Well – let’s pack up the internet for today…
A reader spotted yesterday and when begged for comment revealed it was from:
“Logan Circle. No idea how he got there. His owner was a few feet away talking to a neighbor completely unfazed.”
And yes – absolutely consider this a bonus caption contest photo.
1740 14th Street, NW
From a press release:
“A talented veteran of many top kitchens in D.C., New York and San Francisco, and the guiding force behind Cork Market & Tasting Room’s popular food program, is stepping up to fill the shoes of departing Cork Wine Bar Executive Chef Kristin Hutter.
The wine bar’s new Executive Chef, Jason Schreuder, is a graduate of the International Culinary Center (formerly the French Culinary Institute) in New York City and also a former sous chef both at Cork under the wine bar’s first chef, Ron Tanaka, and at Cleveland Park’s popular and inventive fixture, Ripple. His wide-ranging background includes stints at Jean-Georges’ Mercer Kitchen, BLT Fish and San Francisco’s Absinthe and NoPA.
Jason plans to change the menu seasonally to create shareable plates using simple, good ingredients that highlight seasonal flavors and complement the extensive selection of Old World wines. Avocado bruschetta fans can rest easy, however, as a few favorites will remain on the menu, and a renewed focus on vegetable centered plates is planned. Jason is also preparing new wine & food pairing and special tasting menus.
“Jason’s tremendous work for us at the Market and his experience in some of our favorite kitchens, made this an easy decision when Kristin decided to move on,” said Cork Wine Bar owner Diane Gross. “We are very excited about the menu ideas and changes that Jason has already put in motion.”
Kristin will continue to work with Cork as a consultant on special projects, including helping to launch a weeknight dinner program at Cork Market. Both Gross and her husband and co-owner Khalid Pitts praised Kristin for her tremendous work at Cork Market and Cork Wine Bar. “Kristin is a talented chef and has been an important part of our team over the past six years,” Pitts said. “While we are sad to see her go on a permanent basis, we are thrilled that she will be helping us out on a few new projects at Cork Market.”
This rental is located at 1245 13th Street, Northwest. The listing says:
“Looking for affordability, parking, utilities included & easy commuting? This quaint 2-level condo is .5 miles to Convention Ctr. metro, has garage parking & is close to everything! The building is nicely equipped with a spacious roof-top deck for lounging & entertaining. Vouchers welcome.”
You can see more photos here.
This 2 bed/1.5 bath is going for $2,500/Mo.
Photo by PoPville flickr user Lorie Shaull
A reader writes:
“I’m hoping PoPville can help me brainstorm my options. I have an opportunity for a 6-7 month detail in the Middle East and I’m wondering what to do with my house (Logan/Shaw neighborhood). My first thought is to set a schedule for my friends to check-in weekly to ensure all is well. But I wonder if I can generate some rental income even if I don’t cover the mortgage. I do know that I would not be comfortable without someone local to vet/oversee the tenancy. Thoughts? Do you have any recommendations for property managers who specialize in short-term leases? If I’m too squeamish about people in my personal space, options for reasonably priced professional house sitters?”
1427 P Street, NW
Bluemercury (makeup, skincare, and spa) is now open in the former Pacers space on P Street.
1631 14th Street, NW
Thanks to a reader for sending word that Shinola has opened in their new larger space at the corner of 14th and R St, NW. Standby for Filson coming to the old space down the block:
1534 14th Street, NW
Damn it, this is not how we wanted to start out 5776. Washington City Paper reports the beloved Barrel House is moving into the former Salon Blu space which abruptly closed back in May:
“Due to rising rental costs at the store’s current location, owner Mesfun Ghebrelul says he’s signed a lease on a smaller space at 1339 14th St. NW (previously Salon Blu). The move will happen on Oct. 22, the store’s 20-year anniversary under Ghebrelul’s ownership.
Meanwhile, M.G. says he isn’t sure what will happen to the storefront barrel.”
Ed. Note: My sources in the deepest darkest crevices of the DC liquor industry had previously heard that they were possibly moving across the street to Sav On Liquors – also possibly moving for only a year while the space is renovated. Here’s to hoping the move is only temporary!
