🌸 Which restaurant opening is more your style

Good morning, DC. Happy Wednesday, we hope everyone is staying safe out there.

In today’s District Download:

Let’s get to it.

An Anacostia native, Rebecca Renard-Wilson, placed a permanent conservation easement with Casey Trees on her family’s quarter-acre lot—purchased by her parents in 1980—to shield its mature woods from intensifying Southeast development pressure. The easement—Casey Trees’ first on a residential property—makes the nonprofit steward of the land, with plans to remove invasive plants and, funding permitting, add a simple walking path. It comes as D.C.’s canopy has slipped to about 37% and the city chases a 40% goal by 2032; advocates say safeguarding mature trees delivers shade, habitat, and stormwater benefits far faster than new plantings. With 18 million square feet of development in the pipeline and Wards 7 and 8 among the most climate-vulnerable areas, her move offers a homeowner-led model for keeping urban green space intact.

Washingtonian’s new Navy Yard guide tracks the waterfront’s shift from industrial past to one of DC’s liveliest hangouts, accelerated by the 2008 opening of Nationals Park. Fresh dining calls out chef Tim Ma’s Any Day Now (scallion-pancake sandwiches), Northern Italian newcomer Ama (Ligurian focaccia), waterfront El Rey (tacos and brunch pitchers), and Beresovsky’s Deli (bagels and overstuffed sandwiches). To move or recover, there’s Luma Wellness Studio (yoga/Pilates with red-light/infrared), Barry’s high-intensity “Red Room,” and the revived Capitol City Circus School for flying trapeze, silks, and more. Boutiques and community spots round it out—Jungle & Loom, Steadfast Supply, streetwear/café Somewhere, and Pacers’ Tuesday social runs—making Yards Park the perfect launch point.

JINYA Ramen Bar opens at 675 Wharf St. SW with a waterfront patio, marking the brand’s eighth DC-area location and 76th nationwide. Opening-day perk: the first 100 guests get a free bowl of ramen on their next visit. Hours will be Sun–Thu 11:00 AM–10:00 PM and Fri–Sat 11:00 AM–11:00 PM. Expect slow-simmered broths, handcrafted noodles, pork chashu, shrimp wonton, and a lineup of small plates and beer.

The Rooster & Owl/Ellie Bird team (Carey & Yuan Tang) has launched Side Chick, a takeout-only fried chicken shop operating out of Ellie Bird at 125 Founder’s Ave., Falls Church. Birds are brined, buttermilk-marinated, and double-fried with three spice levels; order whole ($32.95), half ($17.95), or as a brioche sandwich with vinegar slaw and scallion aioli. Sides and sauces skew Asian-inspired—kimchi potato salad, miso-garlic mac, Szechuan mustard, kimchi honey—plus desserts like Vietnamese-coffee tiramisu and housemade ice-cream pints. Pre-orders are live via Toast; dinner takeout now, daytime hours coming soon.

Here’s what’s going on around DC this week:

Grab a team and play rounds of trivia to unlock clues and crack “The Case of the Poisoned Patron”; tickets start at $13.

📍 Dacha - Shaw | 🕐 7 PM

Spell your way to bar-tab prizes at Prima DC’s hilarious Drunk Spelling Bee—free RSVP options available, with doors at 7 PM.

📍 Prima | 🕐 8 PM

Treat yourself to Silver Mirror’s Seasonal Hydrating Facial ($159), with a portion of proceeds benefiting the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation.

📍 Silver Mirror Facial Bar | 🕐 8 AM

85 🌡 71 | 🌧️ 20% | 💨 5 mph

74 🌡 65 | 🌧️ 20% | 💨 13 mph

Birchmere Music Hall | Robert Earl Keen | 7:30 PM

The Wolf Trap | Train with Edwin McCain | 8 PM

Soundcheck | Grabbitz | 10 PM

The Atlantis | Foreign Air | 6:30 PM

Birchmere Music Hall | Robert Earl Keen | 7:30 PM

The Wolf Trap | James Taylor and Tiny Habits | 8 PM

Soundcheck | Script | 10:00 PM

The Nationals dropped two straight at home—11–9 to the Phillies on Mon, then 8–1 to the Mets on Tue behind David Peterson’s eight-inning, 10-K gem. On Monday Night Football, the Commanders fell 31–17 to the Bengals in preseason Week 2 as Cincinnati’s starters logged extended reps.

Did You Know? The first 2,000 cherry trees Japan sent to D.C. in 1910 were infested and ordered burned; the replacement shipment of 3,020 trees arrived in 1912 and kicked off today’s Cherry Blossom tradition.

Till next time,