Isabella Eatery, Mike Isabella Lends his Name to a 41,000-Square-Foot Eatery at Tysons Galleria - Closed

[pras]

Mike Isabella about to embark on his most ambitious project yet.  (credit Washington Post)

[Bart]

More details from City Paper.

 

[lion]

I wonder how the execution of this, a single restaurateur with multiple restaurants, will compare to Anthony Bourdain's Food Market.

[DonRocks]

I wonder how the execution of this, a single restaurateur with multiple restaurants, will compare to Anthony Bourdain's Food Market.

Do you think either one of them care?

[Waitman]

I can't help but assume that, with this step, the Isabella empire will descend (opinions vary, but I find Kapnos quite good, and he did Sous at Zatinya) into the sort of shopping mall mediocrity that seems to have consumed Bryan Voltaggio's Range, about which nothing now is ever heard.  

[DaveO]

Had a couple of reactions:

1.  Struck me as more business news than fine dining news so I looked at the Washington Business Journal article

2.  41,000 feet...lots of different entities.   Boy that is a big effort and ballsy, risky, imho.

3.  Malls are expensive and the Post article references lots of small plate foods.   If that doesn't suggest that small plate presentations are the epitome of high mark ups than I don't know what does.

4.  Its a big effort and big risk plus lots of work to implement for Isabella and team.  If it works (commercially) more power to him and his team.  Its actually a great experiment for the mall and owners. Its 40,000 feet in an 800,000 foot mall, for an ownership group that has an inventory of over 100 million feet of retail/mall space.  If it works here, they'll replicate it elsewhere.

5.  ....and back to the food.  Lots of stalls with lots of food in heated chafing dishes, doled out at lunch....(plus sit down).  It just reads as far more businessy than foody to me.

But Good luck

[monkeyrotica]

So his grilled meats & Mediterranean place will be "very woman-centric, sexy and fun." So smaller portions, lots of salads, and purse hangars under the bar?

[DonRocks]

Had a couple of reactions:

1.  Struck me as more business news than fine dining news so I looked at the Washington Business Journal article

2.  41,000 feet...lots of different entities.   Boy that is a big effort and ballsy, risky, imho.

3.  Malls are expensive and the Post article references lots of small plate foods.   If that doesn't suggest that small plate presentations are the epitome of high mark ups than I don't know what does.

4.  Its a big effort and big risk plus lots of work to implement for Isabella and team.  If it works (commercially) more power to him and his team.  Its actually a great experiment for the mall and owners. Its 40,000 feet in an 800,000 foot mall, for an ownership group that has an inventory of over 100 million feet of retail/mall space.  If it works here, they'll replicate it elsewhere.

5.  ....and back to the food.  Lots of stalls with lots of food in heated chafing dishes, doled out at lunch....(plus sit down).  It just reads as far more businessy than foody to me.

But Good luck

I completely agree with you, but want to point out that I doubt Mike himself has much (if any) equity in this project. So I don't consider it "risky" so much as a reasonable business plan for General Growth Properties (I had always thought the Lerners owned the mall until just now).

[pras]

I completely agree with you, but want to point out that I doubt Mike himself has much (if any) equity in this project. So I don't consider it "risky" so much as a reasonable business plan for General Growth Properties (I had always thought the Lerners owned the mall until just now).

The Lerners developed it, but sold it years ago.

[MsDiPesto]

My impression of the Galleria is that it is not meant for drones like me, but rather for people who departed their home countries silently and quickly with lots of cash stuffed in suitcases.

[ktmoomau]

I very much thought of Range when I heard this.  Large space, lots of different parts to manage, in a mall, I wish him luck, but I think it's a very hard task ahead of him.  It will be interesting, especially with Lebanese Taverna and Legal Seafoods already in that space and having been for some time.

[DonRocks]

My impression of the Galleria is that it is not meant for drones like me, but rather for people who departed their home countries silently and quickly with lots of cash stuffed in suitcases.

Fellato and Putana? (Or their parents?)

[Kibbee Nayee]

I walked that space today, and I looked around. This is the Galleria, where the typical person walking around is the wife of a tech exec, wielding his platinum card, and the local office staff who think Starbucks is good coffee. I'm not sure why this concept will be a success here.

[weezy]

If it is a success, it will be because of the food court aspect, is my thought.  There really isn't much in the way of a quick bite for office workers and mall workers on their meal breaks, and some of the uber-shoppers want just a snack while they shop and not a sit-down big-menu restaurant meal.  Also with the Silver Line running, the hope is that there will be mall-crawl folks from DC and Arlington coming out to the high-end mall to look around or buy one particular high-priced item and not drop much cash anywhere else.

[Bart]

I walked that space today, and I looked around. This is the Galleria, where the typical person walking around is the wife of a tech exec, wielding his platinum card, and the local office staff who think Starbucks is good coffee. I'm not sure why this concept will be a success here.

I don't understand your last line.

Why won't those tech wives eat at one of these places?  To me it seems like those folks would be more likely to eat at "trendy, hip, DC spot" as opposed to just another chain like Chik-fil-A

[farmer john]

They are also probably banking on the large amount of residential development at Tysons bringing in a dinner crowd from the "neighborhood".

[DPop]

My (not-so-bold) prediction for this little venture; it starts off with fanfare and pretty good food, although plenty of service and other glitches.  Isabella is there to show face initially, shake hands, etc, and is never seen at the place after month 1 of operation.  The food steadily declines for the next year, after which time the parties involve "mutually agree" to remove Mike's name from the venture, which won't matter because the damage to his reputation will have been done (see "Todd Gray's Watershed" for proof point). Another uneventful year or two goes by with the occasional horror story about crummy food and worse service until the space closes altogether and gets repurposed into something else.

I'll be back in 2018 to check on this and will be shocked if 80% of what I wrote above did not come true.

