It looks as though a distillery restaurant and bar will open near the 14th and U street corridors soon.
District Distilling Company is undergoing final inspections and is on track to open at 1414 U St. NW “within the summer,” possibly in a matter of weeks, said one of the company’s co-owners when reached via the company’s general phone number today. Though the man did not provide his full name, the distillery’s owners have previously expressed a desire to remain anonymous.
A peek through the forthcoming restaurant and bar’s windows revealed an interior that looked nearly complete. Silver mash tuns and other pieces of brewing and distilling equipment could also be seen through one ground floor window.
When the business opens, it will likely serve its own bourbon, gin and vodka, according to Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau filings uncovered by the Washington City Paper. The two-story business will also have room for 170 people, according to a settlement agreement it struck with neighbors and Dupont’s ANC 2B last year.
A thief with a gun punched and robbed a man near a Logan Circle grocery store over the weekend, police said.
The armed robbery occurred in the alley behind the Whole Foods at 1440 P St. NW about 3:15 a.m. Sunday.
The victim was walking in the area when he heard footsteps, according to authorities. He then turned around, and a man hit him in the face.
A man with a knife vowed to cut up a McDonald’s manager at 14th and U streets NW last night, police said.
The threat was made inside the fast food restaurant about 8:45 p.m. Wednesday.
The man was waiting for a coffee from the manager when an argument broke out between them, according to authorities.
Rare Essence, the legendary local go-go outfit billed as the “wickedest band alive,” will headline this year’s Funk Parade celebration on May 7.
“Rare Essence is gearing up to release their 15th album to coincide with the performance,” Funk Parade announced in a press release earlier this morning. “Titled ‘Turn It Up,’ the album marks not only the 40th anniversary of the band’s inception in 1976, but also a turning point in their career.”
Rare Essence fans who donate $100 to Funk Parade’s Indiegogo campaign can receive a copy of the new album, a copy of Rare Essence’s “Greatest Hits Vol. 1” and a signed poster of the “Turn It Up” album cover art by artist and muralist Aniekan Udofia.
(Updated at 7:06 p.m.) Locals will once again be able to gather for a drink in the building that once held landmark U Street bar Stetson’s. Or at least, that’s the current plan.
A new tavern called “Exiles” is in the works at 1610 U St. NW, said a representative from TeemNow, LLC, the company behind the forthcoming bar.
A woman was punched several times in the face when she tried to get her purse back from a thief near the U Street Metro station early yesterday morning, police said.
The robbery happened on the 1300 block of U Street NW about 2:15 a.m. Sunday.
The woman was walking in the area when someone snatched her purse, according to authorities. She then grabbed the robber by the shirt in an attempt to get her bag back.
The U Street corridor is getting a Jimmy John’s.
The sub and club sandwich purveyor known for its “freaky fast” delivery is slated to open at 1408 U St. NW this spring, company spokesman Nathan Louer said yesterday. The space, which is between a McDonald’s and DC Noodles, formerly housed the 24 Seven Plus deli.
The 1,234-square-foot Jimmy John’s will have seating for nine customers, according to permit data the D.C. government released last week.
The U Street Movie Series will conclude this year’s summer film schedule with screenings of two musicals.
Attendees can sing along loudly with “Frozen” this Saturday at 7:15 p.m., or hum quietly to “The Wiz” next Wednesday at dusk.
The film series, which takes place at the Harrison Recreation Center (1330 V Street NW), is free and residents can bring along food and drinks.
Pets and alcoholic beverages are prohibited.
Photo courtesy of U Street Movie Series
(Updated at 11:48 a.m.) A near-collision involving a Metro bus at the intersection of 14th and U streets NW sent at least two riders to the hospital with minor injuries earlier today.
A Metro spokesperson said a car swerved in front of a 52 bus heading southbound on 14th Street NW near the intersection around 10:30 a.m. today. To avoid a collision, the driver of the bus applied the brake suddenly, lurching several passengers forward.
D.C. Fire and EMS spokesperson Oscar Mendez said two riders were taken to the hospital with minor injuries following the near-accident. A Metro spokesperson said four riders were transported to the hospital.
Both Mendez and the Metro spokesperson said the riders were likely transported to the hospital as a precaution.
Image via D.C. Fire and EMS Twitter
Every night at sundown, two blindingly bright sodium-vapor lamps illuminate a corner near the intersection of Vermont Avenue and U Street NW.
In the hot summer air, crowds of laughing bar-hoppers and restaurant-goers in shorts and flip-flops shuffle past. The corner is bright and vibrant.
But just a few months ago, that corner of the intersection was much darker — in the literal sense.
“For a long time, this was kind of seen as a forsaken corner,” says Andre Esser.
Esser, along with Sheryar Durrani, owns and manages local business U Scoot, a scooter rental shop and dealership that opened at the intersection in June.
