Auld Lang Cuisine

[DonRocks]

At the time, that part of downtown was called Midtown, because it really was the middle of the city (the neighborhood is still called "Midtown" in DCDiningGuide). If you tell people now that there was nothing east of 11th Street and Dupont was an unfashionable neighborhood (which is how it came to be home to a disenfranchised population), they look at you like you're nuts.

Tom Power took a big gamble when he opened Corduroy at 12th and K.

14th Street had No Right Turn signs all over the place because of the prostitutes.

You would absolutely lock your doors driving down N. Capitol Street.

And then there was James Swann that we all read about, but didn't worry about because those weren't neighborhoods anyone would ever frequent.

Lots of people remember Muhammad and Malvo , but relatively few remember Swann, and it's because our comfortable suburbs all-of-a-sudden weren't so comfortable.

[cheezepowder]

Mad Rose space was not a restaurant immediately before becoming Mad Rose, but I suppose it could have been a restaurant and then something else and changed back.  

Thanks.  I found this tbd article that also says it was a medical services and equipment store.  I must have had the wrong street corner in my mind when I thought of the location of Blue & Gold.

[saf]

And then there was James Swann that we all read about, but didn't worry about because those weren't neighborhoods anyone would ever frequent.

Please tell me that you don't really mean this.

I don't THINK I am a total outlier here, and I lived in Mt Pleasant and Adams Morgan in the late 80s. The boyfriend (now husband) lived at 15th and O. We bought in Petworth in 90.

[saf]

Speaking of Arlington old-timers, does anyone remember Blue & Gold?

Didn't there used to be something called that on King Street?

[DonRocks]

Please tell me that you don't really mean this.

I don't really mean this (it was intended to be ironic when taken in tandem with my next sentence).

[Nick Freshman]

I could have sworn Blue & Gold was where Mad Rose Tavern is.  Did the Mad Rose Tavern space and the Mr. Days space used to be one big space? 

Mr. Days used to be Blue and Gold. It closed shortly after I started at the Clarendon Grill in 1998. Mr. Days opened up in 98 or 99. Mad Rose was The Endependence Center; a store for the disabled, I believe.

[Nick Freshman]

the original Mister Days used to be in alley way, in between 18th and 19th streets, between M and N streets. I think you could actually walk in to Samatha's which was on N Street, and walk out the back door and into the alley way to get to Mister Days.

Umm, Hell yes. Anyone remember the "Rally in the Alley?" I remember little of them, but I am pretty sure I had a good time. Ahhh, the Herpes Triangle; that's what we all called 'Midtown.' There were no lounges or cafes; just bars. Plenty of bars.

[saf]

I don't really mean this (it was intended to be ironic when taken in tandem with my next sentence).

Got it. Thank you!

[liz2041]

Speaking of Arlington old-timers, does anyone remember Blue & Gold? That was my go-to spot in the late 1990s for a burger and a beer, and it was *good*, too. It's hard to believe that was just fifteen short years ago, and I'll bet over 75% of Clarendon residents have never heard of that place (which I *think* might be Lyon Hall now; I'm not sure, exactly, but it was around there).

Bahhhh!  You just brought back memories of a 23rd or 24th bday celebration in like 94 or 95 that had been long tucked away (on purpose)!  B&G served yards of beer and on that bday I think we drank the length of football field worth.  I think it was the only place in VA that served them and saved us from having to go across the river to Tiber Creek at a time when drinking yards of beer was very important to us....  I also remembered they had really decent food.

[Josh Radigan]

I remember back in the late 80's early 90's when they used to have the big St.Patricks Day festival at the corner of 19th and M street. Plus the Mid-town Bar Crawl, back when Rumors and MadHatter and Sign of the Whale were king of the DC bars. With the Crowbar and all of the motorcycles out front.

[Tweaked]

Rally in the Alley...good times (I think).

And Don, the Big Hunt has been offering up good beer for many many years.  Certainly one of the early "beer bars" in DC. 

[Pat]

Growing up in Alexandria, I have to say I miss Hot Shoppes. They had the best chicken noodle soup and a burger called the Mighty Mo(something akin to the Big Mac, but much better).

Anthem, one of the restaurants in the newly opened Marriott Marquis at the Convention Center, has a retro 9-seat Hot Shoppes-type diner counter with some Hot Shoppes specialties, including the Mighty Mo burger.

