weather, ttre patio is a pleas- resident who grew up in squeezeinto one of the plaid wooden beams and a roaring ant place. Nicaragua, this local chain booths for a pint. You won'r gas fueplace make you feel Ifyou can't decide works to promote sustain- find shamrocks or Irish- like you're in a friend's living whether to meet for coffec able farming in rural com- American kitsch, but you room, or a drink, keep your options munities by sourcing beans may hear brogues-several You can hear traditional open at Grape & Bean (ll8 directly from small coffee serverscome from Ireland. Irish music fromT to 9:30 S. Royal St., Alexandria; 703- estates in Latin America. Every Monday night, there's every Friday and Saturday 6 64-02L 4; gr ape an d.be an. live Irish music. night at the Auld Shebeen corn ), a wine- and-coffee bar Authentic At fte Old Brcgue lrish (397I Chain Bridge Rd., .E hish Pubs ; in Old Town. The tiny space The pale-yellow building Pub (760-C Walker Rd., Fairfax; 7 03 -29 3 -9 600 ; 8 boastsan $1I,000 Clover that houses the lrish Inn at Great Falls; 7 03-7 59 -3309 ; th eawld.sheb e env a. cow. ), coffee machine, one of only Glen Echo (6119 Tulane old.br ogwe. cotn it's not another beloved neighbor- o ), F a few hundred worldwide Ave., Glen Echo; 301 -229 - uncommon to seePatrons hood joint. The kitchen 6 I and a cult item among coffee 6600 ; irisb usa. corn/iris h inn ) pushing tables together turns out good renditions fanatics. looks as ifit could have been to make room for friends. of shepherd's pie and Guin- During the dag grab an plucked from the Irish coun- That's becausethis pub nessbeefstew. Saturday at esPresso,Pastry, or cup of tryside and plopped down has been a neighborhood noon, amateurs take the tea and relax on the leather here. Awarren offormal favorite for almost 30 years. stage for an Irish-music armchairs at Mayorga Gof- dining rooms takes up most Friendly serversshutde well- open mike. fee Roasters (801 Pleasant of the spaceinside, but the poured pints of Guinness, For more Irish tunes, Dr., Rockville; 30I-990- pub in front is the biggest Harp, and Smithwick's. Ask head to the Dubliner (520 87 22 ; m ayorg acoffi e.co m ). draw. Regulars pull up a stool for a table in the back room, N. Capitol St., NW;202- Started by a Rockville at the 3O-foot oak bar or where low ceilines witi 7 37 - 37 7 3 : d.ublinerd.c.
FEBRUARY 2O1OIWASHINGTONIAN I 59 GreatDates
! 9 3 just that. Paataand Irina Tsi- Richard. II and staged edgy at the Palace of Wonderc corseted bartenders and s people get down to kurishvili's productions com- interpretations of other clas- (12I0 H St.,NE;202'398' beautiful .g 0 bining dance, drama, mime, sic works. It also takes chanc- 7 469 ; p al n ce ofw ond. ers. co rn ). an imaginative sounduack- anything from old-school I and music have wowed audi- es on new plays, such as Julie Pasties,shrunken heads, 3 encesand won severalHelen Jensen's Two' He a d.e d., about and taxidermied curiosities house classicsto lay-2. F or Hayes Awards. This spring a Mormon massacrein the abound at this bar/muse- those who want a table, it's a at DC's Lansburgh Theatre, 1800s, and local playwright um,/freak show in DC's Adas minimum of $500. they'll bring their "art of Allyson Currin's Learning District. The tiny stage offers Chic dubbers also head to silence" to Shakespeare's Cwrves.Onstage now is an a host of performers each the Parkat 14th (920 l4th Antony and. Cleopatra. adaptation of Molidre's TZa week, from vintage-style bur- St.,NW;202-737-7275; AtWoolly Mammoth Miserby David Ball, in which lesque to sword swallowers th ep a.rha.tfo tur te enth. c o ru ), a Theatre Company (641 D WSC reimagines the pro- and magicians. Regular acts loungy wood-and- glass-pan- St.,NW;202-393-3939; tagonist as a forerunner to a include the Lucky Daredevil eled spacewith four levels and woollryamrnotb.net), artisttc Wall Street CEO. Thrillshow and the Weirdo severalbalconies where you director lloward