BEFORE BARRACKS ROW WAS FLOODED with new bars and restaurants, it housed a tiny store that's survived prohibition, changes in ownership and the 1960s riots to serve its Eastern Market neighbors choice beverages.
Burnie Williams is now the caretaker of Chat's Liquors. He has childhood memories of "dusting bottles, stocking the soda refrigerators and help[ing] bag customer purchases." But after the sudden loss of his father in 1999, Williams and his sister took control of one of the oldest liquor stores in the District, which has been family owned since 1978.
The story of Chat's isn't just about liquor. Williams brings a sense of community to his store, sharing his wide smile and greeting every patron by name. Ask Williams about any boutique wine or trendy bourbon and he'll know where to point you. "It's our duty to … educate our customers and to hopefully offer them products that arouse their curiosity and interest." In that spirit, Chat's offers free tastings every weekend. Williams even hosts local wine dinners; the next is at Laconda on Dec. 10 featuring five courses with pairings.
Continue Reading "A Grape Holiday: Liquors for a Lovely Turkey Day" »
AFTER HALF A year of sitting empty, the old Murky Coffee location on Capitol Hill has pulled a phoenix act — or, rather, if we're talking birds, a peregrine act.
Thanks to the newly christened Peregrine Espresso, Hill-dwellers can get their java fix again. Coffee on the way to the Metro! Coffee after a day of shopping at Eastern Market! Coffee for the sake of coffee! Ryan Jensen, the 29-year-old former manager of Murky, bought the location from his old boss, Nick Cho, after the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue seized the place in February of this year for back sales taxes and evicted Cho.
But enough of that unpleasantness. Coffee is back on the Hill.
IF YOU'RE LOOKING for theatre in D.C., but don't feel like paying through the nose, Catalyst Theater Company produces consistently solid work for the price of a movie ticket.
"Crumble (Lay Me Down Justin Timberlake)" tells the story of a mother and daughter living together, but each living alone in her fantasies about unattainable men. Even their crumbling apartment has its own fantasies. Eventually, teenage Janice's longing for Justin Timberlake gets out of hand.
» Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, 545 7th Street SE; Thu.-Sat., 7:30 p.m., Sat. 2 p.m., $10; 202-494-3776. (Eastern Market)
IT'S BEAUTIFUL OUTISDE. You have work to do. Luckily, you have a laptop. Take advantage of your digital mobility and type outside. While plenty of sandwich shops and coffeehouses offer unlimited caffeine and free wireless, Tunnicliff's Tavern offers daily wi-fi and substantial fare.
When the smell of food finally forces you to stop typing and seek out some fuel, reward your hardworking self with the Buffalo chicken sandwich. Both messy and tangy, this filling sandwich is worth its calories in billable hours.
» Tunnicliff's Tavern, 222 7th St. SE; 202-544-5680. (Eastern Market)
Written by Express contributor Stefanie Gans
REMEMBER HOW "Toy Story" made kids around the world afraid that their playthings were somehow self-aware?
Adults may leave Catalyst Theater's "Crumble (Lay Me Down, Justin Timberlake)," with a similar feeling about their abodes, thanks to Jason Stiles' creaking and at times menacing personification of a decaying apartment.
Penned by Sheila Callaghan and directed by Shirley Serotsky -- who teamed last year in "We Are Not These Hands" -- the play focuses on the relationship between a widowed chef and her troubled daughter. Mom (Elizabeth Richards) and Janice (Casie Platt) live together in a dilapidated apartment that lacks heat and is falling apart, thanks to Mom's inaction.
Twentysomething Platt masters the sulking silences and raging rants of 11-year-old Janice, who hosts bleach tea parties for her stuffed animals and raging fights among her Barbies. Her terminally anxious mother prepares complex feasts -- which Janice won't eat -- and seeks the fruitless advice of sister Barbara (Kathleen Akerley), who is childless except for 57 cats.
MICHAEL BERMAN IS HOLDING a print of a photograph. It's a scene from Eastern Market in 1970 — long before a fire last April gutted the building — and he has blown up the photo and rendered it crisp and poster-like.
