Reminder: K is for Kelly's Irish Times (last 2010 HH)

K for Kelly's Irish Times this Wednesday! And it's the last A-B-DC happy hour of the calendar year, so come indulge in holiday excess with a few hours of Irish ales (and $3 tall boys from 4 p.m. to close, according to their website). And the Kelly's website boasts accolades like "Top 10 Irish bars in America" by USA Today (and "Top 100 college bars in the world" by Playboy???). Come enjoy your last chance in 2010 to drink up the alphabetical fun! Well reconvene in mid-January to work on L-Z...

K is for Kelly’s Irish Times
14 F Street NW
Wednesday, December 15, 6-8 p.m.
http://www.kellysirishtimesdc.com/

H was for Hawk 'n' Dove

Hawk ‘n’ Dove is a fairly typical Irish pub on Capitol Hill, but it has a few added perks. The Hawk has been a DC institution since 1967 and has been a reliable watering hole for politicos. Just blocks from the Capitol and the House and Senate office buildings, Hawk ‘n’ Dove has entertained its fair share of political power players (most before they had any power to speak of). According to their website, Gingrich celebrated the re-opening of the government in 1996, Obama had his first Washington fundraiser, and James Carville and Mary Matlin crossed the political battlefield on their first date at the Hawk.

But most evenings, you’ll find a mix of young Hill staffers knocking back a few beers after work hours, neighborhood regulars dropping in for some greasy pub food, or tourists toasting the end of a long day of hoofing it around the monuments. Hawk’s small interior definitely exudes a cozy pub vibe, but the history of the space may not be immediately evident. The century-old building was actually three separate entities, which at various times held a salt water taffy factory, a blacksmith and carriage repair shop, DC’s first filling station, and a tobacco shop with a back room that was home to a floating crap game.

Hawk ‘n’ Dove takes its name from the political debates surrounding the Vietnam War that were raging at the time the pub opened its doors. The “hawks” favored military escalation, while the “doves” favored withdrawal.

Today, the Hawk has a dark wood paneling, neon beer signs, and dusty pieces of memorabilia (and a host of taxidermied creatures) stashed on high shelves. The food menu has typical pub grub (including some delicious and HUGE onion rings), and the bar offers a tray of some type of snackable free food during happy hour. This time it was a noodle and vegetable combo on small appetizer plates, but other times it could be more finger-friendly food like potato skins. The Hawk also offers a rotating “pint of the night” for $3.50 (this time it was Smithwicks). Miller Lite draughts were $2.50, and pitchers of Miller were $10.

Stop by Hawk ‘n’ Dove next time your feet are aching from taking the newest crop of visitors all over Capitol Hill to see the sights. Or drop in on a random week night and you might just strike up a conversation with the next political analysis dynamo.

Reminder: J is for Jaleo

This Wednesday welcome December by joining us for happy hour drinks during “Jaleo Hour.” Bring a friend and enjoy $4 beer, wines, sangria, and special tapas as we check off the letter ‘J’ at our second-to-last alphabetical happy hour of the year. FYI Jaleo is conveniently located on the corner of E Street and 7th Street NW, within a few blocks of EVERY metro line. Then, join us in two weeks for the letter ‘K’ at our last happy hour of 2010.

J is for Jaleo

480 7th Street NW

Wednesday, December 1, 6-8 p.m.

http://www.jaleo.com/

(“Jaleo Hour” specials available from 4:30-7 p.m.)

Next up: K is for Kelly’s Irish Times

(We’ve already done two Irish pubs on Capitol Hill, so if you have other suggestions, please let me know!)

14 F Street NW

Wednesday, December 15, 6-8 p.m.

http://www.kellysirishtimesdc.com/

Cheers!

G was for Gazuza

Gazuza is a chill little cocktail/sushi/hookah bar perched on the second floor with a prime people-watching view of Connecticut Ave. The interior lounge is lined with knee-high tables, low benches, and short chairs that are markedly more comfortable than the similarly sized ones you used in kindergarten. The sushi menu is minimal, but the shisha offerings are decent. (There's also a Chipotle just downstairs, if that's more your style.)

