Express: Bladenburg Road

Check out this piece in today's Express.

Jimmy Valentine's Lonely Hearts Club

Located at 1103 Bladenburg Road (most recently Liberty Tax) Jimmy Valentine's opened its doors on Friday night at around 10pm. It features a full bar and bottled beers (no tap). Pizza will also be available (but I don't know if they have any yet). The inside is cool (I saw it during construction, but haven't been in since it opened) with lots of red and a very special surprise staring up at you from the floor. I'm not sure of the hours, but I think they may be sticking with the late night thing for now. I did hear excellent reviews from the friends who have made it in (cool space & good beer selection). Please note that the bar does not accept credit cards, so bring your cash.

Examiner: DCRA Raids Bladensburg Car Dealers

More on the crackdown from the Examiner.

City Paper: Jimmy Valentine's

The future home of Jimmy Valentine's
The City Paper glances at the story of the small tavern (Jimmy Valentine's Lonely Heart's Club) opening on Bladensburg Road and the drama surrounding a recently lodged protest letter. The window for the protestors (who have standing as a group of 5) to refile is still open and it seems likely that they will file a valid protest. However, the reasons currently given for the protest (peace and safety of the neighborhood -we're talking about a 49 person tavern with no dancefloor, jukebox, cigarette machine, or live music) are likely not legally sufficent for the protestors to win, but the protest could still delay the opening of the bar.

NBC4: DCRA Targets Bladensburg Car Dealers

A stretch of Bladensburg Road not occupied by car dealerships
Read the story here. Or watch the video. The city cracks down on illegal practices at used car lots on Bladensburg Road.

Hangouts & Haunts (Updated)

This is a brand spanking new version of my list of hangouts and haunts (both current, and anticipated) in the area (H Street, and its surrounding neighborhoods to the north), but it doesn't include every restaurant. I've omitted most carry-outs since you can't technically "hangout" in them (unless you're talking shooting dice in Crown Chicken). This post is updated semi-regularly (so if it says opening "any day now" you should measure that from the time of the last update, not the date at the bottom of the post). At times this post may be slightly out of date, so please take that into account. Last partial update: 8/31/2011.

Benning Road

1800 block

Photo provided by Langston Grille

Langston Grille (link plays music): an intimate soul food restaurant and bar.

1831 Benning Road

Bladensburg Road

1100 block

Jimmy Valentine's Lonely Hearts Club: Bottled beers and mixed drinks are on offering in this out of the way tavern. They offer frozen pizza for those experiencing emergency late night munchies. Cash only, but they have an ATM. Now serving brunch on Sundays.

1103 Bladensburg Road

Florida Ave

1300 block

Connor Contemporary: A commercial art gallery.

1358 Florida Avenue

Industry Gallery: A gallery focused on 21st century design.

1358 Florida Avenue (second floor)

G Fine Art: A gallery dedicated to International art from the 1960s to present day

1350 Florida Avenue

Open Studio DC: A screen printing studio and gallery
1348 H Street

H Street

1400 block

(patio photo provided by the Argonaut)

The Argonaut: A neighborhoody restaurant and tavern. Fully recovered from the fire in the summer of 2010, and back better than ever. Don't miss the patio.

1433 H Street

1300 block

Slice of Life (coming soon): Formerly a largely unused building that boasted a small corner store (the Sun and Moon) on the first floor, this space will, after much renovation, be home to a local gourmet pizza chain.

1387 H Street

Rose's Dream: Bar with live music (jazz, r and b, and go-go) and karaoke nights. No food, but you can carry up food from the Caribbean carry-out downstairs. Full bar with bottled beers. Moving down a few doors soon.

1370 H Street

H Street Playhouse: Live theater, home of Theater Alliance, and a number of award winning shows.

1365 H Street

Pho Bar & Grill: a Vietnamese restaurant with full bar. Open late.

Sova Wine and Espresso Bar: a loungy coffee spot. Serves limited food [pastries, muffins, sandwiches, and some desserts]. Free WiFi. They have a liquor license. They have a rotating beer and wine list, for upstairs. They also do craft cocktails.

1359 H Street

Impala* (coming soon): a northern Mexican restaurant from the team behind Tacos Impala.

1358 H Street

Biergarten Haus: a beer garden serving a traditional German menu. Massive outdoor patio.

1355-1357 H Street

Gallery O/H: an art gallery specializing in folk and outsider art.

1354 H Street

Rock and Roll Hotel: Focus on live music (like a smaller 9:30 Club). The first floor is a straight-up performance space where you can get right up against the band (the stage is truly thisclose to the audience). The upstairs is more loungy and attention was obviously given to decorating the space. There are lots of little rooms where you can sit and drink with friends, or the rooms can be rented out for private parties. Now serving food. The menu offers an assortment of light fare. Plenty of vegan options here. Thursday is Drunken Jenga night, and you can stack -em up and knock 'em down from 8pm-2am. They also host a drunken spelling bee.

1353 H Street

The Star and Shamrock: a Jewish deli inside an Irish pub. Live Irish music Thursdays and Saturdays.