[Bob Wells]

My (not-so-bold) prediction for this little venture; it starts off with fanfare and pretty good food, although plenty of service and other glitches.  Isabella is there to show face initially, shake hands, etc, and is never seen at the place after month 1 of operation.  The food steadily declines for the next year, after which time the parties involve "mutually agree" to remove Mike's name from the venture, which won't matter because the damage to his reputation will have been done (see "Todd Gray's Watershed" for proof point). Another uneventful year or two goes by with the occasional horror story about crummy food and worse service until the space closes altogether and gets repurposed into something else.

I'll be back in 2018 to check on this and will be shocked if 80% of what I wrote above did not come true.

Sounds like the life cycle of the Iron Chef Morimoto-affiliated restaurant at Tysons.

[DonRocks]

My (not-so-bold) prediction for this little venture; it starts off with fanfare and pretty good food, although plenty of service and other glitches.  Isabella is there to show face initially, shake hands, etc, and is never seen at the place after month 1 of operation.  The food steadily declines for the next year, after which time the parties involve "mutually agree" to remove Mike's name from the venture, which won't matter because the damage to his reputation will have been done (see "Todd Gray's Watershed" for proof point). Another uneventful year or two goes by with the occasional horror story about crummy food and worse service until the space closes altogether and gets repurposed into something else.

I'll be back in 2018 to check on this and will be shocked if 80% of what I wrote above did not come true.

I can envision everything you say, except that I don't think Mike's reputation will be damaged no matter what happens - my guess (and it's only a guess) is that he's going for max publicity, good or bad, and all publicity is useful publicity. Bandolero didn't hurt him, and I don't think Watershed hurt Todd Gray any more than Market Salamander did. I've been to every one of Mike's restaurants (except for whatever he's doing at Nationals Park), including the Richmond Graffiato, and the only one I think is newsworthy is Yona, and that's because of Jonah Kim. I don't mean to sound condescending, but the media pulled the wool over everyone's eyes with the original Graffiato, and that's what started everything (aside from Top Chef, that is). Business-wise, my guess is that Mike has parlayed his Top Chef loss as well as anyone in history. It's funny, I don't even know what the man sounds like: I've never heard him speak.

All that said, I think your post is very insightful, and could quite possibly come to pass.

[reedm]

My impression of the Galleria is that it is not meant for drones like me, but rather for people who departed their home countries silently and quickly with lots of cash stuffed in suitcases.

And as someone else mentioned, there is relatively little foot traffic in this mall. The place caters to the very wealthy; Nieman Marcus, Saks, Tumi, Omega, and even a RItz Carlton.

My wife works for a well-know a retail kitchen kitchen company which has stores in Galleria and Corner. The Corner store is magnitudes busier. (As is the Starbucks, btw)

I haven't been to America Eats Tavern in some time, but I haven't read anything that indicates it is a destination restaurant. I like Isabella's restaurants (with the exception of the now-closed Bandolero), but barring some sort of amazing transformation, I don't see how this concept will work at the Galleria.

[Kibbee Nayee]

I don't understand your last line.

Why won't those tech wives eat at one of these places?  To me it seems like those folks would be more likely to eat at "trendy, hip, DC spot" as opposed to just another chain like Chik-fil-A

My point, however awkwardly made, is that my empirical observations of the Galleria reveal two distinct crowds -- one that is well-heeled, parading around to be seen, lingering over the Maseratis on display, overpaying for Prada and Ralph Lauren, and meeting up with the girls at the patisserie. The second crowd is the millennial tech worker flocks that have the Starbucks menu memorized and never see the world beyond the palm of their hand, which is always keeping that smart phone right in their face. If this Isabella concept was designed to appeal to these two crowds, I don't understand their research.

And as someone else mentioned, there is relatively little foot traffic in this mall. The place caters to the very wealthy; Nieman Marcus, Saks, Tumi, Omega, and even a RItz Carlton.

My wife works for a well-know a retail kitchen kitchen company which has stores in Galleria and Corner. The Corner store is magnitudes busier. (As is the Starbucks, btw)

I haven't been to America Eats Tavern in some time, but I haven't read anything that indicates it is a destination restaurant. I like Isabella's restaurants (with the exception of the now-closed Bandolero), but barring some sort of amazing transformation, I don't see how this concept will work at the Galleria.

Ditto. The concept that would work here might be bottled water from glaciers at $20 per bottle for the well-heeled, or else a nouvelle hamburger concept for the millennials.

[Bart]

 and never see the world beyond the palm of their hand, 

Great line!  I don't know if you coined it or saw it somewhere else, but I love it!

[thistle]

Even though I wasn't particularly fond of him on his season of Top Chef, I developed a soft spot for Mike Isabella, after watching him cook, in a 'Top Chef' style cook off, against the university president at the GMU parents' weekend. I had a prime spot on the balcony above,& it was the highlight of my day (parents who've gone to these kind of things will understand). I let my husband & younger child do the 7 am 'fun run'.

[DaveO]

There is an interesting document circa 2012 describing the then rent roll of some tenants at Tysons Galleria.  It is on page 7 of the long document and includes some of the restaurants.   It is the result of a mortgage being issued on the property at that time.  The description also suggests that rents post 2012 were being negotiated at far higher rates than the older rents from then existing tenants.  Also that partial list of tenants were all subject to lease renewals between 2012 and now...so who knows what they are paying today.

Now having worked in that universe for a couple of decades its not unusual to see dramatically different rents for two adjacent retailers either in malls, in downtown DC, Bethesda, Reston, or Rockville Pike.   The retail market is always imperfect.