The happy hour specials listed on their website were out-of-date, but the discounted cocktail offerings were still decent. The mojito was nothing to write home about, but try the Pineapple Express if you enjoy brightly colored, fruity drinks served in martini glasses. The also had a small selection of bottled beers. As for happy hour food specials, they offered about a dozen styles of half-price maki rolls (most are about $5). It’s nothing fancy, but it’s acceptable sushi at a good price.

Perhaps the best part of Gazuza is the all-weather “patio” overlooking the sidewalk and street below. The enclosed area bordering the front of Gazuza is about the same size as the interior and offers floor-to-ceiling windows and the same low tables and chairs. It’s a good place for intimate conversations, group parties around a shared hookah, or watching the sun sink behind the palatial buildings of Dupont while you sip your appletini.

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Reminder: I is for Iron Horse Taproom

This Wednesday we celebrate the second consecutive week of alphabetical happy hours. Come by Iron Horse Taproom Wednesday to enjoy one of the 20 beers on tap, as well as midway games like skeeball and shuffleboard. I have to cut out early this week to go to a Caps game, but everyone is encouraged to stay and enjoy the merriment, of course. Happy Thanksgiving to you all, and be sure to join us December 1 for 'J' at Jaleo.

I is for Iron Horse Taproom
507 7th Street NW
Wednesday, November 17, 5:30-7 p.m.
http://www.ironhorsedc.com/

Next up: J is for Jaleo
480 7th Street NW
Wednesday, December 1, 6-8 p.m.
http://www.jaleo.com/
(“Jaleo Hour” from 4:30-7 p.m. boasts $4 beer, wines, sangria, and special tapas)

Double Your Pleasure, Double Your Fun (H & I)

It’s been a few weeks since Gazuza entertained us, so that means it’s time for the letter ‘H’ at Hawk ‘n’ Dove. A DC staple since the late ‘60s, the Hawk has had some famous patrons, including Obama, Gingrich, Marion Barry, and James Carville and Mary Matlin (on their first date). According to their website, you can enjoy Hawk happy hour specials until 7 p.m. ($2.50 select domestic bottles, $2.50 rail drinks) and $3.50 Pint of the Night (a selected craft beer) until closing (and Thursday is a holiday for many of you, so come out and make the most of that luxury).

Then double your fun next week (if you dare) with another round of A-B-DC when we tackle the letter ‘I’ at Iron Horse (skeeball and Shiner on tap – what more do you need?).

H is for Hawk ‘n’ Dove

329 Pennsylvania Avenue SE (on Capitol Hill)

Wednesday, November 10, 6:00 p.m.

http://www.hawkanddoveonline.com/

Next up: I is for Iron Horse Taproom

507 7th Street NW (in Chinatown)

Wednesday, November 17, 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. (squeezing this one in before the Caps game)

http://www.ironhorsedc.com/

Cheers!

F was for Founding Farmers

Founding Farmers has a concept that sets it apart from much of the rest of the DC restaurant/bar scene. Washingtonian Magazine called it “barnyard chic meets industrial garage,” and that’s about as accurate a characterization as I can think of. The restaurant, tucked into the 20th and Penn Ave corner of the IMF building, has crisp, sleek décor and farm-inspired touches throughout.

The bar in the middle of the first floor is surrounded by tables and booths, and the two story floor-to-ceiling windows along Pennsylvania offer the perfect place to watch the after-work crowd stroll by. Decorative jars of pickled fruits and vegetables line open shelving along the front of the restaurant and remind the patrons of the Founding Farmers theme. The emphasis is on fresh and local. Owned by the North Dakota Farmers Union, Founding Farmers (and its Georgetown sister Farmers & Fishers – link) focuses its drink and food menus on local and sustainable produce and other ingredients.