1341 H Street

H Street Country Club: 9 putt-putt holes with a Washington/historical/political theme. A pool hall serving serving Tex-Mex with a kick downstairs and Mexican food upstairs. Chef Teddy Folkman from Granville's created the menu [with consultation by Ann Cashion].

1335 H Street

Dangerously Delicious Pies:

Originally hailing from Baltimore, this pie shop serves up a variety of sweet and savory offerings, including quiche. They are working on a liquor license.

1339 H Street

The Atlas Performing Arts Center: Live theater, musical performances, and dance. Home of African Continuum Theater Company, Capital City Symphony, and Joy of Motion dance studio. They also have a regular comedy night.

1333 H Street

1200 block

Smith Commons: an upscale bistro with craft cocktails.

1245 H Street

Da Luft* (coming soon): a restaurant serving seafood.

1242 H Street

Dr. Granville Moore's: Belgian beers (four rotating drafts --one is always Stella-- and plenty of bottled brews) and food delight in this two-level tavern. Patio out back. Wednesdays they play the Dead. Serving brunch once a month.

1238 H Street


Atlas Arcade: An old school arcade, but with beer.
1236 H Street

Church and State: An ode to the American craft cocktail.

2nd floor of 1236 H Street

Toki Underground: a dumpling and ramen bar.
1234 H Street (2nd floor)

The Pug -short for the pugilist: A boxing themed bar serving hot dogs and panini, and assorted other bar food. The bottled/canned beer list changes from time to time. A few beers on tap. A short menu of bar food. Also serving a bar brunch on Saturday and Sunday. Now open at noon daily.

1234 H Street

Photo provided by Sticky Rice

Sticky Rice: An Asian restaurant serving sushi, pan-Asian fare, as well as tater-tots. Vegan and vegetarian options. Featuring karaoke, and other events. They serve lunch daily, and lunch and brunch Saturdays and Sundays.

1224 H Street

[Untitled Greek restaurant]: Serving mezze, wine, and dessert late into the night.

1220 H Street

Red Palace: A merger of a Palace of Wonders and the Red and the Black. Live music, freak show stuff, and burlesque. Kitchen opens soon. Back patio.

1210/1212 H Street

Souk (link plays music): a Morrocan restaurant with a liquor license.

1208 H Street

The Queen Vic: A British style pub serving pasties, curries, wild game, and more.

1206 H Street

Philadelphia Water Ice Factory: A carryout with, arguably [argued by someone who knows, not by me], the best Philly cheesesteaks in DC. I've never had one in Philly, but the ones served at the Factory are definitely very tasty. Of course, they serve water ice, burgers, and other fare.

1204 H Street

Untitled hooka bar: From the owners of Souk.

1200 H Street

Horace and Dickie's: The famous fried fish carryout. Try the fish sandwich with hot sauce and you won't believe how much greasy whiting they hand you. They were a runner up for the Best Fried Chicken in the South award from Southern Living a few years back. Carryout only.

809 12th Street [immediately off H]

1100 Block
Khan's: a Mongolian bar-b-q spot with a full bar and outdoor seating.
1125 H Street

The upstair bar at XII [photo provided by XII]

XII Restaurant and Lounge: featuring live and recorded entertainment. Serving classic American food, plus a little extra. They've got a small space downstairs, and a much larger lounge space upstairs. The many windows make for a nice vantage point at night. They have happy hour specials. Sometimes there is a cover. Look for sidewalk seating and a rooftop terrace in the future. Now serving lunch.

1123 H Street

Taylor: an Italian deli. They deliver and are open until 3am Thursday-Saturday.

1116 H Street
Chow* (coming soon): An Asian restaurant. Currently seeking an entertainment endorsement for live bands and a DJ. Occupancy of 99.
1110 H Street

Miss Whiskey's Golden Dollar: a full bar with an impressive bottled beer selection. No drafts. Frequent dj nights upstairs. Cash only, but they have an ATM.

1104 H Street

1000 block

Liberty Tree: a restaurant serving New England fare and brick-oven pizzeria. Outdoor seating.

1016 H Street
The Atlas Room: New American Cuisine with a French twist. The menu changes with the seasons.

Rita's: a water ice, and frozen custard spot.
1014 H Street

800 block

City Gallery: a gallery representing over 20 local painters, sculptors, photographers, engravers, and printmakers.
804 H Street #1

600 block

Hikari sushi* (coming soon): a sushi bar.

644 H Street

500 block

British Ink Tattoo Studio and Gallery: A tattoo parlor and art gallery hosting occasional events.

508 H Street

400 block

The Big Board* (coming soon): a burger and salad joint with a full bar and beers on tap.

421 H Street

Sidamo: An Ethiopian coffee house serving breakfast foods, salads, sandwiches, and soups. Featuring shadegrown organic fair trade coffees roasted in house and a wide variety of teas. Open mornings, afternoons, and evenings, but not nights. Patio out back. Free Wifi.

417 H Street

Dissident Display is located next door. This is just a sign from an event posted on a neighboring building.

Dissident Display: A gallery and performance space hosting occasional events.

416 H Street

Boundary Road* (coming soon): a restaurant serving regional cuisine.

414 H Street

Studio H: a local art gallery.

408A H Street

Ethiopic: an Ethiopian restaurant with outdoor seating.

401 H Street

Did I miss anything?