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Thanks to a reader for the heads up:

“It appears a new pho place will be opening at 608 H St NW, according to DC Register. It looks like they’ll be applying for a liquor license and will be open til 3 am!”

The liquor application says:

“NATURE OF OPERATION
Asian and Vietnamese cuisine. 65 seats and total capacity load of 65 on first floor and
storage on the second floor.

HOURS OF OPERATION
Sunday through Thursday 9 am – 2 am and Friday & Saturday 9 am – 3 am”

And speaking of Pho a reader has some veggie Pho news from Pho Viet (3513 14th Street, NW):

“I’m a regular at Pho Viet. Nina and Mike are really great people and have put a lot of work into their restaurant and I’m dying for them to succeed. They spent a year renovating that basement and they’re some of the hardest working people I’ve ever met.

Anyway, I wanted to let you know that they added veggie pho to their menu and they have a chicken pho too (with beef broth). When you originally posted about them, there were a few commenters who wanted veggie pho.”

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We are no strangers to discussing good brunch options. But I’ve walked by this sign at Wonderland (11th and Kenyon) many times and it occurred to me that I’ve never actually had brunch there. I’ve had some tasty quesadillas but never had the waffles. So I’m intrigued by the idea of free waffles. How are they? How’s the brunch in general?

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We’ve been following the progress of this building as well as its tenants for quite a while. (No more word on Vegetate taking the second floor…) But the good news is that John Andrade of Asylum has sealed the deal on his project Meridian Pint. I spoke with John on Monday afternoon and took a quick tour of the property. First of all, the property is huge! I had no idea how large it was. Here’s what the first floor looks like:

I’m not sure if the photo properly conveys the size but it is 3000 square feet. And the basement is also 3000 square feet. So this is quite a big project. I took a look at the floor plans and the set up promises to be pretty sweet. The basement section, which will be more of a bar than restaurant, will be called The Joint Chiefs. In this space you will have 3 pool tables (available by the hour), a hand shuffle board table, and 25 American Craft beers on tap including one cask.

On the first floor, the space will feature the Restaurant – Meridian Pint. Here you will have booths, tables, a bar, and of course 25 American Craft beers on tap (there will be no bottles or cans). The menu will feature “contemporary American cuisine with an international flair”. When the weather warms up there will also be an outdoor seating patio area. They will feature a brunch on Saturday and Sunday from 9am – 3pm.

At the moment, John plans to open both spaces by early June in time for the World Cup (Soccer). During the World Cup the space will be open during lunch and will show the games. There will be four televisions in the basement space. For those that have been to Churchkey and Birch & Barley on 14th St. in Logan Circle – there is a similar layout here. The layout is similar in that there will be one space that is more of a restaurant with a bar and one space that is more of a bar that will also serve food.

One last cool aspect John told me about was some planned bicycling trips for customers. He hopes to be able to take some folks on tours of breweries and vineyards in Virginia to see where many of the beers and wines you are drinking come from.

All in all the whole project sounds pretty sweet. And now I have another reason to look forward to the World Cup. Allez Les Bleus!

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When I posted last week that Pho Viet was opening up at 3513 14th Street, NW I thought there would be a bit more excitement given the frenzy that occurred when nearby Pho 14 opened on Park Road. I tried to go today and sadly forgot that they were closed on Mondays. So a couple questions – has anyone given them a try yet? How does it compare to Pho 14?

And props to Pho Viet for getting a proper sign:

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Photo of Dan Searing pouring Nocino

Room 11 is located at 3234 11th St, NW (at Lamont) From an email:

“Please join us on Monday, December 21st for a Winter Solstice Celebration.
Starting at 5 pm we will feature the next beer in our guest tap series,
Anderson Valley Winter Solstice Ale, an award-winning 6.9% ABV spiced
brown ale.

We’re even more excited however, about the long-awaited release of our
house-made Nocino, an Italian-style green walnut liqueur that has been
infusing since June! The complex bitter flavor of green walnuts is
softened by sugar and complemented by baking spices and lemon zest. It’s
served cold but sure to warm you up on a cold Winter’s night.”

