With a few rumors circulating that Serendipity 3 might not open at all after several delays, co-owner Rodrigo Garcia totally denied such talk and said that problems with the venting system were the cause of the latest wait. Pointing to the open ceiling where the duct was being worked on, Garcia showed off the nearly completed interior of Serendipity 3’s first floor during an April 18 impromptu tour.
Upon entering the restaurant at Wisconsin Avenue and M Street, which once housed the legendary Nathans, one is greeted by a wall sculpture of Abraham Lincoln sitting at his memorial holding a froho, the frozen hot chocolate dessert. Above the bar, cherubs fly the Serendipity 3 banner. Burgundy-cushioned chairs are at the tables on a burgundy-stained floor. Windows can open to the sidewalk (this prompted the powerful cooling system). Tiffany-like lamps abound as well as a centerpiece domed, one on the ceiling. Galt clocks are on the wall (neither First Lady Edith Galt Wilson nor “Atlas Shrugged” seem implicated) as is a porcelain Mobil Gas Pegasus. Fashion illustrations from the 1940s are ready to hang as well as a photo of Andy Warhol in front of the original Serendipity 3 on East 60th Street in New York, which opened in 1954, the same year this newspaper began printing.
Garcia says the famous $1,000 sundae will be happily prepared for those who desire to take a gold-plated spoon and taste the top-drawer ingredients with the edible 23k gold in its crystal goblet. There is an open kitchen, a display case for merchandise as well as a grab-and-go for pastries and such with entrance on the side. Washington-inspired images are on the menu with local favorites like chowder and crab cakes. The second floor will be for private events and a media room is being finished.
And this newspaper’s prediction: How about an opening by Memorial Day? Fourth of July?
