Tacklebox coming to Penn Quarter

Tacklebox, the enormously successful self-described "lobster shack" in Georgetown and Cleveland Park may be coming to Penn Quarter.

The Washington Business Journal reports that Jonathan Umble is looking to expand the restaurant, particularly in Penn Quarter and Montgomery County.

With Luke's Lobster and Tacklebox we may soon be overrun with lobster -- a great problem to have.

You can check out Tacklebox's menu here.  It includes lobster rolls, shrimp rolls, oyster rolls, and clam rolls, as well as a number of fish items and even wood grilled cheeseburgers and chicken.

Elisir files for liquor license

We have reported on the slow progress at Elisir, which was supposed to open this month.  However, some movement is being made.  While the construction seems to continue, the restaurant has filed an application for a liquor license, according to Prince of Petworth.

The restaurant describes itself as "European flares specializing in the sale of fine Italian food with culinary classes from time to time."

As expected, the restaurant will hold 117, with a sidewalk cafe adding an additional 26 seats.

More about the restaurant and its concept is available here.

See Bad Teachers for free at Gallery Place

The Arch Campbell Show has free tickets to see Bad Teacher starring Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake at Regal Gallery Place.  The screening is on June 22 at 7:30 p.m.

To get them, go to www.gofobo.com/rsvp and enter the code NEWS814.  Then you can download your tickets.  More details available here.

Today's Farmers Market Specials

It's already Farmers Market day again, and the Washington Post has a list of today's specials:

• Block Rock Orchard, Toigo Orchards, and The Farm at Sunnyside will have cherries

• Copper Pot Food Company will have peppery pappardelle

• Anchor Nursery, Mountain View Farm, and Sand Hill Farm will have green beans and squash

• Red Apron Butchery will have Toulouse sausage and pork sugo.

Graffiato to have prosecco on tap

The much-anticipated Graffiato will be opening "in a few weeks," we hear from the restaurant itself.

But now, more good news - TBD is reporting that the restaurant will have Montelvini Prosecco on tap.  Yes.  Prosecco on tap.  Now Penn Quarter has really made it.

We are really looking forward to seeing the scene at this restaurant, which will feature pizzas--made in the middle of the restaurant by Mike Isabella himself--and will be open late.  Prosecco and pizza?  Don't mind if I do . . .

Riot Act coming in "a few weeks"

The comedy club coming to 8th and E, Riot Act, is set to open "this summer."  We were hoping for a June opening, but a peek inside makes it clear it's not quite there:

However, Riot Act's twitter feed promises they will be open in a "few weeks."  Maybe they'll open in time for July 4th weekend?  It certainly looks like they have a bit of work to go though.

Judge robbed at Gallery Place; Police beat up by suspect

Last Friday, D.C. Superior Court Judge Stephen G. Milliken was waiting for his train at Gallery Place, iPhone in hand.   A "youth," reports the Washington Post then grabbed the phone from him and ran.

Metro Transit Police said they have seen a spike in snatch-and-grab robberies lately, and we have previously reported that Gallery Place has more crime than any other metro stop in the District.


Unrelated: Two days later, WTOP reports, two on-duty police officers were beaten with a pipe by a homeless man near the Gallery Place Metro Station.  Additional officers were called and eventually arrested the man.  No word on injuries of the officers, but they were not life threatening.

D.C. plagued by structurally deficient bridges

D.C. is a city of many bridges, and also a city that does not rank high in bridges that are structurally sound.  13% of the District's bridges are "structurally deficient," which amounts to 2,353 bridges.

Some of these are bridges you probably take all the time.  For example, the 9th Street Bridge that crosses I-395 is labeled structurally deficient by Transportation for America.  That bridge was built in 1961 and carries 8,900 cars a day.

The 14th Street Bridge that crosses Outlet Channel, which was built in 1942 and carries 55,700 cars a day was also labeled structurally deficient.

Here is a map of the bridges in D.C., a red icon means the bridge is structurally deficient (click to enlarge).  Though there may be problems with the others as well.   You can get more details on specific bridges here.

7th Street closed for police activity

DCist is reporting that 7th Street is closed between D and E Streets (between the Clara Barton and Lansburgh buildings).

It is reportedly closed off for "police activity," though police in the area are not saying why.  Neither pedestrians or vehicle traffic is being allowed down the street.

DCist has a picture of the police tape here.


UPDATE: It's a suspicious package that is causing the street closure (surprise!). 

If anyone who lives or works on that block knows any more, please email us.


UPDATE 2: TBD is reporting (by twitter)--and Jose Andres has confirmed-- that the suspicious package is near Oyamel.  There is apparently a very large police presence, including th FBI Terrorist Unit.  Andres has taken a video from Oyamel, which you can see here.


We are not sure what the motive would be for a bomb at this location, so it's probably not one.  However, many high profile people do live in those residential buildings, though they are probably not home now.

Probably unrelated: Last night, a man was found near the Pentagon with a gun and a suspicious package.  He was taken into custody, and the package was found not to be explosive.


UPDATE 3: The road is back open, and the package as been cleared as unexplosive.  Another video from Jose Andres: http://yfrog.com/0b49vz

National Building Museum to begin charging for admission

While D.C. has largely weathered the recession better than most, we aren't going to go unscathed.  The National Building Museum has decided to begin charging an admission fee for the first time since it opened in 1985, TBD reports.

The museum will begin charging $8 for adults and $5 for children and students beginning June 27th.

They have already been charging $5 for the exhibit Lego Architecture: Towering Ambition, which opened last July.  So far, 130,000 have forked over the cash to see it.

Street closures on Sunday for the D.C. Triathlon

The 2nd Annual D.C. Triathlon will cause road closures in and around Penn Quarter on Sunday - though not too many.  The majority of the closures are in the West End.

From 5:00 p.m. on Saturday until 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, Pennsylvania Avenue will be closed from 3rd Street until 6th Street.  Note that this closure lasts over 24 hours.

The rest of the streets will only be closed on Sunday from 5:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m.  They are:

• Constitution Avenue from 3rd Street to 14th Street N.W.

• 14th Street N.W. from Independence Avenue to Constitution Avenue

• 3rd Street from Maryland Avenue to C Street N.W.

• 9th Street Tunnel

• Pennsylvania Avenue from 1st Street to 3rd Street N.W.

3rd Street Tunnel closure

Two northbound lanes of the Third Street Tunnel are currently closed.  This closure was an unexpected one, a car hit electrical conduits.  The lanes will be closed until DDOT can remove the wires from the roadway and secure them.

DDOT does not believe this work will be done by the end of rush hour today - so avoid the Third Street Tunnel until tomorrow if you can.

Richard Blais's flip burger coming to D.C.?

The winner of Top Chef All Stars, Richard Blais, has made plans to bring a Flip Burger to D.C., the Washington Post reports.

And Penn Quarter might be the spot.  Blais already had plans to open his store in Penn Quarter, the lease negotiations fell through.

Hopefully that means he has set is heart on our neighborhood because he says he has already signed a letter of intent for a new space (at an undisclosed location).  And he says the Flip Burger could open its doors by the end of the year.

He says the Flip Burger will establish a relationship with local farmers here and have its own flavor.  It will carry the same name, but will be different than his other Flip Burger restaurants.