Photo Credit: Horace & Dickies

Museum: Just open... now closed?

Museum, an upscale private event space and lounge, opened less than two weeks ago in Penn Quarter.

But according to a tweet from Urban Daddy, the cocktail lounge, in the space that once held former nightclubs Platinum and the Fifth Column, has already closed. The company’s website is down, and their phone number leads to a Verizon messaging service. The 2,700-square-foot space opened earlier this month, revealing a modern redesign on some of the building’s original neo-classical architectural from decades ago. The space, divided into three areas, was intended as a social networking venue, an educational setting for galleries and musical performances, and a social space for drinking, dining, and dancing. Mixologist Max Taylor was tapped to create classic pre-prohibition cocktails, while food was provided by Design Cuisine.

New developments: Jake’s American Grille and Horace & Dickie’s

The team behind the Ugly Mug and the recently opened District 2 Bar & Grill has another project in the works. The owners are opening a new restaurant called Jake’s American Grille at 5016 Connecticut Ave. NW, in the former Uptown Cathay space, reports PoP. The new operation will feature American cuisine, seating for about 50 people, and a small outdoor dining area for about 10 people.

Horace & Dickie’s has leased the building next door and plans to expand, says H Street DC. The casual seafood carryout joint, located at 809 12th St. NE, has been serving the neighborhood fried fish sandwiches for over 20 years. The well-regarded operation became even more popular after being featured on Travel Channel’s Man vs Food last year. The tiny storefront regularly has lines running out the door, but hopefully once the expansion is complete, those lines will be gone, or at least not as long. (h/t CapitolBites)

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Eric Reid to Del Ray Pizzeria, Ramón Narváez reunites with Wiedmaier

Eric Reid is the new head chef at Del Ray Pizzeria & Sports Bar in Del Ray, reports the Washington Post. Reid stepped in last October shortly after Del Merei Grille, the eatery where he previously worked, closed. Del Ray Pizzeria owners Mike Malin and Eric Dorne have given Reid a lot of freedom, including bringing in part of his former staff from the shuttered Del Merei Grille, and closing the restaurant for a week to re-structure the kitchen. The Italian-American eatery features pizzas and pastas, and according to WP, Reid plans to launch a new menu early next year.

Ramón Narváez is the head of Robert Wiedmaier’s newly created wine and beverage program that will oversee all of the D.C. operations, says the Feast. Narváez was the sommelier at Wiedmaier’s Marcel's from 2002 to 2006. He left to head the wine program at Alain Ducasse's Adour, and is now returning to develop and bring more consistency among the beverage menus at Marcel's, Brasserie Beck, Brabo, and Mussel Bar .

In other food and restaurant news...

• Beginning today, Clyde’s Restaurant Group will have carolers at selected restaurants each night until Christmas. See here for dates, locations, and times.

• Uptown Deli’s Howard Wasserman is celebrating his 50th birthday with 50 percent off specials this Friday, Dec. 24. Guests can join the birthday boy for cake and coffee in the afternoon.

• Scuttlebutt: A PoP reader heard from a Starfish employee that the cafe will be closing on the 8th and reopening as an Italian restaurant. Starfish Cafe, located at 539 8th St. SE, features a mix of Creole and Caribbean cuisine.

• Sushi Rock hasn’t made a peep since opening. Neighbors are happy. (TBD)

• CBS News reports of a possible threat of terrorism through food products in the restaurant and hotel industry.

• Cheese sold by Whole Foods Market in California, Nevada, Washington and Washington, D.C. has been recalled. The product, coming from Sally Jackson Cheese of Oroville, Wash., may have been contaminated with E. coli. The cheese was cut and packaged in clear plastic wrap and sold with a Whole Foods Market scale label. (AP via Washington Post)

• House passes food safety bill. Obama will sign it shortly into law. (ObFo)

• TLC auditioning people for their Picky Eaters series. (Capital Cooking)

• Are you flying this holiday season? A nutritionist evaluates airlines menus to find you the healthiest options. (USA Today)

• Food photography: How to shoot the holiday table - Part 1 and Part 2 (New York Times)

• 14 Finger foods at holiday parties (The Atlantic)

From TBD’s Community Network

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• Two DC: Review: Westend Bistro
• Bitches Who Brunch: Review: Dr. Granville Moore’s Brunch
• EatMore DrinkMore: First Impressions: Arlington Rooftop Bar & Grill
• Fabulous Food Finds: Grilled Cipollini Onions

Plan Ahead -- This week’s food and drink events

• Dec. 1 - 23 -- Celebrate “Festivus” at Old Glory BBQ
• Dec. 24 -- Feast of the Seven Fishes at Paolo’s Ristorante
• Dec. 24 -- Falafel Frenzy
• Dec. 26 -- Revillion Brunch at Acadiana

Sweet Deals

• Blue Banana: Open bar Dec. 21-22 from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.
• Zpizza: Buy one Rustica, get one free (till Jan. 31)

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