Cynthia – An “Upscale” Bistro on H Street
Phil Coppage’s goal as he reopened Cynthia Bistro & Bar (502 H St. NE), was to give the neighborhood what it wants. Cynthia is located in the former Irregardless wine bar, which Coppage purchased a little over a year ago. He describes the former iteration of his business as “a sort of a fancy wine bar” that served an upscale prix fixe menu.
Cynthia is a bit simpler, more accessible, but the food is still delicious, he said. Leaning Italian, both interior and offerings are nice, but not too nice –a place you could bring your kids or a date.
The bistro still serves wine. But the bar menu also includes cocktails, notably the Cynthia Sour, a golden bourbon-based liquid crowned with foam and served in a Gatsby-style coupe. When he opened, Coppage offered this cocktail to all guests named Cynthia or Cindy. Coppage said they’re taking a wholistic view of the beverage program while leaning towards local craft beers and the best Virginia wines.
The menu is indeed simple, and delicious. Appetizers include an “anchovy” forward black garlic salad, with za’atar croutons and heaps of parmesan and a delightfully salty pumpkin squash soup. One guest told me that like Coppage, “the [appetizer] is slightly salty but all the more delightful for it.”
The go-to main is the Cindy burger, with caramelized onions and gorgonzola dulce, served with house pickles and parmesan fries. Or opt for the “fish burger,” a pattie mixed with shrimp and crowned with salsa verde, lemon aioli and arugula. A pappardelle bolognese and wild mushroom risotto round out the list.
Coppage said the menu arose naturally as he rebuilt a menu from the foundation of Irregardless. “They were rising to the top of what we were trying,” Coppage said. “You can tell when people are particularly pleased with what you’re doing.”
Coppage reaches out to the community, working on fundraisers with local schools like J.O. Wilson. And the neighbors were out in force to him at the Nov. 20 ribbon-cutting.
Greg is one of those neighbors. He first came to Cynthia when it was Irregardless, attending a birthday party for a friend. It exceeded expectations, he said. So Greg has since made it back for casual cocktails. “It has great ambiance, great sense of community and delicious food.”
Cynthia is named for his mother. “Cynthia is not Julia Child,” he said just before he cut the ribbon. “But she is an extraordinarily generous, giving and kind woman. And that’s what we hope to embody here at Cynthia.”
Coppage came to DC more than 20 years ago to take a job in politics. But he stepped away in 2021. He began bartending at Eastern Market restaurant Duck and the Peach before coming to Irregardless in 2022. A year later, he took the plunge, buying the business from original owners Ian and Mika Carlin.
Coppage says a lot has changed. But one consistent pillar is Chef Chris Randriarimanana, who has been the head chef of Irregardless since the spring of 2023 and has worked to shape the delicate balance of the menu: accessible, classy and what people want to order.
People are at the core of what Coppage does. “I take an enormous amount of pride in being a business owner in this community,” he said as he cut the ribbon. “H Street, I can tell you, is coming back,” Coppage said at his the ribbon-cutting. “To Cynthia, a long and wonderful tenure here on H Street.”
See all the menus, hours and make reservations at www.cynthiadc.com
H Street Thrift–Selling What You Want, Giving What You Need
Andrew Frenkel stops in the back of his new shop, H Street Thrift (1108 H St. NE), to answer a question from a little girl about 6 years old.
“How much is this?” she asks him, fingering a soft sweatshirt.
“It’s free,” he says to her. “You can have it. You can have any of these clothes you’d like.”
The girl, unaccustomed to being allowed to shop, let alone without limits, is astounded.
“Really?” she says, looking around her.
Frenkel smiles at her. “Yes,” he says. “Take whatever you need. Touch everything!”
The girl’s eyes go wide at this big “yes.”
Frenkel wants to give her the shopping experience, together with the sweaters she’ll require as the weather cools. That’s his goal at H Street Thrift —to fill a need. Children’s clothing, shoes and underwear are free as are men’s and women’s suits, plus blankets, feminine hygiene products and first aid materials. He welcomes donations: clothes of all kinds, blankets and sleeping bags for the unhoused as well as reusable bags. He also welcomes monetary donations to help meet his rent.
