Posts Tagged ‘Friday Happy Hour’

Friday Happy Hour: Sunburner

My friend and I were heading more or less home for the night, but it was uncommonly mild and a bit early, so we decided to stroll a few blocks out of the way to get a drink before turning in. The last couple of times we had tried to slip into Tabard Inn, it [...]

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Friday Happy Hour: Hong Kong Empress

Monday marks the beginning of the Lunar New Year, and Natalia has a round-up for us of restaurants offering special menus and events. I was invited along with her to sample the special holiday offerings at Zentan Restaurant in the Donovan House hotel. In addition to the food, I got to try some of their [...]

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Friday Happy Hour: The Cheap Date

Normally, I am not one for frills or added flavors when it comes to my coffee. I like the taste of coffee too much just as it is, thank you – maybe with a swirly kiss of microfoam if a pro is making it for me. Beyond that, I typically avoid white chocolate mochas, [...]

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Friday Happy Hour: Barrel-Aged Negroni

Barrel-aging was so big in 2011 that it popped up on some contrarians’ year-end lists of most-overdone trends in the dining and drinking world. Personally, I disagree. When done well, that round, woody quality imparted by leaving something to age a bit can really add depth and deliciousness to whatever you put in there and [...]

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Friday Happy Hour: Dolcezza Hot Chocolate

As Americans, I feel like we very often describe something as “European Style” as a euphemism. It either means that thing is classy and refined or, as in the case of my apartment’s “European Sized” washer-dryer, simply small. The hot chocolate at Dolcezza is certainly the former – but served in a rather American-sized portion. [...]

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Friday Happy Hour: Port City Tidings

One of my first Christmas beers of the season, Tidings from Alexandria’s Port City Brewing was a very pleasant welcome to this year’s winter warmers.
The strongest of all Port City’s offerings at 7.8%, Tidings is a Belgian Pale Ale with the addition of honey and seasonal spices. The honey was especially prominent in the glass [...]

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Friday Happy Hour: Hot Drinks at POV

P.O.V. at the W Hotel is rightly famous for the sweeping views off the rooftop terrace – but that may not bring it immediately to mind for a wintertime tipple. It should though because – as was on display at this week’s “apres-ski” themed party presented in conjunction with Gilt City DC – the terrace [...]

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Friday Happy Hour: Hail the Wale

11-11-11 is hardly over and there is already internet backlash. Rest assured, as special as I think today is, I will make no claims about numerology or if your wish made at 11:11 will come true.
That said, today is special, so this will be a special Friday Happy Hour. Tonight, I am hosting a [...]

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Friday Happy Hour: Old Gold

The other night, when it was particularly chilly, I demanded to swing by Big Bear Cafe for a hot toddy. It was, in fact, pretty much the thing around which I organized my whole evening. There are plenty of places that will make you a very good hot toddy, but ever since they featured their [...]

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Friday Happy Hour: New Grist Sorghum Beer

One of my best friends was recently diagnosed with a gluten allergy, which has been kind of a drag for her – this is, after all, a girl who loves bread so much that she works for the French government. Nonetheless, this is as good a time as ever to be allergic to gluten, with [...]

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Friday Happy Hour: Poet’s Dream

Last Sunday was my birthday. The official celebration involved some of my best friends packed into a small room at my favorite bar and lots of fun, tasty cocktails, shots of whisky with the bar’s charming owner, and at least one half-gallon sized jug of beer (which was, to be clear, shared by a couple [...]

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Friday Happy Hour: Chokin’ in Manhattan

Manhattans were the one of the first cocktails I started drinking, back around my ole’ college days. While sophisticated on the outside, they are accessible and sweet – and a total gateway drink. My friends and I would seek out places that made them “well” – though, honestly, we could really only discern [...]

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Friday Happy Hour: Blackened Gold at Toki Underground

I love Toki Underground. Super cute, great location, delicious vegan ramen, and they keep hours that suit me – which is to say, I can sit and eat a totally respectable dinner at ten on Tuesday and it is no big deal. Should you want something to drink with your ramen and dumplings (or to [...]

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Friday Happy Hour: Ginger Smash – Fall Version

This week has been busy, but just looking at my calendar for the next month or so is tiring. (Maybe the rest of the year, actually. I have already gotten enough holiday party invitations that I went ahead and scheduled my own before my guests booked up. Crazy.) In any event, I was grateful for [...]

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Friday Happy Hour: Maple Derby at Black Jack

After what seemed like an extended “coming soon” period, followed by a week or so of soft-opening, 14th Street’s new Pearl Dive Oyster Bar is officially open, as is the upstairs bar, Black Jack.
Black Jack is designed to be a fun, casual spot – complete with that buzzed-about indoor bocce pitch. They have a [...]

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Friday Happy Hour: Sixpoint Righteous Ale

There was a lot of buzz surrounding the recent arrival of New Belgium in the DC market, but I was not that worked up about it. My nonchalance is largely a product of having lived in California with easy access to the stuff and so there was not much novelty in it for me.
On [...]

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Friday Happy Hour: Dark Punch at Patty Boom Boom

Sometimes Patty Boom Boom feels almost a little bit “secret.” As the numerous nightspots by the Hilton Brothers go, it seems to get a little less attention than its sister bars around the corner and down the street. The upstairs is reserved for dj nights which skew towards reggae and dub, the sounds of which [...]

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Friday Happy Hour: Long Drinks for a Long Weekend

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Friday Happy Hour: New Belgium Clutch

Local beer nerds have been atwitter for months over the long-anticipated arrival of beers from New Belgium Brewing in the DC market. In particular, there seemed to be a lot of curioristy about two newer beers in the brewery’s Lips of Faith big-bottle series, Clutch and Kick.
I like a lot of the beers I [...]

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Friday Happy Hour: Chocolate City Cerveza Nacional

Chocolate City Beer officially launched Thursday night, with a party at RFD which was among the most-anticipated events of 2011’s DC Beer Week. The new “nano-brewery” based in the Edgewood neighborhood of Northeast brought all four of their beers for the occasion: Big Chair IPA, Cornerstone Copper Ale, 1814 ESB, and Cerveza Nacional de la [...]

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