Bar Method having an opening party

The Bar Method has been open awhile now up at 9th and H Streets N.W., but they still haven't had their grand opening party.

The fitness studio will be having their party on Saturday, September 17th, but only those who have committed to a three-month package will be invited to the party.  A three month package is $195 (total $585) -- expensive even for a D.C. party.

The Bar Method also added new class times (10:00 a.m. on Mondays/Wednesdays; 5:15 p.m., 6:30 p.m., and 7:45 p.m. on Mondays - Thursdays; 9:00 a.m., 10:15 a.m., and 11:30 a.m. on weekends).

They also will have classes over Labor Day Weekend, each day of the three-day weekend at 9:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m., and 12:00 p.m.

More in District of Pi

District of Pi Pizzeria opens today, and the Washington Post has more details on the restaurant.

While Pi is known for it's deep dish, they have two ovens--one for deep dish and one for thin crust.  There are six deep dish pizzas on the menu and five thin crust pizzas, but any of them can be ordered either way.  You can also create your own pizza, choosing from a variety of toppings.

The "Pi Snacks" you may have seen on the menu are a D.C. exclusive, they are not available in the four St. Louis locations.

Their happy hour runs from 4:00 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. every day except Saturday.  You can get Pi Snacks as well as $5 wines and $4 draft beers.  Sure there are better deals out there, but there are 24 beers on draft at Pi.

The restaurant will also be open for brunch, serving pizzas with eggs instead of tomato sauce.

The menus are available here.

Groupon for Crime & Punishment Museum

Been meaning to get to the Crime & Punishment Museum, but haven't?  First you want to avoid the summer crowds, then you want to see all the free museums in the area before you get to the ones you have to pay for.

Today, Groupon is there to help.  Today's Groupon lets you buy a Crime & Punishment Museum ticket for only $10, a savings over the usual $21 ticket price.  You have to go by November 20, 2011, though.

There is also a deal where you can pay the normal $21, but you get an after-hours tour of the museum, which is great for those of you trying to avoid the crowds.  However, you have to go on September 23rd, and there is a selection of times available.

Check it out here.

City Vista Safeway is now open 24 hours

Prince of Petworth is reporting (hat tip TBD) that the Safeway at 5th and L Streets N.W. is now open 24 hours. 

Our closest grocery store now joins few 24 hour grocery stores in the District, such as the Georgetown Safeway and the Giant at O Street N.W., which is closing soon.

Pi and the President

Forbes Magazine has a bit more about Pi Pizzeria opening tomorrow than we knew.

Apparently during the President's campaign, he sent a staffer out for pizza during a campaign stop in Missouri.  The staffer went to Pi, which started in St. Louis, and the President declared the pizza the best he had ever had.

Fast forward until after inaguration, and the President invited the owners of Pi to come cook pizza for him in the White House kitchen.  They did.

That means that after the restaurant's opening tomorrow, we can probably expect another Presidential visit in our neighborhood in the near future.

District of Pi Pizzeria opens tomorrow

We have sampled their food from their food truck, but finally the brick-and-mortar District of Pi Pizzeria opens tomorrow (8/31).  We knew they were opening in August, they just barely made it by the deadline.

The pizzeria is located at 901 F Street N.W.  The menu is available here. 

There is a Penn Quarter pizza, it's a deep-dish specialty pi with roasted eggplant, sausage, red onion, basil, and ricotta.

Hurricane Irene aftermath

Penn Quarter largely faired pretty well through Hurricane Irene.  Email us any damage you know about. 

All we saw was a lamp that had broken in the plaza between Indiana Ave and Pennsylvania Avenue and several newspaper stands that had blown over.  One newspaper stand seemed to have blown down Seventh Street some, but we did not see much else out of place.

Lamp broken from Hurricane Irene

Newspaper stands were blown over almost everywhere

Architecture center detailed

We have been eyeing the architecture center (first reported in February here) that took the souvenir shop space, wondering what it will be all about.

A rendering of the space to come

Today, the Washington Business Journal profiles the space, reporting it will be open in October.

They call it a "veritable mecca for the design community" and quote the President of the Washington chapter of the American Institute of Architects saying it's going to "provide a focal point for architectural conversation in the city."

