Bike Shadows by ekelly80 from the Borderstan Flickr pool.

Photos of the Day are pulled from the Borderstan Reader Photos pool on Flickr.

Today’s photo, Bike Shadows is by ekelly80. The photo was taken May 1 on Connecticut Avenue.

If you don’t already have a Flickr account, you will need to sign up for one, and then join the Borderstan Reader Photos group. Already a Flickr member? Join the group! You can submit up to five photos per day in the Borderstan reader pool. We are looking for photos from DC’s Dupont, Logan and U Street neighborhoods.

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Bar, Food and Fun is by anokarina from the Borderstan Flickr pool.

Photos of the Day are pulled from the Borderstan Reader Photos pool on Flickr.

Today’s photo, Bar, Food and Fun is by anokarina. The photo was taken April 20 on Connecticut Avenue.

If you don’t already have a Flickr account, you will need to sign up for one, and then join the Borderstan Reader Photos group. Already a Flickr member? Join the group! You can submit up to five photos per day in the Borderstan reader pool. We are looking for photos from DC’s Dupont, Logan and U Street neighborhoods.

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ArtJamz Bazaar, Sunday April 14, on Connecticut Avenue NW. (Luis Gomez Photos)

What can be better than art? Well, a local art bazaar. ArtJamz, that wonderful and creative place, will be hosting an Artz Bazaar, Sunday, April 14, from noon to 4 pm at its studio. ArtJamz recently moved to a new location at  1728 Connecticut Avenue NW. They will be showcasing the works of local professional artists.

“ArtJamz is more than just painting and drinking; we’re here to support the Washington DC metro arts scene,” said Chief Creative Enabler Michael M. Clements. “We feel we can do that by giving our team of ArtJamz Creative Enablers as well as local artists a chance to showcase and sell their work at our Dupont Studio.”

Pieces are priced between $35 and $500, but the event is free. Come early and meet the artists, listen to the music, enjoy the wine and beer and buy art.

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Galactica performing at the Black Fox Lounge. (Luis Gomez Photos)

Do you want to have a good time sipping on a cocktail and listening to a great local performer? Then head to the Black Fox Lounge (1723 Connecticut Avenue) and help Galactica kick off her second season of Happy Hour Fun.

Friday, April 12, the  Black Fox Lounge will be host to the Special Agent Galactica.  This Friday will feature Heather Nadolny, Christopher Harris, Alan Gendreau and Elizabeth Hallacy accompanied by LaTiDo pianist, Zack Ford. Do not miss this season of fun and good music every second and fourth Friday of the month. Shows are at 6 pm to 9 pm, no cover charge.

Jeffrey Johnson, Galactica’s alter ego has said: “She is a very elusive person and our relationship is on a need-to-know basis. I manage her performance details and bookings and that’s all I’m really allowed to know.

“I do know that she works for a privately funded/run securities organization referred to as ‘The Agency,’ and that she has been involved in many top secret, yet highly publicized, missions,” said Johson. (See Borderstan People: Special Agent Galactica.)

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From Rachel Nania. Check out her blog, Sear, Simmer & Stir. Follow Nania on Twitter @rnania, email her at rachel[AT]borderstan.com.

GBD expected to open Friday at 1323 Connecticut Avenue NW. (Rachel Nania)

On Tuesday night, GBD gave a little preview of things to come. And let me just tell you: Dupont, it was worth the wait. The Luther, alone, people… The Luther, alone.

Opening this Friday at 1323 Connecticut Avenue NW, GBD will offer doughnuts and Mad Cap coffee in the morning, fried chicken for lunch and and additional appetizers, paired with a bar menu, in the evening. (And since GBD is affiliated with Neighborhood Restaurant Group, you know the bar menu will be stellar.)

The place is being run by Chef Kyle Bailey and Pastry Chef Tiffany MacIssac, both from Logan Circle’s Birch & Barley. And the team is bringing in the expertise of DC beer guru Greg Engert.

Don’t miss:

• The chocolate filled brioche doughnut  (with milk chocolate glaze with Cocoa Krispies)
• The coffee cake doughnut (with spice glaze, oatmeal streusel and vanilla icing)
• The Luther (doughnut buns, fried chicken in the middle, bacon)
• Any of the fried chicken selections

GBD is expected to open on Friday, April 5. See you there.

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Crime news from Dupont-Logan-U Street.

DC Police reported a gun robbery at 12:26 pm today, March 24, at Leroy Place and Phelps Place NW. The intersection is one block west of Connecticut Avenue and two blocks north of S Street NW. The lookout is for two men in their early 30s wearing all dark clothing; more details are below.

From the Police Alert: “Robbery Gun_ 1226hrs_ Leroy & Phelphs Pl NW_LOF: 2 B/M’s 30-35 YOA, WEARING ALL DARK CLOTHING, ARMED W/A BLACK HANDGUN DO NOT TAKE ACTION CALL 911 W/EVENT I20130132893.”

From the DC Police Twitter feed: “2D ROBBERY GUN; Leroy & Phelps PL NW. LOF: 2 B/M’s 30-35 YOA, WEARING ALL DARK CLOTHING, ARMED W/A BLACK HANDGUN, L/S 2200 BLK S ST NW/2609.”

Police Alerts, More Information

You can sign up for alerts through Alert DC and get alerts  by e-mail, cell phone, pager or wireless PDA. When signing up, you can select alerts on crime, transportation, utility outages/issues, government closings, breaking news, DC-sponsored events and Amber Alerts. You can follow the DC Police on Twitter @DCPoliceDept.

You can get more information about crime in the Borderstan area through the MPD listservs for the Second and Third Districts on Yahoo! Groups.

