Late last night, Prince of Petworth told readers he had heard a rumor that chef Gillian Clark, owner of the General Store in Silver Spring, signed a lease in DC's NoMa neighborhood near First Street, Northeast. Clark, who owned the now-closed Colorado Kitchen and is known for Southern-bent comfort food, is currently working a restaurant above the Petworth Metro. PoP wondered: If the NoMa rumor turned out to be true, would this mean the Petworth project was on hold? Reached by e-mail, here's what Clark had to say.
Right now we are focused on the Petworth project. We have the plans nearing completion and should break ground before year's end. It has just been really difficult getting funding in this economy. But now we have it wrapped. We are approached all the time by developers and landlords. We might ponder a place but it does not mean we're doing it. Certainly I have several concepts that I have developed over the years and personally I would like to see them all happen. So you will see more from Gillian Clark. Right now, however, we have all of our energy and financial resources devoted to Petworth.
She also added that she's "hoping" for a March 2011 opening for her Petworth place, but in DC, restaurant openings are notoriously hard to pin down.
The NoMa neighborhood has started to attract lots of commercial business. Todd and Ellen Gray, owners of Equinox, recently announced that they're working on a second property there.
Subscribe to Washingtonian
Follow Washingtonian on Twitter
Follow the Best Bites Bloggers on Twitter at twitter.com/bestbitesblog
More>> Best Bites Blog | Food & Dining | Restaurant Finder
