ANC6C review of Tru Orleans liquor license application tomorrow at 7 p.m.

ANC6C will review the application for a CR liquor license of Tru Orleans for 400 H Street at its Alcohol and Beverage Licensing Committee tomorrow at 7 p.m. at the District Chop House (509 7th St NW).  Unlike ANC6A, which is home to the eastern end of H Street, ANC6C does not have a standard voluntary agreement, so hours, noise, trash and other restrictions to ensure that the new establishment does not have a significant adverse impact on its immediate neighborhood will be negotiated through this process.  Anyone with an interest in the establishment is encourage to attend and participate. 

The new chair of the ANC 6C ABL Committee is Commissioner Kevin Wilsey (6C09). He can be reached at kwilsey@thelansburgh.com

*ANC 6C Alcohol Beverage Licensing Committee*
Meeting Agenda
February 1, 2011
Place: Banquet Room (Downstairs) District Chop House 509 7th St. NW
Time: 7:00pm

Tru Orleans 400 H St. NE

NATURE OF OPERATION

New full service restaurant serving New Orleans style dishes with a Sidewalk Cafe. Live entertainment will be in the form of New Orleans style by small groups featuring jazz, easy listening and soulful music. Seating capacity is 154. Total occupancy load is 182. Sidewalk Cafe seats 62.

HOURS OF OPERATION 
Sunday through Thursday 7am-2am and Friday & Saturday 7am-3am

HOURS OF SALES, SERVICE AND CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES
Sunday 10am-2am, Monday through Thursday 8am-2am and Friday & Saturday 8am-3am

HOURS OF ENTERTAINMENT
Sunday through Thursday 6pm-2am and Friday & Saturday 6pm-3am

HOURS OF OPERATION FOR SIDEWALK CAFE
Sunday through Thursday 7am-10pm, and Friday & Saturday 7am-12am

HOURS OF SALES, SERVICE AND CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES FOR SIDEWALK CAFE
Sunday 10am-10pm, Monday through Thursday 8am-10pm and Friday & Saturday 8am-12am

Posting Date: December 31, 2010
Petition Date: February 14, 2011
Hearing Date: February 28, 2011

Valentine's Day special at Liberty Tree

We've already shared details about the Atlas Room and Smith Commons plans for Valentine's Day, and Liberty Tree has some nice plans for Valentine's Day as well.  They are going to pull some of the tables out to give everyone a little more room and will be taking reservations as well, so call (202) 396-TREE (8733) to reserve your seat for this excellent deal. 

Five courses for $40 per person with an optional $25 wine pairing

Course 1: Meat and Cheese Plate

Course 2: Lobster Bisque or
Endive Salad with apples, walnuts and Great Hill Blue Cheese

Course 3: Butternut Squash Ravioli with sage brown butter  or
Fettuccine with wild mushrooms and pecorino romano cream

Course 4: Filet of Beef with broccoli rabe, butternut squash puree and a black pepper red wine reduction or
Roasted Cod with fennel, tomato and lobster broth or
Grilled Eggplant Napoleon with fresh mozzarella, tomato and fennel

Course 5: Devil’s Food Cake with raspberry coulis or
Angel’s Food Cake with orange crème anglasie

Atlas Room opening special for Valentine's Day

The Atlas Room (1015 H St) is normally closed Mondays, but will open special for this coming Valentine's Day.  They're going to offer their full regular menu and will have a couple special thematic additions to the cocktail list, courtesy of their excellent bartender, Chris Surrusco. 

For reservations, please call the restaurant directly at (202) 388-4020.

Smith Commons serving special menu for Valentine's Day Weekend

Smith Commons Valentine's Day Menu

Available February 11-14

Smith Commons Grilled Maine Lobster
Photo credit: Greg Powers

tasting menu for $70 per person

with an optional $25 wine pairing

duo to share
a selection from our starter and garden menus

Beef Carpaccio

thin-sliced lean beef, capers oil and Parmesan tuile, baby arugula

Belgian Endive Salad

sliced endive, feta cheese, hazelnuts, dried cranberries,

pink pepper, red wine vinaigrette

Thibaut-Janisson ‘Fizz’ Blanc de Chardonnay NV

starter

(Monticello, Virginia)

Creamed Mussel Bouillon

rich broth, coconut infused curry, fresh cilantro

Wineworks Viognier 2009

(Charlottesville, Virginia)

 

main & grill

select one

Marcho Farm Veal Porterhouse

baked potatoes and scallions

Okanogan Pinot Noir 2007

(Okanogan Valley, Washington)

 

1/2 Grilled Maine Lobster

garlic butter and mixed green

Girardet Chardonnay 2009

(Umqua Valley, Southern Oregon)
 

dessert

Belgian Chocolate Lava Cake

vanilla whipped cream

Horton Vineyards ‘Xoco’ Chocolate Dessert Wine NV

(Orange County, Virginia)

Washingtonian: The Atlas Room "is the most sophisticated restaurant on H St"

This month's Washingtonian checks out the Atlas Room in a first look piece entitled "H Street Grows Up."  The minireview itself is short, but calls the Atlas Room H Street's "most sophisticated restaurant" and speaks kindly of their Indian-spiced beef loin, seafood stew, and cobia with fennel risotto.  The piece concludes nicely stating that the Atlas Room is "the type of place that every neighbrohood could use more of -- casual, romantic, affordable, and focused."  We wholeheartedly agree.

Lots to do this weekend

The Third Annual H Street Karoake Competition Championship is tonight at 8 p.m. at the Rock and Roll Hotel (1353 H St).

SOVA (1359 H St) has bluegrass tonight, is still running a great polaroid exhibit, and has H Street's best happy hour deal with half priced beer and wine until 7:30 on weeknights (til 8 on Sundays). 

Smith Commons (1245 H St) has extended restaurant week through Sunday.  For $35.11, you get three courses and Smith Commons will through in a draught beer or a glass of wine. 

The Atlas Performing Arts Center has Gross National Product's Sound of Palin on Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m.  They also have DC Shorts  a short film festival, which includes Oscar nominee "God of Love" running this weekend.