Shalwitz Keegan Theatre (at Church Show &Wasabassco Bur- can seeand be seen.The bar isn't afraid to let the odd, the Street Theater, 1742 Chwch lesque. Patrons willing to pry downstairs servesgood snacls absurd, or the just plain silly St., NW; 703-892-0202; their eyes away from the en- such as sliders and spinach diP. shine. MacArthur "genius" he eg anth entre. co m ) bnngs the tertainment can look at the Make a reservation to get in, fellow Sarah Ruhl's Dead' kish dramatic sensibility to Coney Island-inspired col- or arrive early and dresswell. M an \ C ell Phon e played her e American audiences. Some of Iection of oddball artifacts. before it ran oFBroadway. the plays produced are by Irish A unicorn and a five-legged Hit a Dl Dance PartY But that was one of Woolly's writers; some areAmerican dog are popular attractions. At Gate 54, the basement tamer offerings. This month, plays that echowhat Keegan lounge in Caft Saint-Ex Chicago's Second City brings calls the "spate, unpretentious (1847 I4:-}'tSt., NW;202- Borach Stars: The Wrath of style" that characterizescon- Let'sDance 265 -7 839 ; saint-ex.corn ), Rahrn to the theater. temporary Irish theater. Either Dls spin a mix ofinterna- Operating in a converted way, Keegan is a good place to Go Clubbing donal, Motown, and elec- warehouse, Washington seefust-rate work. The fut Nouveau-themed tronica for a crowd oftwen- Shakespearc Gompany Josephine ( I008 Vermont ry- and thirtysomethings. (60f S. Clark St., Arlington; EscapeButtoned- Ave ., NW; 202-347-8601. You and your date can siP cocktails at one of the small 703-4I 8-4808 ; washingtons- DownWashingrton josephined'c.com)feels asif it lining the walls of this hahespeare. org ) has created For a night your date is belongs in London or Mi- tables a Stanlev Kubrick-inspired unlikely to forget, try a show ami. Beyond the velvet rope, aviation-inspired spacebe-
62T IWASHINGTONIAN IFEBRUARY 2O1O fore hitting the dance floor. sprung-wood floors but no Or head a few doors down heating or air-conditioning. to the Black Cat (t8l I l4th Lessonsfor beginners are St., NW; 202-667-4490; from 8 to 9. bla chc at d.c.c o m. ). Mousetrap, Friday nights, the Hilton a quirky Britpop music night, Washington Dulles Airport runs regularlyin the indie- (I3869 Park Center Rd., rock club's Mainstage area, Herndon; 703 -47 8 -29001' but it can be hit or miss. We g ott a swi ng. co m ) has liv e prefer to boogie down at music, lessons,and open Backstage-the Black Cat's dancing. For a more formal warehouse-like space-where venue-think Rainbow DJs feature everything from Room-the Carlyle Club '80s alternative to punk. (4lI John CarlyleSt., Al- Equally great are the oc- exandrial 7 03 -548 -8899; casional "vs." nights, which th ecarlyle cl ab. c om ), with irs mix music from fwo or three dark-leather banquettes and legendary artists-Prince vs. Art Deco atmosphere,is the Outlcast was a recent exam- place for l94Os-style dinner ple-in a mash-up everyone and dancing to big-band can sing along to. music, often by national Die-hard .E dancerswill find group of sevenrotaring spin (7300 MacArthur Blvd., acts. ; funk, soul, go-go, and more masters. The event is fre- Glen Echo; 301-634-2222; t o at the popular Fatback (fatb- quendy routed as one ofthe g I en echopa rk. a org) s:dll domi - Feel the Cuban achd.c.com)party.Thrown most energeric = dance parties nates the local swing scene. Rfiythms the third Saturday of each in Washington. Every Saturday night from Cuban, or casino-style, month at Liv, inside Bohe- 9 till midnight, 500 people salsa-often danced in a € mian Caverns (2001 llrh JUmp and Jive jump, jive, and boogie-woo- orued.a" circle with other p St., NW; 202-299-0800; The legendary Spanish gie to live music in the cav- couples-builds such a sense € litd.c.com), it's hosted by a Ballro-omat Glen Echo Park ernous hall with feet-friendly of camaraderiethat instruc- S I'
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