Well, I Have Your Ellwood Thompson's Update

So, earlier in the week when I wrote about IHOP opening, I mentioned that I hadn't heard any news about the next door Ellwood Thompson's organic market.

If I can be totally self-aggrandizing here and quote myself, I commented, "Washington City Paper's Lydia DePillis reported back in June that the anticipated [Ellwood Thompson's] opening date would be January 2011. However, I've recently walked past the site and it looks like little progress has been made."

Saying I told you so is really attractive, right?

Via PoP and Washington City Paper, Ellwood Thompson's has officially backed out of their deal with DCUSA. Considering they've been "coming soon" for so long, I don't think this necessarily surprises anyone.

Jim Graham was quoted by WCP as (pretty aggressively) claiming, "I was the one who sent them there. Little did I know how conservative, really timid, they would become...they're going to pay for this very bad decision."

I'm going to assume this last sentence is in reference to the financial penalties they've incurred, and not some Soprano's style revenge that he's planning......

Ellwood's (which is a small, Richmond, Va-based grocer) will face $1 million in fines for prematurely breaking their lease with DCUSA.

Apparently, DCUSA is continuing to court other organic grocers, in hopes of filling the vacant retail space. However, as a few PoP commenters accurately noted, it'll likely be difficult now to convince a grocer to lease here. Giant is only 3 blocks away, and the Target directly above the site is now selling groceries too.

I, for one, would love to see a Whole Foods or possibly a Trader Joe's here. However, as the 3rd and H street grocer pursuit would seem to indicate, neither chain is attempting to aggressively expand their DC presence.  Yet, given the proximity of two relatively inexpensive grocery options, I think only a Whole Food's, TJ's or some other expensive niche retailer would be able to grab enough market share here to merit the investment.

I'm sure Columbia Heights residents will be waiting with baited breath to see what happens next.

Update: In keeping with the convoluted nature of Ellwood's entire attempt to come to DC....DCist now reports that Ellwood Thompson's owner Richard Hood has stated that they are continuing to work with DCUSA to open their Columbia Heights location.

"I don't know why Jim Graham is saying this. We are not in default. We continue to work with the landlord to make this happen," Hood said.

ARGH. I'll keep you updated as more information rolls in about Ellwood's coming/not coming. Don't be surprised if it's another 2 years until we have the actual answer....

Update: The plot thickens. Washington City Paper noted at 9:35am on 11/20:

"Graham reiterates that he has spoken with Drew Greenwald, president of DCUSA owner Grid Properties, who says that Ellwood Thompson's is 'in default four times to the tune of $1 million.'

'We don't know what Mr. Hood is talking about,' Graham says."

Columbia Heights' IHOP Opening Next Tuesday; Still No Word on Ellwood Thompson's

Photo courtesy of IHOP DCUSA twitter

Over the weekend, New Columbia Heights reported that the DCUSA shopping center's IHOP would be opening Tuesday, November 23rd. Apparently their soft opening is today, Tuesday the 16th.

I can't say I'm terribly enthused about this development. DCUSA is already ridiculously chain-y. And, I'm dubious of the crowd a cheap, 24-hour restaurant will attract...I'm thinking, a lot of post-bar crowd which could potentially mean some troublesome loiterers.

Then again, this franchise location is apparently owned by an MPD officer, so presumably the ownership will be keener on preventing noise, loitering and the like. As DCUSA Chief of Building Operations Dave Stein asserted, "There's not going to be any noise associated with it. It's going to be owned and staffed by police officers."

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The development of this IHOP location has been much anticipated. Prince of Petworth first broke the news that IHOP was coming in DCUSA in April 2009. And, according to Washington City Paper, the new IHOP location will bring 110 jobs to the area.

No news yet about the next door Ellwood Thompson's space, which has been advertised as "coming soon" for well over a year now. Washington City Paper's Lydia DePillis reported back in June that the anticipated opening date would be January 2011. However, I've recently walked past the site and it looks like little progress has been made.

Update: Prince of Petworth reported this morning that on 11/23 IHOP will be giving out 1,500 free pancakes to celebrate its opening.

