[Tujague]

Walking down Pennsylvania Ave SE today, I saw that Hunan King, the Chinese place next to the L'il Pub has closed. It was just okay, but it was still my go-to place for Chinese carry-out. Do any other Hill dwellers have any preferences among the other Chinese carry-out places on the Hill?

[Spiral Stairs]

After extensive experimentation, we simply decided to stop trying to find good Chinese food on the Hill. We channel our urges into Vietnamese (Pacific Cafe) or Thai (Old Siam).

[Pat]

Tujague, on Oct 9 2008, 04:07 PM, said:

Walking down Pennsylvania Ave SE today, I saw that Hunan King, the Chinese place next to the L'il Pub has closed. It was just okay, but it was still my go-to place for Chinese carry-out. Do any other Hill dwellers have any preferences among the other Chinese carry-out places on the Hill?

That's too bad. I hadn't gone there much recently but used to find their food pretty decent. I have gotten takeout from Hunan Dynasty--200 block of Penn--but I more often eat-in there. It's okay.

[sparkycom]

Yikes, this was my husband's fast-food cheap Asian cuisine option on the Hill for ages.

[Tujague]

I heard today that both the Bread and Chocolate and the Ben & Jerry's on Seventh St. SE near Eastern Market will be closing by mid-November. Certainly the former is no great loss, even if it did big weekend business. Does anyone know what might be taking its place? (I wonder if this is where the new location for Rockville's Cava might be, which Sietsema has reported is coming to the Hill.) And as far as B & J's goes, it would be great if Montmartre could expand into the space, maybe create more of a wine bar section or something.

[Tujague]

One of the Hill newspapers reported recently that an "upscale" Japanese restaurant is going into the Hunan King space.

[Tweaked]

woo hoo...I've been waiting for over a decade for the Bread & Chocolate space to close and become something else!

[Tweaked]

As dirty and nasty as it is, the Chinese takeout on 8th Street (China wall?), across the street from the fire station does great drunk Chinese food...General Tso chicken dripping in too much batter and sauce drunk Chinese food that is

Go with the combo platter with pork fried rice and an egg roll for like $8.

BTW, has anyone ever been to the Chinese Restaurant (Young Chow) around Connecticut and 3rd...next door to the Mexican/Salvadorean place. I often see bus loads of asians being herded there.

[Banco]

Tujague ideas are good, but for God's sake please not another frickin' coffee shop.

[Banco]

I've found Young Chow, on the north Side of Penn right next to La Lomita, to be better than most. Admittedly the bar is set quite low here on the Hill.

[Pat]

A restaurant is going to replace the sports shop on the 200 block of 7th Street, SE, just opposite Eastern Market. The person who told me was unsure but thought it was going to be either Italian or Greek food.

[Tweaked]

Sports place will be Italian according to the liquor board notice posted on the window. They were still cleaning out the store this weekend, so not sure how long it will take to turn it into a restaurant.

Samphan is also now open in the Hunan King spot.

[sandynva]

I've been to las placitas, on 8th st near banana cafe, a couple of times. excellent cheese pupusas, and the vegetarian burrito is perfectly fine.

[Tippster]

The place next to Las Placitas (used to be called Szechuan House) was far better than any other Chinese place in the area. I think it's called the Fusion Cafe now, but they'll still do normal Chinese takeout if you order by phone or from the bar. The rest of their menu is pretty decent as well.

Hunan King did make their own Egg- and Spring Rolls, which will be missed.

[DonRocks]

The following posts have been split into separate threads:

Seventh Hill Pizza (Pat)
Zest (leleboo)
Senart's Oyster Bar (Tujaque)
Mi Vecindad (leleboo)

[leleboo]

Has anyone tried Dulce yet, from the owners of H Street Martini Lounge in NE? They've been open with modified hours while waiting for their liquor license, next to what is apparently the now-defunct Pacific Cafe (The Hill Is Home, in its review of Dulce, says a seafood restaurant is going there, FWIW). Given that this place is right near me, it could become a staple if it's any good.

[Pat]

There's information on some new places here.

[leleboo]

Pat, on 29 October 2009 - 01:26 PM, said:

There's information on some new places here.