There is a menu linked here.  While that article says Anthem only serves breakfast and lunch, the hotel's website says that it serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

[The Hersch]

So if I were to go to Anthem and order a Teen Twist, would I be a teenager again? 'Cause if not, I doubt I'd be interested.

[lackadaisi]

Anthem is not open for dinner, at least not yet. The Mighty Mo is a good burger, not a great one, but a solid option. The onion rings served with it are pretty decent too. If you split it with someone, the $17 price tag might not seem ridiculous.

Learn from my mistake and skip the bacon chicken waffle sandwich and fries. But it was kind of interesting (not good, just interesting) that the bacon was cooked inside the waffle.

And, if you get coffee, make sure you plan to linger and have a ton of refills as it is $5. Or just walk a couple blocks and get a good cup for less than half that at La Columbe.

[Joe H]

The ratio of flour to butter in croissants is already about 2 to 1, so when you slathered more butter on them, you were probably achieving a ratio of about 1 to 1, a truly heroic intake of butter for which your cardiologist will surely thank you, for putting her kids through college and paying for the yacht.

Years and years ago there was a restaurant on route 50  in Annapolis almost exactly where there is a WAWA today called Busch's Chesapeake Inn.  It was an excellent seafood restaurant thought of as one of the best in the Baltimore/Washington area.  One of the things they were known for is that when a party was seated, whether there was one person or four, a full stick of butter was served with a basket of rolls.  Not a pat but a stick.

As for the French butter this was the late '90's and I rationalized at the time that it was about 800 or so truly worthy calories plus another 600-800 for the croissants.  There aren't a lot of things in life that are "worth the calories" but for me that was.

At least then.  Today, caloric "feats" have become very real "investments."

[DonRocks]

It looks like we have some folks who miss Santa Fe Cafe.

Even though the chain still exists, I miss the Super Spinach Burrito with Monterrey Jack Cheese, Pinto Beans (always, Pinto Beans), and double hot sauce (verde) at both the Georgetown and Falls Church Burrito Brothers back when it was good. I would go to great lengths for these burritos, and believe they were the best vegetarian burritos in the area. They were huge, delicious, and relatively healthy considering how much they weighed. Man, would I like to have one of these again. I would slice it open, lengthwise, with a knife, dump the hot sauce in, mix up the insides a little bit, and eat it with a fork, occasionally twirling around some of the soft burrito shell with my bite. I guess it isn't acceptable these days to say I ate these in my car probably fifty times while driving home, so I won't. There was actually one time when I got - and nearly finished - two of them. I thought I was going to explode, and from what I remember, I just couldn't finish the last couple of bites. Probably because I'd always order them with chips, and break some chips up inside the burrito for a little extra crunch - I always knew to slice the burrito with the spinach on the bottom because it was whole-leaf spinach, and impossible to penetrate with a fork. When I reached a spinach leaf, I'd twirl it like I did with the burrito shell.

The manager of the Falls Church store was named Jennifer, and she knew me well. She was polite, friendly, and as professional as someone could be - she loved her job, too.

Burger 7 my eye. Major downtick in quality.

[DonRocks]

Does anyone remember a pizza parlor in Burke called Les Trois Continents?

You're not going to believe who owned it - I stumbled across that randomly, and my jaw dropped.

[DaveO]

I was just looking at this thread relative to a discussion I was having and looked up a reference.  Oh my this goes back a long time. Some recollections:

Cleveland Park restaurants:  I'm probably thinking back to the late 70's/early 80's.  No great restaurants:  Possibly Roma was the best in neighborhood.  Lots of bars, lots of Irish bars.

Clarendon:  An astounding treat for Vietnamese dining.  So many choices.  Now all gone but Nam Viet.  What a change.

Mr Day's.  I saw it moved to Clarendon circa 1998 or so.  Surprised me. I thought it was much earlier. I recall Mr. Days in the alley in DC from the early 1980's in an area with an endless array of bars.  Of all those bars, it was the best for "hiding out".  Ha ha.  So Mr. Days has had at least a 35 year run.  That is a long time.  I'm pretty sure the original owner's daughter runs the show there and at SoBe.   So many places lonnnnnnnnng gone.  So much change.

