RSS FeedLes Halles Parisian Brasserie Closes (1201 Penn Ave NW)
As reported by the Going Out Gurus, via DCist, the Washington DC location of Brasserie Les Halles has closed. Their own website hosts a thank you note. Last night was the last night of food service.
The reason for closing is a familiar one:
The restaurant couldn’t come to terms with the building’s management company over a new lease. “I had a very old lease that was negotiated way before Penn Quarter was where it was now,” said Lajaunie. He says that he would have had to double prices to afford the new lease, so he decided to close up shop.
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Comments
Damn, I loved the weekday breakfast at this location. Seriously, it was the best breakfast downtown.
What a loss! When these greedy landlords drive mainstay restaurants out of business, it makes me sad for the future of this town. What’s next, Old Ebbitt?
I read this and thought “What a shame.” Some complained about the service but I personally never encountered service issues and it’s the only place I’ve had steak tartare and enjoyed the experience. Outdoor seating on Penn Ave (NW) is a treat too but now there’s one less place to take visitors from out of town.
The Bastille Day races were origniated in the late 1970s by the uber-trendy-at-the-time Dominique’s (19th & Penn). Hopefully with Les Halles passing another French restaurant will step up and keep the tradition going.
This is TERRIBLE! Seriously, this was my favorite place to eat in the city. Casual, good food, homey. I am bummed out.
These landlords need to get their heads out of their derrieres. I am sure this piece of the DC landmark for as long as I remember will be replaced by the likes of TGIFridays or some other corporate giant willing to pay for the space just for exposure during the inauguration.
I work there. Dont believe for a minute this had something to do with the lease magically jumping up. This place has been doing terrible for the past year and was getting worse daily. The owner gave up on that place along time ago. There were rats everywhere including the dining room and the kitchen. The coolers behind the bar havent worked since June and he refused to fix them. Those were the worst conditions I have ever seen in 15 years. The owner would have worked out a deal at least to get him through the inauguration. Feel sorry for the staff not the douche bag owner.
I don’t know about the crappy owner. I don’t know about the rats. All I know is I loved the place. It was one of the favorite whipping boys of the DC foodie community, but I never had a bad meal at Les Halles. This sucks.
au revoir les halles…
last time i was there it was like a david lynch movie..
(i like david lynch movies) complete with a little person and a poodle at the table next to me… i was waiting for a cowboy… srsly.. but the food was good..and the service knew to leave me alone with the cowboy…
ill miss it…
xoxo
Blah whatever. Cafe du Parc, Central and the others beat this any day. Though it was pretty cheap. The lease thing seems pretty fake though, word on the street is that the employees didn’t even know it was closing.
That location has always run hot/cold. Before Le Halles, there was Antons 1201 Club, and before that, a place very big in the 70s. All restaurants have a life cycle — it was LH;s time to close.
Last time I ate there (4 months ago), I thought it was an average steak, the frittes were nothing special, and the service very inattentive. The decor has gotten shabby over the past few years.
Maybe the new incarnation at that spot will do well. If it does, it will have an 8-10 year run — like its predecessors.
Les Halles had – perhaps – the worst service in town. It’s hard to do in a town with abysmally poor service almost everywhere, but LH was a top [or bottom] competitor.
I do not “feel sorry” for the staff, they’re the ones who gave the poor service, & the owner can go to hell for all I care. Bad place = good riddance.
The place in Tribeca [NYNY] used to be a good restaurant – haven’t been there since ’05. A great chef can run one great restaurant – once the second joint opens, quality goes down everywhere, & downhill quickly.
I have always been very happy with the service at LH, and I’ve eaten there about 2x a month for the past three years.
More business for Bistro D’Oc. And the steak tartare at Central is waaaaay better. Filet mignon vs chopped round.
I liked hanging out at the bar at LH with Mrs Columbo, one of our favorite low-key hangouts. Having said that, I second Monkeyrotica’s comments. The tartare at Central is significantly better than LH. And the fries at Bistro D’OC are significantly better than LH.
But I’ll still miss LH, I like the bar area a lot, and really loved that weekday breakfast. Big press pots off dark roast coffee, toasted french bread with preserves… hell even the servers who treated me like crap. I’ll miss it.
Downtown is simply going to become unaffordable for all but a few select restaurants. As the economy worsens it will have a direct impact on the charm of the city and, unfortunately choke the lifeblood out of independent businesses. One more reason my condo will be worth less for the next decade at least.
Vanya, you’re absolutely right. What’s happened here is that DC officials & developers put all their money on a bet that the Bush Bubble Economy would continue for a long time. They were wrong, & as the economy contracts throughout 2009 & into 2010 & beyond, the downward spiral will continue.
You’re also right that condo prices will continue to slide for at least four or five years, & it will be at least a decade before condo prices reach the levels of 2005.
Misguided politicians & greedy developers / businessmen are to blame, both for the local problems in PQ & for the national & international problems. Barak will do what he can to fix the national & international problems, but that will take at least four to six years. As for the local problems, let’s hope someone good challenges & knocks off Fenty in two years.
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Wonder who the landlord will get to pay the outrageous rent they must want? In this economy? Amazing how deep in the sand property owner’s heads are these days. I liked this place and will miss it.