Uptown Tap Room Grand Opening

I was sad, a few months ago, when the venerable Irish pub the 4 Ps announced it was closing. It seemed like a decent sort of place, though I'm rarely enough in Cleveland Park that I was almost never there. But its replacement, Uptown Tap Room, had a grand opening last Friday, so it seemed worth checking out.

The interior is still pretty recognizable, everything's still in the same place, but it looked nicer. The furnishing weren't as worn as the 4 P's were. There was even an oyster bar, which is appreciated. 

We were served a sampling of appetizers, as well as an entree and a sampling of desserts. The appetizers -- pork wings, pork tacos, garlic hummus, and crab dib -- were all pretty good, and probably the highlight of the night. For the entrees, I had the mushroom risotto, and my wife had the crab cakes. Both were fine, if not exceptional. It seems like this is going to be a nice place for you if you live near Cleveland Park and want to grab something slightly better than typical bar food for dinner, but don't necessarily want to go to Dino or Ripple; or if you want to grab some appetizers and watch the game.

Big Changes at Room 11

Big news for one of the best bars/restaurants in Columbia Heights. The top chef at Room 11, Ben Gilligan, is stepping down.

Just as Columbia Heights gem Room 11 gears up for its expansion, partnerBen Gilligan is stepping down as the restaurant's head chef. According to general manager Jessica Woods, Gilligan — who recently had a baby — is taking a step back to consider some new projects. He'll still be around and involved with Room 11, she says, but the restaurant is now actively looking for a new head chef who will keep the spirit of the tiny small plates restaurant, but will also "put their own spin on things."

 Room 11 is also looking forward to the opening of their expansion space in mid-October which may, if we're very lucky, have a focus on vermouth and amaro. I'll let you know as I hear more.

How to Build a Home Bar, If You Really Like Chocolate

The Spirit, always helpful, brings you an article on how to update your home bar. Sadly, it's full of tips like this:

Vodka: If you have anything in a plastic bottle, discard it immediately. If you are old enough to have a home bar, you are old enough to buy vodka that doesn’t remind you of making vodka-soaked gummy bears in college.
Three to try:
Ketel One VodkaRussian Standard VodkaVan Gogh Rich Dark Chocolate Vodka (It’s always nice to have a flavored vodka in-house in case you get someone who has more of a sweet tooth when it comes to boozing).

First, vodka is boring, so you shouldn't spend money on anything more expensive than Stoli or Skyy. But it's good to have a bottle or two laying around. It occasionally comes in handy, and because it's so boring, it's good for infusion.  Second, if you want to get a flavored bottle of vodka, don't do chocolate! There are much better ways to add chocolate to your drinks. Personally, I'd recommend either lemon or vanilla for a flavored vodka.

But more generally, there are far too many sweet ingredients on their list. In addition to the chocolate vodka, there's a caramel apple liqueur and three (3!) types of honey liqueur. Honey liqueur should be the last liqueur you buy; that's what honey's for! I also think the advice to stock the five main kinds of spirit (vodka, rum, tequila, gin, and whiskey) dangerous if you don't have an unlimited budget. Take your favorite drink, and get what you need to make that. So if you really like Manhattans, get some rye and sweet vermouth. Then, later, when you want a margarita, you can add tequila and Cointreau. If you want to upgrade your bar, try new spirits. I love Rittenhouse Rye for my Manhattans, but every once in a while, I'll pick up a different rye to see how it works. This way, you can have a great bar without breaking the budget.

Quote of the Day

From Serious Eats:

There is a stigma attached to people who drink alone in bars, but I don't share it. Some of my happiest memories are from the days when I could buy the Sunday paper and spend hours lingering over every article and a few glasses of wine. Sure, I could have done this in my house, but being out in the public made the utterly unrushed moment more poignant, and more memorable.

It's part of a longer article by Michael Neff talking about drinking alone. I don't do it much any more, but I used to enjoy sitting at a bar with a good book, back in the day.

The Brixton

I'm excited about all the cool stuff that's coming to the corner of U St. and 9th. I mean, Nelly's is already pretty cool, but in just the past couple years, we've added Dickson Wine Bar and Dodge City. And now The Brixton is coming. Prince of Petworth hears their just a few week from opening, and you can be sure we'll be there when they do. For now, check out these pictures.

New Beach Bar coming from Passenger

Photo by Ian Carroll from flickr

According to Prince of Petworth, there's going to be a new bar coming to Mt. Vernon Square. A beach bar:

In May, Brown [Tom owner of The Passenger] plans to unveil the New York Avenue Beach Bar in what is now an empty parking lot adjacent to the Warehouse Theater, around the corner from the Passenger’s front door. He and his partners are bringing “about 80 tons” of sand to fill the 5,500-square-foot space, along with multiple bars, picnic tables, umbrellas, lounge chairs, food trucks and “luxury trailers” containing bathrooms outfitted with running water.

 I honestly don't know what to think. If it were anyone other than Tom Brown, I'd think it sounded horrible. But I love the Passenger, and I really think he could pull it off. If nothing else, I'll definitely give it a shot.

The Passenger

Bartender Alex Bookless pours a drink

The Passenger is, most likely, the best cocktail bar in DC. There are certainly other very good places to go, like Tabard Inn or PS7s. But for breadth, consistency, and ambience, I prefer the Passenger to any of them. I love the low key ambience, and the food is pretty good. I wouldn't go out of my way for any of it, except perhaps the pork cheek nachos, but it's all above average bar food. The marcona almonds make for a great snack, if that's what you want. The real focus here, however, is the drinks.

The Passenger eschews a traditional cocktail list, choosing rather to have a chalkboard with their daily offerings. One recent option we spotted recently was the Negroni and Amaro, substituting Averna for the traditional sweet vermouth. They also have a reasonably sized list of beers. And, of course, you can always order a classic cocktail -- like the Ramos Gin Fizz I had the last time I was there. But one of the things they specialize in is finding you the drink you want. The bartenders are very good at listening to what you like in a drink, and then pouring you a beverage based on what you've told. So if you want something dry and whiskey based, they'll figure something out. If you want something Fernet Branca based, they'll figure it out. And if you want something slightly adventurous for your friend who usually drinks rum and cokes, they'll figure it out. I love the way this really shows off the breadth of their knowledge of cocktails and provides for a good time. No matter what your cocktail experience level is, The Passenger is a great space to spend a couple hours with a pleasant drink.

The Passenger is located at 1021 7th St NW.