WBJ: Grand opening for Rustik in Bloomingdale

From today's Washngton Busines Journal:

Grand opening for Rustik in Bloomingdale
By Missy Frederick, Reporter
Thursday, October 14, 2010, 11:01am EDT
http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/blog/2010/10/grand_opening_for_rustik_in_bloomingdale.html]
City officials will be celebrating the arrival of the first sit-down restaurant in the Bloomingdale neighborhood of D.C. Thursday evening, at a grand opening event for Rustik Tavern.

Though the event is tonight, the tavern opened to the public back in late September at 84 T St. NW. I haven`t gotten the chance to go there yet, but have heard enthusiastic things from friends in the neighborhood who have been longing for a place to hang out after hours.

The tavern serves a mix of pizza and small plates, as well as beer and wine. Have you been to Rustik yet? What are your thoughts?

Washington Business Journal cover story on restaurant rooftop decks in DC

Firehouse owner Brian Brown has mentioned the idea of a rooftop deck for the firehouse restaurant on North Capitol Street NW.

The most recent Washington Business Journal (Friday, July 23, 2010) includes a cover story about restaurant rooftop decks in the District.

I have copied in the first few paragraphs to whet your appetite. (I can Email you the entire article if you send me an Email requesting it -- scott at scott hyphen roberts dot net.)

Since Bloomingdale may gain a rooftop deck at the firehouse, I thought you might like to read this WBJ article.

Friday, July 23, 2010
Rooftop venues can bring in cash, but also complaints

Washington Business Journal - by Tierney Plumb
http://washington.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2010/07/26/focus1.html

While firetrucks blare along U Street NW, a gaggle of well-dressed young professionals slip into the relative quiet of neighborhood hot spot Local 16 and climb the curved, carpeted stairs to reach a plant-lined rooftop oasis.

On the roof, stark-white tablecloths flutter next to large fans that drown out the street noise below, and a new VIP area features funky drawings that seem to grow up the wall. Chatter from conference-goers, co-workers and 20-something friends fills the air.

Just three blocks away, patrons sit in a sleek, but mood-lit, space at Masa 14, a popular Latin-Asian tapas joint catering to a more Logan Circle-centric crowd.

At the center of that wood- and brick-accented space is a wide set of stairs that locals have dubbed the ``Stairs to Nowhere.`` The stairs are expected to eventually lead guests to a partially enclosed roof deck.

Given the relatively small number of D.C. establishments that offer the amenity, rooftop spaces present a prime marketing opportunity for bars and restaurants, accounting for as much as 80 percent of revenue for some proprietors.

``Roof decks are the only real option for outdoor seating, eating, drinking and enjoying one`s self without sitting on a busy, dirty street,`` said Patrick Oberman, a member of the Dupont Circle Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC). They are also perhaps the only way to accommodate patrons who smoke.

It`s not clear exactly how many rooftop restaurants exist or are pending in D.C.— the District`s alcohol board says it is in the process of creating a database to compile the permit numbers — but there are at least 30 already open, according to consumer review website Yelp.com.