Berman points out Louise Morgal, her husband, Elmer, and her son Dave, in the print as they market fresh produce in the open air. Thirty-eight years later, Louise and Dave still sell their produce at Eastern Market, although business has flagged since the fire. And Berman still sells his art there, too.
"I wanted to make something positive in spirit that honors the food vendors," says Berman. His print, along with those of nine other artists, has been included in "Eastern Market Artists Interpreting Eastern Market," an exhibition focusing on the old building and its neighborhood.
A few stalls over from Berman, Victor Kinza is selling paintings of Washington scenes. His "Rainbow Over Eastern Market" was selected for the show, and he has dedicated it to the market's 135th anniversary.
The exhibit contains 12 5-foot by 5-foot vinyl stickers of artwork showing the building or its surrounding community. The pieces are mounted on the north side of the East Hall, which is the temporary structure erected across the street from the burned-out South Hall.
IT'S BEEN NEARLY a year since fire gutted much of Eastern Market, but the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities and 10 local artists are saluting the market that was at the market that now stands across the street.
Twelve murals depicting the market in happier times will go on display April 19 in the temporary structure erected to house displaced Eastern Market vendors. Officials told The Post's Sopan Joshi that the murals — each a digital image of an original painting or photograph — will move to the original Eastern Market once work to restore the building, which could cost as much as $30 million, wraps up there next year.
» "UPDATE: Murals To Be Displayed At Interim Site of Eastern Market" [WaPo]
Artwork by Mary Belcher/Courtesy D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities
MURKY COFFEE, an independently run coffee house on Capitol Hill that was shuttered last month because of tax troubles, won't be reopening, its owner said.
Writing on the shop's Web site, Nicholas Cho said lengthy negotiations with the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue led to eviction by the store's landlords.
"As engaging the DC OTR continued to drag on slowly, our landlords for the Capitol Hill store were understandably unwilling to wait forever as their property remained locked up. Therefore, they chose to evict us, according to their rights," he said.
The shop been closed since the tax office shut down its operations on Feb. 26.
According to a report by Eilssa Silverman in today's Washington Post, the city says Murky owes more than $427,000 in sales and franchise taxes.
Continue Reading "Owner: Capitol Hill's Murky Coffee Won't Reopen" »
Hearing Set on Ballpark, Columbia Heights Parking
Map It:
Capitol South Columbia Heights Eastern Market Navy Yard
FOR RESIDENTS OF CAPITOL HILL, the opening of the Nationals' South Capitol Street ballpark this spring comes with a side of trepidation: the fear that neighborhood streets will be crammed with baseball fans in search of parking. In Columbia Heights, the opening of the massive D.C. USA project, with its Target, Best Buy and other large retailers, is also raising concerns over a worsening parking crunch.
On Wednesday, D.C. Council member Jim Graham, chairman of the Public Works and the Environment Committee, is hosting a public hearing to discuss congestion and parking worries in Columbia Heights and in neighborhoods near the new stadium. Among the potential changes are plans to expand metered on-street parking on select streets on Capitol Hill, including Barracks Row.
Officials from the D.C. Department of Transportation will present information tomorrow starting at 5 p.m. in Room 412 of the Wilson Building; public comments will start at 6 p.m.
» "Upcoming Hearing: New Traffic Tools?" [D.C. Council member Jim Graham]
» "Curbside Parking Plan: Thoughts from Town Halls" [D.C. Council member Tommy Wells]
METROBUS' CROWDED 30-SERIES BUS LINE, which currently is comprised of the 30, 32, 34, 35 and 36 routes, is poised to get some new numbers: 31, 37 and 39. Those would be local and express routes designed to alleviate congestion and quicken the ride along one of Metrobus' most crowded and delay-plagued corridors. The plan came out of a series of public hearings held in recent months on the future of the bus line.
The proposed changes, which could go into effect by summer, are subject to public hearings, modifications and approval by Metro's board in the coming months, according to a timetable laid out in recent public presentations.
Here's what may be in store:
Continue Reading "Express Buses Eyed for Metro's Crowded 30 Line" »
Addison Road