This past Friday a friend of mine mentioned she was visiting a members-only club in Georgetown for a birthday party. Naturally, I became very curious because there has been a recent trend in the DC nightlife towards more exclusive, upscale venues that place all sorts of social filters at the door. The trend has spawned a great deal of positive and negative opinions (just read the discussion on the Josephine’s review). My personal perspective on the matter is that it is bringing a certain sense of legitimacy to the nightlife in DC. At any rate, Dean and I decided to head over to L2 Lounge to see if it stacked up with some of the other members-only clubs in the area.

Cost - $$$
The drinks are fairly pricey. In fact, I recall looking at my tab the following morning and seeing that I had been charged $17 for one drink I had never even heard of nor remember ordering (although I am sure I ordered it). You pay for what you get however.

Service - B+
I will gloss over the borderline annoying once-over we received by the two doormen (who I believe may have even discussed our outfits) and instead focus on the terrific job the management has done in staffing the interior of the venue with professional, sharp personnel. The bartender was incredibly cool and friendly and we had no problems meeting and chatting with the very personable manager.

Food - ?

Decor - A
Simply put, the interior designer at L2 has done a spectacular job creating a space that mixes contemporary furnishings with bare-bone brick walls. Combined with a masterful lighting arrangement, L2 Lounge exudes sophisticated sexiness.

Feel - A
I had one of my more memorable evenings in a while at L2 Lounge. I ended up bumping into several friends at the venue and everyone who I met there just seemed friendly and open. Discussing the night later, Dean and I concluded that the a combination of the decor, exclusivity, and social pact that is somehow enacted between the club and its members, results in an ambiance where people can relax and not have to worry about drunken or sleazy idiots. It is the antithesis to every venue in Adams Morgan and has made it onto my short list of top venues in the DC area.

L2 Lounge is located at 3307 M Street, NW and can be reached at (202) 965-2001. For membership information visit their Web site.

What’s the Buzz:

March 22, 2008 - L2 Lounge, Georgetown (That Guy at the Bar) - I’m not going to be able to write this without gushing like a school girl. I LOVE L2 Lounge. That Guy at the Bar has been to L2 three times over the last couple of weeks with different groups of friends, and every time the experience has been fantastic. Full article…

Before watching the new M Night Shyamalan film down in Georgetown I decided to go and grab a quick bite to eat on the waterfront. I had tried just about every restaurant down in the waterfront area except for Cabanas so I figured it would be a good place. I got there at around 7PM or so and was seated immediately on the front patio, which afforded a nice view of the waterfront fountain. A cool breeze was coming in off the Potomac, moderating what would have otherwise been a somewhat warm Friday evening.

Cost - $$$
I normally don’t go into depth discussing price but you are really paying for the location at this restaurant (as is the case with all the restaurants on the waterfront I suppose). I was fully expecting entrées to be between $20 - $30 but was a little surprised that the moderately-sized margaritas were upwards of $11. Okay - enough whining.

Service - C
I guess they were somewhat slammed but our server didn’t bring us any water and we didn’t really see him from the time he took our initial order to the time he came to leave the check. He was relatively polite but I could tell he was slammed. I think they could staff-up a bit to make sure that every customer has more than two touch-points during the meal.

Food - B+
I had the free range chicken with yucca fries and was not disappointed. Again, 25% of the cost of the entrées is for the location of the venue so I’m not sure the quality matches the pricing exactly (I’m sure there are loads of restaurants to get more authentic and tastier Latin dishes) - but overall the food was definitely solid. Even though I whined earlier about the price of the margaritas I have to admit they packed a nice little punch. I was actually going to give the place a ‘B’ but due to the fact that they had my favorite hot sauce (made with habañeros) gives them a slight boost.

Decor - B+
Cabanas has a nice upscale Mexican venue feel to it. For some peculiar reason the word “willowy” springs to mind when describing the interior.

Feel - B+
After the week I had, sitting on the Cabanas patio with a margarita in-hand was precisely the cure I needed to relax. I enjoyed my experience there and probably would rate Cabanas as one of the better dining experiences on the waterfront. They have a salsa night as well that I can imagine would be a blast.