Some other observations about the Galleria and Tysons Mall.  Supposedly from some other real estate news I read current sales per sq. ft at the Galleria surpass that of Tysons Mall and Pentagon City...two malls that are and have been great national "producers" for a long time.   Still while I don't get up there as much as I did in the past, it still appears to me that foot traffic at Tysons is hugely different and far more packed than at the Galleria.  OTOH;  the stores at the Galleria can sell a $50,000 piece of jewelry that might not be available at Tysons...and that one sale (per square feet) outweighs the sale of thousands of pairs of jeans at Tysons.

Now how will Isabella's group do with all this???   I'm not going to bother predicting.   Time will tell.   Even with a mix of quality its still a large sit down eatery.  Those type places live and die on foot traffic.  But its going to be "fancier".

I guess this is where the marketers and the PR people earn their keep.

[DaveO]

When I see articles of this sort my old real estate leasing "mind" and rent vs revenues plus # of employees needed(payroll) mental gymnastics go to work.  Will this work?   The following are a partial compilation of facts after a little research:

The Isabella eatery and enclosed restaurants  will have 600 seats.  Total occupancy is 41,000 feet.  By comparison per some older articles, Clydes at Gallery Place has a little less than 600 seats at about 23,000 feet and Carmines in DC has 700 seats at 20,000 feet.

Per the Morningstar rating analysis referenced above, the actual size of the Galleria is about 308,000 feet, with the entire mall being 820,000 feet with the difference being the anchor department stores that own their own properties.  In any case 41,000 feet is over 13% of the mall.  Its a substantial space from the perspective of the landlord.  But when they describe this, I'm guessing they are including what used to be common area space that didn't attach to specific stores...but whose costs were allocated to all the tenants for shared costs.

Per older experience from leasing, rents in malls (like anywhere) can and do vary depending on the location within the mall.  The central locations with the most foot traffic command the highest rents/foot.  Typically lower floors with the most and easiest access command highest rents.  The Isabella location is on the third top floor.  To a certain and important extent the merchandise displayed on the top floors of the department store anchors often factor into foot traffic on the floor.  If the department stores place most of the merchandise that attracts most customers on the 1st and 2nd floors...then the top/third floor sees less foot traffic.

I went back and looked at the rents at the Galleria from 2012 per the Morningstar analysis.  While they are all over the board there seems to be relevance connected to when the leases were first written and location, with different elements factoring into the base rent.     Wildfire, the Chicago based steak/seafood restaurant was paying a higher rent per sq foot than some others and was on the third floor.  But they opened in 2007.  The higher rent might be a function of significantly increased rents in the entire region that exploded in the 2000's.  Meanwhile Piazza de Georgio which was on the third floor and vacated had 8700 feet at $27/foot.  Big rent/sq foot difference.

Some other little factoids:

Tysons, in an area a little more than 4 square miles reportedly has a daily working population of over 100,000 (that would make it about the 12th largest employment center in the US) and a current residential population of about 19,000.  Downtown DC has 3-400,000 daytime employees in an area possibly about 2.5 square miles, plus a rather enormous hotel population and daily visitor count.  Of course Tysons gets about 55,000 shoppers/weekday (and presumably a lot more on weekends)   (all data from various sources I'm too lazy to cite).  Clearly DC can draw from large nearby population bases, but so does Tysons and possibly or probably it has an ability to pull from a larger and more affluent population base from the suburbs than does downtown DC--though DC pulls from thousands of daily hotel occupants)

I looked at page 13 of the Morningstar report which had income statements for the Galleria including some actual statements from 2010 and 2011 and some projected statements.  Three things to note:  On the income side there is something called percentage rents, roughly showing at 10% or more of the rents per the lease.  Percentage rents arise when tenants do REAL WELL in the malls and tenants pay some kind of percentage rent above its base all calculated on some formula.  Simply speaking there are and have been excellent sales per foot, regardless of the observed foot traffic.

The other two items from the income statements are called rent reimbursements (or common area maintenance-CAM) on the income side and expenses on the Expense side.  Simply and typically in a mall tenants pay their share of the costs of running the mall including everything from pro rata share of real estate taxes to probably paying for the paper and supplies the management office purchases during the year.   The expense reimbursements seem to suggest that a tenant at the mall could anticipate paying around $30/foot for their share of the mall's operating costs.  Add that to the base rents.  Expensive.

After all the above, I haven't the foggiest kind of idea what Isabella is paying in rent.  For 41,000 feet though it will be expensive.  I suspect it will be a challenge to get diners to the third floor at the Mall.  Good luck.

Lastly this little exercise reminded me of when I started out in leasing and was on a project wherein we were working to lease up something akin to the Galleria.  I was a rookie and mostly followed the seniors around, did their chores, carried their books and plans, and absorbed everything they said and did.   I was with a senior leasing guy and we were meeting with a then interesting retail tenant with a nifty store...a local...not a chain.

We went over the project and layout of the project and finally got around to the base rents.  The tenant said that was fine.  Then my colleague described the extra shared costs of the mall; the CAM.  The tenant flatly responded "I'm not paying for that".  My colleague/senior responded with something like:   But its only FAIR.  Everyone has to share in the costs.

The tenant's response (verbatim)    "FAIR.   Fairs are where pigs shit.  This is business".   Needless to say we did not make a deal with that tenant.

In any case good luck to Isabella.  Lots of challenges.  Interesting opportunity

[Bob Wells]

 "FAIR.   Fairs are where pigs shit.  This is business".

Love it. I worked in real estate leasing for a few years along time ago (developer-side attorney). Let's just say you run into a lot of gaping sphincters in that industry.

[dcs]

On ‎2‎/‎11‎/‎2016 at 11:17 AM, monkeyrotica said:

So his grilled meats & Mediterranean place will be "very woman-centric, sexy and fun." So smaller portions, lots of salads, and purse hangars under the bar?

Does anyone else find it odd that they plan to call this place Trim?

[DonRocks]

1 hour ago, dcs said:

Does anyone else find it odd that they plan to call this place Trim?

