On June 4, the North Columbia Heights Civic Association held a meeting regarding the park at 11th and Monroe. All were welcome, and all were heard, as evidenced by this item in the very comprehensive minutes: “Anonymous resident (self-described drunk who hangs out in the park): people in the park aren’t that bad, come on into the park, we welcome kids, we welcome the church.”–Brian Reed

Beware alcoholic energy drinks: The silent intoxicators. Time’s got the scoop on the “tall, narrow cans” with the “teen-friendly names” that are mixing a stimulant (caffeine) with a depressant (alcohol) to make a recipe for dance party disaster! Author John Cloud lays out the hard scientific facts about Sparks and its partners in energetic drunkenness: “Researchers have conducted several peer-reviewed studies into these questions since 2000. The conclusions? Caffeine won’t keep you from getting drunk.”

As a teen duped by Sparks’ youthful marketing would say: Like, duh. That’s why they love it!

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The Brookland listserv has more news on the Cardinal’s Nest, a neighborhood club owned by ex-cop Darrell Green and the subject of this week’s Show & Tell. In the column, I quote neighbor Tim Janning, who says he’s documented numerous visits to the bar from cops who don’t appear to be on official business.

Today, neighbor Dino Drudi noted some additional police presence at the Cardinal’s Nest on the listserv:

My neighbor reports yesterday evening there were FIVE MPD sport utility vehicles parked in front of Cardinal’s Nest—all the officers from these SUVs were patrons of the Cardinal’s Nest. Having observed the first vehicle arriving at 6:30PM, he noticed another hidden from his view that must have been there prior to that time. At approximately 7:10PM three more SUVs arrived. All these SUVs … were marked SOD (Special Operations Division). He reported that these officers were in the Cardinal’s Nest for approximately 1½ hours.

Later, Drudi posted this response, from Special Operations Division Commander James O. Crane:

Greetings Mr. Drudi, you may remember me from my days at 5D as a Sgt and later Captain. I’m still a Woodridge resident. The vehicles in question are under my command and I have initiated an investigated. We share AC Groomes’ and Chief Lanier’s concerns for the appearance and image such actions give the Department.

Possibly the most far-fetched Missed Connection ever:

hot blonde in the budweiser van - m4w - 28

you pulled up next to me at the light near the Exxon. We made eye contact and continued to drive next to each other up Wisconsin. At the next light, you gave me a wink and turned off before I had the chance to react. Maybe you’d like to take me for a test drive?

Learning! We rarely do it. That’s why I was excited for last Saturday’s “Learn-A-Palooza,” an entire day dedicated to the task. Last week, I made up a schedule (from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.) of the self-help workshops and skill tutorials from which I hoped to learn. Then I highlighted it, because highlighting schedules aids in learning.

Here’s what I learned:

10 a.m. “Everything you wanted to know about Giant Pandas”: Asleep.
What I learned: N/A

11 a.m. “Do you own your life?”: Asleep.
What I learned: N/A

1 p.m. “How to get out of a speeding ticket”: Awake! Not exactly out of bed.
What I learned: I sure am sleepy!

3 p.m. “Learn to shoot pool”: Attended! At Bedrock Billiards, a pool pro by the name of Ben Kao taught a room full of wannabe sharks how to finesse a “dead ball,” a “feather shot,” and a “left English.” The trim, bun-haired master also let drop that in the middle of his life, he took a 20-year hiatus from pool, prompting the question–POW, Navy SEAL, or cryogenic vacation?
What I learned: I am not very good at pool.

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“I don’t think you get us at all, Esquire,” Kim Gooden wrote last month in a post about the magazine’s “Best Bars” list.

For three years now, this monthly has been updating its collection of the country’s greatest watering holes. Well, another D.C. establishment has been added to the list, which is augmented in the just-released June issue. However Kim, I’m sorry to say I don’t think you will be pleased.

This year’s D.C. best is…The Bar at the Mayflower Hotel. “Here spies have spied on spies. Mayors have smoked crack. Interns have been interrogated. And assignations by the score. Many involving Kennedys. Spitzer padded right by this dark bar on the way upstairs to end his career,” writes Mark Warren. Previous Best Bar D.C. selections have been: Hawk ‘n’ Dove and The Tune Inn.

