Those pinky-sized cylinders you see above are how they drink beer in the German city of Cologne, enjoying a civilized 0.2 liters (about seven ounces) of delicate, floral, and crisp Kölsch beer at a time. With a lightweight cylinder of ale resting gently in your hand, you'll feel a sunny disposition after the first sip—something you can now try at two local beer gardens: H Street's Biergarten Haus and also the Standard, at the corner of 14th and S streets NW.

Still not convinced about the extra-small serving? Standard smoke-master and co-owner Tad Curtz wasn't either, at first.

"One day they gave us these little glasses, and we didn't know what to do with them," he said. "At first, I was like, 'they're so small and cute!' But then I read more about the history and learned that's how they drink it in Cologne, and I loved it."

That was at his old gig, working the line at 2 Amys. He also ran the wine program there for a stint, and much as he loved the yeoman's beer, it wasn't a popular choice at the Neapolitan-style pizzeria. So when Curtz opened his own beer garden, putting Kölsch on the menu was an easy choice and a bit of a reunion.

It helps that the beer's good, too. Kölsch is a featherweight blonde, fermented at regular ale temperature (warm) to produce the yeasty, floral aromas, then cold-conditioned, or "lagered," for two to four weeks, which cuts down the aroma with signature crispness. The result is a complex beer that's light enough to make Hofbrau Helles feel like a loaf of soda bread. It's difficult to make well, and it's a rare American version that is worth seeking out.

But being such a fussy beer, it tastes best on tap. And being a summer quaff, it's best outdoors. Find 0.2-liter glasses of Gaffel Kölsch at Biergarten House for $3, or my preference, the more rewarding Reissdorf Kölsch, at Standard for $2.73. (And no, ordering 10 glasses doesn't mean you keep the tray. I tried.)

One last note: If you saw the New York Times piece about Kölsch the other day, don't go riling up your D.C. inferiority complex just yet. When the story ran, Standard's glasses were in the mail, and Biergarten Haus has served the beer since opening day.

Photo by Orr Shtuhl

LAGERHEADS PICK: This week's selected event is a his and hers (or anyone's and hers, rather) set of events at Bourbon in Adams Morgan Thursday. At 6:30 p.m. local brewer Lindsey Miller of Baying Hound Aleworks in Rockville, Maryland, will lead a ladies-only tasting class of five beers and small bites for $25. In the name of equality, the subject of many a blues song, beer director Brian Kruglak will hold a mirror event open to both men and women by tapping a keg of the latest release from Dogfish Head. The Delaware brewery's Hellhound On My Ale is a profoundly hoppy beer that marks the 100th birthday of Mississippi Delta bluesman Robert Johnson who, according to legend, sold his soul to the devil to become a successful blues musician at the "Crossroad".

Monday evening, Birch & Barley celebrates the 30th anniversary of craft beer importers Vanberg & Dewulf with a paired tasting of seven beers from their portfolio led by company founders Don Feinberg and Wendy Littlefield.

On Tuesday, Biergarten Haus is hosting the weekly trivia night with specials on their German fare and fizz. Out in Fairfax, the Dogfish Head Alehouse is throwing a five-course beer pairing dinner to celebrate Cinco de May.

On Thursday, in addition to the events at Bourbon, Fire Works Pizza in Arlington has a Schlafly pint night featuring the St. Louis brewery's Dry Hopped American Pale Ale and Export IPA on draft and Oatmeal Stout on cask, as well as free Schlafly glassware.

Saturday is Big Brew. As many who make their own beer (or at least read about it) know, Big Brew is the nickname for National Homebrew Day. Maryland Homebrew in Columbia is hosting a day-long celebration, but Big Brew is all about homebrewers inviting friends over to share the glory and wonder of making your own beer. Don't leave your smart phone at home, however, because there is a tweet-worthy world-wide toast at 12:00 (Central Standard Time).

Also this week, The Black Squirrel continues "Fat Summer" with selections from New Belgium Brewing Company of Ft. Collins, Colorado. Beers available tis week include the ever popular Fat Tire as well as Ranger IPA, Mothership Wit, 1554 Enlightened Black Ale, as well as personal favorites La Folie and Le Fleur, Misseur.

For the complete list of beer events, check out the calendar above. If I missed something, let me know.

Send submissions for the D.C. Beer Events calendar to thelagerheads@gmail.com.

Follow The Lagerheads on Twitter | on Facebook

My pick of the week: D.C. makes history with the official release of DC Brau Brewing Company's first batch of beer. DC Brau, the first operating production brewery in the District of Columbia in over 50 years, is hosting a launch party on Friday, April 15, at Meridian Pint. At long last, Public Ale, their 6 percent alcohol by volume (ABV) American-style pale ale, will be poured on draft starting at 5 p.m. The beer will be on special for $4 a pint until 8 p.m. and $5 for the rest of the night. Meridian Pint will be the exclusive site for DC Brau's Public Ale for the rest of the weekend but look for kegs and cans across the District by the end of the month. But show up Friday for a chance to celebrate with founders Brandon Skall and Jeff Hancock. You may even score a commemorative t-shirt.

