A Night Out: Good Stuff Eatery Opening Party

Crowds eager for a taste of Spike Mendelsohn’s burgers have waited in lines stretching down the block for the past week, but the former Top Chef contestant’s Good Stuff Eatery (303 Pennsylvania Ave., SE) hosted its official opening party Monday night. Spike and his family—mom, dad, and sis are co-owners—closed the restaurant for the evening and rolled out a red carpet for a few special VIPs: fellow Top Cheffers Antonia Lofaso, Lisa Fernandes, and Stephanie Izard, last season’s lovable winner. The red carpet and ribbon cutting seemed a bit ridiculous for a burger joint, but Spike’s clearly having fun with his newfound “celebrity” status.

These newly minted reality-TV stars mingled with friends, food media, and a few local chefs while sampling slider-size versions of Good Stuff’s burgers, little paper cones of fries, and miniature milkshakes. For those not in the mood for the super-sweet toasted-marshmallow shake, Champagne was flowing.

In person, the cheftestants came across as . . . well, pretty much the same as they did on TV. We don’t buy all the grumbling about Bravo’s editing. Check out our video interviews and photo slide show from the party.