Well, that was something. Amidst all the campaigning and the historic baseball being played, one could forget all the oyster bars, fake beaches, spiked milkshakes and romantic back rubs at 1am. Which is why you should read on...
Seems like only a few short weeks ago you were digging your toes into the sand, sitting atop jet skis and sipping rum punch. Forget that you were sandwiched into a vacant downtown lot. It didn’t make your frisbee elbow any less painful.
After a recession-fueled dip in new nightlife options, 2012 saw a new complement of clubs open their velvet ropes to you—like Heist, the Gilded-Age-meets-gangster spot below Dupont. And for a quieter late-night, the Four Seasons let you take over its pool with champagne, on-call masseuses and one special someone. You chose wisely.
You love getting more than you bargained for. Like heading into a warehouse-style market for some cheese and a few lamb sausages, and being waylaid by an oyster bar. Then a soda-and-knish counter. Then a taco stand. You didn’t have to be anywhere, anyway.
You knew there was more to getting suited up than an old white-haired guy with a tape measure. Like espresso service, while you wait for the in-house tailor at Suitsupply to get you ready in record time. Or the full bar with house cocktails, at Michael Andrews’s Dupont row house.
This fall, you got not one, but two inventive diners that were all too happy to serve you eggs and a stack of pancakes at nontraditional hours. First up was the Coupe, with its bevy of bottled cocktails, followed by Satellite Room, with its spiked milkshakes and LA-rock-star vibe.
2012. It was nothing if not the year of reclaimed wood, American-industrial accents and farm-to-table on the plate. Leading the pack: this Adams Morgan hideaway, bursting with frog legs, Scottish pigeon and roasted pork for two. Oh, and also: Adams Morgan got good food.
You knew there was more to Jewish food than just matzo balls and pastrami. There’s also short ribs and grilled fish kebabs. And in place of Manischewitz, you could retreat to the back bar for the Rob Roystein and other updates on classic cocktails. Abraham would be proud.