On Monday, Birch & Barley is hosting a five-course pairing dinner featuring nine beers from Victory Brewing Company. Brewmaster Bill Covaleski will guide the pairings and talk about the brewery, which he started in Downingtown, Pa., in 1996. Tickets are $76 per person, exclusive of tax and gratuity, and were still available this morning.

Not up for a formal sit-down dinner? The Big Hunt in Dupont Circle will tap a cask of Cherry Blossom Ale from Oliver Breweries in Baltimore at 5 p.m., just in time for spring. For those hoping to hang on to winter a while longer, Galaxy Hut in Clarendon is having a barleywine night, featuring Firestone Walker Abacus, Southern Tier Backburner and Sierra Nevada Bigfoot on draft. These intense, high-alcohol brews are sure to having you thinking back to your winter coat and mittens.

On Tuesday, Flying Dog Brewing Company is sharing some of the special brew they made for Amsterdam beer bar In de Wildeman's 25th anniversary. The rest of this one-time release brew is headed straight to Europe, but Flying Dog managed to siphon some off for their loyal locals. You can try In de Wildeman Farmhouse IPA at ChurchKey starting at 6 p.m.

Tuesday is quite a night this week. Lyon Hall in Arlington is having a spring beer dinner featuring a variety of European brews including top picks from Brasserie DuPont in Belgium and Austria's Hofstetten Brewery. Clyde's in Alexandria is hosting a beer dinner featuring new local star Port City Brewing Company. Also, Biergarten Haus on H Street NE is having its weekly trivia night with more German beer and food specials than you can fit in a boot.

On Wednesday, Meridian Pint is hosting an evening with Baltimore beers and brewmasters from Oliver Breweries, Stillwater Artisanal Ales and The Brewer's Art. Standouts on the list of 22 rare drafts and casks include collaborations like Le Revelator, the second beer brewed exclusively for Meridian Pint, and Channel Crossing #3, the third ale brewed by Brian Strumke of Stillwater and Stephen Jones of Olivers. The event goes from 5 to 8 p.m. but Baltimore can show D.C. a thing or to about partying, so expect to stay late, especially if you want to get through even half of the list.

On Thursday, Belga Café is showcasing five beers from Unibroue of Canada by comparing them with five similar brews from Belgium. The pairing dinner includes four courses and costs $79 per person. A rarity for D.C., Bernard Johnson, East Coast manager for the brewery, will be leading the dinner. Beers like La Fin du Monde and Trois Pistoles were some of the first Belgian-style beers available in the District, but there have been few chances to meet someone from Unibroue, which has its headquarters outside Montreal.

Finally, if the crowds at Meridian Pint's DC Brau launch on Friday sound unappealing, perhaps the Washington Wine Academy's beer cruise on the Potomac River is more your speed. The evening will feature tastings of 40 beers from around the world conducted by experts from the academy's D.C. Beer School. An array of cheeses, crudite, bruschetta and antipasto will be served. Tickets are $58.50 and the boat departs at 8:30 p.m. from the Washington Marina in Southwest D.C. and returns at 10:30 p.m. Anchors away!

Send submissions for the D.C. Beer Events calendar to thelagerheads@gmail.com.

Follow The Lagerheads on Twitter | on Facebook

Monday starting at 4PM, ChurchKey is pouring their last reserve keg of this season's batch of HopSlam, the sought-after honeyed Double India Pale Ale from Bell's Brewery in Michigan.

Also Monday, Pizzeria Paradiso in Georgetown is hosting a beer dinner featuring Stoudt's Brewing Company. Brewer and sales representative Mike Pearlman will talk about the Pennsylvania brewery and the seven beers he is bringing, including Karnival Kölsch, Imperial Schwarzbier, and Old Abominable Barley Wine. As of this weekend spots were still available for the 9pm seating.

Tuesday holds another chance to enjoy Stoudt's beers, this time at Meridian Pint in Columbia Heights. The draft night will feature eight beers on tap with a two-dollars-off special from 5 to 7PM and then one dollar off for the rest of the night. Beers include Stoudt's Double India Pale Ale, Scarlet Lady ESB and Fat Dog Imperial Oatmeal Stout.

Also Tuesday, ChurchKey is host a D.C. launch party for Old Schoolhouse Brewery, a small brewpub in Washington state. The five featured drafts include Hooligan Stout, Epiphany Pale Ale, Rendezvous Porter, Blazing Amber Ale, and the slightly offensive (in name) Double D Blonde.

Across the river in Clarendon, Lyon Hall is hosting their first beer dinner this Tuesday. Chef de cuisine Andy Bennett and beer director David McGregor have put together a four-course menu featuring dishes like scallop ceviche and grilled pork belly paired with beers from Brewery Ommegang of Cooperstown, New York.

On Wednesday Meridian Pint will have their own four-course dinner, this one showcasing some of the rarer Samuel Adams beers from Boston Beer Company. The menu includes two wheat beers, Blackberry Witbier and Imperial White, and Latitude 48, an India pale ale brewed with hops grown near the 48th latitude in Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

And don't forget Tuesday means trivia at Biergarten Haus on H Street Northeast.

