Del Frisco's Grille gave a crowd of VIPs a preview of the first restaurant opening at Pike & Rose last night. Signage had been attached to the facade of the restaurant, which is scheduled to open next Thursday, September 25.
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General Manager Rahsaan Stone (L)
greets VIP guests at the tented
entryway erected outside the
restaurant's entrance |
Attendees made a red carpet entrance, greeted by General Manager Rahsaan Stone and a free cocktail. Each party posed for photos before a Del Frisco's Grille logo red carpet backdrop. Inside, the spacious restaurant was packed, even with the standalone tables removed from the floor. An open bar finished what the martini glass at the door started, and uniformed servers made the rounds with a selection of appetizers and small plates from Executive Chef Cody Lynch's forthcoming menu.
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A mixologist sends another
Apt. 5-D martini
down the ice luge |
In many ways, the event had the feel of one held in the District more than in staid Montgomery County. Strawberry martinis with Tito's Vodka, lemon sour, simple syrup, a dash of balsamic, and cracked black pepper - called the Apt. 5-D, and quite good, I must add - gushed down a large cocktail luge, before arriving in their appointed glasses. The spectacle easily commanded the most cellphone photos of the evening, with shots of the frozen sculpture popping up on Instagram. Millennials hammed it up at an electronic photo machine throughout the night, and made up a large portion of the crowd in general. A raw bar with another ice sculpture served up oysters and shrimp just in front of the restaurant's open kitchen.
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Striking a pose at
the electronic
photo "booth" |
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The finished product,
ready to print |
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The restaurant's main,
wraparound bar was
abuzz with activity all night |
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So was another kind of
bar - the raw bar |
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Raw oysters were the
main attraction here |
The circulating appetizers got favorable reviews from everyone I spoke to. Dominated in sheer numbers by the restaurant's signature Ahi Tuna Tacos, it featured inventive twists on some popular small plates. My favorite was the crab fritters. Not to be confused with the crab cake sliders, which were pretty good themselves, the fritters have a far-lighter texture than you would expect from a fried dish. Inside the crispy exterior were bits of sweet peppers, tender corn, and - of course - crab. A drizzle of sriracha mayonnaise added a spicy finish to the top.
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| Cheesesteak Eggrolls |
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| Crabcake on toast |
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| Tomato and mozzarella skewers |
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| Pork and cabbage taco |
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| A fantastic crab fritter |
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Del Frisco's signature
Ahi Tuna Tacos |
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Grille Prime Cheeseburger
Sliders |
After pursuing another Del Frisco's signature item, the Cheesesteak Eggrolls, without success, I spotted Chef Cody Lynch, who brought out a plate of 4 fresh from the kitchen for me. These were another winner, with the flavors of a fresh Philly Cheesesteak sandwich somehow jammed into an eggroll-like shell. Other good choices were the Grille Prime Cheeseburger, Pork Tacos with cabbage, and a veggie burger. Later in the evening, some selections from the dessert menu began to appear, including Coconut Cream Pie. Beers currently on tap are Stella Artois, Allagash White, Samuel Adams seasonal Oktoberfest, Yuengling and Blue Moon. I'm looking forward to trying some of the full entrees after the opening, because there are quite a few on the menu that sound great.
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What's currently on tap;
GM Rahsaan Stone says
the selections will alternate |
All in all, the evening was a brief taste of what nights at Pike & Rose could be like in the future. Federal Realty Development Associate Jay Corbalis said that the company is positioning Pike & Rose as an entertainment-centered development, with the AMP by Strathmore live music venue and iPic cineplex both on-site. With similar movie theaters canceled at JBG's North Bethesda Market II, and possibly at Lerner's White Flint Mall site redevelopment, Pike & Rose is primed to become the nightlife activity hub of the "new" White Flint. You need to get dinner with that movie, or a bar to meet up with friends before the show, and Del Frisco's seems poised to fit the bill.
