
438 Massachusetts Ave, NW
Check out the Opening Dinner Menu (PDF)
From a press release:
“An advertiser, a lawyer and an architect walk into a bar…
It might sound like the start of a joke, but it was actually the start of a successful DC pub. About ten years ago, Brittany Ryan (the advertiser), Matt Murphy (the lawyer), and Nick Bernel (the architect) were moonlighting from their day jobs at a Georgetown bar when their passion for the business led them to opening their first restaurant. The trio brought in Jeremy Gifford, another veteran of the same Georgetown bar fresh off of opening DC Reynolds in Petworth, as an advisor, and together they opened The Pub & The People, at the crossroads of Bloomingdale and Eckington on North Capitol Street.
The Pub, as regulars call it, was an immediate success, and has won either “Best New Bar,” “Best Neighborhood Bar,” or “Best Bar” from the Washington City Paper every year since opening in 2015. Now, that quartet is taking their winning formula across town to open Present Company Public House this weekend.
Present Company occupies an 1855 firehouse that was the oldest operating fire station in the District when it was decommissioned in 1974. The space has been redesigned with care and sensitivity to its history, adding modern touches while exposing the bones of the 19th century firehouse. Located at 438 Massachusetts Ave. NW, it straddles the line between Chinatown and Mount Vernon Square, and is just a few blocks from NoMa.
The kitchen will be headed by Executive Chef Lincoln Fuge, a Certified Sommelier originally from Nashville, who was most recently head chef at DC’s recently closed and much-loved 701. He brings with him extensive experience in upscale restaurants on both coasts — from Boston to Los Angeles — with names like Nobu and Todd English on his CV. (more…)