Send submissions for the D.C. Beer Events calendar to thelagerheads@gmail.com.

Follow The Lagerheads on Twitter | on Facebook

On Tuesday, Belga Café in Capitol Hill is offering a three-course educational beer dinner featuring unique beers from Trappist breweries in Belgium. Across the river in Alexandria, Rustico is hosting a Northern Virginia launch party for Long Trail Brewing Company of Vermont with chief executive officer Brian Walsh and seven drafts of Long Trail brews.

On Thursday Tonic in Mount Pleasant will be having a three-course, four-beer dinner highlighting brews from Great Lakes Brewing Company of Cleveland, Ohio.

On Friday at Bilbo Baggins in Alexandria, Heavy Seas founder and regional craft beer pioneer Hugh Sisson will lead a beer and food pairing event featuring beers from his Baltimore brewery, formerly known as Clipper City Brewing Company.

My pick for the week is Mad Fox Brewing Company's first annual Barleywine Festival at the newly opened brewpub in Falls Church, which goes from 11AM to midnight Saturday and 10AM to 11PM Sunday. In addition to Mad Fox's own Slobberknocker American-style barleywine, Headknocker English-style barleywine, and Wheat Whacker wheatwine, the festival features heavy-hitting brews from near and far including those from Heavy Seas, Avery, Brooklyn Brewing Company, Climax, DuClaw, Sierra Nevada, Weyerbacher, and even a few from Quebecois breweries La Trou Du Diable and A L'abri De La Tempête. The beers will be served in four-ounce samples, but the alcohol content of barleywines runs from 8 to 15 percent, so you will need to arrange for a designated driver or a place to crash.

And don't forget Tuesday means trivia at Biergarten Haus on H Street Northeast.

Send submissions for the D.C. Beer Events calendar to thelagerheads@gmail.com.

Follow The Lagerheads on Twitter | on Facebook

On Monday starting at 4PM, ChurchKey is featuring five draft beers from Brauerei Hofstetten, a small Austrian craft brewery that focuses on unique interpretations of classic German beer styles. I had my first Hofstetten at Pizzeria Paradiso in Dupont a few weeks ago. Their Saphir Bock was surprisingly hoppy for the style, as bocks tend to be full of malt and caramel flavors. Highlights include two beers never before released in the United States, Champion Bitter, Hofstetten's take on an English Bitter, and Tannenwipfelbier, an amber lager spiced with Spruce tips.

Also tonight starting at 5PM, Galaxy Hut is showcasing beers from Virginia breweries including two brews from brand new local brewery Port City Brewing Company in Alexandria, and some beauties from Blue Mountain in Afton, Starr Hill in Crozet, Legend Brewing Company in Richmond, and Williamsburg AleWerks.

Monday also provides two opportunities for food and beer pairings. All day, Ella's Wood Fired Pizza downtown is pairing Brooklyn Brewery’s Cuvee Noire, a limited release strong Belgian-style dark ale, with a Fontina, gorgonzola, parmesan, roasted shitake mushroom, and meat ragout pizza for $15. A representative from the brewery will be on hand from 5 to 8PM. Matchbox in Chinatown is pairing small dishes with four Great Lakes Brewing Company beers, Conway's Irish Ale, Edmund Fitzgerald Porter, Commodore Perry IPA, and Christmas Ale starting at 6PM.

On Tuesday ChurchKey is hosting a D.C. launch party for Epic Brewing Company from Salt Lake City, Utah. Brewery representatives will be available to talk about the brewery and its beers. Out of the three drafts and six bottles being poured from Epic's Classic, Elevated, and Exponential series, standouts are the Smoked & Oaked Release #2, a Belgian-style beer mad with smoked cherry wood malt, and Hopulent IPA, an "over-the-top" Imperial India Pale Ale made with ten pounds of dry hops.

Tuesday is the first night of the next round of trivia at Biergarten Haus on H Street, Northeast. Doors open at 7:30 and spots fill up quickly for the German food and beer specials and nerdy fun.

On Thursday, the overachievers at ChurchKey supply the fun again with a meet-and-greet draft night featuring Great Divide Brewing Company from Denver, Colorado. National sales manager Dave Duffy presents seven Great Divide drafts including two of my favorites, Claymore Scotch Ale, a strong, malty Wee Heavy and Wild Raspberry, a refreshing fruit beer made with plenty of red and black raspberries.

Send submissions for the D.C. Beer Events calendar to thelagerheads@gmail.com.

Follow The Lagerheads on Twitter | on Facebook

On Monday the Big Hunt in Dupont Circle will have a cask of Tröegs Nugget Nectar, a hoppy 7.5%-ABV Imperial amber ale from Pennsylvania. Representatives from Tröegs Brewing Company will be on hand to talk about the beer and brewery from 5PM to 8PM, which may be longer than the cask will last.

