GeorgetownDollar.com TM A WASHINGTON, D.C., NEWSLETTER -- 2010 Library Topped Out: Progress Hailed T he Georgetown Public Library, after a severe fire in 2007, is being re-constructed. On Jan. 27, the building was topped out. The steel cupola was autographed by D.C. Mayor Adrian OPT-IN Fenty, Ward 2 councilman Jack Evans and other community leaders and workers before it was raised off the R Street lawn. The afternoon ceremony atop Book Hill marked another milestone for the library's better-thanever renewal, which is budgeted at more than $15 million. Along with neighborhood commissioners, such as Ed Solomon, the crowd applauded the library's planned reopening for October this year, noted Ginnie Cooper, chief librarian of the D.C. Public Library. Also at hand was Jerry McCoy, curator of the library's Peabody Room, where valuable records and priceless memorabilia of Georgetown have been stored for decades. Most of its contents had been rescued during the fire and later restored. The C&O Canal: Georgetown’s Gem, Part of America’s Best Idea The Chesapeake & Ohio Canal is 184.5 miles long. It stretches from Georgetown in Washington, D.C., to Cumberland, Maryland. With more than 1,300 historic structures and continuous stretches of waterfront vistas, the canal requires constant attention and care from both park maintenance and management staff. Begun in 1822 and completed in 1850, the canal goes from Georgetown, D.C., to Cumberland, Md. And estimated 35,000 laborers helped dig the canal as well as build aqueducts, culverts, locks and lock houses. Much of the workforce were immigrants from Ireland and western Europe. To shorten distance for the canal, the Paw Paw Tunnel was constructed and is the second largest canal tunnel ever built. George Washington's dream of connecting the eastern states with the western frontier led to the creation of the Patowmack Company. Locks were built around unnavigable parts of the Potomac River for improved commerce. The C&O Canal inherited the right of way after the Patowmack Company's demise. The C&O Canal become part of the National Parks System in 1971. For more info, visit www.nps.gov/choh/index.htm A T W W W . G e o r g e t o w n D o l l a r. C O M Romantic Restaurants & Cafes in the Hip and Historic Neighborhood CAFE BONAPARTE 1522 Wisconsin Ave., N.W. -- 202-333-8830 Whisk you away from the hustle and bustle of Washington to a cozy Parisian cafe. If it isn’t our excellent French onion soup, enticing entrees, or fantastic fries, perhaps our awardwinning coffees and crepes will keep you coming back. We cater and accommodate private parties and are open seven days a week, making it the perfect destination for breakfast, lunch, dinner or brunch. www.CafeBonaparte.com 1789 RESTAURANT 1226 36th St., N.W. --202-965-1789 With the ambiance of an elegant country inn, 1789 features classically based American cuisine – the finest regional game, fish and produce available. Open seven nights a week. Jackets required. Complimentary valet parking. www.1789restaurant.com BANGKOK BISTRO 3251 Prospect St., N.W.-- 202-337-2424 With Thai cuisine and a sushi bar, the restaurant’s decor matches its peppery cuisine, vibrant in both color and flavor. Experience outdoor sidewalk dining in the heart of Georgetown. www.BangkokBistrodc.com BANGKOK JOE’S 3000 K St. , N.W. -- 202-333-4422 With Washington’s first “dumpling bar,” featuring more than 12 varieties, the exotic Thai cuisine is inspired by French cooking techniques. Colorful and refined, it is the place for lunch, dinner or just a private gathering. www.BangkokJoes.com BISTRO FRANCAIS 3124-28 M St., N.W. -- 202-338-3830 Offering a 3-course Prix-fixe Menu [$55]: Featuring succulent Rack of Lamb - Seafood in Lobster Sauce - Beef Tenderloin - Venison Loin - Duck Magret - Veal Chops - Salmon www.BistroFrancaisDC.com CAFÉ LA RUCHE 1039 31st St., N.W. -- 202-965.2684 Serving Georgetown for more than 35 years since 1974 -- chef Jean-Claude Cauderlier brings a bit of Paris on the Potomac. Great Selection of fine wines, fresh meat, seafood, poultry -- chicken cordon bleu, duck, salmon and steaks. Voted “Best Dessert-Pastry” in town: The Washingtonian Magazine. Open Daily from 11:30 a.m. Open until 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday night. www.CafeLaRuche.com BISTROT LEPIC 1736 Wisconsin Ave., N.W. -- 202-333-0111 With its classical, regional and contemporary cuisine, it has been voted best bistro in D.C. by the Zagat Guide. At its wine bar, you can enjoy “appeteasers.” Full-bar service; complimentary wine tasting every Tuesday; private room. www.BistrotLepic.com