With 8407 throwing open its doors a couple weeks ago, and Pacci's coming close to serving its first pie, I know folks are wondering what's going on with our new restaurant and brewpub. Well I'm here to say we all should be ready to throw down a burger (or veggie wrap - whatever your preference) and a brew before the end of May -- and perhaps sooner.I spoke to one of the principals behind Fire Station 1 (8131 Georgia Ave) the other day and got the lowdown. I was told they hope to open within the next 30 days, but we all know how that works in Montgomery County. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed for more like 45 days. Which will be fine with me. We'll have plenty of spring left and be ready to cool off from our hot summer days with some cold beer.
If you've driven by lately you've seen the new roofing being installed. And while the place may not look like it'll be ready for prime time in the next month or so, the storefront is scheduled to be installed next week, so I'm guessing that will give it the appearance of a restaurant ready to serve hungry and thirsty customers.
More importantly, the bar will be installed in about 2 weeks and for food, the kitchen is already in. FS1 is still short on staff however. They've hired about 1/3 of the people they need, but will still be holding more job fairs to fill the remaining positions.
In addition, I know there were questions from when I mentioned FS1 in a previous blog entry concerning their connection to Hook & Ladder. Now while our new place will not be a H&L bar, they will be serving 3 or 4 H&L brews, but folks will have a lot of other choices too since they will have 12 taps. I like the sound of that. And beyond that, some of the founders connected with H&L are behind FS1 -- although to be fair, they are two different entities. It appeared there were a few too many glitches for our new place to become a H&L brewpub. And so the folks behind FS1 stepped in to save the day.
FS1 plans to be open for lunch and dinner 7 days a week, and will offer brunch on the weekends. You can check out their menu on the website. Looks like pretty much what you'd expect -- calamari, O rings, salads, pizza, sandwiches and some full on entrees too. I typically never expect a bar which has a strong focus on beer to serve great food, but I'm hoping FS1 convinces me otherwise.
A couple other notes, the place will be pretty kid friendly (I guess as much as a bar can). They purchased a fire engine for the kids to play on and will have larger rooms available for b-day parties. For the adults -- besides good beer- they plan to have live music from Thurs to Sat.
That's all I have for now. I'll keep me eye on the construction progress and wish them to luck to finish on time. I'm parched already.
14 comments:
The vast array of stuff on their menu and the kid friendly approach worries me a little. I'm concerned that this will be a little too TGIF or Applebee's in character. I was hoping for something more along the lines of ChurchKey (only without the crowds). Hopefully I'll be proven wrong
Not the same as Anon 1217, but I agree. My heart began to sink as I read this post. It went from a brewpub by a local brewery to what sounds like the cheesy Piratz Tavern across the street, only "firehouse" themed. A toy firetruck for kids to ride? Blah.
Silver Spring does NOT need another kiddies place. I was mortified when a few out of town friends and I went to Austin Grill to watch a baseball game and it morphed into "kids night" with some goofball kid songs being sung and 20 or so kids dancing and running around the joint. Very embarrassing. Great update, but very disappointing news.
I share your concerns, esp as not being a parent. When I go out at night for drinks I certainly don't want to deal with kids. Not exactly how this will work at FS1. Maybe at a certain hr it "morphs" into adult only. I'll hold my judgment till I see the place in action. I assume the restaurant is still deciding how things might work, so perhaps we can influence the direction as it concerns kids and adults under the influence of good beer.
Do you guys really think that kids are going to be playing on that fire truck at 1:00 AM on a Saturday night?
"Kid-friendly" and "brewpub" go together like apple juice and marmite. This is sad news indeed.
Darn! I'd heard H&L wasn't part of this anymore given the economy, but I was hoping it was a rumor!
It all comes down to how the place does it. A kid-friendly place is not necessarily a "kiddies place".
Does anyone remember the original incarnation of Bardo in Arlington? They had a huge space that included a sandbox with a bunch of trucks in it tucked into one corner. The kids seemed happy, but I barely noticed them. And I was in my early 20s at the time and hyper-sensitive to the presence of kids.
There are ways to make it work for parents with young kids without having the place be centered around them. Let's just hope that the owners can find the right balance.
I realize that we should withhold judgment until they actually open their doors; however that's not my style. I'm a pre-judger, and as such I declare that this is a terrible direction for this brew-pub to be going in. As others have mentioned, children already have Piratz Tavern and all the grog they can keep down, why do they have to play in our new sandpit.
And then there's the menu. Not good! It looks like something I'd see at a strip club in Wichita. Why can't they do something more imaginative?
Ok, I've pre-judged. When they open their doors I'll judge for real, but in the meantime I'll spend my money at 8407.
Yeah, I don't want to be a pre-judging hater either and I hope to be one of the first there to order a beer. But that menu is a major disappointment. It's generic and unmemorable. Scale back, pick a few things and do them well. Drop the rest. Especially the wraps.
There's no way they can do all those types of food well. Does NOBODY watch Gordon Ramsey? He may be an ass, but he's always right: pare down the menu, keep the concept simple, and do a few things very, very well.
There are lots of kid-friendly brewpubs--most of the ones I've been to are fine with kids during the day, and the beer drinkers don't complain. The gastropub model is usually less kid-friendly, but also not so much of neighborhood joint. Adults and kids can certainly coexist peacefully in a well-designed space (without a fire truck, preferably!).
But scariest of all, to me, is the poor graphic design of the Web site and logo. It doesn't exactly scream professionalism, does it? Or maybe I'm just nostalgic for the H&L logo...
Want a quick way to keep the kiddies out? Invite some of the badasses who hang on Ellsworth down there. Buy them beer and let them sit walk around screaming "bitch" at those kids' moms and pretty soon you'll drive them out!
Off-topic but semi-related, I brought a friend from out of town to dine in downtown SS yesterday we walked and walked and walked until we found a decent resturant open on Monday night (Olazzo was the big winner!) - I know Monday is probably slower for folks, but it was a sad hike up Georgia Ave with one after another place we tried being shut that eve - is there ANY web site we could coknsult that shows which places are open each night of the week and/or for lunches?
@WashingtonGardener McGintys and Adega are open on Mondays. Adega even does the wine discount with entrees. Eggplant pizza and wine are great for a Monday pick me up.
There will be a firetruck kids can sit on, and a party room that anyone can rent out? THAT'S what has your non-parental panties in a bunch? Overreaction, much?
Post a Comment