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jrage

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Everything posted by jrage

  1. Can't get more reliable than this source! There is no truth to the rumor that Redwood is closing. Redwood is doing very well. Since we opened a year and a half ago, Redwood has found a great new chef, Blake Schumpert, who's getting awesome feedback, (Bethesda Magazine just gave us a much better review.) We have a completely new management staff, including General Manager, Jawad Saadaoui, a customer favorite for years at Sonoma and Mendocino. We've improved the service with a very experienced and friendly staff and without compromising on the quality of our ingredients, we've lowered our menu prices. Redwood is a very different experience than it was when we opened. We ended the year with a great New Year's Eve event, with dinner and dancing to live music and we're looking forward to a great 2010. While I'm on the subject, we're starting a number of fun promotions to kick start the winter season. Happy Hour: Monday - Friday: 4:00 pm until 7:00 pm - $4 Draft Beers and Wine - $5 Specialty Cocktails - $4/$5 Bar Bites Sunday - Monday Nights: Half-Priced Wine Tuesday Nights: Live Music in our Bar & Lounge (starting soon) Wednesday Nights: Live Music in our Bar & Lounge (already started!) Sunday Brunch: We've just revamped the menu and we'll be adding live music soon. We'll be participating in DC Restaurant Week and Bethesda-Chevy Chase Restaurant Week for both Lunch and Dinner, so that's a great way to check out the new, improved Redwood. Join our mailing list to get updates and invitations to some fun events; Redwood Newsletter - This is a great source for the latest breaking news regarding Redwood or become a Fan of Redwood on Facebook! So to be clear - Redwood is not closing, we're really just getting started.
  2. I second 2 Amys and Cactus Cantina. For my wife and me, it has more to do with where we'll feel most, um... 'comfortable' when our boys unexpectedly (but assuredly) switch from good diners to toddlers. I like those two places because they are full of other kids, have a pretty high noise level (which is a good thing,) the food comes out fast, and it is easy for the kids to eat. Potomac Pizza is also pretty good for kids... Rio Grande (or Uncle Julios) in Bethesda (also mentioned earlier) is legendary in how many kids they can accommodate; that place turns into a stroller parking lot. Most restaurants have high-chairs/boosters (mine do) and all seem accommodating, but I see the threshold as; the children should be able to stay seated and not disturb other guests, an accomplishment which my boys are nowhere near achieving. If I can't relax and enjoy my food, drink, service, and ambiance... it isn't worth my time or money. Let's just say we frequent 2 Amys and Cactus Cantina a lot these days... Long live 'date night.' Jared Rager - Owner Sonoma Restaurant and Wine Bar | sonomadc.com Redwood Restaurant and Bar | redwoodbethesda.com
  3. Stopped by Hello Cupcake today and I was pretty impressed. Nice design, friendly staff and awesome cupcakes. My wife, my boys and I all picked one to eat in the shop we and then we took a dozen to a friend's barbecue. They were a big hit on all accounts. I like how they have all of the classic flavors and also some fun, adventurous flavors. Great addition to Dupont Circle and absolutely no help in my resolution to get in better shape. jared rager | owner sonoma restaurant and wine bar | sonomadc.com redwood restaurant and bar | redwoodbethesda.com
  4. Those are both possible reasons, (I could see either scenario occurring,) but generally speaking the kitchen is pretty eager for the guests to get what they want. I'm afraid, in this case, our servers mistakenly got the impression that we don't do substitutions, or allow for any modifications, which has never been the case. I believe we've made it clear to our staff (since then), that in the hospitality business, the goal is to make the guests happy, so our staff should be more accommodating. Thanks for the feedback, I'm glad you enjoyed your dinner. --------------------- jared rager, owner redwood | redwoodbethesda.com sonoma | sonomadc.com
  5. We've got eight beers on tap, all domestic (many local) microbrews. They'll change from time to time based on the season, availability (from Montgomery County) and our beer loving whims... Right now we've got the following: Dogfish Head: Lawn Mower Light (Delaware) Flying Dog: In Heat Wheat (Colorado) Hook & Ladder: Golden Ale (Maryland) Fordham: Copperhead Ale (Delaware) Clipper City: Loose Cannon IPA (Baltimore) Harpoon: IPA (Boston, MA) Wolaver's: Brown Ale (Vermont) Dominion: Oak Barrel Stout (Virginia) Our bottle list will grow, but for now we are carrying; Stoudts: Pils (Pennsylvania) Shiner: Hefeweizen (Texas) Otter Creek: Otter Summer Ale (Vermont) -Look for their Copper Ale on draft soon as well! (An owner favorite!) Anchor Steam (San Francisco, CA) Clipper City: Hang Ten Weizen Dopplebock (Baltimore) Magic Hat #9: American Pale Ale (Vermont) Wild Goose: IPA (Maryland) Brooklyn: East India Pale Ale (Brooklyn, NY) We should be adding a few more in the next few days, so I'll let you know if anything else pops on the list... or you could come on over and have a beer... Jared Rager Owner Redwood Restaurant and Bar www.redwoodbethesda.com
  6. Apparently, Banks are the ideal tenants. We've looked a lots of really great spaces only to have the broker tell us, that the owners were going to hold out for a bank deal... I find it tragic, but then I tend to lament any empty space that doesn't get a new restaurant in it. We can never have too many right?... right?
  7. Thanks for the posts about Sonoma's "preview" seating, I appreciate the well thought out comments, but I'd like to post a request to all future foodies who visit us during any of our pre-opening preview events. While these events are, in part, designed to give you a small taste of what Sonoma hopes to bring to the Capitol Hill neighborhood, guests at the events are also in no small way 'foodie guinea pigs'. We are really counting on the people who join us to share any feedback and comments with us, on site and in the moment. A pizza deemed soggy in the center should be pointed out, so we can take it back into the kitchen and figure out why, how or what went wrong. (for example, mushrooms are sautéed before being placed on the pizza and then cooked, so were they the cause for sogginess or not?!?) Naturally, Drew and his staff are trying to break it down and recreate the problem, but it's always easier to see it directly. No restaurateur in their right mind would allow patrons "off the street" to come in and try menu items before they are ready for mass consumption if there wasn't a huge advantage of getting their impressions and feedback in exchange... (especially such a vocal and discerning group such as you all.) We are please with the response so far and we are committed to getting it right. So, by all means post on this board (or others) but please don't make us wait to read online to get your feedback, we want it while it is still fresh! Thanks all! We will hopefully pick an appropriate date/time with HillValley shortly and get many of you in en-masse! Oh and mdt, I've confirmed with Chef Drew, we didn't send out any olives with our charcuterie plates on either evening, but those tasty truffled baby peaches do look A LOT like big fat olives... is it possible you didn't bite into one of them??? Now you'll have to come back again! See you all soon. Jared
  8. Ah yes... sorry I intended to post them at the same time as to not favor one board over the other, but my plan was foiled by my lack of validation. But now I am legitimate and happy to be here, so thank you. Here is my repeated offer for a coordinated event, but I suggest we try and pick a time with some advanced notice so people can plan for it... especially industry people. I'm guessing it's not cool to quote oneself, but I'm going to try anyway...
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