After Freak Fire, Hot New Pasta Spot Reveler’s Hour Hopes to Reopen Next Week

If there’s a good way to suffer a restaurant fire, Reveler’s Hour has done it.

The weeks-old pasta and wine bar in Adams Morgan has been temporarily closed since Friday due to damage suffered after a small scorch. But co-owner Jill Tyler says, in the best case, it could reopen as early as next week because both the restaurant’s morning prep staff and D.C. fire officials acted quickly.

Tyler, the restaurant’s service director, credits her staff for calling in an emergency response as soon as they smelled smoke. She categorized the cause of the fire as a freak event, “like an electrical fire,” but clarified she didn’t know if that was actually the cause. The wood-burning grill installed inside had nothing to do with the flames, she says.

Reveler’s Hour (1775 Columbia Road NW) didn’t suffer any water damage, Tyler says, because the fire was contained with an extinguisher. Photos shared by D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services show a fireman ripping into a section of drywall.

Tyler says he has already been running on fumes while the restaurant is plugging through its opening phase, and she’s grateful that customers have been understanding about losing their reservations. She worked with friends in the industry to get guests last-minute tables at other restaurants. Sounding in good spirits Monday, Tyler says she feels like she checked off the last box on her restaurant owner bingo card.

Anticipated for months because of the owners’ track record at Tail Up Goat, their Michelin-starred Mediterranean restaurant nearby, Reveler’s Hour opened on New Year’s Eve and was immediately flooded with reservations.

Ten days after Reveler’s Hour plated its first bowl of campanelle pasta with broccoli, aged gouda, and spicy chile breadcrumbs, the Washington Post published a “First Bite” review from Tom Sietsema. The critic wrote he looked forward to eating his way through the menu, calling out calling out grilled pork skewers with fish pepper as a winner and saying a radicchio and kale dish with creamy anchovy dressing was “one of winter’s most appealing salads.” On the other hand, chips with “bland” mashed potato dip made him wish he ordered a different bar snack.

• Tail Up Goat Partners Open Their New Pasta and Wine Bar on New Year’s Eve [EDC]
• The Tail Up Goat Team Plans to Open its Pasta-Focused Spinoff in December [EDC]
• The 16 Most Anticipated Restaurants in D.C., Winter 2019 [EDC]