resting

My wife and I got to go last night and thoroughly enjoyed our time. Things booked up quickly when we wanted to go so we ended up getting seated upstairs (Churchkey) and ordered off the Churchkey menu. Some interesting options on the bar menu including foie tots, mac n cheese sticks and a delicious charcuterie (the pate was our favorite). We tried one of the flatbreads (Quail Egg BLT) and the Marinated Shrimp Panino with housemade chorizo and manchego. We really enjoyed the atmosphere (and I think he stole my ipod with the likes of Pavement, Wilco, Grizzly Bear, etc, over the speakers) and service was good, though everyone is still learning the menu. The beer and wine was great but I had my eye on the cases and cases and kegs and kegs that filled up the back part of Churchkey near the bathrooms. I'll be back soon to begin sampling as only a few were available last night. Both spaces are beautiful and Churchkey's bar is giant--plenty of space to come alone or with a companion and geek out with the beer menu. We also took a peek at the Birch and Barley menu before we left and are primed to come back for a proper dinner--maybe the roast chicken for two. Metrocurean has some great pictures of the interior: http://amandamc.blogspot.com/2009/10/birch-barley-churchkey-open-thursday.html

And mock service for friends is tonight and tomorrow. So excited!!

Hooray! Seventh Hill opened for lunch today with a full pizza menu, a panini and soup of the day (today was roasted vegetable, arugula, pecorino panini and gazpacho) as well as beer (dfh 60 min, orval, leffe among others) and wine. Traffic was steady and service was friendly and efficient. Unfortunately, 7th st is being repaved today so the patio wasn't super pleasant.

Speaking of pizza, last time I went to 2Amys, they said that they were out of pizza and I had to wait for them to make one for me. Instead, I went to Cici's where I knew that it would always be there waiting under heat lamps. (this is where my 2Amys-Starbucks analogy stops, though) Say what you will about Starbucks but they do have a commitment to serving only freshly brewed coffee--a commitment that exceeds most independents (and 7-11's). They definitely have the capability of holding gallons and gallons of coffee on hand for hours and hours to meet your needs but they prefer to only brew the amount that is required to meet the expected immediate need (I believe they only hold brewed coffee for 30 minutes). It only takes a few minutes to brew a pot of coffee and it seems that you unfortunately happened upon their store during this time.

Well...not quite open yet. Waiting on the final papers to be able to accept money for food, Seventh Hill did indeed hand out slices to the neighborhood today. I dropped by a few times, tasted a few different pies and watched the positive reactions to free lunch. Between a few practice pizzas a couple weeks ago and today's offering, I've had "the one with anchovies", "the one with zucchini" and "the one with prosciutto" among others (they all have neighborhood names like Pennsylvania Ave, Stanton Park, etc, but I can't remember which name pairs up with which pie). I've thoroughly enjoyed everything I've tried and am also very excited to see the Orval beer goblets on the shelf. I think this will be a great addition to 7th street/Eastern Market and I'm interested to see the rest of the menu and how it develops over the coming months.

They just took over the former Ben and Jerry's space this week and are currently working with designers and contractors on their plans for the space. I don't know how set their concept and menu plans are at this point but I believe I can safely say that it will be independent from Montmartre and will not really be French cuisine. Everything else I know is hearsay and I'll wait to share until after talking directly with Stephane or Chris. As an aside, Montmartre is where I took my wife on our first date and also where we dined the night I proposed.

Hi. My name is Ryan Jensen and my wife and I own Peregrine Espresso on Capitol Hill. I have been a long-time reader here and am glad to join the community in a more active fashion. Thanks. Ryan