Good Stuff Eatery to Open in Crystal City

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by ARLnow.com November 22, 2011 at 2:50 pm 3,848 19 Comments

‘Top Chef’ contestant Spike Mendelsohn’s Good Stuff Eatery is announcing its impending arrival in Crystal City.

A photo posted on Facebook over the weekend shows big, colorful signs covering the doors and windows of the future burger-and-milkshake joint’s prime, 3,300 square foot space on Crystal Drive’s restaurant row.

This will be Good Stuff’s second location. Its original location on Capitol Hill opened in 2008.

Washingtonian reported earlier this year that Good Stuff Eatery was hoping for a January opening. So far we’ve been unable to reach anyone associated with Good Stuff for confirmation, but a review of permit applications for the restaurant’s location at 2110 Crystal Drive reveals that it’s still without a building permit. That means an opening would likely be at least a couple of months away.

G Clifford Prout

Here today. Gone tomorrow.
- South Arlington
  
  Why? This place will clean up at lunch.
ArLater

As a CC worker, could not be happier!

Funny, I was just thinking about how this was discussed months ago with no new updates, until now!
Brian

IMO one of the worst burger joints in DC-area and redic. overpriced. The last two times I went to their Capitol Hill location, burger was terribly overcooking, I mean to the point where it was still mooing.

I vowed never to return and haven;t but it need not matter, the tourists who have to eat “Chef” Spike’s food keep that place in business … look all of them wearing their Capitol Hill tour stickers while ordering.

He wont have that in CC, so I give it a year, most. I know I will never stop here.
- Brian
  
  As JB points out, I meant to say terribly undercooked ….. pink as could be.
  - JohnB
    
    A pink center would indicate medium temperature which is appropriate for a burger. Never been, but do they ask you how you would like it cooked? Did you order it medium well or well done?
    
    http://greatgrub.com/reference/cooking_temperatures_for_beef
    - Brian
      
      They don’t allow you to pick a temp … and not pink cooked beef, pink raw. Pretty much take ground beef from Safeway and warm it up .. that’s what I was served twice. And based on Yelp reviews, I am not alone.
UnlimitedCustoms

Will they be open on Sunday?
JB

Huh? Usually if you say a burger is still mooing that means its undercooked, not “terribly overcooking”, as Borat might say.
- Brian
  
  sorry, typo on my behalf .. terribly undercooked*****
  Thanks.
charlie

awesome meal on Capitol Hill. Can’t wait for this to open. so close. bike trip!!!
ArlingtonChick

Oh boy, I can’t wait for Spike to say that HE’S the reason for the good restaurants at CC. Ugh. How did that idiot get a spot to try for the next iron chef?
- NoVapologist
  
  Agreed. No idea how he got on Next Iron Chef. I was very glad to see him get booted first.
  - JohnB
    
    Probably because he did pretty well on Top Chef.
LuvDusty

I’ve been to the Cap Hill one 3x and always had delicious food and shakes (and fries!). No complaints here.

I do have to say that one of the times, I had planned a birthday party for my partner and reserved a table,etc..and we got bumped (by Sasha and Malia Obama to boot!)

We still got served, but next door at We, The Pizza.

But I sent an email complaining, and the owner’s sister was very friendly and gave me a free meal for a repeat visit and said I could bring as many people as I wanted. Four of us ended up going and they treated us like kings and queens and we had all the free Pizza and Burgers and Shakes we could eat in one sitting, absolutely free. She even had 1 server be our special server for the entire visit.

I thought that was masterfully handled and she kept this customer coming back. I prob. won’t go to the CC location as we like walking to the Cap Hill one and back (to walk off the heavy dinner we always have since we love the food).

I do think they tend to make their burgers a little on the pink side, but not so much that they are “unsafe” in my view.

Am glad to see they are expanding, but not sure the CC clientele will be the same as Cap Hill.
- John
  
  Are you kidding? That place is staffed by the most slack-assed, untalented crew of high school dropouts I’ve ever seen in one set of doors. They don’t make eye-contact, and they never get orders right. And you’d better not try to correct them when they give you the wrong food….
  
  Good Stuff and We the Pizza are also, hands down, the filthiest dining establishments I’ve ever set foot in. I’m stunned either is still open.
  - George Abrahams
    
    Gee, John, tell us how you REALLY feel…..don’t hold back, now….
  - Brian
    
    I totally agree with John. Everything he said is compeltely right …. the staff does not care and the place is typically flithy.
    
    Overpriced and undercooked food, plus filthy dining place and terrible staff .. yea, I wonder how they are in business. O, that’s right, the tourists need to try out “Chef” Spike’s food.
    - More Nuance Please
      
      Maybe the CC one will be cleaner with better staff? I haven’t seen a dirty restaurant on the block where its going. One can hope anyway. Plus the work day patrons will likely be mopre demanding in CC.

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