Capitol Hill

Matchbox Opens on Barracks Row – Nichole Checks It Out

By Prince Of Petworth

I have to admit only having been to Matchbox‘s original location a few times. Not because I didn’t enjoy it (I did) but more because it just didn’t occur to me that often. With their opening on 8th St. SE (Barracks Row) that is set to change.

The Hill/H St. area is sorely lacking in pizza places. The upscale pizza craze has largely ignored the area until now. Even the planned Radius at the Ohio on H St. seems to be tabled in favor of a Tonic. Apparently the city’s pizza purveyors don’t think we have any interest in their wares over here. (In fairness, I am a big fan of the very traditional pizza from Bistro Italiano on D St. NE behind Schneider’s, and Armand’s isn’t terrible. Regardless, there certainly isn’t a glut of options.)

Matchbox opened on Friday the 5th, and I made it over for dinner on Sunday night. My friend and I got there just before 6, and were seated right away, but about 10 minutes later, the place was packed and stayed that way until we left. Not bad for a cold Sunday night. People familiar with the Chinatown location will recognize the similarities. What my friend (formerly a Hill resident, now a denizen of Southwest) and I most noticed was the variety of patrons. Lots of families, lots of folks watching the Steelers’ fourth quarter victory over Dallas at the bar, young couples and groups of friends all patiently waited to be seated or dined leisurely on the pizzas and burgers (I saw so many trays of burgers go by, it almost made me question our choice to split a flat-iron steak pizza.) The food was excellent, the service was speedy, and despite the fact that there was clearly a wait, we didn’t feel rushed to leave. Continues after the jump. (more…)

Nichole Goes to Good Stuff Eatery. For Now, Perhaps It Should Be Called Okay Stuff

By Prince Of Petworth

With all of my newfound spare time, I’ve been lucky enough to spend a lot of afternoons out and about in the neighborhood with Ramona (my dog). There’s no better time of year for it and it’s great to not have to cram everything in just two days at the end of each week.

Last Friday I finally got around to hitting Good Stuff Eatery on Pennsylvania Ave.It opened earlier in the summer to much fanfare as part of the city’s burger craze, and every time I’d been past, it had lines out the door.I hate waiting in lines more than I love a good burger (which is to say, a lot) so I never made it in.

Now, I feel I should mention that I am not a fan of the Bravo Network’s Top Chef. I watched one or two episodes of whichever season had the guy with wacky hair who was always making foams from things. I love cooking shows of all sorts, but I just don’t like Top Chef. So that Good Stuff is the brainchild of “Chef Spike” means nothing to me, but people seem to have opinions on this subject, mostly of the ilk, “Wow, that guy was an ass.” But I have no idea, I was just psyched for a good burger. Story continues after the jump. (more…)

Sweet City Church

By Prince Of Petworth

This sweet church is in the Capitol Hill area. I didn’t catch the name. Anyone know it?

Lincoln Park Post By Nichole

By Prince Of Petworth

Nichole Didn’t Venture Far From Home This Week: Lincoln Park

“I had this really great post in my head, where I’d spend the week wandering the Hill’s Places and Alleys, taking pictures of all the tiny houses and carriage houses and I was pretty excited to do get out and share some of my neighborhood’s quirkiness with all of you. And then a woman was sexually assaulted in the middle of the day a block from my house, during the course of which, the suspect tried to pull her into an alley. So, I decided to stay the hell out of the Alleys and Places for the time being. Instead, I’ll share with you a little bit about Lincoln Park.

I am very lucky to have this historic park a block from my house. Not only does it have an interesting history, it’s also a great neighborhood gathering place and is the largest park on Capitol Hill.

The spot was intended by L’Enfant to be the point from which all distances in North America were measured, and situated exactly one mile due East of the Capitol Building. But, for years after it was built, it was used as a dumping ground, and during the Civil War, it was the site of Lincoln Hospital ( after the President). In 1867, Congress proclaimed the Park the first site to bear Lincoln’s name. The park is home to Freedmen’s Memorial Monument to Abraham Lincoln AKA the Emancipation Memorial AKA the (Original) Lincoln Memorial. The funds for the Memorial were collected entirely from freed slaves and the base of the statue was paid for with an appropriation from Congress. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that there are some who believe the statue to perpetuate racist ideals, because of the positioning of the figures. Story continues after the jump. (more…)

Nichole Has An Evening With the T-Shirt Insurgency

By Prince Of Petworth

I came across the T-Shirt Insurgency maybe (my recollection is fuzzy) because of the article about them in the Post, and found myself browsing their site with glee. You see, I too am a rabid opponent of high fructose corn syrup and the cartel that controls its production and distribution. I ordered myself a shirt warning of the perils of this vulgar corn-bastardization, excited to wear it around town and spread the word. I started getting antsy when an upcoming trip to Ottawa was drawing near and my shirt had still not arrived. I sent the Insurgents an email and discovered the delay was an issue of the banks, but that my shirt would arrive imminently. What I could not predict was that my shirt would arrive, hand delivered by Matt, to my office in Old Town.

I wore my shirt out that night (pictured here, on Aaron – the evil corn there is better known as Fructose Fructose Ghali) and told my friends of these guys on the Hill who were nice enough to hand deliver it to me, and shared with them some of the Insurgents’ other designs. I returned to Capitol Hill Books (which serves as a quasi-headquarters for the Insurgency) a few days later and bought four more shirts for my friends. I was told that buying all the designs garners that purchaser a free ham. (No hams have been given away. Yet. A pound of Kale goes to any vegetarians/vegans completing the challenge.)

So I sent the guys – Aaron, Matt and Kyle (4th Insurgent Justin is ensconced in an undisclosed location in the Seattle area; I was told that they are an “Aggressively Bi-Coastal” bunch) – an email with some hard hitting questions, and I provide for you their answers here: Answers after the jump. (more…)

Neat Neighborhood Find: Capitol Hill Books by Frank

By Prince Of Petworth

The following neat neighborhood find is not exactly on the Green Line but it is well worth a profile. My buddy, Frank, lives in the Eastern Market neighborhood, and wrote a terrific post about one of the greatest bookstores in the city. I figured we, certainly I, pine for bookstores frequently so it was time to appreciate one that we already have.

It was a rainy Sunday afternoon when I arrived to speak to Jim Toole, owner of Capitol Hill Books. I introduced myself and requested a few moments of his time to ask some questions about the store.