Congrats Ethiopic, Atlas Room & Toki Underground on making Washingtonian's 100 Best Restaurants

The Washingtonian's 100 Very Best Restaurants issue is out (content not yet online) and for the third year in a row, H Street has added another top restaurant to the list.  This year, Toki Underground joined the Atlas Room and Ethiopic in representing H Street among the DC area's very best.  Four years ago, H Street had zero entries on this list.  Congratulations to Sam and Meseret, to Matt, Mark, Bobby, and Chris, to Erik and to their teams on this well-deserved praise!

Here's a taste of what the Washingtonian higlighted about each of these terrific neighborhood restaurants:


Ethiopic (3rd straight apperance in 100 Best)
"best of the area's distinguished contingent of Ethiopian... handsomely appointed haunt seduces with graceful service and soulful cooking."
Recommendations: lamb tibs, kitfo (beef tartare), vegetarian [Note: we concur]

Atlas Room (2nd straight appearance in 100 Best)
"deliver more on the plate than they appear to promise on their description... uncanny ability to reanimate a preparation you may have tired of years ago... charmer of a restaurant."
Recommendations: lamb bolognese, roasted chicken, ricotta fritters [Note: some of our favorites as well, though we especially recommend the following new menu additions: lobster salad, chickpea fritters and sausage and clams]

Toki Underground (new addition to 100 Best)
"Chef/owner Erik Bruner-Yang may not adhere to tradition ... but his punky edge doesn't diminish the perfectionism that keeps devotees lined up at his ramen house."
Recommendations: pork-fat noodles, toki classic ramen, chocolate-chip cookies with red-miso butter cream [Note: we agree, though prefer the steamed seafood dumplings to their recommended fried chicken ones.  We also like the chicken curry ramen and recommend adding an egg to your ramen order]. 

Streetcar construction resumes

The Streetcar team was out adjusting light poles in preparation for the streetcars to run down H Street this fall yesterday and has this additional update on work later this month. 

H/Benning: Wednesday, January 23, 2013

One-Day Traffic and Parking Impacts

The DC Streetcar Design-Build Team will perform electrical tests on existing streetcar tracks at six separate locations along the H/Benning corridor on Wednesday, January 23. Traffic and parking impacts will be experienced from 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Specific impacts include:

• H Street between 4th and 5th Streets (eastbound and westbound): Right lane closures with no parking permitted
• H Street between 13th and 14th Streets (eastbound and westbound): Right lane closures with no parking permitted
• Benning Road between Oklahoma Avenue and the Anacostia River (eastbound and westbound): Left lane closure

Advance warning signs will be in place to alert and guide the traveling public.

For more information about the DC Streetcar, please visit www.dcstreetcar.com.

Vendetta -- Italian restaurant from Joe Englert to replace Red Palace at 1210 H St

H Street is getting its first Italian restaurant with Vendetta -- a long planned southern Italian (red sauce) restaurant conceptualized years ago by Joe Englert and Chef Teddy Folkman -- this spring.   Vendetta is set to fill the void left by the recent closing of the Red Palace at 1210 H Street.  Vendetta was previously expected to fill the large vacant building at 1350-1352 H Street, but was moved a block west with the closing of Red Palace. 

Joe Englert has long spoke of a time when nicer restaurants and retail would replace some of the earlier, grittier businesses that opened as part of H Street's rebirth. After watching the past few years of increasingly high quality cuisine open up and down H Street from the sidelines, Englert is diving back in himself with his first new H Street opening in nearly four years.

Details are still being finalized, but Englert has promised to keep Vendetta interesting with bocce and various other creative elements that reference the southern Italian theme. 

Join CM Tommy Wells & MPD Chief Lanier to talk public safety Wed. Jan 16, 7:30 at Maury Elem. (13th & Constitution)

Councilmember Wells has scheduled a community public safety meeting with MPD Chief Lanier and 1^st District Commander Hickson for Wednesday, January 16^th, 7:30 pm at Maury Elementary (1250 Constitution Ave NE). Below is a message from Tommy that includes all the details.  It's also posted on his website.

 

*************

Neighbors,

 

The recent crimes in our community are both upsetting and unacceptable. On Wednesday, January 16, 2013, 7:30 pm, I will be hosting a community meeting with MPD Chief Cathy Lanier and 1^st District Commander Daniel Hickson at Maury Elementary School, 1250 Constitution Ave, NE. The meeting will take place in the multi-purpose room.

 

The focus of the meeting will be to have Chief Lanier update the community about the recent crimes and MPD's response, share the strategic plan by the 1^st District team in response, and answer questions and concerns from neighbors.

 

Meeting Details:

What: Community Meeting with MPD Chief Cathy Lanier
Date: Wednesday, January 16, 2013, 7:30 pm
Location: Maury Elementary School, 1250 Constitution Ave, NE, multi-purpose room.
Transit Info: Limited off-street parking is available behind the school (accessed on 12^th Place NE); two Capitol BikeShare stations are located within two blocks; the D6, B2, 96, 97 and C40 MetroBus routes each have a stop within three blocks of the school.

 

Following the latest incidents and in particular the recent shootings, I have talked with Commander Hickson and the police are stepping up patrols and overall presence in the area. Long term, I am working to help the city hire more police officers. While they can't prevent every crime from taking place, I believe that our police officers are effective at reducing and stopping crimes in our neighborhood, not just responding after the crime has taken place. I have been supporting the Mayor's proposal to increase the size of the police force. In addition, I continue to look at ways we combat crime beyond the police force, such as having the Department of Transportation fix and improve lighting on dark streets or alleys that create a convenient environment or hiding place for someone waiting to commit a crime.

Thanks again for your interest and we will continue working together to make our neighborhoods safe for everyone. In the event you have not seen these videos, MPD is asking for your help in identifying "persons of interest" in two recent cases. Please view the videos at the links below and call the number listed if you have any information you think might be helpful.

Video from 12/24 murder of Jason Emma: http://youtu.be/9hbism_wK1k
Video from 12/26 shooting at 14th & K Streets, SE: http://youtu.be/0TiB_Dgl_Z0

 

I hope to see you at the meeting on the 16^th,

 

Tommy Wells