“Dear PoP,

I walked by Quiet Mind Yoga today and noticed a bunch of tables with umbrellas on the patio below. A new fence had gone in out front recently, but I didn’t realize it might be for a bar. The man sitting at one of the tables told me the place (below the vintage clothing store) will be a bar. They were holding a pre-launch party for family and friends tonight. Do you know anything about it?”

I got a number of emails like this yesterday and I’m happy to say that it sounds like Zeba Bar and Grill is finally opening up at 3423 14th Street, NW. We’ve been anticipating their opening for a long time and in April I wrote:

The space was described to me as a bar with really good food rather than a restaurant that serves drinks. They will serve pizza, burgers, shish kabobs and other bar fare.

If they are open and anyone checks them out this weekend, be sure to send me an email and let me know what you think.


“Dear PoPville,

I wanted to let you and your readers know about a “walk-through” of 11th Street taking place tomorrow which is being hosted by the mayor’s office and a group opposed to Constantine Stavropoulos’s effort to bring a Tryst/Diner/Open City type establishment to 11th Street.

The following message was posted at the 11th Street dog park over the weekend:

“Residents have requested a site walk thru of the 11th street corridor to encourage dialogue and responsible planning of this low-density commercial zone in light of the proposed project, Margot’s Chair coming to their community. Petitions that have circulated through the community have gathered over 200 signatures of residents that are opposed to a business coming to their community of this scale and operating on a 24 hour clock, 7 days a week… Please join us Wednesday 29th at 2:00 pm at 3415 11th street NW. – Francisco Fibres – Office of the Mayor”

It would have been helpful if the mayor’s folks had done a better job getting the word out (I’ve only seen this one sign), and that a time was chosen when most working residents could partake, but as I imagine that is exactly what the opposition group wants. I am confident that the vast majority of neighbors and nearby residents could not be more excited about Margot’s Chair coming to Columbia Heights, the redevelopment of a long vacant eyesore, the much needed jobs the eatery will bring to the area, and the additional security that more eyes on the street will provide. I encourage everyone to contact the Mayor’s office and notify them that a better time needs to selected so that as many people, not just those with an anti-revitalization agenda, can attend. Francisco Fimbres can be contacted at [email protected], (202) 442-8119 or (202) 664-6119″

UPDATE From Francisco Fimbres [confirmed via seperate email from Mr. Fimbres]:

Dear Mr. Krieger:

I am concerned about your messaging to the community. This is not a joint walk-thru or initiative. We are not hosting this meeting. You requested a meeting on site and we agreed to participate. The purpose of our site visit was to listen and observe. Our office is not taking any position on this matter. Your invitation to community stakeholders comes across as, if we are endorsing your position or rallying behind your cause. We are not.

At this time, our office is cancelling our site visit pending further review of your petition.

Best,
Francisco Fimbres



3435 Holmead Place, NW

I look forward to checking out the renovations when they begin.

From a press release:

Urban Investment Partners (UIP) has acquired three Washington, D.C. apartment buildings at a foreclosure auction for $12,375,000. The buildings, totaling 163 rental units, are located in the Columbia Heights area of northwest Washington.

This acquisition represented three of five properties recently foreclosed by a New York City-based investment group that acquired the debt on the properties from New York Community Bank. The buildings acquired by UIP, a leading real estate investment, development, and property management group based in the District, are:

1430 W Street, NW with 26 units ($3.25 million)
3308-3312 Sherman Avenue, NW, with 34 units ($2,075,000)
3435 Holmead Place, NW with 103 units ($7.05 million)


1430 W Street, NW


3308-3312 Sherman Avenue, NW Courtesy of UIP


A couple of weeks ago I gave an update on the new bar/restaurant coming to replace Commonwealth at 1400 Irving St, NW. At the time I was able to share that it will offer bbq and have a southern/bluegrass/country music component. I’ve been getting lots of emails for an update – particularly asking about the new name. It’s called Acre 121.

Acre 121 comes from the history of Columbia Heights. Apparently 14th and Irving St, NW fell under a parcel called Acre 121 consisting of 121 acres of land. It was acquired in 1881 by Sen John Sherman who then named the 121 acres Columbia Heights. Later on there was also a horse track that ran through this area so when all the decorating is completed, you’ll be seeing lots of historical photos inside.

