InTheCapital1
Pastries
Everybody in the startup community is familiar with the idea of shared spaces; places like Affinity Lab and Geekeasy in DC offer startups the ability to share resources and spaces allowing for dynamic relationships to take place as well as creative collaboration. Why should this innovative concept be limited to technology? The Blind Dog Café at Darnells took this stroke of ingenuity and made it their own, creating DC’s very first pop-up shop for artisan-crafted coffee and delectable foods.
The Blind Dog Café is the brainchild of Noah Karesh, Jonas Singer, and Cullen Gilchrist. They postulated that you can create a café that emphasized the beauty of of a well curated menu composed of simple, high-quality products from local vendors, and at the same time encapsulate all of the lean business values of running a small startup. The idea and these values all coalesced Blind Dog Café. They were able to run the shop through Darnell’s, a well-known local bar by utilizing the unused space adjacent to the bar area. Through this shared space they were able to create a low bearing entry into the restaurant market, avoiding common business hurdles like licensing and permits which have already been taken care of by the owners of Darnells. Noah Karesh commented on this innovative concept, saying that,
We loved the idea of taking an unused space, and activating it. Revitalizing it, doing something with it, because it also gives you the fluidity of being able to move quickly and more efficiently than other businesses. The idea is that it’s a trial, an experiment, the barriers to entry are very low so it won’t cost too much to do it.
Beyond their ingenuity of utilizing shared spaces to create a business, what really sets the Blind Dog Café apart from other places is their attentive curation of their menu and wares.
A good example to use is the breakfast I had there. When I get a scone and coffee at an establishment like Starbucks, it’s safe to say that the barista can’t tell me much about who made the scone or discuss the quality of beans used in their coffee. To say that a coffee and scone from an establishment like Starbucks is comprable to that of the meal I had at Blind Dog Café would be a flat-out insult to the people who tirelessly contributed to the high quality of the food. The scone I had at Blind Dog Café was made by a local vendor, Black Strap Bakery, and was accompanied by a fig and apricot jam that can only be described as divinely ambrosial to the senses.
The coffee I had to accompany this amazing morning treat was a coffee blend made from a high-quality roasting group out of Kansas called PT’s. The quality of the coffee was only matched by the care and attention the baristas of Blind Dog Café put into brewing it; utilizing a Chemex, a coffee brewing method that uses a high-grade filter to remove bitter oils usually found in coffee, I found myself enjoying one of the best-brewed black coffees I’ve had in quite some time.
The best part about Blind Dog Café is that the tantalizing morsel I had was but a small taste of the culinary talent they have to offer. Everything down to the pesto aioli in their Roast Beef Sandwich (a must-try if you come by there) is created in-house, and the brother and sister culinary team of Greer and Cullen Gilchrist can put together some amazing dishes that range from a baby mozzarella salad to some of the best chocolate cookies you’ll ever treat your taste buds to.
My brief yet amazing experience having what should have been a routine breakfast at a coffee shop was elevated into an experience that I will probably reflect on for the rest of my day. The beauty of this shop is that even though they were able to launch quickly, their mobility in business has never meant sacrifice in the amazing quality of their food. Blind Dog Cafe creates a seamless blend of selling high quality, local products with the lean-business practices of a startup, creating a business model that is both financially mobile and supports local businesses and entrepreneurs.
The best news is that they’re officially, so be sure to stop by the corner of Florida Avenue and W St. NW to have some amazing food and a cup of coffee that will be sure to leave an impression. If you want to learn more, feel free to follow them on their Facebook and Twitter.
Pastries
Everybody in the startup community is familiar with the idea of shared spaces; places like Affinity Lab and Geekeasy in DC offer startups the ability to share resources and spaces allowing for dynamic relationships to take place as well as creative collaboration. Why should this innovative concept be limited to technology? The Blind Dog Café at Darnells took this stroke of ingenuity and made it their own, creating DC’s very first pop-up shop for artisan-crafted coffee and delectable foods.
The Blind Dog Café is the brainchild of Noah Karesh, Jonas Singer, and Cullen Gilchrist. They postulated that you can create a café that emphasized the beauty of of a well curated menu composed of simple, high-quality products from local vendors, and at the same time encapsulate all of the lean business values of running a small startup. The idea and these values all coalesced Blind Dog Café. They were able to run the shop through Darnell’s, a well-known local bar by utilizing the unused space adjacent to the bar area. Through this shared space they were able to create a low bearing entry into the restaurant market, avoiding common business hurdles like licensing and permits which have already been taken care of by the owners of Darnells. Noah Karesh commented on this innovative concept, saying that,
We loved the idea of taking an unused space, and activating it. Revitalizing it, doing something with it, because it also gives you the fluidity of being able to move quickly and more efficiently than other businesses. The idea is that it’s a trial, an experiment, the barriers to entry are very low so it won’t cost too much to do it.
Beyond their ingenuity of utilizing shared spaces to create a business, what really sets the Blind Dog Café apart from other places is their attentive curation of their menu and wares.
A good example to use is the breakfast I had there. When I get a scone and coffee at an establishment like Starbucks, it’s safe to say that the barista can’t tell me much about who made the scone or discuss the quality of beans used in their coffee. To say that a coffee and scone from an establishment like Starbucks is comprable to that of the meal I had at Blind Dog Café would be a flat-out insult to the people who tirelessly contributed to the high quality of the food. The scone I had at Blind Dog Café was made by a local vendor, Black Strap Bakery, and was accompanied by a fig and apricot jam that can only be described as divinely ambrosial to the senses.
The coffee I had to accompany this amazing morning treat was a coffee blend made from a high-quality roasting group out of Kansas called PT’s. The quality of the coffee was only matched by the care and attention the baristas of Blind Dog Café put into brewing it; utilizing a Chemex, a coffee brewing method that uses a high-grade filter to remove bitter oils usually found in coffee, I found myself enjoying one of the best-brewed black coffees I’ve had in quite some time.
The best part about Blind Dog Café is that the tantalizing morsel I had was but a small taste of the culinary talent they have to offer. Everything down to the pesto aioli in their Roast Beef Sandwich (a must-try if you come by there) is created in-house, and the brother and sister culinary team of Greer and Cullen Gilchrist can put together some amazing dishes that range from a baby mozzarella salad to some of the best chocolate cookies you’ll ever treat your taste buds to.
My brief yet amazing experience having what should have been a routine breakfast at a coffee shop was elevated into an experience that I will probably reflect on for the rest of my day. The beauty of this shop is that even though they were able to launch quickly, their mobility in business has never meant sacrifice in the amazing quality of their food. Blind Dog Cafe creates a seamless blend of selling high quality, local products with the lean-business practices of a startup, creating a business model that is both financially mobile and supports local businesses and entrepreneurs.
The best news is that they’re officially, so be sure to stop by the corner of Florida Avenue and W St. NW to have some amazing food and a cup of coffee that will be sure to leave an impression. If you want to learn more, feel free to follow them on their Facebook and Twitter.