A Few to Watch For
The new U Street spots are comfortably settling in, with crowds each night looking quite happy to have some new neighborhood choices. There's been some grumbling over Tabaq's dress code, and I'm planning to ask Melih about it next time I see him.
So what's next in the 'hood? A commenter tipped me off to the Cue Bar, which should be opening soon on U Street between 11th and 12th. I'm assuming, from the name, that the place will be a pool joint and not a barbecue hut, but stay tuned for more details. The new bar will take the place of Between Friends, which closed last year after someone was murdered inside and after "ANC Commissioner-elect Dee Hunter discovered that the club was operating while bankrupt," according to a DCist post about troubled clubs.
Brown Sugar, a soul food restaurant also near 11th and U, has had a coming soon sign up for a while now and may or may not be one to watch.
Meanwhile, one to definitely keep an eye on in Penn Quarter is Rasika, an Indian restaurant from restaurateur Ashok Bajaj, who also owns 701, The Bombay Club, Ardeo, Bardeo and the Oval Room. The restaurant is slated to open this fall at Seventh and D streets Northwest. Word has it that the new spot will focus on Indian tawa (a round, thick iron griddle) and sigri (barbecue) cooking styles.
And heading back to the U Street area, Bar Pilar has started serving brunch. They had a sign posted announcing brunch with a copy of their regular menu beside it, so I'm not sure if they'll have different brunch choices. I would assume one cannot survive on tater tots alone for breakfast.
So what's next in the 'hood? A commenter tipped me off to the Cue Bar, which should be opening soon on U Street between 11th and 12th. I'm assuming, from the name, that the place will be a pool joint and not a barbecue hut, but stay tuned for more details. The new bar will take the place of Between Friends, which closed last year after someone was murdered inside and after "ANC Commissioner-elect Dee Hunter discovered that the club was operating while bankrupt," according to a DCist post about troubled clubs.
Brown Sugar, a soul food restaurant also near 11th and U, has had a coming soon sign up for a while now and may or may not be one to watch.
Meanwhile, one to definitely keep an eye on in Penn Quarter is Rasika, an Indian restaurant from restaurateur Ashok Bajaj, who also owns 701, The Bombay Club, Ardeo, Bardeo and the Oval Room. The restaurant is slated to open this fall at Seventh and D streets Northwest. Word has it that the new spot will focus on Indian tawa (a round, thick iron griddle) and sigri (barbecue) cooking styles.
And heading back to the U Street area, Bar Pilar has started serving brunch. They had a sign posted announcing brunch with a copy of their regular menu beside it, so I'm not sure if they'll have different brunch choices. I would assume one cannot survive on tater tots alone for breakfast.