The cocktail, beer, and wine menu is extensive, with lots of classic and modern combinations to choose from, including “The IMF” inspired the nook of the IMF building it occupies ($25 – cognac, gin, Cointreau Noir, lime, and orange bitters). I tried “The Clementine” ($12 – lime and pineapple juices, agave nectar, and tequila infused with clementines and chiles), which was smooth with the slightest hint of heat at the end. The cocktail menu is divided into four categories: prohibition-era, sophisticated cocktails, farmer’s favorites, and recession proof “fiscally responsible cocktails.” The recession proof section is still pretty pricy by most people’s standards ($8-9), but not so bad when considering the ingredients and flare that go into each drink.

For food options, try some of the small plates. The homemade potato chips and dips, baby cheeseburgers, and flatbread with brie, onion jam, and apples are all tasty choices. A couple of people in the group enjoyed the large-portioned chicken and waffles. Definitely get a bowl of the $2 popcorn of the day, seasoned with the chef’s choice (ginger or old bay, for instance).

Founding Farmers compliments its sustainable menus with its dedication to environmentally conscious operation, including using reclaimed and recycled building materials, claiming the District's first LEED (Gold) certification for a restaurant, and buying carbon credits to offset its greenhouse gas emissions. Although, there are a few old-fashioned incandescents around.

Stop by and enjoy a craft cocktail (and some popcorn) at Founding Farmers sometime soon. And if you don’t have Thanksgiving plans, consider enjoying a three-course “farmhouse-inspired” meal at Founding Farmers for $35.

Reminder: G[ee], I wish it was Wednesday at Gazuza

A-B-DC Project is back on track! Come out to Gazuza this Wednesday for great specials, a sleek lounge interior, and an all-weather patio (according to the website). Happy hour drink specials (5-7 p.m.) include $3 select bottled beers, $4 rail drinks, $5 house red and white wine, and $6 special martinis. Sushi specials include $1/piece nigiri and 1/2 price maki and veggie rolls.




G is for Gazuza
1629 Connecticut Ave. NW (just north of Dupont)
Wednesday, October 20, 6:00 p.m.
http://www.latinconcepts.com/gazuza

Next up: H is for...?
Already had a few nominations, so send in your best!
Wednesday, November 10, 6:00 p.m.

E was for Eatonville

Eatonville is different from many DC establishments, and that's obvious from the moment you step in the door and take a peek at the menu. Colorful murals fill the wall space, chandeliers dripping with prisms dangle above, and during daytime hours, the space is drenched in bright sunshine filtering in through the floor-to-ceiling windows facing 14^th Street. Just two blocks from the U Street Metro, Eatonville is in the heart of the burgeoning neighborhood restaurant and bar scene, with new establishments seeming to pop up weekly.

Eatonville celebrates author Zora Neale Hurston and is named for her hometown in Florida, which was one of the first towns incorporated by African Americans after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. The DC namesake embodies the spirit of the town’s geography, with images the swampy Everglades splashed across the wall and a rocking chair nook resembling a rustic Southern front porch.

Eatonville is on the north side of V Street, directly across from its popular cousin, Busboys and Poets, which celebrates American poet Langston Hughes. Both establishments are owned by Andy Shallal, who envisioned the placement as a way to posthumously reunite two Harlem Renaissance writers who died with a rift. According to the Eatonville website, Hurston and Hughes “collaborated on a comedic play, Mule Bone, but the friendship turned sour when they fought over copyright privileges.”

Eatonville offers multi-sensory entertainment, with creative and tasty food and drink offerings, an aesthetically pleasing open layout, and live music on many evenings. The seasonal menu offers inspired Southern cuisine (try the mussels in cream sauce with the applewood-smoked tomatoes that taste like bacon). And the drink menu offers great cocktails (try the Southern Bell or the Muck) and a decent selection of beers, with a nice contingent of Abita beers (from Louisiana). Happy hour specials include $5 cocktails and half-price draughts. For non-alcoholic options, try the house-made ginger or lavender lemonades, served in Mason jar-style glasses. Eatonville is Southern to the last delicious drop. Stop by, and stay a while!

