The event was incredibly fun! We are so grateful to everyone who came out. We were so busy pumping out tacos, flautas, quesadillas, and an array of apps that we never really thought about taking photos. Fortunately some friends did so for us.

Here are a few of our favorites :)

Taco enthusiasts on our porch:

007 at Mama Chuy DC!

Happy New Year friends, the final word on our event to come soon :)

We made a last minute decision to host a little event :) This post will be short and sweet. We hope to see you guys soon! If you can’t make it tonight, fear not, there will be similar events in our future.

Here’s the flyer our AWESOME friend Tre over at BET made for us:

Happy New Year friends! We wish you all the best, healthiest, happiest year yet!

Hasta la proxima,

din

PS. Here’s the facebook event page: Mama Chuy’s NYE Taco Pregame Party

It’s been nearly a year-long journey for us. I just got mad nostalgia reading over our very first post. Oh the naïveté! In all frankness, it’s taken longer than expected but we’re just as excited as ever. The space has come such a long way, it really looks like a completely different place. Please come by and take a peek. Our opening date is still TBD but oh my, are we close!

In the next week we will be hosting ‘Mama Chuy DC Tastings’. Although, we’re keeping exact dates and times under-wraps (mainly because we’re working out last minute kinks) just stop by and say hi. You may stumble upon some tasty food. YUMMM.

Here’s a sneak-peek at our counter top:

That’s Sal, our Pleasant Plains Oaxacan Dog, standing guard. Made by the AWESOME Anthony Dihle, so cool right?! See you soon kids..

Hasta la proxima,

din 

We’ve got it. Once upon a time we were hoping to be open by May 5th. Seriously. Then we said June. Then we said mid-July! That quickly became mid-August.. You get the idea.

Interestingly, the liquor licensing went pretty smoothly. We really expected that to be the toughest part of all. Our biggest hurdle turned out to be the architectural plans.. getting them drawn up.. approved.. and beginning construction. This headache is still on-going.

Our easy-breezy attitude is long gone and I can’t believe I once referred to Joe as patient. Not to mention, describing him as cool as ice. Oh yeah, that’s the thing about opening a restaurant. Expect to imagine yourself taking out your business partner with a steak knife or a fork. Arguments will be had. Tears will be shed.

You will never look at your business partner the same way again. But you know what? When you’re hanging on to your sanity by a thread.. when everything aches.. a moment of clarity/bewilderment/OH.MA.GAWD! will come. You will realize, hot damn, this is ours. We are our own bosses. We are CREATING.

It’s not all roses and posies after that. Arguments will continue to be had. Tears will continue to be shed… but in the midst of those brutal moments you will recall that tiny brief magical moment, when it all clicked.

For me it was after two brutal days of physical labor. I was willing my arms to continue holding up the roller of paint.. and it just came to me. I smiled. I laughed. (while standing on a bucket by myself with paint-speckled arms.. yes, i looked mad)

Bro & Sis on his bday in ‘09..

«I love you brosky. No matta wuuut! It’s all worth it.. now let’s get ‘er done!»

There will also be moments when you look at your business partner and see how badly they want to succeed. When the drive & determination they exhibit will inspire you.. Those are great too :)

Moral, of the story: starting a biz isn’t a piece of cake, easy as pie, a walk in the park, blah blah blah. But boy is it worth it..

Hasta la proxima,

din

We’re back! First off, we had A BLAST at the Caribbean Festival Parade! Many of our neighbors told us it was a huge event but even so we were blown away by the sea of humanity.

Check it:

like.. whoa!

The best part (wish I had photographic evidence) was a float carrying the kids that’d given up on walking down the street in stilts. haha.. made our day. The guys from Listen Vision were in full-swing next door, with DJs booked throughout the day. Without a doubt they made out like fat kats eating our tacos all afternoon:P Kristina from PPW came over early on to sample some of the food we were giving away (and gave us salt, surest sign of a good neighbor!).

We spent most of the night before prepping everything and then finished up in the morning at home. We made it to Georgia Ave in the nick of time, just before the street was closed. Our friends came out to support us and to lend a hand.. we are so so so grateful kids!

My homies:

and later on, when all the food had been given away (oh we gave away horchata too, people LOVED it) they were able to enjoy the music:

I’ll leave you guys with a final pic of the parade and lest I forget, Happy Belated 4th of July!! We definitely spent our weekend celebrating the birth of this nation which has given us so much. God Bless the US of A and it’s beautiful multiculturalism, no place like it!

hasta la proxima,

din

..for one day only! On June 25th, Georgia Ave will be home to the 3rd largest Caribbean Festival Parade in the country.. you should NOT miss this. We are so incredibly excited, we’ve been looking forward to this day for weeks now. Trying desperately to be open by then..

How cool does this look?!?

