The Quarry House revisited

Photos:Julie Wiatt

By Sara Wald

How do you reinvent a piece of history? Just ask Jackie Greenbaum, Silver Spring’s somewhat-of-a-celebrity restaurateur, who gained local fame for her eponymous restaurant on Georgia Avenue. Greenbaum adopted The Quarry House from previous owner Jim Brown in December of 2005, when the smoking ban threatened to drive the seventy-three year old establishment to extinction.

“It was just weeks away from closing, which I thought would be a tragedy in Silver Spring,” said Greenbaum. Greenbaum says she is responsible for the restaurant’s survival, while there are others who argue that the Quarry House might as well not exist in the her hands. Greenbaum owns the super-trendy and ultra-chic Jackie’s restaurant, the antithesis of the no-frills, watering-hole-styled Quarry House. Following her takeover was an exodus of old staff members who objected to new ownership.

“They were in a certain groove and didn’t want to answer to a new authority,” said Greenbaum. 

Furthermore, there was an outcry from regulars worried that Greenbaum would Jackie-ize the restaurant and take away its local, dive bar charm.

The last time we reviewed The Quarry House was four and a half years ago, pre-Jackie Greenbaum. However a year and a half into her ownership, the place has barely changed. The revisions to the Quarry House are subtle, so subtle that a regular customer would hardly blink twice if they even noticed the changes at all.

The creaky steps still lead down to a dark, adjust-your-eyes-to-it, hole-in-the-wall bar, decorated with mirrored beer signs, wood paneling, and table lanterns. Despite making changes to the heating system, Greenbaum chose to leave the low heating pipes, because she wanted people to hit their heads on it like before.  The token boar’s head that has come to be somewhat of an unintentional mascot for the Quarry House, still remains over the bar, just as quirky as always. The famed jukebox still bumps tunes from a back, dark corner of the bar.  

Once a party animal, always a party animal

Basic wear and tear renovations were made, such as scrapping the leaky, smelly keg coffin, installing a new air-conditioning system, and renovating of the bathrooms. Flat screen televisions were added for sporting events, although Jackie says more often than not, they are turned off. 

“It was always my intention to preserve the basic spirit of the Quarry House, to not do much but put a personal stamp on it,” says Greenbaum who says that she is more of a dive bar type of girl than people think.

Her personal stamp is perhaps most evident in the menu, which still focuses on beer and burgers, but has Jackie-inspired fare with character, such as a fried pickles side ($4) or the Guinness float dessert ($7) with real Guinness beer, both which were uniquely delightful. The burgers come in three varieties; ½ pound patties ($8), 1/3 pound patties ($7) or veggie ($6) and have an array of topping choices such as the “Black and Bleu” ($0.95 extra) with Cajun spices (black) and bleu cheese (bleu), or the pepper jack and pico de gallo burger ($0.95 extra). The burgers have become a point of contention as some people say they prefer the former burger recipe.

The Guiness float, uniquely delightful

“It’s a matter of taste versus sentimental attachment to the old recipe,” said Greenbaum who thinks her burgers taste better but believe that people have a tendency to prefer what they are used to.

Greenbaum knows a thing or two about sentimental attachments to food. Her restaurant “Jackie’s,” has capitalized on this idea by turning comfort food into fine dining. Here at the Quarry House, however she chose taste over comfort when she nixed the old burger recipe.

Amongst the entrees, the burgers are first choice

Personally, I thought Jackie’s new Quarry House burgers were great; meaty, juicy, the kind you can sink your teeth into. In fact, going to the Quarry House and ordering anything other than a burger would be a crime. My only complaint would be the bun, which was clearly from-the-bag, and not a suitable match for the delectable patty of meat it enveloped. There are certainly enough other options, but they just don’t live up to the burgers. The grilled cheese sandwich ($5.25), cheese quesadilla ($5), and grilled chicken salad ($7) were all forgettable, although the B.L.T. ($5) exceeded expectations. 

Fresh tater tots served alongside the burger were a tasty touch. However, whether or not tots come alongside your meal, don’t leave without trying the homemade chips ($4) that are greasy, yet light and crispy and served with a refreshing dill mayo.

Homemade chips with dill mayo

Vegetarians will be pleased with all their new options including a hummus and veggie platter ($6), salads, a veggie burger ($6) and a veggie sub ($6). Greenbaum says the former menu was lacking in this area, leaving many vegetarian customers left with nothing to munch on.

What else to wash down your meal with but a beer? The new beer menu that Jackie credits to manager, Gordon Banks, is unbelievable. We counted 119 types of beer ranging in price from a $2 (12 oz) Otter Creek Stovepipe Porter to a $35 (50.8 oz) Browerij Regenboog Vuuve. The beer menu, which must be triple the size of the dinner one, reads more like a United Nations attendance list than a bar menu, representing 12 different countries. I chose the Allagash White Beer ($7) which was light with a slightly spicy aroma, a non-beer tasting beer.

Our surrounding diners were a diverse group, clearly from all walks of life. As one of my fellow diners put it, “there is no type, just circumstance that brings everyone to the Quarry House.” According to Greenbaum, two new changes, a full liquor license and live music every night have brought their own followings of new customers, as well as new residents of Silver Spring who have discovered an old favorite.

Service is still fair; our waitress was friendly but certainly not memorable. It really is a shame that so many of the long time waiters, waitresses and bartenders left with the new ownership. Prices are apparently not as reasonable before, but still won’t make you flinch.

All in all, the Quarry House remains untouched.

“It marries nicely between being really old school and a little more in step with the times,” as Greenbaum puts it. 

And the moral of the Quarry House is: Sometimes change is good. But more often, things are better left just as we remembered them.

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