Update: DCist identifies IHOP's owner as Tyoka Jackson, who is quoted as saying that 95% of the IHOP's employees are DC residents.

Columbia Heights' Social is Closing

Yesterday, I read a post from CityPaper's Young and Hungry speculating that Social, a restaurant in Columbia Heights, had closed. Tim Carman links to a pretty damning review he wrote when he first visited Social, although he doesn't name the restaurant explicitly in deference to its newness.

Later yesterday afternoon, DCist confirmed that Social has in fact, closed. Allegedly, "a dispute regarding taxes and the ownership group" is the cause.

One of Social's owners, AJ Guy, explained, "Social has closed today due to an unexpected set of circumstances and we are working diligently to find a solution so that we can continue to be an active member of the Columbia Heights community."

I've eaten at Social a couple of times, and while I never found it as bad as Carman describes, it didn't wow me either. The food was fine, but overpriced, and the service was underwhelming. If Social remains closed (Guy's comment implies there's a chance of re-opening), I'd expect the space to quickly be leased by a new restaurant.


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On that note...if you bought the Groupon (or was it Living Social?) for Social, I hope you've already used it!

Brunch Review: Commonwealth

I recently had a very enjoyable brunch at Commonwealth Gastropub, next to the Columbia Heights metro station. The Sunday brunch was my third experience eating at Commonwealth, and one of the most enjoyable.

My first visit was during snowpocalypse, and my much needed sustenance was the beer-battered Smithwick's fish and chips. I figured, hey for my first visit, I ought to try one of the house specialities. Unfortunately, the dish was entirely too greasy. After the first 3 bites, greasy deliciousness turned into an overwhelming heaviness that obscured all flavors of the constituent ingredients. It's the kind of dish that if someone else orders it, you should have a bite, but I wouldn't recommend ordering the full dish for yourself. The bloody mary I had, however, was a standout--yes, I drank at lunch. Give me a break, it was blizzarding and took me over an hour to metro to Target, only to find it closed. I wanted a drink, dammit.

My second visit to Commonwealth, I decided to learn from my previous dining experience. Super greasy food? I'll order the grass-fed burger. That's fairly difficult to mess up. I was pleasantly surprised to find my burger well-cooked and enjoyable. My dinner partner, however, ordered a vegetable curry dish that was extremely disappointing. The only thing positive I could say, upon trying it, was that it "tasted very....healthy?" I didn't see this dish during a  recent review of Commonwealth's online posting of their menu, which makes me wonder if the management removed the dish from the menu.

This past weekend marked my third visit to Commonwealth, and I happily sat on the outside patio (no snow, hurray!). A caution to readers: this is not a Georgetown waterfront patio. You will see buses. But overall, a fairly sizeable patio for a DC restaurant and generally pleasant atmosphere considering how centrally located the restaurant is to both the metro and a major traffic intersection.

The brunch I had was an enjoyable experience, if not a complete knock out of the park. Each table received complimentary bread and jam. The bread was nothing to write home about...frankly, it didn't taste terribly fresh...but the yummy strawberry jam more than made up for the bread quality.

My dining partner and I both ordered eggs benedict (see brunch menu, here), one with smoked salmon and the other with country ham. Because we had both ordered from the brunch portion of the menu (as opposed to 'sandwiches' or 'mains'), we each also received complimentary mimosas. The mimosa was sufficiently champagne-y (especially considering it was free), without being overwhelmingly boozy. The benedicts were delicious (how can anything with hollandaise sauce not be good?), although fairly standard in execution. The only real deviation from the standard benedict equation was that instead of being served on an english muffin, our eggs were perched on a thick slice of bread. All the better for soaking up the egg-y deliciousness! The side, breakfast potatoes, were delicious when doused with malt vinegar.

For $25, all in all not a bad brunch. While none of the food was novel, so far I've only had one or two poorly executed dishes at Commonwealth, and the service has always been friendly and prompt. Many restaurants rely on their metro proximity, not the quality of their dining experience, to draw customers. However, I think that Commonwealth maintains a respectable quality in spite of its relative convenience. Definitely a restaurant I'll be revisting!

(note: all pictures provided by commonwealthgastropub.com)