“Cocktails. Stat.”
That was the dire need last night. Unfortunately when you’re in a state where you really need cocktails, you rarely are able to focus on where to go to get them. At least when you have your head in the clouds like I do. So wandering into an extremely brightly lit and painfully antiseptic smelling bar/restaurant in Dupont was perhaps not the best idea. Getting up and leaving after two minutes certainly was an improvement.
“Beer. Stat.”
So the parameters changed, and noting my complete inability to make a decision, we stumbled into the dark womb of The Childe Harold’s lower level bar and settled for lager instead of vodka. Ah, but would Lord Byron approve of this snuggery? Undoubtedly.
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
I love Childe Harold, it’s one of those “constant” places in my seventeen years in DC, and the fact that it’s named after my favorite poet’s first epic, complete with his pic on the menu, seals the deal. It’s been around since 1967 and not many places in Washington have that kind of staying power. Not to mention it has killer pub grub. But as Byron detested watching women wolf down copious amounts of food and thought the only proper meal for a lady was lobster salad, I ordered a seafood salad in his honor instead of fries – after all, his birthday was two weeks ago.
At what other pub can you get a great seafood salad – scallops, shrimp, and meltingly medium rare salmon? Well, I suppose that’s because the Childe has a restaurant upstairs, though I’ve actually never been up there. But I’ll keep returning to the bar, with its unpretentious regulars, simple wooden furniture, its exquisitely darkened interior – “but damn description!” (as B. would say…)
After all, as “the best of life is but intoxication,” sometimes that chi-chi cocktail place is simply not as effective at providing libation enjoyment as that old reliable pub.
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
As one of the founding editors of We Love DC, Jenn’s passions are theater and cocktails. After two decades in the city, she’s loved every quirky, mundane, elegant, rude minute of her DC life. A proud advocate for DC’s talented drinks scene, she’s judged the Corcoran Gallery of Art’s ARTINI contest, the DC Rickey Month contest, the Jefferson Hotel’s Quill Cocktail competition, and is a founding member of LUPEC DC. A graduate of Catholic University’s drama program, she toured the country as a member of National Players, and has been both an actor and a costume designer before jumping the aisle to theater criticism. Writing for We Love DC restored her happiness after a life-threatening illness, and she’s grateful to you, dear readers. Send your suggestions to jenn (at) welovedc (dot) com and follow her on Twitter.
