Joe Englert admits it’s all his fault. Englert was hoping to negotiate a deal with the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue on his delinquent sales tax for the Argonaut. The owner says he was in talks with the OTR, but apparently that wasn’t enough to stop the office today from revoking the Argonaut’s sales and use tax certificate, which prevents the tavern from collecting taxes on food and drink, essentially shutting the place down.

The Argonaut was one of eight restaurants that had their certificates revoked today. The others are INTI on 18th St. NW, Prince of Georgetown on Prospect St. NW, Besta Pizza on Connecticut Avenue NW, Porter’s on 19th St. NW, Prince Cafe on Wisconsin Avenue NW, Mendocino Grille on M St. NW, and Cafe Nema on U St. NW.  Collectively the establishments owe the city more than $860,000 in back taxes, according to OTR records, topped by Porter’s, which owes more than $389,000 in taxes, penalties, and interest.

Once the word came down, Englert says he went and paid off the full amount of his outstanding bill, plus penalties and interest, which the OTR pegged at $62,051.23. Englert says the tax-bill problems date back to a period in 2007 when the Argonaut was struggling. What’s more, the owner adds, he had already paid his tax bill for a couple of months for which the city apparently did not have record of it.

Read More “Argonaut Back In Business After Brush with D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue” »

Y&H is thrilled to report that Select 55 has been dethroned — by another beer, Guinness, which celebrated a birthday yesterday.

Let’s raise a glass to Select 55’s long run and to the new king of the Y&H blog.

This week’s most-read posts:

1. Raise a Toast to Guinness’ 250th Anniversary
2. Budweiser Launches Select 55, Light Beer Arms Race Gets Absurd
3. Joe Englert Offers a REAL Tribute to the Dean of D.C. Liquor Lawyers
4. Two Things Y&H Didn’t Expect to See at Sou’Wester’s Opening Party: Frank Ruta and Dancing
5. Stand in Judgment of Georgetown Chefs!
   

Mr. H Street himself, Joe Englert, called Y&H last week to bitch about what he felt was a  fawning tribute to Dimitri Mallios, the “dean” of D.C. liquor lawyers. Englert thought the item didn’t capture Mallios’ humor, his ballsy honesty, and his ability to get shit done despite a daunting D.C. bureaucracy.

Englert wanted to write his own tribute, which Y&H encouraged. You’ll find it, in all its obscene and hilarious glory, after the jump.

Read More “Joe Englert Offers a REAL Tribute to the Dean of D.C. Liquor Lawyers” »

Given the rather tight conditions (and general mayhem) at H Street Country Club, the mini-golf/Mexican eatery has had trouble accommodating parties of eight or more. So the owners have devised what they’re calling the Maxi Bar, which will be a private dining area where chef Pablo Cardoso can showcase his talents at creating South-of-the-Border  small plates.

The dining space, located on the ground floor near the kitchen, will accommodate small parties for a multi-course tasting menu not available anywhere else at H Street Country Club, says owner Joe Englert. Cardoso, who has worked previously at Cashion’s Eat Place and Jackie’s, will offer an ever-changing menu of Mexican and Latin American small plates, which the diners can pair with either wine or tequila.

Read More “H Street C.C. to Mix Latin Tasting Menu with Wii” »

Honest Abe was attacked again.

If you’ll recall, back in May when H Street Country Club first opened, I tried to warn owner Joe Englert that several holes were vulnerable to attack from drunk duffers. He brushed it off like so much pet hair, saying the statuary on his putt-putt course, particularly the gruesome dead presidents on Hole No. 5, could withstand the punishment of Satan’s army.

Well, apparently not.

Just weeks after opening, some asshole broke the hands off the rotting skeleton of President Lincoln — and that’s not even the worst of it. “Someone tried to skull fuck Abraham Lincoln,” Englert notes. I’d prefer not to explain how this could be done to artist Lee T. Wheeler’s statue, but let’s just say there’s a wide-diameter bullet hole in Honest Abe’s skull.

Englert’s shocked, too, which is saying something for him.

