The orange liquor license application placards mark the future home of “The Eastern” – the new wine bar coming to 7th Street.
Update on “The Eastern” A New Wine Bar Coming to 7th Street, SE
by Larry Janezich
Last Thursday, ANC6B’s Alcohol Beverage Control committee voted to support a tavern license for a proposed 1500 square foot wine bar “The Eastern” scheduled to open in May or June in the Hine Project on 7th Street, SE, near Eastern Market. The restaurant will offer 30 to 50 wines by the glass, as well as full bottles, a cocktail program and a full food menu – cheese, charcuterie, and small plates. The license will not permit live entertainment. The Eastern will seat up to 85 – 55 indoors and up to 30 on the sidewalk café. It will be open for brunch on Saturdays and Sundays.
Owners Matt Weiss and Mike Schuster have a long history in the Capitol Hill hospitality industry, being owners or co-owners of a lot of local outlets: Barrel, Union Pub, 201, McClellan’s Retreat, Truxton Inn, Café Midar, Compass Rose, Trusty’s, and the Star and Shamrock. Weiss told ANC6B’s ABC committee that the team was interested in expanding in the neighborhood, and the Hine developers were looking for a wine bar. He said that the wine bar breaks with the pattern of their other bars which they located in older buildings, but they liked the prospect of being close to Eastern Market and to Barrel.
The recommendation of the ABC committee that the full ANC6D support the license request will come up Tuesday night at the monthly meeting at Hill Center, where it likely to be approved without objection.
CAPITOL HILL CORNER 
Yeah. just what we need another restaurant. I wish the city would A more strategic approach to zoning. For example, limit the The number of building zone for restaurants to a certain threshold. We have way too many restaurants on the hill.
“The license will not permit live entertainment.”
Good. I find loud, mediocre, live bands more irritating than enjoyable.
A good wine bar is a great addition to the neighborhood and it will add a lot to the outdoor atmosphere on Seventh Street.
I have to say that I really don’t understand what is wrong with a good restaurant and/or wine bar or with a good music venue, Why shouldn’t we have a place where we could dance (like we did when Julio’s was open on Pa Ave. by Distad’s).
If you don’t like restaurants or dancing, you always have the option of cooking a good meal at home and putting some nice music on your stereo.