and aiming to open in the Spring of 2011.
Gibson gray, Marvin white, Blackbyrd brick
On a side note the new space coming next to Marvin to be called Blackbyrd is looking to open in early Fall.
I checked out the new back patio at Vinoteca located at 1940 11th St, NW (next to Sollys) and it is sweet! I’d say this is one of the best looking new patios in town. It’s got a nice big bar, another small seating area and of course bocce. Nicely done!
More photos after the jump. (more…)
We’ve had a lot of serious discussions this week, so I thought it’d be nice to have a relatively stress free FQotD. Way back in Oct. ’07 we talked about some of DC’s best dive bars. But walking past Dan’s Cafe (pictured above) on 18th St, NW in Adams Morgan got me thinking about which is the most authentic dive bar in town? And I’ve been to many a dive bar but I can’t think of a better more authentic one than Dan’s. Perhaps the Raven in Mt. Pleasant? I’m not necessarily looking for the best, though I’d be curious what you think on that front as well, but what do you think is the most authentic one?
And to get a bit serious – do you think with DC’s soaring property (especially commercial) rates that the dive bar in DC could become a thing of the past? When’s the last time a regular bar with no bells and whistles opened their doors? Red Derby? Even Red Derby is getting a roof deck soon. Trusty’s just got a roof deck. The Pug on H St, NE is expanding upstairs according to a liquor license application.
Is Dan’s Cafe the last of a dying breed?
Patty Boom Boom is the Jamaican spot from the folks behind nearby Marvin and the Gibson located at 1359 U Street NW. I have two questions about this spot – how are the Jamaican pattys (any must order items)? And how is the music scene upstairs?
Photo by Devon Pohl
Chinatown Coffee Co. located at 475 H St., NW will soon be adding some alcohol options to their coffee offerings. They had a cool event Tues. night when they invited some neighbors and bloggers to taste some of the potential beer, wines and absinthe. Sadly I had to bolt after only tasting a couple of beers (a Czech Pils and Great Lakes – both delicious) but they will start with 3-5 beer choices, 3 red and 3 white wine choices and a couple of absinthe options. Pricing is still being worked out but I’ll be sure to update when the final selections have been made with prices.
Thanks to all who wrote in about some action going on at Meridian Pint coming to the corner of 11th and Park Road, NW near Red Rocks. You know, the place with table taps.
There was a pre-opening event last night and I had the good fortune to stop by. I didn’t take a lot of photos (you can see some preview shots here) but I couldn’t resist the table tap in action:
So after a few delays I’m happy to say they’ll official be open to the public this Thursday!
I’ll be exploring the beers a bit more but in the meantime here’s a sneak peek of just one row of taps:
This is one of the more interesting new venues planning on coming soon. The new tavern, New York New York, is slated to come to 33 New York Ave, NE. Apparently this used to house a Go-Go club called Mirrors. Well a new liquor application just went up saying the space will be:
“New Tavern with Sports Bar Lounge serving sandwiches and microwave foods with
DJ, live bands, belly dancing and dancing by patrons. Seating capacity is 190. Total
occupancy load is 190.”
A sports bar with belly dancing has to be one of kind, right?
It’s been a couple of months since we checked in on Bella Cafe located at 900 Florida Ave, NW (near 9:30 Club). I chatted with the owner this past weekend who is now shooting for a July 4th opening but of course that depends on the final permits being issued. The inside is nearly 100% completed. It’s a bit spartan at the moment but here are a few pics to get some idea of what it’ll look like:
First floor
Second floor stage
Second floor seating and bar
Back in January Big Chair Coffee opened up in Anacostia (2122 Marthin Luther King Jr Ave SE) to much fan fare. It turns out they’d also like to add some more options and are applying for a liquor license. The application says:
“New restaurant serving American food and coffee with Sidewalk Café. Occupancy load is 52”
Restaurant hours including a sidewalk cafe will be open until 2am.
I wonder if they’ll have an easier time than another coffee shop trying to get an alcohol license?