Georgetown 100 I VAL T NO : H uOn N LdY r e d SAM PLE D CAFE MILANO 3251 Prospect St., N.W. -- 202-333-6183 Cafe Milano is high on the restaurant critics’ charts with excellent Italian cuisine and attention to service. Fresh pastas, steaks, fish dishes and authentic Italian specialties. Lunch and dinner. Late night dining and bar service. www.CafeMilano.net Dollar George Washington, first president of The United States of America The District of ColumbiaSAM TM Universal Coupon Corp., Washington, D.C. 100 O PLE N LY T : NO VAL ID CHADWICKS 3205 K St, N.W., 202-333-2565 A Georgetown tradition for more than 35 years, this friendly neighborhood restaurant/saloon features fresh seafood, grill, steaks, specialty salads and sandwiches. DJ: Thurs., Fri., Sat. Daily lunch and dinner specials. Dinner served until 1 a.m., Fri-Sat. Also in Old Town Alexandria. www.ChadwicksRestaurants.com CITRONELLE 3000 M St., N.W. -- 202-625-2150 Internationally renowned chef and restaurateur Michel Richard creates magic with fresh and innovative American-French Cuisine, an exceptional wine list and stylish ambiance. www.CitronelleDC.com CLYDE’S OF GEORGETOWN 3236 M St., N.W. -- 202-333-9180 This classic tavern, in the heart of Georgetown, popularized saloon food and practically invented Sunday brunch. Clyde’s is the people’s choice for bacon cheeseburgers, steaks, fresh seafood, grilled chicken salads, fresh pastas, desserts. www.Clydes.com DAILY GRILL 1310 Wisconsin Ave., N.W. --202-337-4900 Daily Grill is best known for its large portions of fresh fare, including steaks and chops, cobb salad, meatloaf and warm berry cobbler. Other locations at 18th & M Sts., N.W., and Tysons Corner. www.DailyGrill.com FAHRENHEIT 3100 South St., N.W. -- 202-912-4110 As featured on the cover of Washingtonian magazine, Degrees Bar and Lounge is Georgetown’s hidden hot spot. Warm up by the wood-burning fireplace with our signature Keeping It Local “Fahrenheit 5” cocktail with our $25 fourcourse express lunch. www.FahrenheitDC.com FILOMENA 1063 Wisconsin Ave., N.W. -- 202-338-8800 One of Washington’s most celebrated restaurants, Filomena is a Georgetown landmark that has endured the test of time for almost a quarter of a century. Our old-world cooking styles and recipes brought to America by the early Italian immigrants, alongside the culinary cutting edge creations of Italy’s foods of today, executed by our award-winning Italian chef. Try our spectacular lunch buffet on Fri., Sat. or our Sunday brunch. www.Filomena.com LA CHAUMIERE 2813 M St., N.W. -- 202-338-1784 Whether it’s a romantic dinner or a business lunch, enjoy wonderful boudin blanc, fresh Dover sole meunière, cassoulet or pike quenelles by the fireplace in this unique “Country Inn.” Chef Patrick Orange serves his award-winning cuisine in a rustic atmosphere, where locals and celebrities gather. Two private dining rooms with a prix-fixe menu and an affordable wine list. Washingtonian’s “Best 100” restaurant, 28 years in a row. www.LaChaumiereDC.com MARTIN’S TAVERN Wisconsin & N Sts., N.W. -- 202-333-7370 Since 1933, family-owned and -operated Martin’s Tavern has been popular with the local crowd, journalists, dignitaries and politicians who love its top-notch food and welcoming atmosphere. People continue to return for the classic American fare of prime steaks, chops, seafood, fresh pasta and shellfish and good old-fashioned comfort food. Ask where LBJ, JFK and Nixon sat as regulars. www.Martins-Tavern.com Georgetown 10 VAL NOT : . . . For the N LYn T e O E “Land of S A M P L the Free, Home of the Brave” ID SEA CATCH 1054 31st St., N.W. -- 202-337-8855 Boasting the best seafood in the city, it is perfect dining in the heart of Georgetown. The warm glow of the stone fireplaces make for a romantic evening. Also enjoy dining on the deck, overlooking the C&O canal. Private space available with a capacity from 15 to 300. Lunch, Mon.-Sat., noo to 3p.m.; dinner, Mon.-Sat., 5:30 to 10p.m. Closed on Sunday. www.SeaCatchRestaurant.com SMITH POINT 1338 Wisconsin Ave., N.W. -- 202-333-9003 Smith Point has quickly become a favorite of Georgetowners. The Washington Post Magazine calls Smith Point “an underground success” with “unusually good cooking at fair prices.” Chef Francis Kane’s Nantucket style fare changes weekly, featuring fresh combinations of seafood, meats, and farmers market produce. Open for dinner, Thurs.