A Dupont Circle coffee shop is only days away from coming back to the neighborhood after an almost two-month absence.
Saxbys Coffee is set to reopen next Monday at 1303 19th St. NW, which is two doors from its old location at 1309 19th St. NW, according to a Tumblr post from the Philadelphia-based coffee company.
The 1309 19th Street outpost closed June 30 after a new group of owners decided to move the franchise down the road to the new space, which is larger. The group also owns Saxbys shops in Georgetown and downtown.
The new shop will have cold brew coffee, which it plans to give out for free on its opening day. The first 10 customers every hour that day also will get free travel mugs.
Jim Hilson, a co-owner and general manager of the new Saxbys, told Borderstan last month that the coffeehouse is intended to serve as a “community gathering space.” As part of its effort to reach out to the neighborhood, the shop is looking for artists to hang their works on its walls.
“Our focus on providing extreme generosity comes from thoughtful time and attention to detail,” Saxbys spokesman Justin Pizzi said in an email. “In accordance with our entrepreneurial heartbeat, we actively serve our community and support the dreamers and doers.”
Photo via Instagram/Saxbys Coffee
Out with the old, in with the new, says Saxbys Coffee.
A new group of owners plan to open a larger outpost for the Philly-based coffee company at 1303 19th St. NW, just two doors from the Saxbys at 1309 19th St. NW, which closed for good last Thursday.
“I think it’s going to be beautiful looking new space,” said Jim Hilson, co-owner and general manager of the new Saxbys. Hilson and two other business partners — who also own Saxbys shops in Georgetown and downtown — purchased the Dupont franchise from its former owner earlier this year.
The shop could open with a few new menu items by the end of this month, said Hilson. “We will have a couple new offerings including nitro cold brew coffee,” he added. “That’s an exciting addition.”
When it does open, he said patrons should expect the cafe to double as a “community gathering space.”
“[We try] to do our part to be a good neighbor,” Hilson said. “That’s something that could be a real opportunity to integrate the new cafe with the neighborhood.”
Rendering courtesy of Saxbys Coffee
New post: ANNOUNCEMENT: The Meetup On February 6 Is Cancelled https://t.co/QyXpL9pVlM
— Roosh (@rooshv) February 4, 2016
(Updated at 3:17 p.m.) The controversial meetup that threatened to fill Dupont Circle with followers of a men’s rights blog is cancelled, says the blog’s founder.
Daryush Valizadeh, who also goes by the name Roosh V and runs the notorious “masculinity” blog Return of Kings, appeared to call off the event in a post he wrote last night:
I can no longer guarantee the safety or privacy of the men who want to attend on February 6, especially since most of the meetups can not be made private in time. While I can’t stop men who want to continue meeting in private groups, there will be no official Return Of Kings meetups. The listing page has been scrubbed of all locations. I apologize to all the supporters who are let down by my decision.
Look below the Salty Dog Tavern and you’ll find Dupont Circle’s newest gay bar.
The hangout, called the Woof Den Sports Bar, opened in the former basement space of the Black Fox Lounge at 1723 Connecticut Ave. NW last month, reported the Blade.
Though the Woof Den and the upstairs Salty Dog Tavern have separate entrances, they’re owned by the same person, said several employees behind the bar.
The bar has several televisions and two pool tables. According to the Blade, Woof Den “plans to coordinate bar events with the bear community in the coming months.”
Another bear-centric gay bar, Uproar, opened in Shaw last month.
Thomas Foolery (2029 P St. NW), which closed for a “holiday break” in December, will reopen under new ownership in the coming months, according to owner Steve Davis.
Davis said the playful hangout known for serving candy, beer floats and grilled cheese will remain closed while the new owner “[gets] his business together.” He added that, for the time being, the new owner wishes to remain anonymous. (more…)
Some of the District’s most popular Capital Bikeshare stations might be in your backyard.
The bike rental program shared its top 10 list of busiest stations yesterday. According to Bikeshare, more than 3.2 million people cycled through its service in 2015, its busiest year to date.
