Crowler Kickoff Tonight at Craft Beer Cellar

Head over to Craft Beer Cellar (301 H St. NE Suite A) tonight for their Crowler Kickoff at 6:30pm. Going forward, you will now be able to stop by the store and pick up great draft beers freshly sealed on-site into metal crowlers. One advantage of crowlers over growlers is that they can (sorry) keep your draft beer fresh longer than a growler will. Tonight they will fill 16oz crowlers with beers from the following breweries in our region: Charles Towne Fermentory, Fine Creek, Ocelot, and RAR. I'm pasting the store's full explanation of what this how this came to be below because it's a pretty cool story. 

Many of you are probably familiar with growlers. These re-usable containers, typically made of glass or stainless steel, and typically 32 or 64 ounces in size, allow you to transport draft beer home or to a party. If you're like us, you may have one or two, or too many, in your cabinet.

In 2013, Oskar Blues, in partnership with the Ball Technology and Innovation Center and Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry, developed a new container and sealing machine The "crowler", or can-growler, was a 32-ounce can filled with draft beer and sealed using a sealing-machine, keeping the beer in and oxygen and light out. Crowlers are one-use only, but 100% recyclable. The technology has evolved during the last 6 years and now multiple sizes of cans are available.

Farmers Market Returns to H Street NE April 6

Photo courtesy of FRESHFARM

Spring is finally upon us, and with it comes the return of the FRESHFARM H Street NE Market (800 13th St. NE). The hours for the market's 16th season will be 9am–12:30pm. The market will take place on Saturdays through December 14. Come out for opening day to see your favorite vendors, and to meet a new one. King Mushrooms is joining this season's line-up. The ceremonial bell ringing for opening day will take place at 8:45am.

Celebrate Our City's Blossoms with CherryFest at Wunder Garten

Photo courtesy of Wunder Garten

CherryFest is well underway at NoMa's Wunder Garten (1101 First St. NE. The three week festival (Thursdays–Sundays) runs through April 6, and will help get you in the mood to enjoy our annual bounty of these beautiful blooms. CherryFest includes cherry blossom-themed garden decor, art classes, and Japanese food and drink. Grab a bite from food truck Tokyo in the City, and wash it down with a Kirin Ichiban (the Japanese beer is sponsoring CherryFest). A partial schedule appears below.

Washingtonian: Burmese Restaurant to Replace Sally's Middle Name

The current interior of 1320 H St. NE. Photo credit: Sally's Middle Name 

We recently learned that Sally's Middle Name (1320 H St. NE) will close at the end of this month, and yesterday Washingtonian reported that a new Burmese restaurant called Thamee will replace it. Thamee comes our way from the team behind Toli Moli, the Burmese bodega at Union Market (1309 Fifth St. NE).  I believe this will be the only full service Burmese restaurant in the District (Chinatown's Burma closed in 2013). We can look forward to noodle dishes, curries, falooda (obviously), and more once the restaurant opens in May (per the Washingtonian article). We can apparently also look forward to some ticketed supper club events in the last half of April. Until then you can get a bit of a preview by stopping by Toli Moli at Union Market.

ANC 5D Seeks Volunteers for New Zoning & Development Committee

Advisory Neighborhood Commission 5D (which includes Trinidad, Ivy City, Gallaudet, the Union Market area, and Carver-Langston) is seeking volunteers interested in joining the new ANC 5D Zoning & Development Committee. Please consider applying if you live in the area and have an interest in urban planning, architecture, or zoning and development. ANC 5D meets at 7pm on the second Tuesday of each month at the ANC 5D Community Meeting Room of the Edison Building (371 Morse St. NE). Members of the new committee will hold a separate meeting on a monthly basis (as needed). The committee will "review all ANC 5D zoning cases, assembling community  feedback received by the designated Single Member District ANC Commissioner and their respective constituents regarding opinions and views of the relevant zoning case(s), and preparing written summaries in plain language." The committee will provide the summary and other materials "to ANC 5D Commissioners for review at least ten days prior to the monthly Commission meeting where the case(s) will be presented, reviewed or considered for vote." An ANC 5D commissioner and a resident will serve as co-chairs of the new committee. Many other commissions have similar committees, and they can be a valuable tool for citizen engagement and organized review of neighborhood developments. The idea of setting up such a committee for ANC 5D has long been contemplated, and I'm very happy to see it actually coming to fruition.

