January Opening for 14th and U Restaurant; American Ice Co. Opens Thursday

It's been about a year since we wrote about the new restaurant and club that was coming to the vacant space at the corner of 14th and U streets. When we last spoke with them, Local 16's Ayman Ayoubi, along with Policy's Omar Miskinyar, had grand plans to open a steakhouse along with a "music and arts space" at the highly visible corner. At the time, Local 16's Salvatore Rosa indicated that they hoped for a July 2010 opening.


Well, clearly *that* didn't work out as planned, as the space continues to sit vacant, awaiting for some kind of activity. However, that could be changing.

According to both The Feast and U Street Girl, Ayoubi has confirmed that the restaurant, which is still unnamed (it's unlikely that the name that was being tossed about last year--Cafe Society--will stick), will open in late January on the second and third floors of the building. That opening will be followed in March by the opening of a club "very similar to Eighteenth Street Lounge" on the basement level. A rooftop patio is likely to open in the late spring/early summer. (Look for a bank or some other high rent-paying entity to take over the ground floor between the two spaces.)

In her post, U Street Girl expresses skepticism that Ayoubi and his team will be able to meet this timeline; I must confess that I join her in doubt. Perhaps interior work continues on the space, but I haven't witnessed a great deal of activity there in recent months. We will see what materializes there, however. As this space materializes, and with the recent opening of Patty Boom Boom and forthcoming opening of the Hilton Bros.' Blackbyrd Warehouse, the intersection of 14th and U is shaping up to become the epicenter of mid-city DC nightlife. Whoo boy.

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Speaking of the Hiltons, I've had Eric's band Thievery Corporation's song "Warning Shots" playing on my iPod a lot recently. Which...doesn't really tie-in at all with the other piece of Hilton-related news, which is that their latest venture, the American Ice Co., will be throwing open their doors for the first time this Thursday.

The Ice Co., located at 917 V Street NW, will serve barbecue, cans of PBR, and will be a laid-back kind of joint, according to manager Joe Reza. The will-they-or-won't-they questions regarding the Ice Co.'s opening appear to have finally been put to rest...for now. Prince of Petworth has a nice (ridiculously awesome?) set of photos of the interior, if you're interested.

Mid-City Holiday Party Tonight at Local 16

If you're looking for something to do on this chilly Monday evening, you might consider dropping in on the annual Mid-City Business Association's Holiday Party. Taking place from 6p-9p this evening at Local 16 (1602 U Street), the party will feature a lamb roast along with other food, a silent auction featuring items donated from a host of local businesses, and (perhaps most importantly) an open bar.

Tickets are $25 and can be purchased by clicking here. Proceeds benefit the MCBA and small business assistance programs.

More Info on "Table 14"; "World's Best Philly Cheese Steak" Coming to 14th Street

Metrocurean has an update today on the forthcoming establishment on 14th Street from the Local 16 guys.

Turns out, the name is going to be "Table 14". (We always thought "Local 14" was a bit unimaginative...)

According to Metrocurean, plans for the space "include a farm-to-table restaurant serving modern American cuisine with an Italian influence on the main floor; a yakitori grill and bar on the second floor overlooking a green roof and garden space; and a space for events on the third floor with a small roof deck."

Of course, details related to the deck and garden space remain to be worked out, however plans currently call for Table 14 to be operating by spring of next year.

In other news, a quick peak inside the former 14U coffee shop seems to show renovations moving forward for the soon-to-arrive "JJs: World's Best Philly Cheese Steaks".

Now, we know what you're thinking, and you have a right to be cynical. Any establishment that makes the claim of "world's best" anything (cheesesteaks, martinis, scrapple) is setting themselves up for failure and disappointment. Furthermore, I'm no native Philadelphian, but I'm fairly certain the word they were looking for is "cheesesteak".

Nonetheless, a good neighborhood citizens who wish no ill will on any of our fledgling businesses, for now we will give JJs the benefit of the doubt. Will they truly turn out to be the world's best? I am skeptical. Then again, I never thought I would see the day when we'd see plans for an establishment that combined chocolate chip muffins and chardonnay, but there you go.

Original plans were for JJs to be open in July, but, seeing as how the old 14U sign is still up and much work remains to be done inside...I don't see them making that deadline. Which I suppose beg the question: What will we see first, a health care plan or the world's best "Philly cheese steak" on 14th street? I think I might actually take Congress--and the points--on this one.