Pizzeria Paradiso in Georgetown is hosting their fourth annual Dogfish Head dinner featuring seven beers and six courses. Menu standouts include a shredded pork shoulder, roasted potato, Gouda and smokey peach BBQ sauce pizza paired with Burton Baton oak-aged Imperial IPA and a date pesto, fig, onion, fennel, lamb sausage and feta pizza paired with Olde School Barleywine. At $65 including tax and gratuity, this is the best deal out of the week's five dinners.

The creativity award goes to Birch & Barley for Monday night's "Beer Belly" dinner. The five-course menu pays homage to the mid-section with beer belly-inducing beers (and spirits) paired with courses comprised of goat, lamb, and hamachi belly. Beers include Birrificio Del Ducato's Nuova Mattina, a Saison from Italy, Jolly Pumpkin La Roja an oak-aged sour amber from Michigan, Aecht Schlenkerla Oak Smoke an 8%-ABV smoked Christmas beer from Germany, Vapeur de Bises a Belgian spiced ale, and Pommeau de Normandie, a Calvados and apple juice blend from Domaine Familial Louis Dupont in France. The price is $76 per person plus tax and tip.

Also on Monday Biergarten Haus on H Street, Northeast, is pairing five courses of their traditional fare with beers from Einbecker Brauhaus in Northern Germany. Call the restaurant (202.388.4053) for reservations and menu details.

Tuesday night is all about rare beer. First, ChurchKey will be pouring a cask of Bell's Hopslam. That's right, cask. Hopheads go bonkers to find this rationed winter seasonal in bottles and are even crazier about it on draft. The chance to try this heck-of-a Double IPA under the softening spell of cask-conditioning is a rare treat. ChurchKey will be pouring Hopslam on draft and from the bottle for side-by-side comparison, but I suggest arriving as close to 4PM as possible for a chance to sample the only cask Bell's Brewery sent to D.C.

Then the bloggers at DCBeer.com are hosting a "Bootleggers" dinner at Scion in Dupont Circle featuring beers not currently available in D.C. A menu of eyebrow-raising rarities from the West Coast like Russian River Blind Pig, AleSmith Yulesmith and Deschutes Abyss ensured a quick sell out. If you are desperate, you could always show up and hope for no-shows.

Finally, on Wednesday beer sommelier Ray Daniels, president of the Craft Beer Institute and director of the Cicerone beer certification organization, will lead a four-course farmhouse ale dinner at Brasserie Beck. The beers are Southampton Cuvee des Fleurs, Brooklyn Sorachi Ace, Goose Island Pepe Nero and The Lost Abbey Red Barn Ale. The price is $75 plus tax and gratuity. As of Sunday there were a few spots left, so call the restaurant (202.408.1717) for reservations.

Gordon Biersch will host two "Brewer's Select" tapping parties this week. Vienna Lager will be celebrated at the Tyson's Corner location on Wednesday from 6 to 8PM, and their Rauch Weizenbock will be tapped on Thursday from 7:30 to 10:30PM at the Rockville Location. Both events are Super Bowl-themed fundraisers for the ziMS Foundation, which funds support and educational programs for Multiple Sclerosis.

This will be the last week Room 11 will feature a rare beer on their guest tap for awhile. Beer program director Dan Searing conjured a keg of Scarlet Sunset, a 6.2%-ABV smoked weissbier from Victory Brewing Company. It will be tapped Monday evening but will likely last most of the week.

Send submissions for the D.C. Beer Events calendar to thelagerheads@gmail.com.

Follow The Lagerheads on Twitter | on Facebook

Tonight, if they're not all already gone, Meridian Pint will be selling a limited supply of 12-ouncers of Russian River Pliny the Elder, the double IPA from a small California brewery with a large cult following. To give you an idea, it is rumored that jealousy over rations of Elder's triple IPA relative, Pliny the Younger, caused the licensing crackdown in Philadelphia in March. Since we made a fuss about seeing Russian River on the large bottle list at Policy last Spring, more bottles have slowly started creeping into the D.C. market, so be on the lookout.

On Tuesday, ChurchKey will have four experimental beers on draft from Tröegs Brewery in Harrisonburg, Pennsylvania. Tröegs' "Scratch" series 37th, 38th, 39th and 40th batches are all IPAs featuring a wide variety of hops. Not for you? ChurchKey's sister establishment Rustico in Alexandria is hosting a meet and greet with the founders of Blue Mountain Brewing Company of Afton, Virginia. Taylor and Mandy Smack and Matt Nucci will be pouring eight Blue Mountain brews on draft and two on cask. Stand outs include Virginia debuts Evan ALTmighty and Long Winter's Nap, and Kölsch 151, which won a medal at the 2010 Great American Beer Festival. Click on the event in the calendar above for the full list.

Still not for you? Luckily Tuesday holds a great deal of possibilities. Head over to the "Social" Safeway in Georgetown for a beer and cheese tasting hosted by DCBeer.com featuring beers from Sam Adams, Flying Dog, and Heavy Seas. Or sign up for the monthly beer dinner at Belga Café. Better yet, head out to Mad Fox Brewpub in Falls Church for a Robbie Burns Day supper prepared by chef Russel Cunningham to honor Scotland's favorite poet and lyricist. There will be Haggis! Not sure how far the lads and lasses at Mad Fox will take it, but click here for a few more details about what to expect of a traditional Burns supper.

