Stoney's Bar and Grill, Logan Circle - Super Grilled Cheese Moves to 14th and P Street, Another Branch at 21st and L Street

[johnb]

According to an ad in this morning's WP Weekend section, Stoney's will finally serve its last on January 14.

They give an email address (stoneysdc@gmail.com) where you can send your email address to eventually receive information on their re-opening somewhere, sometine in 2006.

Last call for delux grilled cheese sandwiches!

[Demetrius]

They have great burgers as well.

[Meaghan]

Daily Candy says bye, too.

[mtwright72]

i was talking to tony (stoney's owner) just last week....stoney's will be closing its doors soon, but he hopes to reopen in a few months at 19th & I. I believe there is a coffee shop in the location now.

[goldenticket]

From yesterday's Sunday Source:

FAREWELL TO STONEY'S -- Friday, 11 a.m.-close. The 37-year-old Washington institution celebrates its final day of operation with an all day-all night fiesta. Stoney's Bar & Grill, 1307 L St. NW. Free. 202-347-9163.

Note the start time is earlier than that listed on Daily Candy...

[AlexC]

Stoney's is dead, long live Stoney's.

They took over the French Bistro (P St between 14th & 15th), papered the windows and are assumedly tarnishing the fixtures, nicking up the bar and adding layers of grime to the caulk in the bathroom as I type...

So, does anyone have any dirt on when the they're gonna open up? I live so close and can't wait to have a seedy straight bar to duck into.

Thanks.

Alex

[Pat]

Last I heard was next Monday, but things have been running a bit behind.

[Mark Slater]

Stoney's is dead, long live Stoney's.

They took over the French Bistro (P St between 14th & 15th), papered the windows and are assumedly tarnishing the fixtures, nicking up the bar and adding layers of grime to the caulk in the bathroom as I type...

So, does anyone have any dirt on when the they're gonna open up? I live so close and can't wait to have a seedy straight bar to duck into.

Thanks.

Alex

Grilled Cheese Sandwich, cup of Chili, onion rings.

WooHoo!

[bonaire]

Looks like we're close to opening day. Walked by (twice) this evening. The paper's down off of the windows and the interior looks finished. Stoney's is green! Tables are set up and the bar seems fully stocked. Although there were people inside, it didn't look open when a young guy tried to open the door.

I think this new location has dive potential. Yes, it's across from Whole Foods, and it's a bit brightly lit now for my taste, but a few good months of spilled beer and built up grease should give it the "charm" it needs.

I'm going by again tomorrow to see if they'll let me in. Will post back!

[Pat]

Looks like we're close to opening day. Walked by (twice) this evening. The paper's down off of the windows and the interior looks finished. Stoney's is green! Tables are set up and the bar seems fully stocked. Although there were people inside, it didn't look open when a young guy tried to open the door.

I think this new location has dive potential. Yes, it's across from Whole Foods, and it's a bit brightly lit now for my taste, but a few good months of spilled beer and built up grease should give it the "charm" it needs.

I'm going by again tomorrow to see if they'll let me in. Will post back!

A few different staff members have told me it's tomorrow, so maybe you'll be in luck.

Edited because I talked to Moe. He said they've been cooking lots of food and are ready to go. He's opening the doors tomorrow at 11 AM (Monday).

[AlexC]

A few different staff members have told me it's tomorrow, so maybe you'll be in luck.

Edited because I talked to Moe. He said they've been cooking lots of food and are ready to go. He's opening the doors tomorrow at 11 AM (Monday).

Awesome! I'll be there in ~ 5 hours.

Alex

[Pat]

Awesome! I'll be there in ~ 5 hours.

Alex

Good, because it turns out they decided to open in the afternoon instead They should be open by now, but maybe give a call and make sure (except I have no idea what the number is).

[AlexC]

Good, because it turns out they decided to open in the afternoon instead They should be open by now, but maybe give a call and make sure (except I have no idea what the number is).

Tonight is the night, according to the very apologetic, hand-lettered sign I read on the locked door last night...

