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2005 New Year Edition
Total Number of Reviews: 95

Current Top 5
1 Eyebar | 2 Dragonfly | 3 Bar Rouge | 4 Spank @ 1223 | 5 Vida

New places you’ve been to that need reviewing: Lima, Science Club, Play, K Street Lounge, Indeblue, Poste, Blue Gin, Rumors

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W |X | Y | Z

18th Street Lounge : 1212 18th St. NW., Washington D.C.
This place used to be exclusive, allowing only certain types of yuppies to enter. Lately, though, they are having a harder time filling their club, so even I got in with casual clothing. The music is jazzy snooze house with a crowd that actually isn’t too pretentious.

Air : Ronald Reagan Building, NW., Washington D.C.
This club is basically an outdoor sidewalk with music and alcohol. You will have a nice time here if the outside weather is mild. Of course they have the obligatory Miami-style VIP beds. They came back in 2004 with controversy concerning their decision to end their urban-themed Friday night party. The Post wrote about it.

Acropolis : 1337 Connecticut Ave. NW., Washington D.C.
Rumor has it that this place had management troubles, with one story involving a fist-fight between the manager and promoter. They closed down early 2004 to make way for Heritage.

Andalu : 1214 18th St. NW. Washington D.C.
This is a smaller club that has a hip, underground feel to it. The music is generally good and the crowd is diverse. This place is hit or miss depending on what night you go but I still like it better than Five.

Anzu : 2436 18th St. NW. Washington D.C.
The venue is nice and the bartenders are pretty friendly. Nothing extraordinary, but nothing bad either. Compared to other Adams Morgan venues this place is one of my favorites.

Atomic Billiards : 3427 Connecticut Ave. NW., Washington D.C.
Tiny pool hall with less than 10 tables.

Austin Grill : 7278 Woodmont Ave., Bethesda, MD.
Their food is mediocre and their bar is small.

Bar Rouge : 1315 16th St. NW, Washington D.C.
This is one of those small, hip bars that charge $10+ for drinks. It’s still a great place to start a night and the drinks are usually awesome. Go on a Wednesday thru Friday when Michael the cool bartender is bartending.

The Barking Dog
: 4723 Elm Street, Washington D.C.

Downstairs is the generic bar area and upstairs is the club area. They desperately need to upgrade their sound system.

Billy Martin’s Tavern : 1264 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington D.C.
This bar really does feel like a tavern inside, and it even has a nice smell to it. The bar is very uncomfortable though, but I may stop by again when I turn 40.

Blue Room : 2321 18th Street, NW, Washington D.C.
Just another generic bar/lounge. Nothing special, though the music is passable. This place got on my shit list for 2004 because they would randomly change the cover charge for you. They think they are selling airline tickets the way the price is different for everyone.

Brass Monkey : 2317 18th Street NW, Washington D.C.
You know those bars that smell like barf and have disgusting bathrooms? This is that bar, though their upstairs bar isn’t that bad. Actually yeah it is. Lots of young people get drunk here.

Buffalo Billiards : 1330 19th St. NW, Washington D.C.
This is your standard issue billiard hall, but with hotter girls.

Caddies On Cordell : 4922 Cordell Ave, Bethesda, MD.
This is a sports bar I will be going to after I turn 30, where I can meet a bunch of desperate women looking for a man to marry.

Caf? Asia : 1550 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA.
I love this place because the sushi is great and they have a nice separate bar area to mingle with the older people. Good place to take a date, as long as she doesn’t get the rice bowl and then eat it for 45 minutes and then say she’s too tired and has to go home.

Caf? Citron : 1343 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington D.C.
If you’re into the Latin scene then you need to check this place out. This place is always packed, so there is always a line out the door. I get scared because the second floor feels like it is ready to collapse. If they move to a larger - and more stable - location, then I can see them being the Latin soul of DC or something.

Caf? Europa : 7820 Norfolk Ave., Bethesda, MD.
I’m going to hate on this place because I used to DJ there and the “assistant” of the manager, Gary Clark of Redskins fame, didn’t treat me very well. The Greek bartenders are cute, but the place was going through an identity crisis: they wanted a hip, young crowd but much of their clientele was old and unhip.