[darkstar965]

Does anyone remember a pizza parlor in Burke called Les Trois Continents?

You're not going to believe who owned it - I stumbled across that randomly, and my jaw dropped.

Wow, that is jaw-dropping. Are you sure it's the same person?

[DonRocks]

Wow, that is jaw-dropping. Are you sure it's the same person?

I was sure last November - I did a fair amount of research to substantiate it, but haven't thought about it in several months now. I think it's a bigger story than George Lincoln Rockwell (no relation whatsoever) being assassinated at Dominion Hills Centre, comparable to George Wallace being shot at Laurel Shopping Center, and surpassed in my lifetime perhaps only by Reagan, Brady, McCarthy, and Delahanty being shot at the Washington Hilton, and is certainly worth a story by a major publication (to all major publications: you have my blessings to do this without citation) - I strongly suspect he has relatives in the area that can be interviewed. There's a reference in that Wikipedia article, btw.

[darkstar965]

I was sure last November - I did a fair amount of research to substantiate it, but haven't thought about it in several months now. I think it's a bigger story than George Lincoln Rockwell (no relation whatsoever) being assassinated at Dominion Hills Centre, comparable to George Wallace being shot at Laurel Shopping Center, and surpassed in my lifetime perhaps only by Reagan, Brady, McCarthy, and Delahanty being shot at the Washington Hilton, and is certainly worth a story by a major publication (to all major publications: you have my blessings to do this without citation) - I strongly suspect he has relatives in the area that can be interviewed. There's a reference in that Wikipedia article, btw.

In my humblest of opinions, you should ring TK or a trusted friend at WaPO with this asap. Agree it's A Story. No reason you shouldn't get a mention in any article written. Fascinating stuff to be sure.

[darkstar965]

Scratch that. It already has been covered. On his wiki page and here, among other spots.

 

[DonRocks]

In my humblest of opinions, you should ring TK or a trusted friend at WaPO with this asap. Agree it's A Story. No reason you shouldn't get a mention in any article written. Fascinating stuff to be sure.

They all read here - if the Post, or Washingtonian, or anyone else wants it, it's theirs.

As I once said as a wine writer, there's virtually nothing that hasn't already been written; it's all a matter of how you bring it back to life.

[DaveO]

Scratch that. It already has been covered. On his wiki page and here, among other spots.

I recall that story being covered back when he was "exposed" and then closed/sold the restaurant.  The memory was powerful as the photograph was certainly one of the most powerful news photo's of my memory, even if today one wouldn't call it modern times.  It had a searing effect during the Vietnam war era.

Interestingly if one reads through his story and through reminisces from the photographer, he feels badly about the impact that photograph had on the ex soldier's life.  Its an interesting twist and perspective on one of the most powerful news photographs of the last 60 years.

[DonRocks]

Does anyone remember "The Restaurant Of The Presidents," Harvey's?

I actually *went* to Harvey's - the first fine-dining meal of my life.

I don't remember where it was, but I went - maybe in ... 1982? I think I got Steak Oscar, or something similar. In all seriousness, I was stressing out trying to decide between that and Kona Kai (which was in the Marriott on Pooks Hill Road).

On my 18th birthday, I went to my favorite restaurant, G.D. Graffiti's (which I suppose is a pun for, well, you can figure it out) in Rockville. They used to bring out a violin case to show you the dessert menu which I thought was *so cool* - the waiter said he came to "rub ya out."

I think G.D. Graffiti's was superceded in stature by Fritzbe's, and there were probably places in Rockville between the two.

I also went to "Ernie's" in San Francisco (1990, if I recall), but I guess that's for another thread.

In the mid-late 1980s, I went to "La Maisonette" in Cincinnatti ... twice! This had some consecutive streak as longest-running Five-Star/Five-Diamond restaurant in the nation.

Five-Star, Five-Diamond restaurants ... (AAA and Mobil were the measuring sticks at the time) - I also went to another one in Bar Harbor, Maine where they put rose petals in the toilets. Seriously, every time you left the restroom, someone would go in immediately afterwards, and drop rose petals in the toilet. Does anyone remember what this might have been?

These guides were how I first found out about The Inn at Little Washington - I left that restaurant thinking I would never have another meal comparable to what I had just experienced. It was unlike anything else - multiple levels better than even The Russian Tea Room and Tio Pepe.

