RSS FeedDC Link Roundup: Heard In The ‘Hood
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Here’s what we were reading last week about neighborhood news in DC. Have neighborhood thoughts? Leave them in the comments!
Mount Vernon Square – Microsoft will be moving into new digs across from the Convention Center. [Washington Business Journal]
The DC Metro – The winners of the Remix the Metro contest have been posted online. Anyone who is captivated by the sounds of the city and the symphony of urban life might like this. Our favorite song title is “Sounds of the Humpback Escalator.” N.B. This is mostly avant-garde stuff…don’t expect Lady Gaga. [WaPo]
Penn Quarter – We’ve written about redeveloping the Old Post Office building on Pennsylvania Ave NW and the subject rears its head once more. Of course, we’re partial to having a residential component in any kind of redevelopment but it may end up being a hotel. [Washington Business Journal]
Shaw – A new lounge opens where EFN Lounge and Be Bar used to be on 9th St NW. [Renew Shaw]
Chinatown – A short update on H Street properties and the continuing story of the last corner of 7th and H St NW yet to be redeveloped (scroll to the end of the story). [Washington Business Journal]
Mount Vernon Triangle – Mandu, a restaurant featuring traditional Korean cuisine, opens in the CityVista complex at 453 K St NW. We tried it and we liked it. Our pocketbook liked it too. [The Triangle]
District Of Pi To Launch Food Truck, Restaurant Delayed
We received word from our friend over at Food Truck Fiesta that upcoming Penn Quarter restaurant, District of Pi (910 F St NW), will be launching a food truck next month (February). Also confirmed by the restaurant owner is that the brick and mortar store on F St will miss its targeted opening date, 3.14.2011, due to building permit issues and the large amount of time it takes to get plans approved.
Penn Quarter residents will have to wait a bit longer to enjoy the District of Pi Pizzeria, but we will be able to sample the St. Louis cuisine (sans Pi Common beer) much sooner!
Party Like It’s 1969
Christmas Eve fondue has been a tradition in the Columbo home for years, but we’ve never made it with anything fancier than Whole Foods Emmentaler & Gruyère. Well this Friday we’ve got a chance to taste fondue Cowgirl Creamery style from 4 to 6 pm (apparently “Fondue Late Afternoon” didn’t have the same ring to it).
Is it worth taking off work early Friday to swing by? We think it will be. Cowgirl has really grown into a great little store in our neighborhood, with a lot more to offer than just Mt. Tam. What opened as a cheese shop with limited odds & ends has turned into a great place to pick up many of your cooking, drinking, or picnic needs. Stopping by Cowgirl today you could put together an entire meal, right down to the beer, wine, or coffee. An expensive dinner to be sure, but dinner nonetheless. We find ourselves dropping in almost daily for a baguette, or a chunk of stinky blue cheese, or the occasional refill of McEvoy. So we think we’ll slip out of the office a little early to see what Cowgirl’s fondue night is all about.
As Mrs Columbo would say, its gouda to live in the Penn Quarter. [crickets]
Too cheesy? [groan]
Presidents: The Best Chinatown Sports Bar You’ve Never Heard Of
So you missed your opportunity to get Caps tickets and now you’re looking for a great sports bar from which to follow the action. Problem is you don’t want to fight the crowds before, during, or after the game. You’d like some place with enough televisions to watch the game but quiet enough to impress your friends with your encyclopedic knowledge of Ovechkin’s dental history. Why compete with the suburbanites for bar service when the Verizon Center is in our backyard?
Presidents Sports Bar, located inside the Renaissance Marriott Hotel (999 9th Street, NW), provides a perfect solution. Only a few blocks from the arena, it is the best kept secret of neighborhood sports bars, free of the long drink lines and cramped spaces so common at sports bars along 7th Street following a Caps or Wizards game. At Presidents there are comfortable booths, large screens, lots of leg room, and several fantastic beers you won’t find at ordinary sports bars.
Resist the temptation to stop at the hotel’s newly renovated lobby bar. It looks great but that’s not why you’re here (recommend it to your in-laws the next time they visit – they’ll love you for it). Just beyond that you’ll find Presidents. Its dark wood paneling, sports-themed decor, and unique bar chair fabric makes it feel like Washingtonians once enjoyed cigars and whiskey back when the Senators played on TV. If you appreciate a little humor and kitsch with your drinks then you’ll love the poster-sized photograph of Obama bowling, hanging near the bathrooms.
The bar’s food is decent, straightforward American fare, and at first impression, so is the beer selection. Yet if you read carefully, you’ll notice two extraordinary Belgian ales on the menu – Chimay and Duvel. Granted, these might be considered a bit heavy to drink over the course of an entire game. But either would make a great start before diving into a thick cheeseburger and a pitcher of American domestic. I’d stick with the Duvel, but that’s just me.
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THF is a Penn Quarter resident who blogs about the culture of drinking at: thehipflask.wordpress.com