Sixth Street NW

Pleasant Pops Opens Downtown Shop

Pleasant Pops, whose original ice pop push cart moved up to food truck level, then up to brick & mortar level, has now opened a second physical shop. The new cafe is located downtown at 731 15th St NW, in the circa 1911 Woodward Building. It's considerably smaller than the Adams Morgan store and doesn't feature the food market aspect of the original store. 

However, the coffee service (they use Ceremony) is still on point, as are the pops. On a recent visit I had the hibiscus pomegranate pop -- just amazing. Pleasant Pops always offers several non-dairy vegan pops at each location, which I truly appreciate.This is essentially a grab & go location, although there is limited seating inside and a few tables outside along 15th Street NW. The hours of the new shop are Monday-Friday 7:00 AM - 7:00 PM and Saturday - Sunday 9:00 AM - 7:00 PM.

Lotus Blooms Among New Retail for Adams Morgan

I can't say I've done an official count, but it feels like Adams Morgan has a lot of retail vacancies. For sure there will always be turnover in a neighborhood with so many retail storefronts, but it really does feel like there's a stagnation of sorts. But now some of the empty storefronts are starting to be filled and/or have recently changed hands, and none of the new tenants are bars or restaurants.

Alexandria's Lotus Blooms looks to open soon at 2408 18th St NW. Lotus Blooms is an adult boutique known for hosting workshops & classes. And of course it's also a retail location for all things toy, corset, garter, wand, rabbit, bullet, teddy, g string, pastie, boots, so on and so forth. All the fun stuff you usually buy online. This would be only the second location for Lotus Blooms and the first in the District. The 2408 18th St NW storefront (1,700 sq ft including basement level) was last home to the very short lived Instant Noodles and Viet Thai restaurants. 

Just blocks away, Cosmo Nail Bar recently (well... actually in February) opened in the WY18 condo building. Cosmo offers a familiar slate of mani/pedi offerings, with waxing and other spa-like services. This is one of a growing number of mani/pedi choices in Adams Morgan, Dupont, and Mount Pleasant. I assume competition is good in this field? Cosmo is located at 2200 18th St NW.

When coffee pop-up Cafe Diem --operating out of the Skynear building-- closed, I thought we had lost a neat, quirky space with really good coffee. Luckily Sweet Science appears to have filled that vacancy perfectly. Sweet Science opened quietly last month and has been brewing, by all accounts, freaking excellent coffee. I've heard a few good things about this place from people I trust about coffee. That being said, I still need to make a proper visit. Here's to better coffee in DC, a dream we've been actually realizing over the past 10 years. So awesome. Sweet Science is located at 1800 Wyoming Ave NW. 

La Tomate Adds Café

La Tomate has been serving Italian food in Dupont for nearly thirty years. It's in a great location; on a narrow, triangular corner at R and Connecticut, just a block form the Metro station. I've actually never eaten there, but they may have a new customer after opening a cute addition in the form of a café. 

The grand opening for La Tomate Caffé is July 25, but I stopped by last week to peek in. It's a simple affair, being located in the rear of the restaurant, next to The Cheeky Puppy pet store. The café menu is separate from the bistro and for now, includes mostly sandwiches and salads. And of course a full coffee service. Looking forward to checking it out! La Tomate Caffé is located at 1701 Connecticut Ave NW.

Coffee/Riot: New Additions

I haven't added any new shops to the Coffee/Riot list in quite a while! But, I'm still trying coffee all over the city in search of the best and newest cups, wherever they may be. In the past I've visited:  Sticky Fingers, Baked & Wired, Dos Gringos, M.E. Swing, Grape & Bean, Crumbs & Coffee, Open City, Tryst, Ebenezers Coffeehouse, Bourbon Coffee, Chinatown Coffee Company, Tynan Coffee and Tea, and Mid City Caffe. 

I still have a list of places that need a full length write up, but I wanted to give a shout out to three shops in particular. They are among a handful of newish shops that have gained my attention in recent months:

Kafe Bohem: Something about the lighting in this Shaw cafe makes you want to stick around for a while. Kafe Bohem is separate from, but related to next door's Bistro Bohem. The Bistro is a proper, stand alone Czech restaurant with a full menu. Kafe Bohem is where you might want to quietly sneak away from your too-talkative roommate for a while and catch up on that book you promised yourself you'd finish before 2014. All while having excellent, European style coffee drinks. Kafe Bohem is located at 600 Florida Ave NW.

