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Alan Popovsky Launching Theodore Roosevelt Restaurant As He Expands Presidential Brand

New Presidential Restaurant Planned To Honor Teddy Roosevelt
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WASHINGTON -- The nation's capital is getting a new presidential-themed restaurant. As The Washington Post's Tom Sietsema reported on Tuesday, Alan Popovsky -- the restaurateur who owns Abraham Lincoln-themed restaurant Lincoln near McPherson Square -- is preparing to start construction on Teddy & The Bully Bar, a spot at 1200 19th St. NW that will honor Theodore Roosevelt.

It's all part of Popovsky's newly formed Presidential Restaurant Group, which could lead to a collection of restaurants honoring other commanders in chief.

As Sietsema points out, Teddy's location sits across the street from where Roosevelt lived when he was assistant secretary of the Navy. This got us thinking about potential Presidential Restaurant Group expansion in the nation's capital. Where else could Popovsky situate new presidential restaurants?

Some ideas ...

Richard Nixon(01 of10)
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A historical note marks parking spot D32 in a parking garage in the Rosslyn where Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward met in secret with his source "Deep Throat" (Senior FBI official Mark Felt) as Woodward investigated then-President Richard Nixon and the Watergate scandal in 1972 and 1973. Perhaps Popovsky can remake this parking garage into a Nixon-themed wonderland? (credit:Getty)
James Garfield(02 of10)
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President James Garfield was shot in the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad station, which stood at 6th Street NW near today's Constitution Avenue. The National Gallery of Art stands on the spot of the old station. In May, famed chef José Andrés temporarily remade the NGA's Garden Café into a dining spot honoring artist Joan Miró. If Andrés can honor the artist on a temporary basis, perhaps Popovsky can take over the Garden Café to honor the legacy of James Garfield? (credit:Library of Congress)
Grover Cleveland(03 of10)
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The Connecticut Avenue strip in Cleveland Park is teeming with restaurants. There's certainly room for one more honoring the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, right? Cleveland is the namesake of the neighborhood, after all. Here's good ole Grover and his wife Frances Folsom, who were married in the Blue Room of the White House in 1886. Perhaps Popovsky can create a special dining area called the Blue Room full of Cleveland-era memorabilia? Just an idea ... (credit:Library of Congress)
James Buchanan(04 of10)
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There's been much speculation over the years about whether James Buchanan, the nation's only bachelor president, was gay. We've always thought that "Buchanan's" would make for great branding for a gay bar. Why not a restaurant by Popovsky on 17th Street NW in the center of Dupont Circle's gay-friendly business corridor? (credit:Library of Congress)
Dwight Eisenhower(05 of10)
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It might not be too late to change Frank Gehry's design for the Dwight Eisenhower memorial to incorporate an Ike-themed restaurant into the monument. That area of Independence Avenue is pretty barren in the food department. An Ike-themed restaurant -- tracing the president's modest boyhood years in Kansas to his great accomplishments on the field of battle -- could be a great project for Popovsky. But would the Eisenhower family approve of the decor and menu? (credit:AP)
John F. Kennedy(06 of10)
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Billy Martin's Tavern has been a Georgetown mainstay for nearly 80 years. It's where John F. Kennedy proposed to Jacqueline Beauvoir. And while we don't wish to see a premature end to Billy Martin's run in Georgetown, it would be a logical place to craft a JFK-themed Popovsky restaurant. The Kennedys used to live in Georgetown. A Kennedy restaurant in their former neighborhood would rake in the tourist cash for sure. (credit:AP)
Harry Truman(07 of10)
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Like Billy Martin's Tavern in Georgetown, we wouldn't want to see Plain Old Pearson's tenure in Glover Park meet a premature end. But it would be a good spot for a restaurant honoring Harry Truman. Why? The liquor store once supplied Truman's weekly poker games with whiskey. We suppose that Popovsky could set up shop anywhere near Pearson's on Wisconsin Avenue in Glover Park. Or better yet, how about on Connecticut Avenue near the Van Ness-UDC Metrorail station, an area barren of good restaurants? Truman used to live right up the street at the 4701 Connecticut Ave. NW apartment house. (credit:AP)
William Howard Taft(08 of10)
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If Syria would have to vacate its embassy on Wyoming Avenue in Kalorama for any particular reason, maybe Popovsky could open a William Howard Taft-themed restaurant or supper club in the president's old house?Since Taft served as chief justice of the Supreme Court after his presidency, then perhaps Popovsky could try out a legal theme for the Taft restaurant. (credit:Library of Congress)
Ronald Reagan(09 of10)
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If Popovsky were to ever open a Ronald Reagan themed restaurant in D.C., he might be best to put it out at Reagan National Airport, where a statue to the Gipper was installed last fall. But a Reagan restaurant at DCA might be a tough sell in any form it might take. Many locals are adamant at calling the airport simply "National Airport." (credit:Getty)
Bill Clinton(10 of10)
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Sure, Bill Clinton is a vegan now, but remember back during his first term in office when he'd swing by the McDonald's on 17th Street near the White House to get a fast-food fix? Back in the days when Washington was a wasteland of fine dining, one of the few bright spots was a French restaurant, Sans Souci, on that stretch of 17th Street. Maybe Popovsky can restore that block to greatness in the dining department.If any spot is deserving of a restaurant honoring Clinton, it's that one. This could be Popovsky's first all-vegan restaurant, too, embracing Clinton's new health-conscious diet. (credit:AP)

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