Nothing more than an odd coincidence, since you "trim" the meats they grill, but the way you frame it, it's absolutely hilarious. 

 

[dcs]

Parts of this place are looking about ready to open.

[dcs]

Must be getting close. Isabella is walking around the 3rd level at the Galleria giving instructions to the small group trailing after him. 

[Ericandblueboy]

35 minutes ago, dcs said:

Must be getting close. Isabella is walking around the 3rd level at the Galleria giving instructions to the small group trailing after him. 

Are you shopping or are you stalking him?

[dcs]

9 minutes ago, Ericandblueboy said:

Are you shopping or are you stalking him?

Yes.

[Ericandblueboy]

Food court versions of the original restaurants can't be good for either. 

https://dc.eater.com/2017/12/1/16723870/isabella-eatery-mclean-opening

[Ericandblueboy]

Opened today.  Did anyone rush over to try it?

[lion]

We drove by and went to Nordstrom Cafe since we had some Christmas shopping at Tysons 1. My wife wasn't interested in trying it out today but asked if there was chatter on DR. May have to give it a go for breakfast later in the week. 

[Bob Wells]

9 minutes ago, lion said:

We drove by and went to Nordstrom Cafe since we had some Christmas shopping at Tysons 1. My wife wasn't interested in trying it out today but asked if there was chatter on DR. May have to give it a go for breakfast later in the week. 

A few reviews and pics already up on Yelp.

[Kibbee Nayee]

I walked by today. It's quite sprawling, which for Tysons Galleria strikes me as being quite expensive from a lease standpoint. Everything looked too new and too clean to have experienced any real use, but the place appears to be well-designed. I'll have opportunities to try the food in the coming weeks and months.

Washingtonian just weighed in.

[iolaire]

I don't know, it seems like multiple restaurants with their own ordering systems and seating?

Patrons can hop from one place to another with a drink in hand.

True food courts should allow you to grab something from each of multiple restaurants.  Or for example six people get their preferred food and sit down at the same table.  

I guess I expect something more like Time Out Market Lisboa where you could sit at a bar at one of the stands to eat and drink something from just that vendor, or you could order what you want and take it to tables in the middle to combine it with something else such as a charcutaria plate, then add a suckling-pig sandwich, and then finish with coffee, all from different vendors.

[Bob Wells]

47 minutes ago, iolaire said:

I don't know, it seems like multiple restaurants with their own ordering systems and seating?

Patrons can hop from one place to another with a drink in hand.

True food courts should allow you to grab something from each of multiple restaurants.  Or for example six people get their preferred food and sit down at the same table.  

I guess I expect something more like Time Out Market Lisboa where you could sit at a bar at one of the stands to eat and drink something from just that vendor, or you could order what you want and take it to tables in the middle to combine it with something else such as a charcutaria plate, then add a suckling-pig sandwich, and then finish with coffee, all from different vendors.

Yeah that's what I was expecting. Poke for me, pasta for my son, etc.

But wait, according to the Washingtonian article, there's going to be a mini-food court inside the Eatery: 

The Dining Hall 

Can’t decide where to eat? This 120-seat sit-down restaurant pulls from five Isabella Eatery spots, serving a menu that mixes Pepita tacos with Requin raw bar, Arroz tapas, and Yona sushi.

Sounds to me like the old joke about the Starbucks inside the Starbucks.

[Jonathan]

I just wish it was like 59,000 square feet and there were more choices and perhaps a Shaw Bijou too. There aren’t enough choices for me...

[cheezepowder]

According to the website, the next openings are Kapnos Marketa on 12/15/17 and Octagon Bar on 12/19/17.

[lion]

We stopped by for lunch today after a great puppet show of "The Nutcracker" at Glen Echo with our son. Taking the escalator up from the parking lot does create a sense of not going to mall food court, but unfortunately the eateries are separated by being on both sides of the mall and the regular food traffic makes it feel awkward. Walking around we ended up getting food from Pepita and Kapnos Marketa. 

 At Pepita our order was chips & guacamole ($12), crazy corn ($6), crispy Baja fish tacos ($4.5) and cheese quesdilla ($10). To my surprise, my wife liked the flavors of our order where for myself the food was cold and that diminished my enjoyment. At Kapnos Marketa, our order was a marinated lamb gyro (~$14). Ingredients were good and combination flavorful but again it was cold. 

Our lunch bill was around $60 with tip which for a seat down restaurant for 3 people wouldn't be extremely outrageous however since effectively you order and pick it up yourself does seem a little much. 

To keep things in perspective, normally going to lunch we may spend at Sweet Green ($30) for good level of organic quality food, at Nordstorm Cafe which is similar quasi restaurant and food hall but our gold standard for decent quality of food that is very kid friendly, our bill is usually ($40) with a tip, and at HKP ($50) with tip. 

The operation does seem to still be finding their operational way as several times saw managers and waiters congregating to keep things moving smoothly. In the future would try the Arroz as well as Retro Creamery.  People seemed confuse where it was sit down restaurant or take out sit-down which is all over their area. 

Overall, right now it just seems like a mixed bag. 

 

[Ericandblueboy]

I took the kids to Kapnos Marketa last Tuesday.  The only other place open was the round bar of Graffiato, which was packed.  We had a chicken and a lamb gyro.  The wraps came with warm meat but cold veggies and sauce - so the meat became cold quickly. 

[lion]

2 hours ago, Ericandblueboy said:

I took the kids to Kapnos Marketa last Tuesday.  The only other place open was the round bar of Graffiato, which was packed.  We had a chicken and a lamb gyro.  The wraps came with warm meat but cold veggies and sauce - so the meat became cold quickly. 

My association with gyros are that they are like a pocket of warm tasty bread and meat on a chilly outing since I spent a year in Chicago near Greek town and would frequently eat there.  The Parthenon use to give out shots of ouzo to people waiting in line on the cold windy nights! 

