Drinks at The Graham

I love rooftop anything…patios, bars, restaurants, so when I saw that The Graham Hotel in Georgetown had opened AND they had a rooftop bar it immediately went on our list to visit!  So one Saturday evening (which actually ended up being a little overcast, boohoo) I headed up to check out the surroundings.  First off, I loved the décor of the lobby so it was just a hint that I would probably like the rooftop.  We exited out of the elevator and were greeted by bright furniture and an open bar area.

They have a short list of drinks available, but that evening they did not have the menus available.  Of course I was indecisive on what to get to drink so the bartender offered to make me surprise.  It was delicious!  A strawberry champagne spritzer kind of concoction which was delicious and went down too quickly. But while sipping on my new found addition, we enjoyed all the views that looks over all the rooftops of Georgetown and M Street. (I spy Sprinkles!)

Just a heads up though, the prices of drinks here are certainly at a premium, so unless you won the lottery it’s a great place to go for one or two drinks 🙂

Details:

The Graham Georgetown-Rooftop bar & lounge
1075 Thomas Jefferson St. NW
Washington, DC 20007
202.337.0900
Serve: Drinks
Price Range:  $13.00 – $20.00

Happy Hour at Tortilla Coast

One weekend I happened up on Happy Hour at Tortilla Coast.  They have margaritas on tap.  Yeah you read that right… frozen margaritas…strawberry, lime, or prickly pear. Delish!

They also have some great food specials during happy hour such as tostadas, molotes, quesadillitas, and tamales and just $4.00 each.

I wish that I lived closer to Logan Circle just to be closer to Tortilla Coast (I’ve been to the one in Capitol Hill but didn’t like it as much).  Cheers!

Details: 

Tortilla Coast
1460 P Street NW
Washington, DC 20005
202.629.3280
Serve: Brunch, Dinner, Happy Hour
Price Range:  (happy hour) $4.00 – $5.00

Dinner at Bourbon

One evening I was trying out the free-weekend for SideCar, so we decided to head up to Glover Park and try out Bourbon.

A “brother” to Jack Rose, Bourbon is of course known for its whiskeys and bourbons, but we also wanted to eat a little bit while we tried out a drink.  We ordered a few plates to share…

The cajun hush puppies:

A bowl of tots:

And a big hot dog (which is 1/4lb all beef dog on a grilled pretzel roll):

This was definitely “bar food,” but it was pretty good.

Details: 

Bourbon
2348 Wisconsin Ave
Washington, DC 20007
202.625.7770
Serve: Dinner, Bar
Price Range:  (food) $5.00 – $16.00  (drinks) $6.00 – $21.00

Dinner at Jack Rose

Jack Rose is known for its huge variety of whiskeys/bourbons, but what I love about Jack Rose is their Saloon Menu (served at their 1st floor bar) and specifically their Double Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup.

 

This delicious creation is made of cheddar and gruyere cheeses with buttered Texas toast.  Wowzers… this is the grilled cheese/soup combo that people dream of…well if you dream of food like me…?!

It’s worth a try… and add in one of their cocktail creations and you will be one happy camper!

Details:
Jack Rose Dining Saloon
2007 18th St NW,
Washington, DC 20009
202.588.7388
Serve: Dinner, Drinks, Brunch
Price: $6.00 – $20.00

Dinner at El Centro D.F.

El Centro D.F. is one of Richard Sandoval’s restaurants, which includes 19 restaurants, like Zengo, Masa 14, and Ambar.

We started out the evening with a $4.00 happy-hour margarita in the open-air (but covered) bar upstairs.  The happy hour guacamole and house made chips is a great starter to go with the El Centro margarita as well.

For dinner I ordered up one of the Grilled Nopal taco option, which came with three tacos made with cactus, vegetables, chayote, queso fresco, salsa roja, rice, and beans.

If you are looking for Mexican near 14th st/U Street this is worth dropping by for, especially if you want to take advantage of the drinks/tacos during their rooftop happy hour.

Details: 

El Centro D.F.
1819 14th St NW
Washington, DC 20009
202.328.3131
Serve: Dinner, Bar
Price Range:

Drinks at Ambar

One day I had a conversation with a bartender about he thought it was a joke that now a lot of his colleagues called themselves mixologist… I laughed along with him because someone that makes a rum and coke or pops the top off your Bud Light definitely doesn’t  deserve the title, but last Saturday evening after the Nats game a few of our friends made our way over to Matchbox on Barracks Row.  Since the wait was supposed to be 30 minutes we decided to take our buzzer and pop over next door to Ambar and grab a drink.  We hopped up on our barstools and took the drink menu for the bartender and listened as he explained that we probably wouldn’t be able to comprehend the menu and to check the glossary at the bottom or ask him if we had questions.  When I heard glossary along with the words cocktails and wine I knew we were in for some kind of treat…not sure if it was going to be good or bad.

With a “I have no idea what I’m ordering” we each asked for one of their specialty cocktails with the basically the only ingredient I recognized being the word lime… after watching the bartender put a drop of this, a splash of that, a shake here, a pour there… he definitely deserves the title of mixologist.  These cocktails were not something you could just produce at home, this man had skill.

I ordered: Podgorica

A guy friend ordered: Zagreb Rakia Sour

And a girl friend ordered: a Skoplje.

Out of the three we all loved mine.  It was slightly sweet/tangy like a margarita but flavorful and not overwhelming.

