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bschulman

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  1. bschulman
    The law was revised effective 1/29/14 to allow for generic Happy Hour & Drink Special times advertised outside the restaurant (social etc), but not specific prices or specific drinks. So, not much help to customers on what they can get when they come.
  2. bschulman
    May have some good news for you soon Ali
  3. bschulman
    Thanks Brian! It means a great deal. Our team works hard every day to put forth great food and service for each customer visit. As everyone on this board knows, especially the operators - it's not easy!! We always appreciate the feedback on this forum, positive or negative. It keeps us informed of how we are doing in our efforts.
  4. bschulman
    Hey Don, We only have Happy Hour at our full service Cava Mezze locations. Arlington County does not allow specific drink specials advertised on social media, websites or exterior signage. Only inside the restaurants. Hope that helps! Best, Brett
  5. bschulman
    Hey Don - always read the board! Personally and professionally a great source of restaurant knowledge. Thanks everyone for the feedback and location suggestions - helpful and appreciated.
  6. bschulman
    Hey All - Thanks for the kind comments and support. Me and the guys all grew up in Montgomery County, so really proud to be part of the burgeoning culinary community in DC. We will be opening in Westwood near UCLA and the new Village at Topanga project near Woodland Hills/Canoga Park. We'll be looking at other neighborhoods so if anyone has friends or family in LA, feel free to throw suggestions!
  7. bschulman
    Tenleytown is looking like the last week in September. Have a few new things in store there!
  8. bschulman
    Hoping to open by November 1st. Really looking forward to this location with a great line-up of neighbors. Edens has put a lot of thought and effort to make the Mosaic project a success and one residents will enjoy.
  9. bschulman
    http://eastshawdc.blogspot.com/2012/03/container-store-proposed-for-u-street.html
  10. bschulman
    Greatly appreciate all the feedback above. Bethesda is a bit of our test lab for this new format of our food. We will continue to test and work on a braised lamb product in the future that will work with our menu both from a price and consistency standpoint. In addition to product quality concerns, we really felt we couldn't raise the braised lamb price much more, which would have been necessary. We want this format to be a value proposition for time, health, and budget conscious customers. When a Lamb bowl begins to exceed the $10 mark, we lose that proposition. Our sliders are a top item at all three full service restaurants and are always requested at the grill. Given their popularity, more palatable cost of goods, and ability to execute, they were a natural fit. The braised beef will replace the Loukaniko. Chef Dimitri will continue to test new items that may be introduced on a regular or seasonal basis. We want to continue to evolve Cava Grill and optimize our offerings to meet our customer's needs and make sure we are serving the best, most consistent product possible. ...and darkstar, we have been working on salad dressing variations all the time and your old favorite should be reappearing. Thanks again for the feedback as it really helps us perfect this new format.
  11. bschulman
    We are targeting a June opening. Lots of work to do to the building as we wanted to strip it back to its brick roots, remove the existing facade and clean it out. Given the larger space, we will have more "family friendly" seating and less high-top communal seating as we do in Bethesda. A few new cool evolutions in store as well. A few notes on our menu - As much as we liked the lamb preparation, given a number of issues including consistency and price, we have just rolled out our new preparation that is the same one we use for our lamb sliders that are popular at the full service restaurants. Ground lamb with harissa and cilantro. You will receive four small patties to add to your pita, bowl, salad or minis (and we were able to reduce the customer price). In addition, we will be rolling out a braised beef next week akin to our Kokkonisto we serve at the full service outlets. Thanks for the continued feedback!
  12. bschulman
    Andrew cooked our rehearsal dinner for our wedding years ago at The Inn at Easton. We also stayed there our wedding night. BBQ was always his hobby and I'm glad he has pursued it. He is a great guy and I hope he continues his success. While we miss our Inn at Easton meals, I am thrilled to enjoy his skills on one of my favorite foods - BBQ. Andrew actually had a great Thai restaurant for a brief period before changing the space to the more Easton friendly genre of BBQ. I am headed over there tonight to enjoy some St. Louis ribs wet and chopped brisket. If you are anywhere near Easton, do yourself a favor and take a visit. FYI - he also has a BBQ truck at the Queenstown outlets open Thur - Mon. Edit - just an update from dinner last night: The St Louis ribs were outstanding as usual. Had the "redneck nachos" (chose smoked chicken topping) which were a nice change of pace with a jalapeño cream sauce on top of good, fresh, thick, crunchy chips. Chopped beef brisket was nice and moist while my wife (who tends to like salads over meats) very much enjoyed her Beef & Blues Brisket salad with crisp iceberg and tangy blue cheese. We also added the chicken wings with competition rub, Plump wings with a really nice subtle smoked flavor. The kids were satisfied with mac n' cheese, cornbread and baked beans.
  13. bschulman
    What's so funny Rocks?
  14. bschulman
    Thanks! Looking forward to being a part of the neighborhood.
  15. bschulman
    The site is next to Restaurant 3 as you are walking towards LPQ. It is currently under construction and expected to open by early May.
