8,200 Rigatoni Dishes and Counting: Red Hen's First Year
Welcome back to One Year In, a feature in which Eater sits down for a chat with the chefs and owners of restaurants celebrating their one year anniversary.
There's no doubting The Red Hen has made the most of the last year. The neighborhood eatery in Bloomingdale is constantly on one list or another that highlights its pasta dishes (it was Eater's 2013 Restaurant of the Year). Just recently, The Washington City Paper recognizedmezze rigatoni with fennel sausage ragu as the city's best pasta dish. Chef Michael Friedman and his team have served 8,200 plates of the uber-popular dish since opening.
But the popularity of sweetbreads, tripe and tongue on the menu have also left the restaurant's other owners, general manager Michael O'Malley and sommelier Sebastian Zutant, pleasantly surprised. While these guys enjoy "busting each other's chops", they are more like brothers inside and outside the restaurant. The trio took some time to sit down and talk about Bloomingdale, how the concept came together, and how the menu may become a bit more Sicilian.
What was the process like to develop the concept of Red Hen?
MF: Sebastian and I had talked about the concept when we first started talking about opening up a restaurant. We talked about what we wanted to do, but we also talked about what we didn't want to do. We didn't want to conform to the other restaurants opening up in the city. We really wanted a neighborhood joint. ...
MF: Sebastian and I had talked about the concept when we first started talking about opening up a restaurant. We talked about what we wanted to do, but we also talked about what we didn't want to do. We didn't want to conform to the other restaurants opening up in the city. We really wanted a neighborhood joint. ...
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Red Hen's a neighborhood joint. Who lives in the neighborhood?
MO: I live right around the corner.
MF: I live about 15 minutes away in Takoma Park. And Sebastian lives a few doors down.
MO: I live right around the corner.
MF: I live about 15 minutes away in Takoma Park. And Sebastian lives a few doors down.
Is that why you guys chose Bloomingdale?
MF: We were looking at areas that were up and coming.
MO: We looked at 14th. We looked at 9th. We looked on U.
MF: We almost signed on a place on upper 14th. But Sebastian would keep bringing up this spot. And at the end of the day, it was just too awesome to pass up. We got a look inside, and it had been vacant for more than 30 years. It used to be a laundromat.
MF: We were looking at areas that were up and coming.
MO: We looked at 14th. We looked at 9th. We looked on U.
MF: We almost signed on a place on upper 14th. But Sebastian would keep bringing up this spot. And at the end of the day, it was just too awesome to pass up. We got a look inside, and it had been vacant for more than 30 years. It used to be a laundromat.
Were you on the fence about coming to Bloomingdale?
MF: Not at all. I've been hanging out with Sebastian for years, but your natural inclination is to move outside and see what else is out there. I love Bloomingdale. There's a fear when you open up of not being busy. That was our major fear. And to take the plunge and go into a true, true neighborhood. But we did a lot of research. Sebastian knows a lot of people here and it really made sense to move here at the end of the day.
MF: Not at all. I've been hanging out with Sebastian for years, but your natural inclination is to move outside and see what else is out there. I love Bloomingdale. There's a fear when you open up of not being busy. That was our major fear. And to take the plunge and go into a true, true neighborhood. But we did a lot of research. Sebastian knows a lot of people here and it really made sense to move here at the end of the day.
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Can Bloomingdale support another Red Hen-like restaurant?
MO: We're seeing some neighborhood joints opening up. There's some stuff coming along North Capitol, and people are revitalizing that part of the neighborhood. The nice thing about Bloomingdale, especially around here, the only commercial strip you have is this little part of First Street, so it can't really expand beyond what it is.
MO: We're seeing some neighborhood joints opening up. There's some stuff coming along North Capitol, and people are revitalizing that part of the neighborhood. The nice thing about Bloomingdale, especially around here, the only commercial strip you have is this little part of First Street, so it can't really expand beyond what it is.
To read the remainder of this Eater article, go here.
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