The Atlas Room (1015 H St) continues to dish up delicious food and drink, as evidenced by this recent THIH review. 

The Red Palace (1210-1212 H St) has a Palace of Wonders show on Friday and Red and the Black performances on Saturday.

Stop by H Street's newest bar, Church and State (1236 H St) for a drink before or after your performance or meal. 

The Argonaut (1433 H St) is back in full and better than ever with brunch available both days.  We missed Argo brunch as much as we missed the fish tacos and sweet potato fries while they were closed.

Washingtonian: H Street has the best bars in town

This month's Washingtonian features the top 75 bars in the greater Washington area and six of them are on H Street.  It's hard to quibble with Washingtonian's recognition that H Street is one of the most fun places to spend an evening, but in addition to the well-deserved listings for Little Miss Whiskey's, Granville Moore's, Rock and Roll Hotel, H Street Country Club, Toyland, and Biergarten Haus, we'd add the Pug to the list of great dive bars, the Atlas Room to the list of places to eat and drink, and the Atlas Room and Smith Commons to places to bring a date.  And any number of places could join Granville Moore's on the Beer Haven list, including the Argonaut, Smith Commons, and Little Miss Whiskey's. 

Music and Dancing

• Little Miss Whiskey's Golden Dollar: The "Awesomeness," a spiked slushie served in a mason jar.
• Rock & Roll Hotel: The $6 "PBR-and-shot-of-crap-whiskey" combo.

Good for Games 

• H Street Country Club: Where else but H Street could a Pimm's Cup be considered ironic?
• Toyland: The Martini Royale, a classic gin or vodka martini served with blue cheese-stuffed olives.

Beer Heaven

• Granville Moore's: A bottle of St. Feuillien Brune—with fruit, licorice and malty flavors in a single sip, it's more like Scotch than beer.

Drink Al Fresco

• Biergarten Haus: A draft of Kostritzer Schwarzbier.

Early looks at Church & State (1236 H St)

Church and State (1236 H St) opens tonight at 7:30.

City Stream has this great preview and photo album of Church & State (1236 H St) and THIH's Claudia Holwill offers this nice write up as well.  We dropped by during one of their soft openings as well and are looking forward to returning again soon to further explore the menu.

Link roundup (coming very soon: Church & State, Toki Underground, Queen Vic)

HSGS reported that Church & State (1236 H St) will open tonight at 7:30. 

WeLoveDC checks in with British Gatropub The Queen Vic (1206 H St) and reports that they are now planning for a late February opening date. 

CityStream tours ramen and dumplings hot spot Toki Underground (1234 H St).  Did you know that in addition to working at Sticky Rice and creating Taco Impala, Erik Yang also helped launch one of DC's most exciting restaurants in Kushi and is behind the menu, including the Pho Dog, at the U Street Music Hall? 

These three new businesses will join the recently-added Tacos Impala (1204 H St) and Smith Commons (1245 H St) as well as other popular spots like Souk (1208 H St), Red Palace (1210-1212 H St), Sticky Rice (1224 H St), the Pug (1234 H St), Fruit Bat (1236 H St), and Granville Moore's (1238 H St) on the 1200 block of H Street. 

THIH checked out our favorite H Street corridor art gallery -- City Gallery (804 H St).  Have you been by yet?

THIH also has a report from ANC6A Commissioner Sharee Lawler on the current polaroid exhibit that is on display at SOVA.  Stop by for coffee, drinks, lunch, dinner, or Thursday night bluegrass and take a look for yourself.

Brunch and the City approves of the new Saturday brunch at Granville Moore's, which she says will be available on Sundays as well starting in February.  Home frites, french fried toast sticks, eight types of bloody marys... yum.  We haven't tried it yet, but are looking forward to doing so soon.

HSGS rounded up the love for Smith Commons, which is not only drawing lots of online attention from foodies, H Street fans, and Capitol Hill types, but also was host to a fundraiser for DC's newest Councilmember who was joined by Mayor Vince Gray and Council Chair Kwame Brown.  Roll Call was there as well and says exceptional food and concept sets it apart (subscription required).
THIH's Jen DeMayo weighs in on the Atlas Room, which our recent visit confirmed continues to dish up the best meals on the greater Capitol Hill area.

Today's Groupon: $25 for $50 of fun at H Street Country Club

Groupon is offering $50 gift certificates to H Street Country Club for only $25 today.

Beer and Wine Dinner from Liberty Tree's Chef Graig Glufling at Little Miss Whiskey's Tuesday night

LITTLE MISS WHISKEY'S GOLDEN DOLLAR PRESENTS ...A SPECIAL FOUR COURSE FOOD & BEER PAIRING MENU WITH CHEF GRAIG GLUFLING OF LIBERTY TREE

TUESDAY, JANUARY 25
6 to 8 PM
$20 for four pairings

BUY TICKETS HERE:

Grilled Rare Tuna with Dried Cranberry & Red Onion Arugula & Maple Dijon Vinaigrette paired w/ Schneider Weisse

This frothy, amber-colored wheat beer has light citrus notes that should cut through the many flavors present in the dish

Smoked Salmon with Horseradish Crostini paired w/ Anderson Valley Boont Amber

The powerful smoked flavor of this offering is complimented nicely by this easy-drinking amber w/ just enough hops to cleanse the palate

Pepper Seared Scallop with Honey Dijon paired w/ Eggenburg Urbock

This sweet, high-octane lager (9.8%) will extend the rich flavors of this delicious dish

Cranberry & Walnut Blondie Bar paired w/ Stiegl Radler

Like a "shandy", radlers are light lager cut w/ lemonade soda. Light, citrusy, and refreshing, this Viennese beer is perfect for washing down our final plate. It's great for breakfast too.

Food portions are small; servings of beer are 4-5 ounces. In order to properly prepare, we can only serve the full tasting of four courses. We do this because we love trying to bring special events to life and we sincerely hope you enjoy this as much as we do!

