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Is -> Was


DonRocks

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Yes! This is before my time - and, it's as good a moment as any to remember Gerard Pain. This is now Ardeo + Bardeo (and btw, I think Ashok owns the building). Pain bought the French bistro Pouget in 1971, and renamed it L'Escargot which he owned before opening La Chaumière in 1976. Now, if I could only figure out the history of Pouget.

Following in the footsteps of Oldest Restaurants In The Area and Auld Lang Cuisine:

If any history student at a DC area college wants to do a research paper on this, I'll give you control of this thread. It would be fascinating, useful, and meaningfully historic. May as well use this as your home base because you've got oodles of resources and people that will help. We could put in old photos and everything. Write me.

Downtown (Farragut West)

800 Connecticut Ave. The Oval Room (?-) -> Auberge Franí§ois (Original L'Auberge Chez Franí§ois ?-?)

Georgetown

1303 Wisconsin Ave. Paolo's (1993-) -> Stoupsy's Cafe (?-?) -> Little Tavern (?-Late80s)

2917 M St. Unum (Early 2012-) -> Mendocino Grille (Pre2005-02/2011) -> Gepetto  (?-?)

3333 M St. Sweetgreen (Original Location 2007-) -> Little Tavern (?-?)

Cleveland Park

3309 Connecticut Ave. Ardeo + Bardeo (?-Present) -> L'Escargot (1971-1976) -> Pouget (?-1971)

811

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Adams Morgan

1762 Columbia Rd. Super Tacos & Bakery (Spring 2008-Present) -> Tacos Pepitos II (Before July 2006 - Spring 2008)

Ballston

4301 N. Fairfax Dr. Willow (?-Present) -> Gaffney's (?-?) -> Bistro Bistro (?-?), Schlotzki's (?-?)

North Arlington

5731 Lee Hwy. Asian Kitchen (07/2010) -> Tap & Vine (10/2008-02/2010) -> Milan (11/2007-08/2008) -> Charley Horse Grill, (Owned by Cowboy Cafe ?-10/2007) -> Pho Vietnam 75 (?-?) -> Pizza Hut (?-?)

5900 Washington Blvd. Lebanese Taverna (1979-Present) -> Athenian Taverna (?-1979)

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North Bethesda (North of Bethesda Metro)

4936 Fairmont Ave. - Relic Restaurant & Lounge (03/2009-11/2013) -> Yin Yankee (05/02/2007-09/2007) -> Fairmont Bar & Dining (?-?) -> El Torito Mexican Grill (?-?) -> Bistro Asiatique (?-?)

South Rockville (Between White Flint and Route 28)

12256 Rockville Pike - Chef Geoff's (09/12/2012-12/31/2015) -> Againn (06/2010-05/2011) -> Houston's (1980s?/1992-12/21/2009)

Downtown Silver Spring (Silver Spring Metro, AFI Theater)

8624 Colesville Rd. Kitchen Thai (formerly Zensai Sushi, 11/2013 - 08/2015) -> Stage Burger Lounge (03/2012 - 08/2013) -> Sabroso Grill (09/2008 - 02/2012)

8113 Georgia Ave. Pacci's (04/30/2010-), Polonez (?-?)

Wheaton

2404 University Blvd. W BeClaws (09/24/15-) -> Dusit (?-11/2012)

Resources:

"Culinary Historians of Washington" on chowdc.org

"History in Prince George's County, Maryland" on history.pgparks.com

"Not So Long Ago: Wisconsin and N" on georgetownmetropolitan.com

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I would have sworn that L'Escargot was in the space later occupied by the original incarnation of Lavandou, that is, before Lavandou expanded into the barber shop that used to be next door. But it appears I would have been wrong. What preceded the original Lavandou in its space? (And remember when Lavandou was a really good restaurant? Remember the bouillabaisse de morue?)

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Colvin Run Tavern actually became Chef Geoff's - Equinox is nearby.

This reminds me: Once upon a time, I started a thread that listed, by address, the various restaurants that have occupied the space over the years. For example: 8045 Leesburg Pike, Vienna: Primi Piatti -> Colvin Run Tavern -> Chef Geoff's.

I never did much with it, but now I don't even know where it is. Does anyone remember this? Does anyone have any idea where it might be? It's a nice idea (oh, I have lots of those); but developing and maintaining *just this one thread* would be a 40 hour a week job. I was hoping a local history buff might take it and run with it.

Is this thread [merged] what you were remembering?

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I remember Escargot as it was down the block from Roma, the Italian restaurant that had all of the animal heads that the owner supposedly shot on safari (and, hopefully, not served).  To me it was what I call a "little old lady restaurant," one that elderly retirees went to on their night out.  I saw one take the remains of her dinner and shovel it into a plastic bag that she had stowed in her purse.

By the way, one restaurant I miss is the original Chez Francois which was located where The Oval Room is now, on that little spur of Connecticut Avenue between Lafayette and Farragut Squares.

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Interestingly enough and quite timely ... I learned this week that there is a group called the Culinary Historians of Washington.

http://www.chowdc.org/

Not focused on the history of food in DC, but I'll bet they know as much about that subject as anyone else.

I met a couple of their members at the Riverdale House Museum.  The Kitchen Guild demonstrates open harth cooking while in period costumes.

http://history.pgparks.com/sites_and_museums/Riversdale_House_Museum/Kitchen_Guild_and_Interpretative_Gardens.htm?

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The Roma Restaurant was at 3419 Connecticut.  Coppi's was further down...near Club Soda (downstairs) where the Greaseband used to play.

The 3419 Connecticut Ave address is now the Nam Viet restaurant. 

Pretty sure that Roma was at 3411 Connecticut, because when you cut through the Firehook bakery that's there now, from the alley, you pass through the old Roma patio.  Also -- and I could be mistaken -- I'm pretty sure that Nam Viet and Roma coexisted for a while.

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Pretty sure that Roma was at 3411 Connecticut, because when you cut through the Firehook bakery that's there now, from the alley, you pass through the old Roma patio.  Also -- and I could be mistaken -- I'm pretty sure that Nam Viet and Roma coexisted for a while. 

Yeah, there seems to be some confusion online over the addresses.  If you plug in 3419 Connecticut Avenue you find multiple references to this being the old address for Roma.  But on the other hand several references to Firehook's back patio claims it was formerly the patio for Roma.  Looking at the patio it would make sense it was the Roma patio.

Nam Viet is definitely at 3419 Connecticut.

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This must be the case. There is a old fireman call box at the south end of the CP access road that is now a historic marker with details about Roma and it lists the address as 3419.

I suspect there's a "Hall Of Records" (sorry, been watching too much Twilight Zone lately) with these details. Somewhere.

BTW, thank you to Drive-By Critic for her post (#3 in this thread) - The Culinary Historians of Washington (dues: $25 annually) will soon have their newest member.

I don't belong to any groups or associations, except for one gratis membership to some culinary association up in New York (what's it called again?) :); this will be my first - figured it was time to crawl out of my cave.

BTW, no post here will be wasted (assuming I have the infinite lifespan I delude myself into believing I have) - I'll get around to creating a list like I do for the Oldest Restaurants (that's a thread I've always been proud of because I think it's genuinely important).

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