Well, Mr. Warren, perhaps next year you should check out the city’s Best Biker Bar, Best Bar to Hear Yourself Think, Best Pickup Bar, Best Place to Escape Adams Morgan in Adams Morgan, or D.C.’s establishments with the Best Beer List, Best Cocktail Menu, and Best Wine List…even though we all know you’ll end up picking some other lounge where politicos rub elbows.

Today, Don Juan’s restaurant in Mount Pleasant will make its case before the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board that it deserves to have live music and dancing reinstated, just as Don Jaime’s and Haydee’s did last week.

Don Juan’s is a different animal than the other two, and so its case will be harder to make. Over the years it has gained notoriety as a haven for drunk Latino men, getting drunker by the hour.

But Don Juan’s owner, Alberto Ferrufino, has taken extraordinary steps over the last year to change his restaurant’s image. Working with Hear Mount Pleasant, the neighborhood group working to overturn the live music ban, Ferrufino has spent thousands of dollars to install double-paned windows, a new roof, and soundproof insulation. After firing three DJs for refusing to turn the music down, he eliminated the problem by getting a new jukebox with smaller speakers and putting a limiter on it so it can’t get too loud.

The ABC Board requires yearly trainings for bar managers in responsible alcohol management, but for the last decade Don Juan’s has been sending its entire staff to the trainings. And recently, they’ve contracted with a well-known consultant from the Responsible Hospitality Institute to provide much more intensive training on responsible alcohol service and security.

Several neighbors have been making a concerted effort to bring families with children to Don Juan’s on a regular basis, trying to change the all-male composition of its clientele to be more family-friendly. After all, with the wave of gentrification in Mount Pleasant and the recent fire which effectively evicted 200 Latino residents from the neighborhood, Don Juan’s needs to expand its client base in order to survive.

I live directly behind Don Juan’s, and while I’m a big fan of their tamales, I usually get them to go because I don’t like being the only woman in there. I also didn’t like having a drunk guy pass out on my feet on a Sunday afternoon in there a few years ago. But I’ve got to hand it to Don Juan’s for cleaning up its act and making an effort to engage the community. I’ve been a supporter of Hear Mount Pleasant since their inception – I’ve even got their silk-screened “Bring Back Live Music” sign in front of my house – and I think they’ve done a great job listening to the community’s concerns and working with Don Juan’s to address them.

And as for live music, as far as I can tell men don’t like to dance alone, so more music will mean more women, and that can only be good for the place. We’ll see if the ABC Board agrees.

Today, another battle has been decided in the ongoing war over live music in Mount Pleasant, and both sides are claiming victory.

For the past year, Mount Pleasant restaurants Don Jaime’s, Haydee’s, and Don Juan’s have been working with neighborhood group Hear Mount Pleasant to terminate their voluntary agreements with the Mount Pleasant Neighborhood Alliance. The voluntary agreements, or VA’s, restricted hours for live entertainment and prohibited cover charges and dancing. Catch up on some background here.

In yesterday’s ruling, the ABC board amended the MPNA’s voluntary agreements with Don Jaime’s and Haydee’s , but did not terminate them (a ruling on Don Juan’s voluntary agreement is slated for next Wednesday). Under the new agreement, hours for live music have been significantly expanded: The restaurants may host entertainment Sundays through Wednesdays until 11:00 p.m.; Thursdays until midnight; and Fridays and Saturdays until 1:00 a.m. Dancing is now permitted, as are cover charges.

In a press release, Hear Mount Pleasant declared the ruling “a major victory.” In their own release, the MPNA focused on the fact that the ABC board “denied the request to terminate voluntary agreements.”

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I’m not a regular reader of Esquire, but I was checking out the home page and was excited to see a tab for The Best Bars in America. This is slightly misleading because of the democracy the mag allows in its choices; there are bars listed for every state (even Puerto Rico!). So what are the best bars in D.C.? The winners are…The Tune Inn and Hawk ‘n’ Dove. Cue sinking heart. Really, Esquire? Really? You can’t see past Capitol Hill and khaki pants? You refuse us the D.C. culture that exists beyond politics? Go north! Go east! We have literary-themed bars (St.-Ex and Bar Pilar) and freak-inspired bars (Palace of Wonders) and classy bars (ESL and Dragonfly ) and classic bars (Tabard Inn and Old Ebbitt) and on and on. I don’t think you get us at all, Esquire.

