RSS FeedCedars Restaurant Grows Towards An Opening (822 E St NW)
It was the soap that made Dick Heidenberger decide to grab the space for Cedars, a new American style café at 822 E Street NW. He had just toured the subterranean spot with Garret of Gould Property Company who owns the two buildings that house The Lexington at Market Square (400 8th Street NW). Dick wasn’t sure yet. But it was a Thursday and the Farmer’s Market filled up 8th Street NW. Garret convinced Dick to buy $60 worth of the “best soap you’ll ever find” and Dick started to love the Penn Quarter. “I saw what great people are here and the level of excitement on the streets and knew I had to be part of it,” Dick said.
Cedars did a soft opening for The Lexington’s spring party serving sliders accented with bleu cheese, ham stuffed into crispy soft buns and tiny mushroom quiche. Matt, the bartender, poured wine and encouraged everyone to make Cedars their “local.” Cedars intends to promote a busy street presence besides the dining room surrounded with large photographs of cedar trees. There will be wood fire grilled fish and steak, rotisserie chicken and lots of good old fashioned American desserts including an awesome raspberry cheesecake, pies, and chocolate cake, all focused on the traditional American menu.
The exciting spirit of Makias, the managing partner who first met Dick when he was a 17 year old serving ice cream at another restaurant Dick owns, would make anyone anxious to return frequently to Cedars. We met him earlier in the month as he was lugging gorgeous blond Italian tables and chairs into the place while he poured out all his plans to make this a neighborhood hangout.
Dick owns twelve other restaurants in the DC metro area and in Rehoboth Beach and Lewes, Delaware including The Front Page, Mad Hatter and The Bottom Line. He knows how to make a place successful so he plans to use the next three weeks for several more soft openings “so we get it all perfect before we open for Penn Quarter neighbors and visitors.”
The real beneficiaries of Cedars will be the residents closest to 8th and E Streets NW who soon won’t have to walk far to find another restaurant serving great food and drink.
Ed. Note: Please welcome a new guest author, The International KG, who volunteered today’s story.
Please see our other posts on Cedar…
– Cedar To Open Monday?
– Spring Showers Bring Some Color To Cedar
– Cedar Restaurant Coming To PQ!
PQ Weekend Guide
Reflections/Refractions: Self-Portraiture in the Twentieth Century
Exhibition begins on April 10
National Portrait Gallery
8th & F St NW
Air & Space Museum
Natural History Museum
Now open daily until 7:30pm (through Sept 7)!
This weekend will be your last chance to see the Cherry Blossoms while they’re in bloom! We recommend Friday afternoon or Sunday for a stroll down to the Tidal Basin because there is rain in the forecast for Saturday.
Do you know of an event occurring in the Penn Quarter area this weekend that we should add? Please contact us or leave a comment on this post!
Tickets Available Now For Weschler’s Next Auction Block Party
Weschler’s third annual Penn Quarter on the Block: Cocktail Party and Auction will happen on Thursday, April 30th, at 6 pm. We’ve written about the first two auction parties (we attended the first and even had a walk-off auction win) before but want to remind everyone that these are not just fun parties; they also always support a worthy cause.
This year the party benefits the “Teen Scene” at the MLK Library. “Teen Scene” will be a “safe and supervised space for teens to have access to the latest technology, print materials, and an array of young adult programs, providing fun and academic support.”
Tickets for the auction are $30 in advance & $40 at the door. One of the most popular auction items is the “instant wine cellar” and Weschler’s is asking for a wine donation for that as well. For more information visit the Weschler’s website or email rsvp (at) weschlers.com. Come out at the end of the month if you can for this worthy cause; you never know, maybe you’ll be bidding against a PQ Living writer.
Penn Quarter Neighborhood Association Meeting This Thursday
This month’s Pennsylvania Quarter Neighborhood Association (PQNA) Breakfast Meeting will be held at Flashpoint Gallery at 916 G St NW on Thursday, April 9, 8:30am. On the agenda is speaker, Susan Spain, National Park Service Project Executive for the National Mall Plan.
Agenda:
Continental Breakfast
Announcements
Susan Spain speaks on the NPS’s Preliminary Preferred Alternative for the National Mall
RSVP by Wednesday, April 8
joann (at) PennQuarter (dot) org
Include first and last names and affiliations of all people attending