Jump to content

Nick Freshman

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    127

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    5

 Content Type 

Everything posted by Nick Freshman

  1. Nick Freshman
    I was referring to upthread where Costco was mentioned as an alternative to WF presumably because they are less evil (or whatever the adjective is). Yes, that beef is good and their prices are great, but they seem to be as bad or worse than anyone in the bunch when put up against the ideal of farmer's markets and the like. In fact, it would seem that WF would be the better option of the two. I'm not advocating at all, just asking. In my mind, no one is perfect. Least of all, us. There is a giant Sysco truck in the alley of Spider Kelly's twice a week. Not Eventide, but still...
  2. Nick Freshman
    Can I ask a perhaps ignorant question: why would Costco be a good alternative to Whole Foods? I understand that there is a belief that their labor practices are better than WF (or many other retailers). I don't know anything about that, but I firmly believe that their customer service is awful. That's irrelevant except to say that if they are being treated well and paid well why the Hell is everyone so irrtated at my Costco? Putting that quibble aside, labor practices alone seem a tough reason to abandon one grocery store for another; it is, after all, about the food right? So given that, is the food at Costco not from the biggest of the big ag? Am I out of the loop on this? I feel like just to supply all those insane portions of meat to all of those stores they can't use anything but big, scary "farms." They have organic ground beef, organic chickens, but isn't that about it? Frankly, I would have thought Costco would be on the lowest rung on this board (if the farm or farmer's market is at the top). Tell me what I'm missing.
  3. Nick Freshman
    I had it on tap at Evening Star last week, and I thought it was delicious. Creamy smooth with a nice toasted coffee & chocolate flavor. They have a great draft selection in the back bar--the other one I had was Ballast Point Sculpin IPA. Another good one.
  4. Nick Freshman
    On tap at SK right now. 10 cases at Eventide to be released next week. I can't remember how it tasted last year, but this year it is great. I don't know if I've ever had a smoother 10% ABV beer, especially an IPA.
  5. Nick Freshman
    They're open on Fridays and Saturdays which are the two days when we all make most of our money, so while it's hardly ever open, they open on the right days. They also can hold more people in there than 3-4 Clarendon bars combined, so when they are full, there are A LOT of people in there spending money. Thirdly, they have an excellent and successful catering operation. I can understand how that last point could seem inconceivable to anyone who has watched 22 year olds guzzle Red Bull and Vodka with their chicken fingers before lurching out onto Wilson Boulevard, but I swear it's true.
  6. Nick Freshman
    I'd love an explanation as to why we, as licensees, can't take advantage of the Black Friday deals(yes, we tried, mostly to make a point). We're retail customers as well. As if it isn't enough that we pay full retail price for our product no matter how much we buy--no wholesale pricing, no volume discounts, no friggin' delivery! Then to see the product offered on sale to customers, but full price for me, is so irritating. Furthermore, ABC agents are up our ass constantly about over-serving, and we can't do anything at all to promote the sale of our product, yet the ABC store is having a huge sale on liquor? What better enticement to over indulge is there? Sean Mike, tell me you won't be having an extra glass or two thanks to your whiskey score? And good for you! Hypocrisy aside, you'd think they would want to help me sell more since the state's budget is so tied to the revenue. Or at least put the shit on a truck and deliver it to me instead of us having to drive our own vehicle down to Duke Street every god damn week. WTF.
  7. Nick Freshman
    Does anyone watch this show? I think the creator, David Simon, is brilliant if painfully cynical. He created The Wire, which may be the greatest show ever made. Treme is a wonderful ode to New Orleans, and such careful attention is given to the culture--language, music, geography, history--that it's amazing. Of course, being New Orleans, food plays a huge part in the series, and I have to say that it is the most accurate representation of the restaurant business I have ever seen on TV or the big screen. Anthony Bourdain has been co-writing or co-producing, and it shows. I'm curious if any other pros have seen it, and if they agree? Listen to the kitchen language, watch the movements, dissect the characters; it's all incredibly on point. When last season I saw the crew of the fictional restaurant in Manhattan on the line drinking their drinks out of quart containers, I yelled in amazement at the screen--you can't know that if you haven't been there. Even though in Season 3, the restaurant owner character is painted as a one dimensional money grubbing asshole hellbent on destroying the purity of the Chef(c'mon man, they're not all bad), I still thought to myself they just do an amazing job. Is this already a topic? I couldn't find it.