$10 for $20 Worth of Pet Products at Metro Mutts via Groupon

$10 for $20 Worth of Pet Products at Metro Mutts via Groupon's Deal of the Day.

WBJ Mike Neibauer: Autozone lot sale completed for development

The sale of the Autozone site on the western end of the 1200 block of H Street (1207 H St) has been pending for a few months now and Mike Neibauer of the Washington Business Journal reports that the sale was completed to Western Development spinoff "WestMill Capital" yesterday.  Neibauer -- one of the city's finest reporters -- explains that WestMill Capital is controlled by Ben and Daniel Miller, sons of Western Development founder Herb Miller, and has this quote from an interview with Ben Miller: 

"H Street is the most exciting neighborhood in the city today and has the most potential to be local, authentic and dynamic, and we want to participate.

While Autozone's lease has not expired, it will be interesting to see how long they remain on site. 

Read more: H Street AutoZone parcel sold for $3.9M | Washington Business Journal

Link roundup (Smith Commons is the hottest spot in town edition)

Have you been to Smith Commons yet?  If not, stop by for happy tonight from 5-7, or later this weekend to try their burger as part of H Street Eats.  They have also extended their Restaurant Week menu through next weekend.  Here's what others have to say about them and a slew of photos of a really gorgeous space. 

BrightestYoungThings has some great photos and a review of last week's press dinner at Smith Commons (1245 H St). 

TPWP Guide was an early visitor as well and also has some great photos of what is really a gorgeous space.

KStreetKate touts Smith Commons' "uncommonly comfortable cuisine with a cozy atmosphere to match." 

Capital Cooking likes the space and said her sea bass was cooked perfectly. 

DCist has a more comprehensive review and is high on the mushroom veloute (us too), and the sea bass, but found the dessert menu somewhat uninspired.

Pizza comes to H Street in 2011

H Street is already well-served by Liberty Tree when it comes to New England seafood, pizza, and other delicious dinner offerings, but Liberty Tree isn't a pure pizza spot, so much as its a restaurant that specializes in New England seafood that also serves good pizza.  We love their clams casino pie, but mostly stick to other offerings when visiting. 

That's why it's particularly exciting that H Street will have three new pizza spots opening in 2011.  First, Musa Ulusan -- a successful New Orleans restauranteur -- plans to open Home Slice at 1387 H Street.  This property has been under renovation for some time now and the precise name and concept for the pizza restaurant it will house has varied some over the course of time, but the final plans, menu, and name are now set.  Ulusan hopes to run a cafe style spot with tapas, wine bar, and wood-fired pizza oven.  He plans to seek a public space permit to operate a summer garden with seating along the 14th St side of the property.  Look for Home Slice to open in early 2011. 

Next, two past business partners of Ulusan -- Deniz Eroglu and Mustafa Misirci -- plan to open Angelico H Pizza at 1421 H Street in Spring 2011.  The partners have already conducted significant renovations to the property, which was previously vacant and in poor condition.  They plan to seek certifications for authentic neopolitan pizza from the Associazione Verace Pizza, which means they will offer authentic margharita pizza as done at Two Amys with buffala mozzerela, san marzano tomatoes, and other specifications to produce these authentic pizzas.  Look for Angelico to open mid-2011.

In the meantime, Marvelous Pizza will open within the H Street Connection next to the 7-Eleven.  Marvelous Pizza is an outpost of a small Canadian chain.

FT: Falafel & Schwarma coming soon to 1322 H St

Frozen Tropics has this report that a falafel & schwarma spot plans to open soon at 1322 H Street, which is across the street from the Atlas Performing Arts Center.

Streetcars happy hour at SOVA

On Thursday, January 27 at 6:00 p.m., the Sierra Club’ s Washington, D.C. Chapter will hold a streetcar happy hour at SOVA (1359 H St).

Please join fellow streetcar supporters to have a drink and celebrate recent streetcar successes while informally discussing next steps for our campaign to make streetcars a reality in D.C.
The Sierra Club plans to begin holding streetcar happy hours on a regular basis, and we hope to reach out to as many parts of the city as possible. If you would like to see a happy hour take place in your neighborhood, please contact Jason Broehm, chair of the Chapter's transportation committee, at jason_broehm@earthlink.net.
To learn more about D.C.'s streetcar initiative, visit streetcars4dc.org.

Chef Gillian Clark (of coming K Street Kitchen) throwsdown with Bobby Flay tonight

Chef Gillian Clark of Kitchen on  K Street (250 K St NE), the General Store and Post Office and formerly Colorado Kitchen will be on the Food Network's Throwdown with Bobby Flaw tonight at 8:30 to determine who makes the best fried chicken. 

Will Chef Clark join H Street's Chef Teddy Folkman in triumph or come a close runner up as Dangerously Delicious Pies Rodney Henry did in battle quiche?

Councilmember TommyWells H Street office hours tomorrow at SOVA

It's been an exciting month or two for Councilmember Wells.  Wells was a prominent backer of Kwame Brown's campaign to chair the Council and has long been regarded as a leader on transportation issues and it appears that this has paid off for him as he was recently appointed to chair the Council's Transportation Committee and also appointed to represent it on the WMATA Board of Directors. 

You can congratulate Councilmember Wells or talk about issues involving transportation or any other issue at his upcoming H Street Office hours at SOVA (1359 H St) on Thursday, January 20, from 8:00-9:30 a.m.  Wells hosts these office hours every month on H Street, but recently rescheduled them from the fourth Thursday to the third Thursday of every month.

Reminder: review of H St neighborhood historic architecture tonight

Learn about the Development History of the Near Northeast
Wednesday, January 19, 2011 from 6:00 p.m. – 7:15 p.m.
(Ebenezers Coffeehouse – 201 F Street, N.E. (lower level)

CHRS is sponsoring a presentation by EHT Traceries, the architectural history firm that has been documenting the history of the buildings outside the boundaries of the Capitol Hill Historic District over the past few years.
This presentation will describe the development history of the neighborhood adjacent to the H Street commercial Corridor (roughly, from 2nd to 15th Street, from H to F Street, N.E.). You will hear about Swampoodle, as well as the transportation and government industries that helped give rise to the near northeast’s development. Learn the distinctions among Italianate, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, and Classical Revival building styles, as explained by knowledgeable architectural historians, and enjoy the beautiful images of the handsome building stock with a better understanding of the architectural details.