Read More “H Street Country Club Changing Course” »

Because Y&H has developed a warm, personal relationship with Joe Englert, Mr. Fatlas, I mean Mr. Atlas, District invited me to a sneak-preview of the long, long, long-awaited H Street Country Club on Sunday night, and I have just one thing to say: You’ll never get a tee time.

This place is going to have longer lines than Ben’s Chili Bowl during the inauguration. Everyone will want to putt-putt their ball between the bloated legs of a D.C. parking meter-reader who’s exposing just a little too much butt crack. Or across the Reflecting Pool and up the stairs of the Lincoln Memorial. Or between the decomposing bodies of several dead presidents. Or around a multi-car pileup on the Beltway. Or….oh, hell, you get the point. This is miniature golf as imagined by the Coen Brothers.

Come to think of it, some people might even visit H Street just to sample the Tex-Mex menu designed by Ann Cashion, founder of Taqueria Nacional. Well, maybe.

Read More “H Street Country Club Swings Opens Tomorrow” »

After months — no, wait, years — of delays, the H Street Country Club is set to open at the end of the month. So says Walter Nicholls over at BizBash, which even has a few up-to-date photos of the place (as opposed to the months-old construction crap above).

As fun as putt-putting my way around a miniature Washington Monument sounds, I’m even more interested in the Mexican/Tex-Mex menus conceived by Ann Cashion and executed by former Cashion’s cook, Pablo Cordoso. The south-of-the-border food has a decidedly modern feel. Think “masa puffs” with roasted pumpkin and poblano pepper, instead of old-fashioned stuffed gorditas. Or a tostada with mashed avocado and warm lobster salad, not a thick layer of lard and beans.

Read More “H Street Country Club Ready to Tee Off at the End of the Month” »

Englert no doubt searching for Folkman’s replacement.

Nightclub mogul Joe Englert might be surprised at the lies his staff apparently spun to hide Teddy Folkman’s absences for weeks of taping, but he’s not shocked that his Granville Moore’s chef has become a finalist for the Next Food Network Star. Englert has been singing Folkman’s praises for a long time now and has brought the toque into a number of upcoming projects. (See the items at the bottom of this Y&H column.)

So is Englert worried that Folkman could leave the fold to start a cooking show of his own?

“I’m Colonel Tom Parker,” Englert cracked, “and I own Teddy Folkman.”

Seriously, Joe, what’s your plan if Folkman leaves?

Read More “Joe Englert Chimes In on Teddy Folkman’s Food Network Appearances” »

Folkman (front) in his pre-Star days

Teddy Folkman, a fixture on our Best of D.C. lists, will soon have a chance to prove his worth to a wider audience. The chef at Granville Moore’s (and spanker of Bobby Flay) has been selected as one of ten finalists for the fifth season of The Next Food Network Star, which premieres on Sunday, June 7.

The winner of the contest receives his or her own Food Network show; four previous winners have already launched their own programs, including Aaron McCargo, Jr. (Big Daddy’s House) and Guy Fieri (Guy’s Big Bite). Whether or not Folkman becomes the next Food Network darling, the chef already has a protective layer of PR bureaucracy around; when Y&H tried to phone Folkman for comment, he immediately returned the call but said we needed to go through official Food Network channels.

Y&H dutifully did so and got only this canned, promotional quote,  allegedly from Folkman:

“Being on The Next Food Network Star was truly an amazing experience. It was intense, challenging, fun, chaotic, emotional and just one crazy roller coaster of culinary competition. I am proud to be part of what should be the best season yet.”

Blah, blah, blah, blah.

Y&H is thrilled for Folkman, but he also has some questions: What does Folkman’s appearance mean for Granville Moore’s both in the short and long term? And what does it mean for the other Joe Englert projects that Folkman has a hand in (lower in the story)? I’m still searching for answers.

Read More “Granville’s Teddy Folkman to Compete on ‘Next Food Network Star’” »

Remember my post earlier this month about the H Street Country Club opening in late March? Scratch that. Looks like we’ll have to wait a bit longer.

This is, frankly, why I hate writing about opening dates.

Read More “Things Just Not Flowing at H Street Country Club” »