An update on (a shift in ownership and the departure of beer man Chris Surrusco) H Street's favorite Belgian tavern from beer blog Yours for Good Fermentables. I'm told plans to eventually make charcuterie on-site remain in the works.
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UPDATE
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UPDATE
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Apparently the source that I linked to above is wrong in saying that Joe Englert sold his interest in Dr. Granville's. There was a change in ownership, but Mr. Englert reports that as a result of this change he now holds an even larger ownership share in Dr. Granville's. He also informs us that he is in the process of moving his office from Pennsylvania Ave to H Street so he can be closer to the action here. My apologies to all for the mix-up. Apparently you can't believe everything you read on the internet.
30 comments:
So much for a real interest in the neighborhood.
With the the market crashing all around us and as we face a serious recession, they were smart to get out.
Joe sold his stake? Is Mister Englert souring on H St or is this something specific to Granville Moore's?
Care to comment, Joe?
I think you guys are misinterpreting what's going on here. Perhaps you've noticed a pattern in which many of the places on H Street are started with a small group of partners who get the ball rolling and then either sell most of their interest, or sell it entirely. Typically what I've then seen happen is that they move on and put that capital into another project ON H STREET. In this way you are able to get a lot of great places opened in a relatively short period of time [each one benefiting all the others by fostering the idea of a district], have a diversity of ownership [but still ensure that the people who take over know what they are doing], and actually have the funding to accomplish it. It's a good plan, and it's working.
Yeah, I agree with Inked. He creates something valuable, shows it's viable, and then cashes out to get cash for the next project.
He's commented in the past that it takes hundreds of K's of $$ to build out each one of these places so there's that need for cash.
Even if he turned his eye elsewhere I'd still say Thanks, Joe. I've been amazed the last two weekends at the crowds in some of the H St bars. Seems the grand plan is working.
I also don't know if Joe Englert sold his share [as I said, I don't think it sends a message either way]. Recall that he was never the sole owner of Dr. Granville's. What I had heard is that a new partner came into the picture. Fermentbles reports a change in ownership. Take that as you like. I don't know the specifics.
Joe Englert said:
I actually bought more of the place. Sorry guys. Also, we are looking to add some more seats, hopefully by heating our patio (12-16 more)
I am also in the process of moving my office from Penn Ave to H to be closer to the action (much to the chagrin of my partners and employees................
Thanks for the interest.
Thanks for the clarification Joe, I'll put something in to post to clearly reflect this information.
I'm so sad to see Chris go. I really enjoyed talking to him about beer, Belgium, DC, and the neighborhood last time I was there. I know he's looking for a place with more room for his dog, and I hope he finds it. However, he will definitely be missed whenever I visit my favorite place on H St!
are there belgian waffles at granville moore's? seems like a good brunch option.
Actually, given the public market's likely poor performance and the difficult credit market, it makes better sense to stay invested in private equity and business ventures like this.
My private equity portfolio has seriously outperformed U.S. and International equities over the past two years....
Regardless, it's nice to see that he's moving his offices to H St.
Any chance the change in ownership will result in the terrible service being rectified?
Chris Surresco is out?! That sucks, he seemed like the heart of the place...
Any word on Sticky Rice?
What's terrible about the service? I was there last night and everything was running smoothly.
Hopefully Sticky Rice will open this spring.
I was at GM's with my wife and father last Tuesday, and the place seemed to be running just fine without Chris - not that we won't miss Chris, because he was definitely GREAT.
Pat was behind the bar upstairs and he also served us, and he definitely seemed to know his stuff when it came to the beers and the menu. He also confirmed to us that the charcuterie plans were still in the works, and he said that there were no real plans to change the way they've been doing things in terms of menu or atmosphere, so I took that as a good sign.
Anonymous 7:20's comment is troubling - Can't say I've ever had "terrible service," despite the fact that several of my visits have been on busy Saturday nights.
Glad to hear Mr. Englert is still going to be part of the ownership team - his energy and commitment have been great so far. Sad to see that two of the first three people who commented were so quick to condemn him.
Can someone link to the GM website? I tried really hard to find it (and their operating hours) over the weekend, as I had some guests in town and they wanted to try it out but they wanted to see a menu and hours of operation before we all trekked to H St. But I couldn't find the website, so we ended up going elsewhere.
anon 7:20 -
If the service is that terrible, why do you bother going? As a regular patron on both weekday and weekend evenings, I have to agree with Mike. The folks at GM's are very knowledgeable and it would appear that any prior problems stemming from the seating system have been successfully dealt with. Live long and prosper GM's!