On Wednesday Elephant and Castle downtown will have a firkin of Heavy Seas Loose Cannon Hop3 IPA. If you have not had this beer on cask, it is quite lovely.

On Thursday, Scion in Dupont Circle is throwing a Great Lakes draft blowout featuring six Great Lakes Brewing Company beers on draft: Conway's Irish Red, Eliot Ness, Commodore Perry IPA, Edmund Fitzgerald Porter, Nosferatu Imperial Red, and Christmas Ale. Beer samples and small Cleveland-themed plates will be $4 each. As a bonus, Scion will be holding a raffle for two free tickets to their Bootleggers Dinner on February 1, which features an outstanding list of very rare-to-D.C. beers and is currently sold out.

As a final note, this week Biergarten Haus begins a daily Happy Hour featuring food and beer specials from 5pm to 7:30pm every Monday through Friday. Prost!

Send submissions for the D.C. Beer Events calendar to thelagerheads@gmail.com.

Follow The Lagerheads on Twitter | on Facebook

The latest in restaurant openings, closings, and highly unstable target dates.

Coming Soon:

• Rockville is getting set to open the latest outpost of the gourmet pizza bar, Matchbox, as early as Friday with an impressive spot which can seat more than 400 people! (Bethesda magazine)
• Dupont Circle will soon have a new yogurt and parfait bar/coffeehouse, Yola, which is set to open next Monday. (Prince of Petworth)
• The Arlington Rooftop Bar and Grill in Courthouse is now officially open however the actual rooftop component will not be ready for patrons until early spring. (ARLnow)
• New York-based Shake Shack, which is set to hit the corner of 18th Street NW and Connecticut Avenue, is now looking for managers. (The Feast)
• The self-proclaimed "first FIT restaurant and bar in America" Funxion at 1309 F St. NW is looking to switch to a 24-hour schedule. (Prince of Petworth)
• The space occupying the former Mar de Plata restaurant at 1827 Jefferson Place NW will soon be transformed to house St. Arnold's of Jefferson Place, a Belgian restaurant and pub. (Prince of Petworth)
• Woodley Park will be the new home to Las Vegas–based and Man Vs. Food-featured, Hot N Juicy Crawfish, which will be occupying the old Trattoria Italiana space at 2651 Connecticut Ave. NW. (Prince of Petworth)
• Besides the two new in-District spots already planned, FroZenYo has announced they will also be adding three new joints in Arlington as they continue their campaign of frozen yogurt world domination. (TBD)
• Perry's owner Saied Ayoubi plans to open Mintwood Place in Adams Morgan sometime in the spring. (The Feast)
• Volt chef and owner Bryan Voltaggio is apparently scouting around for another restaurant, which may or may not be the second coming of Volt. (Washington Business Journal)
• The Capital Video Sales store on 8th Street SE will be closing to make way for a Latin tapas joint called Pacifico. (Prince of Petworth)
• Foxhall sandwich shop Jetties will be opening a second location in Bethesda early next spring. (Bethesda magazine)
• New York City tapas joint Boqueria is currently on the prowl for a spot in the District to open a new location. (Eater)
• While the downtown D.C. branch of NYC-based Crumbs Bake Shop has already launched, the folks in Clarendon continue to await an opening date. (ARLnow)
• A new bar and barbecue joint called American Ice Company is set to open at 917 V St. NW. (Prince of Petworth)
• A new dual-concept sports bar and restaurant, Redline, will be opening soon in the former Indebleu space at 707 G St. NW. (Prince of Petworth)
• Sette Bello has closed its doors at 3101 Wilson Blvd. in Arlington to make way for yet another American Tap Room. (ARLnow)
• Ping Pong Dim Sum is already on the hunt for a third location despite still working on its second spot in Dupont. (Washington Business Journal)

