DanielK Posted November 19, 2005 Share Posted November 19, 2005 Bye bye Blackie's. We won't hardly miss ya... Back when I was an undergrad at GW, this was one of the "destination" restaurants that parents took their little darlings to when they came to visit. I remembered it fondly, until I visited a few years after graduation, when I had gained a greater appreciation for good food. Remember those childhood shows that you remember fondly, until you catch them on Nick at Nite, and the memory is ruined by a godawful piece of dreck? Similar reaction... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crise_de_Foie Posted November 22, 2005 Share Posted November 22, 2005 Agreed. I say good riddance to that crap-heap. Now if we can only do away with LuLu's as well! Bye bye Blackie's. We won't hardly miss ya...Back when I was an undergrad at GW, this was one of the "destination" restaurants that parents took their little darlings to when they came to visit. I remembered it fondly, until I visited a few years after graduation, when I had gained a greater appreciation for good food. Remember those childhood shows that you remember fondly, until you catch them on Nick at Nite, and the memory is ruined by a godawful piece of dreck? Similar reaction... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free Wilma Posted November 22, 2005 Share Posted November 22, 2005 Lulu's is bye-bye too. From the Post article The surprise sale of the Washington landmarks and the nearby Lulu's Club Mardi Gras, follows Auger's death nearly a year ago at age 83. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcs Posted October 9, 2018 Share Posted October 9, 2018 Still available as a postcard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted October 9, 2018 Share Posted October 9, 2018 2 hours ago, dcs said: Still available as a postcard. When Blackie's closed, it was in a hotel on 22nd and M Street (I can picture it; I just can't remember the hotel) - I wonder where this building was. Jan 10, 2012 - "Lulu H. Auger, Blackie's House of Beef Founded, Dies at 87" by Bart Barnes on washingtonpost.com 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveO Posted October 9, 2018 Share Posted October 9, 2018 5 hours ago, DonRocks said: When Blackie's closed, it was in a hotel on 22nd and M Street (I can picture it; I just can't remember the hotel) - I wonder where this building was. Jan 10, 2012 - "Lulu H. Auger, Blackie's House of Beef Founded, Dies at 87" by Bart Barnes on washingtonpost.com I looked at that postcard and was also surprised; a stand alone building with greenery in the background. Hey the photo could be from the 50’s or 60’s before construction sprang up around it. The original Blackie’s as you may recall it circa 70’s or 80’s and thereafter stood under and surrounded by a Marriott. As I recall one of the doormen at the hotel in the mid 80’s was the reserve or 2nd string center at Georgetown playing behind Patrick Ewing. One tall tall dude in a formal doorman outfit: a startling site in its own regard The doorman was Ralph Dalton. And detail on “Blackie’s Marriott" 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcs Posted October 10, 2018 Share Posted October 10, 2018 11 hours ago, DonRocks said: When Blackie's closed, it was in a hotel on 22nd and M Street (I can picture it; I just can't remember the hotel) - I wonder where this building was. A New Year's Swan Song at Blackie's Restaurant, by Annie Gowen, January 1, 2006, washingtonpost.com. Quote Family members of the restaurant's late founder -- Ulysses G. "Blackie" Auger Sr. -- sold the establishment and the Washington Marriott hotel he built above it, as well as nearby Lulu's Club Mardi Gras, in November. They want to focus on hotel development, but described the decision to sell as "gut-wrenching." Quote Blackie Auger, a charismatic and blunt-spoken former Army Ranger, had opened his first restaurant in the neighborhood in 1946. He later moved across the street to the current location, filling the restaurant with antiques and stained glass bought on the cheap from various Washington historic buildings facing the wrecking ball. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TedE Posted October 10, 2018 Share Posted October 10, 2018 4 hours ago, dcs said: filling the restaurant with antiques and stained glass bought on the cheap from various Washington historic buildings facing the wrecking ball. This is funny, because a storefront on 18th St in Adams Morgan recently recycled some of the wrought iron work from Blackie's! I wonder where Auger originally got it? The Google street view isn't up to date, but it's a vintage clothing shop just south of Amsterdam falafel called Mercedes Bien. