Category Archives: Restaurants

April 26, 2012 · 10:00 am

Georgetown Retail Openings off to Good Start

Last year, 43 new stores opened in Georgetown. This was up from 30 in 2010 and 22 in 2009. While it’s still too early to gauge how well 2012 will do on this account, so far it appears that a healthy number of stores have announced plans to open up in Georgetown this year.

Those include:

  • Stachowski Market – This highly anticipated “candy shop for carnivores” is set to open within weeks in the old Griffin Market space.
  • Sunglasses Hut – Much less interesting, this mall-type store is opening up where Shoe Gallery is.
  • Suitsupply – This European suit tailor is supposed to set up shop in the Four Seasons. GM’s not sure exactly where in the Four Seasons complex but he did read the other day that M29 is moving from its corner spot to another space in the building, so that’s a candidate.
  • Jonathan Adler – This hip furniture/homeware store is opening up in the old Gap Kids space.
  • John Fluevog – It was just announced the other day that “funky” shoe-purveyor John Fluevog is opening up next to Jonathan Adler in the old Georgetown Fine Jewelry store.
  • Gant – This old preppy shirt company is opening up where Saloun was. Continue reading →

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March 21, 2012 · 10:00 am

Shophouse to Open Up in Old Furin’s Space

Photo by M.V. Jantzen.

Old Georgetown Board records indicate that a new tenant for the old Furin’s space at 2805 M St. has been found: Shophouse.

Shophouse is a new concept from the company behind the Chipotle chain of restaurants. It is an attempt to do for Asian cuisine what the other restaurant did for Mexican food. That is, bring the “fast casual” concept to a food category known more for greasy spoon type establishments. (And what’s “fast casual”? A restaurant that doesn’t offer table service but promises higher quality food than your typical pay-first-fast-food restaurant. DC has been somewhat overrun with them recently, which GM doesn’t necessarily think is a bad thing.) Continue reading →

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January 26, 2012 · 10:00 am

Hey Restaurateurs: There are Some Georgetown Liquor Licenses Available

Georgetown has a moratorium on new liquor licenses. So unlike the rest of the city (with the exception of the other moratorium zones) a restaurant or bar that wants to open up in Georgetown can’t simply go downtown, apply for a new liquor license, and pay a small fee. Rather, a new Georgetown restaurant or bar needs to buy an existing license off the secondary market. And for all intents and purposes, that means buying one of the licenses that are held by restaurants or bars no longer in business. The going rate for these licenses has reported to be as high as $75,000.

This barrier to entry has been frequently cited by restaurateurs as a significant reason not to open a restaurant in Georgetown. But GM’s hear to say: act now and this won’t be a problem!

You see, last year the ABC Board authorized the issuance of seven new liquor licenses in Georgetown. This was done partially in acknowledgement that since the moratorium was put in place, at least seven liquor licenses had left Georgetown, so the number of available licenses was actually lower than when the moratorium was put in place. Additionally, there was a sense that Geogetown’s restaurant scene has grown a little stale and that new licenses might inject a little blood back into the scene. Continue reading →

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November 8, 2011 · 10:00 am

Mike Isabella to Revamp Hook as Mexican Restaurant

Photo by aliciagriffin.

Several news outlets reported yesterday that star of Top Chef and owner of the new downtown Italian restaurant Graffiato, Mike Isabella, is going to take over Jonathan Umbel’s Hook. The Post explains:

The fire that destroyed Hook in Georgetown in June gave owner Jonathan Umbel some time to think about how to restructure his upscale seafood establishment in a down economy, and he came up with what sounds like a fail-safe — if about-face — plan: “I’m converting Hook into a modern Mexican restaurant,” he announced today, and installing “a local chef who’s really hot right now:” Mike Isabella , the former Top Chef contestant and the visionary behind Graffiato in Chinatown.

The small-plates concept will be called Bandolero, and Umbel’s hope is to have the 5,000-square foot space open as early as February.

Isabella is the real deal (and a top contender on what GM thinks was the best season of Top Chef). And it’s a real catch for Georgetown to be the location of his next venture. But there’s a bit of a let down behind this. Continue reading →

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July 29, 2011 · 10:00 am

Go to Furin’s This Weekend, It’s Your Last Chance

Don’t forget to go to Furin’s this weekend, it’s your last chance. They close July 31st after 27 family-run years.

GM’s never met anyone that knew Furin’s that didn’t love it. It’s a genuine and simple diner in the middle of a high-rent district filled mostly with over-priced and generally mediocre restaurants. It attracts tourists, locals, area-residents, and celebrities alike. Continue reading →

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July 15, 2011 · 10:00 am

Why There Are No New Hip Restaurants in Georgetown

Photo by M.V. Jantzen.

The other night, a panel hosted by the Georgetown Business Association addressed the question of the moribund state of Georgetown’s nightlife. GM wasn’t there, but the City Paper’s Lydia DePillis had it covered.

