OK, after a reconnaissance mission this evening, Petworth News officially endorses Wonderland Ballroom, a new bar at 11th and Kenyon in Columbia Heights.
The first impression was of a gritty, appealling local space that felt more like Brooklyn than DC. The crowd on this particular Friday skewed a bit punkish (IMF protesters in town?), but still plenty diverse and genial enough to feel welcoming. Live music upstairs sometimes, this night a one-man band aptly called Man: a guy in suit-and-tie (?) managed singing, electric bass and bass drum...
From the bar menu, the bratwurst sandwich with salad was perfectly fine.
Two thumbs up for character, a rare commodity in DC these days. Even parking was a breeze. Bottom line: the vibe certainly may not suit everyone's taste. But until Petworth gets going, this bohemian Wonderland is the closest and best place to pop out for a friendly drink.
Bill.
Ditto to Son's comment. It is strange but having the activity at night surrounding Wonderland makes me feel at ease. (WL is the halfway point from my house to the CH metro.)
Posted by: Lamont | October 04, 2004 at 03:01 PM
Bill,
I was there on friday night with a group of dear friends who also happen to be fellow petworth neighbors too! Did you see me in the corner? ;-)
Wonderland was the obvious destination after having made a nite of it at the kennedy center: free outdoor concert on the east terrace featuring the Polyphonic Spree (real positive groovy sounds), quick bite at the KC Cafe upstairs, then on to a sold out Chilean film (Sexo con Amor) at the AFI for the Latin American Film Fest. Such a cosmopolitan evening!
As we capped it all off with a night cap, low and behold another friend of ours, who also lives in Petworth, rolled in (unplanned) with an out-of-town friend! It was so great to have a spot like this where folks you know (friends, neighbors, neighborly friends) can all meet up at and have a chance to catch up with each others busy lives. In fact the out-of-towner friend I had not seen in a year and I had a chance to sit down and hear of her new exciting projects.
I've been to Wonderland in the early weeks of it just opening and I must say the place has improved a whole bunch. They finally accept card sales, their beer taps work on both floors, they've got great custom signage both outside and inside to make the place their own, got plenty of places to lock your bike (though adding an additional rack would help too), the owners are awesome and sooooo nice, and I appreciate that the spacious upstairs is totally smoke-free!
I've also gotta give props to their veggie options: the veggie burger and the grilled cheese sandwiches. potato salad side is terrific, so savory with the grainy mustard action.
Can you believe I was able to walk 3 blocks home later that night and didn't end up risking my life???!!!
of course i was back there the following evening too!
btw, they're gonna start having regular dj gigs upstairs on Saturday nites when the floor's not rented out to private parties.
woohoo now i no longer have to get extorted by crooked cab drivers who rip me off for a stupid 1 mile ride back from Adams Morgan! (I'm so sure that was 3 zones!)
Speaking of which has anyone else had problems grabbing cabs from other nite life spots in dc to get back to petworth? i've totally had to lie in the past and said "Columbia Heights, please" and then quickly hopped in with a follow up of "by way of 13th and Kansas, thanks!"
-Son
Posted by: Son | October 04, 2004 at 01:21 PM
I thought you would like it!
Posted by: Lamont | October 02, 2004 at 08:24 PM