Join us this morning at 11 AM to chat with Ann Limpert. Have questions about DC’s new resistance-themed hotel? The Mike Isabella bankruptcy news? Or maybe you just need a dinner recommendation. Leave a question below, and Ann will get to as many as she can.
Ann: Good morning, chatters! Kind of can’t believe it’s already Friday. It’s…not been a slow news week.
First came word that Mike Isabella’s company has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Perhaps not totally surprising. What was surprising—galling, really—is that he blamed his company’s slipping sales on “negative press,” as opposed to (alleged) “hostile work environment,” or (alleged) “sexual harrassment.” He clearly hopes to rehab his image and company but this lack of self-awareness is doing him zero favors. Meanwhile, more lawsuits are piling up. Baldor, the food supplier, is suing Isabella for roughly $112,000. The Hotel at the University of Maryland is nailing him for $63,500 in back rent, and his Mosaic District landlords say he owes them $715,000.
And it’s Michelin season yet again. Yesterday, the esteemed guide released their Bib Gourmand (meaning moderately priced) picks; the biggie stars come out next week. Once again, the Bib Gourmand awards ignored the suburbs, home to a great many of Washington’s best affordable places. But at least there were a bunch of newcomers, unlike last year. The pricing is supposed to be $40 a person and under, and while some newbies make total sense (Timber Pizza, Unconventional Diner), others are headscratchers, at least price-wise. I really like Fancy Radish, Spoken English, and Kaliwa, but getting a satisfying meal at those places for 40 bucks is a stretch. And then there are the all-around head-scratchers. My last meal at Union Market’s Bidwell—once again on the list—had me wishing I’d chosen the nearby Rappahannock Oyster Bar (not on the list) instead. And while Millie’s in Spring Valley is great for bar snacks, drinks, and maybe a taco or two, a bargain it is not. I can think of oh, 25 more deserving spots.
Oh, and fellow metal-heads. Get ready for GWAR-in-a-bar.
Onto your questions! Ask them below; the chat transcript shows up underneath.
