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Apr 25 2012
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By Kaitlyn Morio City

Georgetown Waterfront – After the Flood

It has been a year since the unfortunate day that the Potomac River flooded the Georgetown waterfront after one of the floodwalls was not raised despite numerous flood warnings. It was a disaster  for many of the restaurants in the area, and while many have recovered and reopened, some businesses are still struggling.

One restaurant, Farmers and Fishers, will remain closed for up to eight more months due to the damage caused by the flooding. Farmers and Fishers may have suffered the most, since an entirely new restaurant is in the process of being built. The restaurant has had to endure property losses in the hundreds of thousands of dollars and has lost about $6-7 million in sales.

However, many of the other restaurants, including Tony and Joe’ Seafood Place and Nick’s Riverside Grille, reopened within only a few weeks of the flooding and plan to reopen again this June in remodeled dining spaces. The Mexican restaurant Cabanas will merge with Nick’s. Sequoia, a restaurant that was forced to close for a month after the flooding to repair damages, will reopen again this summer as well.

MRP Realty, owners of the plaza, has been planning a $20 million reconstruction of the space since September 2010. A 12,000 square foot ice rink is slated to be built for use in the winter months in place of the fountain. The plaza’s lower level will hopefully be completed by the end of 2012, and ice rink may open as soon as winter 2013.

File Photo: Meagan Kelly/The Hoya

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Mar 23 2012
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By Elaine Li City

Shophouse Moving into M Street

Salad, bowl, taco or burrito? Throw in black or pinto beans. Take your pick of meat or go vegetarian. Top it with your choice of salsa. And finally, finish it off with the typical sour cream, cheese, lettuce and guacamole. Oh, and don’t forget your chips.

That’s your typical Chipotle adventure.

Now, what if you’re in the mood for Asian cuisine but don’t really have an hour and a half to sit down and be served and waited on? Well, you’re in luck. The same company behind Chipotle recently launched its Shophouse branch. Most people would throw Shophouse under the “fast casual” category of restaurants. If you really wanna think about it this way, it’s kinda as if fast food and casual dining had a baby.

The first Shophouse was opened last fall in Dupont. Word on the street is another Shophouse will be taking the space vacated by Furin’s bakery, a family-owned and operated bakery that closed last summer after 27 years at 2805 M Street.

Shophouse derives its name from the architectural style of Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Hanoi. A shophouse is essentially a building that serves as a residential apartment on the upper level and then on the lower level, houses the family’s business whether it be a family-run restaurant or convenience store. To see a real Shophouses, take a look at these 19th century Singaporean shophouses.

This “fast casual” southeast Asian kitchen boasts tastes inspired by Thai, Malaysian, Vietnamese Singaporean cuisine. If all goes well, pretty soon Georgetown students can take their pick of rice, noodles or bánh mì. Choose between meat or tofu. Sprinkle on stir-fry vegetables, curry choices and garnishes and voilà, the meal is complete—quick, easy, full of variety and within the single-digits price range.

How do you feel about having the convenience of “fast casual” Asian food right on M Street?

Photo credits: The Georgetown Metropolitan

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Feb 15 2012
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By Michelle Cassidy City

More than Just Deals

by Michelle Cassidy

It looks like daily deals are about to get a luxury upgrade in the District. Two weeks ago, The Guide explored the origins of Livingsocial, a startup co-founded by Georgetown grad Tim O’Shaughnessy (MSB ’04). The D.C.-based deals giant already operates around the world, but now they’re doing something totally new.

Livingsocial’s new storefront at 918 F Street NW will be the site of a new direction for the company, according to DCist. Where they have previously focused on online vouchers and “adventures” like skeet shooting, sailing lessons and skydiving, the new venue will serve as a permanent space for lessons, pop-up restaurants and concerts.

Their new facility has taken over the old National Union Building, which has been around since 1890. They have converted the building into a four-story playhouse with classrooms that can be used for anything from dance lessons to painting classes. There’s also a commercial-grade kitchen that will host local restauranteurs and cooking instruction alike.

D.C. Top Chef Mike Isabella will be the first to host a pop-up restaurant in the space. Later this year he will be opening a new restaurant called Bandolero in Georgetown (on M Street, where Hook used to be before a fire this summer). But he’s hosting a preview of the menu in the Livingsocial space. It’s not quite the deal you would expect from their daily coupons, with seats at the preview going for $119 a person. But that doesn’t seem to be limiting the interest, as Isabella’s event is already sold out — looks like we’ll have to wait until the real thing opens to check out the menu.

It’s more than just fancy food though. There will be mixology classes and live music at the downstairs bar, with an acoustic set by O.A.R. scheduled for this Sunday as the first performance. Though Livingsocial’s new storefront may not have all the deals we’re used to seeing from them, we’re looking forward to what kinds of events might come out of this new location.

Photo: Benjamin R. Freed via DCist

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Feb 07 2012
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By Bethany Imondi City

Good Stuff Eatery Heading to Georgetown

by Bethany Imondi

Photo: goodstuffeatery.com

If there is one thing that D.C. might have more of than cupcakeries, it has to be deluxe burger joints. From Ray’s Hell Burger to BGR to Shake Shack, the District has its fair share of options for those carnivores looking to sink their teeth into a patty hot off the grill.

On Capitol Hill, one of the most popular spots for burgers is Good Stuff Eatery. Top Chef and Top Chef All-Stars alum Spike Mendelsohnn owns the joint, which serves up gourmet burgers and shakes and  has garnered a popular fan base that even includes President Obama. Fans in Georgetown can rejoice at the news that Good Stuff Eatery could be coming locally.

Early last week Good Stuff Eatery launched a new website that seemed to confirm the restaurant’s arrival in Georgetown. The location’s page hints that the burger place could open as early as this spring, but there is no official word on its location. There are rumors that it will take residence in the space formerly home to Georgetown Wings Co.; however, a lease has yet to be signed which would finalize the deal.

So while Georgetown will have to wait at least a few more months before enjoying a Prez Obama Burger or a Michelle Melt or a hand-spun toasted marshmallow milkshake, at least we have Five Guys and Thunder Burger to satisfy burger cravings.

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