I wonder if Patrick O'Connell knows I bought his last bottle of 1981 (?) Henri Jayer Nuits-Saint-George Les Meurgers to take home with me. It wasn't wasted, chef, I promise! God, it was like $40. I actually knew what I was doing, even in my 20s.

For my 12th birthday, in 1973, I went to "Capri" in Wheaton and had "Spaghetti in Butter Sauce" which I thought was the greatest thing I'd ever eaten (and it probably was, at that point). Man, that dish seemed so incredibly exotic.

[Al Dente]

Five-Star, Five-Diamond restaurants ... (AAA and Mobil were the measuring sticks at the time) - I also went to another one in Bar Harbor, Maine where they put rose pedals in the toilets. Seriously, every time you left the restroom, someone would go in immediately afterwards, and drop rose pedals in the toilet. Does anyone remember what this might have been?

What's a rose pedal? I'm being pedalantic.

[DonRocks]

What's a rose pedal? I'm being pedalantic.

It's the aftermath of the upstroke in cycling.

(I wish I could claim "typo," but I've made that mistake my entire life, and probably will continue to do so.)

[DaveO]

As to auld lang cuisine and Harvey's I recall it and dined and drank there.  Sadly I must say its a function of age.  Harvey's was just off K Street on either 18th or 19th street (north side).  I believe it was 18th.  You entered on the 18th street side.   I recall it from at least the late 70's.  I don't recall when it closed.

Dark, formal.  I recall strong drinks.  Definitely strong drinks.

(why do I recall drink strength per establishment????     Well I realize that is telling)

In that vein, speaking of older places, strong drinks, etc.  one old, long established place that has continued in that vein is Stan's on Vermont Avenue.  Do they still serve strong drinks?  Well I haven't been there recently or in the last number of years but here is a review of Stans from within the last month.   Talk about strong drinks.  Its the way I recall them from the early 1980's.

[Keithstg]

Five-Star, Five-Diamond restaurants ... (AAA and Mobil were the measuring sticks at the time) - I also went to another one in Bar Harbor, Maine where they put rose petals in the toilets. Seriously, every time you left the restroom, someone would go in immediately afterwards, and drop rose petals in the toilet. Does anyone remember what this might have been?

When was this? Could have been Michele's, or possibly Burning Tree.

[DonRocks]

When was this? Could have been Michele's, or possibly Burning Tree.

It was neither, but I'll know the name if I hear it - as I type, I vaguely remember there might have been a fire at some point. I went around 1990, and I'm wondering if it was the Looking Glass restaurant at the Blue Nose Inn, but that doesn't sound familiar enough.

[Waitman]

Does anyone remember "The Restaurant Of The Presidents," Harvey's?

I actually *went* to Harvey's - the first fine-dining meal of my life.

I don't remember where it was, but I went - maybe in ... 1982? I think I got Steak Oscar, or something similar. In all seriousness, I was stressing out trying to decide between that and Kona Kai (which was in the Marriott on Pooks Hill Road).

As to auld lang cuisine and Harvey's I recall it and dined and drank there.  Sadly I must say its a function of age.  Harvey's was just off K Street on either 18th or 19th street (north side).  I believe it was 18th.  You entered on the 18th street side.   I recall it from at least the late 70's.  I don't recall when it closed.

Dark, formal.  I recall strong drinks.  Definitely strong drinks.

(why do I recall drink strength per establishment????     Well I realize that is telling)

"[in 1950] Harvey's, on Connecticut Avenue was the most famous restaurant in the capital, probably the most expensive, and certainly the most exclusive.  Harvey's Ladies and Gentlemen's Saloon started serving steamed oysters, broiled lobster and crab imperial in 1820 and had continued to do so, in colossal quantities, ever since.  In 1863, notwithstanding the Civil War, Harvey's diners were getting through 500 wagonloads of oysters a week.  Every President since U.S. Grant had dined there and the restaurant enjoyed an unrivalled reputation as the place to be seen for people of power and influence.  The black waiters in pressed white uniforms were discreeet, the martinis potent, the napkins stiff as cardboard and the tables spaced far enough apart to ensure privacy for the most secret conversations.  Ladies entered by a separate entrance and were not permitted in the main dining room.  Most evenings FBI Director J. Edgar [aka "Jedgar"] Hoover  could be seeen at his corner table, eating with Clyde Tolson, his deputy and possibly his lover.  Hoover was said to be addicted to Harvey's oysters; he never paid for his meals.