Hillman, they don't have a website. They open at 530pm.
Here's some of what's on the menu-
1. mussels in white wine sauce
2. mussels in a cream sauce with leeks and a meat that might be prosciutto.
3. mussels in a pesto sauce
4. mussels in a sauce with sausage, peppers and onions.
5. buffalo burger
6. cheese, sausage plate
7. salad
8. buffalo hangar steak
9. frites
10. plate of the day
11. fish of the day
12. crab cakes
plus some other stuff.
Sauces for the frites include
1. curry mango [ketchup based]
2. dijonaisse
3. horseradish mayo
4. ranch mayo
5. truffle oil mayo
6. hot sauce
Inked:
Thanks.
It's 2008. They need a website. It's a basic courtesy to their patrons.
It's very hard for us Hill residents to convince people to show up to an H Street restaurant if we can't provide them a website menu (with prices), some idea of the hours, and such. A lot of people are on a budget, and they aren't going to trek to an unknown restaurant if they can't get a feel for prices in advance.
Really, guys. It doesn't have to be fancy or even pretty. But not having a website for a restaurant in 2008 is simply bad business practice.
I will not miss Chris one bit..I found him rude and arrogant
I'm happy to hear they don't have a website as I have looked for it several times, googled, clikced on Inked sidebars, etc. and could never come up with it. I thought it was my anti-technology tendencies. I have wanted to check out the menu, the prices, the address and convince some other "Hillites" to try H Street.
I can walk to Eastern Market and have generally supported SE, but since H Street is in my ANC, we have been suggesting H Street for evenings with friends and trying to support this new area. I love Bikhram yoga and my husband and I have tried Napa. It's still a tough sell. Something to refer to would be good. I was surprised to see that even the Naby's(I think that is it) has a website.
Joe Englert said:
I agree with Hillman. We should have a website up and running. Give us about 10 days or so and you will see one.
Thanks..........
That's what I'm talking about Joe! When should we expect a mini-golf course on H Street?
I'd love to be able to go to Granville Moore's; but after a couple of successful visits there in 2007, my gf and I don't seem to be able to get in. Their big selling point, the Belgian beers, means if I'm going, I'm going on the weekend, since it would be a Bad Thing for me to be drinking on a work night. But going on the weekend generally seems to mean a 45 minute wait for a table. We walk up to Granville Moore's fairly frequently, but always end up gonig somewhere else when they tell us we can't get in.
Don't misunderstand me -- being successful is nothing to apologize for, and I'm happy to see places in my neighborhood doing well. I just wish we were still able to get in. But that's nothing they're at fault for. They're doing great.
I doubt I'm the only one who remembers this, but Granville Moore's DID have a website before it opened - as did The Pug and The Beehive (former concept for Sticky Rice's address). Unfortunately, all three sites were allowed to expire without renewal, at which point one of those poacher companies snapped up their domain names.
All three had impressive layouts and dynamic content, even if most of it just said "Coming Soon." They definitely piqued my interest early on.
To get an idea of what used to be, check out these links (Big Thanks to Inked's archived posts, where I found the old URLs):
Dr. Granville Moore's (aka "The Brickyard"): http://web.archive.org/web/20060715053120/www.dcbrickyard.com/about
The Pug: http://web.archive.org/web/20060320000410/http://www.thepugdc.com/
The Beehive (now "Sticky Rice"): http://web.archive.org/web/20060615182837/http://www.thebeehivedc.com/
Unfortunately, none of the archived copies of these sites still show the layouts. I hope Joe & Co. have them archived somewhere, but I suspect they do not judging from his response to this post last January: http://frozentropics.blogspot.com/2007/01/1200-block-of-h-street.html
Note the comment from Anonymous on Jan. 3, 2007 asking about the three websites listed above and Mr. Englert's response the next day.
Wowsa. That was fast response, Joe.
Thanks so much.
I should add that a website is great for those on a budget that are perhaps more prone to come on an 'off night' when you may be having specials if we can see what those specials are on the website.
You can reach the Granville Moore's Splash Page at www.granvillemoores.com. We should have the entire thing finished real soon. Cheers! -Teddy
Thanks Teddy, I've updated the sidebar.
Why did Chris leave??? He was great! :(
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