Where did riders frequently hop on? The two most popular stations last year were Columbus Circle/Union Station and the Lincoln Memorial, Bikeshare said. The stations at Massachusetts Avenue NW and Dupont Circle, Jefferson Drive and 14th Street NW and 15th and P streets NW followed close behind.
Bikeshare also noted that the station at Thomas Circle was its “most used station for transferring bikes being rebalanced back to empty stations,” and coined a clever nickname for the station at New Hampshire Avenue and T Street NW: the “monster.”
A man looking to meet someone for a date at a Dupont hotel was beaten and robbed instead this weekend, police said.
The violent robbery happened in the Renaissance Dupont Circle Hotel at 1143 New Hampshire Ave. NW about 2 a.m. Saturday.
The man was entering the hotel room of a person he met through a dating website when three people ambushed him, according to authorities. The three individuals then hit the victim in the face before one of them grabbed his wallet with $260.
(Updated at 6:25 a.m. Friday) The owners of a now-shuttered bar in Dupont are scrapping the green light and “other gimmicks” of the faux speakeasy in its Shaw reboot, a representative of the new cocktail destination said this week.
Like The Sheppard in Dupont, Morris is named after Senator Morris Sheppard, author of the 18th Amendment, which established Prohibition. But unlike The Sheppard, Morris will have a sign on the door when it opens in street-facing retail space at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, said the representative, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
“There will be no secret to finding Morris,” the representative said. “Co-owners Vinoda Basnayake and Spike Mendelsohn want guests to focus on the cocktail bar and product rather than any other gimmicks.”
Morris is slated to begin slinging drinks in early 2016.
The Sheppard has been closed since a “light renovation” began in July, according to its Twitter account. The building that housed The Sheppard at 1337 Connecticut Ave. NW came under new ownership in November, according to the Morris representative.
Photo via Twitter/JMorrisSheppard
A thief with a knife robbed a man having a smoke break in Dupont last night, police said.
The robbery happened just outside The Drake apartments at 1355 17th St. NW about 9:30 p.m. The building is about two blocks east of the Dupont Circle park.
The victim was smoking behind The Drake when a man approached him, flashing a knife, according to authorities. The man with the knife then ordered the victim to hand over his money.
The victim told the man he didn’t have any money, police said. The man with the knife then directed the victim to get cash and took the victim’s cell phone as collateral.
Soon after, the victim left and came back with $40, according to authorities. The man with the knife took the money and returned the victim’s phone before fleeing.
Authorities have not released a suspect description.
Police today also distributed two videos in an effort to find individuals wanted in a burglary at Duke’s Grocery in Dupont and a theft from a car in Columbia Heights.
The burglary at Duke’s (1513 17th St. NW) occurred the morning of Oct. 27. The theft happened on the 3400 block of 11th Street NW about 2:15 p.m. on Monday.
In the burglary footage, two men are seen climbing into Duke’s through a window. They then are joined by another man as they wander throughout the restaurant.
The theft video shows a man walking around and standing near a red pickup truck.
Crime Solvers of Washington, D.C., currently offers a reward of up to $1,000 to anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for a crime committed in the District of Columbia. Your assistance is appreciated by your community.
Anyone who can identify these individuals or who has knowledge of this incident should take no action but call police at 202-727-9099 or text your tip to the Department’s TEXT TIP LINE to 50411.
Videos via the Metropolitan Police Department
(UPDATE: We finally found Fieri)
ALERT: Guy Fieri is coming to town. REPEAT: We are at level five Fieri.
The prince of pulled pork will cruise his red “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” convertible up and down several D.C. streets — including the block of M Street between 18th and 19th streets NW — on Friday, according an earlier notice on the District’s Office of Cable Television, Music, and Entertainment website. Fieri will also possibly make an appearance on H Street NE. [Update: The city office removed the page from its website this morning, but the show’s production company confirmed that he’d be there when we called earlier. And naturally, we took a screenshot before it went down.]
