Category Archives: Food and Drink
Woodley Date Night: Art & Cocktails
With blue skies and temperatures in the 70s predicted, this weekend looks like it will provide a couple gorgeous afternoons for a good date night. We suggest a stroll down to Woodley Park to take in some afternoon art, followed by an evening cocktail, sipped in on of the neighborhood’s outdoor cafes.
The Stamford Art Gallery in Woodley has historically featured great small exhibits, so we were excited to see a new opening at the gallery this month. The exhibit, Artists of Woodley Park, will run until July 15 and features works from a collection of both professional and amateur local artists and contains jewelry, pottery, photography, glasswork, charcoal drawings, prints, and paintings. The gallery is open until 7 pm on weeknights and 6 pm on weekends.
After perusing the gallery, you only need to walk down Connecticut to find several outdoor cafes, many with afternoon specials. We’ve noticed that the summertime crowd has already hit the patio of the perennial favorite, Medaterra, known for their cheap frozen drinks. The bar’s happy hour specials run from 4 pm to close on weekends. We would also recommend District Kitchen, which we hear has some great creative cocktails, or (our favorite) the gin and tonic tasting at The Gin Joint.
Chipotle Cleveland Park on Track for May Opening
Although nothing is certain in the world of restaurant openings, Chipotle is on track to open its Cleveland Park location by the end of the month. Via Twitter, the store will open “by the end of the month” if “all goes well.” As we mentioned on Twitter two days ago, the location is actively hiring for this location. Chipotle will be opening in the old Cereal Bowl / Starbucks location near the Uptown Theater and the soon-to-be McFadden’s.
Here’s to celebrating Memorial Day weekend next to the pool with Chipotle in hand!
Envy My Food – Edition #14
Welcome to out weekly feature Envy My Food. Each week we hope to share a wide array of restaurant food from Washington, DC.
Want to contribute to the fun? You can join our Flickr group, @CleveParker on Twitter, or send us an email with your picture. Bon Appetit!
Creme Brulée from K Town Bistro – photographer blog
Veggie Burger from Elevation Burger – photographer blog
Photo credit: AK_Wong (via Flickr)
Free Ice Cream Tonight in Cleveland Park
Great news! Tonight at Dino (well the patio outside Dino), you can get free samples from the Sinplicity Ice Cream Truck. From 6-8 PM tonight, the truck will set-up alongside Dino so you try its myriad varieties of ice cream and sorbet. Even better, Dino will extend its Happy Hour so you can grab an cheap drink or bite after the event. Take a look at Sinplicity’s full menu, I’m sure that you’ll find something that sounds delicious. It’s not every day a food truck stops in Cleveland Park, let alone one giving away freebies, be sure to stop by!
New Farmers Market Coming to Cleveland Park
We were excited when the Post announced in April that a farmers market would be coming to Cleveland Park, but upon further investigation, we learned that permit issues might complicate its opening. We’ve now confirmed, however, that a new farmers market is expected to come to the neighborhood this summer.
Market manager Gloria Garrett tells us that there’s still some details to be worked out, but it’s expected to open the first weekend in June. In addition, rather than the Macomb St. location, as previously reported by the Post, the market will now likely take place on the west side of Connecticut Ave. (A similar market, which runs along 14th and U St., is very popular.) We’re excited that the new location will be convenient for neighborhood residents and should bring more visitors to the local businesses. Garrett also manages the Sunday Palisades Farmers Market, and we’re hoping that the Cleveland Park market will feature many of the same local vendors. We will update as soon as we hear more details on vendors and the market’s schedule.
Envy My Food – Edition #13
Welcome to out weekly feature Envy My Food. Each week we hope to share a wide array of restaurant food from Washington, DC.
Want to contribute to the fun? You can join our Flickr group, @CleveParker on Twitter, or send us an email with your picture. Bon Appetit!
Wooster Square Pizza from Pete’s New Haven Style Apizza
Photo credit: Cleveland Parker (via Flickr)
The Luther from ChurchKey
Photo credit: RobertDennis (via Flickr)
Salmon Cakes from K Town Bistro – photographer blog
Photo credit: AK_Wong (via Flickr)
Beet Salad from K Town Bistro – photographer blog
Photo credit: AK_Wong (via Flickr)
Atomic Billiards Seeks Later Hours
On May 9, Atomic Billiards will go before the Alcohol Beverage Control Board seeking an extension of its hours. The new hours would give the establishment an opening time of 8 AM. On weekends (Friday and Saturday), sales and consumption of alcohol would extend until 3 AM. On weeknights (Sunday-Thursday), sales and consumption of alcohol would extend until 2 AM.
Atomic Billiards has faced increasing competition in the neighborhood recently with the opening of the Underground below St. Arnold’s. Even with the competition, it remains uniquely positioned with its myriad recreational opportunities on site including billiards, shuffleboard, darts, and board games. Atomic has no outstanding fines or investigative matters before the board, so it will likely be granted its request.