Tastes and memories form expectations I guess. 

[Ericandblueboy]

I just went to Athens for Thanksgiving so the Kapnos gyros are a huge disappointment to me too.

[DonRocks]

2 hours ago, Ericandblueboy said:

I just went to Athens for Thanksgiving so the Kapnos gyros are a huge disappointment to me too.

I've never been to Greece, and the Kapnos gyros are a huge disappointment to me too.

[Poivrot Farci]

Affluent areas such as DC/NoVa do not need more food courts or restaurants or concepts peddling recycled iterations of commodity crap.  They need better outlets to promote the concept of consumers that care enough to buy quality ingredients they can take home and cook for themselves and their families at a more rewarding $$/time ratio.  

[reedm]

My wife works at a store in the Galleria, and i finally managed a visit today. While the Eatery is still a work in progress, I was impressed by the appearance of the place. The furnishings and fixtures appear to be very expensive, they appear to be a good match for the Galleria clientele. There were many more customers than I expected, so the place seems to be off to a sold start. 

More importantly, I thoroughly enjoyed my lamb gyro from Kapnos. $14 was not out of line for this area, and the gyro was delicious. The freshly baked flatbread was light, and a bit crispy, and it was well-suited for the perfectly roasted lamb. The vegetables were nicely seasoned, as well. Excellent.

My dining companions had tacos and a slice of pizza. I didn't get to taste the other offerings, but they looked quite good. 

I'm no Isabella homer, and I'll tell you some of his places are much better than others, but the Eatery is off to a promising start.

[iolaire]

The blue line I rode today had a single car wrapped with advertising for this place.  I don't recall seeing branding inside the train.

[reedm]

2 hours ago, iolaire said:

The blue line I rode today had a single car wrapped with advertising for this place.  I don't recall seeing branding inside the train.

I’ve seen ads inside the trains, but not the exterior. 

[Ericandblueboy]

I was at the Galleria today wondering just what to waste some money on and I got a bit hungry on account of the fact that I don't eat breakfast and it was around 11:30.  So I went to Graffiato for a slice and a salad.  For $12, I expected my arugula salad to be nicely tossed.  Instead, they took a plastic bowl out of a nearby refrigeration unit.  Perhaps I should've wasted some money on fancy Astro Glide at Needless Markup.  I could've had a much better bowl of fancy greens at Sweetgreen or Chopt.  At $5.50 a slice, the Sicilian style Porky's Revenge wasn't nearly as ludicrously priced but it was just terrible.  The bottom crust was tough and chewy - making my jaws quite sore from grinding it down.  The sauce was definitely on the acidic side.  Next time I want to waste some dough, it won't be at Graffiato.

[DonRocks]

18 minutes ago, Ericandblueboy said:

Next time I want to waste some dough, it won't be at Graffiato.

No pun intended.

[lion]

We went back at the Galleria for lunch and tried the coffee and pizza stand as well. We liked the ice cream joint.

[Ericandblueboy]

Went to the Galleria to check out some fancy backpacks.  BTW, whoever said Isabella has a booze license covering the mall is just wrong.  You can't walk around the mall with a cocktail.  There are plenty of signs saying you can't walk past with booze.  So before shopping, I had a couple of glasses of wine at the Octagon bar and ordered some fried cauliflowers, chicken croquettes, and chermoula lamb chops.  All were really good.  I was only annoyed at having to cut the lamb chops with a table knife.

[dcs]

Lawsuit accuses celebrity chef Mike Isabella of ‘extraordinary’ sexual harassment, by Danielle Paquette,  March 19, 2018, on washingtonpost.com. at 1:06 PM Email the author

[DonRocks]

There were either copyright issues (in which case, this was a clever end-around that few will notice), or an editor should be fired ASAP: *Oof!*

[lizzie]

I vote for the needing a new editor (gamas al ajillo??)

[DonRocks]

10 minutes ago, lizzie said:

I vote for the needing a new editor (gamas al ajillo??)

Good Lord - I was talking about Cirque de Soleil, which isn't their name (it translates to "Circus of Sun," as opposed to Cirque du Soleil, which is their name, and translates to "Circus of the Sun"). I momentarily thought that gamas was some regional dialect (Basque, Catalan, etc.), but I don't think it is - that's ... just ... incredible, although in their defense, this is just a temporary menu that was probably written in a hurry.

[reedm]

After a failed attempt obtaining tickets at "will call" for Cirque du Soleil (long story), we found ourselves looking for lunch. While the overall operations of the eatery have changed a bit, it still takes effort to find which options are available, since that varies according to the day and the time. 

We settled upon Graffiato, which has it's own hostess stand, and had quite an enjoyable lunch. The "Crispy Brussel Sprouts" ($13) was a generous serving size, and more than enough for two to share. The sprouts were crispy, yet tender. The pancetta vinaigrette was a nice compliment to the maple yogurt, which was piped around the inside of the bowl. Chopped hard-boiled eggs were sprinkled throughout. I initially wondered if the combination would work, and it turned out to be delicious.

We also ordered "Gnocchi a la Vodka" ($15), which was a fairly traditional version of a gnocchi dish. The pasta was nice and soft, and the sauce was well-balanced. Very good, and it's a nice dish for less adventurous diners.

Despite my limited enthusiasm for eggplant, I decided on the "Roasted Trout" ($22), which was served with eggplant caponata, lemon-caper aioli, and a bit of greenery/frisee. The trout had been filleted, and it was nicely cooked, with crispy skin and tender flesh. The caponata was appropriately tangy, and it paired nicely with the creamy richness of the aioli. I'd certainly recommend this dish.

Service was great as well. We didn't have anything other than water, but our waiter was attentive, prompt, and friendly. Graffiato is set back from the open area of the mall, and it's a nice space full of interesting decorations and artwork.