Wednesday: F is for Founding Farmers

This Wednesday we'll tackle the letter 'F' at Founding Farmers. Known for its dedication to sustainability and delicious, local cuisine, Founding Farmers is a great place for an after-work "craft cocktail." The Founding Farmers payroll boasts a "chief mixologist," so you should be in for a treat. For those of you interested in the socially conscious aspect, Founding Farmers is the District's first LEED (Gold) certified restaurant and a Certified Green Restaurant, and they buy carbon credits to offset their greenhouse gas emissions. So, no excuses: bring a friend and come see us at Founding Farmers this Wednesday!


F is for Founding Farmers
1924 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Wednesday, September 22, 6:00 p.m. and beyond
www.wearefoundingfarmers.com

Next up: G is for...?
Nominate your favorites for the letter 'G'
Wednesday, October 6, 6:00 p.m. and beyond

Cheers,
Katie

D was for The Dubliner

The Dubliner has a classic Irish pub feel, with a dark-wood interior, Emerald Isle memorabilia on the walls, and traditional drinking songs performed live most evenings.

Named for the James Joyce novel, Dubliners, the pub is a comfortable and convenient hangout nestled on the corner of Mass Ave. and North Capitol. The Dubliner’s address makes it an ideal happy hour spot for Hill staffers and commuters and tourists embarking from Union Station, just a block away. The spacious interior fills quickly in the late afternoons, with everyone from young DCers to out-of-town families crowding around the tables in the Dubliner’s large interior. In the warm months, the ample sidewalk patio is also buzzing as soon as the day’s humidity begins to dissipate.

The bar offers a decent selection of draughts, with plenty of Guinness (and Smithwick’s) on tap. Dubliner also offers its own takes on an amber ale and an Irish lager, with the hops imported straight from County Killkenny, Ireland. The Dubliner also offers a full menu of Irish comfort food, including beef stew and corned beef and cabbage. Try the Guinness burger, a Guinness-marinated beef patty perched on a potato pancake and topped with Welsh cheese sauce – decadent and delicious.

Dubliner has a welcoming, homey feel and a friendly, high-spirited crowd with characters that would make James Joyce proud. The excellent selection of beers on tap will remind you of the real thing in Dublin. DC’s Dubliner is definitely worth a visit.

Second Chance: Eatonville is E-ven better this week

A small contingency of A-B-DC subscribers visited Eatonville two weeks ago, so this Wednesday should be the letter F. However, today I learned about an event too good to pass up. This Wednesday from 6-8 p.m., Bombay Sapphire is unveiling its Martini Glass Art Contest at Eatonville at a party complete with free appetizers and free Bombay cocktails (check out the Eatonville Facebook page for more info). So, we are going to replay 'E' this week and move on to 'F' in two weeks. Eatonville's regular happy hour specials ($5 signature cocktails and half-price draughts) will also be available until 7 p.m. If you missed Eatonville last time, be sure to join us this Wednesday, and bring a friend to take advantage of the free fun!

E is for Eatonville
2121 14th Street NW (2 blocks from the U Street Metro stop)
Wednesday, September 8, 6-8 p.m.
www.eatonvillerestaurant.com

Eatonville is easily accessible on the Green and Yellow Metro lines and a number of buses, including the McPherson Square-Woodley Park Circulator. I don't get good reception in Eatonville, but we'll be there at least from 6-8 p.m., so come partake of the free fun!

Next up: F is for Founding Farmers
1924 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Wednesday, September 22, 6:00 p.m. and beyond
www.wearefoundingfarmers.com

Cheers,
Katie

Wednesday: E is for Eatonville

This Wednesday, E is for Eatonville in the 14th Street corridor, just north of U Street. Come celebrate author Zora Neale Hurston's Florida hometown (Eatonville) at this Southern-style establishment, complete with rocking chairs, colorfully muraled walls, and drinks served in Mason jar-style glasses.

E is for Eatonville in the 14th Street NW corridor, just north of U Street
2121 14th Street NW (2 blocks from the U Street Metro stop)

Wednesday, August 25, 6:00 p.m. and beyond
http://www.eatonvillerestaurant.com/

Next up: F is for...? (Send in your suggestions!)