As I’ve mentioned before the food is going to bbq style so expect to see lots of pulled pork, chicken, cornbread etc.

But to be honest – my favorite part is the music element. The band they had last night even played some Mumford and Sons! There will be live music 5 nights a week.

And the space has been opened up nicely (though some furniture will be updated):

So mark your calendars for June 29th opening.

Lots more photos after the jump. (more…)


Around 2:30am last night/this morning bricks were thrown through the windows at Room 11 (3234 11th St, NW) and Meridian Pint (3400 11th St, NW) in Columbia Heights.

A white man wearing black jeans, black sweatshirt, and black ski mask threw 2 bricks at Meridian Pint breaking one small window then headed south on 11th and broke one large window (see photo above) at Room 11. While employees were in both establishments at the time, fortunately nobody was hurt.

The police responded quickly.

I’ll update when the vandal is arrested.



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“Dear PoP,

Last night around 10:30 there was apparently a drive-by shooting on Spring Rd (this is according to a neighbor who spoke with one of the police that was searching the area).”

It is unclear to me whether or not it was an actual drive by. Nevertheless, I’m told that five cars were hit with bullets but fortunately no people. MPD does have some leads on who was involved and identified all the players last night and recovered a gun in the alley. There will be enhanced patrol in this area to ensure no further incidents/retaliation.


This rental is located at 1320 Fairmont St, NW:


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The Craigslist ad says:

“This efficiency apartment sits a few blocks from the Columbia Heights Metro stop,
located a few more blocks from the nightlife of Adams Morgan neighborhood.

Efficiency Apt #404- Available Early July 2011
Apt #206- Available August 1, 2011”

$964 per month sound right for this efficiency?


To the Prince of Petworth Community,

Recently there was a lengthy review discussion of The Heights. We would like to thank all who
shared their comments. It’s important to hear about the components of our restaurant that are well
received and enjoyed as well as those areas in which we need to improve. We would now like to
address some of those areas.

The message on the blackening charge has been heard loud and clear. Effective immediately, this
charge is removed, though the text still appears on our menu for a few more days.

Sysco is the largest wholesale distributor in America and services virtually every restaurant. We
purchase our basic commodities such as flour, sugar, spices and Heinz Ketchup as well as paper
supplies and cleaning products. They are an efficient partner to most food service companies. While
the Sysco truck does pull up to our door each week, we also have fresh bread, produce, seafood,
poultry, eggs, dairy and meat being delivered daily by small, local companies such as Lyon Bakery,
Profish, Capital Meat and Coastal Sunbelt Produce. We only purchase natural proteins and dairy
items that come from local farms where all the animals are treated humanely.

We now own and operate a 13 acre farm in La Plata, Maryland. EatWell Natural Farm has recently
begun harvesting and has delivered over 50 crates of fresh produce to our chefs and restaurants.
The bulk of the growing season still ahead, we expect to fulfill most of our tomato, summer squash,
zucchini, cucumber, pepper and green bean needs as well as some 20 other varieties.

Improving our food quality and service has been our top priority this year. We recently installed
professional chefs in all our restaurants to both improve quality and allow our managers to better
focus on service. We have some great team members, many of whom have worked for us for years,
but finding and retaining the best service people can be difficult in our casual segment. Internships
drag away many as does the allure of downtown. These departures occur frequently and the turnover
is detrimental to efficiency. We are constantly evolving our hiring and training methods and seeking
new ways and benefits to attract and retain the best.

We believe our pricing fare. We have made many changes over the past few years that are costly;
organic, ethical raised, local products. We have hardly passed these price increases on to our guests
but a grass fed, 9 oz patty, ground daily on a custom baked bun with hand cut fries is costly.

We hope, given the opportunity, you will find that we are doing all we can to provide the best food,
service and value. We take our role as a neighborhood restaurant seriously and work hard to offer a
wide variety of food and drink across many different meal segments.

Should you have any comments or concerns, I invite you to reach out to me directly.

Kind Regards,

Josh Hahn
CEO, EatWell DC
The Heights, Logan Tavern, Commissary, Grillfish, EatWell Natural Farm
[email protected]


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