Philz is described as a company "on a mission to better people’s days by reinventing the coffee drinking experience," with not only "an impressive array of exclusive, handcrafted, flavorful blends," but also excellent customer service.

DC is the first place Philz is expanding outside of California (with another outlet coming soon to Adams Morgan), and this move also will bring back a coffee shop to the Yards, after the recent closing of Buzz Bakery.

The Philz will be located in a 2,400-square-foot space on Tingey Street across from the Boilermaker Shops, and will open in spring 2016. (Arris's retail spaces total 19,000 square feet.)

Pre-leasing at Arris is expected to begin this fall, with move-ins targeted for early 2016, according to Forest City.

Also today Forest City is finally officially confirming the news that's been out there for a while, that locally-based Pacers Running will be taking the final retail space at the Boilermaker Shops, with an opening expected in October. Forest City says that "While Pacers Running stores carry top-of-the-line footwear, as well as running and exercise clothing and gear, along with personalized expert advice and fitting, they have also branched out to be a major organizer and promoter in the area of events aimed at runners who are serious and even not so serious about their running."

Also tucked into the press release is that Due South is expected to open in "late August," and that there is no announced opening date for Nicoletta Pizzeria.

For those not keeping up, this southern-themed restaurant will be helmed by chef Rusty Holman, he of Bayou, and in fact owner Bo Blair is shutting down Bayou during August "in order to focus on the opening of our brand new restaurant, Due South in Navy Yard."

The photo above is a peek in from the Water Street side of the space, below left is the view looking in from the front door, and below right is what you see looking in from the west. Click to enlarge, as always....

And, while we're talking restaurants, Scarlet Oak did indeed open on Saturday evening, and so here's a requisite photo of the exterior, and a quickie of the interior (didn't want to bug the other diners). The bar already looked like a pretty popular spot to hang out.

The fare is "casual American," and the menu is available for your perusing, showing a range of small plates and "nibbles," pizza, and entrees, plus some intriguing cocktails.

If and when you venture in, take to the comments to let us know your impressions.

"Very happy that Las Placitas is staying on Barracks Row! They'll move this fall to the old Quiznos space at 8th and M on lower 8th Street."

Las Placitas with its Mexican fare is of course one of the mainstays of 8th Street, but it had been announced a few weeks back that its lease was not being renewed, and that next-door neighbor Matchbox would be expanding into the space.

As for the new location, there hasn't been much going on since Quizno's left a few years back, and other restaurants in the 1100 block of 8th--Chicken Tortilla and Levi's Port Café--have been closed for a while as well.

This space, on the northeast corner of 8th and M, is immediately to the north of the Navy Yard's Latrobe Gate, and is also across the street from the Blue Castle, which was bought late last year by the National Community Church. Plus, one block to the north is where The Brig will open, someday. And this may be especially good news for the eventual tenants of the Lofts at Capitol Quarter, now under construction at 7th and L, who will have a sit-down restaurant a block away.

Reserving the space also apparently gets you an "all-inclusive food and beverage package, including beer and wine, starting 2 hours before game time," along with "Infield Box seating close to the action."

(Though I imagine if someday some restaurant operator somewhere reallyreallyreally wanted that space....)

* SCARLET OAK, ALMOST: With this tweet earlier today, Scarlet Oak let it be known that it is close to opening, with a soft opening expected "next weekend" and a "grand opening soon to follow." The modern American restaurant and bar on the northwest corner of New Jersey and K comes from the same folks who brought you Southern Hospitality in Adams Morgan.

* DUE SOUTH, ALMOST: HillNow quotes a Forest City prediction that Bo Blair's Due South southern restaurant will "likely" open in the Lumber Shed in August. We Shall See.

* BDUBS CONSTRUCTION, ALMOST: A little birdie tells me that the Buffalo Wild Wings folks have said that the hope is to have its new Half Street location open by October (let's see, what else happens in October?), and that construction should start within the next few weeks.

* ANOTHER COFFEE SHOP, ALMOST: The official Yards twitter account lamented last week's loss of Buzz Bakery, but then added, "Fear not coffee aficiandos! We have a new coffee shop in the works." My understanding is that an announcement should be made in the coming weeks (along with perhaps some other retail announcements).

"For our friends in DC, the last day of operations for our Yards location will be tomorrow, Friday, July 17. As our neighborhood has grown and developed, we have always tried to meet the desires of our community, and have found that our guests would benefit from more programming and offerings from our adjoining brewery & restaurant, Bluejacket and The Arsenal. They'll be transforming the space into a bottle shop & tasting room in the coming weeks."

Buzz was first announced as coming to the Boilermaker Shops in June 2011, then opened in the fall of 2013, not long after Bluejacket and the Arsenal debuted.

The restaurant was to be a venture by owners of Beuchert's Saloon and Sonoma, a duo who also opened Stanton & Greene on Capitol Hill earlier this year.

The official quote from Forest City is that "We have a signed lease in place with Navy Yard Oyster Co. but are currently in discussions with the tenant, at their request, as to whether they intend to continue," but City Paper quotes Michael Stevens of the BID as saying that the owners "have pulled out of their lease."

The restaurant was slated to go in the space between Agua 301 and Osteria Morini on the Shed's south side, facing the Anacostia River.

A tenant layout permit for a restaurant in 55 M has recently been applied for, referencing an occupancy of 233 seats/260 total, but my understanding is that no lease agreement had yet been signed with the owners of the 55 M Street office building where the space is located.

If this all does come to fruition*, retail space that has sat empty for five-plus years while millions of people trekked past may be finally getting a tenant.

* Exercising my normal amount of caution, given the lack of a signed lease or official announcement.

There will be picnic seating for 200, with a rotating lineup of sandwiches ranging from their Chopped Beef, Pit Smoked Turkey and Hot Link Sausage sandwiches as well as a "daily Pitmaster special." Each sandwich will come with your choice of cucumber salad, baked beans, or pasta salad.

There won't be beer and wine offerings to start, but those libations should be part of the lineup eventually.

The Home Stand will be open two hours before and after the game on home game days.

The Post says that it could open this Friday, or "if not this Friday, then by the next homestand," according to a Hill Country rep.

This site is slated to become a 290-unit residential building with 26,000 square feet of retail, but it hasn't been expected that work would begin on that project until after baseball season at the earliest.

UPDATE, 5/24: "The Home Stand" started operating on Friday, and is now duly photographed, as you see above, and here.