Irish bar pro: Old guy singing songs with a guitar.
Irish bar con: Ugly girls.
Irish bar pro: Funny old guys at the bar who are friends with the old guy singing songs.
Irish bar con: They are going to inevitably start making fun of you.
Irish bar pro: Wide selection of beer and not generally expensive.
Irish bar con: You will feel obliged to drink a lot because there is a wide selection of beer that is not generally expensive, and also because if you don’t, the funny old guys at the bar who are friends with the old guy singing songs will make fun of you.
Irish bar pro: Generally happy environment.
Irish bar con: You won’t remember it.
There, that essentially encapsulates what all Irish bars are.
Granted, Irish Times has a somewhat younger crowd, but take away the old guys at the bar and you have Irish Times.
Then again, take away the old guys at the bar, and you don’t really have an Irish bar at all, now do you?
So basically, Irish Times is an Irish bar that isn’t an Irish bar if that makes any sense.
And if it doesn’t, you’re obviously not smart enought to understand my writing so you may as well go elsewhere.
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.
I love this country as much as the next person, but the concept of an “American-only” bar seems a bit wierd to me. Especially when you consider that one of the things that makes this country great is the fact that it encompasses such a wide array of cultures, religions, and races. The them “All-American” is cool, but does that mean that you have to discount everything foreign? Where do you cross the line? I mean, right now I’m wearing American clothes that were all manufactured in South America and I’m typing on an American computer, of which the various components are manufactured primarily in Japan.
Last week, a friend of mine accompanied me to Old Glory for dinner. We sidled up to the bar and my friend asked for a Bass Ale only to be told by the bartender that they only served “American” products in the bar. He then inquired why Guiness was on tap, to which the bartender responded, “Because it is brewed in the US. It is American beer.”
Feeling a bit saucy, I asked him, “Well, if Nike shoes are manufactured in Mexico, does that make them Mexican shoes?” After staring blankly like an idiot for a few moments, he slowly responded that, “Yes,” Nike shoes “were Mexican shoes. Everyone knows that.” Then he quickly scurried to the other side of the bar. My friend shouted after him, “Can we get some French Fries,” to which he responded, “We don’t have French Fries. Only Freedom fries.” We looked at one another and for a moment I wondered if we, a Korean/Iranian American and an Iranian American and were allowed to be in this “American only ” bar.
We laughed and then looked at the liquor bar and found it stacked with imports. It was then that I realized that Old Glory is still a cool place even if the bartender their is a complete dumbass. The food is decent and they have a cool outdoor patio even if they do serve you beer in these lame little pee cups that make you think you’re at a frat party.
Ireland’s Four Provinces was one of my favorite venues outside of Georgetown when I was in school. Unlike a lot of Georgetown bars, the place attracts a diverse group of ages and has a friendly, vivacious atmosphere. Also, you don’t have to wear a plaid shirt to go there, which is nice.
The place gets fairly crowded on Friday and Saturday evenings, but it is huge so it’s not quite as claustrophobic as a lot of other popular weekend venues. If you are in the mood for pub cuisine at it’s finest, a myriad of lagers and ales, and just a laid-back attitude in a fairly uptight city, then go to the Four P’s.
The other night I went to the Aroma Company, located at 3417 Connecticut Avenue, NW. It’s a narrowly structured little joint with a lounge in back and a stage up front, where a jazz/funk band plays on Friday nights.
It’s a pretty chill place to start your evening with a few drinks before heading into Adams Morgan for a more chaotic level of revelry.
Drinks are moderately priced and the service (as with most non-college bars in DC) is pretty damn decent.
