Free Cachaca (Brazilian liquor) tasting at Cafe Atlantico this afternoon

This afternoon from 4:00 p.m. until 5:45 p.m., Cafe Atlantico is having a free tasting of Cachaca, a Brazilian liquor made from pure sugar cane.

For more details on what that is and to RSVP, go to localwineevents.com, here.

The event is to celebrate the kickoff of Carnival, which will feature many events at Cafe Atlantico.  A full listing of events is available here.

It's hard to say no to free liquor on a Friday afternoon. . .

Irish Channel will re-open for St. Patrick's Day

A facebook post from the Irish Channel indicates they will re-open in time for St. Patrick's Day.  In fact, their grand re-opening could be any day now.

The post says they will be opening "early next week."

If they get really lucky, they could "get approval" today and open for the weekend--meaning everything is done and ready to go--but that is unlikely.  Nonetheless, early next week leaves plenty of time to get ready for St. Patrick's Day.

Confusion about Hill Country opening dates

Hill Country BBQ

We previously reported, based on a tweet from the Washington Post, that Hill Country BBQ is opening on March 12th.

This makes sense, since we know some neighbors were invited to a soft opening on March 9th and 10th.

However, a construction worker caught Penn Quarter insider creepily peering between cracks in the paper covering the windows at Hill Country last night and informed us that the opening will actually be March 17th.

We are not sure this is true, but the worker did let us inside the restaurant, and it looks like they have more work to do.  Nonetheless, the work must be done by the March 9th soft opening, so we are hoping the March 12th date is correct.

Huffington Post talks Penn Quarter

F. Kaid Benfield, the Director of Sustainable Communities at the Natural Resources Defense Council was apparently at last week's Georgetown game with Bill Clinton.

That led him to write this piece in the Huffington Post about Penn Quarter and the Verizon Center's effect on the neighborhood.

"Heck, most people in the neighborhood now aren’t even there because of the arena, though it’s the arena that made the neighborhood what it has become," writes Benfield.  "For longtime DC residents (over 40 years for yours truly), the amazing thing is the contrast of Verizon Center with the area’s old sports arena, also built by [Abe] Pollin (in the early 1970s) in a completely unwalkable and transit-inaccessible suburban location surrounded by acres of asphalt parking lots, and notorious for hours-long traffic jams for people trying to go home after an event."

He also included this very interesting picture of 7th Street from the 1970's:



Credit: Anice Hoachlander for the Historic American Buildings Survey (From the Huffington Post)



Lansburgh residents invited to Hill Country soft opening

A tipster sent us a copy of the letter below that residents of The Lansburgh received.

Apparently, Hill Country is inviting them (on a first-come, first-serve basis) to their soft opening next Wednesday and Thursday.

Did other building residents get this?  Or is Hill Country making nice with their closest neighbor to appease them and prepare them for their late hours and live music?

Cherry Blossom Festival to charge an admission fee for the first time

If you can stand the crowds, you can still see the cherry blossoms. 

But you can't just waltz down to Pennsylvania Ave to the National Cherry Blossom Festival.  For the first time, the Festival will be charging patrons to attend.  The Washington Post reports the Festival will cost $5.

How are they going to keep you off a major thoroughfare?  By erecting a 6-foot high fence to line the street.

The event usually draws about 150,000 people (if they all still go, that's $750,000) and costs about $300,000 to put on.  But part of the point of the admission fee is to reduce the crowd and make it more manageable.

Of course, you'll still have to pay for food, too.  The Festival will take place on April 9th.

Dalai Lama coming to the Verizon Center

Washington City Paper reports that His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama is coming to Washington.

More information is available here.  The Verizon Center will host the Kalachakra, the most well-attended ritual in Buddhism.    The last time the Kalachakra was held was 2006. 

Tickets are available on Ticketmaster and range from $400 for a seven-day pass to $500 for an eleven-day package.

The event is expected to draw a crowd of 20,000 people.  And it's the same weekend as the Summer Fancy Food Show at the Convention Center, which is expected to draw 25,000 people.

