Photo credit: Fredde Lieberman
We’re sad to hear that Boss Shepherd’s is closing on August 31st. A look back July 2014:
13th and E Street has turned a corner, so to speak, and da “Boss” is right there presiding over his namesake. Boss Shepherd’s restaurant is now officially opened. “The Boss is definitely back,” said DC’s original night-life guru Mike O’Harro whose seventies disco ‘Tramps’ was the epicenter of all things amusing.
Mike O’Harro and Paul Cohn – Photo credit: Janet Donovan
Alexander Robey “Boss” Shepherd was one of the most controversial and influential civic leaders in the history of Washington, D.C. whose influence catapulted him to the top of the heap of powerful big-city political bosses of the Gilded Age. As Governor of the District of Columbia from 1873 to 1874, he is best known as “The Father of Modern Washington.” Well, for that and others things. To steal a line from John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
A brief history of Shepherd – courtesy of Wikipedia:
“Shepherd’s legacy has been a matter of some debate since his death more than one hundred years ago. He has long been maligned as a corrupt, cronyist political boss, often compared to Boss Tweed, the leader of the Tammany Hall political machine of the same time period.
Photo credit: Creative Commons
A statue of Shepherd which currently stands on Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, in front of the John A. Wilson Building (which now houses the offices and chambers of the Council and the Mayor of the District of Columbia,) has served as a symbol of his fluctuating reputation.
In 1979, during the first year of Mayor Marion Barry’s administration, the statue was removed from its perch on Pennsylvania Avenue and warehoused in city storage. It reappeared in the mid-1980s near an otherwise-obscure D.C. Public Works building on Shepherd Avenue, S.W., in the District’s remote Blue Plains neighborhood.
Near the beginning of the 21st century, Washington historian Nelson Rimensnyder started to argue for a restoration of Shepherd’s reputation, calling him an “urban visionary” who single handedly transformed Washington into a major American city and championed aggressive social reform.
Largely as a result of Rimensnyder’s efforts, and the efforts of those he persuaded, the Shepherd statue was returned in January 2005 to its previous place of honor. The statue now stands on its pedestal next to the sidewalk of Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, close to 14th Street, NW, and the northwest corner of the Wilson Building.”
That would make the restaurant’s slogan then, an exercise in amusing contradictions – “Honest Food & Drinks” – Shepherd would have loved it.
The event’s theme transported guests into an era gone by with horses and carriages awaiting our beck and call and ladies of the night – all of which lent itself to a kind of speakeasy atmosphere.
“We are thrilled to have opened our restaurant in the Warner Theatre building in the Penn Quarter realizing my partners’ vision of bringing “honest food & drinks” to downtown Washington, DC.,” said partner Daniel Mahdavian.
“We researched old recipes & libations that were the trend around the time that Boss Shepherd & his wife entertained the DC society of the late 1800’s & sourced our food & drinks from local farmers, distilleries & wineries. We even proudly feature serving DC’s finest filtered tap water “Chateau Potomac” to all our guests in honor of Boss’ modernization of our city’s modern day plumbing!”
Daniel Mahdavian
“I don’t make it into the city like I used to,” added O’Harro, “but get a special kick out of grand opening parties, especially when invited by my friends Linda Roth and Paul Cohn.
I was really looking forward to this event and they didn’t disappoint. Great food and drink, beautiful fun people and many local political leaders to count. I think something wonderful is going to happen there and wish Boss Shepherd’s much success. The Boss is definitely back!”
”Boss Shepherd’s is sure to be a winner……………Paul Cohn, restaurateur extraordinaire and his hand-picked team have created a welcoming space in a convenient downtown DC location serving locally-sourced sophisticated fare and will surely be The Place to be in DC,” said Lynne Breaux, former head of the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington and doyenne supreme of the foodie culture.
Peter Arapis and wife Lynne Breaux
“With the name of the restaurant and the names behind it, I’m sure Boss Shepherd’s will be a DC power spot,” said radio personality Marilyn Thompson, “and place to be seen when it opens on Monday.”
It’s official:
Mayor Vincent Gray cuts the ribbon
Boss Shepherd’s is now open – July 21st – Come on in:
