U Street

Cheese & Yogurt Now at 14& U Farmers Market Saturday June 21

By Prince Of Petworth

Sweet a cheesemaker!  From the listserv:

“PLEASE COME OUT AND MEET THE CHEESEMAKER on Saturday! FREE SAMPLES!

It has taken more than a year, but we will now have wonderful yogurt, fresh cheeses, aged
cheeses and blue cheese dips at the market. Quark and Ricotta and Fresh Cream Cheese,
Cheddars and 11 varieties of aged hard cheeses. Come sample on Saturday.

Yes, it’s true. Farmstead CHEESE AND YOGURT ARRIVE THIS WEEK AT 14 & U FARMERS
MARKET! Hurrah! Come and Try them. I promised the cheesemaker , Melanie, that she
would meet a huge crowd of U Streeters who were hungry for cheese.

*My favorite yogurt–
*11 different hard cheese– cheddars and Fetas and Wallabies and Vermeer
*Fresh German style or Central European soft curd cheese (Quark)
*Fresh Ricotta and Italian Style Pressed Ricotta
*Fresh Cream Cheese with herbs”

Cool Old Fire House

By Prince Of Petworth

I never realized Chi-Cha Lounge was in an old Firehouse until I crossed the street and caught the whole building. Anyone know what the top floors are used for? Office space? There is also a super cool sculpture underneath a window with the date, presumably when it was built, 1893 on either side of the window. Close up of the sculpture and date after the jump. (more…)

It’s Time To Play Good Deal or Not?

By Prince Of Petworth

The flyer says: “GORGEOUS OPEN LAYOUT RENOVATION! 1 BLOCK TO METRO! LOWER LEVEL UNIT! Kitchen with honed granite/espresso cabinets and Fisher/Paykel DW. Huge open living/dining area with lit sculpture niches bright bay window. Upstairs gorgeous, spacious master suite with double granite vanity. Hardwood floors throughout. Back deck, plust LL 1BR unit.”

943 T ST NW, WASHINGTON, DC – $725,000

It may be under contract according to this listing but still is this a good deal or not?

Neat Neighborhood Find: Sweet Magnolia

By Prince Of Petworth

Located at 1534 U Street, Sweet Magnolia is not exactly the most hidden of neighborhood finds but it’s the first time I ever dropped in. It has been open for three years and bills itself as ‘Fine Gifts’ and ‘Home Accessories’. This store is absolutely jam packed. Like GoMamaGo, it too is very eclectic. It has posters, candles, baby clothes, candles, pictures, home decor items etc. It’s almost hard to walk around the place is so packed. I’d say this is another good spot to check out if you need to pick up a gift for someone. If you are looking for a gift for me, I’ll take the Bob Dylan poster please. Bob Dylan poster and other photos of the interior after the jump. (more…)

Neat Neighborhood Find: Project 4 Art Gallery

By Prince Of Petworth

This super cool spot is very unassuming from the outside but it is a really classy building inside and out. Located at 903 U Street, Project 4 Gallery is one of the few gallery’s in DC that hosts contemporary art. Inside there are two floors with a very open feel. I had a chance to chat with two of the gallery’s interns – Aisha and Kara. They told me that the gallery has been open for two years and is currently hosting an exhibition called the Sublime Landscape which opened May 31 and will run until July 19. Kara and Aisha remarked that the gallery often tends to pick interesting subjects that can be explored in great detail. The shows tend to rotate every six weeks. The gallery has four owners and the director is Anne Surak. The gallery is open Wed. – Fri. 2-6pm and Sat. noon – 6pm and by appointment. So if you are interested in contemporary art you should definitely stop by this gallery. Check out some photos of the Sublime Landscape exhibit after the jump. (more…)

Here Let Me Help You Visualize It

By Prince Of Petworth

I thought this was a pretty wild sign in the window of the shop for sale on U Street near 9th. The scene looks ordinary but if you notice there is a little drawing in the center of the window just above the ReMax for sale sign. (Close up of the drawing after the jump.) It’s a pretty cool drawing of a nice dining area. However, I do find it hard to believe that someone would be looking to purchase property and see a drawing and have a eureka moment of – hey maybe a nice little restaurant would work great here… It is a pretty cool drawing though. Would be awesome if it became a reality. Drawing after the jump. (more…)

Street Beautification – Vermont Avenue

By Prince Of Petworth

I just noticed how this spot on Vermont Ave has an awesome median filled with flowers and trees. It is amazing what a difference it makes over just a concrete median? Does anyone know if there are plans for these types of street beautification to come to Georgia Ave. or 14th St.?

Cafe 14U Reopening in Two Weeks

By Prince Of Petworth

If you walked by 14th and U Street this weekend you may have seen some activity going on in the 14U cafe. I had reported back on May 1st that 14U had temporarily closed so I was surprised to see some activity. I was also a bit confused when I saw some bags in the front of the store. So as I’m peeking into the store one of the owners pops out and invites me in. The owners, Marlene and Kyle Shaw were super nice and explained to me what was going on. It turns out there are some pretty significant changes going on. In order to make the spot profitable they’re going to turn the spot into a cafe and boutique. And as you can see from the window the boutique will be very heavily focussed on hand bags as well as custom made jewelry. But there will also be coffee, smoothies and other drinks. Unfortunately, the layout of the store will change as there will be less seating to accommodate more display space. I have to admit I find the change to be a bit disappointing but I understand the need to be profitable. And given the fact that the owners were so nice I certainly do wish them luck. Also, the fact that they were considering turning the spot into a dentist office makes me appreciate the Cafe and Boutique choice much more. (Interestingly, Marlene is a also a dentist but she has a “passion for fashion”.) And on another potentially good note they may apply for outdoor seating which would make up for the limited seating inside.
If you have questions you can email the owners at [email protected]

So, what do you think of the new plans?

A photo of owners Marlene and Kyle Shaw and some of their bags after the jump. (more…)

Neat Neighborhood Find: GoMamaGo

By Prince Of Petworth

Go Mama Go located at 1809 14th Street can only be described as eclectic. I spoke with co-owner Jonathan who told me that the store has been open since August of 2001 after starting on a smaller scale in Eastern Market in 2000. The owners looked all up and down 14th Street but ultimately chose this location because the price was right and its next door neighbor Home Rule were already open and bringing in foot traffic to this area. The wares offered range from dinnerware to candles to tsochtkes to art to basically, you name it. Jonathan explained that they are always looking for pieces that are “beautiful and useful in everyday life”. Prices vary but the bulk of their goods sell between $25-$100. Store hours are Monday – Saturday 11-7 and Sunday 12-5. Lots of photos of the interior after the jump. (more…)

Dukem The Best Ethiopian Restaurant in DC?

By Prince Of Petworth

I have heard people rave about this spot. So tell me two things – is this the best Ethiopian restaurant in DC? What makes it stand out from all the others? I’m personally not a huge fan of Ethiopian restaurants in general and I don’t mean to sound ignorant or uncultured but in DC people seem to go bananas over Ethiopian food and I just don’t get it. So, secondly, tell me what is the great appeal? Is it the communal eating or is it something specific about the particular dishes, flavor, spices, etc.? Alright, I recognize I might sound like a lout but I’m seriously curious.

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