Best Hotel Bars

The Washington Business Journal has rated the best hotel bars in the country.

Three on the list are in New York; one in San Francisco; and one in Boston.

But two are right here in Washington and Penn Quarter-adjacent.  Making the list are the Hay Adam's Off The Record Bar and the Willard's Round Robin Bar.

We can't disagree - and are particular fans of the Kentucky Derby Party at the Willard.  But other Penn Quarter hotels make for a great meeting spot for a drink.  Poste patio in the summer is hard to beat, and the Presidential Sports Bar in the Renaissance is not just for tourists.

We also often find ourselves sipping to the soft piano music in the Grand Hyatt.

Champagne Food Truck? Yes, please.

Veuve Clicquot is bringing their food champagne truck to the District the weekend after Memorial Day, where you can pick up a quick glass of champagne while you're out walking your dog.

You can follow them on twitter @veuveclicquot, but we'll tell you where they are going to be, courtesy of Guest of a Guest:

• Thursday, May 30th, 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. - The Dupont Circle Hotel (1500 New Hampshire Ave N.W.)

• Friday, May 31st, 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. - The W Hotel D.C. (515 15th Street N.W.)

• Saturday, June 1st, 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. - Lemongrass in Annapolis (167 West Street)

We're for sale!

PQInsider.com is for sale!

Because of the personal commitments of the small group of staff here at PQInsider, we have been unable to keep up with the demands (and the news!) of our vibrant neighborhood. We are proud so much is happening all the time in Penn Quarter, but think our readers would be better served by a new owner.

If you know of anyone looking to take over such a fun operation, we are at auction with Flippa:

New changes coming to D.C. cabs

D.C. is a huge city for taxis, yet we seem to lag behind most other cities.  Good news: changes are coming.

The Cloture Club has summarized a lot of these changes, and the D.C. Taxicab Commission has issued a number of press releases.

Some of the changes:

• All taxis will accept credit cards by August 31, 2013.
• The base fare will increase from $3.00 to $3.25 on June 1, 2013
• An additional 25 cent surcharge will be charged per ride to support to the Taxicab Commission
• Taxis will once again charge $1 per extra passenger
• Baggage fees have been eliminated

So you can use credit cards . . . but you'll probably be paying more overall.

Shophouse and It'Sugar coming to Penn Quarter

Penn Quarter is set to welcome two new stores, according to the Washington Business Journal.

Shophouse, the Asian Chipotle (actually owned by Chipotle) that is currently in Georgetown and Dupont Circle finally comes to Penn Quarter.  It will take the Ruby Tuesday's space at 710 Seventh Street, N.W.

Next to that, It'Sugar is going in (714 Seventh Street N.W.), which sells novelty items like t-shirts and candy.  This is the first It'Sugar in D.C., but they are in 17 states and there is one as close as Baltimore.

FrozenYo is also expected to open up in that block, along with the Lime Fresh going into the old Potbelly's space.

Mt Vernon Triangle streets closed for police investigation

The area at 10th and M streets are currently closed for a police investigation.

Police are asking residents to stay in their homes and to not come outside. They have ordered several people back inside.

You may want to avoid the area for the next few hours.

First Lady dines at Oyamel

According to Mike Allen's Politico Playbook, the First Lady had dinner last night at Oyamel.

No word on what she ate or who she was with.  Let us know if you saw her!

President at Minibar for Valentine's Day

It appears from the incredible amount of secret service that the President has taken his valentine to Minibar.

Must have been even harder than usual to get a reservation tonight. Maybe not if you are the President of this great country. We are guessing he didn't call at 10:30am a month ahead.

White Apron Opens

There's a new lunch player in town, y'all.

The sandwich shop we reported on back in July, White Apron, has opened its doors.

White Apron specializes in sandwiches - they have monthly and daily specials such as Italian subs, croque monsieurs, tuna, roast beef - the works - plus a side dish of the day.  For $8 a sandwich, we think it's a pretty good deal (we particularly like the 91 cent fountain sodas and chips!).

Their hours are 11-3 (we were hopeful they'd be open for dinner too, but no such luck - yet anyway).  You can go visit them on 11th between E and Pennsylvania.

NB: This is just the first of the "Aprons" to open in Penn Quarter this year - Red Apron Butchery has plans to open this spring on D between 7th and 8th.  Progress is moving along there nicely, from what we've seen.

Inauguration Planning

The great folks at DowntownDC put together a useful packet for how to get around when Inauguration strikes next Monday, January 21st (hint: don't.)  You should review the whole thing, but we thought this blurb for residents would be particularly helpful for PQInsiders.

Also: don't forget their awesome list of restaurants with Inauguration specials - almost all of them here in Penn Quarter.

Celebrity Sighting

Parks and Rec actor Chris Pratt was spotted at The Source last night while folks screened his new movie Zero Dark Thirty at neighboring Newseum.  Pratt plays a member of Seal Team Six.

He dined with Mark Boal, writer/producer of the much-buzzed film, but no word on what they ate.

Pratt is no stranger to DC - as you recall, he and the rest of his Parks and Rec castmates were in Penn Quarter filming last summer.

Daikaya Pop Up

Daikaya, the ramen shop that's due to open on Sixth Street this very month, knows we're anxious to get a taste of their Sapporo-style noodles - and so they're doing a pop-up at LivingSocial's 918 F Street location on January 18th and 19th.  They're the number-one most anticipated restaurant this year, according to Washington City Paper, so we expect the pop-up tickets to go fast.

$79 will get you a six course meal - below - plus a cocktail, a sake, and a Sapporo lager.

For those wondering, the exact opening for the Sixth Street location hasn't been announced yet.  We've got our eye on it.

Panera Bread Opens in Chinatown

A couple months ago, we reported on construction starting at Panera Bread a year after announcing their plans to occupy the location.

They made up for lost time, because the Panera Bread opened yesterday.  There are two stories, with 52 seats on the first floor and 144 on the second.

Their hours will be as follows:

Monday - Thursday - 6:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m.
Friday - 6:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m.
Sunday - 7:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m.

We are always excited for a new lunch place in Penn Quarter.  We suspect that despite the plethora of sandwich places in the neighborhood (e.g. ABP, Cafe Phillips, Camille's, Corner Baker, Cosi, etc.), Panera will do just fine.

The low is in the 30's over the weekend - go get some soup!