It would seem like the kind of comment that a restaurateur, right on the verge of opening a new space, would make in jest. But if you visit the Columbia Room—open as of Tuesday—you'll see that it's not. This launch is a big deal, both for D.C.'s cocktail aficionados and for Brown. When the original tiny, reservations-only "speakeasy" closed in the early days of 2015 (along with its sister outfit The Passenger), it wasn't because of a lack of interest, but rather because they had lost their lease. Now located just a couple of blocks away from its previous address on 7th Street NW, the Columbia Room is not so much being reopened as being reborn. Read more here.