Alex

[rbh]

I walked by - didn't have time to go in - they're open!

[AlexC]

I walked by - didn't have time to go in - they're open!

I scrambled in last night around 7:30 (post-Paradiso, pre-Borat) and enjoyed a draft Red Hook ESB and an $8 burger-and-fries. Though I was several Aventinuses (Aventini?) deep by the time I got to Stoney's, I can report that the burger was a juicy, cooked-to-order medium rare, there were a few cheese options and on a scale of greaseless-to-5 guys, it was appropriately greasy.

Moreover, the place was packed, the staff was excited and, even though the bathrooms were all gleaming porcelain and unchipped tile, it felt like a nice, neighborhood bar, and one I'll certainly return to. Bonaire is right -- they're only a few months of wear-and-tear away from dive bar atmosphere.

Sadly, I did not take note of the specials, the list of beers on tap or anything along those lines... Perhaps someone else can fill in these details?

Alex

[oliveDC]

Can I express how happy I am to be able to walk on a rainy day for lunch at Stoney's and get a bowl of Maryland crab soup and a gooey grilled cheese? Oh so happy.

[TSE]

I'm waiting for the divey-ness to develop. It's not there yet by a long shot, but I'll be going regularly until they're grime enough...

[cgarthwa]

I was wondering if anyone knew what Stoney's happy hour specials were at the new location?

CG.

[Waitman]

I am deeply skeptical that anything in Logan Circle can become a dive these days, barring a massive economic depression that bankrupts a few thousand local residents. The hookers will never hang out at the new Stoney's. Heck, there's hardly any hookers left in that 'hood to hang out there. (Anybody else remember when the Vegas Lounge was a strip bar?). And no smoking after New Year's, so the place will never smell right for a dive.

On the other hand, "neighborhood" bars are as rare and treasured as true dives in DC, and the food is usually better.

Stoney's is dead! Long live Stoney's!

[DameEdna]

I am deeply skeptical that anything in Logan Circle can become a dive these days, barring a massive economic depression that bankrupts a few thousand local residents. The hookers will never hang out at the new Stoney's. Heck, there's hardly any hookers left in that 'hood to hang out there. (Anybody else remember when the Vegas Lounge was a strip bar?). And no smoking after New Year's, so the place will never smell right for a dive.

On the other hand, "neighborhood" bars are as rare and treasured as true dives in DC, and the food is usually better.

Stoney's is dead! Long live Stoney's!

Will not your presense add a little something ,um, special? Not that anyone can imagine that you will be (a long, long time in future) the old fart saying "Fun? You kids don't know anything about having fun. Why, I remember when the mayor showed up with two hookers ..."

[pidgey]

Went to Stoney's tonight for the first time! I was glad that I convinced my husband to come here instead of the Cheesecake Factory.

I had the super grilled cheese, and it was so wonderfully greasy and incredibly rich and very salty. I'm glad I had it, just to say that I did, although I'll probably never eat it again. We also had wet fries, and while we were disappointed that the gravy was not of the cream variety, the brown gravy was perfectly serviceable.

This place isn't a dive, its a faux dive, to paraphrase the Simpsons. Fine with me, though! Its good to have place that's fun with good food to boot.

[oliveDC]

This place isn't a dive, its a faux dive, to paraphrase the Simpsons.

But give it a few months and the grime may start to build - I noticed ketchup splatters on the freshly painted walls beside my table. And I was impressed.

[LoganCircle]

Our two-top ordered entrees from different ends of the menu--the Super Grilled Cheese (cheese, bacon, and onions) for me and the Spinach Salad + Chicken for him. We both left happy, sated, and pleased that a decent, friendly, and affordable place had relocated to the neighborhood.

On a different note, and for reasons completely unrelated to food, I'm interested to see who constitutes Stoney's clientele a few months from now. Let's just say their patrons didn't match Logan's demographics. I wonder if that will change over time.

[Al Dente]

the Super Grilled Cheese (cheese, bacon, and onions)

What do they charge for an SGC?