Malmiason: I need to visit this place a few more times to decide if I really like it, but my first brief visits were positive. This is a bit of a multi-purpose space with a coffee bar, counter-service style lounge area, and dinner service restaurant area, all of which doubles as a rental venue on occasion. I was told by a fiend that Malmaison had a good coffee service and that's true! However, it's tough to compete with Baked & Wired just blocks away. Anyway, the smooth soy lattes at Malmaison are complimented by the location: it's right on the waterfront in Georgetown. This is a prime spot under the western end of Whitehurst Freeway. Malmaison is located at 3401 K St NW.

Harrar Coffee & Roastery: Nothing beats a Sunday brunch at Woodland's Vegan Bistro. OK, one thing beats a Sunday brunch at Woodland's Vegan Bistro: a post-meal coffee date at Harrar. This new coffee shop is located in Columbia Heights at 2904 Georgia Ave NW, one block from Woodlands. Harrar is pretty small, with perhaps 10 seats and a rack of current events magazines in the back for those lingering. They know their coffee here and to my delight serve one of my favorites, Ethiopian Yirgacheffe. Harrar roasts on-site (the roaster is right in the center of the place) and it shows, in quality and taste.

Coffy Cafe Opening Next Week

The DC coffee scene is about to get another player. Coffy Cafe has been in the works for nearly a year now and I'm happy to see that they will likely open within the next 10 days! A sign recently went up in the front windows indicating an open date of Saturday March 3rd. Welcome to the neighborhood, Coffy! 

Coffy Cafe is located at 3310 14th St NW in Columbia Heights. The unique name is a direct reference to the 1973 Jack Hill film Coffy starring 1970s (and then, 90s!) movie queen Pam Grier.

Not sure if they have a proper website yet, but the shop Facebook page is active and every time I've peeked in the windows of the store this week, they've had a more "open soon" feel. Looking forward to a new quality coffee spot just blocks away from Mount Pleasant! Have a great weekend.

UPDATE: They do have a website. CoffyCafe.com, natürlich.

Inside is still a work in progress, but looking good!

Flying Fish Coffee & Tea Opens

Great neighborhood news this weekend: Mount Pleasant now has a new coffee shop! Flying Fish Coffee & Tea opened its doors to the general public on Saturday morning and was snagging passers-by as well as those eagerly awaiting this moment, like myself. This isn't a review, just a notice! 

They're new, but the product that I'm most interested in is pretty basic: a good hand-poured coffee. When fully stocked, they'll have teas and other coffee drinks like iced coffee, lattes, cappuccino, chai and more. But during a visit on Saturday afternoon I found myself at a nice wooden table enjoying an Indonesian coffee in a cute Flying Fish mug with a cool demitasse spoon holder on the side. Good show, good show. Very homey feel and nice staff & owner. 

I'm not the read-a-Kindle-and-lounge type, but you can do that here if you like. I believe they offer free wifi as of yesterday as well, if you're into that sort of thing. Two plush looking arm chairs look right out onto Mount Pleasant Street. And a number of two-tops join a small wooden community-like table inside the narrow storefront at 3064 Mount Pleasant St NW. 3064 was formerly home to the Express Business Center. As of today, Flying Fish is open 7-7 on weekdays, 8-8 on Saturdays and 8-7 on Sundays.

The other Mount Pleasant spots I go to for coffee are Dos Gringos and Heller's Bakery.

I want this place to succeed and help make our main street more lively. It joins Ercilia's Frugalista, Mayflower, Golden Scissors, Nana, 24 HR Laundromat and Mt Pleasant Auto Repair to form a nice first impression as an entrance into our fair village. Not one empty storefront on that block, the 3000 block of Mount Pleasant. Pretty neat. Count on seeing me there again, soon. Good luck Flying Fish!

Double Shot: Two New Coffee Shops

Coffy Cafe in Columbia Heights

Soon, Mount Pleasant residents will be able to caffeinate at two new local coffee shops. Right here on our own main street, Flying Fish Coffee & Tea looks very close to opening at 3064 Mount Pleasant Street NW. And just blocks away in Columbia Heights, there is new signage for Coffy Cafe at 3310 14th Street NW.

Flying Fish is an a fairly small space between Mayflower Chinese restaurant and Golden Scissors salon. The storefront was formerly occupied by the Express Business Center, a computer rental, service and business center. I'm really excited about this place and here is a preview of the shop from last week's Washington City Paper. I really enjoy the coffee at Filter and Chinatown Coffee Co, so if FF is similar, quality-wise, that would be fantastic. Looking through the windows of Flying Fish, I already think the place has a Mount Pleasant feel and aesthetically, it looks much like a coffee shop that I would open.