The forum’s speakers lamented the fact that no new and hip restaurants have moved into Georgetown in a while. Acording to DePillis, their explanations fall into three categories:

Theory number one: Georgetowners themselves wouldn’t be terribly excited about new offerings. Linda Greenan, vice president of communications for Georgetown University, noticed that the newly vibrant corridors of 14th Street and Penn Quarter are filled with people from the neighborhood, while Georgetown’s restaurants are more often filled with tourists…

Theory number two: Georgetown makes it too hard to open a business, with all its layers of review and resistance…

Theory number three: It’s the landlords’ fault!

[but most of all] Georgetown just seems too far away, too crusty, and too expensive for the younger set that’s flocking everywhere else.

GM thinks these are all pretty spot on. You could also throw in to the mix the liquor license moratorium. By some estimates, it costs $70,000 to buy a Georgetown liquor license on the open market. That’s a pretty steep disincentive. But GM doubts that’s really the crucial element. When ABRA released seven new licenses, none ended up in the hands of any “hip and new” restaurant. (Hell, half of them ended up with restaurants that weren’t even new).

When did it go wrong? The last restaurant to open in Georgetown with any sort of buzz was Hook, and that was almost four years ago. Before that, Mei N Yu is about the only other buzzy restaurant that opened in the last ten years. (You could possibly throw in L2 and George, but they both have restrictive guest lists and neither has much name recognition beyond those actually on said lists). Continue reading →

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May 26, 2011 · 8:00 am

New Restaurant Will Try to Import New York Slices and Water to Georgetown

Photo by Domesticat.

As briefly mentioned Tuesday, a new restaurant called “Fuhggetaboutit” is planning to open where the Philadelphia Cheesesteak Factory used to be (and where the Cellar Door was before that). The owner of the new restaurant chimed in with a comment explaining a bit more about the project. “Tony” explained his plans:

Fuhggetaboutit NY pizza(Faipizza.com) is not your typical pizza chain!
We will be serving unfailing goodness of real authentic NY style pizza that is handcrafted and baked in traditional style old school brick oven.

We will be making stretching our own Fior Di Latte (Fresh mozzarella) in full view of our customers. Our obsession with traditional old world quality – locally sourced organic products (when available)-organic extra virgin olive oil from Tuscany Italy- homemade fresh dough, and NYinized water will make as an apart. Not to mentioned 18 years of Pizza Experience to perfect the recipe.

Yes, that’s right “NYinized” water. Tony later explained that this is water whose pH balance is adjusted to match NYC’s, which according to him is why you can’t get genuine NY-style pizza outside of NY. GM’s pretty skeptical, but at least one other restaurant uses the same technique/gimmick. We’ll see if the pizza turns out to be more authentic than the restaurant’s name. Continue reading →

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April 26, 2011 · 10:00 am

Georgetown Restaurants Still Very Independent

The other day a few of GM’s readers lamented that the new Paul Bakery restaurant that is to open next to the Banana Republic is a chain. While it’s fair to complain about the lack of genuinely exciting or even interesting restaurants in Georgetown, one of the things Georgetown’s definitely not is chain-dominated.

As of GM’s latest count, there are 126 restaurants in Georgetown. Of those, only 20 are part of a big chain. An additional 5 more are part of a regional chain (i.e. Five Guys). So even if you lump the regional chains in with the national chains, there are still only 25 chain restaurants in Georgetown. That’s less that 20%. (And the number of chains is unchanged from last year, while the number of independent restaurants has increased).

Is the Georgetown restaurant scene a little threadbare? Absolutely*. Does it seem like no new and interesting restaurants open here? You bet. But that’s a product of a lot of forces, only some of which are controllable. Continue reading →

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April 22, 2011 · 10:00 am

Paul Bakery Finally Opening

The other day, GM reported that Serendipity 3 was still full steam ahead, even though they have suffered some rather lengthy delays. Right across the street is another proposed restaurant that has been even longer in the offing: Paul Bakery.

Way back on March 2009, GM first reported that Capital Restaurant Concepts was planning on opening a bakery in the old City Tavern Club kitchen (the space just south of Banana Republic). Two years of starts and stops later, and the restaurant is finally ready to open. Specifically, next Tuesday. Continue reading →

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April 18, 2011 · 10:00 am

Despite Rumors, Serendipity 3 Apparently Still Coming

Serendipity3 Sundae by Joanna8555.

It was over a year ago when Rodrigo Garcia and Britt Swann signed a lease for the old Nathans building with plans to open a branch of the famous Serendipity 3 ice cream parlor. The first reports said they could be open as late as late spring 2010. Then it was maybe that summer. Then the fall. And so on. Thirteen months later, the building looks brand new but the restaurant still hasn’t opened.

The long delay has led to a whole cottage industry of rumors. Many of which find their way to GM. The most recent rumor suggested that Serendipity 3 was pulling out of the project and that if something opened there at all, it wouldn’t be the ice cream parlor. Continue reading →

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