"Angleton and Philby began to lunch regularly at Harvey's, at first once a week and then at least every other day....their lunches became a sort of ritual...beginning with bourbon on the rocks, proceeding through lobster and wine, and ending in brandy and cigars....

"The precise death toll will never be known: somewhwre between one hundred and two hundred Albanian Guerrillas perished; if their families and other reprisal victims are taken into account, the figure rises into the thousands....At the heart of the tragey lay a close friendship -- and a great betrayal.

Lunch at Harvey's came with a hefty bill."

A Spy Among Friends: Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal, Ben Macintyre (a fascinating book, btw, now out in paperback).

[DaveO]

In graduate school, Fridays was one of the places we would hit on Fridays for dinner after happy hour.  We waited in line back then in the 80s. I don't doubt that there are lines today.

There weren't a whole lot of places to go for a sit-down meal then.  Sometimes we'd change it up and a go to an Indian restaurant on University Blvd. or to 3 Brothers or something*, but for a sit-down meal with table service and food for a variety of people without large sums of disposable income, Friday's was a decent fit.**  The one we went to was also fairly centrally located for where people in the group lived.

*Jasper's! El Torito! Kangaroo Katie's!  Remember Kangaroo Katie's in Greenbelt?

**And better than Bennigan's

Jaspers in Greenbelt.  Wham.  Now that was a restaurant that met its market.   It probably opened about 1980 and probably closed around 2008,9,10 or so.   I was leasing retail space in that area in the 80's, leased space to a tenant or more in that shopping center.  I ate at Jaspers at various lunches or dinners while driving/working in the area.  Weekdays, Fridays it was reasonably or very busy.

Jaspers completely "met its market" and was often busy at tables and the bar.  I'm pretty sure it was opened by ex restaurant chain people  (like ex Friday's or ex Bennigan's or something like that) and was just a little bit better....That little bit went a long long way to make it enough different and very popular even as the food they served was reasonably similar.  

Lots of different kinds of restaurants.  More power to the one's that satisfy customers.

[DonRocks]

Jaspers in Greenbelt.  Wham.  Now that was a restaurant that met its market.   It probably opened about 1980 and probably closed around 2008,9,10 or so.   I was leasing retail space in that area in the 80's, leased space to a tenant or more in that shopping center.  I ate at Jaspers at various lunches or dinners while driving/working in the area.  Weekdays, Fridays it was reasonably or very busy.

Jaspers completely "met its market" and was often busy at tables and the bar.  I'm pretty sure it was opened by ex restaurant chain people  (like ex Friday's or ex Bennigan's or something like that) and was just a little bit better....That little bit went a long long way to make it enough different and very popular even as the food they served was reasonably similar.  

Lots of different kinds of restaurants.  More power to the one's that satisfy customers.

I probably shouldn't be saying this, but hell, it's public knowledge that I come from humble culinary roots.

From the early 80s until the early 90s, I *lived* at Jaspers, Kangaroo Katie's, and Margarita Maggie's - I went to those three places more than any other, as they were my local haunts on Friday and Saturday nights. In fact, Kangaroo Katie's is where I first had alligator.

I could swear that there was another Jasper's - somewhere out in Anne Arundel County like Glen Burnie, or Bowie. I never went, but I have a nagging voice buried deep inside my brain that says a second branch existed. In the early 80s, I used to think their nachos, loaded potato skins, chicken fingers, etc., were a *huge* treat - it's amazing how tastes and palates evolve over the years and decades.

[DannyNoonan]

You are correct, Don. There was a Jasper's in Crofton, just outside Bowie. I spent a summer waiting tables there. 

[dracisk]

Yes, that Jasper's was at the corner of Routes 3 and 450 in Crofton, a stone's throw from where my husband grew up. It's now Poncho n Pepe's, which is always mobbed. I only ate at Poncho n Pepe's once a few years ago -- all I remember is that they charged DC prices for glop. I believe they're owned by the same people who own The Big Fish Grille a little farther up Route 3. I never tried The Big Fish Grille when I lived in Crofton, but that was always mobbed, too.