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kibbee Nayee Posted October 11, 2018 Share Posted October 11, 2018 If my hazy memory serves me, there was a Blackie's outpost in Springfield, and I availed myself often. In the '80s, Blackie's in Springfield and Sir Walter Raleigh on Rt 1 in Alexandria were on the affordable side of my family's beef fix. Throw in Tom Sarris in Rosslyn and you have some wonderful memories of which there are darned few these days.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveO Posted October 11, 2018 Share Posted October 11, 2018 @Kibbee Nayee Being of the same vintage I too visited those places (Blackies Springfield only once). There were a bunch of Sir Walter Raleigh’s around the region. Get a kick out of this review of Sir Walter Raleigh’s from 1983 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kibbee Nayee Posted October 11, 2018 Share Posted October 11, 2018 Just now, DaveO said: @Kibbee Nayee Being of the same vintage I too visited those places (Blackies Springfield only once). There were a bunch of Sir Walter Raleigh’s around the region. Get a kick out of this review of Sir Walter Raleigh’s from 1983 There is a big piece of our dining scene missing these days -- the all-you-can-eat roast beef establishments. I remember 101 Royal, which was behind but attached to the Holiday Inn in Old Town -- now the Virginian. All-you-can-eat roast beef plus salad bar for $15.99. Of course, that was 30 years ago. Tom Sarris, Sir Walter Raleigh, even Blackie's on occasion -- these places don't exist any more. It may be economics, because they certainly exist in Las Vegas. Why don't we have these delicious destinations anymore? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted October 11, 2018 Share Posted October 11, 2018 1 hour ago, Kibbee Nayee said: Tom Sarris, Sir Walter Raleigh, even Blackie's on occasion -- these places don't exist any more. It may be economics, because they certainly exist in Las Vegas. Why don't we have these delicious destinations anymore? Because we have better ones like Afghan Bistro? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonewolfcub Posted October 18, 2018 Share Posted October 18, 2018 On 10/10/2018 at 8:35 PM, Kibbee Nayee said: If my hazy memory serves me, there was a Blackie's outpost in Springfield, and I availed myself often. In the '80s, Blackie's in Springfield and Sir Walter Raleigh on Rt 1 in Alexandria were on the affordable side of my family's beef fix. Throw in Tom Sarris in Rosslyn and you have some wonderful memories of which there are darned few these days.... Not hazy at all. You are 100% accurate. I know because my mom was a server there for many years. I think it was off Commerce St. , across the street from where the Toys R Us was. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kibbee Nayee Posted October 18, 2018 Share Posted October 18, 2018 1 hour ago, lonewolfcub said: Not hazy at all. You are 100% accurate. I know because my mom was a server there for many years. I think it was off Commerce St. , across the street from where the Toys R Us was. That's the one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgottwald Posted October 20, 2018 Share Posted October 20, 2018 Quote The decor at the inns was stamped out of the same colonial cookie cutter: the white frame "house" exterior with the electric candles in the imitation upstairs windows. The dark wood tables and the wainscotting. The pale stucco walls adorned with the collection of old farm implements, or pieces thereof. Stamped out or not, this is a comfortable place. The candlelight gives a soft glow and the carpeting yields relatively soft acoustics. Does anybody use this kind of décor anymore? I haven't seen it in decades. It would be a nice throwback and a welcome change to the 100% hard-surfaced clatter-fest that all the new restaurants are going for. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted October 20, 2018 Share Posted October 20, 2018 6 hours ago, kgottwald said: Does anybody use this kind of décor anymore? I haven't seen it in decades. It would be a nice throwback and a welcome change to the 100% hard-surfaced clatter-fest that all the new restaurants are going for. Occasionally I stumble upon the remnants of a Sir Walter Raleigh Inn, which had similar buildings to Blackie's (the one in Greenbelt held on for awhile). About the only similar place I can think of that's still open is Ristorante Piccolo in Georgetown (note - I'm talking about the building; not the decor). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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