[LoganCircle]

What do they charge for an SGC?

$7.00, and it comes with fries.

[pidgey]

$7.95 or $8.50, I think, and it comes with fries.

I think it was closer to $7.00. I remember thinking to myself, wow, this is cheap.

[Cooter]

I broke a barstool in there last friday. So, umm, if you don't have a place to sit . . . my bad.

[edenman]

After reading Don's LdMM today, it reminded me that I still hadn't stopped in at Stoney's. I went for a late dinner and a couple beers. The super grilled cheese was good, but not great...the bread was stellar, lightly buttered and lightly toasted, but the bacon was soggy and it didn't really pull together...still good, but lacking. I went with the potato salad over the fries, and it wasn't very good...heavy on the mayo and bland. They have a good number of taps, something around 12, with a few gems (Eggenberg Pils, a few Redhook seasonals, Dogfish 60) but nothing crazy. It hasn't won me over completely, but I can see Stoney's working its way into my rotation, albeit infrequently.

[Pat]

Potato salad at Stoney's? I wonder how long it took them to unscrew the top of the vat and scoop it out!

Ewwww-weeeee!

I think they use Saval

[bonaire]

Went to Stoney's on Thursday night w/ my Dad, who's here for the holidays. My Dad and his friend David were regulars at the old Stoney's -- in fact, they introduced me to the place. Nothing better than a night of hookers/trannies/cops and Secret Service agents, they'd say. For both David and my Dad, this was their first time to the new Stoney's. I can't tell you how many emails went back and forth as they anticipated the date.

Their initial thoughts:

1. They desperately wanted to pour food/beer on the floor to make it like the old place.

2. They liked the new waitstaff (particularly the good-looking girls), although they did ask to be abused a bit more.

3. They miss the potato skins and marveled at the calamari.

We had a long talk with Tony, who seemed pleased about the crowd the new place was commanding. He didn't seem as enthused as my Dad was about dirtying up the place, though.

For my Dad and David, both of who are getting a tad bit "older", they struggled with the noise of the new place. They say they'll be back, but maybe not at peak hours (they used to sit at the old Stoneys for hours and hours and hours, coming home whenever finally kicked out).

I still love the grilled cheese and am always happy to have it. Thrilled they take credit cards now, too.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Stoney's will be open Christmas Day. Thank god -- I won't be stuck at Harry's again getting hammered with the self-professed "mini-burger king of DC".

Happy Holidays to all!

[zzrhino]

I was there a few weeks ago on a biz trip. Also wanted to pour beer on the floor. Was also talked out of it, and of random ketchup splattering, during a nice chat with Tony. A computer POS system? Hmmm. Still, it's better than many...

[DonRocks]

It was a roadhouse somewhere in Pickens County. A few of us were out getting lost on a Saturday night, and we drove past this place with a flashing arrow marquee that said "Piedmont Mudwrestling Championships - Tonight!"

The parking lot was packed with pickup trucks, and inside was a smokey sea of tank-tops, baseball caps, and longneck Buds for 75 cents. There was a portable pit set up in the center of the room, filled with about a foot of mud, and the only women in the place were either hard-looking oldies wrapped in the fat arms of their beer-swilling men, the pinched-looking server behind one of the bars, and a few women sitting off to the side in bikinis.

Once the competition started, the noise of the crowd drowned out the jukebox. People gathered around the pit, hooting and hollering, while the bikini-clad mamas were going at it, grabbing each other, pulling hair, screaming, and throwing each other in the mud, the whole time to raucous shouts and cheers by the spectators closing in on the action.

Two of the contestants stood out above all the others. I don't remember their names, but I can't forget the towns they were from: One was from Cowpens; the other from Ninety Six. They tore their competition apart for two straight hours, and inevitably, they met each other in the final round.

We had quite a few longnecks by the time the finals came around, and my buddies and I watched these two going at it in awe. I remember turning to one and saying:

"You know, people joke about this shit, but these two really are good athletes!"