The center will apparently offer lectures, events, community programs, and exhibits with the aim of increasing the visibility and accessibility of the city's architecture.

Their old space was in DuPont Circle, but in a townhouse with little or no street presence.  It will certainly add something different to Penn Quarter.

Read the full profile here.  Follow the construction progress here.

Hotel deal for those without power

If you have family without power, but no place to put them up, Kimpton hotels are offering a special deal for those displaced due to Hurricane Irene.

Several of their hotels are offering those who have no power or are stranded as a result of the hurricane a special rate of $99 per night.

Hotel Monaco in Penn Quarter is not participating; however, many other Kimpton hotels in the area are, including Hotel George just down the street.

The other hotels participating are: Rouge, Helix, Topaz, Madera, Palomar (Arlington), Monaco (Alexandria), and Monaco (Baltimore).

To get this special rate, make your reservation online at KimptonHotels.com and enter IRENE into the rate code box.  You can also call 1-800-KIMPTON and ask for the hurricane relief rate.

The rates are effective until September 2nd.

Power outage update

The Lansburgh does have power. We cannot see anything at 7th and D without power, despite Pepco's reports.

Metro status update during Hurricane Irene

This is the latest from Metro:

Based on current National Weather Service forecasts, Metro bus, rail and paratransit services are expected to continue operating on a regular Saturday schedule.  There are currently no planned service changes as a result of weather, and there are no reported delays or major detours as of 7:45 p.m. Saturday.

Power outages in Penn Quarter

Pepco is reporting that there are power outages in Penn Quarter, including one at 7th and D Street.  We are not sure which building is out (Lansburgh again?) but we are investigating and will let you know as soon as we know.

The green triangles above indicate a power outage.

Restaurant closings

A look at at OpenTable indicates the following restaurants have closed for the evening:

15 Squares American Bistro (at the Renaissance)
America Eats
Buddha Bar
Carmine's
Cedar
Central
Fiola (closed for the season)
Galileo III
Hill Country


UPDATE:  We have spoken to District Chophouse and Gordon Biersch, and both have CLOSED.

Power outages

Pepco currently has 14,000 outages. None downtown or Penn Quarter that we know of. Let us know if you hear of any and we will investigate.

Hurricane effects - what's open and what's closed

We have tried to do a survey of what's open around the neighborhood. It is by no means exhaustive, but as of this writing the following were open or closed.

Closed:

H&M
Hill Country
All Starbucks
California Tortilla
Dunkin' Doughnuts
Rosa Mexicano
Red Velvet
Tangy Suite

Open:

Crumbs
Jaleo
Austin Grill
CVS
Cap City Brewing Company
Hooters
Nando's Peri Peri
RFD
Fado
Fuddruckers
Radio Shack
Chop't
La Tasca
Clyde's
Legal Seafoods
Chipotle
District Chophouse
Iron Horse

The main library will be closed tomorrow, and the Shakespeare Theatre has cancelled Julius Ceasar.

Martin Luther King misquoted at Memorial

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial dedication for this weekend has been postponed because of Hurricane Irene.  However, the memorial is open, and the public can walk through it.  A few of us here at Penn Quarter Insider took that opportunity this week, and we liked the memorial, though we know it has been controversial for some time.

Around the edges of the memorial is a series of quotes from the great orator.  Most of these quotes have you standing back in awe at a man who transformed the world with language.

Except one.  The Washington Post reports that one of the quotes is wrong.  The quote at the memorial says "I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness."

Not only does this pluck words out of context, it doesn't even pluck them in the right order.  The Post contends that it makes Reverend King seem arrogant, a gross mischaracterization.

The actual quote is this: “Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter.”

That's a much different statement, and the consecutive words of the memorial's quote aren't even in it.  The full speech is available here.

Penn Quarter prepares for Hurricane Irene

By now, Pepco has probably already made your phone ring this morning, warning you of the outages expected for the days ahead, and that they "expect the restoration to extend over multiple days."

While Penn Quarter has underground wires and is located very centrally to the power transformer on 8th Street between D and E, residents of the Lansburgh will surely tell you that Penn Quarter is not impervious to power outages. So, a friendly reminder you've surely heard already: it's time to start preparing.

WMATA has also issued a statement, saying that they've already placed 2,000 sandbags throughout the Metro system, to try and stem some of the rampant flooding some of the metro stations have seen in the past. NBC reporter Luke Russert spotted some on 7th Street.

