‘No competition’: Bond 45 opens as National Harbor’s Italian steakhouse

Shelly Fireman knows restaurants. His Fireman Hospitality Group owns and operates seven dining establishments, all in New York City. With such great success in the culinary capital of the world, and the choice of any market to make a jump to, Fireman selected National Harbor as the location for his eighth restaurant, the recently opened Bond 45. So why the D.C. area?

“We have a unique proposition here,” Fireman said, after enjoying a meal at his newest concept, which shares the same name as Bond 45 in New York. “We’ll be the only Italian steakhouse and the only real steakhouse here at National Harbor. That means we have no competition in our humble view.”

Competition, Fireman knows. His restaurants such as Shelly’s Trattoria and Cafe Fiorello compete for attention with thousands of restaurants every day.

“We live generally in a world where there’s competition on every corner, and everybody is competing for the same steak dollar,” he said.

That Fireman would view the new development in Maryland’s Prince George’s County as a smart business decision is no surprise — you don’t open eight restaurants without making smart business decisions.

“What a great opportunity to be in a marketplace where you’re the king,” Fireman said. “It’s good to be king. We do have competition for the food service dollar, but not the steak dollar or the Italian dollar.”

Bond 45 is an Italian steak and seafood restaurant, situated right on the Potomac River. The executive chef is Daniele Turchetti, who holds the same position at Bond 45 in New York.

“I wanted to try something new, something New York,” Turchetti said. “People like the concept, the company. I think it’s going to be successful. I don’t see around restaurants [that are] similar.”

Crab cakes add a local flavor to Bond 45’s menu; and the steaks are carefully dry-aged, high-quality meat, two factors that Turchetti cites as key to a good side of meat.

The chef sees steaks as a more of an emphasis at National Harbor’s Bond 45 as opposed to it’s New York sister.

“It’s a little bit different,” Turchetti said. “This is closer to a steakhouse.”

With dining options aplenty in D.C., Fireman believes people will visit Bond 45 in National Harbor for a change of pace, and good food.

“We need variety in life,” Fireman said. “What an environment, what a nice view of the Potomac, what a pleasant change. Life would be boring if I did the same freakin’ thing every day, or every week.”