Posts Tagged “Philly’s is dead. Long live Philly’s!”

Nestled on Potomac Street in what used to be GoFresh and Philly P, The Crave has recently opened as Georgetown’s newest sandwich shop. The small eatery prides itself on its corn beef sandwiches, lobster rolls, and gourmet grilled cheeses.

First off, be warned that visiting The Crave will be an experience much different than your usual lunch excursion. The ambiance made us questioning many things, including the legitimacy of the restaurant and even our own sobriety. For example, the loud and unpredictably random music is immediately noticeable (we’re talking a playlist that contained both DJ Felli Fel’s “Get Buck in Here” and the Christmas song, “Joy to the World”). The upstairs eating space, which was more along the lines of an art-collecting hipster’s 70’s style living room, left us wondering if we had mistakenly entered a hookah bar or someone’s apartment.

However, our skepticism quickly subsided as we attacked our delicious sandwiches. With only one person working the kitchen, the food was prepared at perhaps not the quickest speed, but the wait was worth it. One favorite was the “Divine Goat Cheese” sandwich. Layered panini-style with chevre goat cheese, fig jam, honey, zest, and herbs on raisin walnut bread, this was not your average grilled cheese sandwich—nonetheless, it was one of the best Vox has ever tasted.

Other mouth-watering choices included the lobster roll and the grilled caprese sandwich with prosciutto. Both were a perfect portion size and were well deserving of the “It only takes one bite” slogan that the restaurant promotes.

All in all, The Crave left Vox craving more. We can’t say the same for our wallets however.  The Crave seemed a bit overpriced, ranging from $7 – $16 per sandwich. But that’s not incredibly surprising—after all, this is Georgetown we’re talking about.

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If you haven’t heard, the former Philly Pizza & Grill reopened about a month ago as Gofresh, “Where healthy meals meets delicious taste.”

Yesterday, Vox decided to go see what the new restaurant was like. I am sorry I did.

From the sidewalk, one can still read “Philly Pizza & Grill” under the black paint covering the awning. A sign reading “QUIET!!” and “NO LOITERING” hangs next to the door. The interior looks the same, but the counter is farther back to provide more seating. Alas, the restaurant was empty.

According to the cashier at Gofresh, their baked potatoes are their most popular item. He recommended the “spinach artichoke,” pictured here wrapped in tinfoil and buried under creamed spinach, some cucumbers, and feta cheese. It was glommy. I did not ask for ranch dressing.

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We’ve got bad news if you expected to taste ranch-drenched Philly Pizza anytime soon. Hell, we’ve got bad news if you expected Philly Pizza to reopen.

According to a final consent order issued by the D.C. Department of Regulatory and Consumer Affairs, the restaurant will reopen as Go Fresh, a prepared food shop that bares little resemblance to the former late-night pizza peddler. Owner Mehmet Kocak‘s new certificate of occupancy came with strict conditions from the DCRA.

As per the consent order, Go Fresh will not be able to cook raw ingredients, such as meat, dough, or fish. The restaurant will stop serving customers at 12:45 a.m. and close at 1 a.m.; Thursdays through Saturdays, deliveries can continue until 3 a.m. And the final nail in Philly Pizza’s coffin? Go Fresh “shall not serve and/or sell pizza.”

That’s right: No cooking, no late nights, and no pizza.

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