Eating Around: H Is for Hungry

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A SIX-YEAR RESIDENT of the neighborhood called Trinidad or the Atlas District, Elise Bernard has chronicled the metamorphosis of H Street NE from downtrodden to dynamic since 2004 on her blog, Frozen Tropics. She reports on crime stats, city services, new bars and restaurants and posts musings about her house and community.

H Street may be overtaking U Street NW as a hipster destination, but Bernard notes that there are places for food and drink that appeal to many types of people, not just the cool kids.

Though H Street comes alive at night, there are daylight options. Bernard suggests the few-months-old Sidamo Coffee and Tea for breakfast and lunch, saying, "Whatever they're doing, they're doing it right."

Ethiopian-born owners Kenfe Bellay and Yalemzwed Desta roast coffee beans in-house, offer more than 20 kinds of teas and keep the kettle on from 7 a.m to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends.

Having graced the neighborhood for decades, Horace and Dickie's makes a fishwich that's worth a trip, whether for lunch, dinner or, as after-hours crowds can attest, late night.

The neighborhood sit-down go-to for now is Joe Englert's Argonaut. Customers can lounge outside to snack on mac and cheese, calamari, a BLT salad or a burger, and choose from a solid selection of beer, wine and infused rum. The inside offers retro R&B in a space with the theme of the mythological Argo, the ship in search of the Golden Fleece.

Soon-to-open restaurants include Dr. Granville Moore's Brickyard (a Belgian beer and frites place), the wine and coffee bar SOVA, Sticky Rice Sushi and Napa 1015. H Street Martini Lounge has the swankiest drinks on the street.

Bernard cites the recently opened Pug as a more casual but no less boozy option.

» "H Street Life" [WaPo]
» "To H Street NE ... and Back" [Free Ride/Express]

» Sidamo Coffee and Tea, 417 H St. NE; 202-548-0081.
» Horace and Dickie's Seafood, 809 12th St. NE; 202-397-6040.
» The Argonaut, 1430 H St, NE; 202-397-1416.
» H Street Martini Lounge, 1236 H St. NE; 202-397-3333.
» The Pug, 1234 H St. NE; 202-388-8554.

Photo courtesy Argonaut