Three, restaurants on one block in Dupont (P St. btwn 21st and 22nd) closed this month, showing just how badly the recession is hitting the restaurant industry. Just after New Years Aioli Meditalian gourmet shut it’s doors and now just this week the same fate met Café Trope and Biryani Corner. Here’s the (obvious) bad news: the economic downturn’s hurting the restaurant business in a very tangible way, and newer places are being hit especially hard since all three had been open less than a year and a half. Here’s the good news: a couple of overrated restaurants are gone now and better places are already coming in to fill the void.
I never went to Café Trope but I’ve eaten at both Aioli and Biryani and both were underwhelming. Biryani was a takeout Indian counter, which replaced Naan and Beyond a year ago and never even came close to filling Naans shoes. It’s not as if you expect much with takeout Indian, but on my last trip there I ordered the chicken tikka sandwich (wrapped in naan) and received chicken that hadn’t been marinated, alongside peppers and onions making for the first Indian chicken fajitas ever created. Enough said.
Aioli, on the other hand, was gourmet Italian takeout with a few tables in house. The food was reasonably tasty but also incredibly overpriced along with a generally unfriendly staff. More than anything else, I think Aioli was a case of a restaurant simply not understanding their customers. They could have garnered a very sizeable lunch business in Dupont but that never happened since they charged $13-$16 for takeout pastas and never offered lunch deals or lunch portioned sizes. They styled themselves (and charged) as a nice Italian restaurant, but in essence they were just takeout. I understand paying higher prices when being served at a restaurant, but Aioli had all of ten tables throughout the room, staffed by one waitress who was also the cashier. That’s not a restaurant, that’s takeout with some tables to sit at. The food was reasonably good but it was never worth the price, especially in an area where you can get wonderful pastas for little more money.
Now the good news… Within three days of Aioli closing, a Vietnamese restaurant called Saigon Bistro had already opened. I’m actually not exaggerating when I say for being three days in, it was really impressive. Their tables are filled, they actually have waiters, and their prices for entrees are mostly just under $10, with many options for less.
I have a cursory (at best) understanding of Vietnamese cuisine so I can't judge authenticity, but I was satisfied after visiting. The manager was behind the counter taking orders and could not have been more welcoming or helpful in selecting dishes. I ordered pork spring rolls, Vietnamese chicken pad thai, and a specialty soup called Pho Dac Biet (pictured at top). The spring rolls were light and crunchy while the chicken pad thai was fiery hot with chili pepper flakes sprinkled in - so don't expect Thai style pad thai here. The Pho Dac Biet soup was also a highlight. The soup was a mix of three meats: sliced rare beef, brisket, and tripe. The tripe was the highlight and the rare beef was good too, but the brisket could use some work, it was needlessly tough. It also had thin asian noodles, sprouts, a number of fresh herbs, and the normal accompaniments - sweet and fiery sauces.
Saigon seems to have already gotten their act together, with some luck the crowds will sustain and they’ll be able to stick around. As for the other locations, hopefully they’ll be filled soon but I think that’s doubtful in this economy, especially Café Trope’s space.
Saigon Bistro
2153 P Street, NW
Washington, DC 20037
http://saigonbistrodc.com
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