Comments on: Bill’s Seafood, Fish in the ‘Hood Now Called Fish in the Neighborhood. New Sign and Window Installed

By: Charlie

Charlie — Wed, 30 May 2012 20:05:55 +0000

If Bill’s Seafood Kitchen is the name as you say, then actually the name hasn’t changed.

By: Charlie

Charlie — Wed, 30 May 2012 20:02:02 +0000

+1000
Your money’s green, right? You’ll be welcome…as you found out when you bothered to go inside instead of assuming from the outside.

By: Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius — Wed, 30 May 2012 15:47:57 +0000

The gentrification referred to in the WaPo isn’t “spelled out” by changing “‘Hood” to “neighborhood”, it’s spelled out when a storeowner who invested in the neighborhood when it was dangerous and no one else wanted to serve the community gets rewarded with a $3000/mo. increase in rent now that it’s become a hip and fashionable place.
And yes, I know it’s called capitalism.

By: Kam

Kam — Wed, 30 May 2012 15:29:51 +0000

Looks to me that he bent to the “Gentrifiers” and/or is taking a shot (no pun intended). I am not saying they made him do it outright but clearly their was pressure so he was likely like OK, check this… The new sign seems to be a swipe in my opinion. Why else would it read “FISH IN THE neighborHOOD? Looks like a jab to me.

By: anon

anon — Wed, 30 May 2012 15:28:46 +0000

“Fish in the Hood” was a nickname; the real name was “Bill’s Seafood Kitchen.”

And as for my reaction supposedly saying more about me than about the establishment… you’re entitled to your opinion, but I’m entitled to mine. A restaurant’s name is how it chooses to present itself to the world. Bill White apparently felt that it was time to update how his restaurant presents itself to the world.

By: joshua

joshua — Wed, 30 May 2012 14:55:36 +0000

I love this place. The food is fantastic and Bill (the owner) is wonderful. Last time I was in, I asked him about the name “Fish in the Hood.”

He said when he first opened (years ago), he opened as “Bill’s Seafood Kitchen.” A few Howard students stopped in one day, loved the place, and started telling all their friends about it. As word started to spread around campus about how great the food was, students started to affectionately refer to Bill’s as “Fish in the Hood.” Before long, people really only knew the place as “Fish in the Hood” and Bill just embraced the community naming.

Bill is incredibly dedicated to the community and loves all the positive changes in the area. I got the sense from Bill that he’s maybe not crazy about the name “Fish in the Hood,” but he has such deep respect for the neighborhood and all the support folks have shown him over the years. Maybe this new signage is his way of changing the dialogue a bit while at the same time respecting his community roots?

I honestly could care less about the name. As long as he keeps frying fish the way he does, I’ll be eating there for years.

By: Florista

Florista — Wed, 30 May 2012 14:39:55 +0000

Um, nit-pick much? Or should I say Nit-pick? The guy made a change without sacrificing the real name/feeling of his shop. Thinking you’re not welcome in an establishment just because of its name says more about you than the establishment. Go in, be nice, eat fish in the ‘neighbor’Hood. Good grief!

By: anon

anon — Wed, 30 May 2012 14:11:20 +0000

I think the name change is good. When I moved to the area, I found the name “Fish in the Hood” off-putting and thought I probably wouldn’t be welcome there.

After reading Eric Nuzum’s glowing May 2011 recommendation, I went to check it out with a friend and liked it, and found Bill White to be very friendly.

Personally, I think the “n” in “neighbor” in the new sign ought to be capitalized and the “H” in “Hood” ought to be uncapitalized, but overall I think the name change is a good thing.

By: Anonnonanah

Anonnonanah — Tue, 29 May 2012 22:40:33 +0000

Great food. Agree with other posters & glad to see they’re updating as needed to continue to thrive in the (neighbor)hood.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 29 May 2012 21:40:30 +0000

this is the bomb! a good place that sees the writing on the wall and embraces it! hell yes.
i’d much rather see business adapt to the 21st century and the changing DC than go out of business.

i don’t care either way about the name, but this is about EFFORT. new signage, new windows= the owner cares.