A look inside the new Hawk & Dove, reopening Thursday Posted at 06:16 PM ET, 01/15/2013 One of the most anticipated renovations on Capitol Hill is finally finished. The Hawk & Dove, closed since October 2011, will reopen to the public Thursday at 5 p.m. If you were a fan of the old Hawk -- the warren of small rooms on two floors, the damp and musty smell, pitchers of beer priced for an intern's budget -- then you won't recognize the place. The Hawk and Dove's wide-open dining room features a view into the kitchen and a place of pride for the bar's original sign. Xavier Cervera, the owner of six nearby bars, including Molly Malone's, the Chesapeake Room and Boxcar Tavern, has turned the rambling 1967 saloon into a wide-open room with 18-foot ceilings, a 40-foot bar and sets of French windows that open onto Pennsylvania Avenue. A long mezzanine upstairs adds additional seats, another bar, and a raised lounge area with a working fireplace. It can also be turned into a stage for live music. Chef Brenden Tharp of Senart's will be cooking flatbreads and sandwiches in a wood-burning oven, and the bar has 18 beers on tap, including locals Chocolate City, Lost Rhino and Flying Dog. This sounds like a lot of change, but regulars from the old place will welcome the sight of Hawk & Dove fixture Paul Meagher, who will be behind the bar Monday through Wednesday and also working at Sunday brunch. Once you've been, be sure to tell us what you think in the comments. The bar, like at most of Xavier Cervera's joints, is 30-inches wide. Cervera thinks this makes it easier for people to eat at the bar. The Hawk & Dove's collection of duck decoys is displayed on the back bar.