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Mystery Chair
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August in the District is well established as dog days of summer territory. Vacationers return from the beach, classes resume, and the last of the summer interns depart. The slow pace of August also makes it the ideal time to check out new happenings and spots on H Street. Here are a few you won’t want to miss.
Afro-Latin Fusion Comes to H Street
I recently met with Andrew Agak, owner of the new restaurant Drew. Drew will open in the coming months at 1245 H St. NE in the space formerly occupied by Hill’s Carpet. The building is surprisingly wide, and, at over 5,000 square feet spread over three stories, it’s quite spacious. Right now they are still in rebuild mode (they did a total clean-out gut job).
The cuisine will be of four types: African, South American, American and blends of the three. They plan to offer a full bar on each level. Drew is a restaurant, rather than a bar, and will accordingly focus on the beer and wine list. Beer drinkers will be happy to know they plan to offer some beers on tap. An unexpected delight is the gelato they will serve.
Of the three stories, only the first will be dedicated to dining full time. The second floor will be available for private parties, and the third floor will be used only for private parties. It is the second floor that features a rear deck. All in all the total capacity is expected to be around 160 people with room for 70 on the first floor.
Before settling on H Street, Agak, who has been in the restaurant business in DC for about 10 years, considered Cleveland Park and Adams Morgan as possible locations for his newest venture. In explaining his choice of location, he cites the growth opportunities, strong future potential for the area, and a chance to create a business that will answer the growing demand for more upscale dining options on the corridor.
Once Drew opens, it expects to serve up food and drinks six to seven days a week (they may be closed on Mondays). Drew will offer both Saturday and Sunday brunch.
Rags to Riches
A recent addition to the north side of the 1400 block of H Street NE is Rags to Riches (1404 H St. NE, rags2richesvintage.com). The ’70s/’80s vintage, and vintage style, boutique, which opened in October, is the brainchild of owner Erica Rice. It grew out of a successful closet cleaning played out on eBay. Rice, who holds a bachelor’s degree in criminology and previously worked for both the DC and the federal government, found that she enjoyed the process of selecting and selling vintage clothing. In fact, she liked it so much that she became interested in exploring it as a face-to-face business venture. Rice, who grew up in Northwest Washington, lives with her family on Capitol Hill. For this reason, she originally considered renting space at Eastern Market. A friend, however, convinced her otherwise, and she began shopping locations locally. In describing her reasons for choosing H Street NE, Rice talked about how she feels that H Street really has its own personality and a strong sense of individuality. She feels that it is really in the process of coming up and growing into a bright future. Rice hopes she can provide the wardrobe. Offerings range widely in price and run from clothing, to bags, to sunglasses and other accessories. For the bargain minded, she keeps a large basket of $10 vintage items.
Downward Dog
Those seeking to expand their horizons can start by stretching their muscles at a local yoga class.Bikram Yoga Capitol Hill (410 H St. NE, www.bikramyogacapitolhill.com) offers hot yoga. Those with tiny budgets can partake in the free yoga class (Mondays 7-8 p.m.) at the Joseph H. Cole Recreation Center (1200 Morse St. NE). Those seeking guidance and a little extra push can try personal training at Fitness Together (408 H St. NE, www.ftcapitolhill.com). Local recreation centers (Sherwood, Joseph Cole, Trinidad, Rosedale) offer fitness options at little or no cost. Relax post workout with a massage from Healthy Motions (702 K St. NE, www.healthymotions.com).
New Happenings at Familiar Places
Palace of Wonders (1210 H St. NE, www.palaceofwonders.com) recently introduced a weekly Sunday night stand-up called Chaos Comedy. Advertised as “Comedy that will eat your face” (the flyer depicts an alien host), the event is free of charge, and begins at 9 p.m. For ages 21 and over only.
Sova Espresso and Wine (1359 H St. NE, www.sovadc.com) hosted a very successful square dancing event during a recent Bluegrass Thursday (every other Thursday). While, I’ve been given no guarantees that the dancing will occur at all future Bluegrass nights, the owner of Sova (Frank Hankins) was enthusiastic about the results and said that he hoped to have more dancing in the future. Those interested in catching the show, but reluctant to join in can enjoy a beer, glass of wine, or a craft cocktail at the bar.
The Argonaut (1433 H St. NE, www.argonautdc.com) has recently introduced DJ nights upstairs on Fridays and Saturdays. Music type varies by the night, but a recent Friday featured funk/soul offerings with some Brazilian rhythms thrown in for good measure.
On the Western Front
I recently spoke with Anwar Saleem of H Street Main Street (www.hstreet.org) about the façade rehabilitation program and how it’s helping some buildings in the 400 block of H get a much needed facelift. H Street Main Street runs the program, which is privately funded through grants. The organization works with business and property owners to improve the exterior look of a building. Right now they are focused on working on 11-12 buildings on the north side of the 400 block of H Street. They do this with the understanding that the 400, 500 and 600 blocks will be the first blocks with completed streetscape changes. The idea is to make the 400 block of H a model block, showing others that a little vision, time and money can really work wonders for these old buildings and the corridor as a whole. Plans are still out with the architects, but if you see a crew out power washing, re-pointing, repainting or otherwise working, know what that work will yield.
Arrivals and Departures
Remember how the Red and the Black (1212 H St. NE, www.redandblackbar.com) used to have a barebones patio where people would go only to smoke or make phone calls? Remember when that patio closed for renovations? Well the renovations are done, and it was worth the wait. Out back you’ll now find the Voodoo Patio. Like the rest of the bar, the patio is New Orleans themed. Unlike the rest of the bar, you couldn’t be forgiven if you missed that fact. Local Artist Lee Wheeler, who has worked on many of H Street’s watering holes (including the H Street Country Club, 1335 H St. NE, www.thehstreetcountryclub.com), is behind the distinctive look of the back patio. Completing the New Orleans feel is a little greenery that you can enjoy while sipping your beer at one of the back tables.
Mystery Chair
I received an e-mail from a reader recently inquiring about a wooden chair attached to a pole in the 300 block of H Street. Although I assume the chair is part of an art project of some sort, my efforts to uncover the source of, or motivation behind the erecting of the chair came to naught. Does anyone know the secret behind the chair?
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