- Sat., 6:30 to 11 p.m. www.SmithPointDC.com TOWN HALL 2218 Wisconsin Ave., N.W., 202-333-5640 Town Hall is a neighborhood favorite in the heart of Glover Park, offering a classic neighborhood restaurant and bar with contemporary charm. Whether it is your first or 99th time in the door, we serve you a great meal and making you feel at home every time. Find out for yourself what the Washington Post dubbed the “Talk of Glover Park.” Dinner, daily, 5 to 10:30 p.m.; brunch, Sat., Sun., 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; free parking. www.TownHallDC.com Opt-in at the Web site for special offers and coupons from your favorite restaurants. Dollar TM Francis Scott Key, author of “The Star-Spangled Banner” N LY Universal Coupon Corp., Washington, D.C., USA The District of ColumbiaSAM O PLE 10 : I VAL T NO D DCPL Foundation Matching Fund Challenge for Peabody Room The District of Columbia Public Library Foundation announces a matching fund challenge to benefit the Peabody Room, the Georgetown history special collections housed in the Georgetown Neighborhood Library. The Alice and Russell True Foundation have announced that it will match every dollar up to $50,000 of donations received by the DCPL Foundation to benefit conservation of the Peabody Room’s collections by November 1, 2010. To kick of the fundraising effort, the True Foundation has already made a donation of $10,000. Part of the D.C. Public Library’s Special Collections, the Peabody Room contains books, documents, photographs, and artwork spanning three centuries of Georgetown history – one of the most significant collections of neighborhood history in the nation. Many of the archival materials in the collection were water damaged from the April 30, 2007, fire, which heavily damaged the library. A portion of the True Foundation donation will go towards the conservation of two books: The Spirit of Laws by Charles Louise de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu (Aberdeen: 1756), owned by Samuel Chase (1741-1811), one of four Maryland signers of the Declaration of Independence and A Treatise of Captures in War by Richard Lee (London: 1759), owned by Samuel Chase, Jr. (1775-1841). Both men are ancestors of the Foundation president. To participate in this challenge, please make donations payable to the “DC Public Library Foundation” and note “Peabody” in the memo section of your check. Checks may be mailed to DCPL Foundation, 901 G Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001. Francis Scott Key Park Walk through Francis Scott Key Park and the Star-Spangled Banner Monument on 34th and M Streets, right next to Key Bridge. Why the Francis Scott Key connection to Georgetown? Well, he lived here with his large family. Key was a lawyer, whose uncle was in the House of Representatives. Mrs. Polly Key was from a prominent Maryland family. The Key home (now gone) was on M Street (originally called Bridge Street), and its backyard went down to the Potomac River. The C&O Canal had yet been constructed in 1814, when Key was asked by the Madison Administration to negotiate with the British military near Baltimore for a prisoner’s release. His mission occurred after the burning of Washington, D.C., and during the bombardment of Fort McHenry. To Key’s astonishment, the Royal Navy ceased firing on the fort which protected the City of Baltimore and withdrew “at the dawn’s early light.” This American victory prompted the Georgetown lawyer to pen what would become our national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner.” You can also donate online at www.dcplfoundation.org and click “yes” when asked if you’d like your donation to go to the Georgetown Fund. The DCPL Foundation is most grateful for this significant opportunity and hope that many will give to ensure that the full match is obtained. For more information, please contact Anna Velazco, executive director of the D.C. Public Library Foundation: 202-727-4943 avelazco.dcplfoundation.org www.dcplfoundation.org Georgetown University Be sure to visit Georgetown University at 37th and O Streets. It is the oldest Catholic institution of higher learning in the United States and run by the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits). It is known for its liberal arts college and foreign service school as well as it medical school. Georgetown is also well known thanks to its basketball team, the Hoyas. Stand under the shadow of Healy Building, a national landmark, whose tower dominates the Georgetown skylight. Stop by Dahlgren Chapel in the Quadrangle for a place of peace and reflection. But, for dinner, check out the Tombs (a student rathskeller) or the 1789 Restaurant, named for the year Georgetown University and the Federal government were founded, on 36th Street. W W W . G e o r g e t o w n D o l l a r. c o m