Plush, a now-defunct 1,800 sf bar which once existed in the heart of Keswick Village, was featured in a Season 4 episode of Bar Rescue on November 16, 2014.
Titled “A Dash of Bitters”, the episode featured then-owner Bruno Smoje of Rockledge and then-owner/manager Sharisma Herrmann of Glenside, along with a large handful of former employees and customers.
“There were a lot of locals who made it into the episode. The line to get in stretched up to Easton Road,” Herrmann said, noting that she and Smoje were once high school sweethearts.
“We met in 1987. I graduated from Abington in 1989, he graduated in ’88,” she said.
Together, they opened Plush in 2003 and immediately took to improving the location’s less-than-ideal distinction.
“When we bought it, it was a hot mess. It was called The Slick Duck in the 1970s and had a terrible reputation. Then Kevin Doyle, a Glenside lifer, turned it into Doyle’s. It doesn’t feel like 10 years at all. It was nuts for a few weeks after the show, and then my dad died suddenly three weeks later. It was a hell of a ride,” she said.
The episode brings back plenty of memories—some good, some bad—for Herrmann.
“The producers had recruited a lot of Arcadia students for the night they came in. It was such a tumultuous divorce, so I felt like the whole town was talking about my business when the show’s crew came rolling in,” she said. “There were rumors of cameras. I was refusing to answer questions because I didn’t think it was for real. I didn’t talk to the producers until the night before they came. I did a quick interview and was asked to be on the show. It had already been decided. I was excited.”
The next day, Bar Rescue’s producers snuck her in to Plush at 1:00am.
“We filmed at the side of the building for what seemed like forever. They really tried to get me to cry and kept asking me crazy questions,” Herrmann said. “I was beside myself, I hadn’t seen Bruno in two years, so things were really raw. The scene was actually worse than they actually portrayed.”
They had divorced in 2013, and Smoje owed Herrmann $65,000 from their settlement.
“I was in court with him for nine years,” she said. “It went on and on.”
Bar Rescue’s Jon Taffer brought in expert mixologist Mia Mastroianni and expert chef Nick Liberato to head up the new look: an Italian-themed bar and cafe named Osteria Calabria.
From their Facebook announcement in 2014:
As the big reveal of our new bar approaches, I want to take the time to thank Jon Taffer and the entire Bar Rescue crew for this incredible opportunity. Aside from providing us with a new concept and look, they have touched us in the most profound way. I cannot begin to express my gratitude. I would also like to thank all of our loyal customers for nearly 12 years of support. Plush was a dream come true for us and could not have been possible without you. We look forward to another 12 years and truly hope the we can surpass all of your expectations. We launch our new bar Sunday night. Do stop by to see the amazing transformation of the bar. Menu provided by chef Nick Liberato. A true culinary professional. Drinks provided by Mia Mastroianni, mixologist extraordinare. Onward and upward. Hope to see a lot of faces, new and old….From the bottom of my heart, Thank you.
The full episode is pay-to-play, but you can watch the trailer below:
Some stills from the episode:
Six weeks after the visit, sales were up by more than 20%. Smoje later changed the name again to The O.C. Bar and Bistro. It closed for good in May 2015 after the building was sold to a new owner.
“A lot of people in town seem to think Bar Rescue killed the business,” Herrmann said. “It was already on its way out. There was a brief rush of newcomers, and then that was it. I signed my life away and lost everything to that place. It changed the direction of my life.”
Herrmann opened Bettie Jack Studio & Gallery in Keswick Village in 2016, which is still going strong and has regular star-studded visitors. The same year, Smoje opened Tavern on Pine in Huntingdon Valley, which closed a few years ago.
Nagomi, a Japanese-style restaurant, now lives at 256 N Keswick Avenue. According to RealityTVUpdates.com, all four Philadelphia-area bars that were featured on the show are now closed.
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Screenshots: Bar Rescue