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A Giant Is Falling


DonRocks

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I cannot post details without explicit permission, but prepare to grieve for one of our most beloved institutions.

I have now heard this from no less than six people, all independently. Damn it I want to tell you ASAP so you can hurry up and get there one more time.

To put things in perspective, it isn't even the worst news I've heard in this past week - not by a long shot. As sad as a restaurant closure is, another tragic event has dwarfed it in scope.

Respect and sorrow. You know who you are, and how much I care for you both.

Rocks.

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I haven't the foggiest idea which restaurant this might be but one thing wouldn't surprise me:  Huge increases in rents.

Rental rates have soared.  Some restaurants with old expiring leases are probably looking at enormous increases.  I've been hearing about rents from several sources.  If some restaurants have tried to renegotiate in view of expiring leases I suspect they are planning closures.

Of course there could be many many reasons, but I have heard abt rents from several sources.  In certain submarkets the retail rates have gone through the roof.

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If it is Palena I will not be rushing there to relive some of the great meals that I have had because it would only remind me of how far it has fallen. A once great restaurant that unfortunately took a step too far and suffered for it.

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Yeah, the "how much I care for you both" comment had me thinking of Restaurant Eve as well, but I didn't think Old Town would have been one of the markets where rents are skyrocketing (although the recent "sale" of the Yacht Club probably is having the effect of opening the floodgates to massive redevelopment).

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I don't have direct word about it, but it is Palena that's closing. A friend was drinking with some members of the staff last night and said they were pretty upset about it. I hated hearing the news from her this morning, it's my favorite restaurant in the city and a stone's throw away from where I live.

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As I sit here and look at that list of suspects, it saddens me to no end, breaks my heart. Any one of those restaurants have been instrumental in creating timeless memories for many, and to lose any of them impacts not only us but their families and all the struggles that went into making the dream a reality in the first place. The loss of any of those places whether Ben's or Eve or Palena leaves us all as a community a little poorer. I drink a drink tonight to whomever you are...I hope this is but a pit stop on the way to something better, a bump and not an end.

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Actually, after some cogitation, it's probably just as bad to say anything until the dreaded event occurs.  (cliche alert!) When the other shoe drops, no other business (group, restaurant, person, whatever) will have been subjected to innuendo and speculation.  While it's great that most of us never speculate on things like this, once a name is mentioned, the rumor takes on a life of it's own (not one that is fatal, I hope, but things happen).

Now events like rumored openings, unbelievable bargains, amazing food, those should be encouraged.

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Before any more speculation gets thrown around, I can assure you all that it is a fact that members of the staff at Palena were upset the other night because they had been told the restaurant is closing. The reason they mentioned was that the rent is too damned high.



I was hesitant to post about this at first because there isn't official word yet, and maybe they are still trying to work something out to avoid closing or have other reasons to delay the announcement. But it is also a fact that word has spread enough that people were talking about this at Atomic Billiards, and I've seen friends talking about it on Facebook, so it didn't seem right to me to keep you all in the dark.



I haven't been able to get their closing off my mind since I heard about it, and I hope something can still be done to keep it from happening. I walked by on my way to work this morning and noticed they've taken down the sign advertising positions for hire at the coffee shop. :(

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Thomas thank you for this.

It is terrible news. This is a place I spent six amazing years at...and it feels as if I'm losing a member of my own family.

Please all, come out in large numbers to give this temple of gastronomy the send off it rightly deserves.

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that is a sad and cr@ppy story to read about.  It seems to be a longish term issue.  Federal Realty is a big time real estate group.  My recollection is they purchased that site from a seller who I doubt sells cheap so I suspect high rents.

That is crummy.  That great chef/restaurateur should get a business assistant/partner to help him make a fantastic restaurant a financial success also imho.  The last part is difficult and heavy rents don't help if the volume of business ebbs and flows and faces consistent competition.

Sorry to hear about it.

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I really really hope this isn't true, but sadly I fear it may be. Palena is my favorite restaurant in DC. I love the roast chicken, which I had fun attempting to re-create in my blog. I also love their burger, which I named my favorite in a "Burger Madness" I did a couple years ago. Everything else I've had there has been great too. Many fond memories.

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[To Snow White and the 17 Dwarfs: My explanation can be found here. The bottom line is I didn't have permission to break this story, and I wasn't going to shove a knife in my friend's back. But I knew what was happening, and that if I said something, it would set off a chain reaction. I was right, and now you have one more chance to go. You're welcome.]

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