The Rosslyn Bar Scene
The Arlington area is known as a great hotspot for young professionals to drink and have a good time. It’s also known as a suburban hellhole. Rosslyn ends up being all of the latter, and little of the former. I remember when I first started working in the Rosslyn area and had such a difficult time finding somewhere to drink, I was actually excited when I finally made it to a TGI Friday (before they went crafty). Really there is absolutely no reason to ever go out drinking in Rosslyn. However, there are a ton of office buildings in the area, and if you find yourself frequently working in the here, as Shintern and I do, you might occasionally find it useful to have somewhere to drink.
Bar Review – Justin’s Cafe
I’m really torn here. Part of me wants to behave like Bill Murray in Rushmore who deliberately talks down a woman to his friend so he can go for her himself. I want to write a horrible, scathing review of Justin’s in the hope that no one else ever goes there; I want to keep it all to myself. The other Part of me wants to pull a Jerry McGuire and storm into a room announcing that “you complete me.” I feel like the entire world needs to know how incredible this place is. Justin’s Cafe opened a year ago down in a very revitalized SE. And it’s incredible. I’ve tried over and over again to find one thing even slightly wrong with this bar, and I just can’t.
Justin’s only has 4 beers on draft, but they all meet Pyzocha’s dream of no macro-brews. Racer 5, Lagunitas, and Bell’s Oberon, and GL Eliot Ness are all available. The draft list is complemented with a solid bottle/can collection including two choices from Oskar Blues, Two Hearted, North Coast, Duck Rabbit and more. While it’s not necessarily the most extensive beer list, it’s unbelievably solid and there is something for everyone there.
But hey, there are plenty of bars in DC with a good beer list – what makes Justin’s so good? Staff and ambiance. The staff at Justin’s is unbelievable. Joe, Eric, Liz and the rest of the staff I’ve met have all been unbelievably friendly, helpful and nice. Despite a somewhat bustling bar, Eric took the time to introduce himself to me on only my second beer. Liz found a way for me to somehow order 7 drinks in about 50 minutes. Joe shared a bottle of GL Holy Moses just because he could, and remembers what people are drinking – when they leave the bar and come back 3 hours later.
Justin’s is just that neighborhood bar. It gets a ton of transient ballpark traffic, but also plenty of locals and other beer aficionados that aren’t just there to drink, but to enjoy people’s company. Sitting by yourself at the bar isn’t a lonely experience at all – I’ve talked hops, SE, Wrigley Field, and women with people I’ve sat down near at the bar. Between the staff, the beer, and the atmosphere, Justin has created a place that really feels great to spend time in.
The food is similarly solid. The brunch, wings, and buffalo burger Pyzocha and I have had there have all been really solid, and I haven’t even had their signature brick oven pizza.
The only possible issue is size and crowd. The cafe isn’t huge and before/after games can get pretty packed in, impacting the overall ambiance. Popularity unfortunately has it’s downsides, but I’ll live with them.
I hadn’t gone to Justin’s before our own Beer Hunt, and I’m so glad I got that opportunity. It’s introduced me to yet another great DC bar that I’m always excited to spend time in.
-X
Bar Review – The Lighthorse
Look, I love living in Old Town Alexandria. BUT, being under the age of 35, I don’t really belong here, especially when it comes to the bar scene. Going out here on a Saturday night, you are 100x more likely to run into a single 55-year old woman than a 25-year old woman. It also makes finding a good local watering hole tough, though the introduction of Pizza Paradiso and Red Rocks adds some good options.
Bar Review – Chinatown Coffee Company
I’ve explained my life to people as one perpetual dehydration/hydration cycle. Drink too much coffee during the day, pound water, drink beer at night, pound water before bed, and back to coffee in the morning…
And then someone I must have explained this to told Chinatown Coffee Company (CCC) to get a liquor license and start selling bottles of craft beer. So I’ve only got two wishes left on that magic lamp.
Roundtable Discussion: Your DC Bar of Choice
With the announcement this week that Brickskeller will be closing its doors in the next couple weeks, it seemed fitting to take inventory of what we still have in DC. J Street Beer has had a day or two to think it over and we added a bit of a twist. The question is not just what our favorite DC bar is, but what we would change about it if given the chance. Enjoy our thoughts and throw in your own picks, disagreement, or soul-crushing criticism in the comments section:
Bar Review: The Looking Glass Lounge
For my introductory Bar Review, I have chosen my new local, The Looking Glass Lounge, as a way to celebrate my new home in Park View.
A Visit to The Black Squirrel
I finally made my first trek out to The Black Squirrel. I was told many good things, and the buzz about it was hard to deny. After dragging my feet about going (I don’t like Adams Morgan much), I decided I needed to go. Would it live up to the hype? Would it be worth going into Adams Morgan? Good? Bad? Picklebacks?
Beer Decision – July 30
For this week’s beer decision, I’ll be needing your help in deciding what bar I’ll be going to this Friday night.
The choice will be amongst four bars I haven’t been to, or haven’t been to in a long time.
This week’s competitors:
The Big Hunt
The Black Squirrel
Brickskeller
Meridian Pint
In order for a bar to be included in this election, it needs to have a good beer selection. I’m not going to a bar where my options are 3 types of Bud and Miller Lite. I want options. Good options!
So, without further ado…
A Trip To Mad Fox Brewing
Mad Fox Brewing Company has only been open for about a week. It appears to be a small place on the corner of Rt. 7 and W Broad St. out in Falls Church. But inside, it’s quite spacious. And on it’s first Friday night, the spacious area was packed with people eager to try out all the new things the Mad Fox had to offer.
The Importance of Proximity: What Makes a Great Local Bar.
If you have a full-time job, then you probably spend the majority of your awake time in an office you can’t stand with people who make you fantasize that abortion was legal up to the 150th trimester. You probably live in a house or home of varying upkeep and condition. You probably live with one or more other persons who you may hate with the intensity of a thousand Suns, genuinely love and respect, or think are just ok-depending on how difficult they are making your life at the particular moment you can recall their name. You need a place to go when you aren’t watching your stories and your boss is not expecting you at work. You need a local bar.
There are lots of things necessary for a great local bar. They are beer selection, clientele, atmosphere, localness, price, and wildcard. (more…)
A Trip to Hopleaf
I had the pleasure of making a trip out to Hopleaf in Chicago. A place considered by many to be one of the best beer bars in America. I gotta say, it was pretty sweet.
Initially, it looks like a hole in the wall. Not a huge entrance, just a small sign letting you know it’s there. The front bar fits only about 50, so you’ve gotta get there early if you want bar space. The dining area to the back is surprisingly large. Likely room for another 80 people. The bare brick walls are lined with old Belgian paintings and beer signs.
drboozenstein
jtonzi
Jesse
X
pyzocha
samdinning
shintern1909
The J Street Beer Review 