This particular phase of the greater Capitol Hill survey was funded by the Louis Dreyfus Property Group, as mitigation for the demolition of 12 historic buildings to make way for their new mixed-use development on Square 752 (approximately bounded by H and G Streets, and 2nd and 3rd Streets, N.E.).
This event is free and open to the public as part of the CHRS “Beyond the Boundaries” program, which seeks to promote the appreciation of neighborhood history and support historic preservation efforts outside the boundaries of the Capitol Hill Historic District. You can get details about all of our events on the CHRS website.

Church & State (1236 H St) opens Tuesday, January 25

Church and State -- the latest cocktail emporium from Erik Holzherr -- opens its doors at 1236 H Street next week on Tuesday, January 25.  Church and State features classic American cocktails, such as manhattans, martinis, daquiris, mai tais made from all-American ingredients and others that are housemade, including vermouth and more.  Church and State will open above Fruit Bat and next door to Granville Moore's and the Pug.  For some pictures of the church-like aspects of the bar's decor and more details on its concept, check out this post from The Hill is Home.

Link roundup

Smith Commons (1245 H St) continues to draw lots of attention.  Daily Candy says Smith Commons has something for everyone and is good for everything from happy hour to a romantic night out.  Capitol Bites loved the burger with its grilled portabella & miso mayo, while DMW Dining recommends the duck leg confit and the eggplant lasagna, even though they were confused by this faux lasagna (note it has no noodles and they should really put lasagna in quotes so diners understand that it is a play on the dish).  The Pint Glass reviews the beer experience and has this interview with Miles Gray about how he selects Smith Commons' offerings.  We've enjoyed our early visits to Smith Commons as well. 

Washington City Paper discovers that Taylor Gourmet (1116 H St) has stopped importing bread from Sarone's Bakery in Philly and is instead sourcing the bread locally now though no one seems to have noticed any decline in quality.  This is good news for days with bad weather or car trouble, which previously would close Taylor because they were unwilling to serve an inferior product.

The Washington Post calls H Street DC's "karaoke capital" and notes that the annual Karoke competition got started last week at Sticky Rice and continues with qualify rounds at Little Miss Whiskey's and Sticky Rice on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.  The championship will again be held at the Rock and Roll Hotel on January 27.

Mike DeBonis noted in the Washington Post that former Fenty Transportation Director Gabe Klein appears to be mulling over a run for the At-large Council seat vacated by Kwame Brown.  Klein garnered a lot of attention as DDOT Director -- where championed streetcars among other innovative ideas --  and over 1000 residents signed a petition calling for his continued service under the new administration.

Thelistareyouonit featured Chef Column is from Chef Teddy Folkman and his veggie burger recipe.

President Obama stopped by and did his day of service at the Stuart Hobson Middle School (410 E St NE).  Stuart Hobson is the local middle school for the north side of Capitol Hill and is part of the Capitol Hill Cluster.

H Street Eats started with great deals and meals for only $20.11 up and down the H Street corridor.  It's a great opportunity to make your first trip to Smith Commons or your first trip back to the new Argonaut, to have a full meal at Liberty Tree or at the Capital City Diner, or to make it to Ethiopic, which is one of Washington's top restaurants and what many consider its best spot for ethiopian.

Half off Dangerously Delicious Pies from Living Social

Today's Living Social Deal of the Day is half off at Dangerously Delicious Pies (1339 H St).  For $15, you get a certificate entitling you to $30 of delicious pie.

Happy H Street Eats!

H Street Eats runs today through Sunday with great deals at nearly all your favorite H Street spots.  Enjoy!

T-minus 24 hours until Argonaut relaunch

The Argonaut is ready to launch after a week of practice getting its new dining room, bar, and kitchen back up to speed. 

The place looks better than ever with a great expanded list of beers and wines and a familiar, but improved menu.  They'll be open for dinner and drinks tomorrow evening with the return of their popular brunch service on Sunday.  We think you'll be very impressed with how they've maintained the charm and welcoming feel of the place while producing some significant upgrades in decor, service, and menu. 

Welcome back!

Your new ANC6A

ANC6A held its first meeting of 2011 with newly elected members Adam Healy (6A01) @adamchealy, Sharee Lawler (6A05) @SCLinDC, Andrew Hysell (6A06), and Lia Veenendaal-Selck (6A08). 

Returning Commissioner David Holmes was elected Chair, returning Commissioner Drew Ronneberg was elected Vice Chair, returning Commissioner Nick Alberti continues to serve as Treasurer, and Lia Veneenendaal-Selck was elected Secretary. 

The ANC elected to retain committee chairs for Economic Development and Zoning (Drew Ronneberg), Transportation and Public Space (Omar Mahmud), and Community Outreach (Elizabeth Nelson).  Adam Healy was chosen to lead the Alcohol Beverage Licensing Committee.

Here's the official picture of the 2011-2012 ANC6A Commissioners from the Commission's excellent and regularly updated website. 

Clockwise from back left: Ronneberg, Holmes, Alberti, Hysell,
Mack, Lawler, Healy, and Veneendaal-Selck

ANC6A holds its meetings the first Thursday of every month at the Miner Elementary School (601 15th St NE).  Its citizen-led committee meet on the third week of each month with the Community Outreach Committee meeting on Monday at 1235 C St NE, the Transporation Committee and the Alcohol Committee meeting Tuesday at 900 G St NE and the Sherwood Recreation Center (640 10th St NE) respectively,  and the Economic Development and Zoning Committee meeting on Wednesday also at the Sherwood Recreation Center (640 10th St NE).

Interested in joining a Committee?  Contact the Committee chair and attend its next meeting.