Cabanas is down at the waterfront at 3050 K Street. They can be reached at (202) 944-4242.

What’s the Buzz:

November 27, 2007 - Cabanas Restaurant Review (Washingtonian) - Owned by the group that runs waterfront restaurants Tony & Joe’s and Nick’s Riverside Grill, this bar and restaurant offers a nuevo Latino menu that’s a mishmash of Spanish and South and Central American influences. On the Tex-Mex side are enchiladas, nachos loaded with guacamole, plus fajitas and chimichangas. Full article…

Cost - $$

Service - D+
The one negative about Aditi is the service.  I’m not sure why, but the servers either seem like they are annoyed at customers or apathetic.  The first time I was there the server actually came and just grabbed food off the table before I was finished.  The second time around the server was slightly less rude, opting to simply come to my table every five minutes and ask if I was finished eating.

Food - A-
The only reason to really go to Aditi is the food.  It has been consistently good both times I visited.  The first time around I had my favorite dish, the chicken vindaloo, and it was on par with any other place in the DC area other than Rasika.  This last time around I tried the chicken korma and it was also pretty solid.

Decor - B+
The management put a decent amount of effort into the decor at Aditi and it clearly has a more contemporary feel than some of its peers in the DC-area.  It doesn’t exactly have high-end decor but it is good enough.

Feel - B-
I love the location and the food at Aditi.  I think if they were to simply put their wait staff on paxil or at least give them some customer service training the place would probably grade out at a B+ or even an A-.  Until then, I would simply say that it is a good place if you have a hankering for Indian food and are in the Georgetown area but there are better options in the DC-area as a whole.

Aditi Indian Cuisine is located at 3299 M St NW, Washington DC.  They can be reached at (202) 625-6825.

Situated off of M in Georgetown, Degrees Bar & Lounge is a posh venue located in the Ritz-Carlton. The first time I visited was just a few months ago after I had some problems at the door at Josephine’s. I was looking for a nice venue where I knew there wouldn’t be any door politics and Degrees turned out to be perfect. Actually, to be perfectly honest I should say that the lounge in the Ritz-Carlton turned out to be perfect but Degrees was right there.

Cost - $$$

Service - A-
The Ritz-Carlton is a high-end establishment so as you can imagine the service is pretty good. They have to be good otherwise they will be fired.

Food - B+
I really like the food in the Ritz-Carlton. There are an assortment of appetizers to choose from in the main lounge are.

Decor - B
The decor in Degrees itself is nothing to really write home about. As you can see from the picture, it has a simple but classic aesthetic. Nothing really jumps out at you about the decor in the place.

Feel - A-
Again, this review is partially about Degrees and partially about the Ritz-Carlton. That being said, after experiencing some crazy door politics at Josephine’s, Degrees couldn’t have been a better experience to help the night rebound. We got over there at about 12PM and found parking fairly easily (I don’t think this is common). We entered the lounge as the yuppies were beginning to clear out and found a great area by the fireplace where we sat, enjoyed some hors d’oeuvres and cocktails and relaxed. The bar area was actually quite crowded until close so I can imagine it would be a good time in there, but the opportunity to have either a laid-back time in the lounge, or a more gregarious social experience in the bar makes Degrees one of my favorite venues in Georgetown.

Degrees in located in the Ritz-Carlton at 3100 South St. NW. They can be reached at (202) 912-4100.

In 2001, Club Modern sprung up from the ashes of Sports Fans, a bar that I knew and tried to avoid when I was at Georgetown. Georgetown had not really seen anything like Modern when it emerged and it continues to buck the trend by not only sustaining - but actually succeeding in an area of DC that has traditionally been devoted to pubs and bars that cater to the preppy, white Georgetown crowd.

Cost - $$

Service - B+
The service is pretty good. The club’s owner is John Boyle (Nation and 5) and he seems to do a good job creating a laid back culture in clubs that aesthetically seem to warrant more of a sense of exclusivity (not a good thing). In other words, the services is good. The door can sometimes be a bit annoying but that is not because they are trying to keep the place exclusive - it is because they are trying to avoid a fire hazard I believe.