  8. Nick Freshman
    When I worked briefly at Poste, I heard a story that the late Senator was a early and ardent fan of Jaleo. It was during one of his dinners there that he noticed that the building across the street was essentially a crack house. As it was a Federal building--a former post office--he began pushing for it to be redeveloped using his considerable influence to do so. I am pretty sure at the time it was the first time--or one of the first times--a government building had been leased to a private enterprise. The result, of course, was the Hotel Monaco and Poste. Who knows if the story is even close to true, but I always thought it was a good one, and customers at the bar at Poste always liked hearing it.
  9. Nick Freshman
    This is a great list, and a great symbol of the state of good coffee and good coffee shops. What does it say about my addiction that I will be driving across town just to try some of these places? There are worse vices, I suppose. I may have missed it upthread, but what constitutes vetted? Can I vouch for the Java Shack? In many ways, the original independent, at least in Arlington. Coffee comes primarily from Lexington Roasters in Lexington, VA, a mom and pop shop dedicated to good coffee. We use them at Eventide as well. They just got a new machine, and I have always been satisfied with the product. As an aside, a very extensive selection of gluten-free baked goods. Wi-fi is free, but there are some time limitations (which I wholeheartedly support). Does vetted have to be unbiased? I certainly can't claim that...
  10. Nick Freshman
    We lost power at the restaurants for just under 24 hours. We had to close Friday night at about 10, and we never opened Saturday. That's a lot of money on the table. We kept the walk ins shut tight and losses to food were minimal. When the power goes, everything in the walk in gets covered in ice. They are very well insulated and you'd be surprised how long everything can stay safe. That said, we certainly threw product out. The wine at Eventide is in an insulated fridge as well. It's fine. Frankly, the food losses pale in comparison to lost revenue, but it's part of doing business; stuff happens. We got power back at 10pm Saturday, but at that point we couldn't open for the night--no ice, nothing prepped and so forth. Another impact is on the staff. An unexpected weekend off isn't a good thing when most of the front house crew makes their money in tips and the kitchen crews are hourly. The worst part? Siting there in the hot darkness, hoping the power would come back, watching the bar across the street(Mad Rose is attached to the DIA building, go figure) and around the corner shine like beacons with all the light and a/c they needed...and all of our customers. I've never seen Clarendon without power for so long in 14 years in the business in that area. Usually, it's no more than an hour.
  11. Nick Freshman
    Agree. It seems the food court is jammed with kids all the time, not just summer. The poor souls with toothpicks can't get the free samples out fast enough. The busses are always lined up out front, the street vendors furiously selling FBI t-shirts, DEA hats and my favorite: the Witness Protection Program neon tank top. I just can't imagine that the kids that buy those are going to go home to Topeka or Toledo and rock those shirts at school, strolling the halls like they're the shit. But what do I know? I'm from here.
  12. Nick Freshman
    I agree, and I also think that Northside and other places can get ridiculous--and it is not the fault of the business. A couple weeks ago I had to step over a power cord that was at least two feet off the ground and running across the aisle leading to the counter. I turned to the women who owned the PC, smiled and said "Really?" Then I lifted my daughter over the cord. She said in a huff, "Well, I just have nowhere else to put it," implying that perhaps it was the responsibility of the proprietor to provide more outlets closer to her. I couldn't come up with a response that would neither alienate the business I love to support nor my own business(pretty sure I was in an SK shirt), so I just shook my head and moved on. I swear, you think you have seen it all as a restaurant guy, but you never have. I had a couple of talks with Dale when he was trying to figure out what to do with the wi-fi, and I thought his idea of selectively turning it off made sense. He is trying to appeal to all his customers, but he is a fool if he ignores the value of each seat turning over--we're talking pretty small check averages here. If you are that in need of working on your PC, and you are that unwilling to pay for your seat--really pay for your seat, then during prime time you should go to the public library, work from your house, stay at your office, rent space or use 3G. Or is it 4G now? I have no idea, but my iPhone is on it, so I don't have to siphon the wi-fi. Plus, I always get my coffee to go...