Anyway, I was sad that Jasper's closed before I started spending time in Crofton. I would have liked to have tried it for the nostalgia factor. (Although they apparently still have a location in Largo with "free, well-lit parking." They also have a "national and international expansion plan." (I assume this is the same Jasper's.))

[DonRocks]

A couple of my other things that go towards wrecking a good meal..... #1  "Are you still working on that? "   No you numbnuts, I am not working, I bust my ass all week at my job so I can pleasurably eat a nice meal in peace.  Work is not eating...... although Ive had some meals that can only be described as a struggle..... #2  "Can I get that out of the way for you? " while the schmuck is grabbing your half eaten dinner, part of which you are chewing in your mouth while you try not to choke saying HEY PUT THAT BACK IM NOT DONE YET!

All of which has made me realize I would rather have a hot dog with good service than a steak dinner served tortuously by Nimrod.   Jus sayin......

The first person I ever heard say this was Jarad Slipp when he was at Nectar (Nectar closed before this website opened (on Apr 15, 2005), so we don't even have a thread for it). So this was over eleven years ago when he said it, and it's now generally accepted that "good service trumps good cuisine." Nectar, btw, popularized the Cheese Plate in the DC area, and theirs was *nine dollars* for a massive plateful of truly great, world-class cheeses. They deserve to be remembered as one of the greatest restaurants in the DC area during their time (likewise Jarad Slipp as our areas Cheese Plate pioneer) - amazingly, it was open less than two years: From March, 2003 (see Mark's first post in the previous link) until Nov, 2004.

05/12/15 - "Bethesda's 'The Lauren' Hired a Master Sommelier as a Perk for its Residents" by Michelle Thomas on washingtonian.com

I'm curious what happened with this - Jarad is the Estate Director at RdV Vineyards in Delaplane. Maybe they gave him a condo to stay in, and he still has his regular job at RdV? Whatever it is, it sounds like a pretty sweet deal (just because you're "in-residence" doesn't mean you're on call 24 hours a day).

Damn, man, maybe I should study for the MS exam. Meh, fuck it - I'm too old to care, and no matter how much I studied, I'd fail service.

[Keithstg]

RdV is in Delaplane, not Middleburg. Just an FYI.

Nectar was truly fantastic, as were the "legacy libations" happy hours that the Notte Bianchi folks threw in their early days...

[NiceDocter]

Reading through this entire thread reminds me how we all used to take for granted our guts of CAST IRON!!! Lots of what has been mentioned here is great in our memories but if we ate it today we'd be in dire straits!   

[DonRocks]

Does anyone remember The Pleasant Pheasant?

[DaveO]

Does anyone remember The Pleasant Pheasant?

South side of Mazza Gallerie, lots of black and white, I think out of own owners. I think that place "frou froued me out", but above scale dining. My local preference would have been beers and burgers and more beers at the nearby Chadwickes.

Plus a little known fact; The Clydes Group owned a parcel across the street, occupied by a vet I believe. Clydes scoped out Chevy Chase long long long before they opened there.

[lizzie]

Loved the desserts at Pleasant Peasant - it was a frequent stop for coffee and dessert. My guess is that it likely would not have stood the test of time, so to speak. 

[DonRocks]

8 hours ago, jpbloom said:

Boy, this is a blast from the past.  A group of us would go to Appetizer Plus pretty much once a week for several years (the group would range from 4 to 12 people).  They would put together plates of hand rolls for us as soon as we walked in.  Worth the subway ride from Farragut West.  Great place that we still miss.

Appetizers Plus was the place in Rosslyn, right? Near the USA Today buildings and what was then Tom Sarri's Orleans Steak House? Just a couple storefronts off of N. Lynn Street (which is the one that goes over the Key Bridge)? You entered, walked down a couple of stairs, and the whole restaurant was laid out in a bountiful display of sushi - especially the part along the right wall?