(photo courtesy of DC-365)

Unfortunately, we will not be open by then but we are scrambling to complete the exterior. We’ve given a serious face-lift to our building but there’s still some work to be done. I’ve got just a few days to design and print promotional materials.. LORD help me! I’m bummed our t-shirts won’t be ready in time, but we do have a few surprises in store.. here’s hoping they come through.

Some details about the festival: the parade begins at 11AM on Kansas Ave. and will end at Georgia Ave and Bryant St., according to Prince of Petworth. Do NOT attempt to drive anywhere near the vicinity as streets will be closed.. and really why would you want to? Get there early and enjoy yourself.

Come visit us!!! (2620 Georgia Ave.. wutttt) We will be giving away some stuff.. more on that in a couple days. In the mean time, I’ll leave you with this sweet pic:

(photo courtesy of DC Metro Magazine)

Seriously, what can be better on Saturday? This will be AWESOME.

Hasta la proxima,

din

Joe is there again for the weekend. It’s a bit of work and play as he’s there to see his son for Father’s Day. He’ll be coming back with our banner so there’s that..

As much as I love my Chi-city peeps I’m glad to stay behind and hold down the fort. For one, I get the apt to myself (wooo-hooo) and for another I love working in the resto and just gazing out onto GA Ave.

Have you guys walked past?? There’s been quite a bit of change in the past week. The guys next door at Listen Vision also decided to spruce up their front yard so our block is looking sweet. I’ve been sorting through our equipment and small wares, storing them in order to clear up for the construction phase that’s about to begin. This is seriously crunch time!

More to come soon.. walk past and let us know what you think so far. Also, remember that the Caribbean Festival is next Saturday. We’re gonna be on site so come visit!

Hasta la proxima..

din

ps.

Our friend Kristen has passed away and we miss her terribly. A steadfast supporter, please keep her and her family in your thoughts. Thanks kids.

Hi thanks for the follow and we would love to meet you. I’ll make sure to email you and thanks for the interest!

Work has begun on the summer garden! If you walk by you can see for yourself. There’s still a-ways to go but paving stones are comin dowwwwn. Meanwhile, I inadvertently worked on my arms and legs by moving kitchen equipment up to the second floor.

I.Was.Dying.

I made it out alive though and took a breather by visiting Kristina over at Pleasant Plains Workshop. It’s settled, she’s making our t-shirts! (Again, I jumped the gun and announced on FB. I have no self-control.) We’ve opted for jersey & cotton blends from American Apparel. Black tees for the staff, different colors and cuts for sale to our customers. Can you believe we’ve already got a waiting list?! Sure it’s only like 10 people, but still, it’s exciting! You want one? C’mon, I know you wanna represent :)

Tre & Clint have requested this cut & color:

It’s happening boys!

Back to the front lawn.. What’s a summer garden without liquor right? While Joe has been overseeing the paving, I’ve been speaking to liquor distributors. It’s amazing how many different options there are. There are literally hundreds. Luckily we have a pretty solid idea of where we want to go with our drink menu.

We’re also exploring the idea of having a tequila sponsor for our grand opening.. yeah i know, sounds tasty! All in all, pretty productive last few days. I’ll admit, Joe’s work has been more grueling since he’s been testing his recipes daily as well (although my arms STILL hurt). Progress is steadily being made dear reader :)

Hasta la proxima,

din

**photo via American Apparel**

..are on track! I kinda jumped the gun on the announcement last nite via FB because I was soooo excited.. BUT, in case you missed it, we’ve got Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1B (ANC 1B) support for our CR liquor license!!!

Our Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Review had gone well last month and as a result, we felt pretty confident going before the ANC Commission. Even so, we took NO chances. We went out of our way through yesterday afternoon to knock on doors and introduce ourselves to our neighbors. We asked the businesses on our block to sign letters of support. Many residents did as well. To be honest, the response has been overwhelmingly positive and we’ve received the warmest of welcomes from everyone since day one. In spite of that, I’ll say it again: we took no chances.

If you’re hoping to open an establishment with a liquor license, build a relationship with your neighbors! Ours are amazingly supportive. There’s a business hoping to become a part of the U St. corridor. Great concept and given their presentation at their ABC Review, it seems they have the best intentions. They’ve been placarded for a of couple weeks BUT didn’t reach out to local residents.. So what happened? Confused residents attended the meeting and began asking the kind of questions that could have easily been answered ahead of time. This does NOT look good before the ANC. They won’t outright reject you but they will postpone your review until the following meeting. This business venture has time on its side.. but when money is on the line, postponing anything for a month is a blower.

Ok kids, our advice for the day.. do your homework; go that extra mile!

Now here are some margaritas to salivate over:

Pretty soon, some bombtastic margaritas are coming to Georgia Ave courtesy of Mama Chuy. Get ready!

Hasta la proxima,

din