Btw, the deep dish crust is long gone, and the thin crust pizza is a huge improvement. (My wife works at the Galleria, and she has sampled quite a few of Isabella's offerings.

[genericeric]

Thursday afternoon at 5:30 and the only portions of this that were open were the self service bar, the ice cream counter, and Graffiato.  That is a massive amount of square footage to be closed within their posted hours of operation.  This was 7/5, so maybe they were expecting it to be slow so they reduced capacity, but it didn't seem to bode well for long term prospects.

Normally after I get my hair did at the Grooming Lounge, I head next door to Wildfire for a Manhattan.  Consistency lately has been an issue, but more irking, they charge $17.00 for a cocktail that is served in what feels like a plastic martini glass.  So the wife and I head to the 'self serve' section of Graffiato - order at the bar, someone brings you the food.  Don't expect to get napkins, silverware, or a clean table.

Two drinks were ok and the happy hour prices were decent.  Two apps - french fries and meatballs - were oddly flavorless.  Even my wife, who typically enjoys a bland meal, wondered how you could have a marinara with so little flavor.  

I can't imagine Isabella's press is helping, but he's not doing himself any favors with the bland food and shuttered concepts.

[pras]

7 hours ago, genericeric said:

Thursday afternoon at 5:30 and the only portions of this that were open were the self service bar, the ice cream counter, and Graffiato.  That is a massive amount of square footage to be closed within their posted hours of operation.  This was 7/5, so maybe they were expecting it to be slow so they reduced capacity, but it didn't seem to bode well for long term prospects.

Normally after I get my hair did at the Grooming Lounge, I head next door to Wildfire for a Manhattan.  Consistency lately has been an issue, but more irking, they charge $17.00 for a cocktail that is served in what feels like a plastic martini glass.  So the wife and I head to the 'self serve' section of Graffiato - order at the bar, someone brings you the food.  Don't expect to get napkins, silverware, or a clean table.

Two drinks were ok and the happy hour prices were decent.  Two apps - french fries and meatballs - were oddly flavorless.  Even my wife, who typically enjoys a bland meal, wondered how you could have a marinara with so little flavor.  

I can't imagine Isabella's press is helping, but he's not doing himself any favors with the bland food and shuttered concepts.

Was the drink noted above from Wildfire or Graffiato?

[genericeric]

16 hours ago, pras said:

Was the drink noted above from Wildfire or Graffiato?

The two happy hour drinks were from Graffiato.  The $17.00 manhattan in plastic is from Wildfire.

[Finatic]

Eater DC is reporting that he is being sued by Doug Jemal for unpaid rent at Graffiato in DC.

[Tweaked]

Trouble at Tyson's?

[Bob Wells]

57 minutes ago, Tweaked said:

Trouble at Tyson's?

This had flop written all over it. It's a beautiful space (or spaces) that clearly cost millions to build out, yet when I saw the prices, combined with the weird set-up, I knew it would be a tough sell in the long run. $4.50 for one scoop of ice cream? NFW.

[Kibbee Nayee]

21 minutes ago, Bob Wells said:

This had flop written all over it. It's a beautiful space (or spaces) that clearly cost millions to build out, yet when I saw the prices, combined with the weird set-up, I knew it would be a tough sell in the long run. $4.50 for one scoop of ice cream? NFW.

Right, this plus the fact that the Galleria is basically empty all day long. Overpriced boutiques with very few shoppers day and night. Department stores dying from the internet's disruption of the retail market. Was it originally intended that this food hall would attract a whole new crop of diners? If so, that hasn't quite panned out.

[MsDiPesto]

49 minutes ago, Kibbee Nayee said:

Right, this plus the fact that the Galleria is basically empty all day long. Overpriced boutiques with very few shoppers day and night. Department stores dying from the internet's disruption of the retail market. Was it originally intended that this food hall would attract a whole new crop of diners? If so, that hasn't quite panned out.

Also, those aren't stores you can just browse in, because as soon as you walk in any of them, they're on you like a cheap suit. You have to go there determined to, say, score a Hermes scarf and know the color. 

[Marty L.]

1 hour ago, Bob Wells said:

This had flop written all over it. It's a beautiful space (or spaces) that clearly cost millions to build out, yet when I saw the prices, combined with the weird set-up, I knew it would be a tough sell in the long run. $4.50 for one scoop of ice cream? NFW.

I agree with the general assessment.  Unfortunately, however, $4.50 for a single scoop of ice cream is now below what most good shops are charging.

[Bob Wells]

On 8/10/2018 at 1:21 PM, Marty L. said:

I agree with the general assessment.  Unfortunately, however, $4.50 for a single scoop of ice cream is now below what most good shops are charging.

Yeah, I was up in RI this weekend and, acting on a friend's tip, I tried an ice cream shop way off the beaten track. Acting on some Yelp advice, I got a "kiddie scoop," for $3.45. It was the perfect size. The regular single scoop was maybe $4.25. 

But this was AMAZING ice cream. If you ever find yourself in Cumberland RI (not too far from Providence, but out of the way), the shop is called The Keep. And the flavor I tried was Almond Joy. World-class.

[Bob Wells]

On 8/10/2018 at 12:38 PM, MsDiPesto said:

Also, those aren't stores you can just browse in, because as soon as you walk in any of them, they're on you like a cheap suit. You have to go there determined to, say, score a Hermes scarf and know the color. 

