Upcoming events at Star & Shamrock for Purim, St Paddys, Passover & 5th Anniversary

Spring is Coming...Star and Shamrock’s “Spring Shenanigans Simcha Festival”
Month of Purim, St. Patrick’s Day, Passover, March Madness and Five-Year Anniversary Celebrations

With the traditional Jewish and Irish holidays of Purim, St. Patrick’s Day  and Passover fast approaching, Star and Shamrock, DC’s first and only Jewish-Irish hybrid delicatessen/tavern, is rolling out plans for its first-ever Spring Shenanigans Simcha Festival, offering a full month of holiday and seasonal-themed weekend and weekday celebrations, running from March 4th - April 4th.

Star and Shamrock is known for its festive Purim, St. Patrick’s Day and Passover parties, but this year, the launch of their significantly enhanced menu and bolstered bar program in conjunction with its five-year anniversary since first opening for business on H Street, has offered cause to welcome this year’s holiday-packed season of rebirth with a much, much, much bigger month-long bang.

“It’s been a really amazing experience over the past five years to go from a being a ragtag team of bartenders and patrons looking to open the kind of bar/restaurant where we’d want to spend our time, to truly really becoming an Atlas neighborhood fixture serving our H Street NE family and extended family in the Stars and Bars beyond, “ said Jason Feldman, one of Star and Shamrock’s three founders. “The loyalty and support of all our friends, partners and local suppliers has been incredible, they’ve brought us to this point where we are now, where we can serve them even better by building up our bar and menu offerings.”

“We’re definitely takings things up a few solid notches--but to be clear, that doesn’t mean we’re looking to become anything different, we’re still gonna be the same friendly-with-a-side-of-snark, won’t-break-the-bank, don’t-have-to-brush-your-hair-or-change-your-shirt, there’s-a-fairly-good-chance-we’ll-know-your-name-and-if-not-we’ll-make-a-new-one-up-for-you local watering hole, just with a whole bunch of more tasty and boozy options.”

The Spring Shenanigans Simcha Festival month of celebrations begins on March 4th with Star and Shamrock’s annual “Purim Party”, held in honor of the Jewish miracle-marking holiday. This year’s kickoff party’s set to be thrown in partnership with Shmaltz Brewing Company, with craft brewing industry leader/Shmaltz founder, Jeremy Cowan, onsite for a He’Brew tap takeover. In addition, Star and Shamrock’s new kitchen team will be serving up menu twists on traditional Purim holiday favorites with a “Battle of the Briskets” taking center stage. Live music and other entertainment as well as contests with what Feldman describes as “significant” prizes will also be adding to the event’s excitement.


Other events on tap during Star and Shamrock’s month-long Spring Shenanigans Simcha Festival include:

• 3/14: Shamrocking Saturday, kicking off a week filled with St. Patrick’s celebrations, featuring live music by The Molly Hawks.
  
• 3/15: St. Paddy’s Family Sunday Funday, the always family-friendly tavern will open its doors for a host of St. Patrick’s Day kid-centric menu specials and entertainment.
  
• 3/17: St. Patrick’s Day Tuesday Booze Day, building on Star and Shamrock’s longstanding St. Patrick’s Day party tradition of an 8am start time, all-day array of bar and menu specials, live music and other entertainment.
  
• 3/17-3/29: March Madness, offering all basketball games for viewing on Star and Shamrock’s seven well-placed flat screens, dubbed “TVs at every Turn”, while serving up a smorgasbord of in-game drink and menu specials.

• 3/20: The First Day of Spring Restaurant Rebirth, a party to formally introduce Star and Shamrock’s full new bar program and expanded menu.

• 4/4: Star & Shamrock Five-Year Anniversary Passover Party, which will also serve as the Spring Shenanigans Simcha Festival’s closing party, offering a wide variety of twists on traditional Passover dishes as well as entertainment, contests and other to be announced activities.

March 2 meeting at Rosedale Rec re: proposed new charter school uses at Gibbs Elementary building

The vacant Gibbs Elementary school building (500 19th St NE) has been awarded by DC to be used by two charter schools.  One school proposes to offer boarding schooling for grades 5-8 and the other proposes to offer adult education.  The District of Columbia government deemed the building surplus -- meaning that there were no other uses that it intended for the building and then held a community meeting with proposed charter schools who were interested in using the site in September.  Former Deputy Mayor for Education Abby Smith then awarded the rights to the building to Monument Academy and Community College Preparatory Academy.  Those schools are holding a community meeting on Monday, March 2, 6 pm at the Rosedale Community Center (1701 Gales St NE). 