In case you haven’t been following it, two of our intrepid staffers have been braving the mean streets of D.C. during happy hour in a selfless service to our beloved readers. During the month of April, the Corcoran Gallery of Art’s 1869 Society is hosting a contest in which 15 area restaurants have designed “artinis.” You’re supposed to hop around, drink these concoctions, and then vote for them. And there’s, of course, a big ole party to unveil the winner. Well, our very own Ted and Brian are giving you previews of what to expect in a video blog! I highly recommend checking out their artini blog.

Tomorrow, D.C. commemorates two anniversaries: The 40th anniversary of the Martin Luther King Jr. assassination, and the 75th anniversary of the repeal of prohibition. Please do not commemorate these events concurrently.

If you’d like to commemorate Martin Luther King–assassinated 40 years ago on this day–head to Ballou Senior High School at 3401 4th St. SE at noon for the 29th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Parade. The parade is chaired by Marion Barry.

If you’d like to commemorate the occasion of prohibition not existing anymore, convene outside the Dubliner at 520 North Capitol St NW at 6 p.m. for Budweiser’s block party–complete with Bud Clydesdale photo-op. From the Post’s “now we can drink again” round-up:

[O]n April 7, 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt signed an amendment to the Volstead Act that allowed brewers to sell beer that was 4 percent alcohol by volume instead of the previous 0.5 percent. According the national Brewers Association, more than 1.5 million barrels of beer were consumed in the first 24 hours.

Commence commemorating!

Toronto FC supporter “carl” (when will “gordo” step up?) lashes out at poorly composed Canadian jokes. In advance of tomorrow’s D.C. United home opener, during which we can only hope we’re spared the horrors Columbus, Ohio, went through, Toronto FC fans have begun to hit back in droves. Well, two of them have begun to hit back, but that’s, like, 1/20000th of the Canadian population. “carl” says:

You forgot the flannel-shirt joke.

Hope you’re not paid real money to write this.

Sadly, “carl” could be talking about his own currency.

Rare footage of Canadian soccer hooligans preparing for a trip south after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

The Post ran a fantastic spirits column in this week’s Food section, in which Jason Wilson describes a game he and his brother play called Liquor Store Archaeology. Basically, they try to outdo the other with old-school finds. Sounds like quite a bit of fun to me. Anyway, his current find is a bottle of creme de violette, which he uses to make a Blue Moon cocktail (combined with gin and lemon juice). So, if you’re like me, you’re about to go buy a bottle of creme de violette. In case you get tired of Blue Moons, here are some more recipes to experiment with (And they are experiments. Thanks, Google!):

Blue Moon #2 (adapted from Esquire Drinks Book)

• 2 ounces gin
• 1 ounce dry vermouth
• 1 dash orange bitters
• 1 dash creme de violette

Rainbow

• 1/2 oz creme de violette
• 1/2 oz creme de cacao
• 1/2 oz maraschino liqueur
• 1/2 oz yellow chartreuse
• 1/2 oz green chartreuse
• 1/2 oz Benedictine
• 1/2 oz brandy

Fizz a la Violette

• 2 oz gin
• 1 oz creme de violette
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 oz cream
• 1/2 oz fresh lime juice

We’re suckers for a name. It’s proven in this article by Gary Regan who created a tasty-sounding cocktail of single-malt Scotch (he recommends Oban or Springbank) and Canton ginger liqueur. He first named this concoction Whisky Qing after the Qing Dynasty, which is around when ginger liqueurs were first made in China. The drink went unordered. When he changed the name to the Debonair, the drink started to catch on.

I think it’s perfectly reasonable to make the jump that people aspire to be the drinks they order. Clearly, if you are drinking a Debonair, then you are debonair. After an unofficial survey of popular drinks ordered in bars, I have discovered that Washingtonians want to be cosmopolitan Manhattanites who study aviation and ride in sidecars with their girlfriend, Margarita. While drinking mojitos. So get your work done and head to a bar where you can live out your dreams. Happy Friday!

This is important. Classy. I like the way it looks. Five times distilled, dual carbon filtered. From Holland. Where the bulbs come from. And that kid with his finger in the dike…Hans Brinker, right? More like Hans Drinker! Good provenance—is that the right word? provenance? yeah?—Jacques de Lat, third-generation master distiller. That’s MASTER distiller. An important distinction. And the bottle. Mwah! Gold—speaks to the brand and the superiority of the product. People are gonna want this. Good work, everybody.

(Empty bottle of Trump Vodka on the Champlain Street NW side of the Church of Christ, Scientist on Euclid Street NW)