Camelot : 1823 M St. NW, Washington D.C.
I’m not a big fan of strip clubs, and this one hasn’t changed my opinion. I’ve been upstairs, to the so-called “VIP” floor, and it was pretty pathetic. A girl dances on her stage naked, and you can go up to her one at a time and slip in a bill. Then after their dance, they go to each table and ask for money.

Capital City Brewing Company : 1100 New York Avenue, NW, Washington D.C.
I had to dip in here to use the bathroom once, but took the time to notice the bar and clientele. This place attracts 25+ professionals who like beer. There were a lot of guys in suits here.

Capital Court - Washington Hilton : 1919 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington D.C.
This hotel bar had a few old people eating peanuts. The check-in lobby was more exciting.

Chevy Chase Ballroom : 5207 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington D.C.
I went here over a year ago to check out the swing-dancing scene. Why I don’t know, but I will not be going back.

Chi Cha Lounge : 1624 U Street NW, Washington D.C.
The trendy lounge of yester-year, Chi Cha has comfortable seating in a room full of red, red, and more red. Every now and then you will see live Latin singer performances.

Chrome : 6845 Reed St., Bethesda MD, Washington D.C.
The interior design of this bar is tops for Bethesda. A little small, but a nice place to hang for a bit. (Update: I think this place closed down in 2004.)

Club Daedalus : 1010 Vermont Ave., NW, Washington D.C.
This club reminds me of a smaller version of Insomnia. Nothing extravagant here, but you really have to be aware of what night you go. There are gay nights, Asian nights, Russian nights, etc. The dance floor looks like it used to be a dungeon master pit.

Club Five : 1214 B 18th St. NW, Washington D.C.
Five is a fairly large club with multiple levels. It looks like this place may have some trouble getting people inside, but otherwise I have no complaints.

Club Heaven and Hell : 2327 18th Street NW, Washington D.C.
The basement is called Club Hell, but I think it should be called Club Barf because whenever I go it always smells like vomit. Club Heaven is slightly better, but that really doesn’t say much.

The Common Share : 2003 18th St., Washington D.C.
This bar’s gimmick is that all drinks are $3. Too bad it’s a disgusting dump that is not even fit for homeless people. If I want to drink in a dump I’ll go party in a college dorm. Update: They offer top shelf drinks now for a little bit more.

Cornerstone Grill and Loft : 7326 Baltimore Avenue, College Park, MD

The layout of this bar is pretty nice, including pool tables upstairs. But unfortunately, the Greek scene hangs out here, with their Abercrombie visors and tassle belts ruining the ambiance.

Cosi : Everywhere
This is a nice generic-styled coffee shop. Some locations serve alcohol.

Daily Grill : 1200 18th Street NW, Washington D.C.
Just a chill bar if you want to grab a drink. I can see my Dad hanging out here if he didn’t just have his fourth kid.

Dave and Buster’s : 11301 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD
This place is supposed to make you feel young again with their video games and what-not. It’s basically a Chuck E Cheese’s for adults.

Divino Lounge : 7345-B Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda, MD
A decent lounge by Bethesda standards. It doesn’t seem to have the cheese that comes with Bethesda nightspots. Supposedly their food is good.

Dragonfly : 1215 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington D.C.
Just another lounge, but this one serves sushi. (Makes me remember the time that Platinum was turning into a sushi bar.) I like this place and have been hanging out here more in the second half of 2004. There is never a cover charge and the people aren’t too bad.

Dream : 1350 Okie St. NE, Washington D.C.
This is actually a very nice club, but too bad it’s in the ghetto. Once I went on a boxing fight night, and some crowd members actually thought it’d be a good idea to get into some fights too. Regardless, they have many floors so there is something for everyone. They still pack ‘em in as of late 2004.

ESPN Zone : 555 12th St. NW, Washington D.C.
Generic sports bar.