  13. Nick Freshman
    I agree that this is a special business in Arlington. I am there all the time, and the coffee is always very good, but the atmosphere regularly trumps it. They have recently freshened the place up a bit--new paint and the like, but the real star is a new espresso machine. The coffee comes from Lexington Roasters in Lexington, VA. They are a small, husband and wife team that gets great coffee, much of it small batch, organic and fair trade. It's the same roaster we use at Eventide. If you are looking for an alternative to Starbucks and Counter Culture, and you want to support a local, community centric, independent, go see Dale.
  14. Nick Freshman
    Went to Tallula for brunch on Sunday for the second time in a month, and I had my second great experience. Having worked countless brunches over the years, I almost feel guilty as a customer because I know how much it sucks for the staff to do brunch (trust us, it sucks). You would never know that at Tallula. The first visit was four adults and three kids, mostly well behaved. Eat Bar plays movies for kids which helps to set parents at ease right away for bringing their children to a classy restaurant. Beyond that, the staff was extremely gracious in accommodating what is inevitably an unwieldy group. I thought--and my guests agreed--that the menu was interesting and varied, reasonable and creative. It was all executed well, and most importantly of all to me, the coffee was good. Illy is not Stumptown, Counter Culture or Mad Cap, but it's plenty good when brewed correctly, which it was. As always, the beer, cocktail and wine selection looked very good. The second visit, this past Sunday, was just me and my daughter. At four and a half, she has dined out more than I did until I was probably fifteen, but she is still a kid, and she still needs more attention than a grown-up. Despite a late pop, service was on point, we got what we needed, caught the tail end of Tangled on the screen and had a great time. The complimentary doughnuts (or are they beignets?) that are sent out are a special treat. Kudos especially go to GM, Matt Molaski--always charming and gracious even on a Sunday morning. Aren't GM's supposed to get Sundays off??
  15. Nick Freshman
    We have a full keg at Spider Kelly's in the cooler. We'll tap it on Tuesday. From what I gather, it's nowhere to be found, so come by and get it while it lasts.
  16. Nick Freshman
    For the bravest among you, we have a full keg of Bell's Hopslam in the cooler. We'll tap it on Tuesday. Come get some while it lasts--which won't be very long...
  17. Nick Freshman
    Tim Irwin is our Bar Manager. He's been with us for some time, and is a local veteran. Some of you may know him from Evening Star some time ago. I'm not sure he's on DR.com yet, but he will be. The new menu is geared to make eating at the bar more appealing--more options, more variety and more alternatives to standard 'apps' & 'entrees.' As to the beer, little excites me less than Miller Lite & Blue Moon, but they sell. A lot. They are asked for all the time, night after night. As to Jomo and 60 Minute, those are two solid, local brews that can hang in any beer geek conversation despite their popularity. We also still have 20 or so beers in the bottle that will now be funkier than ever since the workhorses are on tap. I think you all will find the look and feel mostly the same just freshened up a bit and the layout better, but by all means let us know what you think. Stop by through Sunday--new opening time 4PM--and get 10% off your check if you mention DR.com. Give us your feedback in person or online.
  18. Nick Freshman
    As a true native, born at Columbia Hospital for Women (now a set of REALLY fancy condos) in 1976, I can say that I have always referred to the city just as "the City." In contrast that is to the suburbs. I grew up in Arlington, went to high school in the city and lived for a time in NW before moving back to Arlington. I consider myself from Washington and a Washingtonian. It has never occurred to me to refer to the city proper as "the District." Though the posts above indicate that it has been in use for years, I suspect that the rise in usage can be attributed not to us small band of locals, but to the ever present new arrivals--especially the younger, hipper ones. Either way, the embrace of the flag and slogans has been a good thing, I think, and I have always felt a tremendous amount of pride for where I am from as do most of the locals I know. To me, DC Brau takes the cake with "Fermentation without Representation." I'm so jealous of that tag line, it kills me.
  19. Nick Freshman
    I've been about a half dozen times, most of them with my 4 yr old since it's close to the house and quick. It's been consistently good. Nothing spectacular, but the bar down there is set very low which allows it to shine. Good food, interesting menu, excellent service and they really spent a lot on the space. There is a steady crowd, but if they opened one in North Arlington, they would crush it.
