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WEDNESDAY: Wonderland is not a gay bar, but tonight it turns into one for the Pink Sock St. Patrick's Day party. There will be dancing, leprechauns, $5 beer and shots, and lots and lots of rainbows everywhere. Costumes are encouraged, whether that means a green T-shirt or a to-scale map of Ireland painted on your bare chest.
» Wonderland Ballroom, 1101 Kenyon St. NW; Wed., March 17, 9 p.m., free; 202-232-5263. (Columbia Heights)
MOST D.C. HAPPY HOURS are fairly straightforward. $4 beer, $5 cocktails, discounted food, done. But Jordan's 8 Grille (523 Eighth St. SE), a slick modern bar on Barracks Row, has created a byzantine specials menu that will be nearly impossible to keep straight. Luckily, it's also full of awesome deals.
Here goes: Tonight, between 5 p.m and 8 p.m., you can fill up on half-price wings and bison burgers, $5 quesadillas, $4 Cuervo margaritas and $3 Coronas. Later in the week you can score half-price wine (Wednesdays and Thursdays), half-price sushi (Tuesday and Friday), free dessert with the purchase of any entree and $2 Yuengling (both on Thursdays.) If we tried to list all their specials for the week, we'd run out of newspaper. Suffice to say that from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturdays, all beer is half-priced. Do you need to know more? If so, just make friends with one of the bartenders and get him/her to write it on a napkin for you. If only all this information was on the Internet someplace.
Continue Reading "It's Complicated: Happy Hours at Jordan's 8 Grille" »
THIS WEEKEND: If you've never been to Gala Hispanic Theatre — maybe you're nervous because you don't speak Spanish — "Beauty of the Father" would be a good starting point. It's by Pulitzer Prize-winner Nilo Cruz, and it's got the ghost of Federico Garcia Lorca plus some magic realism — and it's in English. With Spanish supertitles.
» Tivoli Theatre, 3333 14th St. NW; through Feb. 28, $20-$36; 202- 234-7174. (Columbia Heights)
Photo by Daniel Troconis
SOMETIMES THERE'S NOTHING quite like a jam-packed bar with music blasting to let the fun receptors in your brain know that it's party time.
If you're in that sort of mood, and you're looking for a beer, burger or wings, Adams Mill Bar and Grill is right up your alley. Combine the noise of a packed house with televised sporting events and a DJ on weekends, and you have something approaching a Metallica concert level of noise.
"We want to get it loud in here," said manager Paul Kerins. "We want to get the crowds into it during games and at night we crank up the music."
For the most part, 18th Street is an easy place to drown out your thoughts. Just walking past places like Asylum Bar and Lounge or the Brass Monkey can be an assault on the ears.
Continue Reading "Pump Up the Volume, or Don't: Tips for Finding the Perfect Atmosphere" »
TUESDAY: If you watch "Lost," you already knew it was starting up again tonight, because you're obsessed. If you want to celebrate with a big group, check out Social's luau party — $4 beachy cocktails and discounted Hawaiian food specials — to watch the first episode. If you don't care about "Lost," just stay home.
» Social, 14th Street and Meridian Place NW; Tue., Feb. 2, 7 p.m.-11 p.m., free; 202-797-1100. (Columbia Heights)
Photo courtesy ABC
IF YOU WANT to find a cozy restaurant in Mount Pleasant with dishes made from local, organic and sustainable ingredients, look no further than the neighborhood joint Radius.
Even locals may not know that the reliable pizza place has been transformed into a stop for elegant, hearty fare — pizza and beyond — by new owners Todd and Nicole Wiss. The couple met while working at Poste Moderne Brassiere, where Todd was sous chef and Nicole was general manager. They discussed buying their own place, and the chance to buy Radius fell into their laps earlier this year.
Todd, a native Washingtonian, said that he became conscious about local and sustainable ingredients while working with Robert Weland at Poste. Todd makes pastas and sausages in the restaurant, and ingredients come from local farms.
Pizza takes center stage, and Nicole, who works the front of the house, said it's been "really fun melding the pizza concept with the things we hold true to our hearts."
MARK LIM FOUND his spot. A San Francisco transplant, Lim looked for a community to connect with. He landed in Columbia Heights, but the neighborhood lacked a coffee shop. He bounced around to a few different places, including Busboys and Poets and Tryst, but when Tynan Coffee and Tea opened near him, Lim's search was over.
"I could be holed up at home on a Sunday, but this way I feel more social. I like the music, too — it goes from bossa nova to something more jazzy. Columbia Heights seems to be getting more suburbanized, but this place seems local," said Lim.
In fact, Tynan was started by local brothers, Jim and Brian Sullivan. The coffeehouse features a small food menu, with breakfast sandwiches, waffles all day (including a seasonal gingerbread-flavored waffle), sandwiches, soups and salads.
IT SEEMS ONLY fitting that the chef, restaurant manager and owners of the new Columbia Heights restaurant Social have been friends for years. Owners Scott Hammons, Tim Korzep and AJ Guy; restaurant manager Joseph Norton and chef Michael Clements met while working at Kimpton Hotels Helix, Rouge and Topaz, before deciding to open their own spot.
Social features small plates, and everything is designed for sharing, so there are three plate sizes — intimate, social and gala. The space is furnished with cozy couches, and there's an intimate bar perfect for catching up with friends. The dining room is designed like a family room, and photographs on the wall of are of the owners' friends.
"We also put a TV up here to add to the family room aspect," Norton said. "We're going to show old or silent movies, since we want it to be unobtrusive."
Continue Reading "Hang Out With the Social Set: Columbia Heights Hosts an Intimate New Spot" »
IN THE MIDST of Adams Morgan, Mt. Pleasant and Columbia Heights, a new taco shop opened in July. But does an area already packed with nachos, fajitas and pupusas really need Pica Taco? The answer is found in the tender chicken torta and the wallet-pleasing prices.
"Pica" is owner Maria Villalta's slang for the Spanish word "picante," which means hot. Pica Taco is tiny, with just a few tables inside and outside. The menu is equally limited in size, although it's still difficult to chose among the tacos ($2.25), served open-face with sliced radishes; burritos ($4.95-$6.50) stuffed with a choice of braised beef, chicken pastor (pig) and beans; or enchiladas ($7.50), sitting next to a side of rice and beans.
For a non-tortilla experience, try Mexico's equivalent of a sandwich, the torta. Imagine all of your favorite burrito fillings — fried pinto beans, ranchero-sauced chicken, sliced avocado and queso fresco — spread in between a white sub roll.
IT'S A WARM, end-of-summer evening at Room 11. Afro-Cuban music provides a relaxing soundtrack as the sun goes down. At the bar, co-owner Dan Searing muddles ginger in the bottom of a glass, almost, it seems, to the beat of the congas.
That's the mellow vibe Searing and the other three owners of Room 11 are trying to cultivate as they settle into their new Columbia Heights home. It's not what many expect from a wine bar, but these owners want their new baby to be the Cheers of D.C. wine bars.
The team knew, says co-owner Paul Ruppert, that Columbia Heights would be the perfect location for such an endeavor. Not only was the area lacking a wine-focused bar, but it seemed a good place to create a casual atmosphere for wine and cocktail lovers.
"We didn't want to have a fancy, high-end, slick place," said Ruppert. "We wanted it to have a comfortable feel. ... We love being in this neighborhood with its strong residential community."
Continue Reading "Pouring on the Charm: Room 11 Proves Good Wine Doesn't Have to Be Expensive" »
Addison Road