Wednesday, May 04, 2011

Tru Orleans Update


Fresh Louisiana Crawfish, originally uploaded by thefoodgroup.

I feel like I'm encountering Tru Orleans (400 H Street) everywhere these days. I walked by the construction site (moving along at a nice clip) just the other evening and saw that they even have the permanent signs installed. The restaurant has also been active on Twitter (@TruOrleansDC) recently. Plus, they've got a new website. And now The Washington Business Journal is talking about them. Who is this mysterious them? I'm talking about (via WBJ):

Tru Redding (a Lousiana native),
Brad Howard (an investor),
Hans Christensen (an investor),
Andre Miller (the Chef), formerly of Ruth's Chris Steakhouse.

34 comments:

Anonymous said...

The Stadium Club, a "gentleman's club" featuring nude performances, private rooms and "five-star food," opened earlier this year at 2127 Queens Chapel Road in Northeast Washington. Property records show that the venture, which has a landlord-tenant relationship between two limited liability companies both headed by Baltimore businessman James "Tru" Redding, is adjacent to a nightclub called D.C. Star, on the property that once housed D.C. Tunnel.

Anonymous said...

I hope the dancing girls are really hot! I'm heading to the bank to make sure I got me enough $2 bills b4 some player gets them first.

ro said...

What's your point? Tru Orleans isn't a strip club

Anonymous said...

Ro? says ho?

Anonymous said...

The stadium club strippers are super fine! Top shelf place.

Tim said...

Will TruOrleans be open for lunch? Need more places open for lunch down this end of H.

Anonymous said...

@Tim

They are and you should check out the special lunch and lap dance. Can't beat that. Bring a date.

Anonymous said...

Went to Tru's other place last week and crowd was pretty mixed. Didn't eat but the money was being tossed around and sure did have a good time. You can bet this place will blow up big time because Tru has standards. No skanks with day old funk coming from their junk neither.

inked said...

He also owns a sushi restaurant called Sushi Rock. It's in Clarendon.

Anonymous said...

@Inked

Is the fish fresh? Knowing Tru it has to be.

Dave b said...

Why can't this place have a better name

Anonymous said...

How 'bout Tru's po's and ho's

Dolemite said...

"What's your point? Tru Orleans isn't a strip club"

Say it ain't so, Ro!

Anonymous said...

well inked, you at least tried to start a constructive discussion. they're doing a nice job on the construction. putting a good sign up is smart even while they build the second floor. from the outside, looks the investors are legit despite the blogbashers here

Anonymous said...

wow. Maybe Poo Poo is right, some of the commenters on this blog are really provincial.

Anonymous said...

Hey Elise same PR firm that placed the WBJ uses you too! Go figure.

Anonymous said...

What the hell is wrong with you people?

I anxiously await Tru Orleans and you folks are friggin' nuts. Inked, thank you for the info and tell TonyT to buy you a drink on my behalf and I'll pay him back.

- RT

Justin said...

Inked, ignore the trolls--thanks for keeping us up to date! I'm interested in hearing more details about their scheduled open. They're saying next month? I'd say late summer or early fall at the earliest. But, then, who knows? They have been working fast.

Big Green Cat said...

If I'm correct, he also owns Public Bar on 18th in Dupont as well.

I'm sure plenty of you 'strip club'-commenters have patronized that establishment and haven't thought once about Stadium nor the thinly veiled references you've hurled in your comments.

inked said...

Big Green Cat,
He does own Public. Bottom line, Redding owns multiple business of diferent types. One is a strip club. The others are not. This one is a Cajun/Creole restaurant. I look foward to the gumbo, and maybe boudin on the brunch menu.

Anonymous said...

Also, the building looks really cool so far. This is a great addition to this end of H st.

chuck said...

As long as they are legit, I for one do not care what other businesses the man owns.

I am definitely looking forward to some tasty tasty jambalaya and gumbo on the awesome looking roof deck!

Anonymous said...

Hopefully they have a large Abita selection.

Anonymous said...

Anyone know the lite skin girl performing @ Tru's this weekend. Are they for real?

H Street Landlord said...

Hell yeah re: Abita!

Topher said...

did anyone else see the awnings the day or 2 they were up? kind of goofy, any word if they are coming back? looking forward to TO's opening down here on this end- i can only eat so much ethiopian, though its bombastic every time I get it and i'm psyched for Sam's new facade too.

H Street Landlord said...

Just finished an Abita Strawberry Lager. Yum.

Anonymous said...

The awnings were horrible, it made it look liked an Applebees. It seems that Tru didn't really research the area and is putting a very commercial looking resturant which in my opinion takes away from the charm of H Street. In fact at one point I asked him if he had ever been to any of the resturants on H and he never had. I would think doing research on your competition would be a no brainer, but I've also never opened a sleezy strip club.

Anonymous said...

@8:43:00 AM

Tru dat! The rest of these posters are either ignorant or posers.

Anonymous said...

"Tru Redding" is an awesome name.

Anonymous said...

I haven't seen the awnings, but the design on the facebook page looks awesome and from the exterior, it is coming together. A chef from Ruth's Chris gives the place enough culinary legitimacy for me. And no, I don't really give a rats ass if he owns other businesses involving scenes that most of you probably wack off to on the internet everyday. Sex is normal. Get some or get over it.

Anonymous said...

@May 6, 2011 8:43:00 AM

Good assumption. Tru don't have no competition on H. No skanks @ Tru's place just check it out b4 you judge.

@May 7, 2011 1:55:00 AM

Of course the chef legit. Same one for all Tru's joints. Gotta have the cred to get past the neighborhood groups.

Media Assassin said...

@Anonymous - You stated that "The awnings were horrible, it made it look liked an Applebees. It seems that Tru didn't really research the area and is putting a very commercial looking resturant which in my opinion takes away from the charm of H Street".

First of all, what H Street charm? H Street has been burned out for a long time so whatever design that someone chooses, it will add to the upcoming charm that H Street will have. You need glasses! Who cares if he did 'research' or never ate at one of the establishments on H Street. As long as the cuisine is true NO style, I'm with the other anonymous, I don't give a rat's ass! What do you have against strip clubs? It's a legal business in many states so what's the hate about? Oh, you're a hater that can't get laid! You couldn't even get it if you paid for it or you don't like women, unless you are a woman. Things that make you go hmmmmm......LOL!

Anonymous said...

The owner of TruOrleans also owns a strip club in DC. It remains to be seen what sort of clientele TruOrleans attracts. Will this be a nice restaurant or another place where weekly stabbings occur?