 

 

Connect with Flex Office Space (1411 H St) for community networking event tomorrow 7 pm

Flex Office Space (1411 H St) passed along this opportunity for local business owners, developers, management and involved community members to come together introduce themselves, and their businesses/services in a casual environment.  Stop by tomorrow between 7 and 9 pm. 

 

Gourmet Symphony performance combining food/drink/music at the Atlas (1333 H St) on Valentine's Day

Gourmet Symphony concert combines Food + Drink + Classical Music on Valentine's Day

A delicious concert experience is coming via Gourmet Symphony, a new nonprofit project that's bringing together the culinary and cultural communities.  

Debuting at the Atlas Performing Arts Center's Sprenger Theater, the Gourmet Symphony Premiere, will feature a 4-course culinary concert pairing works of Rossini, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, and Ravel with a custom food & drink menu that will enhance your listening and culinary experience. Unlike a traditional symphony concert, you can enjoy a pre-concert reception, choose your own table seating, meet the musicians, keep your phones on, and obviously eat and drink during the show.

Partially funding by a successful Kickstarter campaign, the show will spotlight local hotspots Vedetta, Smith Commons, Beuchert's Saloon, and several other local artisans. The 30-person orchestra will be conducted by Maestro John Devlin, conductor of the Atlas' Capital City Symphony and Go-Go Symphony. 

 Tickets on sale now: http://www.atlasarts.org/event/gourmet-symphony-premiere/

Upcoming meetings with MPD leadership, CM Charles Allen & ANC6A

Neighbors,

There have been too many notable crimes nearby in recent weeks.  As the police work through their investigations of these incidents, I want to alert you to two additional opportunities to meet with MPD leadership and an opportunity to meet with our new Ward Six Councilmember (and ANC6A resident) Charles Allen. 

First, on Wednesday, February 4, at 9 am at the Atlas Performing Arts Center (1333 H St NE) there will be a meeting for H Street merchants and the community on a variety of topics.  A flyer with some additional detail is attached. 

Second, ANC6A will host Councilmember Charles Allen as our featured guest for the first 30 minutes of our February 12 meeting.  ANC6A meets second Thursday of each month, 7 pm, at Miner Elementary (601 15th St NE).  MPD PSA 107 and 108 Lts. Dykes and Fowler will attend our February 12 meeting as PSA 104 Lt. Cullen did last month. 

Finally, ANC6A will host MPD First District Commander Jeff Brown at our monthly meeting on Thursday, March 12 and we'll spend the first 30 minutes discussing crime prevention and solving strategies with him.  

Each of our PSAs (Police Service Areas) also hold monthly meetings with the public.  You can find out what PSA you live in on MPD's First District website and find the dates and locations for the monthly PSA meetings on the community calendar page of the ANC6A website.  I encourage you to sign up for the First District community email discussion group listserve (email to mpd-1d-subscribe@yahoogroups.com). 

I hope you will consider joining us for one of these upcoming meetings. 

Regards,

Phil Tooomajian

Chair, Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6A
PhilANC6A@gmail.com

facebook.com/Phil4ANC

H Street Merchant Meeting

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February 4, 2015

 

Atlas Theatre 1333 H Street, NE, 9:00AM

·         Introduction of the Merchants- Merchants introduce themselves and the businesses they represent

·         Policing the Corridor- A discussion of police tactics and strategies; feedback from merchants- what works and what isn’t working.

·         Security Measures- Is there a need for more surveillance cameras on H Street and in the alleys?

·         Parking – Loading zones, large trucks on neighborhood streets are shearing off side view mirrors of parked cars, SUV’s etc. Representative from DCDOT

·         Seeking Help of the Merchants- To assist the MPD to implement a pilot program of crime prevention through economic development- hiring neighborhood youth for part-time jobs, sponsoring tutoring, contracting with neighborhood youth businesses to perform services for merchants such as window washing, janitorial, landscaping, etc.  Phil Johnson-SSTLLC-Neighborhood Resident

·         Merchant Organization -Why it is critical for the merchants to become formally organized-

Communication with the merchants will be more efficient through and organizational structure rather than on an individual basis.

·         Local Neighbors -It is important that the merchants establish an ongoing relationship with the neighborhood and get involved, support certain efforts with youth to help prevent crime. 

As issues manifest themselves there will be a mechanism to address the issues with the MPD or other city agencies as an organization rather than seeking individual solutions.  

All are Welcome to this open discussion, please attend.