If flooding has been a problem in your condo or apartment in the past, the Department of Public Works is handing out five sandbags per household, starting today at noon. The entrance is at New Jersey Avenue and I Street, SE and staff will be on hand to direct residents to the distribution point. Distribution will continue through midnight tonight, then resume at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday through midnight. You'll be asked to show D.C. identification.

Be sure to charge your cell phones and laptops - we here at Penn Quarter Insider will do our best to report throughout the weekend with updates here and on Twitter at @PQInsider. We'll be keeping an eye on PEPCO, WMATA and other area resources, while also trying to provide a list of restaurants that stay open during the brunt of the storm - hope to see you there!

Lego models suffer earthquake damage

As you probably know, there is an exhibition of Lego models at the National Building Museum right now.  Not surprisingly, a couple of the masterpieces were damaged during the earthquake, reports TBD.

There are fifteen Lego buildings in the exhibit, and two of them suffered damage.  The Museum says the damage was minor, but if we had built the Lego structure shown here, we would be upset.

It was the Burj Khalifa and the Empire State Building that suffered damage, but the museum says they will be fixed.  They are hoping the artist, Adam Reed Tucker will return to repair the Lego buildings.

There is plenty of time, the exhibition has recently been extended until September 3, 2012.

Farmer's Market specials today

It may be pouring outside today, but we saw them setting up the Farmer's Market on 8th Street nonetheless.

The Washington Post brings us today's farmers market specials:

• Sand Hill Farm will have lemon grass and leeks.

• Red Apron Butcher will have Merguez sausage ($13 for three pieces).

• Anchor Nursery will have pickling cucumbers.

Theatre Lab offers public speaking course

Want to sharpen your public speaking skills without leaving the neighborhood?  The Theatre Lab is mostly for actors, but they are conducting a public speaking course for non-actors beginning September 22nd.

The class will lead participants through a series of acting-based exercises to promote communication that leaves a lasting impact on the audience.

The class will meet for four weeks, on Thursdays from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.  The Theatre Lab is located at 733 8th Street N.W.

Man stabbed at Gallery Place

The Washington Post is reporting that a man was stabbed at about 4:45 p.m. at the corner of 7th and H Streets N.W. yesterday (Wednesday).

When police arrived, they found the wounded victim alive and breathing.  The extent of his injuries are not known at this time.

The man apparently got in a fight with another man, who stabbed him.  Police did take a male into custody, though we have no further details on that person yet.  It is not even known whether he was an adult or a juvenile.

Now you can get your earthquake gear

Well it didn't take long for someone to cash in on the earthquake.  It just happened yesterday, but already there is a host of merchandise in this store for earthquake survivors.

One shirt shows a knocked over lawn chair with the caption "I Survived the 2011 East Coast Earthquake."  Another has graphics of monuments around the region, and one shirt sports a huge "5.8" with the words "I survived East Coast 2011."

They are worth checking out, if for nothing else than a chuckle.

One of the shirts erroneously says "2010" - we must have missed that one.

Check out the shirts, bibs, stickers, etc. here.

A profile of transgender prostitutes

Many thanks to The Mount Vernon Triangle Blog for pointing out this article about the transgendered prostitutes that frequent the area just north of our neighborhood, on K Street between 3rd and 7th.

Check out the Washington Post article here.  It is a quick and eye-opening read, along with a video.

Mayor Gray thought earthquake was a car problem

None of us suspected an earthquake right at first yesterday, the Mayor included.  TBD reports Mayor Gray was in a car traveling from the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial back to his office at the Wilson Building when the earthquake hit at about 1:51 p.m.


He reportedly asked his associates "What the heck's wrong with the car?"

They then turned on the radio and found out it was an earthquake, and the Mayor sprung into action.

Metro resumes normal operations

As of 5:00 a.m. this morning, Metro has resumed normal operations.

Overnight, Metro staff inspected 106 miles of track, bridges, aerial structures, tunnels, parking decks, and other structures for signs of damage from yesterday's earthquake.

Everything must have looked pretty good, because Metro is resuming normal weekday service and will be operating at normal speeds.  Bus and MetroAccess will also operate normally.

