An Extended Sunday Funday!

According to WaPo, the DC Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration has granted 42 bars and restaurants permission to remain open round-the-clock on Monday, Columbus Day, and serve alcohol until 4 a.m., the first test of a new city policy permitting extended alcohol sales before holidays.

Among that list are 8 gay and lesbian bars throughout the District, including JRs, Cobalt, and Dupont Italian Kitchen along the gayborhood.

The full list of restaurants and establishments granted permission for the extended hours is below.

(1)Haydee’s Restaurant
(2)Haydee’s 2000
(3)Boundary Stone Public House
(4)Old Ebbitt Grill
(5)U Street Music Hall
(6)18th Street Lounge
(7)K Street
(8)Eye Bar/Garden of Eden
(9)Café Asia
(10)Taste
(11)Mova
(12)Sabor Latino
(13)Toledo Lounge
(14)Phase I of Dupont
(15)Rock N Roll Hotel
(16)Ziegfeld’s Secrets
(17)Jimmy Valentine’s
(18)Current Sushi
(19)Midtown
(20)Dangerously Delicious DC
(21)The Argonaut
(22)Jr’s Bar and Brill
(23)Dupont Italian Kitchen
(24)Cobalt/30 Degrees/Level One
(25) Bachelor’s Mill/Back Door Pub
(26)Dirty Martini Inn Bar/Dirty Bar
(27)Little Miss Whiskey’s Golden Dollar
(28)Jackie Lee’s Lounge
(29)Phase I in SE
(30)Lux
(31)Ultrabar/Chroma
(32) Cities
(33)Barcode
(34)Opera Ultra Lounge
(35)Lima Restaurant and Lounge
(36)Tattoo
(37)Lotus
(38)Camelot
(39)Portico
(40)Marnon Café
(41)Josephine
(42)Music and Arts Club

Sunday Funday Just Got More Expensive

JRs Bar on 17th Street in Dupont Circle is known for its cheap specials and happy hours.  It’s Sunday special is VERY well known to most gay men in the DC area.  For years, you could stop in for Sunday Funday and order an 8oz Skyy vodka cocktail for a buck.  About five or six years ago, they doubled the price, but started pouring in 12oz. glasses.  Still a great deal!

Yesterday, I made the obligatory trip to visit one of my favorite bartenders, TJ, and noticed that the price had gone up to $3 per drink.  While this saddens me a little, I understand full well how costs of things are going up, even for one of my favorite haunts.  Let’s hope $3 is the perfect price point for Sunday Funday, and they leave their other specials throughout the week alone.

Hurricane Irene vs DC Gay Bars

It appears some of the DC area gay bars were a little afraid of some wind and rain last night (I’m melting!  I’m melting!).

Yesterday, I received an email from Ziegfeld’s/Secrets that they “will be open tonight!” only to receive a second email 25 minutes later saying that “Due to deteriorating weather conditions Ziegfeld’s/Secrets will be closed tonight.”

Several hours later, Town email blasted “Due to this stupid weather situation, Town will be closed on Saturday night, August 27th. : (“  Emoticon included.

Meanwhile, David Perruzza posted on his Facebook page “Yes JR’s is open today before I get 500 text msgs again. we once again are always open.”  Later adding, “We are open always!!!! Snowstorms, earthquakes, hurricanes, Christmas. Come on in.”

While just up 17th Street at its sister bar, hottie and general manager Mark Rutstein said on his Facebook page, “COBALT IS OPEN TONIGHT – now stop texting me.”

Now you always know where to go when you need a cocktail.

Celebrating Prop 8′s Demise

Yesterday proved to be a great step along the journey towards equal justice under the law.  District Court Judge Vaughn Walker, a Republican appointee, struck down California’s Proposition 8.  So now what?  It will wind its way through the court system all the way up to the Supreme Courts.

But what was so fun and exciting about yesterday’s decision, was the jubilation of the LGBT community throughout the country.

Here in DC at the favorite watering hole of many gays, JRs featured an open bar (rail and draft of course) for five hours!  This was especially shocking to those of us who have been coming here for years.

Many recall last October when we hosted the National Equity March, marchers filed into the many drinking establishments around DC after the event concluded.  Being a Sunday, many headed straight for JRs because of its famous SundayFunday special — $2 Skyy vodka drinks all day and night long, only to find that they had cancelled the special for that day only.  The owner felt that he could make an extra buck or two.  And while he had every right to do so, he also risked alienating his customer base.

I think with last night’s celebration, they more than made up for their lapse in judgment.  And the song choices of the DJ was even more amusing – “Now That We’ve Found Love What Are We Gonna Do” “Hurt So Good” “What’s Love Got to Do with It”.  Everyone was in such good spirit.  And the place was PACKED!!!

And you must read Chris Geidner’s amazing breakdown of the ruling.

Push Back Against Hank’s Oyster Bar

Yesterday, Tom Hay over at Borderstan.com posted a great piece on push back against Hank’s Oyster Bar wanting to expand to their immediate right, into an empty building.  At first, this sounds eerily familiar to when JRs wanted to expand over at 17th & Church.  But at closer look, it’s a little different.

When Leeds the Way, LLC, the company that owns Hank’s, appeared before the Dupont ANC back in June, to petition terminate their Voluntary Agreement, the ANC took no action.  No action was taken again at the July ANC meeting.

Now, a group of 23 Dupont residents have filed a protest with the Alcohol Beverage Regulation Administration opposing the expansion, citing, among other things, the 17th Street moratorium that took effect years ago, and renewed back in 2006.

It will be interested to see which sides prevail.  I say go HANKS!

One last thing — there’s no agenda item on Hank’s so far set for the Dupont ANC’s next meeting, which is next Wednesday.

A Quick Brush with Hollywood

Last night, while helping a friend celebrate a birthday, we ended up at one of my favorite haunts, JRs.  We arrived right in the middle of showtunes night, and quickly blended in with the crowd, singing along to Funny Girl (Don’t Rain on My Parade), Little Shops of Horror (Suddenly Seymour), Wicked (Defying Gravity), and fanfave, Glee (Sweet Caroline/Don’t Rain on My Parade/You Can’t Always Get What You Want).

In the midst of all this gayness, in walks Mr. Black.  Dustin Lance Black.  Oscar Winner for Best Original Screenplay in 2008 for the biopic Milk.  Dustin was in town to speak at an event at the DC-JCC.

I made my way over to him to say hello and thank him for his work.  He was a very down to earth guy.  No entourage.  No fanfare.  Just a nice guy.  We talked briefly about growing up in Texas – he San Antonio, me Austin – and then I said my goodbyes and returned to my friends.

He’s currently putting the finishing touches on What’s Wrong with Virginia, starting Jennifer Connelly, Amy Madigan, and Ed Harris.  Looking forward to seeing it.

A Birthday Celebration

On this day of National tragedy, I also want to take a minute to say happy birthday to one of my closest and dearest friends – Duane (aka The Wife).  Duane came into my life a few years ago as a mutual friend introduced us during happy hour at JRs.  Duane had recently moved to DC from Maine and was job hunting as well as house hunting.  That was 2003.

Six years later, he still remains close and dear to me.  Sure, we argue, fight, get pissed at each other, and some times not see each other for weeks.  But when we do finally see each other, be it at one of the bars or one of our houses, we always give each a big hug and a kiss.

Tonight, we celebrate our mutual birthdays with friends over dinner at Lauriol Plaza, and of course, many drinks along 17th Street.   I am truly honored and blessed to have you as a friend.  I love you, Duane.  Happy birthday!