g grab and go

Mike Isabella Restaurant Out of Business Already

I drove by G Grab and Go, a Mike Isabella restaurant that I’ve previously blogged about, the other day and saw that it was no longer there. This really intrigued me since it opened up less than a year ago and it’s already gone.

What happened? Where did this restaurant go wrong?

Firstly, it was in a spot that is notorious for high turnover of businesses. Before it was G Grab and Go, it was some other deli that didn’t last for a while either. Next, it’s going to be a felafel place that I will try since I like felafels. I hope it lasts a bit longer.

Secondly, this area was clearly the wrong area for Mike Isabella to set up shop. One Yelp reviewer said “I really want to like this place because its close to my house but their concept doesn’t work and won’t work in this area.” I agree since it’s a densely Indian population and I don’t feel as though many of them would eat there.

Thirdly, the food got pretty mixed reviews. The same reviewer as above said, “I ordered their roast beef sandwich and it was edible but not great at all. Also ordered the Italian sandwich and the thick cut meat was so hard to chew. They need to add more to the menu and cut the meat thinner.”

Another reviewer talked about what I got the one time I went and said, “I ordered the Chorizo Burrito and while it was edible, the burrito was way too oily and greasy. In terms of taste, it wasn’t anything special and definitely not worth the price.” I definitely thought the burrito was greasy and oily, but I was craving something with that flavor profile that day. The burrito fell apart as I picked it up.

This Mike Isabella restaurant could have definitely worked somewhere else, but he picked the wrong building in the wrong area. And perhaps, he should have gotten some locals to taste test the food prior to opening to see what could be improved.

Did you eat at G Grab and Go? How was your experience? Let me know in the comment sections below or on Twitter.

Don’t Pack Your Knives and Go

Ever since I saw the “Coming Soon” sign up in front of what used to be the Tuscany Cafe, I anticipated the G Grab and Go restaurant. Why is that?

Simple. It’s because it’s owned by Mike Isabella, who I watched on the only Bravo show that I would admit to watching: Top Chef. He went from being positioned as an antagonist on Season 6 in Las Vegas to being positioned as more of a fan favorite in Season 8 in New York.

Knowing that a man who was almost Top Chef was opening up a restaurant right around the corner from my apartment excited me. And then it happened: the place opened.

And I procrastinated going there. Until a few days ago. When thinking about what to get for lunch before a road trip to CT, my girlfriend Beth and I decided on G Grab and Go since we wanted to try the Mike Isabella-inspired restaurant. Being a premier chef, the food was delicious.

I had a chorizo breakfast burrito with egg white, hash brown, cheddar cheese and a green chili sauce and she had a sandwich called Let’s Go Clubbing (turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado and basil mayo on sourdough bread).

In addition to the food, the restaurant also had the Top Chef look that I’ve seen pulled off during Restaurant Wars (the most highly anticipated contest by the chefs). It has seating for 14 people, so it’s definitely good if you want to Snag and Stay. See what I did there.

I also saw a section dedicated to Mike Isabella’s book, as well as some co-promotion by another Top Chef alum: Carla Hall. Do you want to taste Carla Hall’s nuts? You can at G Grab and Go.

The only disappointing factor about this trip was the fact that I got my food in a brown paper bag. Normally, I wouldn’t be so angry for getting brown bagged, but there were a couple of fancy G Grab and Go boxes prominently on display. Taunting me.

I would definitely go back here again.