"No kidding. I wouldn't want to go up against them."

"I'm telling you, I just saw this Greco-Roman stuff on TV in the olympics - in their own way, these two are every bit as good as those guys are!"

"Yeah!"

And so it was for the rest of the night. We left convinced that these were two world-class athletes, and even the next morning I was going around telling my friends, "You've got to go see this to believe it. They're amazing!"

When I look back across the years, I smile at that night, a night where a few young college kids fooled themselves into thinking they had witnessed something important. But now I know that, at the end of the day, all we had seen were a couple of mud wrestlers, grunting, sweating, and battling it out for a twenty-dollar prize in front of a bunch of yelling, screaming, undiscerning, drunken fools.

Grilled Ham and Cheese, $7.95. Super Grilled Cheese, $7.50.

Cheers,

Rocks.

[Al Dente]

Interesting True Fact of the day:

Rachel Ray was a professional mud wrestler before being discovered by Food Network execs.

[dcs]

I was impressed by the calamari that was perfectly cooked (more the texture of shrimp than of rubber). A few Stone IPAs. A fine way to escape the pre-inauguration crowds. Also - the brunch menu is being served all day every day through Tuesday. Who doesn't like breakfast at 2am?

[Pat]

I was impressed by the calamari that was perfectly cooked (more the texture of shrimp than of rubber).

I like the sauce they serve with them. (I presume it's the same sauce they serve with the calamari at Tunnicliff's. I think they served it at Stoney's first.)

[cheezepowder]

On Sunday, I ended up at Stoney's so I had to finally try the famous grilled cheese sandwich. The bread was very "buttery" (I don't know if it was actually butter) and well-toasted with a thick layer of melty oozy American cheese (looked like 3 slices). The accompanying fries were not crispy and not very good.

Looking back at this thread, I noticed the change in prices. Over six years ago, the super grilled cheese (grilled cheese served with tomato, bacon, onions and fries) cost:

What do they charge for an SGC?

$7.00, and it comes with fries.

....

Grilled Ham and Cheese, $7.95. Super Grilled Cheese, $7.50.

The super grilled cheese is currently $9.95, the grilled ham and cheese is $8.95, and the grilled cheese is $7.50 (menu w/prices, which seems current from what I can recall). Six years is a long time, and prices have gone up everywhere so it's not surprising. I just thought it was interesting.

[MTPeter]

What's going on at Stoney's these days? I haven't been in a while but usually have a good experience - good staff, great grilled cheese. I stopped in for b/lunch on Saturday and it was a total disaster , service was miserable and the food terrible. When your friend has to send an omelet back because it isn't cooked, you know you are in trouble. I had the super grilled cheese which had one half-melted piece of cheese, unripe tomatoes, and the "butter" or whatever they cook the bread in was pretty funky - tasted like sure-fine margarine (you know that chemically spread taste).

I don't like to post negative things but I am really puzzled- it seems to have gone way down hill. Has there been a change in management or ownership? Every other spot on P was packed for brunch, Stoney's was pretty dead - so I guess the word is out?

Bummed!

[RWBooneJr]

There are signs up that "Stoney's on L" is hiring in the old LiteStars space between 21st and 22nd (next to Brugger's and Bourbon Coffee).  More here.

[cheezepowder]

Meant to update this thread when I updated the Restaurant Openings list -- Stoney's on L opened on 12/17/13.

[Pat]

My husband and I were hungry after a meeting with a  contractor on 14th Street today.  Even though there were fancier and newer places--lots of sushi--nearby, I wanted to walk up and around the corner to Stoney's.  I just felt a need for an eating place that would be like a snuggie and warm socks.  It was perfect, even if the food was just adequate. I had nachos, which had processed cheese and pulled pork that was just a little too sweet. My husband had a steak-and-cheese and fries.  We left refueled and ready to move on. I'm glad there are still places like this left. (Our waitress seemed familiar to me, and I'm not sure if that's because I remember her from somewhere else or that everybody who works in a place like Stoney's seems like someone you know from somewhere.)