Coffy Cafe just appeared on 14 Street in Columbia Heights within the last few days. The colors scream "70s," (and maybe Dunkin' Donuts?). And sure enough, the signage promises a mod vibe. Very curious! Not much more insight than a color scheme and a slogan, but always good to have another coffee option. Looks like they'll have food, too: crepes and cupcakes are in the byline. The address is 3310 14th Street NW, part of the old Riggs Bank building at 14th and Park. Other retail in the building include PNC Bank, Subway, Speedy Liquors, Columbia Heights Pharmacy and more. The upper floors are occupied by the Samuel Kelsey Apartments.

UPDATE: Coffy Cafe has a Facebook page with more information. Pretty cool.

Flying Fish Coffee & Tea in Mount Pleasant

Coffee/Riot: Mid City Caffe

Coffee shops, cafes, whatever you prefer to call them, DC has its fair share of spots that serve up the caffeinated, addictive beverage in some form or another. Some are bakeries, others more restaurant-like, and others are straight up coffee shops. I've taken on task of chronicling some of my favorite coffee spots in the city, on a quest to show what's unique and cool about them. If you have suggestions, please submit. Previous posts: Sticky Fingers, Baked & Wired, Dos Gringos, M.E. Swing, Grape & Bean, Crumbs & Coffee, Open City,Tryst, Ebenezers Coffeehouse, Bourbon Coffee, Chinatown Coffee Company, Tynan Coffee and Tea.

Funny, the first thing I thought of after visiting Mid City for the first time was another coffee shop on 14th Street.  There was something about Mid City that bought to mind Sparky's Espresso Cafe, a 14th St coffee pioneer that had a great run in the early 2000s. Sparky's closed and the space is now Cork wine bar.  Bur Mid City Caffe looks like they plan to be around for a while.

General rules of retail say that the public would rather walk down to your store than up. That is to say if you have to choose between the basement and the second floor, choose the basement. But Mid City is in a unique and neat predicament. It's location is truly multi use. There is an auto repair shop next door and a vintage furniture store below. Having Miss Pixie's downstairs means you can window shop (or really shop) and get good coffee on the same trip. I guess you can get your car serviced and get a coffee as well.

The quality is definitely there. They offer brewed coffees based on seasonal availabilities. Like other indie shops in DC, they deal with Counter Culture. Of course always offer espresso drinks. The soy latte is frothy and up there with the best of what I have had in DC. The only food I have tried are the bagels. Nothing spectacular, but the jelly was really good and fresh. So there's that.

Then there is the atmosphere. I kind of love it. As I said the interior sort of reminds me of Sparky's because, well, it' sort of small and cramped. Mid City is divided into two rooms on the second floor. One room houses the baristas, cappuccino machines, register and seating for about 20-25. The second room is smaller and set off and can seat 15-20, but seems removed. Every time I have visited, the shop has been laptop land time as they do offer free wifi.

Mid City is a really cool hangout spot! the staff is actually very cool and the offer little extras like outdoor seating downstairs, accessible water cooler and a mini couch of sorts to mix in with the other vintage looking seating and tables. Mid City is located at 1626 14th Street NW.

Coffee/Riot: Tynan Coffee and Tea

Coffee shops, cafes, whatever you prefer to call them, DC has its fair share of spots that serve up the caffeinated, addictive beverage in some form or another. Some are bakeries, others more restaurant-like, and others are straight up coffee shops. I've taken on task of chronicling some of my favorite coffee spots in the city, on a quest to show what's unique and cool about them. If you have suggestions, go bananas. I'm not much of a hater or complainer so I'll mostly be heaping praise and being posi. Previous Coffee/Riot posts: Sticky Fingers, Baked & Wired, Dos Gringos, M.E. Swing, Grape and Bean, Crumbs & Coffee, Open City, Tryst, Ebenezers Coffeehouse, Bourbon Coffee, Chinatown Coffee Company.

Tynan Coffee and Tea
While sitting at Tynan drinking a soy latte of unknown calorie count, I looked up at the workout machines across the street at Washington Sports Club. I should have started a series on gym memberships instead. I'll need one after this winter of eating. But anyway, on to Tynan.

Tynan is in Columbia Heights. It is within 100 feet of the Metro station, across the street from DCUSA shoppers and on busy Irving Street NW. The set-up is priceless. This place should do well financially and it looks like they are off to a good start.

