Ketchup was replaced by Walrus Oyster and Ale House, a project which Bob Kinkead is nominally associated with – his other project was Ancora (do you even know what Ancora is called now? Have a click to find out) – Bob was a great, immensely respected chef, and is legitimately affiliated with Star Restaurant Group; I’m simply advising folks to take his role here with a coarse grain of sea salt.
Here are some publications that reported on the marketing of Bob Kinkead as “Culinary Director” (a “Culinary Director” is someone who “consults” on the menu, but isn’t actually in the kitchen – someone like José Andrés. I guess this makes me “Culinary Director” of about a dozen well-known restaurants in this town):
Sep 10, 2014: “Natural Meets Nautical at the Walrus Oyster & Alehouse” by Missy Frederick on dc.eater.com
Sep 16, 2014: “First Look: The Walrus Oyster and Ale House” by Rita Rapuano on zagat.com
Sep 17, 2014: “Inside The Walrus & Oyster [sic] Ale House (Menus)” by Anna Spiegel on washingtonian.com
Sep 17, 2014: “The Walrus Oyster & Ale House Now Open In National Harbor” by Jessica Sidman on washingtoncitypaper.com
Oct 29, 2014: “Pop’s Seabar and Walrus & Oyster [sic] Ale House: 2 joints where seafood rules” by Tom Sietsema on washingtonpost.com
Of note: Not one person that I’m aware of picked up on the error in the name, either in the Washingtonian’s preview or the Washington Post’s review – the erroneous name is not only in the title, but is perpetuated throughout the body of both articles. It’s a *very* easy mistake to make, and when I stare at the names, I find myself having to do double-takes, even knowing that the mistake is there.