Viridian Closes After Two Years

Neighbors and food lovers alike are buzzing with the sad news that 14th Street's Viridian has closed. A sign outside the door announces the closure and thanks patrons for their support.

What's too bad is that just last week, I added the restaurant to my list of places I'm currently eating. I wrote: "After one too many changes early on (chef shuffling, shifting menu focus) and inconsistent service, I had sort of written Viridian off. I'm glad to say I've had some delicious meals there recently, as well as some nicely crafted cocktails. Chef Michael Hartzer, formerly of Citronelle and Ray's the Classics, took over in early 2007, and I'm glad he stuck around. An attractive new partition in the back makes the dining room less vacuous and creates a nice private dining nook."

Oh well. I'll be listening out for where Hartzer heads next and hoping the space (one of the closest restaurants to Metrocurean headquarters) doesn't stay empty for long.

Comments

Anonymous said…
My partner and I noticed this yesterday morning while we were walking the dog. We were quite bummed. We always enjoyed our meals there, and went for both brunch and dinner with at least vague regularity (enough that we knew the waitstaff we liked, though probably not often enough that they knew us in return!)

Viridian filled a nice gap in the neighborhood -- fancy enough to take the in-laws for a celebratory dinner, but still a reasonable way to do dinner before seeing a show at Studio.

We'll definitely miss it (especially in a few weeks when we have our next Studio subscription tickets; we'd already planned to eat at Viridian!)
1/02/2008 5:27 PM
EdTheRed said…
I figured it was over a few weeks ago when I got a Viridian flyer in the mail...I believe it might even have included a coupon. My wife and I both figured that wasn't exactly a sign of good things to come.

It will be missed, though. Hopefully something decent will fill the space soon - it really is a great location.
1/02/2008 5:59 PM
Anonymous said…
oh how sad
1/03/2008 1:02 AM
City Girl DC said…
That's too bad. I never got a chance to eat there.
1/03/2008 10:11 AM
Anonymous said…
I agree that the food became consistently better in 2007 but Viridian always struck me more as fitting better with the downtown business crowd than the Logan neighborhood. The recent addition of Viridian's lounge made it a little bit more conducive to popping in for a quick bite. I wish the staff well and look forward to a more casual, neighborhood restaurant to move in. Maybe a gastropub or a nice wine-centric restaurant like Proof. A Jose Andres outpost would be great but I'm also just hungry for some fried dates (mmmmm).
1/03/2008 11:02 AM
Alex H. said…
That's a bummer - My gf and I just had our New Year's Eve dinner there on Monday. It was delicious and I was hoping to go there for brunch at some point...sad.
1/03/2008 11:20 AM
Dave Kumar said…
Oh crap -- I recently bought a gift certificate from Viridian, which I ended up keeping for myself after buying a different gift. I wonder if they will offer me a refund, or whether that money is lost ....
1/03/2008 3:45 PM
Dennis! said…
That's a shame... I loved that place!
1/03/2008 9:28 PM
lacochran said…
Shocking! Thanks for sharing the news.
1/04/2008 5:49 PM
Jon said…
Another closing to report on 14th is Dakota Cowgirl.

I walked past there last evening and the place was dark and a sign read "Thanks for eight great years."

I wasn't really a fan of this place, but what's happening to our neighborhood on 14th? Hmm...
1/05/2008 12:59 PM
Anonymous said…
- I had the best pink pork loin there ever.
- Also, the hot pepper infused cocktail was excellent, but they discontinued it.
- Sad news, of course, because it represented good modern American that was not too affected.
- The sloppy dress of the waitstaff was inappropriate, however; that style decision smacked of trying to be hipper-than-thou.
1/05/2008 2:21 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

ENTERTAIN } For The Love Of Salt

Image
I'm bidding a reluctant adieu to summer on this first day of fall and looking back with fond memories on one of the season's highlights — our Summer Salt Fest at the Gordy's Pickle Jar headquarters. Ever since opening Salt & Sundry three years ago, I've been dreaming of a down-home party that celebrates all things salty. With the perfect partners in crime, Sarah and Sheila of Gordy's, and my phenomenal team at Salt & Sundry, we hosted a gathering of good friends and toasted our shared love of salt. The feast included fried chicken, boiled peanuts ( made by my husband !), Rappahannock' s Olde Salt oysters, deviled eggs topped with Gordy's Sweet Pepper Relish, and probably the best fried pickles I've ever eaten (yes, I've eaten a lot) ... Gordy's Sweet Chips and Cajun Okra dipped in roasted garlic aioli. There was crisp Virginia rosé from Early Mountain Vineyards , local brews from 3 Stars and DC Brau , and a watermelon cooler tha...
keep reading »

STYLE } Bar Styling Tips with Framebridge

Image
  I've always been noncommittal when it come to putting anything on my walls. Art? Photos? Prints? But what if I change my mind? Add the hassle of framing something and voila, a growing pile of unframed prints and photos gathers dust on a shelf. So I much appreciated a recent gentle nudge from friends at  Framebridge , a DC-based company that's making it easier and less expensive to get those pretty-if-neglected pieces framed and on display. We hung out at my place, whipped up some Green Hat gin and tonics, and I shared tips for stocking and styling your bar at home. (Any old table will do!) And yes, I actually put a nail in the wall and hung a print. Head this way for my full interview with Framebridge . Cheers! all photos by  Laura Metzler Photography  for Framebridge
keep reading »

Hello Cupcake Opens

Image
Cupcakes await the first customers at Hello Cupcake For a sweet spot in this final week of August, head to Hello Cupcake , which opens at 10 a.m. today at 1351 Connecticut Ave. NW. I had the chance to sample a few flavors with owner Penny Karas. The fluffy icing on the peanut butter blossom (above) is seriously addictive, and the seasonal root beer flavor is a delightful surprise with spicy root beer cake topped with vanilla cream cheese frosting. I'm going for a Velvet Elvis, banana cake with peanut butter frosting, next. There are gluten-free and vegan options on the menu, as well. Check out all the flavors here . Metrocurean photo
keep reading »