Sally's Middle Name Will Close at the End of March

 

Sally's Middle Name (1320 H St. NE) announced yesterday that the restaurant will close at the end of the month. Sally's opened in June of 2015, and has earned a special place in the hearts of many. Over the years I never had a bad meal there, and I enjoyed many a memorable dish. Sally's has been a standby that I could always count on, and I know that many feel the same. The last day of operation will be March 31, so stop by for a last meal before it's too late.

Local Briefing: Chupacabra Returns, Union Station History, & Power Outage Headaches for Local Businesses

Chupacabra (822 H St. NE) reopens for the season today to serve all you taco related needs. Their early spring hours are 11:30am–10pm Thursday through Sunday.

The Union Station Redevelopment Corporation will once again offer their popular History of Union Station tour on Saturday, May 18 (10am–11:30am). Participants "will hear about Daniel Burnham's vision, the station through two world wars, the 1980s restoration, present-day endeavors, and much more." Tickets are $30, and that includes a tote bag, a book, and parking vouchers for those who park in Union Station garage. Union Station is located at 50 Mass Ave. NE.

Malaysian Noodle Pop Up at the Queen Vic March 26

On Tuesday, March 26 the Queen Vic (1206 H St. NE) will host a Malaysian Noodle Pop Up with Chef James Wozniuk. Wozniuk will already be known to many who have frequented H Street NE over the years, and he's the former chef de cuisine at Maketto (1351 H St. NE) and Spoken English at the Line Hotel (1770 Euclid St NW). You can read this Washington Post review of Spoken English.

The pop up will run from 5–10pm, but it's first come first served, so don't be late.

Local Briefing: KitchenCray Cafe, National Corndog Day, & Cleaning Up Trinidad

Hungry for Local Food News?

The City Paper's Laura Hayes reported yesterday that KitchenCray Cafe will bring the food of Chef JR Robinson to 1301 H St. NE. You may recognize Robinson from his time as a Hell's Kitchen contestant. According to the article the menu (Cajun influenced soul food) will be similar to Robinson's restaurant in Lantham, Maryland. Think fried chicken and waffles, shrimp and grits, lobster mac and cheese, and chicken biscuits with sausage gravy. The eatery will occupy 3,000 square feet on the first floor of the Lucille condo building.

A Double Shooting (Non-Fatal) & a Stabbing Last Night

We had a double shooting and a stabbing in our area last night. According to an email from 5D Lieutenant Jeffrey Kopp officers on patrol in PSA 507 reported that they heard gunshots near 19th and H Street NE about 11:45pm. During a canvas they located two adult victims with gunshot wounds in the 1700 block of H Street NE. A woman was shot in the right foot, and a man was grazed in the lower back. Both victims were treated at local hospitals for non-life threatening wounds. This was in the Carver-Langston area near Hechinger Mall. The text of the original alert appears below.

The Big Board Temporarily Transforms into an Irish Pub Starting Today

The Big Board (421 H St. NE) will mark St. Patrick's Day by turning into an Irish pub for a few days. Head over to Drayne O'Flanahabra for the Straight Outta' Dublin burger and $6 pints of Guinness Draught through Sunday.

The Outsider Finds a Home on H Street

I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect on my first visit to the Outsider (1359 H St. NE). I remembered reading the initial ABRA notice which mentioned a menu of Japanese fare, wine, and cocktails, but I had heard nothing about it since that time, and was a bit surprised to  learn they had opened in late February. You might say that the tavern has been flying a bit under the radar. They don’t have a sign out front, there’s no website to speak of, and you won’t find the place on Facebook or Twitter (they are on Instagram). 

6th Annual McCourt Benefit Concert at Pie Shop March 17

AtlasVet (1326 H St. NE) and Tiber Records are teaming up to present the 6th annual McCourt Benefit Concert at Pie Shop on Sunday, March 17. A $10 suggested donation gets you admission, and all proceeds from the event will go to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The concert honors the life of Jim McCourt, a DC Police Sargent, father, husband, and neighbor on H Street who lost his fight with leukemia 8 years ago. The concert features performances from Swampoodle Nuns, The Side Dish, Project Super, and Most Savage Gentlemen. Pie Shop is located on the second floor of Dangerously Delicious Pies (1339 H St. NE).

Hair of the Dog Happy Hour at Wunder Garten March 18

Friends of NoMa Dogs (FOND) will hold a Hair of the Dog Happy Hour March 18 from 4–7pm at Wunder Garten (1101 First St. NE). This dog friendly happy hour will benefit FOND and Swampoodle Dog Park. Look out for drink specials and even a raffle.