Stay tuned for video from the event! Here are more photos; click to enlarge for greater detail:
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This artwork hangs behind the wall
that separates the host stand from
bar area |
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Warmer installed on the
outdoor patio |
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The patio was packed
last night |
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| Looking toward Executive Blvd. |
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A successful evening for
Executive Chef Cody Lynch
and
GM Rahsaan Stone |
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Oenophiles weren't left out
at the bar |
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"Do right and feed every man" is
the motto over the kitchen - and
on the back of staff uniforms |
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Valets line up the VIP vehicles
after the party |
22 comments:
Awww, our little Robert has grown up into a real life Very Important Person!
Watch out everybody!
weak beer selection
FREEBIES LAST NIGHT BACK TO HUNGRY MAN AND CHEF BOYARDEE TODAY
THAT GUY IN THE FIFTH PICTURE FROM THE TOP ATE WAY TOO MANY SLIDERS
Dyer, you're a VIP now please invest in a camera.
THE SOUTH ASIAN DUDE IN THE BLUE SHIRT IN THE "WRAPAROUND BAR" PHOTO LOOKS LIKE HE'S PICKING HIS NOSE
Looks good!
8:25 - I did; a camera was used to take these pictures, genius.
31 photos for this article, and EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM is showing, nearly full-size, on the homepage? Very bad website design. No wonder my browser quickly reaches 1 GB of RAM whenever I try to scroll down to the older articles.
"...a camera was used to take these pictures..."
Why the weird use of the passive voice? Did someone other than you take the pictures?
4:06 The constantly-increasing visitor and pageview numbers suggest the larger audience likes the "bad website design." I don't think many people are complaining about in-depth coverage and photography of news and events. There's always the Washington Post if you like skimpy coverage of Bethesda.
Hyperanalytical Anonymous 5:22, it's called sarcasm in response to the inane commenter at 8:25. Your suggestion I didn't take the photos is making anybody who saw me taking the pictures last night laugh.
By the way, 4:06, it might be time to consider upgrading from dial-up.
WHY DID YOU TAKE A PICTURE OF A DUDE BRUSHING HIS TEETH IN PUBLIC (IMMEDIATELY BELOW "Artwork hangs behind the wall...")
LETS SEE YOUVE GOT
1) DUDE BRUSHING HIS TEETH IN PUBLIC
2) DUDE PICKING HIS NOSE IN PUBLIC
3) FREDDY THE JELLO TROLL SCARFING DOWN SLIDERS
YES YOU'VE GOT A BUNCH OF WINNERS THERE YOU DO
AND YOUR CREEPY PATRONIZING OF "MILLENNIALS" IS CREEPY
@ 11:03 p.m. [sic - actually 2:03 a.m. EDT]:
Memory use and connection speed are two completely different things. I suggest that you learn the difference.
Anonymous originally said Bob wasn't a VIP celebrity and not invited. Turns out he was invited. Was this troll shocked to run into Bob at the party? ANSWER FOR YOUR CRIMES ANONYMOUS. You said Bob wasn't going. You lied.
Creepy Patronizing of millennials? You must think the Planning Dept and the MoCo Council are super creepy then.
7:50am Are you still using Windows 2000 like the MoCo council and their staff admitted earlier this year?
Don't blame Bob that you haven't upgraded.
1:08 AM - You're really hung up on these photos. Your 3rd Grade playground insults speak for themselves. The high number of pageviews on this report suggests you are pretty much alone in your opinion. Federal Realty said it was targeting millennials in developing Pike & Rose, and the tenant mix there, so it was totally germane to the topic. But we're now eager to hear your major public address on how "creepy" the County Council and planners are for being obsessed with the topic of millennials (while failing to attract the high-wage jobs and major aerospace and tech firms that millennials are searching for when deciding where to live).
12:21 Maybe he's using a county-issued computer. Give him some extra time, it takes awhile to boot Windows 2000.
The Council and Planners lost the script. Millenials want good jobs not just booze.
Focus on economic development.
For a fancy new place, that's a pathetic list of draft beers. Octoberfest is cool, but the others are surprisingly dull. Further, I'll bet that they're asking prime dollars for a pint, too.
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