Amorini Panini closed after earthquake damage

Amorini Panini has closed for the evening.  As they put on their twitter feed, "The building is too old and our neighbors brick fell off the face of their building."

They closed after the earthquake, which was about 1:51 p.m., and usually are open until 7:30 p.m. on weekdays.

In other news, if you go at a later day show this to get their new southwestern panini with chips and a drink for only $4.99.

Earthquake aftermath

Today was a crazy day around D.C., as the earthquake was a first for most of us.   Add to that the traffic nightmare, the cell phone outages, and the natural inclination of Washingtonians to think terrorist attack when the ground rumbles, and you had quite a turn of events.

The White House complex was sealed off, even streets around the White House open to pedestrians were closed off:

The Capitol was similarly closed, and streets normally opened to traffic were closed:

The Capitol buildings are now back open to staff.  Luke Russert reports on twitter that paint chips are covering the floor in the Capitol rotunda.

Right now, Metro is still running at 15 miles per hour, so expect extreme delays if you are getting on Metro.

If you see any damage around Penn Quarter, please let us know!

Metro plans for Martin Luther King Memorial opening

August 28th will be a big day around the district with the official opening of the Martin Luther King Memorial.  It will, of course, affect all Metro travel.

Metro, to their credit, is preparing.  They are opening two hours early at 5:00 a.m., operating more frequent service, and adding cars to all lines.  They are also suspending track work.

“To provide additional capacity, we are suspending all track work over the Dedication weekend,” Richard Sarles, Metro General Manager and Chief Executive Officer said. “Considering the massive rebuilding effort that's underway, this is a significant statement about our support for this important event.”

They will be offering free parking at all stations - if you live outside of D.C. and metro into Penn Quarter be advised that the parking lots may fill up very quickly.

Oyamel doesn't do well on health inspection

After seeing a plethora of rats outside Oyamel, we checked out their Health Inspection.  It turns out an inspection has not been done since November of 2008.  However, that report was not glowing.

Health Inspectors said the health risk at Oyamel was "high."  They found several food items, including chicken, beef, and guacamole, stored at the wrong temperature.  They found food stored on the floor and next to employee's clothing and cleaning agents.

The health inspectors also observed an employee cleaning a dish with a dirty apron right in front of them.

You can check out the full report here.  It is, of course, three years old - whether things have improved or gotten worse, we do not know.

We Love DC reviews America Eats

We Love DC has reviewed America Eats, and they thought more of it than we did (our review here).

Maybe it's gotten better in the 6 weeks it's been open?  We certainly hope so. 

Check out what We Love DC had to say about it here.

Sneak peek at MLK Memorial

(click to enlarge)

Many thanks to DCist for alerting us to the webcam that gives you a live shot of the upcoming Martin Luther King Memorial.  The crowds are going to be horrendous when it opens, so it nice to get a sneak peek since we may wait until the hype dies down to go see it (if the hype dies down).

The webcam is accessible here.  Zoom out to get the best view.

DCist also has several still photos available here.

Penn Quarter painting on sale on eBay

We aren't sure why we searched for "Penn Quarter" on eBay.  But we did.  And we found this painting.  It is 20" x 24" and for sale for $189.

Former Museum and Platinum club space sold to Douglas Development, will not be a nightclub

Platinum nightclub had its problems.  Then the Museum of Arts and Sciences came in after much opposition, because it was clearly going to be a bar.  However, it opened and closed just a few weeks later.  The space has been sitting empty for months. 

Now, the Washington Business Journal reports, the space has been bought by Douglas Development, and the company says it will not be a nightclub.

The developer wants to open up the windows and give the space more curb appeal and then lease it to a retail establishment or a restaurant.  They want it to be a space that is open during the day and adds to the F Street culture.

The space inside is incredible - we have some pictures from when we reviewed Museum here.

Douglas paid $5 million for the space, a deal considering the previous owner paid twice that in June 2009.

Ping Pong opens second location

We in Penn Quarter have long known about Ping Pong Dim Sum.  Offering good food and better drinks, the place is usually packed.

Today, the Washington Business Journal reports, was Ping Pong's first full day in their second location at DuPont Circle.  So now you have another place to get $20 bottles of prosecco after 10:00 p.m.

The new location is very similar to the original, but also includes a 90-seat outdoor patio.

