The Reserve is the latest resto lounge to hit the District and is quietly making its entrance. DC nightlife guru, Moe Hamdan, had a hand in this restaurant concept and I had to see what the place had to offer. I found a sexy new spot for food, happy hour, wine, jazz, and DC nightlife. Expect a grand opening event on October 8th!
Currently you can stop by and grab a bite inside or on the patio, happy hour 5 pm - 9 pm and catch a live jazz show on Wednesdays between 7 pm and 9 pm.. There are three levels, however, the third level remains under construction and should be available in the coming weeks. The second level features a DJ booth and several leather couches for intimate seating and includes a large flat screen TV. Reserve manager, Kim, said the focus is on the wine selection and intimate setting. A promising change for the L street location that once was home to Ollie's Trolley.
Nightlife PR : Making The Connections
Happy to see a new entry on L street. Moe is a great nightlife guy and a great asset to any Lounge in DC. Looking forward to join L street with my new place, Barcode, a food and drinks boutique, opening this fall. L Street is following the footsteps of K street!
Can't wait for the grand opening, Panorama Productions, will be there!
A friend of mine invited me to the friends & family event last week & I had a ball. I had no idea it wasn't officially open. You couldn't tell the place was packed. I hope to be on the guest list for the Grand Opening. That's a party I'd hate to miss.
The time is almost here! Thanks for your comments.
@ DC Clubbing - I've been waiting for Barcode...hope to see you at Reserve!
@ Anonymous - I was at another event that same night and could not make it. The place looks amazing and I will let you know about the Grand Opening as soon as I get confirmation.
The Reserve on L is a joke. From the owner who is just some club guy NOT a true hospitality person on down all you will get is rude incompetence. The chef has talent but the staff is incompetent so most of the time your food is late or not hot. Service is really the problem, because well, it doesn't exist.
The Reserve on L street is horrible ........ Service was awful, and the food was terrible. I will never go there again. The owner doesn't know anything about the restaurant business and should go straight back to working in the club.
Friday, July 9, 2010
MOE IS LESS AT LOCAL EATERY: Restaurateur Moe Hamdan (below, at left) used his new upscale DC eatery as his own personal piggy bank while leaving workers empty-handed, say former employees of The Reserve. According to one former manager who requested anonymity, Hamdan - who's the target of a demonstration by former workers and their supporters today at 5P - repeatedly "used workers wages for his own private expenses" while short-changing or not paying employees. Workers came to DC Jobs for Justice for help after not being paid for six months by Hamdan, who they say owes them over $10,000. "I worked really hard as a bar boy at this restaurant," says former Reserve employee Luis Ducas, "and the owner refuses to pay me my back wages." D.C. Jobs for Justice's Arturo Griffiths says Hamdan "owes more than just these workers" with another $15,000 in claims, for a total of at least $25,000 in unpaid wages. Hamdan "has no intentions of paying his workers or even meeting with them" says the former manager, "he is unethical, immoral, and has no remorse for what he has done."
- Boaz Young-El, AFL-CIO Union Summer Intern; photo courtesy The Reserve website
http://liunalatinocaucus.blogspot.com/2010/07/union-city-07092010.html
http://www.dclabor.org/ht/display/EventDetails/i/86353/pid/538
Marc Barnes does not own anything in DC…The group of 3 promoters in DC are pretending that they are club owners.. His Partners are Masoud (”Lima” on K street , NW) and Mohamed Hamdan (”The Reserve ” on L street, NW and “Layla” in NE)…Mark does not own “Love”… Michael Jordan , the basketball player owns 80%of “LOVE” with 4 million dollars initial investment in 2001, 20 % of “LOVE” is owned by group of ethiopian investors at amount of 1 million in 2001.
According to ABRA “LOVE” is shot down forever (Jan. 20.2010), until the venue change and find new GM, which Marc Barnes was, not an owner.
Mark Barnes does not own “The Park” on 14th street, NW.According to “The Park’s” Landlord the rent is $50,000 a month and is paid by Kuwait investor
There are “reserved” tables rented at all those establishments for $2,000 a table with liquor and prostitutes. They liked the tables name so much they named the latest establishment at 1426 L Street, NW ” The Reserve”. There is sex in the bathrooms in all their establishments, especially at “The Park”, right in front of club security while they look the other way. Police is outthere but they do not stop pimps and hookers from mixing with the regular crowd. At “Lima” drug dealers are moving freely right in front of the uniform police and entering and exiting the tent while police is looking the other way. Mark Barnes is still in the business because he is always supported by the lawyer of previous mayor Toni Williams, therefore he is not only a straw man for the Kuwait interests , but also for DC Government interests, he pays $240,000 a year to selected uniform police officers according to his own comments, dated back as “The RepubliC Gardens”. His fate maybe the same as Abdul Khanu from “H2O”, “Platinum”, “VIP”, if he continues to pretend he owns anything in DC…
Mohamed Hamdan’s partner in “The Reserve” breads fighting dogs and owns gas stations in Fredericks, VA….
Masoud’s investor in “LIMA” is a doctor, no wonder drugs are ok to sale there… hey it is only in the tent. lol.
by Maria T
The Reserve seems to gain a lot of negative feedback these days, both on this site and offline. The venue itself is a nice space. As for Mr. Moe Hammdan, until there is an in-person interview for a discussion on these comments and feedback, we can not offer the other side of the story. However, trust that your comments are being read....daily.
@ Maria T/Anonymous (Aug 31st 2010)
That is an extensive background of allegations and views, and interesting since this piece was about The Reserve when it was a new opening. It seems standard practice that any venue owner is never really 100% self invested and gains angel investors/silent partners. We'll have to do some searching and see how your info compares to the data.