The interior set up is neat. Tynan has a community table right up front, next to the door, but it's tucked away in the window bay. As you enter, you are drawn into the shop by one of two paths, leading to either the ordering area or main seating area. The main seating area is dark and warm with wooden furniture and feels enclosed like a separate room, although there are no high walls. I like this. In the front of the store is the aforementioned community table, a large couch-like seat, two or three single chairs with small tables and counter top seating designed for laptop users. Also to the left, as you enter, a large white wall, a natural canvas. A Columbia Heights related mural is planned. There is a small fireplace in the rear. I was there on a weekday recently and there were only five or six seats available, one of which I took. It was near the front window. There is an area for outside seating. Looked great for a few weeks after Tynan's opening in late October of last year. Looking forward to the outside seating this spring.

This place has a high turnover and fast service. The employees have always been pleasant to me. As usual, I ordered a soy latte as well as a regular drip coffee. Soy latte was nothing to write home about. I've had it on 4-5 separate occasions since they opened. Serviceable and, at the least, consistent. I don't know what type of soy they use. The drip coffee of the day was Guatemalan Antigua, a mild roast. On it's own, a strong coffee with a hint of bitterness and a bold, but not cutting or overwhelming aroma and taste. Later, when I asked for some soy as creamer (its not on the bar), the barista was nice enough to steam some for me even though I didn't ask. I liked that, too.

In addition to coffee, tea and juice, there are whole bean and loose leaf teas for sale, biscotti, croissants, muffins, and bagels. Prepared foods offered include waffles, quiche, breakfast sandwiches, salads, wraps and chili. A small selection of beer, wine and coffee liqueur drinks round out the diverse menu (PDF). Some items are seasonal, so I'd call and check or just drop by if you want to be sure one of those menu items is available.

Overall, Tynan looks like a good addition to the DC coffee scene. A nice place for a group meeting, after dinner date, or anonymous lounging. Its quite comfortable, clean and there are multiple seating choices. For the vegans, this place probably won't replace the likes of Sticky Fingers, but if you aren't looking for food or alcohol, this is a fine place to hang your hat for an hour or so. On the flip side, Tynan is a great alternative for those who aren't big fans of either Stick Fingers or Starbucks, the other coffee shops within a block of the CH Metro stop.

Tynan Coffee and Tea is located at 1400 Irving Street NW on the first level of the Highland Park building. It's between Five Guys and Commonwealth. Its open seven days a week; 630am-800pm and opening at 800am on the weekends.

Drinking on Metro

Last week BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) came up with a weird idea to combat people breaking its no eat/drink rule: sippy cups. The San Francisco area subway and transit company knows that heaps of riders break the no eating and drinking on the train rule daily. Instead of additional enforcement or a rule change, BART decided to try and convince riders to use a certain kind of coffee mug; essentially a sippy cup with a fail safe auto clasp, or "dead man's trigger." You have to hold the button down with a thumb to drink. Riders and bloggers bristled, calling the idea "dumb" and "worthless." At the press conference, the BART representative intentionally dropped the mug for effect--and spilled coffee all over the floor... whoops.

I often wonder if Metro will get rid of the rule. I seriously doubt it. Washington in general and WMATA in particular are sticklers for rules, even if some are outdated. I know, I know, Metro is so clean, we don't want to be New York, what about the carpet, yada. Got it. But, let's be honest. Heaps of riders eat and drink on the Metro as we speak! I see residents, not tourists, I'm talking about regular riders, who eat fries, chicken wings, morning Starbucks, whatever, on the trains, and to a greater extent, on the buses. There seems to be less of a stigma of eating and drinking on Metrobus and only on rare occasion will I see a driver give the beatdown to a customer with a coffee in hand. But yes, many a rider drink and eat on the train.

On a rare winter morning I will take my Sticky Fingers soy latte filled mug on the subway. Believe it or not, I don't drink it! I only travel a few stops to work and I absolutely do not like being stared down by 'snide morning commuter.' You know who I'm talking about. It's lady who got on at Shady Grove, but didn't get a seat. So she's mad at her seatless ride and mad at you because you have a soy latte and are drinking it and she hasn't such a luxury. Or its government worker guy who really has to speak up and say "You KNOW that's not allowed." Really government worker guy... Really? Yea, I know.

So anyway, I want to avoid these people, some of whom apparently think that holding coffee is equitable to drinking coffee. Sorry! Two totally different activities people! One is lawful, the other is unlawful. I, sir or madam, follow the law. On Metro. The one about eating and drinking on it. That's the law I follow. For now. I guess I have to concede. The rule does help to keep the trains cleaner. But sometimes I really want to taste the espresso and soy goodness.

Jeez. Ok, I gotta go. Sticky Fingers closes in a few minutes!