I used to go there fairly often with my then-, or soon-to-be, in-laws (Matt's grandparents, his nana being Okinawan) - this was in the early 1990's, and you know, it really wasn't bad at all. Over the years, the fish started getting a little skimpier, and the sign went up saying "Diners must finish their rice with each piece," but this may have been after it became the next iteration (I can't remember what it became afterwards, but I'm pretty sure it changed ownership, and possibly names). But yes, it was *the* best place around for All You Can Eat Sushi (although I vaguely remember there was one other place somewhere up Wisconsin or Connecticut Avenue, maybe somewhere fairly near 2 Amys?), and Appetizers Plus was, at one time, as good as many of the Korean-owned strip mall places today, where you're paying $6-7 for two pieces of mediocre nigiri (Appetizers Plus wasn't setting out to win any awards, but their fish never had any off-odors, and for the price - maybe something around $10-11 - the quality was unusually high).

Of course, this was around the time when you could work in Federal Triangle, and street park your car on Constitution Avenue or 12th Street for free, playing the "move the car" game every two hours if you needed to be down there most of the day, and I did that for several years - my goodness, how things have changed. People just don't realize - it really wasn't *that* long ago when you could do all sorts of crazy things downtown, like drive crosstown either way on E Street, just north of the White House, and so much more. They still had the "no right turn" signs in the Thomas Circle area - artifacts from the 1970's when people would take right turns to pick up street prostitutes (these signs may have actually lasted into the early aughts of this century, and many people had no idea what they were for).

I was in my early 30's then - back in the Appetizers Plus days - and could really pack it away (if you're at this age now, take a moment, and remind yourself to thoroughly enjoy this phase of your life, because you definitely eat less when you get older. I know you *think* you "aren't what you were when you were 18, but just trust me: Enjoy this time of your life.)

Do I have my facts right?

If so, thanks for the memories - I love this community.

[Kibbee Nayee]

1 hour ago, DonRocks said:

Appetizers Plus was the place in Rosslyn, right? Near the USA Today buildings and what was then Tom Sarri's Orleans Steak House? Just a couple storefronts off of N. Lynn Street (which is the one that goes over the Key Bridge)? You entered, walked down a couple of stairs, and the whole restaurant was laid out in a bountiful display of sushi - especially the part along the right wall?

I used to go there fairly often with my then-, or soon-to-be, in-laws (Matt's grandparents, his nana being Okinawan) - this was in the early 1990's, and you know, it really wasn't bad at all. Over the years, the fish started getting a little skimpier, and the sign went up saying "Diners must finish their rice with each piece," but this may have been after it became the next iteration (I can't remember what it became afterwards, but I'm pretty sure it changed ownership, and possibly names). But yes, it was *the* best place around for All You Can Eat Sushi (although I vaguely remember there was one other place somewhere up Wisconsin or Connecticut Avenue, maybe somewhere fairly near 2 Amys?), and Appetizers Plus was, at one time, as good as many of the Korean-owned strip mall places today, where you're paying $6-7 for two pieces of mediocre nigiri (Appetizers Plus wasn't setting out to win any awards, but their fish never had any off-odors, and for the price - maybe something around $10-11 - the quality was unusually high).

Of course, this was around the time when you could work in Federal Triangle, and street park your car on Constitution Avenue or 12th Street for free, playing the "move the car" game every two hours if you needed to be down there most of the day, and I did that for several years - my goodness, how things have changed. People just don't realize - it really wasn't *that* long ago when you could do all sorts of crazy things downtown, like drive crosstown either way on E Street, just north of the White House, and so much more. They still had the "no right turn" signs in the Thomas Circle area - artifacts from the 1970's when people would take right turns to pick up street prostitutes (these signs may have actually lasted into the early aughts of this century, and many people had no idea what they were for).

I was in my early 30's then - back in the Appetizers Plus days - and could really pack it away (if you're at this age now, take a moment, and remind yourself to thoroughly enjoy this phase of your life, because you definitely eat less when you get older. I know you *think* you "aren't what you were when you were 18, but just trust me: Enjoy this time of your life.)

Do I have my facts right?

If so, thanks for the memories - I love this community.

Appetizers Plus was my most frequent lunch spot when I worked at Virginia Square in the mid-'90s, some 20 years ago. It was always crowded at lunch. It was the first place I remembered using the shared tongs for picking your pieces of sushi and putting them on your plate, then depositing the tongs at the other end in the community bucket so that the next person could use them....now in my dotage, I've become accustomed to the a la minute sushi of the better places, so the sushi buffet is no longer a preference. But Appetizers Plus fed me fell back in the day.