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I’m a huge fan of Social located at 14th and Meridian, NW in Columbia Heights. Just thought I’d mention that they’ve added some new options to their menu that sounds awesome:

Angus Sliders 8/14/19 ($ small, medium, large prices)
hand formed with gorgonzola and pickled onions

Chicken Souvlaki with cucumber mint 7/13/18
grilled pita filled with marinated chicken, cucumber yogurt and regional salsa

Miso Glazed Chicken Skewer 6/11/15
grilled breast of young chicken , skewered and served with peanut curry dipping sauce

Vegetable Tempura with sweet soy chili sauce 7/13/18
deep fried green beans, cremini mushrooms, red peppers and zucchini

Chicken Cordon Bleu 8/14/19
pounded chicken wrapped into havarti cheese, breaded and fried served with a 10 cane rum honey mustard

Gilroy Garlic Fries 5/9
served with curry ketchup and honey mustard mayo

You can see the full menu after the jump. Read Full Post

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I received the greatest email this weekend from Manager Phi Nguyen announcing the grand opening of Columbia Heights’ newest Pho spot this Thursday. It turns out the name will be Pho Viet and I stopped by on Sunday to take some sneak peek photos (though there was a bit of finishing touches still going on).

It’s relatively small but actually much bigger than I initially thought. It looks like it will be able to sit around 25 or 30. The manager was super nice and encourages any patrons to make recommendations that they’d like to see. So the grand opening is Thursday and those dining in from the 17th – 20th will receive a 20% discount to celebrate the opening. You can see their take out menu below (the dine in menu was still being finalized though I imagine it won’t be too different):

carry out menu–Pho Viet

Most of the Pho is $7.50 and most other options are in the $7-$8 range. I can’t wait to try this place out and see how it compares to Pho 14 on Park Road.

Pho Viet is located at 3513 14th Street, NW (at Parkwood Place) and will be open Tuesday – Thursday: 10am – 9:30pm; Friday – Saturday: 10am – 10:30pm; and Sunday: 10am – 8:30pm: Closed Monday. Delivery will be available with a $15 minimum (202-629-2839).

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It’s been a long time coming but I finally got to check out the Chipotle coming to Columbia Heights on 14th Street just south of Kenyon. And I have to say, well, it’s a Chipotle. Which is to say it’s awesome. Though, it’s much like many of the other Chipotles I’ve visited. But I’m very excited to have this option not too far away. I suspect it is going to be insanely crowded.

Here’s a bit of potential scuttlebutt – I ran into Council Member (Ward-4) Muriel Bowser at this pre-opening event and she said she’s going to encourage a similar opening in Ward 4, perhaps in one of the spaces by the Petworth metro.

While I’d love an Italian Bistro I also think Chipotle in Petworth would be a nice addition (though fear not my love for Taco Bell has not faded…)

This Chipotle opens on Friday!

More photos after the jump. Read Full Post

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When the signs went up on the 14th Street Chipotle in Columbia Heights I thought the word was out on their opening date. But I’ve been receiving a number of emails with the above sign. Thanks to all who sent emails and let’s hope the stars align!

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Well, I haven’t forgotten about the new Pho place, Nam Viet, coming to 3515 14th Street, NW. Sadly it is already December and they still haven’t opened. But if you look at the photos when I first posted there has been a lot of progress on the building itself. It is definitely looking much nicer. I haven’t seen any workers recently but hopefully I can announce their opening very soon!

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From an email:

Come to Room 11 on Monday, November 30th for a celebration of Scotland’s National Holiday, St. Andrew’s Day, from 5 pm to closing. We’ll have guest tap Brooklyn Winter Ale, a Scotch-style Ale (think dark rich and malty) on
draft while it lasts. From 8:30 to 10 pm Scottish gin Hendrick’s will be offering free samples and free shoeshines! We’ll also have Scotch whiskey and cocktail specials from Compass Box and we’ll declare the winner of the Highland Bitters Scottish Cocktail Smackdown. Will the Mel Gibson (Hendrick’s Martini with house-made Highland Bitters and a house-pickled onion) or the Liam Neeson (Compass Box Asyla with sweet and dry vermouth and house-made Highland Bitters) emerge victorious? Cast your vote by ordering one then feast on some delicious Scottish food specials from Chef Ben Gilligan.