  16. bschulman
    darkstar, We can't thank you enough for that kind post. I look forward to sharing this with our staff at our meeting in the am. It is rewarding to see our efforts successful and appreciated. The guys founded the full service restaurants on the belief of treating customers with respect and kindness, as if guests in their own home. When we first met, I was struck at the family atmosphere of the employees whether in the kitchen or front of house. We have tried to bring this quality to the fast casual format. Our crew is top notch. They have taken to our vision for the Grill and have been willing partners in our endeavor. Our food and format, while gaining popularity, is still foreign to many. We have made a concerted effort to educate our customers, whether it be the food, the decision tree, or the disposal area. Not only is our format foreign to customers, but it was foreign to us before launching the Grill. As stated earlier, we are determined to continually improve and hone our processes to serve the best product possible in the best atmosphere. The "change" in recipe of the ground sirloin was actually perfecting our kitchen crew in mixing and cooking the sirloin. Much like our bumps in the road with our lamb, process is key to success. I will say that the "dry" rough patch the lamb experienced has passed and has been juicy the past week. This is our most temperamental protein and we must maintain our prep and process for this to be successful..... all of which is not possible without the valuable feedback of our customers and places like this board. A few other notes - I feel like a craiglist "missed connections" entry with you at the Grill. Say hello next time you are in and I should be there, especially in the daytime. - Get on Foursquare! You would be challenging for the mayor - free chips & dip (and we will have some other rewards for frequent check ins). Thanks again and look forward to seeing you at the Grill soon.
  17. bschulman
    Darkstar, Thank you for the return visit and the feedback. It is great to hear your comments on our crew as this has been a point of emphasis. Although the setting is more "commercialized" in terms of service, we don't want to lose our roots and that neighborhood feel of our full service restaurants. The service format is a new one to us and we are constantly refining to find the right balance for a voluminous, fast paced setting. Our initial goal was to go lighter on the meat marinades/seasonings and let the dips/spreads strengthen the flavor profile. Having said that, there is a fine line between light and bland and we continue to garner feedback and work to find balance and consistency. We also want to ensure that the flavor profiles do not become too polarizing given the wide net we are looking to cast in terms of customer appeal. Our hope is that a customer can try out the various options and find their "go-to" combination (or two....or three ) that can become a reliable lunch or on-the-go quality dinner option. Again, thanks for the feedback as we develop the Grills.
  18. bschulman
    That is Ike's (one of our Founders) dad bringing back the place he owned for years (while Ike was growing up) before selling it (the Rockville franchise location). Ike is helping him bring it back to Rockville. Old School.
  19. bschulman
    darkstar965, Thank you for your visit and comments. Our hummus, eggplant dip, and tzatziki are certainly our milder spreads, but I have never heard the adjective bland associated with our spicy Harissa. Feel free to ask for a greater application of the spread from our crew if the typical amount does not suffice. I would also recommend our Crazy Feta spread, a combination of sauteed jalapenos, red onions, olive oil, and feta. It has a nice kick to it. On the meat side, in addition to the lamb, I would suggest giving the Loukaniko a try as well. It has a much bolder flavor profile than our ground sirloin. Look forward to seeing you at the Grill. Best, Brett
  20. bschulman
    Rocks, We braise the lamb fresh every day for about 3-4 hours in batches (on the stove top in a pot with bay leaves, onions etc) to soften the meat. If we straight grill the leg of lamb, it can sometimes come out a bit "tough" if not completely trimmed (and we like to keep some fat on it for flavor). We then finish on the grill and chop it right off the grill onto the line. Dimtiri wanted to keep some of the souvlaki elements the guys grew up on, hence the grill step at the end as opposed to a straight, long braise (like some of the dishes at our full service restaurants). We tested a number of preparations in this service format and found this combination to give the best results in consistency of flavor and juiciness. Best, Brett
  21. bschulman
    jandres374 & DiningInFrederick, thanks for stopping in and trying out our new Cava Grill. Our minis are more a "knife & fork" version or you can finish off what falls into the basket with a fork. We have been working on them to be more "user friendly". Our crew sometimes is a bit generous with the toppings which can make for a difficult grab from the basket. We have looked at a few other vehicles to serve them in (two larger, folded pitas), but are trying to maintain a format where a customer can get a sample of a few different combinations. We will continue to work to improve and tighten the presentation. Our rice is primarily intended for our rice bowls, but we do like to offer as an option for your pita. I have to say, after eating my go-to of Crazy Feta, Lamb, and cabbage salad Pita for a number of days, I added rice to the combo and have been including it ever since. I think it can be a nice addition to a pita depending on the other fillings. Our sausage is an all natural pork with leeks, fennel seeds, orange zest, and red wine vinegar. It is from one of our founders' family recipe. We also have our lamb that we braise, then finish off on the grill. It is chopped into chunks and the composition breaks down partially into shreds once on the line. We source all of our meats hormone & antibiotic free. We prep our produce daily and as you noted, tomatoes are unfortunately out of season. We hope you will find them bright with color come August. Again, thanks for the visit and the feedback. Feel free to say hello on your next visit. Best, Brett
  22. bschulman
    Fantastic idea. Financial, spreadsheet modeling, business strategy and lease negotiation advice etc are invaluable to a new entrepreneur. As mentioned, it is sad to see any business fail. Especially to those who have been through the trials and tribulations of creating one. A diverse panel comprised of members with culinary strengths and those with business/financial acumen would be a tremendous asset to the small business restaurant community in this area.
  23. bschulman
    That is some good bread and makes a mean french toast! Happy Thanksgiving.
  24. bschulman
    Hello all, I am working with the guys from Cava on a new fast casual concept. Our first location will open at the end of the year in Bethesda. I have enjoyed lurking and reading the main message board for a while, taking advantage of all the discussion when heading out to dinner with my wife or taking our little girls along with us. We now get to enjoy Rocks' dining guide! Best, Brett
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