84 T Street, NW (1st and T St just off Rhode Island Ave) previously home to Tyber Creek and of course the LEGEND Rustik

Thanks to a reader for passing on the sad news from Etabli:

“This December will mark 13 years since we signed our very first lease — a small restaurant space at 1421 H Street NE. It’s still hard to believe we took that leap without ever having worked in a restaurant or cooked professionally. We just believed in the idea, in each other, and in the neighborhood.

In those early years at The Pursuit, it was just the two of us — doing everything, every day. Small, intentional, wine-forward, and rooted in genuine connection with our guests. That simplicity was the heart of what we were building, and we never forgot it.

When we opened établi, we were in many ways returning to that original spirit. The name itself had been waiting — we had almost called The Pursuit “établi” back in 2014, but held onto it. By the time we were ready to open this chapter, we had grown into it. établi — the workbench — felt right for who we had become: more seasoned, more ourselves, and more committed than ever to the craft of hospitality.

We’ve been through quite the journey since then — moving to 1025 H Street in 2019, and then navigating the upheaval of 2020, when COVID hit and a challenging business partnership came to an end. We were lucky that 84 T Street and the Bloomingdale neighborhood were ready to welcome us, and we were so grateful that our H Street family continued to make the trip.

It is not lost on us how much all of you have carried us — through the hard times and the truly joyful ones.

Which is why we want you to hear this from us directly: this December, our lease at 84 T Street comes to an end — and with it, établi as we know it. We will pour our final glass of wine there, (more…)