Slainte Mhaith!
Dan Searing
Partner/Bar Manager
Room 11
3234 11th St NW

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And with the addition of this sweet section of their sign, I have nothing more to add to Park Road’s newest Peruvian Chicken spot, Senor Chicken…

On a totally unrelated note, man Sunday was beautiful and I realized while I’ve admired Rock Creek Park before, I’ve never appreciated the actual creek. It is looking fantastic:

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There have been a lot of comments over the last few weeks about Tynan Coffee & Tea at 1400 Irving Street, NW. There have been positive and negative comments. But I figured I’d make a new post after receiving a letter from a reader sent to the owners. It is very negative and I’m wondering what the overall sentiment is. I know that the owners will read this post so if you have suggestions def. make them. What’s your overall feel of the place so far? Following is a lengthy letter written from a reader to the owners of Tynan:

“I have visited your store for a total of 4 times, hoping the next trip will be better than the previous, but sad to say I was deeply disappointed.

I am a very active member of the Columbia Heights community since 2002. I love the neighborhood and am very excited about all business that opens up. I specially enjoy coffee shops and was very happy for Tynan Coffee & Tea opening. I send tons of emails to my friends and family (lots of them) about your business and was at the store the 2nd day it opened with my partner. Our initial reaction was that it was a beautiful space, a bit bright, a kind of space we would like to come frequently. We were not able to get seating that day so we got our lattés (skim with No foam) and left the store.

2nd trip was with my sister and her boyfriend. There were some seating by the fireplace. My sister loves fireplaces so they sat there as I proceed to order for everyone. 1 Coffee drink, 1 pumpkin spice latté, and 1 chi latté. The barrister women proceed to make the specialty drinks. I noticed that she was scooping powder out of the cups as she was trying to (I guess) get the right amount. I thought that was weird since drinks should have a pre determined measuring to get the right flavor/taste. I then saw her use the same spoon to mix both drinks without rinsing it in between. She then proceeds to cover both drinks with tops, but she realized she did not know which drink was which so I heard her say to herself “I don’t know which one is which…” followed by.. “I don’t care.” I was amazed by what I heard so I said to her, Excuse me? She did not even bother to look up to explain herself or anything, she just asked the male barrister guy to come and help her. She explained to him that she could not tell which drink was which. He opened the top from one of the cups, brought a small cup, poured some into the small cup, proceed to taste it, and decided which one was which drink, put the top back on (without refilling the cup with more milk) and handed it to me. During the whole time, neither of them seems concerned with what just happened, didn’t care less, and didn’t say I am sorry or anything like that. At this point, I am not happy, but did not want to spoil the experience to my sister and her boyfriend so I kept my cool. I went to get napkin and by then I have no clue which drink is which. I used the small strew to test both drinks, both tasted the same to me. I went back to the barrister guy and requested they do both drinks again, he did it correctly, and that was the end of that.

3rd visit, my partner and I went for latté. I ordered latté and it was a disaster. The latté smelled and tested so bad I only had one sip and that was it. The latté took on an Oder of some “skin condition cream” I never know what it is, but I know I do not like the smell whenever someone who had it on is near me. I really did not want to go back to the barrister lady to ask her to remake my drink since this would have been our 2nd interaction about a bad/incorrect drink. I really did not need the latté that much so my partner and I just decided to leave. Continues after the jump. Read Full Post

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From an email:

“Please join us to experience the award winning Chairman’s Reserve Rum from St. Lucia and great new fall cocktails tonight at Room 11 from 5-8. You will get to meet the importer of this rum and learn how it’s produced and how well it works in cocktails.
Cheers,
Dan Searing
Partner/Bar Manager
Room 11
3234 11th St NW”

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photo, originally uploaded by Prince of Petworth.

Thanks to all for writing in. Senor Chicken on Park Road just west of 14th St. has officially opened up on Friday. We’ll follow up on how the food is later. But if anyone checks it out be sure to let us know what you think.

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