Boltbus and Megabus moving pick up locations from convention center lot, signaling beginning of construction for CityCenter

In the best evidence yet that CityCenter is actually about to start construction, Boltbus and Megabus are relocating their pickup location from the parking lot where CityCenter is to be located.

Both Boltbus and Megabus have picked up in this parking lot, and both are now moving their pick up and drop off locations.

Washington City Paper reports that Boltbus will now pick up at New Jersey and F Streets N.W.  Megabus will pick up at North Capitol and K Street N.W.

Megabus announced that the change in stop began yesterday, so CityCenter construction may be imminent.

Development at 6th and H? Or just a trick?

As Prince of Petworth noticed, there is a building permit up in the window at 6th and H Streets.

However, Penn Quarter Insider tracked down the permit application and it states there will be "no exterior work," though it so desperately needs it.

The permit application further says "DRYWALL (15 SHEETS MAX.) PAINT REPLACEMENT FIXTURES TO PLUMBING AND ELECTRIC."

That doesn't exactly clear anything up.  Are they simply opening a new establishment in this existing space?  It used to be a video store.

Does anyone have any idea what they're doing at 6th and H?

Central introduces take-out

A bucket of chicken from Central

WeLoveDC reports that Michel Richard's Central, one of the neighborhood's most popular restaurants, is introducing take-out.

The whole menu won't be available, but a lot of it is: including the lobster burger and mac 'n cheese.  You can see the take out menu here.

Most notable is that the restaurant has added a bucket of chicken (you read that right).  For $30, you get three breasts, three thighs, ten chicken nuggets, and an order of mashed potatoes.  And it comes with a homemade Dijon/mayo sauce.

Take out will be available during lunch on weekdays and during dinner Monday to Saturday.

Market Square sold to Georgia-based Real Estate Investment Trust

Market Square, the iconic commercial, retail, and residential buildings that surround the Navy Memorial, has been sold, according to the Washington Business Journal.

The complex at 701 and 801 Pennsylvania Ave sold for $615 Million to a Georgia-based Real Estate Investment Trust called Wells, and the deal will close on March 15.

The seller and previous owner of the building was Boston-based Beacon Capital Partners.  They were encouraged to sell the buildings by lenders to pay down some of their debt.

$615 Million represents more than $900 per square foot, an astounding and rare figure that exemplifies the demand for our neighborhood.  That makes Market Square the third largest commercial real estate deal in Washington's history, topped only by Rosslyn Twin Towers, which houses Politico, and International Square, which houses the World Bank, according to GlobeSt.com

Market Square has retail on the first level, then several stories of commercial office space, with penthouse condominiums on top. 

The buyer, Wells, also owns 80 M Street S.E. near the Nationals Stadium.

Penn Quarter Farmer's Market to re-open this month

For those of you who are itching to buy fresh foods (and flowers and candles, etc.) again, as well as those of you dreading the traffic snarls, the Penn Quarter Farmer's Market that closed for the winter at the end of December will re-open this month.

Representatives of the market tell Penn Quarter Insider that it will re-open on March 24th.  That's about a week earlier than last year.

The Farmer's Market will take it's usual place on 8th Street between D Street and E Street and will be open every Thursday from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m.

Hill Country catering truck spotted; D.C. website announced

Hill Country BBQ, opening March 12, is seeing all the signs of life.  This morning, Penn Quarter Insider spotted this truck parked on E street. 

While it doesn't appear to be a food truck, like Austin Grill recently launched, it means that Hill Country is going to do catering.

The other important item of note, is that they have the URL for a Washington, D.C. website: hillcountryWDC.com.  For now, that website only forwards to hillcountryny.com, but there is a banner saying that a Washington, D.C. location is "coming soon."

The venue is going to feature barbecue, live music, late hours--and catering.

Update: Hill Country has also reserved the twitter handle @hillcountrywdc, though their only follower so far is @PQInsider.