Courtesy: HSTO
But you can also shop in the store. There’s a shelf of boots, a table of belts and bags and racks of clothing. Frenkel’s eclectic eye has styled a mannequin in a Hawaiian shirt with a large scarf and cargo khakis and it just works.
Shoppers help Frenkel pay the bills, but those who are unable to do so are welcome to take what they need. And Frenkel welcomes donations from the community that he will either sell to fund his work or give away to neighbors in need.
Opened in August, the shop is part of his 501(c) (1) nonprofit organization, H Street Community Outreach. Frenkel is moving quickly to work with established organizations. Inside the shop are three workshare spaces —one houses HIPS outreach, the other a nurse offering R certification; he’s using the third at the moment as a recording studio, but welcomes interest from all others. But he’s also having fun —check out the hstreet.thrift Instagram for proof (and outfit inspo!)
A Long Trip to H Street
Frenkel is a striking figure, about six feet tall with wavy platinum hair, his neck tattooed to the jawline; art also covers his arms and legs. His style is edgy and, like the shop, diverse, genderless and fun. It’s worth a visit just to see what he’s wearing today: flowing wide-leg pants with sleeveless crop tee; a pink suit over a t-shirt; a two-tone jean jacket with a patch on the back that says “Holy F**king Hell” over canvas work pants and motorcycle boots. He can pick a gem out of a pile and put it together in a way that makes a scrap of cloth look like gold.
Born in Virginia Beach to a successful eye surgeon, Frenkel started at VCU in 2008, quickly deciding that the retail career he had started on the side had more potential. For the next twelve years, he moved all over the U.S., opening stores for Urban Outfitters, learning about the widely varying cultures of US cities. In 2013, he became a business consultant, helping brands get off the ground (his most famous client is Stichfix, which he helped to launch that year).
But an opportunity in 2019 caused him to reassess his life direction. He entered the television singing competition The Voice. (His most notable song is the ballad, “By My Side.”) He landed a recording contract, g in 2020. Just days later, the pandemic hit, derailing his plans and changing his life.
For the next year, Frenkel chose yet another path, living in his van, traveling city to city in of Black Lives Matter (BLM) and eventually arriving back in his hometown of Virginia Beach. His experience living an untethered life among people already on the margins but pushed off the page by the pandemic gave him an even deeper understanding of the layers that make up city communities.
Realizing he had more to give than take, Frenkel found comfort in his home city, planning to ground himself and decide what was next. The opportunity came in 2021, when a friend’s daughter moved to the District to attend Howard University. Intrigued by the culture around cannabis, the two became partners and opened Taste Budz (317 Pennsylvania Ave. SE), which received approval in August as a social equity applicant to become a medical cannabis dispensary. Taste Budz, Frenkel said, was intended to educate and advocate around cannabis, not only to sell product.
Serving as Chief Managing Officer (CMO) for two years, Frenkel has stepped down and re-directed his ions towards helping the community after finding the complicated regulations around medical dispensaries in the District prohibitive. Instead of trying to do the impossible, Frenkel decided to see what was possible.
H Street Opportunity
Frenkel likes what he sees on H Street NE. He’s not naive —he knows that, like in any big city, there is crime on the street. But, he said, H Street is different.
“When you come to the District, you come to H Street NE,” he said, “that is —if you want to actually meet DC, the people who make cool clothes, good food, sing amazing songs. H Street is that, it should be that to people.”
Frenkel wants to partner with those already on the ground doing the work. If you’d be interested in partnering to get needed items or to help those in need or as part of a holiday resource market, he’d like to hear from you. H Street Thrift and Outreach is a ed charitable organization and all gifts are tax deductible.
“I moved for my entire adult life to find a place worth investing in,” Frenkel said. Now he has found the place his heart belongs.
Learn more and schedule a donation pick-up at the H Street Outreach & Thrift website —or visit Frenkel in the store Tuesday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 12 to 5 p.m. For fun and fashion, follow @hstreet.thrift on Instagram.
