In a summer of high-profile restaurant openings, the handlers of Urbana — the new restaurant inside the new Hotel Palomar just west of Dupont Circle on P Street — don’t want their charge to get lost in the crowd. And so, last night, they hosted a flashy preview of their eatery to get the word out about the restaurant that replaces the old Gabriel restaurant in the former Radisson-Barceló. Hotel Palomar is a link in…

Despite our lack of a W, D.C. sure has its share of fancy-shmancy boutique hotels. And that’s predominantly because of the Kimpton Group, who operate six hotels in D.C. — their second largest metropolitan hub after their headquarters in San Francisco. As Metrocurean says, the Kimpton Group has done a great job taking ugly D.C. buildings and transforming them not only into swank hotels, but also spaces with fun bars/lounges and fine dining. And now…

In a city often characterized as full of faceless, nameless bureaucrats, it’s great to note that two entrepreneurs with strong local connections are receiving praise for their innovative approaches to business. A DCist tipster informed us that Warren Brown, owner of CakeLove and the Love Café, has been named by Inc Magazine as one of its 26 Most Fascinating Entrepreneurs. Brown is part of an illustrious list that includes Martha Stewart, Richard Branson, and Craig…

A recent eGullet exchange notes the sudden ubiquity of the mini-burger at many of the “hip” restaurants in the D.C. area. The smaller-than-average burger, popular as an appetizer at the Chinatown bistro Matchbox, has apparently made appearances on various menus at 15 Ria, Fado, the newly opened Tallula in Clarendon, Silver Spring’s Jackie’s, as “twin burgers” at 701 downtown, and at the Hotel Monaco’s Poste. Although the mini-burger has long been a staple on the…