Dupont Circle

The 5pm Post – Firefly “Beat the Clock” Happy Hour

By Prince Of Petworth

From a press release:

On October 1st, Kimpton’s Firefly Restaurant will launch “Beat the Clock,” a happy hour with progressively timed and priced food and drink specials available Monday to Friday from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. Drink specials include house wines, draft beer and rail cocktails only. Chef Danny Bortnick has selected “Seven Salty Snacks” that are available for $5 throughout happy hour.

Pricing changes by the hour and here’s how it works:

* From 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. all drink specials are $1;
* From 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. drink specials increase to $2;
* From 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. drinks specials increase to $3
* From 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. drink specials increase to $4 before reverting back to regular pricing after 7:00 p.m.
* On Monday nights, the clock stops at 7:00 p.m. and $4 drink specials will be available until last call at 11:30 p.m.
* The “Seven Salty Snacks” menu features:
o Deviled Eggs with smoked paprika, caper powder, and garlic chips
o Salt Roasted Baby beets with Cherry Glen goat cheese, Sicilian pistachio, fig vinegar, and micro arugula
o Chicken Fried Oysters with po’boy sauce
o Grilled Red Wine Poached Octopus with avocado, olive aioli and roasted olive gremolata
o Smoked Whitefish Brandade on garlic toast sliders, scallion-caper persillade
o Mac ‘n Three Cheese
o Truffle Fries or Parmesan Truffle Fries

Firefly has recently become one of a select few restaurants in the D.C. area to serve Batch 19, a special brew made from a pre-prohibition era recipe. The beer will be available on tap in the bar and lounge area, where guests can order 64 oz. growlers of Batch 19 for $15 during happy hour and $20 afterwards.

Also, guests can now check-in to Firefly on foursquare, where the restaurant offers a complimentary glass of sparkling wine for first time check-ins. Guests should check-in often as the special offer will change.

When: Beginning October 1st, happy hour specials will be available Monday through Friday between 3:00 and 7:00 p.m. On Monday nights, $4 drinks will last from 7:00 p.m. until closing.

Where: Firefly Restaurant, 1310 New Hampshire Avenue, NW

Wed. Afternoon Rental Option – Dupont/U St. (Reader Request)

By Prince Of Petworth

This house (mansion) is located at 15th and S St, NW.

The Craigslist ad says:

“Rent’s $1350 per month, plus utilities (roughly about 75 extra).

You would take over a month-to-month lease, so you can leave whenever you want. Also, would just need $1500 for security deposit upfront.

House includes an amazing roof deck, cleaning service, and 8 friendly, successful house mates. Also, your room has its own full private bathroom with a large shower.

Rooms in this house go quick, so let me know asap. Sorry, though we already have a dog in the house, the landlord doesn’t allow us any more pets.”

I’m pretty sure this was once a “good deal or not” edition but I can’t seem to find it. You can see a virtual tour here.

The reader writes:

“A room in this incredible group house mansion rents for $1350. I am dying to know what the story is here!”

Does $1350 for a room in this house sound reasonable?

Good Deal or Not – “custom designed Boffi kitchen” edition (Realtor Request)

By Prince Of Petworth

This home is located at 1642 21st St, NW:


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The flier says:

“Currently feat. in Home & Design Magazine, this historic Rowhouse matches clean lines and simplicity with modern comfort. Home feat. a custom designed Boffi kitchen w/ high-end appliances, rear patio, parking, 3BR, and 2.5BA in upper unit, & LL efficiency unit. Both units included in sales price. This is a 2-unit condo-Listed as Fee Simple for information purposes only. Short walk to Dupont Metro”

You can find more info here and a virtual tour here.

Normally I decline realtor requests but I was intrigued by the Home & Design Magazine article then I was blown away by the virtual tour and there you have it. It’s interesting that the home was split into 2 units (you get both). Given that do you think it’ll go for $1,875,000?

Fire Trucks Respond to Safeway at 17th and Corcoran St, NW

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo from twitter user soupgirl

“Dear PoP,

I was running at about 7:00AM and saw at least half a dozen fire and emergency vehicles at the Safeway at 17th and Corcoran. Any idea what happened there?”

Twitter user @soupgirl sent word that she saw four fire trucks respond to the scene at 7am. No smoke or fire was visible though soupgirl writes that she “Saw one fireman on the roof of Safeway coming down the ladder. They had hooked the hoses up to a hydrant though”. Strangely I haven’t seen any reports from @fireems. I called the store for confirmation and they said that they “can’t go into details but the store is now open.”

Thanks again to soupgirl for sending the info. I can be followed on twitter @PoPville here.

Good Deal or Not? Weekly Wed. House Porn edition (Reader Request)

By Prince Of Petworth

This house is located at 1721 Swann St, NW:


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The flier says:

“Gorgeous 3BR/3.5BA w/ LL studio on beautiful and sought after Swann Street. Features include, gourmet kitchen with limestone floors, massive dining room, huge living room with tons of light, European inspired MBA with Jacuzzi tub, extraordinary floor-to-ceiling windows, multiple skylights, fire place, hwd floors, Bosch W/ D, covered porch & a terrace, and garage parking. Location=10!”

You can find more info here and a virtual tour here.

The reader writes:

“I walk by it every day, and it’s my favorite house on the best block of Swann St NW b/w New Hampshire and 18th. They have the most beautiful garden and landscaping, and it looks pretty good from the virtual tour too. Hopefully the new owners will keep the great plants!”