I was psyched when I saw that post the other day -- Ted's Bulletin work getting going -- and I had posted something about Zest here, but I'm still unclear on if they're aiming more for the restaurant vibe, or the bar/club vibe. Still, I love seeing all of this going on. Yeah, I'm an unabashed "I love my neighborhood!" booster.

[leleboo]

Norm Metzger confirms that the Matchbox team -- in their bid to take over 8th Street/Barracks Row lock, stock, and milkshake makers -- are going to open a deli called DC-3.

[Post to be split off into own thread when more information appears, perhaps?]

[Keithstg]

leleboo, on 03 May 2010 - 12:55 PM, said:

Norm Metzger confirms that the Matchbox team -- in their bid to take over 8th Street/Barracks Row lock, stock, and milkshake makers -- are going to open a deli called DC-3.

[Post to be split off into own thread when more information appears, perhaps?]

Wow. Between that and the folks who own Cheseapeake Room, Lola's and Molly Malone's buying (or assuming the lease of ) the building currently housing the Cap Hill Vet Clinic, two restaurant groups will have the lion's share of Barracks Row.

[leleboo]

Keithstg, on 03 May 2010 - 03:37 PM, said:

Wow. Between that and the folks who own Cheseapeake Room, Lola's and Molly Malone's buying (or assuming the lease of ) the building currently housing the Cap Hill Vet Clinic, two restaurant groups will have the lion's share of Barracks Row.

Yeah, I'm starting to sense an anti-trust case coming on.

[hillvalley]

They should go in together and build a parking lot so the residents can have their streets back.

[leleboo]

Apparently the building that was Pacific Cafe is going to be a Mexican/Salvadoran place from the owners of La Plaza (although that's according to the two people walking their dog past as we were walking home from 8th Street last night; where they got their information, I have no idea.)

Given that La Lomita is two blocks away, this seems like an odd choice, but not necessarily a bad one. We'll see, since that little block seems to be death for restaurants.

[Tujague]

leleboo, on 04 June 2010 - 09:25 AM, said:

Apparently the building that was Pacific Cafe is going to be a Mexican/Salvadoran place from the owners of La Plaza (although that's according to the two people walking their dog past as we were walking home from 8th Street last night; where they got their information, I have no idea.)

Given that La Lomita is two blocks away, this seems like an odd choice, but not necessarily a bad one. We'll see, since that little block seems to be death for restaurants.

This information came from a local blog (and maybe one of the Capitol Hill papers) some time ago. It will be a Mexican-Cuban place called Mi Vecinda ("My Neighborhood"). Hopefully, it will be better than Banana Cafe, though it would be hard to get much worse. I'm hopeful that the warmth and friendliness that Henry brings to La Plaza will also mark this new place--and maybe even change things up a bit.

[Tujague]

This morning in his chat, Tom Sietsema said that the owners behind Matchbox and Ted's Bulletin are opening DC3, a hot dog-oriented place in the old Firehouse Cafe spot. But the Barracks Row Main Street blog says that Xavier Cervera, the owner of Molly Malone's, Lola's, and the Chesapeake Room is behind it. Are all these folks working together on this place, or is one of these sources wrong? It sounds interesting, though I remember the sausage place up in Adams Morgan didn't last very long, so I wonder how this will do.

[Tujague]

Tujague, on 23 June 2010 - 02:15 PM, said:

This morning in his chat, Tom Sietsema said that the owners behind Matchbox and Ted's Bulletin are opening DC3, a hot dog-oriented place in the old Firehouse Cafe spot. But the Barracks Row Main Street blog says that Xavier Cervera, the owner of Molly Malone's, Lola's, and the Chesapeake Room is behind it. Are all these folks working together on this place, or is one of these sources wrong? It sounds interesting, though I remember the sausage place up in Adams Morgan didn't last very long, so I wonder how this will do.

OK, the Barracks Row blog corrected itself; it is indeed a Matchbox/Ted's Bulletin enterprise. Cervera is busying himself with an oyster bar.

[leleboo]

Tujague, on 23 June 2010 - 02:54 PM, said:

OK, the Barracks Row blog corrected itself; it is indeed a Matchbox/Ted's Bulletin enterprise. Cervera is busying himself with an oyster bar.

The Barracks Row people should have just checked upthread.

