Comings and Goings

I really did hope to have my complete audit of all of the new restaurants and bars coming to our neighborhood ready for you this afternoon. I swear I did.

Unfortunately, life (and last night’s Hall & Oates show at the 9:30 Club) gets in the way sometimes.

While you’re anxiously waiting for me to get it together, I implore you to go say goodbye to Napa 1015 down on H St. I just got off the phone with Jorge and he’s been truly humbled by the outpouring of good will from neighborhood folks coming by for one last meal to say goodbye. This Saturday, October 24th, is your last opportunity for a meal at Napa – enjoy it while you can!  Of course, Jorge reminded me, all is not lost – their excellent catering company, Napa Valley Caterers, is still going strong and you should consider them for your next event!  Coming soon, on and off the Hill, along with a safety alert, after the jump…

On the comings front, I hope that you’ll indulge me for a moment while I tell you about a new arrival off the Hill.  Birch & Barley/ChurchKey is the new spot from the Neighborhood Restaurant Group, their first in the District. I’ve waxed poetic on my love of the oat soda in the past, so it should come as no surprise to you that if I didn’t have a prior obligation this evening, I would be the first person in the door when they open.  My friend the Prince of Petworth has a preview (and a more detailed explanation of the concept) with fantastic photos of their beer organ. Yes  I said BEER ORGAN. I’m a huge fan of NRG and am happy to see them finally make their way across the river.  The burger at Columbia Firehouse in Old Town is the best I’ve had in the DC area. No idea if something similar (made with NRG’s own Red Apron meats) will be on the menu at B&B/CK, but I’ve yet to be disappointed in the food at any of the NRG spots, and I’m enthusiastically optimistic that this will be no exception.  The great blog 14th & You also has an informative preview.  B&B/CK is at 1337 14th St. NW, at the corner of 14th and Rhode Island, where Dakota Cowgirl/Hamburger Mary’s used to be.

Lastly, I’m going to combine a quick note about a “coming” with a safety warning.  I was going to SOVA the other night, and noticed that there’s some squatting going on in the building at the corner of 14th and H NE, where Angelico le Pizzeria is going to be. I mentioned it to the folks at SOVA, who confirmed that they’d noticed it as well. That’s a dark corner of H St., so I encourage you to be safe and alert walking there at night.  The upside is that the construction looks to be coming along nicely, and I, for one, am excited for the day that the Hill will finally have another pizza delivery option. I’ve had a few of Angelico’s pies from their outposts in Old Town and Mt. Pleasant, and they’re far better than anything we’ve got going here on the Hill (as far as delivery pizza goes).  I still can’t understand why our otherwise fantastic neighborhood manages to have the worst pizza delivery options of any neighborhood west of the river (maybe DG-Rad can enlighten us regarding options east of the river – I can’t imagine they’re worse than what we’ve got), but at least Angelico is a step in the right direction.