Nanny O'Billiards?

January 30 is the last night for Nanny O'Briens bar in Cleveland Park. They're being taken over by Bedrock Companies, owners of Bedrock Bars. Bedrock already own Atomic Billiards and Aroma on the same block as Nanny's so maybe one day the strip will be called Bedrock Row. They also own Buffalo Billiards in Dupont Circle and lots of other places locally and around the country.

A Nanny's bartender said that Nanny's will be closed on Wednesday and back open on Thursday so don't look for wholesale changes. All they have time for I guess is to clean up a little and try to do something about that smell that's taken over since the smoking ban. Well something more than just leaving the front door open anyway. And maybe straighten the Nanny O'Brien's sign above the entrance. The word is that the St. Patrick's Day Parade fundraiser scheduled for Saturday, February 3 will go ahead as planned.

I never much cared for the name Nanny's although it's certainly recognizable -- there's only one Nanny's. Still, when I've said "I'm going to Nanny's" or "I spent the night at Nanny's last night," it always sounded to me like I'd been spending an inordinate amount of time with my grandmother. As long as they don't go through the identity crisis that the Four Provinces/Four P's/Four Green Fields/Ireland's Four Fields did across the road.

Bedrock claims they're going to keep the Irish music -- something I can happily live without -- but I can put up with it as long as they keep the Guinness. I'm going to take a stroll down Bedrock Row this weekend and check it out.

Coat of Arms pulled out of Indian Ocean -- signs of life detected

I hate to keep writing about the same place but this is an odd duck. The Coat of Arms which, after being open for about a month, became the Indian Ocean, is now back to being the Coat of Arms again. Well, that's what the sign says, I couldn't actually find anyone to talk to about it. The awning people must be making a fortune off these folks.

I wonder what February holds.

Coat of Arms sinks into the Indian Ocean

In what may be one of the fastest company turnarounds in Connecticut Avenue history, the Coat of Arms restaurant in Van Ness was bought out before it even opened. The Coat of Arms owner told me that a few days before the place was due to open, someone stopped by, took a look at the decor, and, "made an offer I couldn't refuse." That was in early December. The Coat of Arms opened on December 16 and the new place, Indian Ocean, opens January 5, 2007. So we're going from British food -- and I was there on opening day and had a very tasty shepherds pie --to Indian. The sign in the window says "seafood/Northern Indian cuisine" to be precise.

At least that's the way it was this afternoon, by the time you read this it might be a Taco Bell.