H Street Eats (Jan 17-23) participants, deals, and more

H Street Eats is a product of H Street's excellent and creative business owners putting their heads together once again. 

Pretty much everyone up and down the corridor -- from Ethiopic (20% off your entire tab) at the west end (401 H St) to Liberty Tree (1016 H St) who offers a full three course meal, to the newly renovated and reinvigorated Argonaut (1433 H St) all the way to the Capital City Diner (1050 Bladensburg), there are some fantastic deals being offered next week on H Street.  The full list is still being updated over at WhatTheHill.org, but almost all of your favorite H Street spots have already signed on and announced their deals. 

H Street's newest restaurant -- Smith Commons (1245 H St) is so excited to part of the H Street scene and so eager to welcome customers that they're participating in both H Street Eats and the regular DC Restaurant Week, so you can take your choice of what option you want to do there.  These are the type of deals that make you glad you didn't rush to book up the entire week on opetable already with Restaurant Week reservations all across town.

Washingtonian: Ethiopic is one of area's Top 100 Restaurants List

Congratulations to H Street neighborhood residents Sam & Meseret from Ethiopic (401 H St) on being named one of Washington's Top 100 restaurants in the January Washingtonian.  The Washingtonian devotes a full page to a beautiful picture of the vegetarian sampler (one of our favorites)and cheers Ethiopic for making a "concerted effort to her to its orgins."  The piece recommends the vegetarian stews, doro way, buticha (spicy chick peas), and tibs, among other items. 

Ethiopic is participating in next week's H Street Eats and offering 20% off the full menu all week, so be sure to drop by then (reservations recommended). 

Ethiopic is open Tuesday through Sunday for dinner and Friday and Saturday for lunch.

Half off Liberty Tree at Bloomspot

Bloomspot is offering half off at Liberty Tree (1016 H St) with a deal for 2 glasses of wine and any three small plates for only $15.  We highly recommend their stuffed peppadew peppers, house roasted olives, and fried brussels sprouts.  While you are there, be sure to try the lobster roll or clams casino pizza and one of the great specials that Chef Graig Glufling has been rolling out lately. 

East City Arts Weekend Events roundup: Evolve, Conner, Industry & G Fine Events

Saturday January 15, 2011

Evolve Urban Arts (1375 Maryland Avenue NE ) presents a group show entitled "Flights of Fancy: Elements of Surrealism" Saturday January 15 from 5pm to 8pm.  The exhibition runs through February 26, 2011.  The exhibition features the work of several local DC artists who are members of the Studio Gallery in Dupont Circle.

Conner Contemporary Art (1358 Florida Avenue, NE) presents two solo exhibitions "Windowboxing" by Cordy Ryman and "High Pressure System" by Brandon Morse with an opening reception from 6pm to 8pm.  The exhibitions run through March 5, 2011. The exhibitions will showcase the painted sculptural assemblages by Cordy Ryman and real-time generative digital work by Brandon Morse

Just above Conner Contemporary, Industry Gallery (1358 Florida Avenue NE, second floor) presents “Fossilized”, the first Solo US Exhibition of Jens Praet. Praet’s designs are made from shredded magazines and documents. An opening reception will be held from 6pm to 8pm. The exhibition runs through February 26, 2011

Right next door to Conner Contemporary Art and Industry Gallery, G Fine Art (1350 Florida Ave, NE) will host a special reception for Graham Caldwell's "The Uncanny Valley" with an opening reception from 6:30pm to 8:30pm.

.

Phil Hutinet is the Editor-in-Chief of East City Art.  You can get more information about East City Art on Facebook  or follow them on Twitter

Restaurant Week(s) @SmithCommonsDC Jan 18-30

Smith Commons (1245 H St) is off to a great start on H Street and is already getting good reviews. It's unquestionably a gorgeous place to grab a bite or a drink and they offer a variety of inticing options to please your palate.

If you haven't been yet or are looking for an opportunity to get in for a full meal, you'll want to take advantage of Restaurant Week at Smith Commons, which begins on Tuesday.

They've put together a nice selection of offerings from their menu to offer a three-course prix fixe menu for $35.11. We recommend the carpaccio and the eggplant lasagna (which isn't actually a lasagna, but more of a layering of vegetables and cheeses on a thin toast), and the burger which was very popular when they offered it at the H Street Festival last fall.  If you prefer to order off the full menu, you can opt to do that in lieu of the Restaurant Week menu.   

Smith Commons is going above and beyond your typical Restaurant Week offering by adding a drink to your deal.  Anyone of age will also receive a draught beer or a glass of wine to acompany their Restaurant Week meal making for a real deal given the quality of the draught list.

Finally, the deal doesn't end with the formal end of Restaurant Week. Instead, it will run two weeks through Sunday, January 30, so you've got plenty of time to make a reservation.

Industry Gallery presents Jens Praet's Fossilized; opening Jan 15, 6 p.m.

INDUSTRY GALLERY PRESENTS FOSSILIZED - FIRST SOLO US EXHIBITION OF JENS PRAET - DESIGNS MADE from SHREDDED MAGAZINES and DOCUMENTS - ART in AMERICA, CAPITOL FILE, DETAILS, FAST COMPANY & ROBB REPORT

Exhibition features Nine Works - Tables, Consoles, Benches & Shelves - Five Made from Shredded Magazines & Four Made from Shredded Documents

Washington, DC (December 30, 2010) - Industry Gallery presents Fossilized, the first solo US exhibition of work by Jens Praet, opening January 15, 2011, 6-8 PM, and continuing until February 26, 2011.  The Belgium-born, Florence-based Praet has shredded and recycled copies of Art in America, Capitol File, Details, Fast Company and Robb Report mixed with clear resin to create five different designs - console, bench, side table, large table and large shelf - each in an edition of 12 with each design made from a specific title. Corresponding works for all the designs, except the large table, were also executed using shredded documents mixed with semi-transparent white resin to create the balance of the exhibition's nine works.   Fossilized is part of the designer's Shredded Collection, which originated out of his concern about sustainability and the amount of waste paper being generated globally. 

