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1626 North Capitol Street, NW

Thanks to a reader for sending the petition ANC Commissioners Should Support the Liquor License Application for The Washington Firehouse Restaurant:

The Washington Firehouse Restaurant will be a neighborhood restaurant where people will gather to dine with family, friends and neighbors. More than just a local bar or eatery, The Washington Firehouse Restaurant will serve as a neighborhood and community gathering place that will promote community, increase neighborhood security, and add value to local properties. The Washington Firehouse Restaurant will also serve as a destination for other residents of Washington, D.C. allowing them a glimpse of everything that the Bloomingdale neighborhood has to offer. (more…)


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11th and Monroe St, NW

Word on the street is that the First Lady President Obama is visiting the Coupe in Columbia Heights! Thanks to all who sent emails and tweets.

@BrianKal writes:

“yep POTUS is there for lunch with young consumers in Healthcare. gov”

Thanks to a reader for sending these great photos:

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Thanks to those who passed on emails about these two new delivery options.

“Mama Chuy DC authentic Mexican Restaurant located at 2620 Georgia Ave NW is now offering delivery. Starting tomorrow Fri. January 10, 2014 our delivery hours are 12noon-10:30pm Monday- Saturday, 1.5 mile radius, $20 min & $2.50 delivery fee. Call us @ 202-667-6262 (202-667-MAMA) visit us at mamachuydc.com for all of our menus.”

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Kushi is located at 465 K Street, NW. You can see the menu and delivery radius below:

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919 U Street, NW

“El Rey, the highly anticipated Mexican beer garden located at 919 U Street NW will officially open Friday, January 10 at 5pm. The 3,100 square foot space built almost entirely out of shipping containers is the first construction in Washington to use the colorful steel boxes in a substantive way. El Rey also features a spacious back patio that is covered (and uncovered) by a retractable roof and a U Street-facing takeout window. El Rey’s menu highlights tacos and tequila as well as a selection of Mexican and South American brews.”

Check out the menu here:

El Rey menu (PDF)

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I stopped by for a preview last night and I think the doubters will be pleasantly surprised. Not only are the tacos delicious but the space is very cool. And warm! I couldn’t believe how well the heaters worked. This is an incredibly good addition to compliment Dodge City and Velvet Lounge.

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Lots more photos after the jump. (more…)


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1790 Columbia Rd, NW

Speaking of restaurants some once loved but no longer do, The Post asks Is Pasta Mia in Adams Morgan on the verge of closing?:

“Broglia went on to say that longtime patrons already know the place is closing, sounding as if Pasta Mia had begun its final countdown. The owner said his lease expires on Feb. 28, which could mark Pasta Mia’s last day of service. Broglia said he would know more in a couple of weeks when he next talks with the landlord.”

Back in 2010 we talked about Pasta Mia – Worth an Hour Wait? Suffice it to say opinions were rather mixed.

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Photo by PoPville flickr user Rich Renomeron

While I usually try to be more positive with these questions, yesterday’s post about the Washington Post food critic being disappointed with Birch & Barley got me wondering about other “onetime trendsetters”. Do you have any restaurants/bars that you used to love when they first opened but no longer like them now? If so, what changed?


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1250 Connecticut Avenue, NW

It was almost exactly a year ago that we first heard of plans for a “female friendly” steakhouse. Back in August we saw coming soon signage for STK Steakhouse on Connecticut Ave. In September a placard was posted for STK’s liquor license. Signs still call for a Fall opening:

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But a peek in the window reveals they still have a ways to go:

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300 Tingey Street, SE

From the Washington Post:

“You are likely to empty your glass but leave food, sometimes a lot, on your plate.

For the sake of comparison, I revisited Bailey’s Birch & Barley last month after a long time away and found the onetime trendsetter to be a shadow of the upscale tavern it was when it sprang on the scene four years ago. Although the service was genial, the cooking was muddled; even dishes I used to recommend are no longer their good old selves.”

Aresenal is located in the Bluejacket brewery at 300 Tingey Street, SE in the Boilermaker building. Birch & Barley is located at 1337 14th Street, NW in Logan Circle. Have others noticed a decline in the food at Birch & Barley?


Next up in Indiegogo fundraising campaigns – The District Fishwife hoping to open in Union Market in about 3 weeks. From their Indiegogo page:

“The District Fishwife is Northeast DC’s first sustainable seafood market, opening at Union Market in NE DC at the end of January 2014. We will offer fresh and sustainably caught and raised seafood and prepared seafood for take-away, notably our own take on the classic Fish and Chips. Fiona Lewis is The Fishwife, and will be running the day-to-day operations of the shop. She brings a passion for seafood and the health of the world’s oceans, and a desire to educate customers to make more sustainable and healthy choices when they bring home seafood.

We’ve put everything we’ve got into this shop and we’re asking for your help now to get us to the finish line. Most of the equipment–cold room, display case, kitchen appliances, hood, etc.–is already purchased, and the build-out is almost complete, but we still need to have our equipment installed and put the finishing touches on the shop.

We are also committed to offering the best quality sustainable seafood available from Day One.In order to make sure we have the best fish we can find, we’ve brought on a local seafood expert as our fish buyer, Vernon Lingonfelter. Vernon knows good fish when he sees it, and we need to make sure he can pay for it on the spot.

So this is where you come in. We need about $20,000 to pay for these finishing touches and for working capital so Vernon can buy that top-quality sustainable fish when he sees it.

We’ve put together some fun perks to thank our funders, including shout-outs, magnets, beanies and caps, t-shirts, lunch for two, a one-on-one fish cutting class with Vernon, and a Feast of the Seven Fishes.”

You can read more and contribute here. Also watch the video above if you can, this place sounds awesome!

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1309 5th Street, NE


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606 Florida Avenue, NW

In yesterday’s talk about The Royal coming to 501 Florida Ave, NW, a reader mentioned the new coming soon signage across the street:

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In November we learned that the food truck, Rito Loco would be opening up a brick and mortar burrito restaurant in the former Reese’s barbershop space next to Bistro/Kafe Bohem.  You can see their food truck menu here.  While they originally hoped for an April opening, the sign posted now says opening summer 2014. Updates as we get closer.

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600 block of Florida Avenue, NW


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