The FABRIC empire expands
From Facebook tonight:
Our new line of Fabric Wines! #gabardine #gabardineeats #wine #sandiego http://instagr.am/p/Qa34PEKN4D/
I am SO done with them.
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Returned from TX Xmas to hear from friends that a Malarkey place had closed and that kitchen staff had been hired by chef friends elsewhere-- but funnily nobody could remember which place it was that closed. ("Gingham, Calico, whatever.") The internet seems scrubbed. Do yall know?
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chris2269
Dec 22, 2012 08:49 AM
I don't have anything against Malarkey. The thing is I work for 2 small business owners one a restaurant and one another type. I just do not understand how they can expand so fast based on profit ...it has to be more of investment money and hope. They probably do generate a lot of cash from drink sales at Searsucker and the other restaurants.. Plus every move they do is in Eater SD or here so great advertising (any publicity is good publicity) They do remind me a lot of the Chon group, great happy hour, mediocre food and a lot of hype The one meal I had at Searsucker actually sucked:) I had just come of a trip to Atlanta and eaten at Holeman and Finch (great restaurant btw) So I was all in to lamb fries and rocky mountain oysters (just say it balls) I went to Seersucker just because they had them on the menu. Service was slow, so much they comped as a pork belly app. Everything was bland and the wine was corked. Again a lot of hyped menu description at prices you could do better somewhere else with poor execution.
Chon's group Cowboy Bone-in Ribeye Steak $41.95
Seersucker Ribeye Tomahawk $ 75 (you have to be fing kiding)Cowboystar 21 Day aged Niman Ranch $37
Also Craft and Cut are better priced and aged. even with the gas..so sad
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re: chris2269
polldeldiablo
Dec 31, 2012 07:41 PM
What's with those prices geez, I've eaten at a number of the top steak restaurants in nyc and maybe 1 or 2 are close to those prices.
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I don't have anything against anyone trying to make a buck, but what I don't get about all of this is, didn't he loose on Top Chef? If he won, I MIGHT understand some of the fame, but he lost!
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DiningDiva
Dec 19, 2012 02:50 PM
Well, looks like the Gingham --> Cohen Group is a no-go.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/d...
At least with the Cohen Group you kind of always know what you're going to get...good, bad or indifferent... and they're probably a pretty good match for the East County. Up for grabs now. Any CHers with deep pockets want to take stab at it?
Personally, I think an Alchemy-style clone would work really well there.
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re: Rodzilla
DiningDiva
Dec 19, 2012 08:28 AM
Actually, I hope the Gingham space does not shutter. It's really a great location and Malarkey and Brennan did a very nice remodel on it. The original space was choppy and awkward and they made sense out of it. The patio space is actually larger than the indoor space I think. It's a great location that deserves a to be open and in use.
If it's a Cohen group resto, well, so be it. The location just needs to be up and running
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re: pickypicky
The food is 'edible'.... that's it, unfortunately of the three ; 1. a pretty place and 2. nice location mean little unless the food leads the charge. A fidora on the plate will do nothing for my palate! In any other culinary city this style would be doomed but hey, we're SD....bring it!
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re: cstr
DiningDiva
Dec 19, 2012 05:26 PM
Well, since they're cloning Searsucker and Herringbone in other cities already, it will be interesting to see how if they work or not outside their niche in SD, no?
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re: pickypicky
DiningDiva
Dec 19, 2012 07:57 PM
Yes, they opened a Searsucker in Phoenix and I think they're in process for Herringbone in Austin, or maybe it's the other was around.
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re: DiningDiva
It's a Searsucker. Here's the excited response of Austin CHfolk: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/878745 and snarky announcement of Austin Eater: http://austin.eater.com/archives/2012... They're not holding their breath for fantasticness.
(I'm in the Hill Country near Austin right now for the holidays.)
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re: DiningDiva
RhonelyInsanediego
Dec 20, 2012 08:04 AM
Searsucker hasn't had many Chowhound reviews on the Phoenix board yet http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/881502
But I did see a Searsucker brunch recommendation from Beach Chick on the Phoenix board, so perhaps she can give some feedback.?
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re: cstr
Beach Chick
Dec 21, 2012 09:38 AM
Yeah, I'm shilling for the man.
Friends went to Scottsdale Searsucker and enjoyed it.
Went to their brunch here in SD and it was surprisingly delicious.
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DiningDiva
Dec 18, 2012 04:40 PM
And perhaps the FABRIC empire is contracting.
SD Mag and the UT are reporting Brennan and Malarky are in talks to jettison Gingham
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/d...
Friend lives across the street in back of Gingham, said the explosions and resulting fire were intense but not as much damage as expected.
If the sale goes through I wonder if this will be another Deborah Scott vehicle
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re: DiningDiva
foodiechick
Dec 18, 2012 08:48 PM
Yep, also saw that Gabardine is in play. Saw it twice. But Brennan is denying.
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re: foodiechick
DiningDiva
Dec 18, 2012 08:57 PM
What I took away from the article(s) is that Searsucker and Herringbone have "legs" and both concepts are expandable to other cities...Gingham and Gaberdine, not so much
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re: DiningDiva
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re: foodiechick
DiningDiva
Dec 19, 2012 02:07 PM
Gosh, you know, I really hate to sound jaded and cynical, but given Brennan's track record, is it all that surprising?
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There was a kook out surfing yesterday at LJShores wearing his wetsuit on backwards (zipper in front) and a plaid fedora. Malarkey?
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foodiechick
Oct 18, 2012 12:15 PM
And now...ABC-TV will be full of Malarkey. Did you know he was a "Maverick" chef? I guess he and Bourdain will become "besties"...not.
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re: pickypicky
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re: foodiechick
DiningDiva
Oct 18, 2012 02:06 PM
Gingham is doing pretty well as far as being busy. Who knows what their numbers may show. But there's not a lot of sophisticated dining in the East County
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It's not unusual for a restaurant to have a private label. (ie Hitching Post) BUT those Fabric labels are creepy, tacky shills. The concept reeks of a restaurant chain more about personal promotion than food-- and certainly not about wine or the customer.
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re: pickypicky
Agree that restaurants (often chains) have a wine made by someone else and bottled with the restaurant's name. For example, Roy's use to have an excellent Au Bon Climat bottled with a Roy's label while still giving credit to the winery. (Hitching Post wines, on the other hand, are actually made by the owner of Hitching Post Restaurants so they are a little different in that regard. Also, very good.)
You can also find wines (e.g. Windsor Vineyards) who will bottle their swill and put anyone's name on it. Great gift idea for egotists whose friends don't care what they drink or who they assume will never open the bottle.
I don't know which category these "fabric" wines fall into but would (cynically) guess the latter.
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