[Tujague]

leleboo, on 23 June 2010 - 03:03 PM, said:

The Barracks Row people should have just checked upthread.

So should've I, but I thought there was a tiny chance maybe the two restaurant groups might be teaming up on this!

[leleboo]

Tujague, on 23 June 2010 - 03:13 PM, said:

So should've I, but I thought there was a tiny chance maybe the two restaurant groups might be teaming up on this!

Honestly, that kind of makes sense. It's just a matter of time at this point, it seems ... devour or be devoured.

Is Cervera's oyster bar concept also slated for 8th Street?

[youngfood]

hillvalley, on 03 May 2010 - 09:11 PM, said:

They should go in together and build a parking lot so the residents can have their streets back.

Funny I just read in Roll Call that this was actually happening and they were buying a lot from the Barracks. Of course the story also claims Barracks Row is a Foodie Haven.... remarkable revival yes, but ...

Maybe while they are working together the Ted's/Matchbox guys can teach the Lola/Molly Malone/Chesapeake guys how to produce a decent meal. Chesapeake Room looks nice like Ted's, but yech... probably the worst and least intersting tasting meal I've had in some time.

Should have checked the dining guide before agreeing to try it.

[Banco]

ktmoomau, on 13 October 2009 - 12:02 PM, said:

I am getting a little tired of burgers and pizza not that I don't love burgers and pizza, but it's becoming a little overkill. It would be nice to see a more healthy casual restaurant. He seems to have a west coast vibe, why not some causal, but healthy stuff served in a low key environment? I would love to see him cook something like that and show some real creativity.

And I would love a nice healthy casual breakfast joint near the Eastern Market as all the breakfast places over there are so crowded. Or a place that had as good of breakfast as places like Matt's Big Breakfast in Phoenix. You could do farm fresh breakfast and casual other meals of the day and I would be all happy, but pizza... no, I doubt I will be going there.

This is a very astute analysis of most everything that is (still) wrong with dining on Capitol Hill. The main problem is that you have the usual contingent of staffers, a couple generations of heretofore deprived residents who are willing to eat almost anything--including burgers and pizza--as long as it's good, combined, on the weekends, with suburban tourists in town for their weekly city thrill. The result is the mobbing of the few places that have sprung up here in just the last 5 years. It's the bad outcome of what is essentially a good development.

[Michael Landrum]

DonRocks, on 09 July 2010 - 10:26 AM, said:

They're all aiming medium-low, and they're all hitting their targets.
Cheers,
Rocks

Not a comment or response regarding Montmartre, but rather Don's remark regarding the area in general:

Note estimated travel time. Much less time than it takes to find a parking spot and dig up enough quarters to cover 'til ten.

It may be a chain, but they really do try hard to maintain a local flavor while aiming medium-high.

[DonRocks]

Michael Landrum, on 09 July 2010 - 05:07 PM, said:

Not a comment or response regarding Montmartre, but rather Don's remark regarding the area in general:

Note estimated travel time. Much less time than it takes to find a parking spot and dig up enough quarters to cover 'til ten.

It may be a chain, but they really do try hard to maintain a local flavor while aiming medium-high.

[Banco]

DonRocks, on 09 July 2010 - 10:26 AM, said:

So where does that leave the Eastern Market and Barracks Row area as a dining destination, despite it arguably being "the hottest place in town" right now for opening restaurants?

Is that what people think of Barracks Row and Capitol Hill? I had no idea, and shall continue to have none, as long as the the new places that open up around here pay more attention to their decor than to their food or service. Chesapeake ("We're out of that") and Ted's Bulletin ("My server is...where?") are prime examples. I still think these places and others are overwhelmed by a traditionally underserved and therefore starving clientele, but still, you gotta stand and deliver at some point.

[leleboo]

Banco, on 09 July 2010 - 08:30 PM, said:

Is that what people think of Barracks Row and Capitol Hill? I had no idea, and shall continue to have none, as long as the the new places that open up around here pay more attention to their decor than to their food or service. Chesapeake ("We're out of that") and Ted's Bulletin ("My server is...where?") are prime examples. I still think these places and others are overwhelmed by a traditionally undeserved and therefore starving clientele, but still, you gotta stand and deliver at some point.