Friday Five: Best Outdoor Patios
With summertime and warm weather growing near, we’ve gotten really excited about outdoor patio season at our favorite neighborhood restaurants. Here’s to hoping the rain stays away this weekend, so that we can all get a head start on enjoying a nice outdoor burger and brew. This week’s Friday Five includes 4 patios we love (and one new patio we can’t wait to try):
1. Cleveland Park Bar & Grill – Definitely our favorite rooftop bar in the ‘hood. Great place to sip their happy hour specials.
2. Medium Rare – Medium Rare has a large patio that’s not in the middle of the sidewalk, unlike so many Cleveland Park eateries.
3. Siam House – The patio is small and a always a little packed (like the restaurant), but we love Siam House patio for a quick, inexpensive, tasty dinner or lunch.
4. St. Arnold’s – Who needs a patio when your whole restaurant becomes outdoor space?
5. District Kitchen – So we haven’t had a chance to check out District Kitchen’s new patio yet, since the restaurant just opened this winter, but we like what we see. Large patio in a great location for watching Woodley Park happenings and families trekking to the zoo. We hear good things about their sustainable wines and signature cocktails–can’t wait to try one outdoors this summer!
Any great patios we’re missing? Where are you excited to dine al fresco this summer?
Free Wine Tastings in Cleveland Park This Weekend
It’s no secret that we at Cleveland Parker love finding great wine in the neighborhood. Especially when it’s free. So before you head out this Friday or Saturday night, we wanted to pass along a couple free tastings scheduled for this weekend at Cleveland Park Wine and Spirits:
1. May 4th from 5-8 pm, Tasting from JAQK Cellars
Come to taste seven wines from this new California winery, JAQK Cellars, including their “High Roller” Cabernet Sauvignon and “Charmed” Sauvignon Blanc. Sweets from Firehook will also be on hand at this event. The store promises “deep discounts” on the wines, though we’re not sure what those are yet. An RSVP is requested for this event at anthony.quinn@clevelandparkwines.com.
2. May 5th from 2-6 pm, Tasting of Wines from Argentina and Spain
Saturday afternoon, Cleveland Park Wine and Spirits will also be offering a free tasting, though this one appears to be more low-key than Friday evening’s event. The store promises a little education on wines from Argentina and Spain as you sip.
For these and all other events in the neighborhood, be sure to check out our Events Calendar.
Envy My Food – Edition #12
Welcome to out weekly feature Envy My Food. Each week we hope to share a wide array of restaurant food from Washington, DC. Our first full month of this feature – hope you’ve enjoyed!
Want to contribute to the fun? You can join our Flickr group, @CleveParker on Twitter, or send us an email with your picture. Bon Appetit!
Summer conconction from FroZenYo
Photo credit: mkopka (via Flickr)
Kaşık Salad from Agora Restaurant
Photo credit: tedeytan (via Flickr)
Taiwanese Hamburger from – photographer blog
Photo credit: AK_Wong (via Flickr)
Porcini Agnolotti from Ristorante Piccolo – photographer blog
Photo credit: AK_Wong (via Flickr)
Breaking: Pulpo Set to Take Over Tackle Box Space
As we’ve alluded to previously, Tackle Box will be replaced by a restaurant conceived by Floriana owners. We received confirmation from Rachael O. Tapper Director of Marketing and Communications for Floriana that the company will be taking over the Tackle Box space on May 7. According to Tapper, “We are estimating a couple weeks of renovations and an open date of late May.” We look forward to this new addition to the neighborhood and wish Tackle Box the best of luck at its Georgetown location.
Friday Five: Red, Red Wine in Cleveland Park
As part of a new weekly post, we’ll be highlighting five things we love in the neighborhood. The first installment? Five red wines we’ve been loving lately. We love these wines because they make for a great dinner or night out and don’t break the bank.
1. Ardeo+Bardeo‘s Touriga Nacional, Cedro do Noval, Portugal 2006 ($35 bottle, we’re not sure if it’s available by the glass anymore) – It’s Portuguese, it’s something different, we love it.
2. Ripple‘s Cabarnet Franc, Domaine de la Butte “Le Pied de la Butte”, France 2009 ($11 glass, $33 b0ttle) – Complex and earthy for a cab franc.
3. Medium Rare‘s Fitou, Bertrand Berge, France 2009 ($9 glass, $34 bottle) – They call it complex; we call it delicious.
4. Ripple‘s Garancha Tintorera, Quitieria “Higueruela”, Spain 2009 ($6 glass, $21 bottle) – The best bottle of red wine we’ve found for $21 at a DC restaurant.
5. Calvert Woodley‘s Dow Douro, Vale do Bomfim, Portugal 2009 ($12 bottle) – Found while perusing Calvert Woodley’s eclectic selection; great rich fruity wine pairs well with cheese, crackers, and a casual night at home.
Cheers to the weekend!
