Georgetown Observer August 10, 2011

GBA Gets New Digs at Georgetown Park; Will Meet Aug. 17 at House of Sweden
The Georgetown Business Association is moving its office to 1080 Wisconsin Ave., N.W. near the main entrance of the condos in Georgetown Park. The GBA leaves its Thomas Jefferson Street space, which it shared with the offices of the Georgetown Business Improvement District.

Meanwhile, the GBA will host “Networking with a View . . . And a Salute to Furin’s” on Wednesday, Aug. 17, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the House of Sweden, 2900 K St., N.W., on the waterfront. The event is free for GBA members and $20 for non-members; hors d’oeuvres by Ridgewells Caterers; desserts by Chris Furin; beverages compliments of the Georgetown Business Improvement District.

The Georgetown BID has also recently made an office move to 1000 Potomac St., N.W., Suite 122 and can be reached at 202-298-9222.

1789 Loses Chef to ‘World’s Best Restaurant,’ Noma
Well, if your executive chef wants to go, it is nice to know he is leaving for the best – Noma in Copenhagen, considered the best restaurant in the world. Daniel Giusti, executive chef of 1789 Restaurant, visited by President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in June, says that his last day will be Aug. 28.

“It was clearly a shock,” Maureen Hirsch, director of marketing for Clyde’s Restaurant Group, which owns 1789, told the Washington Post. “But he just really wants to learn.”

Giusti began working at Clyde’s of Georgetown at the age of 15. He worked in New York and Las Vegas before returning to D.C., eventually to become 1789’s top chef for a little more than three years. He was nominated by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington for a 2009 and 2010 RAMMY Award and received a regional nomination for “People’s Best New Chef’’ from Food & Wine Magazine. As for his new life in Denmark, Giusti does not really have a real job yet at Noma, where he briefly helped around the kitchen last month. He must get a work permit first but has rented an apartment in Copenhagen. Noma owner Rene Redzepi is apparently waiting as Giusti, who wishes to expand his culinary skills, prepares to arrive in September.

After Giusti departs, Clyde’s chef Brian Stickel will cook at 1789 where he has worked before, while the restaurant at 36th and Prospect Streets searches for a new executive chef.

First-Ever U.S. Internet Gambling Set by D.C. Lottery for Oct. 1
Ready for some iGaming from the D.C. Lottery on your iPhone, iPod or other online devices like your computer? For the first time ever, Internet gambling is coming to America, and its first bets will be in Washington, D.C., Oct. 1.

Starting with demonstration games such as Blackjack, Texas Hold ‘Em, Victory at Sea and bingo, D.C. Lottery will soon to go live with legal online betting. During the demos, players can test the games but cannot bet money or win prizes. The Lottery Modernization Act of 2012, part of the District’s 2011 budget, permits D.C. to make money by regulating and supporting Internet gambling through the D.C. Lottery.

The D.C. Lottery has delayed the start of demonstration for the online games, which had been set for July and August, until local meetings of a “comment period” are held in each of D.C. wards. There has been some opposition to online gambling. The Ward 2 meeting with Council member Jack Evans is at the Shaw Library, 1630 Seventh St., N.W., Aug. 22 from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Here are some rules from the D.C.’s Lottery iGaming site: Players must physically be inside the District of Columbia and players must be 19 years of age or older. Technology will be employed to ensure that players are within the boundaries and that age requirements are met. No anonymous play will be permitted. Players do not need to be D.C. residents, but they must be within the District of Columbia boundaries in order to play. Gaming on the site will be shut down between 4 and 10 a.m.; no more than $250 deposited by a debit card in each account per week will be allowed.

For its first three years, the District government predicts more than $13 million in profits from Internet gambling. What could further delay or derail the debut of the U.S.’s first-ever online gaming? The Federal government, which has oversight for such things here. Otherwise, visit iGamingDC.com on Oct. 1.

Bikeshare Adds 32 New D.C. Spots; M & Penn. Makes the Cut
Capital Bikeshare, the increasingly popular bicycle-sharing partnership between D.C. and Arlington, added 32 new D.C. bike locations, most to be installed by autumn, according to the D.C. Department of Transportation. Georgetown’s one new spot will be at M Street and Pennsylvania Avenue., N.W., on the traffic island across from the Four Seasons Hotel and the Lukoil gas station. This addition brings the village’s total to five – along with 37th & O at Georgetown University’s entrance, 2001 Wisconsin Ave., N.W. (near Safeway), K Street at the waterfront and Wisconsin Avenue at the C&O Canal, which will have its bike stand expanded.

“We are grateful for the enormous support Capital Bikeshare has received throughout the past 10 months and are very pleased to release the final list of new station locations for the District of Columbia,” said Terry Bellamy, DDOT director. “With this expansion we will not only increase the overall reach of the system, but we will expand the program’s capacity by 22 percent in the downtown area, by 80 percent in our East of the River operations and by an average of 38 percent throughout each of the additional Wards.”

Arlington County is also planning an expansion with approximately 30 new Capital Bikeshare stations destined for the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor starting this fall and continuing through the spring.
The bike program is so well used that it is hard to find bikes near certain Metro stops after the morning rush, the Washington Times recently reported. Conversely, those returning bikes to a high-traffic spot might find all the stands occupied by bikes.

Capital Bikeshare is a bike-sharing program developed through a partnership between DDOT and Arlington County and operated by Alta Bicycle Share, Inc. Capital Bikeshare offers four different membership options: Annual ($75), Monthly ($25), 5-Day ($15) and 24-hour ($5) for access to a fleet of 1,100 bicycles located at over 110 stations across the District and Arlington. Visit CapitalBikeShare.com to sign up or for more information.

Mayor and Kids Cut Ribbon on Renewed Guy Mason Center
Mayor Vincent Gray, Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh, the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation Director Jesus Aguirre and other officials and community leaders officially opened the newly renovated Guy Mason Community Center at 3600 Calvert St., N.W., in Glover Park on Aug. 3. The renovation project added many new features to the facility. The community center is now fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and includes an elevator, ADA accessible restrooms, and a new HVAC system. Along with familiar programs, residents will be able to enjoy a new pottery workshop in the center’s basement which includes a kiln room, glazing kitchen and spray booth. For more information, contact the Guy Mason Community Center at 202-727-7527. Additional information on the Guy Mason Renovation Project is available on the DPR website, DPR.dc.gov.

Charles Luck Stone Center Coming to 34th & Canal
Richmond-based specialty stone center, Charles Luck has announced that this fall it will be opening its first D.C. location at Cady’s Alley. Built in the late 1800s as a stable, the two-story building – overlooking the C&O Canal – has just more than 700 square feet of showroom space downstairs.

“We are incredibly happy that the lease for 1111 34th St. has been fully executed by both Luck and the property owner,” said Anderson McNeill, president of Charles Luck Stone Centers. “We have a prime location for the Charles Luck Brand’s first storefront [in D.C.]”

Selling stone architectural elements, such as countertops, interior and exterior walls, pathways, furniture and accessories, Charles Luck will place amid Georgetown’s growing design centers. “We’re also excited to join the ranks with other style-minded neighbors, including Ann Sacks, Baker Furniture, Boffi, Bulthaup, Illuminations, Janus et Cie, Design within Reach, Poggenpohl and Waterworks, to name a few,” Anderson said.

“The construction team is actively pursuing LEED certification to align Charles Luck’s sustainability commitment to that of great design and commerce,” he said. “Many of the signature brand attributes found in our existing studios will be retained, including the beacon, datum wall and striking visual appeal of our spaces. The new location will feature a 108-product display wall, along with an application patio and an office space upstairs.”