Food - ?
I don’t think they serve food at Modern but I could be mistaken.

Decor - A-
The decor in Modern is pretty funky. There is fairly plush seating, an interesting sunken bar, and a spacious dance area. Not that I dance at clubs or anything but I like the general layout of the place.

Feel - B+
I haven’t been to Modern in a while but that is not a statement about the quality of the place - that is probably more of a statement that I am getting old and decrepit. I would say Modern is one of my top three favorite venues in Georgetown (in addition to Maté and Mie N Yu) actually and does a great job blending hip-hop/funk with Georgetown WASP, if that makes any sense.

Club Modern is located at 3287 M St NW. They can be reached at 202-338-7027.

What’s the Buzz:

January 6, 2008 - Modern Lounge (DCSocialite) - Modern lounge is a great place to visit in the Georgetown area. I have been going there for over two years now and still go there almost once a week. Moderns sunken circular bar provides a great place to hang out and get drinks. It is pretty easy to get a drink here even when its packed because of the bars design. The best thing about this club is the fact that the people that work there are extremely nice they are so friendly they make modern a great place to be.  Full article…

October, 2001 - Modern (Washington Post) - In this post-postmodern world, naming your new club simply “Modern” seems a refreshingly archaic idea. The very idea of “modern” seems quaint, so 20th century, conjuring abstract paintings and amoeba-shaped coffee tables. It’s an almost old-fashioned idea, the need to trumpet the fact that you’re not old-fashioned. Full Article…

Cost - $

Service - B
You order your food and pick it up at the counter for the most part. There isn’t really a whole lot to say about the service apart from the fact that I’ve never had any sort of issue with the people working at the counter. When I’ve gone with people who spoke farsi, the people behind the counter always warmed up a lot.  In some ways the overall experience is actually better not dealing with the types of waiters and waitresses you might get at some restaurant where most of the dishes are less than $10.

Food - A
As I mentioned, the kabob at Moby Dick appeals to Persians - but also to everyone else in the world.  If you don’t like eating food at Moby Dick then you literally don’t like to eat food.  Over the past fifteen years I can’t recall one person ever not liking the food there.  In fact, I can’t recall one person not lighting up at the suggestion of eating there.

Decor - C
The decor doesn’t have to be very good but actually they make sure it is clean and sanitary.  You don’t feel like you are eating at some of the other kabob houses I’ve seen in major cities.

Feel - B+
I know there is a level of sentimentality in regards to my feeling for the place but I can’t help but be happy every time I visit the place.  If it were just a little bit healthier (if you order a platter with rice and bread it ends up being a ton of carbs) I would probably eat there at least once per week.  You can go there with your family or you can go there alone (which I’ve done numerous times).  If you are in Georgetown you can even hit it up after you go drinking.  Just a classic DC-establishment.

What’s the Buzz:

March 1, 2005 - Moby Dick House of Kabob (Drift Reality) - Moby Dick has the best Iranian food that I’ve ever had that isn’t home cooked. They bake their own bread and it is out of this world. They have somehow managed to perfect their cooking technique to the point that the kabob comes out perfectly. The Kabob Kubideh is simply mouth watering, as is the Jujeh Kabob. Full Article…

August 11, 2000 - Moby Dick House of Kabob (Washington Post) - “Call me Ishmael,” I said to my friend Jahanshah, “and I’ll call you Queequeg.” We had just entered one of my favorite holes-in-the-wall in Washington, the Moby Dick House of Kabob. Why the name Moby Dick? Avast, seafarer, I’ll keep you in suspense for a moment on that one. Let’s just say that when an Iranian restaurateur started Washington’s Moby Dick chain in 1989, he was building on one of the legends of Tehran, not Herman Melville’s tale of the whale. Full Article…

Cost - $$

Service - D
The bartenders inside are great. Unfortunately the stipulations at the door seem to be if you are not white and wealthy then this is not the place for you.

