Photo by mistyblovesjont on Flickr
This is the ultra, jam-packed food edition of Hill Buzz. I’m not sure what brought on the sudden flood of reviews and news, but I sure do like it!
- AV Club gave some great reasons for stopping by Sova; it’s more than just a coffee shop!
- Frozen Tropics gave us the details on the announcement that Napa 1015 will be closing.
- Dining in DC and City Paper’s Young & Hungry reviewed Seventh Hill. This past weekend I tried the The Navy Yard pizza, which was the focus of Young & Hungry’s review; it is definitely as good as he says. If you haven’t stopped by yet, find a night soon!
- Capital Spice reviewed Mangialardo & Sons, a place I have heard amazing things about but have never gotten to try because of their hours.
- We Love DC reviewed Belga Cafe. It’s a mixed review, worth a full read. I agree they do some things very well and some things only okay. But at the end of the day, so many people (including the reviewer) go back for a few reasons – one of which is the beer, of course!
- Prince of Petworth seemed to have spent most of last week on the Hill, highlighting the murals on the outside of the soon-to-open The Chesapeake Room, gave a heads up on Souk, which will be on H Street, and asked his readers to weigh in on P&C Market and Starfish Cafe.
For some non-food buzz, keep reading after the jump:
- Tommy Wells reported on his blog that the next phase of streetscape construction on H Street is about to begin. This will entail closing the north curb lane on H Street from Seventh to 11th streets, and will last until the end of February.
- DCist previewed the H Street Gallery and Workshop, which opened this past Saturday.
- City Paper’s City Desk and Prince of Petworth highlighted the debate over the H-shaped planters along H Street and whether or not they are attractive. Based on reader comments, reactions are split. I think they are a fun concept, but poorly executed. And, they look silly in the tree boxes which could be used for better landscaping that I imagine is more eco-friendly. But that’s just my little opinion…
- Prince of Petworth highlighted the Mary McLeod statue in Lincoln Park.
I found the pizza at 7th Hill to be quite disappointing. The crust was doughy and crewy, not crisp as the reviewer as described. Granted, they were very buys when we ordered, but I don’t see that as an excuse. And I appreciate the idea of a minimalist approach to toppings, but c’mon, no pepperoni? The prices were very high considering the size of the pizza and what comparable pizza places charged. The smaller version is not big enough for a regular sized guy, and the large not really big enough for two people unless one isn’t eating much.
Lastly, the beer selection…poor.
That’s not to say it is bad; it isn’t. But a far cry from Paradiso, and when you factor in the overall experience–seating, beer, options–definitely inferior to Matchbox.
I’d recommend giving it another try if you can get over the prices (which I actually think are on par with other places). I have eaten there several times now and have never found the crust to be doughy or chewy. If you find that again, mention it to the staff – I know they take pride in a good product and if something is not working right, they will want to know about it and fix it.
The beer selection is weak but that’s not their focus, even in their place next door. That said, I haven’t loved their wine, which has surprised me since I do like their wine next door.
In general, this will always be different from Matchbox because it’s small are with limited seating, it’s a better spot for take-out unless its warm enough for the patio. I’ve been calling ahead when I leave work downtown and picking up my pizza to go as I get off the metro to head home.
All that said, if you really think Matchbox is a good pizza, then you may never like this place. Pizza-preferences are very personal – I don’t like Matchbox very much, so we may just have different tastes. And that is completely allowed – I won’t judge you too much for it 🙂
Dear Friends at DCBuzz,
While listening to the DennisMillerShow this morning, he read us a beautiful and inciteful letter about Presidents G. W. Bush and B. Obama and how safe we felt in our former leader’s administration compared to the present. It touched my heart that someone had taken the time to comment in a kind and truthful way on that subject.
Dennis offered a shout-out that the article had emanated from your web-site, so I followed his lead and rushed right over, but couldn’t find the article. Could you please send me a link to it? I would love to show it to some friends who have that same feeling of disenfranchisement, as the article suggests.
Keep on fighting the good fight and encouraging the press to be free once more. Sincerely,
Ann Robb-Fuller
Ann – I think he meant to reference a different site. Hill Buzz is just a weekly post on The Hill is Home about stuff going on in the Capitol Hill community – the residential neighborhood in DC. I did a quick search but wasn’t able to find a DC Buzz site. Sorry I can’t be of more help!