the washington post.
friday, march 13, 2020eZ
8Let’s start with some personal
news: This is the last regular
Happy Hour chat. That doesn’t
mean we (and by “we” I mean
“I”) don’t want to connect with
you or answer your questions:
We’re looking at different
options/formats going forward,
but no decisions have yet been
made. You can always tweet
questions directly at @fritzhahn
or @goingoutguide at any time,
and To m sietsema will continue
to be a resource for your
restaurant questions during his
live chats every Wednesday at 11
a.m.Q: Were you surprised about the
closure of rock and roll hotel?
What does this, if anything, say
anything about future of H
street and live music in D.C.? I
know some people have been
trying to blame the new music
venues at the Wharf, but I’m not
so sure.
a: not surprised, really. It had
felt kind of inevitable for a while
— the big bookings were going
elsewhere, and outside of the
rooftop, the bar was dead. I’ve
stopped in twice on weekends in
recent months, and even when
there was a show downstairs, the
upstairs was a ghost town.
D.C. live music has been
taking hits with the closure of
Gypsy sally’s, the Pinch and now
the Hotel, but I don’t know that
you can pin a ny one factor or the
addition of one new venue. I
think the live music market is
more competitive, certainly, with
Union stage, more live shows at
U street Music Hall. The thing
that hurts is that the Hotel had a
capacity of 400, a good “between
DC9 and Black Cat” niche. The
Pie shop, for example, will help
fill some of the void, but not
much.
As for H street, I think it’s a
serious problem. When the Hotel
was really buzzing five to 10
years ago, it could regularly
draw 500 people or more down
to the strip, which was good
news for the Pug, Granville
Moore’s and other neighbors
who saw people stop in for a
drink before or after a show.
That’s not small change.Q: It won’t be long until the
World series Champion
Washington nationals (doesn’t it
feel great to say that?) are back
at nationals Park. I saw your
tweet about Gordon Biersch
closing. Any other new bars to
look forward to before games
this year?
a: The biggest addition will be
atlas Brew Works’ new brewery
and taproom on Half street,
which should have its grand
opening on April 2, according to
owner Justin Cox. It’s teaming
with andy’s pizza to sell pies by
the slice, and it’s brewing anexclusive new hefeweizen, which
I’m looking forward to trying.
still waiting on punch Bowl
Social, which is coming on the
other side of Half street, closer
to Buffalo Wild Wings, but that
place will be mobbed, especially
after weekend games, when you
need to kill some time bowling
or playing pinball or whatever.Q: I was wondering what is
happening to the U.K. embassy
open house during Passport DC.
Are they going to transfer their
date to the non-european Union
embassies on May 2? Claim to be
the e.U.’s plus one for the e.U.
day on May 9? Posting early so
you have time to research. All of
this assumes that there isn’t
enough coronavirus around D.C.
to shut the whole thing down in
two months.a: I have emailed my contact at
the embassy but haven’t heard
back. I assume, because the U.K.
is still in the transition period
until Dec. 31, that they’re
participating in the e.U. open
House again.
As far as other embassy
events, the French embassy’s
movie series and the D.C. Ta ngo
Festival at the embassy of
Argentina are going ahead as
usual, at least right now. Fingers
crossed that continues.Q: A good place for a first date
or an inexpensive date or a place
to meet friends is at the
temporary pop-up shop and
Zeke’s Coffee at the U.s. Botanic
Garden. They are only there for
the duration of the orchid show,
which ends at the beginning of
May. There are lots of places tosit outside on a nice day.
a: I think this is referring to our
discussion of date spots in the
last chat, and I have to agree —
the current exhibit celebrating
the 200th anniversary of the
Botanic Garden and the
gorgeous orchid show would be
a great place to meet and talk.Q: Thanks for your review on
Flight Wine Bar [in the March 6
Weekend section]. What are your
favorites of the new wine bars in
D.C., and are any of them
affordable? I went to eastern, at
eastern Market, and most of the
glasses of wine were as
expensive as cocktails.
a: My two favorite new wine
bars are probably Maxwell park
at the Yards and reveler’s hour.
And no, neither of them would
be called particularly cheap. ofthe dozen wines by the glass on
Reveler’s Hour’s seasonal
“Winter in Provence” menu,
there’s one for $12, five in the
$15 to $17 range, and one as high
as $42. I know they’re a serious
wine bar, the staff is outstanding
and knowledgeable, and I have
no problem having a glass or two
for that much, but it’s going to
hit your pocket after a while.
If you go to Maxwell Park, you
have the option of small (2.5
ounce) pours for as little as $5 on
the seasonal menu, if you want
to compare and contrast, say, a
Lemberger from Washington
state vs. a Kekfrankos from
Hungary, you’ll pay $12, which
isn’t unreasonable.
As for the Eastern, I think it’s
one of the more affordable wine
bars around, with a fair number
of glasses for $9 or $10. Maybe
try during happy hour (4 to 7
p.m. daily) for $7 glasses of a
rotating red, white and
sparkling?Q: sorry to hear this chat is
stopping — thanks for such great
info over the years, Fritz! I have
a question for you: Where would
you suggest going in northern
Virginia for wine tasting that
also serves beer and has a great
view?
a: Hmmm. The only place I’ve
been that mixes wine and beer is
Vanish, in Leesburg, which
serves wine from Fabbioli
Vineyards. When I was working
on the story about wineries with
amazing views last year,
Bluemont and Fox Meadow were
just focused on wine. open to
suggestions here.Q: I hear solace is taking over
the former Mad Fox Ta proom in
Falls Church. Any date for its
opening?
a: “May” was the latest I heard
for the new collaboration
between Solace, a Loudoun
brewery I’m always happy to see
on tap, and the Hilton Brothers
of Marvin/Brixton/Player’s Club/
see happy hour on 9deb Lindsey For the Washington post
reveler’s hour is a great new spot to enjoy wine by the glass, but it might put a dent in your wallet.Happy Hour with Fritz Hahn
excerpts from the post reporter’s last online discussionMarvin Joseph/the Washington post
For those looking for a place for wine-tasting where you can also
grab a beer, Vanish in Leesburg fits the bill.astrid riecken For the Washington post
a couple stands at the stage for a performance at rock and roll
hotel on h Street NE. The live-music venue recently closed.UPLOADED BY "What's News" vk.com/wsnws TELEGRAM: t.me/whatsnws