Jens Praet is among the new generation of designers creatively addressing sustainability.  His design vocabulary is streamlined, though rooted in classicism, and his work in Fossilized and the Shredded Collection toys with the availability and accessibility of information.  For example, a table made of shredded magazines - a form of communication - renders the magazines unusable as a source of information, but otherwise utile, perhaps as a magazine table.  Similarly, a console made from classified documents - information not meant for general consumption - can be safely used in public because the data on the documents has been shredded and rendered unreadable.  Praet also plays with the notion of boutique versus industrial design by re-purposing materials created for mass consumption into limited edition works.

The amount of magazines (named edition) or documents (White edition) used to create each work:

·       Shredded Collection Console (Art in America & White editions), 11.1 pounds/5kg

·       Shredded Collection Bench (Capitol File & White editions), 6.65 pounds/3kg

·       Shredded Collection Side Table (Details & White editions), 13.25 pounds/6kg

·       Shredded Collection Large Table (Fast Company edition), 26.5 pounds/12kg

·       Shredded Collection Large Shelf (Robb Report & White editions), 8.85 pounds/4kg

"What started as a research project," says Praet, "turned out to be continuously growing furniture collection that ended up transforming seemingly useless documents and leftover magazines into useful objects. Paper waste returns to our living or working area as usable furniture." 

According to the designer: "The shredded paper is mixed by hand with resin and put into a mould to harden.  Once hardened to a firmness similar to wood, the work is finished by hand. Though we use a mould in shaping the piece, each work is in fact hand made and unique, because the exact mixture of paper and/or magazines differs from one piece to the next, affecting the color and appearance."

-Jens Praet established studio Jens Praet, a design studio based in Panzano in Chianti (a small town near Florence, Italy), in 2007.  Praet studied Industrial Design in Florence and attended Master classes at the Design Academy in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, under Droog Design's co-founder Gijs Baker.

-Industry Gallery (www.industrygallerydc.com), based in the Atlas/H Street Arts District of Washington, DC, specializes in 21^st century design.  The gallery regularly holds single artist exhibitions representing a broad spectrum of design trends by international artists who create functional art from industrial materials.  The gallery is open Wednesday - Saturday, 11AM - 5PM, and by appointment.

Link roundup

THIH's Sharee Lawler shared her favorable first bite experience at Smith Commons (1245 H St) and
City's Best has a nice write up on them as well.

What the Hill has Julia Christian interview with Argonaut owners Scott Magnuson and Shaaren Pine. 
THIH's Nichole Remmert also welcomes them back with some details and pictures of the renovated first floor and patio.  The Argonaut officially fully reopens for dinner this Saturday, January 15.

Young and Hungry rounded up some of the enthusiasm for the tacos at Tacos Impala (1204 H St) - Erik Yang & co's pop up taco stand.

Bon Appetit Foodie checks out the Dangerously Delicious Pies Truck and recommends one of our favorites: the S.M.O.G. (Steak Mustroom Onion Gruyere).

Julia Christian from CHAMPS began rolling out details for next week's H Street Eats (Jan 17-23).  Participants include, Liberty Tree, Taylor, Granville Moore's, Star and Shamrock, Biergarten Haus, and the Argonaut. 

Argonaut rises from ashes & returns better than ever Sat. Jan 15

The Argonaut hasn't quite been itself since it was victim to a big fire last year.  They've remained partially open during renovations, but have had to operate without their kitchen and grounds floor space in the interim.  Now that it's a bit cold to enjoy their lovely patio, it's been a quiet stretch for them.  Fortunately, they have been up to great things and are ready to reopen in full on Saturday, January 15.  Here's what to expect:

H Street Eats returns (Jan 17-23) $20.11 deals on H St

Margaret Holwill (@HStreetDC twitterer & H Street Festival and events organizer extraordinaire) announced that H Street Eats will return this year and offer $20.11 deals (as opposed to $35.11 Restaurant Week deals in other parts of town) at all your favorite H Street spots from January 17-23.  The Argonaut, Granville Moore's, Taylor, and more have already confirmed their participation and are putting together some great deals.  Thanks to Margaret and Julia Christian from CHAMPS for pulling this excellent event together again.

Special Event at SOVA tonight

Opening tonight at SOVA (1359 H St) "Exposed: The Polaroid Retrospective"
"Exposed: The Polaroid Retrospective" is an exhibit dedicated to the world of Polaroid and instant film photography, with over one thousand images being displayed by local photographers. All images being used were taken with retro instant-film cameras of different styles.  A photobooth will be included, allowing for some additional fun for you and your friends.  The exhibit runs through late February.  There will be FREE Polaroid photos taken at the opening for you to take home, along with a full bar available and retro beats.

Sticky Rice to resume liquor sales Friday, remains open in meantime

Sticky Rice appeared before ABRA earlier today and resolved the pending investigation that stemmed from an incident there last week.  The Attorney General's office recommended that they be allowed to resume serving alcohol tonight, but ABRA rejected that agreement and instead required Sticky Rice to wait until Friday to being serving alcohol again.  TBD has a few more details on the terms of the final agreement. 

H Street neighborhood architectural history review

Save the date for this interesting review of our neighborhood's historic architecture two weeks from today. 

Learn about the Development History of the Near Northeast
Wednesday, January 19, 2011 from 6:00 p.m. – 7:15 p.m.
(Ebenezers Coffeehouse – 201 F Street, N.E. (lower level)
CHRS is sponsoring a presentation by EHT Traceries, the architectural history firm that has been documenting the history of the buildings outside the boundaries of the Capitol Hill Historic District over the past few years.

This presentation will describe the development history of the neighborhood adjacent to the H Street commercial Corridor (roughly, from 2nd to 15th Street, from H to F Street, N.E.). You will hear about Swampoodle, as well as the transportation and government industries that helped give rise to the near northeast’s development.  Learn the distinctions among Italianate, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, and Classical Revival building styles, as explained by knowledgeable architectural historians, and enjoy the beautiful images of the handsome building stock with a better understanding of the architectural details.
This particular phase of the greater Capitol Hill survey was funded by the Louis Dreyfus Property Group, as mitigation for the demolition of 12 historic buildings to make way for their new mixed-use development on Square 752 (approximately bounded by H and G Streets, and 2nd and 3rd Streets, N.E.).