This comment doesn't belong in the Montmartre thread but: I think that's why Chesapeake rewrote their menu. They're doing a lot of ingredient overlap now, and not running out of whole items (as much) anymore. Still, they don't have their game together yet ... and, honestly, need to, or they'll be SOL soon.

[Banco]

Undeserved = Underserved. If that's not a Freud'sche Lapsus I don't know what is.

[leleboo]

Michael Landrum, on 09 July 2010 - 05:07 PM, said:

Not a comment or response regarding Montmartre, but rather Don's remark regarding the area in general:

Note estimated travel time. Much less time than it takes to find a parking spot and dig up enough quarters to cover 'til ten.

It may be a chain, but they really do try hard to maintain a local flavor while aiming medium-high.

If I nitpick here, someone's going to punch me, right?

You're in Northeast, and you require a Metro ride or a car. I can *walk* to Eastern Market. Does that mean the food is better? No. Do I care about feeding the meter? Also no. When I want to sit on the patio so I can take my dog with me to wear him out -- because I'm totally one of those obnoxious yuppie people who does that -- I'll settle for a less-than-killer burger as a trade-off.

(I'm going to go hide in a hole now until everyone forgets I posted that.)

[fuzzy510]

leleboo, on 09 July 2010 - 08:58 PM, said:

If I nitpick here, someone's going to punch me, right?

You're in Northeast, and you require a Metro ride or a car. I can *walk* to Eastern Market. Does that mean the food is better? No. Do I care about feeding the meter? Also no. When I want to sit on the patio so I can take my dog with me to wear him out -- because I'm totally one of those obnoxious yuppie people who does that -- I'll settle for a less-than-killer burger as a trade-off.

(I'm going to go hide in a hole now until everyone forgets I posted that.)

I would hardly call it nitpicking to point out that RTS:ER is in an entirely different neighborhood......

[Banco]

dcandohio, on 10 July 2010 - 07:56 AM, said:

And as for aiming medium to low...we went to Cava on Barracks Row Saturday before the Nats game ended. It was very crowded, though not cheek-to-jowl slammed, and a restaurant like Cava should be prepared to deal with that kind of traffic on a Saturday night. The noise level was deafening. We sat at the bar.

Our service was terrible. The guys behind the bar were hustling but plates were not being cleared, people were not getting drinks and we received our food (flaming cheese!) without bread or utensils. While it's hard to dislike flaming cheese, I very much dislike having to watch it cool while I try to flag someone down for bread and a napkin.

The disco fries were disgusting to me. SO really wanted these, but they were greasy and gloppy and painfully salty. So gross. The lamb sliders were fine, but also very salty. Hey, I love feta and olives, and I know those are salty treats, but does everything else have to be obliterated by oversalting?

While we watched service deteriorate all around us, one of the managers (hosts?) spent about 15 minutes engaged in chit chat/flirting with two young ladies seated next to us. It's fine for an employee to show the love to customers, but this guy was totally oblivious to the dirty dishes on the bar, the parade of empty glasses and the patrons trying to get attention to order. This inattention to operations is indicative of employees who care more about their personal social lives than customer sevice.

We strolled past many of the places on 8th street that night. Some were equally slammed and some were empty. As we walked we tried to guess why Cava was so crowded. Certainly, the food can't be the draw. It was a very young and pretty crowd, and there were a couple of large groups having celebrations (also young and pretty people). This area seems to be evolving from a funky and unique neighborhood to a bland (if salty) string of see and be seen joints. I hope not, but my brief attempt at Chesapeake room and last week's trip to Cava certainly seems to confirm that this is true.

Sorry to hear this about Cava. The times I've been there I've enjoyed the food for the most part, though I do think one has to be selective. Our service at the tables has always been good--stand-out excellent, actually--but I do remember a couple times at the bar where the service was lackluster. Strange, since part of the attraction of sitting at a bar in a restaurant is to get the speedier service that often prevails there. I see what you mean about the vibe there and on 8th generally; I'd also like to see more substance, both in the clientele and in the cooking.

I've found that Zest further down the street is far less trendy, with excellent service and reliable, well-made dishes. That actually has become our regular go-to place on the Hill after having been techno-popped out of Matchbox, put off by Chesapeake's presumptuous prices and supply issues, and generally fed up with the crowds everywhere else. Harumph.