“This corner always looked sort of sketchy,” says Esser. “You had people panhandling that I had to chase off, people out here loitering all the time. I don’t know the crime statistics on this corner, but I’m sure there have been crimes here over the years.”
Esser, who also owns Redline Motorsports in Takoma Park, had a plan to change all that. Before opening his scooter business, he mounted two powerful lights on the building.
“Turning on the lights makes it a brighter corner,” Esser says. “Thieves don’t usually tend to hang out on bright corners.”
Esser also hired two plainclothes security guards and installed over $10,000 worth of state-of-the-art surveillance equipment.
“The cameras and lights aren’t just for our own personal protection, especially the lights,” says Esser. “I feel like if I’m going to have a business, then it needs to be a safe corner.”
Esser says D.C. Police were glad when he installed the cameras.
“They came up to me right away and said, hey, are those good cameras? Can we have access to them?” Esser recalls “And we said absolutely. It’s for everybody’s safety. We want to assist the police department with making this a safer corner.”
In his two months of running the business, Esser says he’s helped to aid police by recording and turning over footage of three crime incidents. Just last week, U Scoot’s cameras caught a hit-and-run as it happened.
“Hopefully we’ve detracted from some of the crime,” says Esser. “That’s the goal. It’s not to just catch it. It’s to deter it from happening.”
Even when he’s at home, Esser says he sometimes uses an app on his phone to watch the cameras late at night. But he’s not only only watching out for scooter thefts.
“I’ll be having dinner or playing with my kids and I’ll peek in and make sure everything is okay,” Esser says “I’m kind of like Big Brother, but looking out for this corner at nighttime.”
“If there’s a car accident, if someone’s assaulted, if someone’s car is broken into, we’ll see it,” says Esser.
“[A] person might steal a bicycle,” he adds. “Or that person might shoot someone. That person might mug someone. That person should probably be off the streets.”
Photo of U Scoot at night courtesy of U Scoot
Lettie Gooch is leaving its location at 1517 U Sreet NW, the boutique said in a press release today.
“Our doors have been open on U Street for over six exciting and fashionable years,” the press release reads. “We will be closing our doors at our current location at the end of this month and ‘popping up’ with our new and fabulous FALL collection in September. Stay tuned.”
As part of the move, the store will discount select merchandise by “at least” 30 percent until the end of the month.
Image via Facebook.com/LettieGooch
A new fitness studio is set to open soon on U Street.
The Dailey Method, a West Coast barre-style fitness chain, will open on the third floor at 1201 U Street NW, the same building that once housed The Islander restaurant on the ground level.
The method — named for founder Jill Dailey — is a one-hour workout concept with classes based on barre exercises, pilates and yoga.
The new studio will include space for 25-person classes, lockers and showers, says Dailey Method’s D.C. location owner and fitness trainer, Lynette Ruiz.
“We felt like U Street and the 14th Street corridor is the place where we wanted to be,” says Ruiz. “There is a lot of growth in that area. We felt like we really wanted to be apart of that.”
Though the company hasn’t announced its opening date, Ruiz promises the new location will open by the end of the summer.
In the meantime, Ruiz says residents can try out the classes for free every Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Georgetown Lululemon (3265 M Street NW).
Photo courtesy of The Dailey Method
Popular U Street eatery Bistro La Bonne has quietly returned with a new location and a new name.
Though the restaurant reportedly closed its U Street NW location in May, Owner Daniel Labonne says he reopened the restaurant at 2436 14th Street NW under the name La Bonne Bistro in June.
Sudhouse now occupies the bistro’s old space on U Street.
Despite the new location and name, Labonne says the menu, its staff and atmosphere are similar to how they were before.
La Bonne Bistro shares its new space with another former U Street restaurant, Creme.
(Updated at 5:20 p.m.) A cyclist was struck by a car at the intersection of Vermont Avenue and U Street NW around 3 p.m. today, said D.C. Fire and EMS spokesman Oscar Mendez.
A surveillance camera mounted on local business U Scoot caught the crash as it happened. In the video provided to Borderstan, a green car can be seen turning left and hitting a cyclist, who is knocked to the ground.
Mendez said the cyclist was taken to the hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
D.C. Police did not have more information about the crash when contacted earlier today.
Photos courtesy of U Scoot
(Updated at 3:55 p.m. on Monday, July 27) A U Street Bistro will close next week.
Ulah Bistro, located at 1214 U Street NW, will close its doors for good, said an employee at the restaurant by phone this morning.
A Facebook status confirmed the restaurant will close its doors on Tuesday, July 28.
The bistro served a varied menu of pizzas, sandwiches and entrees in large portions.
Borderstan contributor and food blogger Aparna Krishnamoorthy gave the bistro high marks in a 2012 review.
“Ulah would be a great option the next time we are looking for a comforting bistro meal that does not break the bank,” wrote Krishnamoorthy.
Photo via Facebook.com/UlahBistro