This event is free and open to the public as part of the CHRS “Beyond the Boundaries” program, which seeks to promote the appreciation of neighborhood history and support historic preservation efforts outside the boundaries of the Capitol Hill Historic District. You can get details about all of our events on the website.

H Street Coming Soon - Happy 2011 Edition

Angelico H Pizza (1421 H St) wood fired pizza, tapas, planning to submit for Vera Pizza Napoletana (i.e. use OO flour, San Marzano tomatoes, Bufala mozzarella, etc).  Building already substantially renovated and shooting for spring opening. 
Home Slice (1387 H St) gourmet pizza from large restaurant and pizza purveyor with NOLA roots.
Joe's Coal and Ice House (1358 H St) Ray's the Steaks type; steaks/ribs restaurant from Joe Englert. Timeline unclear.
Vendetta (1350-1352 H St) Red Sauce Southern Italian w/ H Street leaders Joe Englert & Chef Teddy Folkman. Also w/ Dolce (Cappucino/dessert/gelato spot) upstairs.  Expected to open before Joe's Coal and Ice House.
Smith Commons (1245 H St) Modern Bistro with Belgian chefs, impressive beer and wine lists, and three gorgeous levels, including a back patio deck. NOW OPEN.
Sale for Redevelopment of Autozone lot (1201 H St) Sale pending to Western Development. 
Church & State (1236 H St) Craft cocktails above Fruit Bat.  Erik Holzherr's "baby."  Opening in January.
Toki Underground (1234 H St) Ramen/Dumpling bar -- opening above the Pug hopefully within the next month or two.  Food was a big hit at H Street Festival.
Sticky Rice Expansion (1222 H St) Popular sushi & tots place expands next door to help reduce waits.
Unnamed Greek Mezze Restaurant (1220 H St) Greek mezze restaurant.  No construction yet. 
The Queen Vic (1206 H St) Authentic British Gastropub shooting to open soon.  Buildout ongoing.
Horace & Dickies Expansion (1200 H St) Fried fish icon to open up sit down cafe next door with expanded menu to include breakfast and bakery items.
Khan's BBQ (1125 H St) Mongolian BBQ restaurant in buildout phase at corner of 12th & H. Buildout ongoing and relatively far along.
Unnamed Restaurant in Birdland Space (1118 H St)  Restaurant from owner of Home Slice (1387 H St) & various other NOLA restaurants.
Wall Development (1113-1117 H St) Surplus of vacant lot to private developer for residential/retail development. 
Chow (1110 H St) Pan-Asian restaurant. No visible construction, unclear when might open if ever.
Atlas Room (1015 H St) Modern American fine dining from talented chefs with craft cocktails and quality wine program NOW OPEN.
H Street Connection (800-1000 H St) (high-end condos above two blocks of new retail, including outdoor seating patio at 8th St corner).  Final plans recently approved by Zoning Commission. 
HR-57 (806 H St) Popular, iconic jazz venue coming to H Street from 14th St NW in January.  Also plans to open a Blues venue a couple blocks away. 
Adobe Design Center & Showroom (652 H St) Home accessory, art, and furniture retail outlet quietly relocated to 7th & H from Rhode Island Avenue last month. 
600 block of H St (South side) Washington Real Estate Partners mixed-use project that includes 234 residential units, 500 parking spaces and ground-floor retail. 
Our Place on H (523 H St) Sports Pub at SW corner of 6th & H.  Slow buildout ongoing.  No liquor license / application to date. 
Spot On Training Studio (508 H St - lower level) highly regarded dog training studio from neighborhood resident in Metro Mutts building. 
Tru Orleans (400 H St) New Orleans/Acadian Restaurant with plans to improve and increase size of building to two stories on NE corner of 4th & H.  Some minimal construction appears to have recently begun.  ABRA hearing on liquor license February 28. 
360 H Street Apartments and Giant Grocery Store (300 Block - North side H St) Steuart Development mixed use building with residences and grocery breaking ground this spring. 
Capitol Place (200 block of H St - South side) Mixed use development with over 400,000 sq ft of retail, 300 condos, 380 parking spaces. The building will be several stories high at 2nd & H Sts, but will gradually scale back to row house heights of 45-55 ft as it reaches 3rd St to the east and G St to the south. Dreyfus Development. Recently completed demolition, but construction has yet to start.
Kitchen on K Street Chef Gillian Clark of the former Colorado Kitchen and General Store Fame brings her fried chicken, donuts, daily breakfast and more to the H Street corridor in the Loree Grand at 3rd & K.

Smith Commons opens & offers opening week specials to its neighbors

SMITH COMMONS OPENING WEEK PROMOTIONS

• Opening Week Menu and 25% Discount
• Since Smith Commons staff is still training, the Dining Room is offering a select menu Tuesday through Sunday (see below). As a small neighborly gesture to thank you for being among the first to visit the Dining Room, guests will receive 25% off final checks, exclusive of alcoholic beverages, tax and gratuity through Sunday, January 9.
  
• Smith Hour on Friday
• Every Tuesday through Friday, "Smith Hour" will offer $5 bar snacks and a selection of cocktails, beer and wines at the Smith Commons bar on all three levels.  This Friday,  Smith Commons will offer complimentary bar snacks from 5:00 to 6:00 pm. 

City Gallery presents Ronnie Spiewak "Leaves, Words & Screens"; Reception Sat. Jan 8, 6-9 pm

CITY Gallery Presents
Ronnie Spiewak "Leaves, Words & Screens"

City Gallery is very pleased to announce its first solo exhibition "Leaves, Words and Screens" by gallery member Ronnie Spiewak.   Spiewak will exhibit new work and will awe visitors with her mastery of collage. 

