H Street Co-op Fundraier @Sidamo

Coffee and Dessert Night at Sidamo Cafe
To Benefit the H Street Community Market

Help bring a co-op grocery store to the H Street Corridor by joining us for a night of Coffee, Desserts and Traditional Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony at Sidamo Cafe.

Event date: October 20th (Saturday) from 6-8pm
Place: Sidamo Coffee and Tea / 417 H St. NE

Ticket Price: $20
Description: The night includes coffee, desserts and participation in the Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony

To purchase tickets, go to our website at: http://www.hstcommunitymarket.org or email raynor@tcgillc.com

Sidamo Open Until 2pm Labor Day

Hey, Sidamo is open until 2pm monday, so if you are considering your Labor Day options, please consider our local coffee shop. Also, SOVA will be open soon (possibly within a month).

Sidamo Burglarized Again

Sidamo Coffee & Tea (417 H Street) was burglarized again (the first robbery occurred on August 8th) the night before last. The most recent burglary occurred around 10:30pm and unable to have someone come out to replace the glass at night the owner was forced to sleep inside his store to keep it safe. Here's an anonymous statement from a reader who was on the scene when the police arrived:
Walking down H Street about 45 minutes ago, I heard the ominous sound of a security alarm and the dreadful sight of a cop arriving at Sidamo. As he went to interview Kenfe and someone who I assumed to be an employee, I walked past and noticed that the entire front door window panel was smashed in, lying inside the cafe. I obviously minded my own business and did not try to ascertain any other details. But this is more terrible news for one of the few visible, honest businesses on the block.

Either word's gotten out among the thugs that Sidamo is an easy target, or someone is seriously trying to demoralize Kenfe and Mimi. They really need to invest in a security camera yesterday, and perhaps a booby trap.

I will be there tomorrow to show my support and hope our community will continue to come out in force to do the same. Take care, and stay safe out there.

Sidamo Hiring for Weekends

Would you, or someone you know (students are most welcome), like to pick up a cool weekend job at a top notch coffee house? Sidamo is currently seeking part-time employees to help out on weekends. Sidamo closes at 6pm on weekends, so this would leave your nights free. Interested parties should stop by the shop at 417 H Street.

Klavitter: Sundays at Sidamo

Special to Frozen Tropics today we have a guest post from Quest for Quiet blogger David Klavitter (both text and photo belong to David). Enjoy:


My wife, Kara, and I really enjoy our Sunday mornings/afternoons at Sidamo. Kenfe and his wife, Yalemzwed, really do a terrific--and consistent--job.

Sidamo Coffee owner Kenfe Bellay on Sunday afternoon prepares a one-pound bag of whole bean Sidamo-region coffee. Only hours earlier, he used his shiny red roaster at the front of the store to roast those very beans. Kenfe says he roasts about five to six batches of coffee beans per week. He requires his coffee to be fair trade, organic, and grown in the shade. One pound of the smoothest coffee you’ll ever sip at home costs $9. It’s just as tasty in the welcoming store at 417 H St. NE, where the menu includes breakfast and panini sandwiches, soups, and assorted pastries. Full tables a short line greeted customers seeking refuge from yesterday’s chilly afternoon winds.

Tommy Wells Office Hours on H Street

Press Release
Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells

Immediate Release Contact: Charles Allen
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Room 408 (202)724-8072
Washington, D.C. 20004


Councilmember Tommy Wells Opens H Street Community Office Hours


(Washington, DC) – On Thursday, February 22nd, 8:00 – 9:30 am, Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells will host community office hours at Sidamo Coffee, 417 H Street, NE, 20002. On the fourth Thursday morning of every month, Councilmember Wells will host this type of outreach event on H Street, NE and members of his constituent services staff will be on hand to help handle requests from residents. “I want to continue finding new ways to make my office more accessible across Ward 6 to get feedback and provide assistance to residents,” said Mr. Wells.

To showcase and support the historical and emerging small businesses along H Street, NE, these monthly community morning office hours will rotate among several locations on the corridor and will be publicized online and at Advisory Neighborhood Commission meetings.

“Whether it’s help with a permit from DCRA, an alley that needs to be cleaned, or an idea that could turn into legislation at Council, I want to make myself more available to those that may not be able to make it to the Wilson Building downtown,” added Mr. Wells.

On Thursday, February 8th, Councilmember Wells joined nearly 30 residents in Southwest DC for a similar type of event at the Channel Inn along the waterfront. Mr. Wells hosts community office hours in Southwest on the second Thursday morning of each month.

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Here's a Roll Call mention of the new hours.

Sidamo Reviewed in Post

Check out this Post review of Sidamo (417 H Street), our newest coffee house. Read my earlier review of Sidamo here. And here is Sidamo's website.

Have You Been to Sidamo?

If you haven't tried H Street's newest (and currently only, since the one at 1359 has temporarly shut down after changing ownership) coffee and tea shop yet, you should. Sidamo offers a variety of espresso drinks as well as their own organic, fair trade, shade grown (prized my many for its superior flavor) coffee. Not a coffee drinker? Sidamo offers more than twenty varieties of loose and bag teas. They even have a loose tea called tutti frutti that's sure to appeal to the younger set. Sidamo serves its teas in individual pots the rest above tea candles so your brew stays warm longer. Bottles ice tea, water, juices, and milk (both regular and chocolate) are available. To eat Sidamo offers pastries and muffins from Uptown Bakery, cakes from Clement's, and yogurt. Soon (hopefully next week) they will also have sandwiches and bagels. The owner was sampling different cream cheese brands when I stopped in Thursday morning. That kind attention to detail is apparent throughout Sidamo. Unlike at many coffee houses, everything (except prepackaged beverages and to-go items) are served with glassware. The floor, though not orignal to the building, is about 85 years old, and was rescued from another building. The owner, Kenfe Bellay, says he likes the idea of recycling materials whenever he can. The chestnut counter behind which Mr. Bellay stands is the reincarnation of old doors.

The chalkboard pictured above now displays the menu
Asked why he chose H Street the owner replies that he looked at threee different neighborhoods, H Street, Takoma Park, and Silver Spring. But somehow H Street, because of the changes he's seen in the neighborhood (he's been watching us for a while, he previously tried to lease space in a building in the 300 block of H Street), and because of its proximaty to Capitol Hill. He says he looks at H Street and sees a nice chance for his shop and the community to grow together. Bringing people together is one of Mr. Bellay's hopes for Sidamo. Every Saturday and Sunday at 2pm Sidamo hosts an Ethiopian coffee ceremony where groups of people come together and talk over coffee. He hopes to hold these events three times a week once he gets more settled.

Sidamo offers free wifi. There plenty of space to sit outside at the three tables located out back. There is even lighting out there to facilitate evening gatherings.
Starting sometime soon Sidamo will offer bags of their own freshly roasted coffee beans for sale at the counter.

Sidamo Coffee and Tea
417 H Street
7am-7pm 7 days a week


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As promised, here is a repost with the photos I couldn't access before.