• New "urban village" Park Potomac is attracting a wide range of new restaurants, including the second outpost of The Wine Harvest. (Bethesda magazine)
• Speaking of Park Potomac, the owners of Cava will be joining forces with the owners of Mamma Lucia in order to open Sugo Macaroni and Pizza Bar in the Potomac complex early next spring. (Bethesda magazine)
• Capital City Brewing Co. has lost its lease on Capitol Hill and will be moving operations to its Shirlington site, making it one of the top 10 largest brewpubs in the country. (All We Can Eat)
• More brewpub news: Rock Bottom and Gordon Biersch are merging. (Washington Business Journal)
• BGR owner Mark Bucher has just signed a lease for a Burger Joint in Springfield, at 8420 Old Keene Mill Road. It'll mark the fifth BGR. The sixth is already scheduled for Clarendon.
• Grapeseed's chef Jeff Heineman is planning to open a New England-style seafood shack called Freddie's Lobster and Clams right next door to his current joint at 4867 Cordell Ave. in Bethesda. (Bethesda magazine)
• Self-proclaimed "non-traditional sandwich shop" SUNdeVICH is on its way to 1314 9th St. NW. (Prince of Petworth)
• Cafe Eagle, an Italian/Eritrean restaurant will soon be occupying the old Vegetate space at 1414 9th St. NW. (Prince of Petworth)
• Celebrity chef Bobby Flay plans to throwdown a Bobby's Burger Palace on K Street NW. (Washington Business Journal)
• Jackie Greenbaum, the restaurateur behind Jackie's and Quarry House in Silver Spring, plans to open a Mexican restaurant in Columbia Heights.
• Heebeen Restaurant in Alexandria is scheduled to open a location in Arlington where it will continue to mix Korean and Japanese cuisines. (ARLnow)
• Former IndeBleu chef Michael Hartzer is pairing up with the owner of Bourbon to open the Jack Rose Dining Saloon in Adams Morgan. The selling point? One thousand kinds of whiskey. (Going Out Gurus)
• The founder of Tangysweet is opening a gourmet salad and sandwich shop in Clarendon called Rabbit.
• Looks like Cava is moving forward with plans to open a 4,000-square-foot space in Arlington. (ARLnow)
• Todd Gray and Ellen Kassoff Gray will open their multi-faceted Watershed operation in NoMa this spring.
• Businessman David Von Storch, who owns the Capital City Brewing Company, signed a lease for his newest operation, 901 Restaurant at 901 9th St. NW. (TBD)
• Silver Spring will finally have a spot to watch sports and wolf down fried foods. Babe's Sports Bar & Grill is moving into the old Gallery Restaurant space. (Silver Spring Singular)
• Hey, Biergarten Haus, look out! A new Bavarian beer garden is on its way to 720 L St. SE. (Prince of Petworth)
• Michael Landrum's project at CityVista, it turns out, will apparently not sell steaks or burgers — but coffee, sandwiches, salads, and yogurt. Michael Landrum and yogurt?! (Washingtonian)
• The owner of Hudson in the West End is taking over the former Il Mulino space and turning it into a comfort-food tribute to the 16th president, Lincoln. (WaPo)
• Capitol Hill Sporting Goods at 727 8th St. SE will soon be replaced by a funky new tavern serving up American fare and offering live jazz and blues. (The Hill Is Home)
• Roti Mediterranean Grill has claimed a spot in Constitution Square in NoMa. (Prince of Petworth)
• A new Tryst-type spot called Bistro 18 will be opening up where Oya’s Mini Bazaar and African Art used to be at 2420 18th St. NW. (Prince of Petworth)
• News from Twitter is that food truck, DC Empanadas, will start rolling out soon in the District — with plans to extend into Maryland. (TBD)
• The owners behind the popular Foggy Bottom eatery, Founding Farmers, and its sister operation, Farmers & Fishers, are planning to open a new restaurant in Potomac. (Bethesda magazine)
• Beer and wings specialist, Buffalo Wild Wings, will open up a location in Crystal City sometime this month at the corner of 23rd Street and Crystal Drive. (ARLnow)
• Our bread and pastry options may soon improve. Paul, a bakery that can trace its roots back more than 100 years to France, is opening a location on Pennsylvania Avenue NW. (Metrocurean)
• Zpizza plans to open a location in Rosslyn. Try to contain your excitement. (Washington Business Journal)
• News from the Twitter world is that Red Hook Lobster Pound is looking to add a second truck to its fleet. (Metrocurean)
• The spot at 1113 V St. NW, which used to house the Gori Cafe, is set to become the V Street Cafe, slated to open in several weeks. (Prince of Petworth).
• Christine Sarapu and chef/husband Jorge Pimentel are launching a new Latin-inspired food truck, Sabor’a Street, which is coming to town soon. (WeLoveDC)
• Former Vidalia chef R.J. Cooper is working on a place of his own, Rogue 24, an all tasting-menu restaurant in Mount Vernon Square.
• Could Bayou Bakery's David Guas have some competition? A place named Mudbug is headed to Crystal City. (ARLnow)
• Restaurant Eve‘s chef Cathal Armstrong is planning to get into the pub business with Virtue Feed & Grain. (WaPo)
• Former Maestro chef Fabio Trabocchi is coming back to town to open his own place, Fiola. (WaPo)
• Chef Jeff Black will be opening up the Pearl Dive Oyster Palace and a bar upstairs called Black Jack at 1612 14th St. NW. (Prince of Petworth)
• Middle Eastern restaurant Javan is on its way out to make room for Kabob Bazaar at 7710 Wisconsin Ave. in Bethesda. (Bethesda magazine)
• Prince of Petworth speculates that a Z Burger may be soon opening at the Tivoli Theatre in Columbia Heights. (Prince of Petworth)
• Neighborhood pet shop Chateau Animaux at 524 8th St. SE will close its doors and two District chains, Moby Dick House of Kabob and Nooshi, will occupy its space. (ANC Norm)
• Penn Quarter is set to introduce two new restaurants. St. Louis-based pizzeria, District of Pi, will take over one of the final retail spots at 914 F St. NW and former Top Chefer Mike Isabella will launch his new place, Graffiato.
• A hip new deli called Annie and Teddy’s is coming to the corner of Potomac and Pennsylvania SE. (Prince of Petworth)

