DC Metrocentric

Still havn’t made New Years eve plans? Have no fear, there are still plenty of choices out there, but if you are looking for a place with history and great ambiance, you may want to try the Old Ebbitt Grill. 

Washington’s oldest and most historic saloon, the Old Ebbitt Grill was founded in 1856. Its present location at 675 15th Street, N.W. is in a beautiful Beaux-Arts style building and its interior evokes the classic Victorian style.

There are still tickets available and the night includes live music by Express, open bar, heavy hors d’oeuvres, champagne toast at midnight, live Times Square broadcast, balloon drop and dancing.

If you are all about atmosphere, The Old Ebbitt grill might be a great way to enjoy the new year! [Flickr Photo:DBKing]

Ok, we know we’ve been on a bit of a firehouse kick lately. But you know when you get something stuck in your head, and then it just starts appearing everywhere?

This beautiful abandoned building at 1626 North Capitol St NW was once the DC Engine Company #12 Firehouse. It was built in 1896 by Snowden Ashford who designed many of the police stations and firehouses of the time.

The building itself has a nice nuevo-Spanish feel but has long been boarded up since the station was decommissioned in the 80s.

We are happy to report that those boards may be coming down soon, as the building has been slated to be turned into a restaurant. We think this would be a nice use of the space, and will continue to allow the community to benefit from the building.

Though the plans for the space have been around for a while, it looks like things are starting to move and that the owners have secured the permits they need to begin work! We will be sure to keep you posted.

In a city full of classic federal buildings covered in marble columns, there really are not that many examples of truly post modern original architecture. One wonderful departure from the rectangle building is the Museum of The American Indian.

Nestled right in between the National Air and Space Museum and the U.S. Botanic Garden, the National Museum of the American Indian—the 18th Smithsonian museum—filled the last empty space on the National Mall.

Though the Museum doesn’t have that much in terms of exhibits, the food court is beyond amazing! We love the flowing lines of the building, and how the sandstone is used in cantilevers over the surrounding landscaped outdoor elements. If we were to compile a list of the areas best architectural buildings, this one would always make the cut! 

The development around the Eisenhower Metro Station has been fairly sporadic over the last few years. Much of the buildings going up on the East side of the station are just spill over from the projects in the Carlyle area. 

However, even amide the sea of parking lots that is the west side of the station, is a nice movie theater, a Teds Montana Grill, a Bread and Chocolate (which is a DCMetrocentric favorite) and now soon to be… a California Tortilla! We have the proof in the building permit (see picture below).

We have often enjoyed the Courthouse and the Rockville locations when we are in need of a really good burrito, and of course chips and queso. Now there’s one more location to add to the DC areas growing list. The chain plans to expand much more rapidly over the next year and has already opened chains at the two area airports! So now all you people in the Alexandria Area have a new place to get your burrito fix (trust us, it’s way better than Chipotle).

No it’s not an optical illusion, and your eyes are not deceiving you, the building pictured below is sinking! When we were in Old Town Alexandria this past week we noticed the tilt of this building which is home to one of the many Starbucks on King Street.

Though the building looks perfectly safe, all the years of flooding from the Potomac look to have taken it’s toll on this 100 year old building, and that second story window on the left was definitely not hung with a level! We love it when buildings like this, that may have seemed beyond repair only 10 years ago, are preserved! Guess it’s the crookedness that gives it character!

As you can see, construction is progressing well at the site of the Courthouse Plaza East on Clarendon Blvd. The project will eventually feature a hotel and multiple restaurants and the proposed design will include a new pedestrian entry plaza from Clarendon Boulevard, improving the access and visibility of the existing street level retail.

Now that the build-out has begun in earnest, the details about the future tenets are now starting to become clear. The hotel will be a Marriott Residence Inn and will feature upgraded exterior materials and an elegant, urban interior design.

As for the restaurant, Georgia Brown’s one of the most successful restaurants in the Washington area, will act as an anchor for this new restaurant pavilion on Clarendon Boulevard. We can’t wait to have another (closer) location to enjoy the upscale southern cooking Georgia Browns is famous for!

We were just talking about thanksgiving decorations and what do you know… Don Juan in Mount Pleasant is getting in the Holiday spirit too!

It’s hard to tell, but look closely, Santa is holding a chicken leg!

Don Juan’s is on Lamont Street in NW.

Look what arrived in our inbox this morning… a press release from CityVista! We will let this one speak for its self…

“CityVista continues to change the landscape in the Mount Vernon Triangle area bringing in new residents and a variety of community-serving restaurants and retail… restaurateur Andy Shallal will create a venue with his signature blend of good food and food for thought, projected to open in the Spring of 2008

This is actually exciting, considering the success they have had with DCMetrocentric favorite Busboys and Poets on 14th street in NW and now the new location in Arlington. “The concept is ideal for CityVista as it will engage the community on many levels,” according to Michael Balaban, President, Lowe Enterprises Real Estate Group.

We will keep you posted, and are truly looking forward to see what comes out of the PR talk and becomes a reality!

Construction photo from CityVista after the jump…

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It’s a bad sign, literally, when a hastily scribbled sign announces to passers by that your restaurant is closed for renovations.

Atillas restaurant by the Courthouse Metro station is in a prime location, next to packed neighbors like Ireland’s Four Courts and Gua-Rapo, which often have 20 min waits each night, but strangely we have never even seen a single soul in Attilas. Maybe a new restaurant concept in the location is long over due.

We noticed this “Closed for Renovations” sign about a week ago, minus the last line which now proclaims one more week. We will keep you posted, but things aren’t looking good! We put the odds at 50/50 stay tuned!

We talked about the problems “Restaurant Three” was having getting its doors open last month, well things are looking a lot better now, as they are now hiring and have a menu put together.

A DC Metrocentric corespondent was dispatched to the site and it looks like the interior is done, and the outside patio is getting the finishing touches. 

This is one of the most prime locations for a restaurant in Clarendon (an entire new building was built over the old tiki hut/Greek restaurant on the corner of Garfield and Clarendon Blvd). It is interesting to note though that the space right on the other corner of the block (across from Harry’s Tap Room) is still unoccupied and has been for 2 years! Apparently the Class A commercial space is going for rates almost twice those for the area.

Though it has been a long time coming, the only thing left holding back 141 condo units plus retail at 2000 Wilson Boulevard, on the lot occupied by Taco Bell and Dr. Dremo’s Tap House in the Courthouse neighborhood, is “Market Conditions.” But construction will most likely begin in early 2008. 

The party may just last a little longer at Dremos if the housing market continues to stay course, and the owners have vowed to stay open until the building is knocked to the ground. Lets hope that’s later, rather than sooner, because the longer the area has easy access to Chocolate Donut Beer the better!  

Yes, they are donuts, warm, yummy, fresh made to order donuts, and they are no longer available at the recently opened location of the Fractured Prune in Dupont Circle because they closed last week.

This leaves Krispy Kreme as the big kid left in the donut game, at least in the Dupont Circle area.

So where can you go to still get those fresh Fractured prune donuts? and Speculation as to why they closed in the first place… after the jump…

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Wondering what the new develpment on the corner of Garfield and Clarendon Blvd in place of the old (and short lived) tiki hut? Well the owners of Whitlows on Wilson are opening Restaurant Three which wil be a “upscale dining atmosphere with an affordable priced menu.”

Unfourtunatly those in Clarendon may be waiting for a while, the restaurant was slated to open in June, but things are now looking like late Fall.

Update: There is huge “Now Hiring” sign accross the front, things might be progressing faster than we think