Eyebar : 1716 I Street NW, Washington D.C.
New for 2004, Eyebar came into the scene with a hot Saturday night party and has done very well. Early in the year you could get in anytime, but towards the end they started getting “exclusive”, requiring you to be on the guestlist for certain parties. It can get a little crowded inside and challenging to get a drink from the slacker bartenders, but for some reason I like this place and try to go regularly.

Felix Lounge : 2406 18th St. NW, Washington D.C.
I like Felix Lounge. It’s like the bigger brother of Spy Lounge, but with live music sometimes. The set-up of this lounge makes mingling easy when it’s not loud.

Fireplace : 2161 P St. NW, Washington D.C.
This is a gay bar that Som made me go to. We didn’t stay long.

Front Page : 1333 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington D.C.
I don’t like this place too much. It’s just another white people bar, though a lot of girls flock here for some reason. Their back bar is more cozy.

Fur : 33 Patterson St NE, Washington D.C.
Friday night is International night and Saturday night hosts Glow. The club itself is pretty nice, with multiple floors and private rooms decorated with flat screen televisions. The sound system is great, but on the main floor the bass rattles the light fixtures and it gets pretty annoying after a while. Your experience here will probably be very similar to Dream right down the street.

Garrett’s : 3003 M Street NW, Washington D.C.

I used to go to this bar often, but I despise it now. It’s a dirty bar that has dirty people.

Glow : 714 Sixth St. NW, Washington D.C.

Glow used to be held at Insomnia on Saturday’s, but now they have moved to Fur nightclub near Dream. If you are looking for good trance music, this is the best place to go. Just don’t let a glow stick poke your eye out.

Gua-Rapo : 2039 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA

Another typical lounge that plays house music. This place was hyped by a lot of people but I don’t really see the draw. I guess it would make a nice date venue.

Harbour Club : 3000 K St NW, Washington D.C.

This is a nice club, but it’s a little on the small side. Or you can spin it around and say it’s “cozy and intimate.” But not anymore because they closed down early 2004.

Helix Lounge : 1430 Rhode Island Ave. NW, Washington D.C.

This is one of the best decorated bars I’ve been too, with some neat chairs that light up as you sit on them. This bar has a good amount of mingling gay men.

Heritage : 1337 Connecticut Ave. NW., Washington D.C.

Replacing the defunct Acropolis, Heritage is an Indian themed restaurant bar that attracts an international crowd. Promoters sometimes use the basement to throw private parties. Nothing to really see here.

Home : 911 F St. NW, Washington D.C.

I think the owners of this club have done a good job designing the place and making the most out of limited space. In a nutshell this club is Dream-lite but in a better neighborhood.

Insomnia : 714 Sixth St. NW, Washington D.C.

The actual club is huge with multiple floors, but they haven’t caught on the recent trend of other clubs (see VIP & Dream) of having a more posh and luxurious atmosphere. They closed down in 2004 to make way for Fur.

Jaleo : 7271 Woodmont Ave., Bethesda, MD

A girl tried to get me to take her there, so I guess their food is good. I’ve only had their sangria. I consider it more of a restaurant than a bar.

Kelly’s Irish Times : 14 F St. NW, Washington D.C.

The upstairs area is usually packed with white people, and then you can go downstairs into the shady club area. This guy tried to fight me here once when I hit on his girlfriend. I don’t plan on returning because my bedroom is more fun.

Lucky Bar : 1221 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington D.C.

What do you get when you stick a white trash bar in the middle of trendy Dupont Circle? Lucky Bar! You will catch me walk in once every couple of months, and then walk right back out two minutes later.

Lulu’s : 1217 22nd Street NW, Washington D.C.

This is the cheesiest club in all of DC. They play songs on 99.5 all night and then you have to deal with all the annoying, fake people. I vow never to return.

Lupo’s Italian Chophouse : 17416 Baltimore Ave, College Park, MD.

Come here on a Thursday night and go straight upstairs to the club area. They have a large dance floor with hip hop to go along with cheap drinks. If the college crowd is your thing, this is worth a look. Bring your college ID for a discount at the door.

Madhatter : 1831 M Street NW, Washington D.C.

