
E Street Cinema at 555 11th Street, NW
PRAYING I’m reading to much into this…
In September: (more…)

641 Indiana Avenue, NW
Ed. Note: This space was formerly home to Eats United and before them to Grand Trunk and Kabob Capital.
From a press release:
“Z-Burger, the Washington D.C.-grown quick casual American restaurant announces its first location serving halal food. Halal Z-Burger is now open at 641 Indiana Avenue NW.
[See menu here.]
Halal Z-Burger marks the brand’s sixth area shop, boasting Z-Burger’s signature hand-crafted burgers, gourmet hot dogs and 75 hand-spun milkshake and malt flavors. But in addition to serving it all halal, this Z-Burger also serves breakfast. (more…)

Inside Penn Social via Facebook
Sad news from Penn Social:
“Sadly, we have no option left but to close our doors for the foreseeable future. PLEASE support local independent businesses in DC. Hospitality IS the working class. They need our help now more than ever.” (more…)

12th and E Street, NW
Thanks to Cristin for sending. ‘Pho, Sushi, Banhmi” coming soon! (more…)

Photo by Natalie Weiss
Natalie reports: “another Starbucks closure, this time at 14 & G NW.” (more…)

From a press release:
“WHAT: The 16th Annual Downtown Holiday Market, Washington D.C.’s outdoor shopping village, kicks off the holiday season Friday, November 20. As the tradition continues, the beloved outdoor market will support small businesses, local artisans and entrepreneurs from across the region. Shoppers can enjoy the enhanced open-air street market in the heart of the District through December 23.
Operated by the DowntownDC Business Improvement District (BID) and Diverse Markets Management, this year’s market will move from its previous sidewalk location into the street, taking over two entire blocks of F Street NW, from 7th to 9th Streets NW. (more…)

Photo by Anna Meyer via DCPL
From the DC Public Library:
“The DC Public Library has selected DC Central Kitchen, in partnership with Occasions Catering and Chef José Andrés’ ThinkFoodGroup, to provide food and catering services for the modernized Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library. As part of managing the building’s café, meeting and special event spaces, the group will offer District residents hospitality-sector apprenticeship opportunities.
The $211 million Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library modernization added two new spaces: a 4,300 sq. ft. ground-level café connected to a new outdoor garden space and a new fifth floor that features a 14,900-square-foot rooftop, event space and catering kitchen. (more…)

Photo by Scott Suchman
From a press release:
“The owners of Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken, Elliot Spaisman and Jeff Halpern, announce the opening of Satellite Sandwiches, an all-day sandwich and cookie-centric ghost kitchen. The menu, composed of a variety of Philadelphia-inspired cheesesteaks, comforting sandwiches and sides, plus jumbo made-to-order cookies, is exclusively available for delivery or pre-ordered pick-up at Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken at 1308 G Street NW. Orders can be placed online, starting at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, October 19th, 2020.
The menu, available here, developed by Chef Chris Kujala from Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken, features a selection of classic cheesesteaks including the traditional Philly Classic, a Pizza Steak topped with marinara sauce and fried mushrooms, and a Cheese Steak Hoagie served with lettuce, tomato, mayo, and a pickle. All cheesesteaks are served on a toasted garlic-butter sub roll from Baguette Republic and, depending on customer preference, can be topped with either a smoked gouda cheese sauce or melted provolone. Customers additionally have the option to build their own cheesesteaks from a wide list of creative toppings.
Other sandwich options include Chicken Parmesan, a grilled lamb Gyro, and Portobello Mushroom “Asteroid,” a vegan-friendly version of Astro’s popular hot chicken offering. Wings, spiced-rubbed steak fries, and a hearty chicken noodle soup round out the all-day menu. For a sweet ending, Satellite Sandwiches offers 6.5 oz. made-to-order cookies in four flavors: Double Chocolate Chip, Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel, Cake Batter Funfetti, and Pumpkin Snickerdoodle.

Photo by Jen Chase
A separate, smaller menu of breakfast sandwiches is available for order between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. daily. The trio of early morning offerings include an egg, hash brown, and breakfast sausage stuffed Breakfast Burrito, a Steak and Egg Sandwich, and the BLT&E, a traditional BLT topped with two fried eggs served with chive mayo on a sub roll. (more…)

709 D Street, NW. Photo by J. A. Cutright
J.A. writes: “Saw this earlier this week. Hoping for best. Fearing the worst.”
Thanks to Andy for sending: “We’ve lost a lot of good spots in Penn Quarter but this one really stings. Hopefully “temporarily suspended” is accurate and it’s not gone for good.”

Red Apron’s website says:
“While Red Apron is currently open for counter service in DC & Merrifield, we are also offering our goods online for delivery at Neighborhood Provisions, where a number of our team members are currently working. (more…)

415 7th Street, NW
Thanks to J. for sending:
“They haven’t responded to any outreach yet, but it looks like Merzi in Chinatown/Penn Quarter may be closed for good. Their social media stopped a few months ago. Their Merzi Cares site (which organized a lot of good help for medical professionals in the middle of a pandemic) now 404s. Most tellingly, all their furniture and the usual “fast casual” serving line has all been removed from the floor. (more…)