Comments on: Petworth’s Chez Billy Update: Patio, Live Jazz and Dinner for Locals Coming Soon

By: SS

SS — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 18:27:52 +0000

I’ve been here once at the bar and once for dinner. Great food, good service, and welcome addition to the neighborhood. I would recommend eating in the bar area, as it is much cozier. Can’t wait to try brunch and excited for the patio. As far as pricing goes, this place is certainly not cheap, but offers high-quality food and drinks with an atmosphere that has been missing in the Petworth bar scene.

By: Brian

Brian — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 11:06:42 +0000

Love this place but wish they would add the burger they offer at Marvin! Can’t have a bar menu without a burger!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 31 May 2012 16:02:18 +0000

I like the way you think about you, your family and other patrons at an establishment. So thoughtful. I think it’s a fine line on the debate of dining with children. Often times the fault seems to lie with the parent(s), which is probably what that table you talk about illustrates. People don’t get babysitters because that’s an added cost to what might be an expensive night already (or they don’t budget for it). I think the problem in your example and I’ve seen this is that when parents go out they want to have a good time and capture a time like when they were without child. That’s fine except for when your child is not behaving, you have to address the issue. It sounds like this table of parents insisted on having a good time, at the expense of their children being fussy or unhappy and other customers. If you want to have a break from parenting (dinner out), then a babysitter might be a great idea. Otherwise, while being a diner you are still a parent on duty.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 31 May 2012 12:42:52 +0000

2 Amys seems to be the spot for families with hyperactive kids these days.

By: Dupont Worker

Dupont Worker — Thu, 31 May 2012 04:19:01 +0000

Thanks for putting this on! We’re real happy to have you in the neighborhood. I’m coming soon and bringing friends.

It’s neat that you’re working with the Jazz Project, too. This is how a local restaurant should do things. I’ll support it with my $$.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 31 May 2012 03:33:35 +0000

Probably not the restaurant’s fault, but my husband and I recently paid for a babysitter, went there for a rare date night, just the two of us. Our child is typically well behaved, but we keep pretty strict rules (my husband and I are both ex-military, from military families). In public places such as restaurants, if our daughter starts to make a fuss, one of us will take the child out and tend to her needs. Well, we didn’t want to worry about that this night, so we hired a babysitter.
We consider ourselves sensitive to a fault on the “privilege” of having our child with us in a public space especially restaurants. We never go to movies or nicer restaurants unless it is in our budget to do both the event AND get a sitter. If it’s not in our budget, we will simply forego and do a night in with NetFlix and take out (still a darn good date night!). I would consider this restaurant a nicer place, we certainly paid good money to eat and drink there, plus the expense of a sitter. It’s not a fortune, but it’s not an every night thing either.
Well, three other couples around us clearly didn’t have the same consideration, and I try very hard not for this to be a judgment. I have real mixed emotions about it because I can totally understand when a child is upset, nothing wrings my heart more than the sound of my child crying. All three couples were drinking wine or mixed drinks, enjoying themselves with their friends, while their children (maybe 2 yo) just cried the whole time, with only the occasional tending to the child. And this wasn’t at 6:00 PM, it was closer to 9:30 PM, which, again, no judgment, is just way too late for a kid that age in our opinion.
When we reflect on it, we spent money to get a sitter and we just guess that we don’t understand why others don’t feel it necessary to extend the same courtesy to other dining patrons. I could only laugh when my husband mumbled under his breath, “Jesus, there’s a Wendy’s across the street!” By the time we paid our check, went home, checked the sleeping little one and paid the sitter, I said to him, “well, we probably shouldn’t go back, or if we do, at least we know we can bring out little one, and not worry about her having a fit.” We got a good laugh out of it, which probably was the highlight of the evening.
I hate to penalize the restaurant for this, but as I think more on it, it does kind of irritate me. I guess I want both a family restaurant in the neighborhood where I can let my hair down, have a less than content toddler, spend a little less money and still have a good time. But I also want a nice date-night restaurant in the neighborhood, where I can put my hair up, spend a little more money and have a different but equally good time. Unfortunately, I think Chez Billy is more the first, not the second.

By: bedubya

bedubya — Thu, 31 May 2012 02:53:43 +0000

Petworth desperately needs more options for dining out. There’s so little here right now so I’m grateful to have Chez Billy nearby. But I had sticker shock after eating there. We enjoyed a nice meal at the bar (with not very friendly service I’m sorry to say) but it set us back almost $100 and I figured I couldn’t really afford to come back. I’d eat here weekly if there were more affordable – and healthy – options on the menu. I don’t think the neighborhood is ready for the $30/entree yet. Plus turn up the lights a bit – geez, could barely read the menu it was so dark in here.

By: Anon

Anon — Thu, 31 May 2012 02:01:48 +0000

No meal should cost more than $20? Enjoy your hormone laden proteins and Mexican produce. Is this Jared from Subway?

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 30 May 2012 21:56:53 +0000

its amazing how utterly underserved the middle class family is in this town. people, we need restaurants and more entertainment that cater to kids in this town if we want to sustain our growth and keep people in the city.

bring something like the now defunt generous georges positive pizza and pasta and plunk it down on the hill, or in bloomingdale, or in petworth, then retire early.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 30 May 2012 21:40:14 +0000

If anyone can get from their job to Petworth by 6:30 they aren’t working hard enough.

Just joking. I actually disagree with statement that but unfortunately most of the city does not.

Lower your prices and drop the gimmicks. Then when my girl gets home at 8 PM we’ll head over. You’d be so much better off with us coming twice a month rather than never. And you’re only a few bucks (and blocks) away.

And $6 for a beer is just plain silly. You’ll make so much less money on that tap water I’m going to order.

Peace.