Has Trump permanently tanked DC's economy?

What's CITY Talking About

Trump Eyes Local Park for Garden of American Heroes

The White House is considering West Potomac Park near the National Mall for its National Garden of American Heroes — a sculpture garden of 250 famous American figures. The area is currently used for athletic fields and would likely require some legal exceptions to use. [Washington Post 🔒]

New Year, New Laws In Virginia

A slew of new laws went into effect in Virginia on Jan. 1, including new social media limits for kids, a minimum wage increase, and a plastic bag tax. Find the full list here. [Axios]

Casa Ruby Founder Sentenced For Defrauding Federal Funds

Local trans activist Ruby Corado — the founder of Casa Ruby — was sentenced to 33 months in prison and must pay more than $900,000 in restitution. The sentence comes after she pled guilty of diverting hundreds of thousands in pandemic relief funds meant for clients to offshore personal bank accounts. [Washington Post 🔒]

Has Trump Permanently Tanked DC's Economy?

A new program at Brookings has been compiling D.C. economic data, and the trends are alarming. Its director Tracey Hadden Loh chatted with us about the DMV’s plunge in consumer spending, what it means for us, and if the city can recover. [City Cast DC 🎧]

Government Phone Resell Scheme

Former U.S. House of Representatives employee, Christopher Southerland, was charged with stealing 240 government cell phones and selling them to a nearby pawn shop. [ABC7]

DC's Best New Restaurants and Bars

January is a notoriously slow month for D.C.’s restaurant scene, but there are still a few great new places to check out, including showy steakhouses, a bitcoin bar, and several additional locations of D.C. favorites.

Terra Gaucha Brazilian Steakhouse (Rockville)

This massive new Gaúcho-style restaurant features traditional flavors from southern Brazil. Choose from different fire-roasted cuts of beef, lamb, or pork carved tableside as part of the price-fixed experience. They also have more untraditional options like bacon-wrapped chicken breasts, beer marinated chicken drumsticks, or grilled shrimp finished with a passionfruit and mango glaze.

Churasuko (Tysons)

Have you ever eaten at a Japanese-Brazilian steakhouse? Me neither, but I’m excited to try. One of the first of its kind in the country, Churasuko combines Japanese and Brazilian dishes with options like tableside shaved wagyu and sashimi, Brazilian cheese bread with gochujang, seafood towers, and fusion cocktails.

Taquería Xochi (Navy Yard)

This will be the fourth and largest location of this female-founded, Mexican street food joint. Besides their classic cemitas, tlayudas, and tacos, this location will also have new items like a steak trompo and a lineup of house-made paletas. The bar includes a Mexican-inspired espresso martini and the “Mai Horcha-Tai,” a tiki cocktail with Mexican spirits and house-made horchata orgeat. Yum.

Springbone Kitchen (Georgetown)

Fast-casual NYC chain Springbone Kitchen opened its first D.C. location in Georgetown in December. The menu includes grain bowls with housemade hot sauce, but the highlight is definitely the plethora of cozy bone broths that come in potable coffee cups. My favorite thing I got there was the bone broth hot chocolate. Don’t knock it til you try it.

Pubkey Bar (Penn Quarter)

This unassuming tavern — dubbed D.C.’s crypto bar — is 50% dive bar, 50% crypto think tank, and 100% nightmare first date spot. The tallow-fried bar menu includes burgers, half-smokes, and chopped cheese sandwiches, crab cakes and a $100 tiki drink only purchasable through bitcoin. But the cocktails are admittedly good, and it does open at 11 a.m.

JINYA Ramen Bar (Georgetown)

JINYA is opening yet another D.C. location next week, but it’s okay because we can’t get enough. Rich ramen broths, dumplings, creative cocktails, and affordable prices make it a welcome addition to the Georgetown food scene.

Cork Wine Bar (Cleveland Park)

Logan Circle standby wine bar just opened a new location in Cleveland Park with their famous avocado toast, outrageous charcuterie spreads, and a wine list as long as your arm.

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