In Spiewak’s words:

“Collage has always been a satisfying vehicle for expressing my ideas and emotions. Scissors and exacto blades are among my most coveted tools, serving in effect, as my paintbrushes. They help create lines and shapes quickly and crisply giving the work the energy I seek.  I am most comfortable when I’m tearing, cutting and pasting paper onto paper. Paper also has a 3-dimensional quality that I’m constantly exploring. Glossy black  ink-saturated magazine paper sings. The color, plainness and usefulness of brown paper give it an earthy quality.

I am also drawn to the calligraphy of foreign language newsprint with its beautiful array of symbols and marks. The mixture of languages becomes a metaphor for the eyes and ears of the world. Using Hebrew newsprint is a way to integrate my personal heritage into the work, reflecting on the culture of an ancient and simultaneously modern land.

In my work, and in my life, I’m interested in putting and keeping things in motion, much like a juggler. I create a complete image by using disparate pieces to make the whole.  It’s a selective process about incorporating, juxtaposing and eliminating. It’s about finding and loosing. It’s a method of working that reflects the ways I make choices in my daily living.

My current work is inspired by nature, travel, words and people. Recently, I took a serendipitous departure into three-dimensional work, making stand-alone paper constructions. I have no idea where this turn will take me, but I tend to let my intuition guide me. “

About the artist:
Ronnie Spiewak received her B.A. from Monmouth University in 1971 and her B.F.A. from the Corcoran School of Art in 1982. She has exhibited widely throughout the Greater Washington Metropolitan area for many years. She works at Passageways Studio in Riverdale, Maryland.

Please Join us Saturday January 8, 2011 from 6PM to 9PM at City Gallery, 804 H Street NE, Second Floor, Washington, DC 20002.  For more information email us at mailto:info@citygallerydc.com?subject=Gayle%20Krughoff%20%22Out%20at%20Night%22 or call us at 202.468.5277 or visit our website at http://citygallerydc.com/index.html

Toki Underground Menu looks awesome

Toki Underground was featured on the cover of the last Washington Post Weekend section and is beginning the roll out in anticipation of opening soon.  You can follow them on twitter and facebook now and here is their menu, which looks outstanding.  This is truly going to be a one of a kind spot in DC. 

Link roundup

Smith Commons (1245 H St) was the talk of the town last week with a soft opening, a NYE opening, and will officially open tonight at 5 p.m. for full service.  CityStream's 365 Things to do in DC had this preview with these great pictures showing the impressive rehabilitation of this property. 

Examiner.com likes the Biergarten Haus. 

The H Street Shuttle ran its last trip to H Street.  While the X9 Express bus is now running and offering experess service along a similar route, the last express bus leaves for H Street around 6:30 p.m., so much of the shuttle's coverage remains without a good public transporation option.  This is an unfortunate development.

Frozen Tropics reported that Sticky Rice reopened last night, but that they are currently operating without liquor.  They have a hearing on their liquor license tomorrow afternoon.

DCist says Taylor's Pattison Avenue (roast pork, broccoli rabe, sharp aged provolone) is one of their best bites in 2010.

Ward 6 Dems met with the candidates who are seeking temporary appointment to fill Kwame Brown's At-large Council seat until the March special election last night at the Atlas Performing Arts Center and voted overwhelmingly in favor of Sekou Biddle in that contest.

Spot On Training Studio Coming to 508 H St later this month

2010 was an incredible year on H Street and 2011 is going to be another one with new businesses like Smith Commons, Church and State, Toki Underground opening and the grand full reopening of the Argonaut all in the next month or so.  Now comes news that Spot on Training is opening a studio on H Street in partnership with Metro Mutts at 508 H Street later this month.   This is great news for neighborhood pet owners, for Metro Mutts -- the winner of the 2010 HILLY Award for Best Retailer, and for the corridor's growing stable of businesses. 

Good Afternoon!

As a H St. NE/Capitol Hill neighborhood homeowner and business owner I want to introduce myself and share some exciting news.  I started Spot On Training in April of 2010 in hopes of providing the dog owners in the surrounding community a positive option for dog training right here in our neighborhood.  I'm a certified professional trainer and until now have focused primarily on in-home private training with some classes here and there.  I'm excited to announce that in late January the Spot On Dog Training studio will open on H Street in the lower level of Metro Mutts.  

I think area dog lovers would love to hear about this new partnership and would be pleased to know that yet another resource has landed on their door steps.  And that 2 businesses have come together to help make our neighborhood a better place to live in!

Please help spread the word!

Heather Morris, CPDT-KA

Spot On Training
positive motivation, thriving dogs
202-629-2967
heather@spotondogtrainingdc.com
www.spotondogtrainingdc.com

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At-large Council Appt Forum & Straw Poll tonight @AtlasPACDC (1333 H St)

Ward 6 Dems Host Forum & Straw Poll for At-Large Council Seat

In accordance with DC Law, the membership of the District of Columbia Democratic State Committee has the responsibility of appointing an fill the vacancy on the D.C. Council due to the election of Kwame Brown as Chairman of the D.C Council. As this interim appointment will have considerable authority, the Ward 6 Democrats scheduled a forum prior to the Democratic State Committee's vote. A special election to fill the seat for the remainder of the term is scheduled for Tuesday, April 26, 2011.

To be eligible to vote in the straw poll, you must be a registered Democrat in Ward 6
When: Monday, January 3, 2011
Time: 6:00pm-7:30pm
Where: Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H Street Northeast

RSVP Here: http://bit.ly/W6DAtLargeCandidatesForum0103


The invited candidates are:

Sekou Biddle
Dorothy Douglas
Calvin H. Gurley
Stanley J. Mayes
Hon. Vincent B. Orange
Kelvin J. Robinson
Saul Solorzano

The forum will be moderated by Mark Segraves.

The forum will be followed by an impromptu gathering at the Argonaut for libations.
Contact ward6dems@gmail.com if you should have any questions.

Charles Allen, President
& the rest of the Ward 6 Democrats Executive Committee