Shaw Streets

by Pleasant Mann

zation’s 20th anniversary and that Shaw Main Streets held the national records for funds raised at a Main Street event. Principal sponsors of this year’s event included Roadside Development, Beyond Collective, Amazon, Pepco, Events DC, Mid City Development, U Street Parking, Capital Community News, Blue Sky Development, Bond Bread Partnership (Edens, FiveSquares & Menkiti Group), DC Water, Douglas Development, Dumas Collective, Cheryl Lofton & Associates, Lee’s Flower & Card Shop and Miller Copying Service.

Oyster Oyster

Chef Rob Rubba Wins

James Beard Award

Eat.Drink.Shaw., Shaw Main Streets’ celebration of the neighborhood’s wide spectrum of eating and drinking establishments, returned to the Howard Theater on the evening of June 14. This was the first time that Shaw Main Streets was able to put on this event since 2019.

Eat.Drink.Shaw. featured the work of recently opened restaurants in Shaw, including the French fare of Petite Cerise, Vietnamese from Pho House, and the Balkan cuisine of Ambar Shaw. Other newcomers to the event since its last iteration included Nina May, Pearl’s Bagels, Stop Smack’n, FishScale, Motown Square Pizza, Ghostburger and Qui Qui. Michelin Guide Washington listed participants included Chaplin’s, Chercher, Tiger Fork and Unconventional Diner. Neighborhood standards included Dacha Beer Garden, 801, Shaw’s Tavern, Right Proper Brewing Company, Seylou Bakery, Dolci Gelati and Zeppelin.

The floor of the Howard was crowded with people sampling the wares of the celebrated Shaw establishments. Attendees included Councilmembers Brooke Pinto, Brianne Nadeau and DC Council Chair Phil Mendelson. At the end of the night, Shaw Main Streets Executive Director Alexander Padro noted that the event marked the organi-

Rob Rubba, chef of the celebrated plant-based restaurant Oyster Oyster in Shaw, has received the James Beard Award as Outstanding Chef in the nation for 2023. The prestigious James Beard Award for culinary excellence is one of the few contests where just being nominated is an honor, with Rubba besting 20 semifinalists and five finalists to win the national award this year.

Oyster Oyster was nominated for a Beard award last year for Best New Restaurant but did not win. The small Michelinstarred establishment has also become notable as a champion of sustainability, going to great lengths to limit food and energy waste. The restaurant also has an adjacent oyster garage/wine bar next door, a six-seat party room set up for relaxed dining, meaning oyster-laden pizzas.

Shaw Bars are the Tops

When Fritz Hahn, the Washington Post’s bar critic, developed his list of the 10 best rooftop bars in town, based on their views and reasonable prices, four of them were located in Shaw. 801, at Eighth and Florida, is the spot for cheap cocktails and snacks until 8:00 p.m. At DC9, Hahn notes that “the cozy music venue is also home to one of the best low-key rooftops around.” He suggests that people “arrive early to the claim room to spread out” at LGBT favorite The Dirty Goose on U Street. Finally, there is the recently reopened Whitlow’s on the corner of Ninth and U Streets. The rooftop includes a wheel of fortune, where drinkers can win prizes, such as a bucket of beer.

Shaw Businesswoman

Wanda Henderson Honored

Wanda Henderson, proprietor of Shaw’s Wanda’s on 7th salon, was honored by the Greater Washington DC Black Chamber of Commerce at their 2023 Juneteenth Art of Black Business Soiree on June 13 at the Hamilton Hotel. The event honored the resilience of local Black businesses and highlighted the renaissance and growth of the local Black business community. Henderson, a longtime Shaw businesswoman, received the organization’s Business Resilience and Cultural Preservation Award.

LGBTQ+ Center Breaks

Ground in Shaw e DC Center for the LGBT Community and Capital Pride Alliance held a ceremonial groundbreaking at its new location at 1827 Wiltberger Street NW in Shaw, Wednesday afternoon, June 28. e new center will be larger than their former space, allowing an expansion of services at the new center. e architectural plans for the new center included dedicated therapy rooms, a larger food pantry, wellness spaces, an expanded state-of-theart cyber lounge and a larger Community Closet for underhoused/ displaced community members. A pledge from Wegmans to support the food pantry was announced at the groundbreaking. e new center was facilitated by a $1 million grant from the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development. e new DC Center for the LGBT Community and Capital Pride Alliance will open later this year. ◆ e commissioners attending were Sabel Harris (1B08, Chair), Larry Handerhan (1B01, Vice Chair), Sean Holihan (1B02), Jamie Sycamore (1B03), Santiago Lakatos (1B04, Treasurer), Alan Kensek (1B05) and Tucker Jones (1B09, Secretary). ANC 1B06 is currently vacant.

Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 1B held its meeting for June on ursday evening, June 1, 2023.

Third Police District ird Police District Lieutenant Kathleen Monahan, started by mentioning the Nightlife Task Force. It was formed to address the activity on U Street. e Task Force brings together MPD, FEMS, DDOT, DPW and CSOSA every Friday to work out a game plan for the weekend to keep U Street safe. It has had a positive impact on the area. e reply was that once Homicide takes over a case, information is not released on the incident until it is closed. Commissioner Harris asked about holes that she saw in the window at Busboys and Poets on 14th Street. Monahan said that there have been no reports of gunshots there over the previous 48 hours. Harris also wanted an assurance that the ATV (All Terrain Vehicle) Task Force did not have a biased operation. e lieutenant said that the previous manager of the force has not

She said that crime statistics are up all over with violent crime up 24 percent and property crime up 43 percent compared to last year. It is a case of doing more with less resources.

Commissioner Kensek asked about the prevalence of guns on the street. Monahan replied that more people are getting permits to carry concealed guns and more people without permits are carrying guns. Some people bring guns to U Street, leave them in their cars and have the guns stolen in break ins.

Commissioner Sycamore asked about the impact of former Police Chief Contee leaving. Monahan replied that there has not been much change since Contee left. Commissioner Lakatos wanted to know information on the death of Calvin Gray on the 1300 block of V Street NW.