Red Sage Gets Along Little Doggies
One of the restaurants who helped usher in the redevelopment of D.C.'s downtown, Red Sage, will close its doors next Thursday. Tom tells us that, despite serving 20,000 people a month (that's over 160 four tops a night), high rents in the area are driving the proprietor away. How bad is it when you're outgentrifying the gentrifiers?

Though it's not the best restaurant in town, Red Sage has always had good service and pretty good food; it definitely doesn't deserve the axe. In particular, it's a good place to shoo people when they realize Butterfield 9 just isn't worth the effort. Another thing about the place is that it's huge. Really really big. This is worrying for one major reason: few restaurants are going to be able to afford the giant space in the middle of downtown except the national chains. Any guesses as to who will fill it up? If it's In-N-Out Burger, I won't be complaining.

New Blog on the Block
In case you hadn't visited our friends at WETA lately (we love you Intersection!), stop by to check out the blog of Washington's very own food phantom, Don Rockwell. He's been blogging it up on things like Rustico's pizza and the dishes at Firefly for about a month now on WETA's dining blog, D.C. Dining, and he's carrying along at a pretty good clip. He's not pulling any punches either; take notice of the major dig he hands Farrah Olivia for its craptastic wine list. I've heard the same about the abysmal selection and ridiculous prices there, so I'm not itching to try it out.

The Rockwell blog dovetails nicely with the food sections on WETA's radio show like Out and About, and their T.V. series, Neighborhood Eats, and Local Flavor. It also has the added benefit of not coming under draconian “closed thread” rules that crop up often at Don Rockwell.com.

Small Bites
Harris Teeter on the Hill Taking For Freaking Ever
The Harris Teeter under construction at 14th and Pennsylvania Ave. SE has been under construction for about a decade now, and now the people who are greasing the ANC skids are saying that September 2007 is the projected open date for the grocery store. You know what that means? January 2008 at the earliest. Oh, the sweet optimism of the holiday season.

Más Tapas, Please
Amanda from Metrocurean reports that the duo behind Mendocino Grille and Sonoma—Eli Hengst and Jared Rager—plan to open a “Spanish-themed gastropub” to the 1600 block of 14th St. NW this spring. Styled “La Pata Negra” (The Black Hoof), the pub will pay homage to the pig which is the source of the highest quality jamón in all of Iberia. Mmmmm, jamón.

U.S.A. Today Profiles D.C. Eats, Pretty Pictures and All
Air travelers and hotel-stayers the nation over were treated to a spread of Washington restaurants yesterday, as U.S.A. Today took a look at our city's “capital cuisine.” While not a comprehensive look at the city's best deals or most interesting places, it's a good look at some of Washington's best places. Rasika, P.S. 7's, Maestro, Komi, CityZen, and Blue Duck Tavern were the places profiled, so if you want to find some good tourist watching over the next few weeks, you'll know where to go.

Sage photo from cygnoir.