Boring. I miss Les Hallles.

Les Halles was overall pretty mediocre too, except for those fries. Mmmmmmmm, I miss those awesome fries.

Dear Prince: So who is Del Frisco and his grille? And what right does he have coming into the storied and less than glamorous space of Brasserie Les Halles of DC, named, of course, after one the most storied spaces and places on earth and throughout European history, Les Halles, in the center of Paris – the longest, most colorful and most memorable markets in all of Europe until the Parisians gentrifiers tore it down and forced the market, its farmers and butchers and all of its rats to scurry to the Paris suburbs back 35 years ago after a 500 year run of central Paris. Not only did the rats scurry away with the farmers and butchers but even the ghosts of the many murdered Parisians buried beneath and behind butcher markets alleyways of Les Halles (the markets) were forced to leave Paris-central. The Four Seasons Hotel in Georgetown used to have a replica of the famous sculpturing located in St. Eustache Cathedral in Les Halles of the farmers being evicted on a dark, cold and rainy day from Les Halles. This sculpture stood in the hotel’s lobby. The original still sits in their lobby of the famous cathedral in Paris in honor of those farmers, butchers, rats and ghosts forced out of Paris. Les Halles of Paris was no slacker. Les Halles of DC was no slacker. It was owned and run by some of the most colorful, creative and innovative restauranteurs in America: Philippe LaJaunie, Michel Verdon and Yannis Felix, who have now moved on to own Les Halles of Manhattan and our own DC eatery Bistro Du Coin in Dupont Circle. They made Les Halles of DC not just a restaurant but a community hub of creative and smart eaters and thinkers. Les Halles of DC was the consummate restaurant-du-jour that could and would cater to their clienteles’ most unique, quirky and unusual requests to make their meal not just taste good but become a memorable experience – which is what Hemmingway meant when he said that Paris is a “moveable feast” – you take the meal with you in memory after you experience its joys. So, what?, prey tell, gives Del Frisco the right to enter into this hallowed space? It remained empty for so long because the restaurant gods willed it so when Les Halles of DC was evicted by the greedy 1% who work on Wall Street much in the same way that the original Les Halles was evicted by the greedy 1% of the French bourgeoisie. As a regular and expert at Les Halles DC, i suggest Monsieur Prince that you contact Del Frisco and let him know that he needs to reach out to me and ask me for his blessings before his opens and explain to me why he deserves to occupy (there’s that word again) this hallowed space and place. He can find me. Anyone in DC can find me. This is a test. And this is not a hollow threat, I am the ghost of Les Halles DC and Senor Del Frisco does not want to piss me off. -Monsieur Le Doctor Bernard Demczuk, TABLE #82, LES HALLES OF DC, still there in spirit – the ghost of Les Halles.