Openings:

• Arlington Rooftop Bar and Grill in Courthouse
• Sweetgreen in Ballston
• Bayou Bakery in Arlington
• Ba Bay on Capitol Hill
• Tsunami Sushi & Lounge in Logan Circle
• Brasserie Brightwell in Easton, Md.
• DC-3 on Capitol Hill
• Merzi in Penn Quarter.
• Panera Bread in Dupont Circle
• Vento in Dupont Circle
• Wok and Roll in Adams Morgan
• Zoës Kitchen in Fairfax

Closings:

• Sette Bello in Arlington
• Chuck's Wagon BBQ is closing on H Street NE
• Quarterdeck Restaurant is closing in Arlington

Photo by Arlington Rooftop Bar and Grill

The latest in restaurant openings, closings, and highly unstable target dates.

Coming Soon:

• New York-based Shake Shack, which is set to hit the corner of 18th Street NW and Connecticut Avenue, is now looking for managers. (The Feast)
• Woodley Park will be the new home to Las Vegas–based and Man Vs. Food-featured, Hot N Juicy Crawfish, which will be occupying the old Trattoria Italiana space at 2651 Connecticut Ave. NW. (Prince of Petworth)
• Besides the two new in-District spots already planned, FroZenYo has announced they will also be adding three new joints in Arlington as they continue their campaign of frozen yogurt world domination. (TBD)
• Speaking of Arlington, Sweetgreen opens today after much buildup in its new Ballston location. (Sweetgreen)
• Perry's owner Saied Ayoubi plans to open Mintwood Place in Adams Morgan sometime in the spring. (The Feast)
• Volt chef and owner Bryan Voltaggio is apparently scouting around for another restaurant, which may or may not be the second coming of Volt. (Washington Business Journal)
• The Capital Video Sales store on 8th Street SE will be closing to make way for a Latin tapas joint called Pacifico. (Prince of Petworth)
• Foxhall sandwich shop Jetties will be opening a second location in Bethesda early next spring. (Bethesda magazine)
• New York City tapas joint Boqueria is currently on the prowl for a spot in the District to open a new location. (Eater)
• The self-proclaimed "first FIT restaurant and bar in America" Funxion at 1309 F St. NW is looking to switch to a 24-hour schedule. (Prince of Petworth)
• While the downtown D.C. branch of NYC-based Crumbs Bake Shop has already launched, the folks in Clarendon continue to await an opening date. (ARLnow)
• A new bar and barbecue joint called American Ice Company is set to open at 917 V St. NW. (Prince of Petworth)
• A new dual-concept sports bar and restaurant, Redline, will be opening soon in the former Indebleu space at 707 G St. NW. (Prince of Petworth)
• Sette Bello has closed its doors at 3101 Wilson Blvd. in Arlington to make way for yet another American Tap Room. (ARLnow)
• Ping Pong Dim Sum is already on the hunt for a third location despite still working on its second spot in Dupont. (Washington Business Journal)

