Adams Morgan seafood spot Johnny’s Half Shell announced its permanent closure last October, after temporarily shuttering at the onset of the pandemic. If you’re among those mourning the loss of Ann Cashion and John Fulchino’s 21-year-old restaurant, you can purchase a souvenir from the dining room at a best-offer sale on Saturday, May 1, and Sunday, May 2, from 12 PM to 2 PM.
The restaurant already donated kitchen equipment to DC Central Kitchen and has arranged for some of the tableware to go to budding restauranteurs opening their own places. Everything else is up for grabs, including a big wooden ice box, iron railings crafted in New York, and a collage of flattened oyster cans constructed by Fulchino himself. Artifacts from previously closed restaurants like Cashion’s Eat Place and Taqueria Nacional on 14th Street will also be on sale. Rather than sticking a price tag on each object, shoppers will make their best offer on an item.
“There’s some really nice stuff that we put our heart into, so I hope it falls into some good hands,” says Fulchino. “Lots of memories—Annie and I were just really sad. We did not want to close that restaurant. But I just feel post-Covid is going to be really, really different.”
Even though Cashion and Fulchino are clearing out relics of their seafaring restaurant, this isn’t their finale in the Adams Morgan space. The duo plan to unveil a new concept in the same location this summer—the 11th spot the restaurant industry vets have worked on together.
Daniella Byck joined Washingtonian in 2022. She was previously with Outside Magazine and lives in Northeast DC.
