Neighborhood Eats: A Lot of Openings and a Historic Closing

• October 6th 2011

by Rebecca Cooper

A lot has happened on the DC restaurant and bar scene since Neighborhood Eats took a break last week to look into just what the heck is going on with all the retail closures on 14th Street NW.

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Open: Bloomingdalers (Bloomingdalians?) rejoiced when Boundary Stone, the much-needed neighborhood bar from three of the area’s local bartenders (Gareth and Matt Croke and Colin McDonough), opened on Sept. 28. Opening night had the bar at 116 Rhode Island Ave NW (map) filled to capacity with patrons drinking Busch tallboys, Dogfish Head and Yuengleng drafts, and Stroh’s cans. Food options include wings, a DC Brau beer-can-chicken sandwich, and ample vegetarian and vegan options.

Smoke and Barrel, the new barbecue restaurant on the ground floor of the bar Asylum in Adams Morgan, opened last week with its full complement of 50 beers, 45 bourbons, and various meats. There’s brisket and pulled pork, not to mention ribs smothered in spicy chipotle honey butter from Arkansas-born pitmaster Vincent Waide. The restaurant at 2471 18th St. NW is now open 7 days a week for dinner, and will start serving brunch soon.

Burger, Tap & Shake and District Commons moved into the Square 54 development at 2200 Pennsylvania Ave NW, with restaurateur Jeff Tunks providing a sneak peak of the burger joint last week and opening the dining room of District Commons on Sept. 30. The all-American theme of District Commons is complemented by the neighboring restaurant’s casual burger and shake offerings, giving Foggy Bottom new options for both a quick lunch and a sit-down dinner.

Speaking of burgers, The Big Board opened to the public today at 421 H St. NE. Now infamous among some H Street residents for their comments about opening the burger place in “a dive neighborhood,” owners Eric and Mark Flannery held a neighborhood appreciation night recently where they served items for $1. The menu includes a slew of burgers, including a tuna burger and two vegetarian options, according to H Street Great Street. An official grand opening is planned for Saturday.

Opening…eventually: The folks behind Adams Morgan’s Tryst and Diner are ready to begin work on an unnamed project in Columbia Heights, according to DCMud. The combination diner, bar, and coffeeshop has caused a bit of a stir in the neighborhood surrounding its 11th and Monroe NW location with a proposal to remain open 24 hours a day. Whether or not it will be open around-the-clock, owner Constantine Stavropolous insists the new establishment will not be a detriment to the area. It is aiming to open in 6 to 8 months.

Closed: Venerable Capitol Hill institution Hawk ‘n’ Dove celebrated its last days in DC over the weekend, and judging from the tweets coming out of the place on Saturday and Sunday, the bar went out with a bang. New owner Xavier Cervera is in the process of auctioning off much of the memorabilia from the ‘Dove, and the bar will reopen as a more upscale, renovated restaurant sometime next year.

Last week also brought the last day for the Mercadito Latino, aka Unity Market, at Unity Park in Adams Morgan. The vendors that would serve Salvadoran food and other Latino specialties at the park lost their lease from the city after neighboring restaurants complained of losing business to the food stands. Many of the vendors are now looking for new places to perch, so keep your eye out for some pop-up pupusas.

Events: There are more than a few festivals to take advantage of this holiday weekend, but the one for beer lovers is Capital City Brewing Company’s Oktoberfest. Brewers will bring hundreds of beers to Shirlington (map) (for Virginia-phobes, it’s a short cab ride from Pentagon City, or there are tons of buses that go there); the $25 entry fee gets you ten tastings, with additional tastings available for $1 apiece.

If you’re just not up for braving the crowds at this weekend’s Taste of DC, one alternative is Festa Italiana, a free festival on Sunday that will include Italian cooking demonstrations, performances, street vendors and…oh yeah, Italian food. It’s on F and 3rd streets NW from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Rebecca Cooper is a freelance journalist and avid eater that has contributed to TBD, DCist, and Washingtonian. If you have any tips about restaurant or bars openings or closings, email Rebecca at coopscoop@gmail.com.

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/neighborhood_eats_a_lot_of_openings_and_a_historic_closing/4297.