Dean & Deluca, Georgetown - Sold in Nov, 2014 for $180 Million to a Thai Development Company - Closed

[StephenB]

As we all know, Dean & Deluca is pricey on groceries. In the seafood department today, I spotted a batch of supersized topneck clams with a sign that I thought said $40. Is that for a pound or a dozen, I wondered. That would be in keeping with the preposterousness of some other items there. But the counterman let me know that I'd missed the decimal point -- they were going for 40¢ apiece! I said that was great but I am not a shucker, and value my digital appendages. A supervisor happened by and said that he would shuck them for me, preserve the liquid, pack them in ice, etc., etc., except that the shucking knife he'd ordered hadn't yet arrived. A friend with whom I was shopping said Let's take them to your place and steam them open. I said How many do you have? He said 17. I said I'll take them all. In the end, he packed 14, rejecting 3 as unworthy. Price: $5.60. They peeped open after about 20 minutes of fumes and I thumb-wrestled them apart without misadventure. They went down very easily with a squirt of lime juice. Tasty, meaty and still cool despite their steambath. What a deal!

[Lola007]

As I wasn't stuffed by the "Taste of Georgetown" event yesterday and had a couple of errands to do in the area, I ended up at Dean & Deluca to get my proscuitto di parma fix and pick up some olives. I got some of my absolute favorite olives--black cerignolas and also one of my new favorites, some amazing lemon-soaked green Sevillana olives. And since I was there, I checked out the wine section. They really do have a wonderful selection of California and Oregon wines. I was in the mood for Pinot Noir, and Chris of D&D's wine department helped me choose a slightly spicy 2006 Pinot from Daedalus Cellars (Willamette Valley, Oregon). I'm enjoying a glass now.

[kmm]

I am not sure where to post this...

I had an opportunity to pick up something for months but when I finally remembered to do it was sold out just an hour before arriving. Had I even mentioned it I would have it and not feel stressed. The person behind the counter suggested, "If you go to Dean and Deluca and see Will, he would be your best bet".

I resisted going into Georgetown and tried everywhere else first with no luck. After getting Will's attention who was being pulled in so many directions by staff and customers and has been all week and will not stop until Friday at some point from a work perspective. I told him why I was there and who suggested I seek him out for what I needed. Unfortunately he was sold out too, but he reached into the display "asking me to just bring it back".

I have never met him and the last time I was in the shop was Thanksgiving several years ago. I did not even buy the item that it's used for from him. The communication took less than a few minutes while he was still multi-tasking.

Thanks Will! I will bring it back.

[DonRocks]

Closed due to vermin.

(I don't think this is a big deal; I just think the name "vermin" is underused and funny sounding.)

[bookluvingbabe]

Given how much construction is going on next door, I'm not surprised critters are moving around and finding new homes.

[Tweaked]

Certainly buying produce at Dean & DeLuca isn't the main draw, but they do have a produce section...anyhoo, Sunday afternoon and wow they had some shockingly poor looking fruit and vegetables, wilted, bruised, just tired looking. Laughably bad. And two to three times more expensive than what is offered at my local Giant in Van Ness.

[Barbara]

Certainly buying produce at Dean & DeLuca isn't the main draw, but they do have a produce section...anyhoo, Sunday afternoon and wow they had some shockingly poor looking fruit and vegetables, wilted, bruised, just tired looking. Laughably bad. And two to three times more expensive than what is offered at my local Giant in Van Ness.

It has more years than I can remember since the last time I was in there. After being sold frozen squab that turned out to be rotten when it thawed and charging twice what Whole Paycheck did for Callebaut chocolate, I decided they really didn't want my business.

[darkstar965]

It has more years than I can remember since the last time I was in there. After being sold frozen squab that turned out to be rotten when it thawed and charging twice what Whole Paycheck did for Callebaut chocolate, I decided they really didn't want my business.

It's sad what's happened to this company which was something special in the 80s when still controlled by its namesake founders.  Very famiiar story with a few wrinkles.  Founders retired and sold to someone (founder of the Lone Star Steakhouse chain) with a probably lower quality bar.  Visions of grandeur ensue complete with venture capitalists (Hummer Winblad), industry hires (from Starbucks), reckless expansion and contraction (remember Philly?) and a planned IPO (which was pulled in 2001 and never happened). Suffice to say, the online and offline markets for specialty/gourmet food passed D&D by years ago.  Why buy produce here when we have so many great farmers' markets now? Why buy mustard, vinegar and oils with shops like Arrowwine?  Why go here for meats with Stachowski just a few blocks away? And, so on through all the categories.  That said, in the middle of Georgetown it does snag many Hoyas and tourists like a large drift net; the kind that are increasingly banned in the name of sustainable seafood.

[DonRocks]

Remember John Pearson of Flint Hill Public House? John is now in charge of wine, cheese, and charcuterie at the Georgetown branch of Dean & Deluca (note the big news regarding the change of ownership in the title).

You can write John on this website (PM member rappahannock) and ask him about various wine, cheese, and charcuterie sales and events at the Georgetown Dean & DeLuca - I'm happy he's back after a brief hiatus, and that he's with such a fine company (undergoing massive expansion in Europe, by the way).

So congratulations to John, and also to Dean & DeLuca.

[Ericandblueboy]

G'town location closing according to Eater.

[DonRocks]

6 hours ago, Ericandblueboy said:

G'town location closing according to Eater.

This was one heck of a good store when it first opened - it had the best cheese selection in the DC area, bar none.