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From Rachel Nania. Check out her blog, Sear, Simmer & Stir. Follow Nania on Twitter @rnania, email her at rachel[AT]borderstan.com. 

A sports bar that serves chocolate tort and blueberry fried pie for dessert. (Rachel Nania)

Dupont Circle recently welcomed a new gastropub, just south of the circle. The Gryphon (1337 Connecticut Avenue NW) is the neighborhood’s latest fusion of a restaurant and sports bar.

Yes, it has 31 flat screen TVs, but the 5,000-square-foot space also has a robust wine list, craft beers, custom cocktails and a menu of upscale/reinvented bar food from from Executive Chef Joseph Evans.

Think: Korean braised short rib tacos, mussels with lamb sausage, kale salad, a blackened bison burger and a coco and chipotle rubbed sirloin. Oh, and a chocolate tort and blueberry fried pie are for dessert.

With The Gryphon, gone are the days of football games with mediocre wings and Miller Lite.

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From Rachel Nania. Check out her blog, Sear, Simmer & Stir. Follow Nania on Twitter @rnania, email her at rachel[AT]borderstan.com.

Keys to Mari Vanna

Those who hold the key to Mari Vanna restaurant on a Monday also hold the key to an evening of special treatment.

Mari Vanna is kicking off its Key Monday series on March 11 from 9 pm until 1 am. Patrons who hold a key to the restaurant — identified by the signature Russian nesting doll keychain — are invited to head to the third floor cocktail lounge for an evening of music (provided by DJ Ivan) and a glass of free champagne. (Sorry, lads, the bubbly is only for the ladies.)

DC Eater reports that Mari Vanna hands out the coveted keys to a select number of VIPs, restaurant regulars and friends.

However, Mari Vanna says those without keys should ring the doorbell and see what happens. “With a little charm, you just might squeeze in.”

Mari Vanna is at 1141 Connecticut Avenue NW. The restaurant serves house infused vodkas and authentic Russian cuisine.

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ArtJamz is moving, but is staying in Dupont. (Luis Gomez Photos)

From Rachel Nania. Check out her blog, Sear, Simmer & Stir. Follow Nania on Twitter @rnania, email her at rachel[AT]borderstan.com.

Back in January, ArtJamz announced it was moving from it’s current Connecticut Avenue location and sliding down a few doors to expand its studio and also to potentially offer new art classes.

Well the time has come — ArtJamz will open its new 1,900-square-foot split-level loft at 1728 Connecticut Avenue NW on Thursday, March 7. The new space will be open to the public seven days a week.

“We are staying in the neighborhood, which we are so psyched about,” ArtJamz Founder and “Chief Creative Enabler” Michael M. Clements told Borderstan back in January.

The new location will also have an expanded bar menu, a new merchandise line (designed by Clements’ wife Anchyi Wei) and crowd-sourced online art-classes.

With the crowd-sourced classes, any potential instructor can pitch his/her class concept to ArtJamz online. Successful proposals will be published in an online marketplace for three weeks, and if enough students sign up, the instructor will be paid to lead the class at ArtJamz. The online marketplace will be live in April.

The new hours of operation will be Monday through Friday from 4 to 11:30 pm, Saturday from noon until midnight, and Sunday from noon until 8 pm.

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From Rachel Nania. Check out her blog, Sear, Simmer & Stir. Follow Nania on Twitter @rnania, email her at rachel[AT]borderstan.com.

GBD is coming to 1323 Connecticut Avenue NW, south of Dupont Circle. (Luis Gomez Photos)

We recently told you about a new fry-focused restaurant coming soon to Dupont Circle, GBD, which stands for Golden, Brown and Delicious.

The 1323 Connecticut Avenue NW spot is from Chef Kyle Bailey and Pastry Chef Tiffany MacIssac, both of Logan Circle’s Birch & Barley.

We recently caught up with a representative from Neighborhood Restaurant Group (NRG) to find out some more details on the fried chicken and doughnut eatery.

Borderstan: When did Tiffany and Kyle decide to start GBD and why?

NRG: Just after the opening of Birch & Barley, Tiffany and Michael Babin (the owner) began talking about opening a doughnut shop. At the time, the doughnuts on the brunch menu were getting rave reviews and no one in DC seemed to be filling that need for a doughnut shop yet. ChurchKey had played around with pairing the two items with their off-menu item “The Luther,” so there was some experimentation going on for quite some time.

Borderstan: The website says there will be appetizer options for the dinner menu — what will those be? Do you have some idea or any examples? 

NRG: The evening menu will have fried chicken dinners similar to those that have been offered at ChurchKey on Wednesdays; some additional mains, such as The Luther or Chicken Fried Steak; and a section of smaller dishes great for sharing, such as wings, chicken fried pickled green tomatoes, fries, etc.

Borderstan: What are some doughnut flavors diners can expect to see?

NRG: Grapefruit Campari Old Fashioned, Snicker’s, Apple Fritter, Coffee Cake, Tres Leches and Boozy-Butterscotch Bacon are some types of GBD doughnuts.

Borderstan: When is the anticipated opening date?

NRG: Just a few weeks away! Mid-March.

Borderstan: How many diners will GBD seat?

NRG: Approximately 50.

Borderstan: Why did Bailey MacIssac, choose Dupont Circle for the location?

NRG: Yola (the former tenant) actually sold Buzz Bakery pastries, so (NRG) had been working with them for a while and found out about the space becoming available. Dupont Circle was basically a perfect location for a concept that would pull triple duty, doing doughnuts and coffee in the morning, fried chicken lunches during the day and finally a bustling bar program and great comfort food in the evening.

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