I think we would definitely go back and try the Balkan tapas and another drink from the menu.  The interior design was beautiful and the menu looked intriguing.  It would certainly be a place to stop in if you find yourself on Barracks Row in need of a unique drink and meal.

Details:
Ambar
523 8th St SE
Washington, DC 20003
202.813.3039
Serve: Drinks, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch, Happy Hour
Price: Drinks $9.00 – $12.00

Drinks at Lauriol Plaza

Before I moved to DC, one of my girl friends in NC, who used to live here, told me the one place I had to visit was Lauriol Plaza and try one of their frozen swirl margaritas.  Well throughout the years that I have lived here I think I’ve visited Lauriol Plaza at least a dozen times.

The Mexican cuisine at Lauriol is really great too, but in my mind it is the margaritas that stand out.  They can come by the glass or the pitcher, and taste so good that you either get a brain freeze or find it hard to stop after one.  I’ve tried all of them over the times and I keep coming back to the strawberry/margarita frozen swirl…it’s the best one.

So if you happen to find yourself thirsty and just a little north of Dupont Circle, pop in for a swirl at Lauriol.  I promise you that you’ll find ways to make your way back.

Details:
Lauriol Plaza
1835 18th St NW, Washington, DC (at 18th & T St)
202.387.0035
Serve: Drinks, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
Price:
Margaritas: $6.50-$31.95
     Food: $6.45-$18.95

Happy Hour or Dinner at Fuego

I had read in a few magazines about the latest Mexican restaurant called Fuego Cocina y Tequileria that was gracing Clarendon with its presence, so of course since I love Mexican food we had to try it out.

We started out the evening downstairs at the lounge/bar area for drinks and appetizers.  The ladies in the group tried out the Frozen Twisted drink, which is part of Fuego’s original margarita (Sauza Gold, fresh lime juice, and agave nectar) mixed with their Frozen Hibiscus (Sauza Gold, triple sec, hibiscus extract, & salted rim).

The glasses look a little bit smaller than the regular pint mugs I’m used to getting margaritas in, but these margs pack a punch and are super de duper yummy!  The men in our group skipped the margs and went with the draft Modela beers.  During happy hour (which goes till 7) the margaritas are $5.00 each and the draft beers are $4.00.

We opted for a small appetizer of tacos during happy hour too.

After Happy Hour we lined up for our reservation (yes, even though this place can supposedly seat 250 people and has two stories, if you are going for dinner on the weekend I would recommend a reservation).  After getting another round of drinks we studied the dinner menu and ordered up our meals.  I went with the empanadas that were stuffed with goat cheese, mushrooms, and butternut squash.

 

My coworker beside me ordered the vegetable enchiladas with spinach, mushrooms, Cotija cheese, and salsa verde.  He also ordered a side of mushrooms that came in a skillet and were absolutely delicious for the mushroom lover I am.

Overall the food was decent.  I’ll definitely go back to try some different things such as the queso fundido.  I will say that our waitress was so wonderful with us and the manager, Anthony, even stopped by our table twice just to make sure everything was going well.  It was a fun experience for our group.

Details:

Fuego Cocina y Tequileria
2800 Clarendon Blvd, Arlington, VA 22201
571.970.2180
Serve: Happy Hour, Dinner, Brunch
Price Range:  (happy hour) $4.00-$12.00
(dinner) $7.00-$24.00

 

Happy Hour at Bandolero

Last week  I popped in to Mike Isabella’s new-ish place on M St. in Georgetown called Bandolero.  This two-story location opened in May of 2012 after completing renovations, as the previous restaurant (called Hook) had a fire in the summer of 2011.  I would describe the interior of Bandolero as having a dark saloon feel with a twist of modern or as they describe it a “Day of the Dead motif.”  So I hopped up on the corner seat at the bar and was greeted by some jovial bartenders.  I asked what was good on the Bandido Happy Hour menu and was told that the ‘el bandolero margarita’ is a go-to for a drink and that the tacos are a good taste treat.

So I ordered up the ‘el bandolero margarita’ which is a pre-made mix with espolon blanco tequila, lime, patron citronage, and blood orange.  Even though it is pre-made it is potent!  Don’t let the bartender talk you in to more than one =)  I also tried the mushroom tacos.  They were two five inch corn tortillas with a butternut squash spread, and topped with pickled onions and crispy pepitas.  Even though the tacos were not that big, the flavors were full and something to be savored. Both the margarita and tacos were a great taste treat!  If you are looking for a classier happy hour definitely make a date to stop in Bandolero for their Bandido Hour!

Details:

Bandolero
3241 M St. NW, Washington, DC 20007
202.625.4488
Serve: Happy Hour, Dinner, Brunch
Price Range:  Happy Hour $4.00-$6.00

 

Drinks at Appalachian Mountain Brewery

I headed to NC and had heard that a new brewery had opened in Boone, so I had to drop by to see what it was all about.  It is called Appalachian Mountain Brewery and the brewmaster is a graduate of Appalachian State University just up the road.  The owners are devoted to being local and actually hand constructed all that you see, from the patio to the bathroom.  They will have craft brews rotated in, but if it is your first time there definitely try their $5 tasting flight.  That way you can decide which beer is your favorite and get a pint while you hang out.

If you like beer and if you like a coffee shop feel, then this is the place for you.

April just so happens to be the NC Beer Month, so if you find yourself within driving distance of Boone you must stop by AMB!

Details:

Appalachian Mountain Brewery
163 Boone Creek Drive, Boone, NC
Serve: Drinks
Price Range:  $4.00-$8.00