noizemagazine - Index

noizemagazine - Spring 2008 Issue # 55 - Index

DRiNkS
Be Bar
1318 9th Street NW
www.bebardc.com
This neighborhood lounge with
a small dance floor features local
DJs throughout the week. Nightly
events with names like “stripped,”
“easy,” and “pop rocks,” as well
as too-too adorable theme parties
such as “be: madonna,” and “be:
britney” offer fun for the locals and
tourists alike. Cute-but-naughty
bartenders often run around in
underwear or Speedos, depending
on the theme of the party. This is
the place to be before you go out
or after you’ve been somewhere.
JR's Bar and Grill
1519 17th Street NW
www.jrswdc.com
This is D.C.’s gay answer to Cheers,
where everybody knows your
name. The boys loosen their ties
and blow off steam playing pool
in the upstairs loft or rub elbows
with the crowd downstairs. This
Dupont Circle spot is also known
for the videos that play on screens
throughout the bar. Catch funny
clips interspersed between pop
song remixes. Best Sunday postbrunch
watering hole—can’t beat
the $2 Skyy Vodka drink special.
Nellie's Sports Bar
900 U Street NW
www.nelliessportsbar.com
This new establishment, located in
the Shaw neighborhood at the corner
of Ninth and U, is D.C.’s only
gay sports bar. Housed in what was
once Addison Scurlock’s photography
studio, this 5,000-square-foot
space has two levels and a rooftop
deck. Gather with friends to
watch the Redskins or cheer on the
Nationals on huge flat-screen TVs.
Typical wings and beer, as well as
out of the ordinary empanadas and
arepas that hit it out of the park.
halo
1435 P Street NW
www.halodc.com
Subtle colored lighting illuminates
the space in this stylish martini bar
where it’s more about the conversation
on the leather couches than the downtempo
music played at a low volume.
Try the raspberry, pineapple, or blueberry
mojitos, or sample the 24 kinds of
vodka. Great for happy hour.
EATS
Ben's Chili Bowl
1213 U Street NW
www.benschilibowl.com
Housed in what was once a silent movie
theater, this place has been the talk
of the town since it opened in 1958.
The legendary chili dog purveyor in
the Shaw neighborhood has become
as much of a D.C. landmark as the
Jefferson Memorial. Everyone from Bill
Cosby to Ella Fitzgerald to Martin Luther
King, Jr. has gassed up at Ben’s. Try the
half-smoke, but expect a line—at 3 a.m.
Duplex Diner
2004 18th Street NW
www.duplexdiner.com
From the outside, this diner looks like
it came straight out of Happy Days, but
the newly-renovated interior serves nouveau
chic to happy gays. This colorful,
eclectic space is filled with plenty of
tables and chairs as well as booths next
to a fully stocked bar that runs along
one side of the room. Gay-owned and
operated, this is always a great place
for boy-watching. Recently featured in
Out Magazine’s “50 Best Gay Bars,” the
Duplex is hoppin’ on Thursday nights
when the pin-striped set take off their
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