Oh yeah, these are "world-class" boutiques. I was walking the mall the other day and noticed a new little store with some cool looking bathing suits. Bathing suits, that's it. The store is called Vilbrequin. Google for the prices, I dare ya. LOL

[Kev29]

Nationalize all malls and turn the food courts in to rent free dai pai dongs. Thx for your time 😀

[Keithstg]

10 hours ago, Bob Wells said:

Oh yeah, these are "world-class" boutiques. I was walking the mall the other day and noticed a new little store with some cool looking bathing suits. Bathing suits, that's it. The store is called Vilbrequin. Google for the prices, I dare ya. LOL

Taking the thread back to the original discussion, the Isabella eatery was at most half open today - Yona and Arroz were closed, as was the bar. Seems like Requin was doing ok business, but entire place was less than 1/2 full. 

Oh, and Vilbrequin has been there for a couple years. #happycustomer.

[Bob Wells]

13 hours ago, Keithstg said:

Taking the thread back to the original discussion, the Isabella eatery was at most half open today - Yona and Arroz were closed, as was the bar. Seems like Requin was doing ok business, but entire place was less than 1/2 full. 

Oh, and Vilbrequin has been there for a couple years. #happycustomer.

I'd definitely wear their suits!

[Poivrot Farci]

22 hours ago, Kev29 said:

Nationalize all malls and turn the food courts in to rent free dai pai dongs. Thx for your time 😀

Or turn them into large covered wholesale/retail food markets like Eastern Market, Pike Place, Reading Terminal, etc... with barber shops.  

Quality perishable foods that you can inspect first hand and a good haircut are not something the internet can readily provide yet.  Mr. Isabella should have recognized that enough people are passionate about ingredients and food beyond having it cooked for them.

[DaveO]

On 8/10/2018 at 11:20 AM, Bob Wells said:

This had flop written all over it. It's a beautiful space (or spaces) that clearly cost millions to build out, yet when I saw the prices, combined with the weird set-up, I knew it would be a tough sell in the long run. $4.50 for one scoop of ice cream? NFW.

On 8/10/2018 at 1:21 PM, Marty L. said:

I agree with the general assessment.  Unfortunately, however, $4.50 for a single scoop of ice cream is now below what most good shops are charging.

Just got a scoop--though they were feeling generous and gave me two scoops of mint chocolate chip gelato at what is now Co Work space, and used to be Boccatto in Clarendon--$4.94 with tax.  Tasty--refreshing.  Nice people

[DPop]

On 2/12/2016 at 3:20 PM, DPop said:

My (not-so-bold) prediction for this little venture; it starts off with fanfare and pretty good food, although plenty of service and other glitches.  Isabella is there to show face initially, shake hands, etc, and is never seen at the place after month 1 of operation.  The food steadily declines for the next year, after which time the parties involve "mutually agree" to remove Mike's name from the venture, which won't matter because the damage to his reputation will have been done (see "Todd Gray's Watershed" for proof point). Another uneventful year or two goes by with the occasional horror story about crummy food and worse service until the space closes altogether and gets repurposed into something else.

I'll be back in 2018 to check on this and will be shocked if 80% of what I wrote above did not come true.

On 8/10/2018 at 10:21 AM, Tweaked said:

Trouble at Tyson's?

What do I get?  A medal?  A cookie?

[DonRocks]

12 minutes ago, DPop said:

What do I get?  A medal?  A cookie?

You get a Brownie Button.

(Or, if you must, a Girl Scout Cookie.)

[lion]

What would work in the space? 

[DaveO]

54 minutes ago, lion said:

What would work in the space? 

Oi.   I started working in that field in the early 1980’s.  Worked on the initial lease up of Georgetown Park.  Listened to many experts discuss how to spread and diversify traffic to all the levels of a mall.  Have seen the same problem reoccur in other properties around the nation.  

If there was an obvious or easy answer it would have been attempted years ago.  What occasionally works in some locations won’t work elsewhere (different market conditions).

Whereas there is no guaranteed solution sometimes you take shots at things—- such as a first of its kind “name” food emporium.   Doesn’t seem to be working- eh?

[dcs]

15 minutes ago, DaveO said:

Oi.   I started working in that field in the early 1980’s.  Worked on the initial lease up of Georgetown Park.  Listened to many experts discuss how to spread and diversify traffic to all the levels of a mall.  Have seen the same problem reoccur in other properties around the nation.  

If there was an obvious or easy answer it would have been attempted years ago.  What occasionally works in some locations won’t work elsewhere (different market conditions).  

Whereas there is no guaranteed solution sometimes you take shots at things—- such as a first of its kind “name” food emporium.   Doesn’t seem to be working- eh?

The Legal Seafood at the Galleria always seems to have a good crowd and there typically is a line at Paul throughout the day.  The Lebanese Taverna appears bustling as well.

[Kev29]

55 minutes ago, lion said:

What would work in the space? 

A 41000 sq ft Chick-fil-A

[DonRocks]

2 minutes ago, Kev29 said:

A 41000 sq ft Chick-fil-A

Chick-fil-A's best days are behind it - they changed their recipe, and it's no longer what it once was. It will take a few years for people to pick up on that, but it's just not the same. Twenty years ago, Chick-fil-A was *special*, like In-n-Out Burger special (which is also no longer special), but it was *great*; now, it's really pretty mediocre. 

I should correct this: It's best *financial* days are ahead of it, but they won't last forever, as a decline in quality is a leading indicator of a decline in finances.

[DaveO]

11 minutes ago, dcs said:

The Legal Seafood at the Galleria always seems to have a good crowd and there typically is a line at Paul throughout the day.  The Lebanese Taverna appears bustling as well.

All first level which is where the traffic walks in.   Getting folks upstairs is always the issue

[DPop]

Agree with the issue about the location upstairs.  It almost feels like that needs to be either a furniture store or a big box restaurant like the PF Changs or Maggiano's a level below.  And even then, I think whatever goes there will struggle a bit, although I say that and Wildfire is always pretty crowded when I go.

[dcs]

5 minutes ago, DaveO said:

All first level which is where the traffic walks in.   Getting folks upstairs is always the issue

I have never been inside, but Wildfire on the third level seems to do just fine.