Generic dirty bar.

Maxim : 1725 F Street NW, Washington D.C.

Maxim is a Russian restaurant by day, a club by night. It’s small enough to get that intimate party feel, but large enough to spread your wings and do some crazy dance moves. We always have fun here, but it stopped when the owner ran into some government trouble and had to close the place down.

MCCXXIII
: 1223 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington D.C.

I have a love-hate relationship with 1223. The actual club, atmosphere, and music is pretty good, but unfortunately the clientele think they are special because they can pay a $10 cover to get into this place. Towards the end of 2004 this place was alright on Thursday nights, where you went straight upstairs into the Spank VIP area. Try to get into Spank on other nights for a more classy experience, and ignore the meatheads dancing on beds.

McFadden’s
: 2401 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington D.C.

This place isn’t as cheesy as Lulu’s, and comes across as a hip Irish bar. That means it is full of white people.

Meze
: 2437 18th St NW, Washington D.C.

Go here if you want to meet Turkish girls. It can get pretty cramped in here.

Mie N Yu
: 3125 M St. NW, Washington D.C.

The bar is actually very nice but some of the decorations are a little tacky. They seem to pull an international crowd most nights.

Mister Days
: 3100 Clarendon Blvd., Arlington, VA

Standard cheese bar with your top-4o music.

Modern
: 3287 M St. NW, Washington D.C.

This “hip” lounge wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. The sunken bar is nice and the music is decent. Too bad it’s in Georgetown though.

Montgomery’s Grille
: 7200 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, MD

Nothing special here, just a generic bar. The waitresses here are almost always busty. Drove by January 2005 and they are now closed!

Mr. Smith’s of Georgetown
: 3104 M Street NW, Washington D.C.

This place is always crowded with drunk, older people singing songs I’ve never heard of.

Nation
: 1015 Half St. SE, Washington D.C.

Go here if you want to get your car broken into and asked if you “roll” a dozen times. Otherwise, the music is good if you are into House, DnB, and other electronica.

Ozio
: 1813 M St. NW, Washington D.C.

Standard yuppie club, where many BMW drivers will be found. Their cover charge is outrageous.

Panache : 1725 Desales St NW, Washington D.C.

A 2004 new-comer that has hosted several Russian parties. Similar to Dragonfly in feel but with only one floor, Panache has a very good sound system for its size.

Park Bench Pub : 3433 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington D.C.

What a dump.

Platinum
: 915 F St. NW, Washington D.C.

The thing I don’t like about Platinum is that they pack the place to overcapacity, making it hard to move some nights, but I don’t know if they still pack it in like that anymore. This club has a younger clientele last time I checked and still gets the college crowd. This is the first club that people go to when they get old enough because they advertise on major radio stations. I have not been there since 2002.

Reef
: 2446 18th St. NW, Washington D.C.
This is one my favorite Adams Morgan bars. It’s clean and they keep the prices down on the alcohol (try their Cider). You will find a moderately diverse crowd drinking here, though not many good-looking girls.

Rhino
: 3295 M Street NW, Washington D.C.

This bar is frequented by college students, especially from Georgetown. Nothing special going on here and the bartenders are pricks.

RJ Bentley’s
: 7323 Baltimore Ave., College Park, mD

I like this bar a little better than it’s most similar rival, Cornerstone. The back area smells like vomit much of the time though..

Rock Bottom
: 7900 Norfolk Avenue, Bethesda, MD

You have to hit Rock Bottom to come to this place. I wouldn’t choose to hang out here.

Rumor’s
: 1900 M St. NW, Washington D.C.

This is a single’s bar for the over 30 crowd. I’m not returning for 10 years.

Saki Asian Grill
: 2477 18th St. NW, Washington D.C.

The downstairs bar is nicely decorated, but awkwardly placed far below the customers. I had higher expectations for the sushi here. Update: They now have an upstairs club area. They’ve hired many promoters to get it going and their Wednesday nights turned into the place to be in summer 2004. I think Modern took some of their Wednesday night crowd towards the end of the year.

