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P&C co-owner Chase Moore and employee Debbie McCartney greet
customers at P&C Market, at Lincoln Park. Photo: Celeste McCall
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Gourmet and Organic Array at P&C Market
If you haven’t made it to P&C Market, just off Lincoln Park, you should definitely stop in. You won’t leave empty handed. The initials represent the owners’ names: Chase Moore and Pablo Espitia. On a recent visit, as we poked around the tiny but well-stocked shop, we found eggs, steaks, ground beef, sausages and pork chops and even dog treats from Polyface Inc., in the Shenandoah Valley. Featured in the “Omnivore’s Dilemma” by Michael Pollan, the farm is operated by Joel Salatin and his family, who humanely raise chickens, rabbits, pigs and other livestock, sans chemicals or other additives. (Salatin recently received a $100,000 Heinz award for his eco-friendly enterprise.)
P&C cheeses come from around the world and close to home including Caromont goat cheese from Virginia. From Spain’s Basque region are packets of Ortiz bouqerones, delicious white anchovies. After seeing all this wonderful food, we had to try the sandwiches, Italian and imported Black Forest ham, piled on Bonaparte Breads (baked in Fells Point, Baltimore, which also supplies the French Embassy.) If you want P&C sandwiches, better get there early.
Boasting an extensive wine selection, P&C hosts tastings every Sunday from 3 to 5 p.m. The wide array of teas come from Mariage Freres, a prestigious Paris teahouse dating from 1854 which exports to only a dozen US high-end outlets. For coffee drinkers, P&C carries the Central Coffee Roasters brand, an organic, fair-trade firm in Sperryville, Virginia.
P&C is the only place near Lincoln Park where you can order coffee and/or sandwiches and relax in the garden, part of the adjacent Surroundings garden shop and landscaping. Closed Tuesday, P&C Market is located at 1023 East Capitol SE. Call 202-640-1967 or visit www.pandcmarket.com.
Happy Yappy Update
Last month we reported on the loss of Village Gallery’s beloved standard poodle, Winston, who succumbed to old age at 13. We are happy to report that proprietors Claire Southerlin and Alan Braley have adopted an adorable puppy--another standard poodle--named Casey. The rambunctious, 9-week old black and white pooch came from an 8-pup litter from a Maryland breeder, Parti Poodles. (Black and white poodles are rather rare, I learned, as Casey nuzzled my camera and notes.) If you want to meet Casey, Village Gallery–which carries stylish clothing, gifts and wonderful art-- is located at 705 North Carolina Ave. SE; 202-546-3040. www.thevillageoncapitolhill.com.
CHAW Lights Up
Be sure to check out the enhanced facade of the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, 545 Seventh St. SE. It’s a hoot, especially at night. Nearly two years in the making, the new look was cleverly executed by a trio of CHAW artists -- Bruce McKaig, Carolina Mayorga and Scott Hunter, and the help of Scott’s assistant Hector and Carolina’s brother Juan. The four pillars on CHAW’s red brick front are painted barber-pole style in primary and secondary colors. Metal cut-outs representing theater, ballet, music and painting complete the image. Crowning the whole shebang are 25 solar-powered globe lights that change colors.
“The project started with conversations with Jill Strachan, Executive Director at CHAW,” said lead artist Bruce McKaig, who also chairs CHAW’s photography department. “We wanted [the building’s appearance] to identify it as a place where art happens.”
Funding came from The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (a Pubic Art Building Communities grant). Other support came from Frager’s Hardware, which donated paint and ladders; Grandin Road, Inc. (discount for the lighting); Pam Meeks (local artist who cut the metal shapes); and Siobhan Hanna and Tom Collier (who paid for the lights). Look for more CHAW building changes in the near future.
Literary bash
We’re already looking forward to the Literary Feast, slated for Saturday, October 24.
Each year, dozens of Capitol Hill homes host dinner parties, and each menu is designed around a well-known book. This year’s choices include “Julie and Julia” (surprise, surprise), “Shogun,” “Lake Wobegon Days,” “Old Man and the Sea,” “Animal, Vegetable and Miracle,” and 25 others.
To sign up, go to info@aliteraryfeast.com and select four favorite titles. You will be assigned one, along with the address of the dinner host. “Feasts” go from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., followed by dessert and entertainment at Eastern Market’s North Hall. Tickets start at $75 (worth every penny) and proceeds benefit Sports on the Hill, an all-volunteer, youth sports organization.
Two years ago we picked “The Other Boleyn Girl,” by Philippa Gregory. Peter and I dressed up as Henry VIII and his paramour, Mary Boleyn (who fared better than her over-ambitious sister Anne). Thus attired, we strolled up East Capitol to enjoy a sumptuous feat at our host’s home.
Dining update
The Eastern Market restaurant scene is perking up. Look for Seventh Hill pizzeria, which opened recently next to parent restaurant Montmartre. Emerging from the woodburning oven are 11 kinds of pizza–with neighborhood names like Lincoln Park, Navy Yard and Stanton Park. Appointed with bright yellow stools and black and white flooring, Seventh Hill also makes soups and paninis. The beverage list includes American beers as well as Bob’s South African Pinotage, Cabernet, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. Ten percent of Bob’s sales go to non-profit, international aid agencies fighting the AIDS pandemic in Africa. Seventh Hill is at 327 Seventh St. SE; 202-544-1911 or www.seventhHILL.com.
Frager’s Hardware got a new neighbor when Dulce Café opened in early September at 1123 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. Managed by James Riley (whom we remember from Chinatown’s Matchbox), and husband and wife team Nyika and Clifton Humphries, the newcomer offers an American menu an assortment of sliders, pastas, seafood and steaks. The chef is William Redd, who’s also cooked at Harry’s Tap Room in Rockville. We peeked into Dulce’s appealing interior, with striped booths and window-view tables and chairs. Upstairs is the attractive, brown-toned lounge; an alcohol license is pending. Starting in October, Dulce will serve lunch Tuesday through Saturdays; dinner from 4 to 9 p.m. www.dulcedc.com.
And Park Café, located off Lincoln Park at 106 13th St. SE, is 20 years old. Operated by Chilean-born Alcione Vinet, what started as a casual, byob Latino eatery is now a high end restaurant, which hosts art openings regularly. Park Café is open daily; call 202-543-0184 or www.parkcafedc.com.
As the economic downturn continues to take its toll, two more restaurants have closed: the cozy 2 Quail, 320 Massachusetts Ave. NE and the Hill’s only Vietnamese eatery, Pacific Café, 1129 Pennsylvania Ave. SE.
Tribute to Larry Feathers
We are mourning the death of Larry Feathers, a wonderful friend and neighbor, who died at his home September 4. Larry, who was 72, owned and managed the apartment building at 914 South Carolina Avenue SE, next to our townhouse. We shared a love for travel, music and theater, and spent many happy hours gabbing over our back fence. Whenever something in our house broke down (which was often) or our push lawn mower needed sharpening, Larry was always there to help. In fact, Feathers had purchased and renovated countless homes on the Hill.
Born in Duncansville, Pennsylvania, Feathers was a graduate of Penn State, where he majored in music and later became a teacher. That passion for music remained with him for the rest of his life. We often heard him playing his baby grand piano at home through the building walls.
Feathers’ funeral and burial was in Altoona, Pennsylvania. He is survived by a brother, William Zane, a sister, Sandra Claar, and numerous nieces and nephews. |