[DaveO]

1 minute ago, dcs said:

I have never been inside, but Wildfire on the third level seems to do just fine.

Neither have I.  There are exceptions.  It’s an overall problem.  Top floor of Mazza Gallerie— a problem over the decades.  

[weezy]

Put all the kiddie stuff up there and then have ancillary shops with things that the parents can grab in a hurry for themselves, or make it the teen gathering area

[Bob Wells]

 

2 hours ago, DPop said:

Agree with the issue about the location upstairs.  It almost feels like that needs to be either a furniture store or a big box restaurant like the PF Changs or Maggiano's a level below.  And even then, I think whatever goes there will struggle a bit, although I say that and Wildfire is always pretty crowded when I go.

This raises another good point. For a mall that has many -- not just a few, but many -- of the finest, most recognizable names in fashion/retail in the WORLD, the eateries are remarkably pedestrian. Anyone got a theory about that? Corner Bakery, Legal, Maggiano's... it's as if the restaurants are a completely separate entity, aimed at the white-collar drones in the neighboring office buildings, that was grafted onto the Galleria's retail.

Are malls simply not conducive to higher-end dining?

[genericeric]

3 hours ago, dcs said:

I have never been inside, but Wildfire on the third level seems to do just fine.

While I've never seen Wildfire "busy" in the dining room, they seem to do a decent happy hour with local office workers.  It may be a little more approachable than the Palm or Capital Grille.  I just go in on a monthly basis when I'm next door at the Grooming Lounge (and I don't seem to be alone there).

[Kibbee Nayee]

1 hour ago, Bob Wells said:

This raises another good point. For a mall that has many -- not just a few, but many -- of the finest, most recognizable names in fashion/retail in the WORLD, the eateries are remarkably pedestrian. Anyone got a theory about that? Corner Bakery, Legal, Maggiano's... it's as if the restaurants are a completely separate entity, aimed at the white-collar drones in the neighboring office buildings, that was grafted onto the Galleria's retail.

Are malls simply not conducive to higher-end dining?

I mostly agree, but I won't lump Lebanese Taverna in with that crowd. The Tysons Galleria outpost is one of the best of the Lebanese Tavernas, along with the expanded original on Washington Blvd in Arlington. And footsteps away is the dependable Paul Bakery, one of the better coffee shops in Tysons.

Other than those two, you are right. You even missed Cheesecake Factory.

[Bob Wells]

28 minutes ago, Kibbee Nayee said:

I mostly agree, but I won't lump Lebanese Taverna in with that crowd. The Tysons Galleria outpost is one of the best of the Lebanese Tavernas, along with the expanded original on Washington Blvd in Arlington. And footsteps away is the dependable Paul Bakery, one of the better coffee shops in Tysons.

Other than those two, you are right. You even missed Cheesecake Factory.

Yes, did not mean to lump Leb Tav in with the mediocrities. Definitely include CcF, though. It's ok, and not a bad value since you get three meals from each entree (or you should). But this is the Galleria, not a "value shopping" destination. And personally I kinda like TCB, but it's miles downscale from the stores at the Galleria. Paul is pretty good and fits pretty well at the Galleria, but I'm a Maison Kayser fan!

[kgottwald]

On 8/16/2018 at 1:48 PM, Bob Wells said:

This raises another good point. For a mall that has many -- not just a few, but many -- of the finest, most recognizable names in fashion/retail in the WORLD, the eateries are remarkably pedestrian. Anyone got a theory about that? Corner Bakery, Legal, Maggiano's... it's as if the restaurants are a completely separate entity, aimed at the white-collar drones in the neighboring office buildings, that was grafted onto the Galleria's retail.

Are malls simply not conducive to higher-end dining?

The Galleria even used to have a Ruby Tuesday's.

[kgottwald]

On ‎8‎/‎16‎/‎2018 at 11:17 AM, weezy said:

Put all the kiddie stuff up there and then have ancillary shops with things that the parents can grab in a hurry for themselves, or make it the teen gathering area

Teens don't go to the Galleria; there's nothing there they can afford.

[lion]

25 minutes ago, kgottwald said:

Teens don't go to the Galleria; there's nothing there they can afford.

That has been the case since it's inception. 

[mnnchas]

On 8/18/2018 at 9:30 AM, lion said:

That has been the case since it's inception. 

I can't speak to the teen population, but the SweetGreen is jam-packed at lunch; largely 20s crowd.  

While I'm off topic, though there is no Nordstrom Cafe at Galleria, I recall seeing some sort of cafe in the Neiman Marcus (as I was walking through, of course).

[dcs]

On 8/13/2018 at 8:17 PM, Keithstg said:

Taking the thread back to the original discussion, the Isabella eatery was at most half open today - Yona and Arroz were closed, as was the bar. Seems like Requin was doing ok business, but entire place was less than 1/2 full. 

The last hold out on that side of the Eatery, Kapnos Market, was closed and roped off today a little past noon.  They were open and serving take out last week.  That whole side also appeared closed to seating with hopeful signs directing people to Graffiato (which itself was sparsely populated at the noon hour).

[eatruneat]

Closing Sunday, maybe. 

[Kibbee Nayee]

2 hours ago, eatruneat said:

Closing Sunday, maybe. 

"The Post also spoke to a commercial real estate agent, also anonymous, who said that he was contacted by the owner of Tysons Galleria to seek new tenants for the food hall."

Who needs 41,000 sq ft of highly expensive mall space with very little foot traffic?

[dcs]

2 hours ago, eatruneat said:

Closing Sunday, maybe. 

Story updated with new headline:  Mike Isabella announces the closing of his high-profile food hall in Tysons Galleria, by Tim Carman, August 24, 2018, on washingtonpost.com.

[MsDiPesto]

So what does he have left? There's Requin on the Wharf, but I'm not sure what else.