• New "urban village" Park Potomac is attracting a wide range of new restaurants, including the second outpost of The Wine Harvest. (Bethesda magazine)
• Capital City Brewing Co. has lost its lease on Capitol Hill and will be moving operations to its Shirlington site, making it one of the top 10 largest brewpubs in the country. (All We Can Eat)
• More brewpub news: Rock Bottom and Gordon Biersch are merging. (Washington Business Journal)
• BGR owner Mark Bucher has just signed a lease for a Burger Joint in Springfield, at 8420 Old Keene Mill Road. It'll mark the fifth BGR. The sixth is already scheduled for Clarendon.
• Grapeseed's chef Jeff Heineman is planning to open a New England-style seafood shack called Freddie's Lobster and Clams right next door to his current joint at 4867 Cordell Ave. in Bethesda. (Bethesda magazine)
• Self-proclaimed "non-traditional sandwich shop" SUNdeVICH is on its way to 1314 9th St. NW. (Prince of Petworth)
• Cafe Eagle, an Italian/Eritrean restaurant will soon be occupying the old Vegetate space at 1414 9th St. NW. (Prince of Petworth)
• Just what we need: another burger joint. Celebrity chef Bobby Flay plans to throwdown a Bobby's Burger Palace on K Street NW. (Washington Business Journal)
• Jackie Greenbaum, the restaurateur behind Jackie's and Quarry House in Silver Spring, plans to open a Mexican restaurant in Columbia Heights.
• Heebeen Restaurant in Alexandria is scheduled to open a location in Arlington where it will continue to mix Korean and Japanese cuisines. (ARLn0w)
• Former IndeBleu chef Michael Hartzer is pairing up with the owner of Bourbon to open the Jack Rose Dining Saloon in Adams Morgan. The selling point? One thousand kinds of whiskey. (Going Out Gurus)
• The founder of Tangysweet is opening a gourmet salad and sandwich shop in Clarendon called Rabbit.
• Looks like Cava is moving forward with plans to open a 4,000-square-foot space in Arlington. (ARLnow)
• Todd Gray and Ellen Kassoff Gray will open their multi-faceted Watershed operation in NoMa this spring.
• Businessman David Von Storch, who owns the Capital City Brewing Company, signed a lease for his newest operation, 901 Restaurant at 901 9th St. NW. (TBD)
• Silver Spring will finally have a spot to watch sports and wolf down fried foods. Babe's Sports Bar & Grill is moving into the old Gallery Restaurant space. (Silver Spring Singular)
• Hey, Biergarten Haus, look out! A new Bavarian beer garden is on its way to 720 L St. SE. (Prince of Petworth)
• Michael Landrum's project at CityVista, it turns out, will apparently not sell steaks or burgers — but coffee, sandwiches, salads, and yogurt. Michael Landrum and yogurt?! (Washingtonian)
• The owner of Hudson in the West End is taking over the former Il Mulino space and turning it into a comfort-food tribute to the 16th president, Lincoln. (WaPo)
• Capitol Hill Sporting Goods at 727 8th St. SE will soon be replaced by a funky new tavern serving up American fare and offering live jazz and blues. (The Hill Is Home)
• Roti Mediterranean Grill has claimed a spot in Constitution Square in NoMa. (Prince of Petworth)
• A new Tryst-type spot called Bistro 18 will be opening up where Oya’s Mini Bazaar and African Art used to be at 2420 18th St. NW. (Prince of Petworth)
• Merzi, a new-style Indian joint promising tandoori chicken done on a rotisserie, is coming to Penn Quarter.
• News from Twitter is that food truck, DC Empanadas, will start rolling out soon in the District — with plans to extend into Maryland. (TBD)
• The owners behind the popular Foggy Bottom eatery, Founding Farmers, and its sister operation, Farmers & Fishers, are planning to open a new restaurant in Potomac. (Bethesda magazine)
• Beer and wings specialist, Buffalo Wild Wings, will open up a location in Crystal City sometime this month at the corner of 23rd Street and Crystal Drive. (ARLnow)
• Our bread and pastry options may soon improve. Paul, a bakery that can trace its roots back more than 100 years to France, is opening a location on Pennsylvania Avenue NW. (Metrocurean)
• Zpizza plans to open a location in Rosslyn. Try to contain your excitement. (Washington Business Journal)
• News from the Twitter world is that Red Hook Lobster Pound is looking to add a second truck to its fleet. (Metrocurean)
• The spot at 1113 V St. NW, which used to house the Gori Cafe, is set to become the V Street Cafe, slated to open in several weeks. (Prince of Petworth).
• Christine Sarapu and chef/husband Jorge Pimentel are launching a new Latin-inspired food truck, Sabor’a Street, which is coming to town soon. (WeLoveDC)
• Former Vidalia chef R.J. Cooper is working on a place of his own, Rogue 24, an all tasting-menu restaurant in Mount Vernon Square.
• Could Bayou Bakery's David Guas have some competition? A place named Mudbug is headed to Crystal City. (ARLnow)
• Restaurant Eve‘s chef Cathal Armstrong is planning to get into the pub business with Virtue Feed & Grain. (WaPo)
• Former Maestro chef Fabio Trabocchi is coming back to town to open his own place, Fiola. (WaPo)
• Chef Jeff Black will be opening up the Pearl Dive Oyster Palace and a bar upstairs called Black Jack at 1612 14th St. NW. (Prince of Petworth)
• Middle Eastern restaurant Javan is on its way out to make room for Kabob Bazaar at 7710 Wisconsin Ave. in Bethesda. (Bethesda magazine)
• Prince of Petworth speculates that a Z Burger may be soon opening at the Tivoli Theatre in Columbia Heights. (Prince of Petworth)
• Neighborhood pet shop Chateau Animaux at 524 8th St. SE will close its doors and two District chains, Moby Dick House of Kabob and Nooshi, will occupy its space. (ANC Norm)
• Penn Quarter is set to introduce two new restaurants. St. Louis-based pizzeria, District of Pi, will take over one of the final retail spots at 914 F St. NW and former Top Chefer Mike Isabella will launch his new place, Graffiato.
• A hip new deli called Annie and Teddy’s is coming to the corner of Potomac and Pennsylvania SE. (Prince of Petworth)

Openings:

• Sweetgreen in Ballston
• Bayou Bakery in Arlington
• ChiDogO's at 14th & U
• Ba Bay on Capitol Hill
• Crumbs Bake Shop in Downtown
• District Taco in Arlington
• Tsunami Sushi & Lounge in Logan Circle
• Tynan Coffee & Tea in NoMa
• Brasserie Brightwell in Easton, Md.
• DC-3 on Capitol Hill
• IHOP in Columbia Heights
• Panera Bread in Dupont Circle
• Vento in Dupont Circle
• Wok and Roll in Adams Morgan
• Zoës Kitchen in Fairfax
• Ma Ma's Southern Cuisine on Georgia Avenue NW

Closings:

• Sette Bello in Arlington
• Chuck's Wagon BBQ is closing on H Street NE
• Quarterdeck Restaurant is closing in Arlington
• Social Restaurant in Columbia Heights

Photo by Tom (andertho) via Flickr/Creative Commons Attribution 2.0