Where will Fieri be when he visits M Street? The answer to that question is … complicated. As it turns out, Fieri is kind of a hard guy to track. But that didn’t stop us from spending the whole day looking for him.
Here’s what we know: Fieri and crew will park along the 1800 block of M Street NW some time between the hours of 5 a.m. and 3 p.m. There are a handful of eateries along that block that appear to be logical destinations for a mucho-grande food fan, such as Bub and Pop’s (1815 M St. NW) or Sign of the Whale (1825 M St. NW).
So, we paid them both a visit. Employees behind the counter at Bub and Pop’s said they hadn’t heard a peep. A reader pointed out this afternoon that Bub and Pop’s is closed for a “special event” on Friday and Saturday, but Arlene Wagner, a partner at Bub and Pop’s, said, “we don’t know anything about it.” Wagner continued: “We’ve had that event booked weeks in advance. We would love it if he came here, though.”
Likewise, Sign of the Whale marketing manager Kelly Harwood said she hadn’t heard anything about a potential visit from the baron of roast-beefy.
Alright, so maybe he wants … soup? There’s a Soupergirl (1829 M St. NW) on that block. Maybe he’s trying to get healthy? But a visit to Soupergirl revealed nothing, though an employee behind the counter said he could “neither confirm nor deny a visit.” What about OKI Bowl and Sake Bar (1817 M St NW)? Nada. The employees there said they didn’t even know he was coming to town.
What else is on the block? Chipotle, Capriotti’s, Qdoba are all chain restaurants, so they’re out. Could it be the new-ish steampunk bar 1831? We checked, and nope. MPire and Camelot, given their business models, seem unlikely. The employees at House of Kabob (1829 M St. NW) said they hadn’t heard anything. Could it be Parlay (1827 M St. NW) or Ozio (1813 M St. NW)? It’s possible, but likely a dead end like the rest — though we will admit both bars did not return our request for comment.
Citizen Pictures, the company that produces and films the show, declined to say exactly where Fieri would be. Production Manager Michael Clayton said trips like this are kept secretive for a “myriad of reasons.”
“We keep things on a need-to-know basis prior to filming,” he said. “You’ll probably hear about this from the establishments involved after the fact, but until then no information has been released.”
It could also be that someone is lying to us. We just don’t know. So, the hunt for Fieri’s red convertible continues. Let us know if you’ve seen or heard where he might be on Friday. If you do, there’s a box of microwave jalapeno poppers in it for you. We mean that.
Photo courtesy of Guy Fieri.com
(Update: A DeLorean will be at this event after all)
We may not be taking our hover-boards to see Jaws 19 in theaters, but later this month, Fantom Comics will hold a party to celebrate the day that Marty McFly landed in the future in the 1989 movie “Back to the Future Part II.”
The Dupont Circle comic store will hold a party on the night of Oct. 21 featuring Back to the Future costume, impression and trivia contests in celebration of Marty McFly’s arrival on Oct. 21, 2015.
Fantom owner Matthew Klokel has planned to hold a Back to the Future day party for years.
“I’ve personally been planning for this party for 12 or 13 years,” he said. “At the time I didn’t own a comic store, but I can’t think of a better venue.”
There will be a $5 cover charge for the party to help Fantom pay for its temporary liquor license so it can serve movie-themed drinks. Klokel said he plans to collaborate with a local bartender to formulate special themed drinks with names like “Biff Brew.”
One thing that won’t be at the party is a replica of the movie’s famous DeLorean time machine.
“Getting a DeLorean for Back to the Future day was going to cost five figures. I looked it up,” said Klokel. “It would be cheaper to get a Lamborghini and paint it like a DeLorean.”
Still, Klokel said he’s ready for the “hardcore committed geeks” that he hopes the party attracts, with plans to show clips of the movie and hold trivia, costume and impression contests to win gift cards to the comic store.
“Christmas comes every year but this is the only Back to the Future day,” Klokel said. “I missed the day he goes to in 1885 by almost a century, so this is really my last chance.”