Hotel deals for Labor Day guests

Do you have guests coming on Labor Day?  Maybe they don't really realize how small Penn Quarter spaces are and think they can just crash in your living room?  Or they are in-laws, and perhaps would be "more comfortable" somewhere else?

Downtown Amenities has a special offer from the Courtyard by Marriott at 9th and F Streets just for Labor Day Weekend.

Reserve a room there by Sunday at 5pm for Labor Day Weekend (good any nights from Sept. 2 - Sept. 5), and get the room for only $99/night including breakfast for two.  That's 40% off the normal price.

Details are available here.

Gospel Brunch in review

When we heard about Gospel Brunch at Hill Country, we were excited.   Gospel music is awesome, brunch is awesome, live music is awesome - how could this be bad?

We were expecting something like this:

Instead, we got this:



Three people playing with one woman singing twangy music that didn't even come close to gospel music.  It was kind of annoying to have around.

But hey - try it for yourselves and let us know what you think!  



Ryse signage is now up

We reported awhile ago about Ray's Hell Burger coming to City Vista along with a new urban bakery and cafe concept from the same proprietor, Michael Landrum.

We still have no word on when either will open, and it looks like there is quite a bit of construction to go.  We do now know the logo for the urban bakery and signs are up in the window:

Anthropologie and Pi Pizzeria opening next month



Pi Pizzeria is opening their brick-and-mortar location



We have been anxiously awaiting the opening of Anthropologie and Pi Pizzeria.   After Pi told the Washington Post they'd be opening in August, we were keeping a watchful eye on the place.

Now, the Washington Business Journal reports, and Douglas Development confirms, that both Anthropologie and Pi Pizzeria will open in September.

Anthropologie will be taking 10,000 square feet at 950 F Street N.W. and Pi Pizzeria will take 5,500 square feet at 910 F Street N.W.

Riot Act announces new shows

Riot Act has announced some new shows to their line-up, though not many surprises since we last reported the line up.   Remember open mic night is every Tuesday and there are two performances on Friday and Saturday nights.

The line up through September is:

Todd Rexx - August 17-21 (From HBO’s “Bad Boys of Comedy” & BET’s “Comic View”)

Big Al Goodwin – August 24-27 (From “America’s Funniest People” & Finalist on HBO’s “Lucky 21”).

Dick Gregory – August 28 (Social Activist & "Comic Genius")

Michael Brooks – September 1-4 (From “Showtime at the Apollo” & HBO’s “Def Comedy Jam”)

Rob Cantrell – September 8-11 (Appeared on several major networks including CBS, NBC, HBO and Comedy Central).

Allah Made Me Funny – September 14-17 (Preacher Moss headlines the all Muslim comedy show that has sold out shows on all 7 continents).

Paul Mooney – September 21-25 (From “The Chappelle Show,” “Bamboozled” & “Hollywood Shuffle” Has been nominated for an Emmy for his writing on “Pryor’s Place” as well as a Grammy for his album “Masterpiece”).

Jim Florentine & Don Jamieson – September 29-October 1 (From the Howard Stern Show, Comedy Central & hosts of VH-1’s “That Metal Show”).

Sixth Engine opening by the end of the year

It's been awhile since we have heard anything about Sixth Engine, the restaurant coming to DC's oldest (former) firehouse at 400 Massachusetts Ave.

Real Estate Bisnow caught up with Matthew and Norman Jemal of Douglas Development at Buddha Bar, and found out that Sixth Engine will be opening by the of the year.

The restaurant will feature outdoor seating, so we hope it opens soon.

JANUARY 17 UPDATE HERE.
FEBRUARY 2 UPDATE HERE.

FEBRUARY 10th (OPENING DAY) UPDATE HERE.

Contract required to eat at Rogue 24

In July, we wrote about Rogue 24, the Minibar impostor (with 52 seats) coming to 9th and N Streets.

Now, DCist is reporting that in order to get a reservation at Rogue 24, you must sign a contract.  The contract does not allow cameras, cell phones, or tweeting.  Sort of odd since the restaurant is on twitter and facebook.

There are also significant penalties for missing your reservation.  If you cancel within 72 hours of your reservation, you have to pay half of the check.  Cancelling the day of or showing up 30 minutes late means you have to pay the entire check - without getting a bite.  The menu is prix fixe and can run $175.  See the pricing structure on our former post here.

