Josh Radigan
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Everything posted by Josh Radigan
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Had Pupatella two weeks ago- not good at all. Dough was undercooked- pizza was as bland as they come. Looks like a new Pupatella is coming to slaters lane and GW parkway where a dry cleaner was housed. -
Dovetail in the Viceroy Hotel DC
Josh Radigan posted a topic in Washington DC Restaurants and Dining
Shhh- guess who is back on the public side.... after 14 1/2 years of working in the private side at one of oldest country clubs not only in this area but the country- I have jumped back into the public side. Our Chef is James gee of "I eddie cano' fame and ownership. I don't play an everyday role but we are just off 14th street in the old radiator space. good outdoor space- great food, awesome cocktails and not the craziness of 14th street. Come say hello and can't wait to get this place rocking and rolling. Dovetail Opening Press Release.docx -
Things to come. Nice space. But then again most of the places in Del ray that are closing were refurbs of something old and tired. Catch on the Ave was created out of Caboose cafe. Charlies was created out of Fireflies. Bon Vivant was an old office space. All were upgrades to the previous spot. Again maybe that is not what that neighborhood wants. I hear often people say over and over "we want a place for families to stretch out.
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So the wife took me to Philly for my belated 50th birthday knowing how much I adore the city. Went to a Michael Schulson spot right around the corner from where we were staying called Harp and Crown. Back story on Michael Schulson is that he worked for Stephen Starr and went out on his own. Most of his places are one block off any main drag but to be quite honest in Philly main drags are gone and mostly everywhere has some sort of vibrancy. Let me just say this for those who don't know, Philadelphia is a walkable and eatable city that seems to continue to grow every year. Long story short, great food, great vibe and solid service. Small plates that really were not that small and prices that remained reasonable. For a 50 year old I never felt out of place and as well the company was wonderful.
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Its a funny thing about Del Ray- after living there for 20 years I have found that no one wants to do a straight up American Bistro. A high percentage of the restaurants follow a specific cuisine style. I have always thought what would work in Del Ray would be a really cool Bodega that sold great sandwiches, 2-3 salads, some main dishes and had a solid wine and beer program. Along with that a NYC style bodega store for essentials. I agree that late night is a struggle but some of that is through the agreement that bars in Del Ray have to close much earlier than say Clarendon. I believe its 12 am. Granted that does seem pretty late but as well the only real bar is at pork barrel and ESC. The others just seem like an after thought. Charlie's tried but every time I went in it seemed empty same with Catch on the Avenue.
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- Del Ray
- Sports Bar
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The good thing is that the Beer garden next door will stay open. That being said it will be quite difficult to lease the old Charlie's space out with a competing beer garden right next door. Cue the age old question "what is Del Ray lacking that could utilize that space?"
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- Sports Bar
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sweetgreen always tosses the salads that I order.
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The Gin component of New Heights started way back in the day with a former chef by the name of John Wabeck. Yup, a gin man with a taste for the DC punk scene and gin.
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- Woodley Park
- Modern American
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I helped open the Bistro Bistro that was there in the late 90's. It was a Schlotski's deli prior. The factors I always contributed to Uncle Julio's success and demise of other restaurants across the way were this. A. Parking. While both restaurants have a sheer lack of street parking, Uncle Julio's had the garage on its side. As well the way traffic flows at night, the majority of dinner business saw Uncle Julio's first and could turn in quickly. Whereas everyone else by the time they noticed the other restaurant, they had already passed it, therefore making it a bitch to turn back around. Drive Fairfax Drive at 5-7 pm at night going towards I-66. You will see what I mean. B. Tex-Mex. For whatever reason people love it and that demographic in that area is primed for it. C. i was really hoping Willow would have been the one to outlast Uncle Julio's but I guess again the demographic just didn't support it because of prices. While Uncle Julio's is not cheap by any standard it gives off this vibe that its just 'chips, salsa and margarita's' so how could that be expensive? My two cents are this- I think if you put in a mix use store for that Willow space you might make it. Something like a Wine/Beer shop with sandwiches in the back, big bar for tasting flights of wine/beer and some limited seating- no more than 50 for L/D- it could work, possibly.
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That Clyde's mentality of making something off the menu is in line with what Country Club's do for their members. Clyde's has always made you feel like you are a part of that family.
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Well there is that weird strip mall on Wilson... which I have always thought needed something like a F&B establishment of merit. I agree with Dave- do what they are doing in DC but there, they will be fine. Do even better, they will crush it.
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agreed, woodberry
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What about down by Nats Park. The brick looks eerily similar to the yards development
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Horrible location. Just impossible to get to and bad street view. Sports bar might make it......doubt it.
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what a shame. Isn't that where Nadine Brown ended up after her departure from Charlie Palmer's? Odd.
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One of my former bosses used to say to me "what I think looks great in a dining room is a bottle of wine on each table." And so he decided a long time ago that the best way to make that happen was through an aggressive pricing structure. He took his wine from the wine shop next door, which had the retail mark up, and added $10 to that price for the restaurant pricing. So, yes, it isn't in line with the typical 300% markup for 20% cost as Mark mentioned earlier, but it allowed his restaurant that look and appeal. It was almost stupid not to order a bottle. Question is simple- would you rather have a restaurant that is half full, but making those margins, or a restaurant in demand that is busy all the time but at higher cost of doing business?
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I agree with Mark. From a consumer stand point smaller but just as equally complete is easier to navigate. You don't have to choose between 10 different Napa Cabs, but let the wine director/ GM/ beverage geek make a wine list that has maybe 3-4 but different styles as Napa can offer that much like Oregon Pinot's , Central Coast Syrah's. Better yet grab 3-4 Syrah's globally and make that your statement. From an operator stand point smaller is easier to control. Which in turn you can change your list more frequently which I believe is attractive to your regulars.
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Contact me if looking for a solid Food and Bev job. Always growing, always looking for good people- who in this business isn’t.
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- Tysons Corner
- Tysons Galleria
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new owner taking over which probably means some cosmetic changes
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The restaurant formally known as Poste?
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My wife and I went to the parade yesterday and let me just say this, no matter the victory last Sunday, the team and it’s fans still think people don’t give them any respect. I am a native of the DC area, grew up in Arlington, went to Yorktown High School. Not having been raised in the Philly area I get it now. It’s in their bloodlines to Bleed Green. It’s like someone said to me a long time ago. Most families spend whatever savings the put away for the year on two things. Eagles season tickets and a week at the Jersey Shore. Eagles fans don’t believe that winning is owed to them but yet earned. Oddly enough my closest friends who are Skins fans have a very different mentality. They constantly talk about the Skins and how they seemingly feel that they are owed reverence or even victories.
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on top of the world this morning. What a game.
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While an authentic restaurant of another worldly cuisine would be awesome it would most likely never merit enough foot traffic for what most landlords ask for in rent. A true Hoagie Hut would be awesome and family friendly, not sure how much lunch traffic could be generated but that would be someone else's issue.