[jpbloom]

2 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Appetizers Plus was the place in Rosslyn, right? Near the USA Today buildings and what was then Tom Sarri's Orleans Steak House? Just a couple storefronts off of N. Lynn Street (which is the one that goes over the Key Bridge)? You entered, walked down a couple of stairs, and the whole restaurant was laid out in a bountiful display of sushi - especially the part along the right wall?

That's the one.  Easy subway ride from Farragut West and a quick walk from the Rosslyn Metro station.  If I'm not mistaken, it was owned by the same folks as Matuba on Columbia Pike (which is probably the same people as Matuba Bethesda, but I'm not certain of that).  Tables laid out in an off center T shape.

It actually closed when they took the building down for redevelopment.  The lunch crowd dropped off near the end because they were the only tenant left for a while and it got a bit depressing, and the sushi became less appealing, probably as a result of the smaller crowd.  In its heyday, though, it made for a very enjoyable and convivial break in the work day.    

[lizzie]

I remember when they added the sign about finishing your rice. We used to joke about putting the rice in our purses and wondering if they would ever check. And if reminiscing about downtown, I worked in the Tariff Building (full of ghosts and rats then; now the Hotel Monaco) in the days of DC Space, Washington Project for the Arts, and Whitlows on E Street. The neighborhood was more of a true Chinatown and was also full of electronic shops and wig stores. The 9:30 Club was a convenient few steps away. We used to go to happy hour at Tiber Creek for yards of beer.

[DaveO]

To slightly broaden the auld lang XXX topic I'll add a place that involves "placing things in one's mouth"--Georgetown Tobacco.  It is celebrating its 52nd year--which means it opened around 1964.  I was pretty close with the owner/founder some 20+ years ago and for a fairly extensive time.   Have not seen him much for a while.  At some point back in the 90's he was reviewing some of the "then contemporary" Georgetown businesses that had opened around the time he opened.  By the 90's many of those businesses including restaurants had closed...places that had significant name and reputation for several decades.     Who is still around in Georgetown from the 1960's or earlier???   Off the top of my head -Clydes. Who else?   

Georgetown Tobacco is just off the main corner of Wisconsin and M in a prime foot traffic location.  Hard to believe that a tobacco/cigar store could maintain that location for so long.  Good for him.    Incidentally the store is very funky and colorful.  Over the years they have carried an eclectic variety of completely different type of items--all sort of fun, whimsical, colorful and they continue to do so.  There is a nice picture of the interior of first floor here along with a story that somewhat touches on the business.  Its a nifty DC institution and definitely a long time mainstay in the Georgetown community

[The Hersch]

Who is still around in Georgetown from the 1960's or earlier?

Martin's Tavern, obviously (unless they closed it when I wasn't looking). Blues Alley. Georgetown Veterinary Hospital claims to have been in business since the 1940s. Damned if I can think of any others.

You may remember that Georgetown Tobacco used to be called Georgetown Tobacco and Pipe.

[EpicuriousGeorge]

The 1789 and The Tombs opened in 1962. 

Clyde's of Georgetown opened in 1963.

What about La Chaumière?

[DonRocks]

23 minutes ago, EpicuriousGeorge said:

The 1789 and The Tombs opened in 1962. 

Clyde's of Georgetown opened in 1963.

What about La Chaumière?

You should find this list quite entertaining.

It's designed to be the reference standard, and untold hours of research have gone into it, so if you know of any other restaurants not on the list that opened before 1980, and were still open on Apr 15, 2005, please let us know.

[DaveO]

8 hours ago, The Hersch said:

Who is still around in Georgetown from the 1960's or earlier?

Martin's Tavern, obviously (unless they closed it when I wasn't looking). Blues Alley. Georgetown Veterinary Hospital claims to have been in business since the 1940s. Damned if I can think of any others.

You may remember that Georgetown Tobacco used to be called Georgetown Tobacco and Pipe.

Thanks for the information.  I didn't know the original name for Georgetown Tobacco having not lived here then and having not gotten to know the owner till probably sometime in the late 80's...maybe early 90's.  I do recall a conversation wherein he  reminisced about other Georgetown merchants whom he knew and whom had opened in the 60's including Clyde's and Britches and some others and then went on to describe the changing market environment over the decades.