A copy of the contract from Eater DC is available here.

Restaurant Week Menus

Restaurant Week starts today, and all week you can enjoy 3 course lunches for $20.11 and 3 course dinners for $35.11.  

We have compiled a list of Penn Quarter area restaurant week menus where they are available.  Click the links below to check out the special menu.  Many other PQ restaurants are participating, but haven't put their restaurant week menu online yet.

• Asia Nine

• Bistro Bis (click "menus" then "other menus")

• Buddha Bar

• The Caucus Room

• Cedar

• Charlie Palmer's

• The Fourth Estate at the National Press Club

• Morrison Clark Restaurant

• PS7's

Chocolate Beer debuts at RFD

Penn Quarter has its own beer, and now D.C. is becoming a microbrew hub with the introduction of another local brew: Chocolate City Beer.

Washington City Paper reports that the new beer will debut next Thursday, and the launch party will be right here in Penn Quarter.

RFD will be hosting the launch party, which starts at 9:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 18th.  The new beer will be sold for $4 all night long.

Free tickets to opening weekend at Riot Act

We wrote when Venga gave away free tickets to Riot Act's pre-opening, but we realize you may have missed it.  Not to worry, Venga is giving out free tickets to Riot Act's opening weekend.

Here's how it works:

1) Go to govenga.com or open the Venga app on your phone

2) Tap on the Riot Act icon and pick the show you want

3) Click the "Count Me In" button and you are all set

4) Want a friend to come with you?  Share the offer to facebook or twitter and get an extra ticket.

Only 50 people get the free tickets, worth $20 each, so hurry and sign up.  And if you don't win, they will be giving away additional tickets 12 hours before the show, so keep an eye on your email.

See our review of Riot Act here.

Riot Act Comedy Club in review

Riot Act, the comedy club at 8th and E Streets, opens tonight.  Last night, Penn Quarter Insider was invited for the soft opening, which was a tremendous success.

The crowd watches a comedian perform downstairs

The space is much bigger than you might expect.  You walk in on the main level, which has a bar and several tables, as well as a counter to buy all your Riot Act t-shirts and other gear.  The bar is at the very back, with flat screen TVs behind it, and a draft beer selection you'd expect from the people who brought you Rocket Bar, Iron Horse, and Buffalo Billiards.  On tap last night, for example, was 21st Amendment Blueberry, 21st Amendment Black IPA, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Heineken, Abita Amber, Blue Moon, Riot Act Red, and Coors Light.

You then go around the corner and down a very wide staircase.  Why is the staircase so wide?  Because the downstairs is enormous, and crowds tend to let out of comedy shows at the same time.  There is another bar at the bottom of the stairs, and then you go into the room where the comedy shows take place.

The theatre space is not your typical comedy club.  There is no exposed brick, and the room is not small, dingy, and dark. Instead it looks more like a convention space.  Spacious, with non-descript carpeting, white walls, and office building ceilings. 

The theatre is huge.  Much bigger than you might expect, which changes the atmosphere a bit.  The room is not decorated like a comedy club at all; however, we expect that the room will be darkened and the lighting will make it more like a comedy club in the future. 

Their set up is still high-tech though.  There is a booth at the back that sits high above the room to control the sound and lighting.  Above the stage are extensive lighting operations and there are stairs off the stage so that talent can escape.  This isn't your back alley comedy club where the comedians come in through the crowd.

The room is also set up well.  There are shorter tables right by the stage, and taller bar tables behind those tables.  That way everyone can see.

We only tried a few of the food items last night, and were a bit weary since the ownership team doesn't serve food at their other establishments.  But the food we had was delicious.  The wait staff also was courteous despite being slammed by the crowds last night.

The comedians will constantly change, of course, and on open mic night it may be you.  However, last night the comedians were hilarious, which speaks well for their ability to book talent.

Almost everything at Riot Act was well-planned and well-done.  We think it has the opportunity to be a great success.  The theatre room itself was a little disappointing, but mostly because we were expecting a "cool" space with a comedy club feel.   We suspect a little lighting magic can set the mood.  We will definitely be back, and we think a comedy club adds a lot to the Penn Quarter scene.