Man Injured in Stabbing Last Night on L Street NE

A man was stabbed last night on L Street NE about 11:30pm. According to an email from MPD Lieutenant Patrick Brescia the man was "assaulted by numerous" individuals "following an altercation." The victim's wounds were considered non-life threatening and he was treated at a local hospital. If you have information about this event you can contact MPD by calling 202-727-9099, or texting the tip line at 50411. Note that the alert below says this happened in the 1600 block, but Bresica's email placed the event nearby in the 1700 block of L Street NE. Both locations are in the Carver-Langston area.

Rosedale Library Friends Meeting Tomorrow (March 9)

Rosedale Library Friends will hold their monthly meeting tomorrow at Rosedale Library (1701 Gales St. NE) from 10am–11:30am. The agenda for the public meeting appears below.

Agenda

1. Introductions
2. Review Minutes
3. Report: Finances
4. Discussion
1. DCPL budget oversight hearing
2. Oral History Taskforce
3. Library Gala on March 14
4. Fundraising in April
5. Report: Branch Manager
6. Community issues (open discussion)

Bottoms Up for Babies Fundraiser at the Pug March 14

The Pug (1234 H St. NE) is teaming up with DC Brau (3178-B Bladensburg Road NE) to raise money for the Greater DC Diaper Bank on Thursday, March 14 (8–10pm). A $20 donation gets you draft beer until the keg is kicked, plus a warm fuzzy feeling knowing that you helped out a great cause. The Greater DC Diaper Bank provides vital assistance to thousands of of local families each year, and it's not all in the form of diapers. WAMU reporter Martin Austermuhle published a great story on the non-profit yesterday, and it's well worth a read if you want to learn more.

The Rock 'n' Roll Marathon is Saturday

The Rock 'n' Roll Marathon is headed our way on Saturday, so you'll want to plan ahead for road closures and parking restrictions. I've pasted the information for our immediate area below, and you can find the full info on the race website. If you are looking to get out to watch the runners and cheer them on (it's quite the sight if you haven't been before), you can meet up with the good folks from the H Street Runners and the Argonaut Run Club at their Runner Motivation Station. The station is located in front of the Queen Vic (1206 H St. NE), which will open at 7am with food and drink for the occasion. Runners in the full or half marathon get a 10% discount and a free shot of Jameson (just bring in your bib).

Local Briefing: Stevie Wonder Spotted, Soup Dumplings, & a Call for Artists

Singer Stevie Wonder was spotted at Union District Oyster Bar and Lounge (501 Morse St. NE) with his family on Sunday. The Washington Post reported that Wonder spent several hours dining and meeting fans.

Red Bear Brewing Co. (209 M St. NE) is seeking food pop-ups interested in serving out of the brewery's kitchen.

Maketto (1351 H St. NE) launches their Xiao Long Bao dinner series this Wednesday. The dinners will feature a number of limited-time menu items, including unlimited soup dumplings. Tomorrow's menu features Taiwanese pork chop, crystal shrimp dumplings, Chinese broccoli, and roasted eggplant with whipped tofu. Tickets are $40 a person, and 10% tax and a 20% gratuity will be charged at checkout.

Veer & Wander Apothecary Headed to Union Market Area

San Francisco based salon and apothecary Veer & Wander is preparing to open their first retail only location at 1272 Fifth St. NE, near Union Market. The company focuses on boutique independent and green beauty and grooming products for women and men. In early February they posted the announcement to social media along and indicated they were accepting applications for the sales team at the new shop. If you are interested, you can contact them at shop[at]veerandwander.com. An interview from Opal Avenue with owner Connie McGrath gives us a hint about what to expect. Thanks to Seth for the heads up about this news.

Local Briefing: Red Bear Brewing Sets a Date & Hope for a NoMa Traffic Nightmare

Red Bear Brewing Co. (209 M St. NE) has announced that they will open to the public March 9 at 4pm. Their first week hours will be as follows:
Sat 3/9: 4pm–2am
Sun 3/10: 4–11pm
Mon 3/11: closed (one time only)
Tuesday–Thursday: 3–11pm

Reporter Martin Austermuhle tweeted exciting news that Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie has sent a letter to Mayor Bowser asking that the 2020 fiscal year budget include funds to cover the cost of eminent domain, engineering, and the final design phase to remake the notorious Dave Thomas Circle in NoMa.