Wednesday, September 8, 6:00 p.m.

DC @ dusk

DC is pretty at happy-hour time...

Wednesday: Dubliner is 'D' place to be

A new edition of alphabetical happy hour is just around the corner. Come out to celebrate the letter 'D' this Wednesday at The Dubliner.

D is for The Dubliner on Capitol Hill
4 F St. NW
Wednesday, August 11, 5:30-ish and beyond
http://www.dublinerdc.com/

Next up: E is for...? (still taking suggestions; let me know if you have any input!)

Wednesday, August 25, 6:00 p.m.

Cheers!

P.S. My apologies for the continuation of the awful alphabet-themed puns. I'm sure I'll run out of steam soon...

C was for Churchkey

Months of hype preceded my first visit to Churchkey, but it stood up to its reputation. Dimly lit, especially for late afternoon/early evening on a bright summer day, Churchkey has stashed coolness in every corner of its industrial interior. From the plush marigold couch seating along the wall to the comfy orange bar chairs (no stools at the bar here) nestled against the long bar inset with polished skeleton keys, this bar/lounge/restaurant strikes a balance of form and function.

Not only does Churchkey have stylish ambiance, its menu has an impressive offering of diverse beers and wines, as well as some tasty food options. Try the bread board for $5 or the “disco fries” (A.K.A. poutine, the Canadian-invented dish of French fries topped with brown sausage gravy and cheese). But it’s really the beer that's king at Churchkey. The menu has two full pages of draught offerings, and several large refrigerators house the bottled-options behind the bar. It can all be a little overwhelming, but the categorized organization on the menu and informative bar staff are big helps. I tried the St. Idesbald Blond, a Belgian ale. It had a nice, light flavor (“bright,” according to the menu). I then had an Edmund Fitzgerald (“dark and dry” under the “Roast” category on the menu), a product of the Great Lakes Brewing Company (known for it’s well-made, creatively named brews).

So, does Churchkey merit all the hipster hype? Probably. But go early to beat the crowds and snag a seat, and plan to stay a while to enjoy the awesome selection.

B was for Billy Goat Tavern

Billy Goat Tavern is a multi-faceted watering hole, a dive bar with a short-order burger counter, wedged into the corner of a shiny glass and steel office building. And then there’s the outdoor seating area on the wide sidewalk along New Jersey Ave. A short distance from the Capitol, Union Station, and Georgetown Law, this bar seems to cater to a mixed crowd.

Billy Goat is a rough copy of the infamous Chicago joint by the same name. The original Billy Goat Tavern got its name after the owner, William Sianis, adopted a goat that had fallen off a passing truck and wandered inside his bar. Sianis was such a fan of his bar’s new mascot that he renamed his bar and grew a goatee. In 1945, Sianis tried to bring the goat, Murphy, to game four of the Chicago Cubs-Detroit Tigers World Series. Sainis had even purchased a ticket for the goat but was denied admission because of the animal’s odor. In frustration, Sainis exclaimed, ‘"The Cubs ain't gonna win no more,” allegedly casting the Curse of the Billy Goat on the Cubs, who since have not won a World Series or even a Pennant.

The wall behind the bar at the DC Billy Goat is decorated with Chicago memorabilia, and other walls are covered in framed news articles depicting the famed history of The Billy Goat Tavern.

The DC version of Billy Goat has even replicated the original’s short-order counter with famous “cheezborgers” featured prominently. The Billy Goat and its gruff (forgive the pun) staff were showcased as “The Olympia Restaurant” on a 1978 episode of Saturday Night Live.

The cheezborgers at Billy Goat Tavern are quick, tasty, and cheap, and the staff is quite pleasant. As the crowd grew for the A-B-DC happy hour, we moved out to the patio and enjoyed the last of the sun’s rays disappearing from the DC landscape.

Billy Goat should definitely be a stop the next time you find yourself in the neighborhood, and it’s even worth a special trip to satiate your hunger with a cheezborger, have a cold beer, and marvel at the strange history of its namesake.