  20. Nick Freshman
    Forgot to add: kids under 10 eat free as long as they are with a paying grown-up.
  21. Nick Freshman
    I hope that you will join us at some point this summer as we begin to open for dinner service on Sundays. About once a month through the summer we will have a special event on the roof (or in the lounge if we get stormed out). During those events, we will also open the lounge for drinks and dinner featuring our newly expanded lounge menu as well as some specials. On the Sundays we don't have an event, we will open the lounge for service and, weather permitting, the roof. Is that confusing? Maybe. Essentially, starting Sunday, June 5th, you can come to Eventide starting at 4PM and either enjoy the lounge, the roof or one of our featured "Summer Sunday at Eventide" events. The kickoff will be "Bourbon & BBQ," Sunday the 5th at 4PM. Chef Adam will cook up some meats, some great sides, summery desserts and Matt will be offering tastes of a variety of bourbons and as much info on them as you can stand. We'll also have sweet tea, spiked and un-spiked lemonade and some other goodies. All you can eat & the nips of bourbon for $35, alcoholic drinks a la carte. And, no, we don't have any plans to bring back brunch. Sorry. Questions? Let me know.
  22. Nick Freshman
    I hope you all will help us welcome our new Executive Chef, Adam Barnett. Adam is finishing up his tenure as Executive Sous Chef at West End Bistro. Before that, he spent time on the other end of our block at Liberty Tavern and he was also lead butcher and pastry cook at the Inn at Little Washington upon arriving here from his native Ohio. He has been spending time with us the past couple weeks on his days off to acclimate himself to the kitchen, get to know the staff and learn our systems. He starts in earnest next Tuesday. He plans to offer specials daily starting almost immediately. These specials will be the backbone of our new spring menu which we expect to roll out in a few weeks. On a related note, Adam plans to offer our new, expanded Lounge menu on the roof this summer. Rooftop diners will now have access to many more offerings including entrees from the dining room menu. We plan to open the roof the first week in May, weather permitting of course. We are also developing plans for wine and beer dinners in the lounge and dining room as well as special rooftop events (barbecues and such). I hope you'll stay tuned.
  23. Nick Freshman
    This is exactly right, and #3 is an easy scam that costs us real money. To that I would also add that the policy helps us from screwing up and handing the wrong card to someone (how many people have the same blue Wachovia card?). The problem is, we write a lot of our policies for when we have 500 people inside because that is when the lowest common denominator comes out to play. Or should I say, when we turn into "Whitlow's West or Bailey's East." We make rules like that to protect ourselves and our customers, but we also like to make exceptions to them for people we know, and when it is slow--when we like to think that the spirit of the original SK remains. I am surprised that we didn't make an exception for SeanMike, but I can't fault the barstaff for sticking to the rules, even though they are annoying. For what it's worth, we are also the strictest in town with carding people. By that I mean we actually hold to the law instead of breaking it on a regular basis. Some of you may be surprised to know that in Virginia, many IDs that seem perfectly legit are in fact not allowed: foreign passports(makes us look xenophobic on a routine basis), State Department IDs*, Green Cards* and an expired license of any kind. We lose tons of business by being strict, but the alternative is to jeopardize our liquor license. It sucks being yelled at every night and castigated on Yelp, but that's how it goes. Spider Kelly's is indeed not the same place it used to be--the quaint bar that was barely viable financially and poised to be crushed by an out of town monster. That place would now be closed. However, we are still proud of it, and we still have fun here. We're still locally owned and operated in a neighborhood where that is becoming increasingly rare. I'd like to find another owner in town who grew up three miles from the front door and still lives the same distance away. Yes, our onion rings come from a box, we serve almost as much Miller Lite as Nats Park and on the weekends we are invaded by what I will judiciously call "the Clarendon crowd," but we like to think we still maintain some of the spirit of the original. At least as much that can remain when you quadruple your square footage. *Note that these are issued by the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, but they still aren't good enough for Virginia.
  24. Nick Freshman
    Not for right now, but there is a good chance we'll do something on Sunday nights at some point.
  25. Nick Freshman
    Get it while it lasts: Sierra Nevada Hoptimum Imperial IPA I love Sierra, but this one is not for the weak: 100 IBUs & 10+% ABV. All I could get was a 1/6keg, so it won't last long.
×
×
  • Create New...