Saloun
: 3239 M Street NW, Washington D.C.

This is the only Jazz bar I’ve been to, and recently they get a new lighted sign!

Sante Fe Caf?
: 4410 Knox Rd., College Park, MD

This is the biggest College Park bar. Not the hottest girls, but the friendliest ones.

Sequoia
: 3000 K Street NW, Washington D.C.

When people whine about how stuffy the DC scene is, they are referring to the people that come here. If the weather is right, take a date here on a weekday and watch the guys pick up girls in their docked boats.

Shark Club
: 4915 St. Elmo Avenue, Bethesda, MD

This is just a generic club with pool tables. They closed down early 2004.

Sign of the Whale
: 1825 M Street NW, Washington D.C.

Dump.

Spices
: 3333-A Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington D.C.

This place has nice atmosphere with a great sushi bar. This is probably the best sushi I’ve had in DC.

Spy Lounge
: 2406 18th St NW, Washington, DC

This isn’t a bad lounge at all, though there is not too many nice chairs to “lounge” on. I wouldn’t go in if they are charging a cover though.

Strike Bethesda
: 5353 Westbard Ave., Bethesda, MD

A bowling alley that doubles as a bar. I used to go on Monday nights which is college night. Bowling is boring.

Third Edition
: 1218 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington D.C.

The Tiki bar area in the back is where you want to go here. This bar is probably the most fun in Georgetown, but of course that is not saying much.

The Tombs
: 1226 36th St. NW, Washington D.C.

Tiny bar in the heart of Georgetown University, frequented by its students. The burgers are delicious.

Tommy Joe’s
: 4714 Montgomery Lane, Bethesda, MD

This bar epitomizes Bethesda: cookie-cutter guys and girls who all look the same. They play top-4o fare. I checked in a year later and I saw the same exact people. Don’t they go anywhere else?

Tom Tom
: 2333 18th Street, Washington D.C.

This place is always packed with people, with a mix of college guys and girls. It’s worth at least a stop-by on your Friday or Saturday night in Adams Morgan if you’re under 24.

Tony and Joe’s
: 3000 K Street NW, Washington D.C.

This place is almost identical to Sequoia’s, but smaller.

Topaz Bar
: 1733 N St. NW, Washington D.C.

Similar the Rouge, Topaz has the expensive drinks and hip atmosphere going. I like coming here with a friend to just hang out and drink.

Tryst
: 2459 18th St. NW, Washington D.C.

I remember the first time I went to this coffee shop, I saw a homeless man and a businessman in a suit sitting next to each other reading. This place attracts a very diverse crowd.

Vida : 1120 20th St. N.W., Washington D.C.

This place is usually good on Saturday night’s, where you mingle downstairs and stare at the cute married bartender, or go upstairs and listen to a mostly hip hop mix. Don’t take the rudeness from the biggest bouncer personally… he’s mean to everyone.

The VIP Club
: 932 F St. NW, Washington D.C.

Very similar to Dream, VIP is owned by the same guy who runs Platinum. This place has something for everyone, and it’s usually a fun time here. Update: They closed down in 2004 to make way for office buildings. The owners later opened Pearl in Georgetown. I get nostalgic when I think about this place.

Willie and Reed’s
: 4901-A Fairmont Ave., Bethesda, MD

Standard sports bar.

Xhale
: 244 S. Jefferson Street, Frederick, MD

This is a white trash club up in Frederick. What was I thinking?

Zaytinya
: 701 9th St. NW, Washington D.C.

Here you can order those trendy tapas, which are small portioned dishes that wouldn’t fill up an 8 year old. This idea clashes with my values since I am a large-meal kind of guy. The bar is very trendy, with mostly 30 something staring at each other. The highlight though is the belly dancer. This one particular belly dancer made eye contact with me several times during her performance. Even though she did this to everyone, I think she liked me.

Zebra Lounge : 3238 Wisconsin Ave. Washington D.C.

A chill lounge that has a very nicely decorated interior. The drinks are alright but the crowd will vary depending on if there is a private party or not. I’d take a date here.