It’s Definitely the Heat — If it’s feeling stuffy in the Dupont Metro station, there’s a reason for that. As of yesterday a hard-to-fix cooling leak turned up the heat on both DuPont and Farragut North. [Washington Post]
Embassy Revival — The former Italian Embassy on the border of Adams Morgan and Columbia Heights that has long been slated for a condo conversion has been sold to a Dallas-based real estate developer. [Washington Business Journal]
Nice Digs — In other embassy news, Local News Now alum Ethan Rothstein has an interesting look at what will become a swanky building for Chinese embassy workers. [Biz Now]
Pop-up Sidelined — A pop-up in Shaw that had the support of both the District’s zoning board and the local ANC has been sidelined because one ANC commissioner had problem with the design. [DC Urban Turf]
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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Remember Soccer in the Circle last year for the FIFA Men’s Cup? No such luck this year, but the USA Women’s Soccer Team plays France in the semifinals of the Women’s FIFA World Cup Championships. The game is Wednesday at 11:30 am and you can watch on the TV. (Luis Gomez Photos)
From Laura Herman and Scott Leibowitz. Follow Laura on Twitter @Lmhhabs and Scott @Lebodome.
Preview From Lebodome
This is it for Team USA, two games to go, one game at a time: we’re playing France today in the semifinals of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2011. Anything but the championship trophy at this point would be a major disappointment as the other major soccer powers are gone (Germany, England, Brazil). Many pundits have called this the “redeem team” so the expectations are lofty. If Team USA wins, they’ll play the winner of the other semi between Japan and Sweden.
In my mind, the biggest stumbling block for Team USA is themselves and having an emotional letdown after such a miraculous win. Scoring early has been key and will be again against a crafty French team. It will be interesting to see who the local German fans support in this match, but Americans have been loud all tournament. For more insight try either this ESPN preview or this one (actual soccer strategy ain’t my expertise). Enjoy the game. USA! USA!
Details, Where We’ll Watch the Game
Team USA faces off against France at 11:30 am EST on Wednesday, July 13. Remember that player Lori Lindsey lives here in Borderstan when she’s not playing with the Philadelphia Independence.
We all know how sub-par watching a game via livecast from your desk is, so duck out during lunch and catch the game at your local sports bar.
Our pick is Touchdown (1334 U Street NW), which has quickly become one of our favorite soccer bars in the city. As part of their commitment to moving beyond just American football and baseball by showcasing sports like soccer and cricket, as well as WOMENS SPORTS (gurrrrlpower!), they’ll be opening EARLY today and showing the women’s soccer game on the flatscreens throughout their two main floors.
To make your (extended) lunch break even better, they’ll be offering food and drink specials: $3 beers and $1 fish tacos.
If this watch party is anything like Touchdown’s Cricket World Cup Party, you won’t want to miss it. Check out Laura’s review from earlier this Spring for a preview of what to expect.
We can’t wait to beat France just before Bastille Day…
Eyes to the sky: Will you be waiting for the rapture on Saturday? (Photo: “Lincoln Memorial Photographers” by Luis Gomez)
From Laura Herman of LauraLikesThis. Laura is also a contributor over at Brightest Young Things; you can find her on Twitter @Lmhhabs.
With just two days to go until the rapture/end of the world on Saturday, I really have high hopes for this weekend. Lots going on throughout the city and locally in Borderstan. Here are my top picks for where you should be eating, drinking, shopping, and dancing this weekend:
Thursday, May 19
The Capitol Deal is hosting a happy hour at Current Sushi (1215 Connecticut Avenue NW) from 5 to 6:30 pm featuring FREE Peroni and Svedka cocktails in addition to Current’s usual happy hour specials, including $4 sushi, from 5 to 7 pm. Run, don’t walk.
After you’ve happy hour-ed, walk across the street and check out the recently-opened Shake Shack at 1216 18th Street NW. Rumor has it the lines are still long, but everything I’m reading has my mouth watering. Check out some good coverage on Eater DC here.