1341 14th Street, NW
Photo by PoPville flickr user Erin
From a press release:
“Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants will open a new flagship 178-room hotel along Washington, D.C.’s lively 14th Street corridor in spring 2016. Kimpton’s Mason & Rook Hotel includes plans for a larger building footprint; a newly constructed 1,800 square foot ballroom; and guest rooms that will be some of the largest in the city. Intended to serve as a neighborhood hideaway to in-the-know guests, the hotel will embrace a sophisticated residential design and serve as an exclusive jumping off point to enjoy the District’s most popular bars, restaurants and boutiques.
Kimpton’s Mason & Rook Hotel will be located at 1430 Rhode Island Avenue, N.W.
Hotel Helix will take reservations until Friday, October 16.”
“Dear PoPville,
We have a neighbor on the 1800 Block of Vermont Street NW who decided over 6+ months ago that the parking spot in front of his house is now officially his and while the rest of us have to jockey around for parking spots and move our cars during Street Sweeping days/hours he doesn’t.
You can’t tell from the photo since his car is 99% of the time covered with a grey tarp but it’s an older Red Mustang Convertible and the only time we saw it uncovered we saw he (young guy – possibly college age) did have DC Tags but a Registration/Parking Permit that expired October 2014. He’s also so brazen that the few times when the car is not there we’ve seen orange traffic and construction cones blocking the spot so no one else can park there. Then a few hours later he’s parked there again with the cover on.
The next door neighbor once politely (although I wasn’t there to confirm) asked to him to play by the rules and was apparently cursed out (again I wasn’t there) and physically intimated just by his large size and have since left notes, called 311, and even flagged down an MPD who have said as long as the cover is on it he can park here forever because DDOT and MPD don’t want to be responsible for any potential damage by removing it to ticket or tow him.
One one hand we give him props for figuring out a way to outsmart the system. On the other we’d like him to follow the same rules as all of us and gain (if he doesn’t renew his plates) a much needed additional street parking spot. Anything we can do to get him to move the car or get someone in DC Government to assist?
BTW – These pictures were taken during Street Sweeping hours yesterday.”
1345 S Street, NW
From Jared Jablonka, one of the partners of Left Door:
“We’ve been proactive about engaging with the ANC and the community to ensure they are involved in our planning/process from the beginning. After working with the ANC for the past 3-4+ months, we successfully negotiated a Settlement Agreement that is fair to all parties. The ANC was scheduled to vote to approve the SA at Thursday’s meeting, when we were blindsided by some last-minute, unreasonable demands from SDCA (Shaw-Dupont Citizens Alliance // http://shawdupont.org).
Their demands include restrictions that we believe would most likely put us in direct violation of DC Health Code (i.e. not allowed to remove trash from the premises during normal business hours, etc.). This would put us at a competitive disadvantage and would create an unsanitary and undesirable atmosphere (imagine drinking hand-crafted cocktails while surrounded by piles of trash…). The space is very small (@ 900 SF) so there is no interior trash storage space, a fact that SDCA is well aware of.
We engaged with SDCA a few months ago and received their support for all of the same terms and conditions that the ANC agreed to, but then they went back on their word and added more onerous restrictions at the last minute. We learned about their demands literally 15 minutes before the ANC vote on Thursday.
While we respect everyone’s right to their own opinion, we believe this group is intentionally hijacking the established ANC-ABRA process. They attempt to extract demands that are not financially viable nor legitimate concerns of actual neighbors.
This group comprises a VERY small number of people in the neighborhood and their viewpoints are extremely divergent from the overwhelming majority of neighboring residents. They have demonstrated a pattern of taking unreasonably hostile positions against legitimate business owners in the Shaw-Logan Circle area. Among other things, they tried to impose a liquor license moratorium along 14th Street and U Street in 2013-2014 (a notion which was rejected by roughly 98% of local residents), and they routinely file unwarranted liquor license protests that end up costing small local business owners tens of thousands of dollars in unnecessary legal expenses.
We would like to move forward and sign the SA that we negotiated with the ANC. We do not want to be held hostage by a vocal minority with unreasonable demands. Based on conversations with other business owners in the neighborhood, this seems to be a recurring pattern with this group. We believe SDCA is not negotiating in good faith and is unnecessarily wasting time, money and resources that could be better spent on more worthy pursuits. We would like to start a dialogue with other community members regarding the legitimacy and legal standing of SDCA as it relates to the ABRA liquor license process.
We welcome input from all sides. Thanks.”