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The newly refurbished neon sign atop the Penn Medical Center serves
as a beacon for Capitol Hill. photo: Andrew Lightman
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We’ve recently returned from a brief getaway to New Orleans, where we checked out the recovering restaurant scene (we were impressed by John Besh’s Luke, a Alsatian-style bistro).
The city is slowly recovering from Katrina’s flood devastation of four years ago, and the residents are resilient. (They also like to party, which helps a lot.)
Back home again, I noticed the refurbished neon sign atop the Penn Medical Building at 650 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, formerly a movie theater. The beautiful restoration was a joint venture of Bill Rouchell, owner of Maison Orleans Bed and Breakfast (414 Fifth St. SE), a McLean management firm and a New Orleans neon sign company. We were especially heartened to learn that New Orleans–where I used to live–was able to help us out.
For several years, Rouchell, former CHAMPS president who currently serves on the board of the Capitol Hill Business Improvement District (BID), had been asking Zumont Real Estate Management (McLean) to restore the Penn sign. Finally head honcho Rajai Zumont promised to try to find someone local for the job.
Then last March, Rouchell was visiting his native New Orleans for his mother’s 80th birthday. “I was staying in the condo of a friend, Coldwell Banker real estate agent Jim Simpson, when I noticed Neo Metix Neon & Sign Studio across the street,” Rouchell recalled. “The owner knew Simpson, and I hooked Metix up with Zumont. That got the ball rolling. Then, early last summer, I was having a margarita at La Plaza. I looked across the street and voila, the Penn sign was lit! It’s like a beacon on Capitol Hill,” added Rouchell, who grew up in the Crescent City’s Lower Ninth Ward. “And getting it restored was a labor of love.”
Happy days are here again?
Perhaps the recession is finally loosening its grip on our region, as new restaurants are starting to arrive on both sides of Capitol Hill. In a couple of months, Bistro Cacao is sliding into the spot vacated by the long-running Two Quail at 320 Massachusetts Ave. NE. The rew restaurant will dispense “French food in a casual atmosphere.” Then, about six months further down the line – just in time for spring -- look for a wine bar right next door, complete with an outdoor patio, ensconced in a former office building.
More arrivals
On Barracks Row, rumors have persisted about the empty space at the corner of 8th and E streets next to Chat’s Liquor which had been Ophelia’s Flowers and Gifts for decades. Possibilities have included a tapas spot and a wine bar. Now, it looks like a seafood restaurant and patio, reportedly to be called the Chesapeake Room, will open in that spot.
Meanwhile up on the “Avenue,” it looks like the spinoff of Spike Mendelsohn’s Good Stuff Eatery will debut around the end of January. The newcomer will be a pizza parlor next door at 307 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, formerly Zack’s Taverna, which the Mendelsohn family purchased last summer. Watch for updates.
And speaking of chef Spike: At the recent Blue Moon Burger Bash in New York, Spike took “Judges Favorite” honors with his “Prez Obama Burger.” For his prize winner, he piled applewood smoked bacon, crumbled blue cheese, red onion marmalade, horseradish mayonnaise, all on a fresh potato roll, served with a hand-spun toasted marshmallow shake. The only non-New Yorker invited to the event, Mendelsohn beat out Bobby Flay, Minetta Tavern (a Greenwich Village hot spot) and other well-known chefs and restaurants. Good Stuff Eatery is at 303 Pennsylvania Ave. SE; call 202-543-8222.
Hill’s Kitchen happenings
Here’s what’s been happening at Hill’s Kitchen, the snazzy gourmet cookware shop at 713 D Street, SE. Besides stocking all sorts of nifty cooking utensils, cookbooks and other foodie gifts, Hill’s Kitchen has been holding cooking classes, taught by various chefs. (My good friend and neighbor Ellie Heath has taken several Hill’s Kitchen classes and loves them.) The November lineup includes delicious sounding topics like vegetarian, apples, roasted chicken, bread baking, knife skills (basic and poultry), hand-made pasta, pies (almost sure to be a sellout), and fondue (yes, it’s coming back) and--most important this time of year: Thanksgiving Basics: A Guide for the Modern Cook, on November 21. For a complete list and exact times, click on www.hillskitchen.com, and to reserve a space in a cooking class, please email events@hillskitchen.com, indicating which class you want (in the subject line), plus your email address and phone number, and number of attendees. Once your reservation is confirmed, Hill’s Kitchen will accept payments of cash, gift certificates, Visa/MasterCard. For a refund, cancellations must be made 48 hours before class time. For more information, call 202-543-1997.
Correction
Whoops, we goofed. Last month, we listed an incorrect website for Toscana Café. The correct address is www.toscanacateringdc.com.
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