Wow, good choice! How do you guys think this one ranks among other house porn? This 3 bed/3.5 bath is yours for $1,499,999.

Judging Restaurants – Nando’s Peri Peri

By Prince Of Petworth

Nando’s Peri Peri is located in Dupont at 1210 18th Street, NW and in Chinatown at 819 7th Street, NW. Their Web site says:

“Way back in the 15th Century, in the rich soils and intense heat of Southern Africa, our Portuguese forefathers made a monumentally important discovery – the African Birds Eye Chilli.

Known as Peri-Peri, this fiery little customer is added to special herbs and spices to give our Nando’s original Peri-Peri sauce its unique flavour. The exact recipe remains a closely guarded family secret handed down from generation to generation.

Peri-Peri gives your taste buds an extreme work-out and contains no preservatives, no colourants or artificial flavours so it’s totally natural and healthy. Peri-Peri helps reduce cholesterol and is rich in vitamins A and C. What’s more, it’s reputed to be an aphrodisiac. Hot stuff in more ways than one!”

You can see their menus here. I seem to recall there were some fans when first learned they were opening at the Dupont location. Do they offer the best chicken in DC? Think they’ll open any other spots in other neighborhoods?

Dear PoP – What Happened at 18th and Willard St, NW Last Night?

By Prince Of Petworth


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“Dear PoP,

Last night around 11:30 I noticed significant police activity in my alley. At least three cop cars, several bike cops, a helicopter with a spotlight flashing around the alley, and a foot chase along the roofs across the alley, and the largest gun I’ve ever seen in person (held at the time by a police officer on the roof)! From my window I heard something said about a neighbor calling the police after seeing a burglar on one of the roofs. It seems bizarre that so much force would come out so quickly for just a burglary. Any idea if this was a bigger event, or if the Dupont-ish location brought more police attention than say a Trinidad address? The activity seemed to be along the north side of Willard Street between 17th and 18th.”

MPD writes:

“-On Monday, September 20, 2010, at 11:30 p.m. an Unlawful Entry offense occurred in the 1700 block of Willard St., N.W. (PSA 208) and was subsequently reported to the MPD.

A subject was observed climbing the fire escape in the rear of a structure in the listed area. MPD members responded to the complaint of a person on the fire escape who was also peering into the windows of various apartments. Once on the scene the suspect was located hiding under the rooftop deck. The suspect was arrested. This is a closed case.”

I wonder if it was from one of my favorite fire escapes. I’m not sure about the response but I’m certainly glad they caught the suspect.

Judging Restaurants – Zorba’s Cafe

By Prince Of Petworth

Zorba’s Cafe is located at 1612 20th St NW. It’s Web site says:

Zorba’s Café has been family owned and operated since it first opened its doors in 1984. The owners, together with their dedicated staff, will cater to your palate needs. The service is friendly, fast and precise. While your mousaka or pastitsio is being prepared, you might find yourself involved in conversations with other guests and the owners, mostly talking about that unique part of the world, Greece.

Zorba Café’s recipes have been passed down in the family over four generations. Fresh ingredients and wholesome herbs are used to prepare the long menu of wonderful dishes like roast leg of lamb, keftedes, spanakopitta and chicken reganato. Enjoy delicacies like taramosalata, tzatziki, hommus, tabouli salad and many, many more. The food is always fresh, and everything, including the bread rolls and the pizza dough, is made at Zorba’s Café daily.

Another big attraction of Zorba’s Café is its outdoor sidewalk patio. From April through October you can relax and enjoy the deliciously prepared food, the Greek music, the colorful flowers, while the aroma of the jasmin blossoms makes you believe that you are really on an island in the Aegean Sea with your friend Zorba the Greek!

You can see their menus here. Any fans?

PoPville PSA – Don’t Use This Type of Lock Anymore

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoP,

Yesterday while I was grabbing a lunchtime workout at the Washington Sports Club in Dupont Circle, someone broke into my locker and took three credit cards. Over the next several hours, this person (or people) racked up nearly $4,000 worth of charges at Dupont Circle and Gallery Place shops. I found out this morning that the same thing happened to my coworker at the same time yesterday. Washington Sports Club and MPD are on the case, but I want readers to know that using old-school Master combo locks are no longer safe. According to this YouTube video (see below), they can be picked with a shim made out of a piece of a Coke can.

The scariest thing is that this technique for picking the lock doesn’t break it. The thief was nice enough to lock up and put my wallet back in my pants–giving him time to spend on the credit cards before I noticed them missing.”

Cassa Nonna Aims to Open Tonight – Shelly’s Backroom Expanding

By Prince Of Petworth

Back in Nov. ’09 California Pizza Kitchen closed at 1250 Connecticut Ave, NW. Today (pending final permits) Cassa Nonna hopes to open. I spoke with one of the workers who was very excited about the new space though the manager wouldn’t let me take any photos.

Also Shelly’s Backroom is expanding into the old salon space next door at 1831 F St, NW. They also hope to open a sidewalk cafe. According to their Web site:

“Shelly’s Back Room is one of a kind in Washington, DC, a comfortable retreat for cigar aficionados and those who simply want to unwind. Our casual but elegant space features soft lighting, cozy couches and over-stuffed chairs.

Shelly’s Back Room is a cigar-friendly establishment, but our state of the art air-purification system keeps the atmosphere comfortable for smokers and non-smokers alike. Sit back and enjoy yourself while chatting with friends or watching high-definition TV.”

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