by Katherine Saltzman and Forest Hills Connection
Closed – but not forever
Within days of the fire that gutted St. Arnold’s and The Abbey (3433 Connecticut Avenue) in late June, its owners said they had already started the process of rebuilding. And they are approaching the ordeal with grace and humor. (“The kitchen is ‘toast,'” they say in one Facebook update.)
One of its Cleveland Park neighbors penned an essay for The Washington Post about how St. Arnold’s had become a second home and community.
Now open
Capital Crab and Seafood is now welcoming sit-down diners at the former Arucola Osteria location in Chevy Chase (5534 Connecticut).
And in the former Sears appliance store in Tenleytown, the long-awaited Wawa is now open.
Opening soon (we hope)
Two new eateries plan late summer openings: Tino’s Pizzeria (3420 Connecticut) in Cleveland Park and Uptown Market (4465 Connecticut) in Van Ness. Tino’s is featured in DCist’s “Restaurant Openings We’re Excited For This Summer.”
Uptown Market is in the process of acquiring alcohol sales licenses for its bar and for take-home beer and wine sales.
Uptown Market reports they plan to open before Labor Day.
Located In Van Ness at 4465 Connecticut Avenue, Uptown replaces the Soapstone Market that closed last December. pic.twitter.com/bnzbOJ8uYv
— Tenleytown & Around (@Tenleytown411) June 27, 2019
Main Street news
Van Ness
Coming Tuesdays in August from Van Ness Main Street: the return of Pups on the Patio. As the name suggests, local restaurants will be welcoming dogs and their people to their outdoor spaces for food and drink specials and prizes. VNMS Interim Director Cherie Lester says Acacia Food and Wine will kick things off from 6 to 8 p.m. August 6th, followed by Sfoglina on August 13th and Italian Pizza Kitchen on the 20th. Watch VNMS social media feeds and Forest Hills Connection for updates, including the location of a fourth Pups on the Patio event on August 27th.
Lester also sends a “big thank you” to UDC for hosting the VNMS fundraiser in June. “Their staff was incredibly professional, helpful and wonderful to work with,” she said.
Two days before the fundraiser, Lester ran a contest on Facebook asking people to name their favorite thing about Van Ness. The winner, Anushka Mehta, received two free tickets (a $150 value) for this answer: “How easy it is to feel at home. After moving every 1-2 years for the past decade of my life, it’s been hard to invest in a space and community. Van Ness felt like home within weeks! And I’m hoping to build more community and stick around the neighbourhood for longer.”
Cleveland Park
Ward 3 Council member Mary Cheh, in her May constituent letter, announced the FY 2020 DC budget would include money to support the establishment of a Cleveland Park Main Street as well as an expansion of Van Ness Main Street. Cleveland Park has an active business association, one that is based on the Main Street model, said Bob Ward, the association’s Economic Vitality Committee co-chair.
“[The Cleveland Park Business Association uses] the four-point model of the main street model; a resources, economic vitality, marketing and promotions and streetscape committees. We have active volunteers in each of those areas,” Ward said.
Next steps include submitting an application to the Department of Small and Local Business Development, which oversees the District’s Main Street programs. CPBA is also establishing a board and searching for an executive director. A full-time leader would help expand and expedite many of CPBA’s goals and provide ongoing support for finding business tenants, assisting with the upcoming Connecticut Avenue streetscape project and encouraging volunteer engagement and organization.
“To continue what we are doing but to have an executive director whose sole job is to keep everything going and help volunteers do their work – it will be great,” Ward said. “We all have day jobs, but we are passionate about the neighborhood and having someone who can lead us in that way, at the staff level, will be a game changer for us. It’s going to accelerate everything we are doing.”
The Cleveland Park Business Association launched in 2017 with strong support from community volunteers and business owners. It is aiming for a Main Street launch in the fall.
“We are stepping up our recruitment of resident volunteers. We are going to have more capacity to put them to work in our various Main Street activities,” Ward said. “If people are reading Forest Hills Connection, this is coming! Reach out and get excited like we are.”
Bar scene
Other parts of the city are better known for their lively nightlife scene, but if you’re looking for a more easygoing, fun evening for drinks and entertainment check out some of these neighborhood bars.
Tenleytown
Beloved by AU grad students and neighbors alike, Kitty O’Sheas (4624 Wisconsin Avenue), a casual, Irish bar that offers karaoke and competitive weekly trivia nights. Check out more of their events and menu on their Facebook page.
Across the street is the Tenley Bar and Grill (4611 41st Street NW). It’s a sports bar, but it also hosts the occasional and lively Bachata Brunch, a DC-based social group that dances while enjoying mimosas and breakfast. Specials include all-day happy hour on Mondays and Thursdays.
Cleveland Park
Down the narrow staircase leading to Atomic Billiards (3427 Connecticut) is a bustling game hub filled with pool tables, shuffle board, arcade stations, dart boards and a large selection of board games. A wide selection of drinks is available but there is no food menu, so you’re invited to bring your own.
Or head down the block and upstairs to the rooftop bar at the Cleveland Park Bar and Grill (3421 Connecticut). Daily specials Monday through Thursday include half-price burgers, wine and wings and $2.99 Tacos on Fridays. CP Bar and Grill can also host events for ten to 150 people.
Forest Hills
Yes, there is ping pong at Comet Ping Pong (5037 Connecticut). But there’s also wood-fired pizza, local beers on tap, specialty cocktails (including one named for the White Stripes’ “Dead Leaves & the Dirty Ground”) and, after 9 p.m., live music.
Performers include local artists as well as groups touring across the country. For upcoming shows and to purchase tickets, visit Comet Ping Pong’s website.
Summer is nearly upon us!! There are so many great shows coming up at Comet, so we made a playlist featuring all the artists playing here this Summer:https://t.co/vSJ5bCiBMv
— Comet Ping Pong (@cometpingpong) June 17, 2019
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