Food - ?
According to Tom Sietsema at the Post, the food at Smith Point is pretty decent. I’ve never eaten there however so I can’t say.

Decor - C+

Feel - B
In all fairness, Smith Point is a pretty popular place in Georgetown and has a higher class of appeal than your standard college bar in the area. That being said, the door politics definitely detract from the overall coolness of the place. If you are a WASP, then Smith Point probably is probably as good as it gets in Georgetown. The WASP ridden social network, LateNightShots (described as herding the next generation of assholes through Georgetown bars by the CityPaper), loves the place and that is probably because there are some pretty hot girls there. Unfortunately you will have to deal with the ‘next generation of assholes’ so it is probably a draw.

What’s the Buzz:

August 2, 2006 - The Barbaro Memorial “Worst Bets” Rankings: Worst Bars in DC, Part II (Cafe 227) - Here they are, the Washington, DC metropolitan area’s worst bars, ranked from “barely tolerable” to “execrable.” Full Article…

January 25, 2005 - Mate (Drift Reality) - Smith Point, located at 1338 Wisconsin Ave NW, is a relatively new establishment and would have been one of my favorite places to go had it been in existence when I went to school there. Full Article…

Maté is a club / sushi bar located in Georgetown on 3101 K Street.  As with the majority of Latin Concepts venues in the area Maté has a slick, sophisticated vibe, good food and good music.

Cost - $$$

Service - B+
Maté does a good job hiring attractive girls to work as servers and bartenders. The doormen are sometimes a pain in the ass. Especially if there are no gals in your group.

Food - C-
I’ve heard people say that the food at Maté is good. I think that is bullshit. The menu is interesting but doesn’t deliver. The sushi is sub-par.

Decor - C
This may surprise some loyal Maté patrons but I think the place is sort of gross in the evening, when all you have to focus on is the food and general shabbiness of the furniture and fixtures in the place. I guess as long as it is dark and you are a bit buzzed it is fine.

Feel - A
Maté attracts some of the more attractive people in DC. It is a hot-spot for a lot of Persians living in the area and that translates into attractive women.

What’s the Buzz:

November 25, 2007 - Mate (DC Eats) - Sunday night with a taste for sushi and some tasty drinks, a friend suggested Mates. Mates (pronounced Mah-tay’s) is apart of the Latin Concepts chain of restaurants. As soon as I walked in I had a strong feeling I wouldn’t be disappointed. Full Article…

Cost - $$

Service - C
I honestly think some of the staff at Old Glory is racist. Maybe they take the whole patriot thing a little too seriously there.

Food - B
Pretty good wings and ribs. It is actually a good place to eat and catch a game but that’s about it.

Decor - C
It has character.

Feel - D
What’s the Buzz:

April 30, 2005 - Old Glory (Drift Reality) - When I was a student at Georgetown, I remember how much I dug going to Old Glory, having a Bloody Mary and delicious ribs. Strangely, I never realized that the place was an “American-only” bar and only served “American” products. Full Article…

Cost - $$$

Service - B+
The service is pretty good at this upscale restaurant / lounge in Georgetown.

Food - B+
The service is pretty good at this upscale restaurant / lounge in Georgetown. The City Paper has a pretty good review of the food at Mie N Yu if you want to learn more.

Decor - A
A great deal of time and effort has been put into furnishing and decorating Mie N Yu and it shows. It has an exotic, lounge feel that is second-to-none in the area.

Feel - C+
Mie N Yu is fundamentally different from most places in Georgetown. It attracts a more sophisticated, diverse crowd than your typical Georgetown bar and is a great destination for both large and small groups of people seeking a night out on the town.

What’s the Buzz:

December 1, 2004 - Mie N Yu (Drift Reality) - According to the bartender at Mie N Yu, the proprietors (who are the same family who have brought us Cities and a host of other trendy clubs in the area that I don’t know) traveled around Asian and spent millions of dollars purchasing what would eventually be the decor of Mie N Yu. Full Article…