Room 11 is Ready to Open its Doors

Room 11 held a preview night Thursday evening and The Heights Life checked out the new spot at 11th and Lamont streets. The wine and dessert bar opens to the public on Monday, August 10.

As the photos illustrate, the place is quite small. I don't know if I have ever been in such an intimate bar in DC. The owners -- Dan Searing, Paul Ruppert, Nick Pimentel, and Ben Gilligan -- are extremely enthusiastic about their new business and are glad to be part of the Columbia Heights community.

In the slide show below you can see its choice menu of meats and cheeses, paninis, small bites and desserts, as well as a solid selection of wines, beers, and cocktails. It's great to see Paisley Fig's awesome goat cheese cheesecake on the menu.

I chatted with Ben Gilligan about preparing the menu. He is really proud of the salami selection, all U.S. purveyors, and he noted that Room 11 is on the waiting list for Seattle's famed Salumi. The cheese selection will focus on local farms and will be available not only on the cheese plate but incorporated into the rotating panini choices, as well. In fact, the words "wine and grilled cheese" were actually used when describing the initial spark behind the menu. Keeping in mind the limited space, all menu items are designed to be eaten with a fork at most. No steaks here.

Some people may know bar manager Dan Searing from his days at Temperance Hall or Warehouse Theatre's Punch Club series. In this video he previews what you can expect from Room 11's bar, with a unique, seasonal selection of wines and equally impressive cocktails among its highlights. And I was especially excited to hear that Punch Club will be revived once the place is up and running. Happy hours specials have not been announced yet but they are in the works.

So about that space? That's what Paul Ruppert and Nick Pimentel share in their videos below. Paul notes that they will be adding heat lamps in the cooler months so patrons can enjoy the outdoor patio. And Nick talks about the pine tile flooring and the gothic bathrooms. Five words: vampire bats and venus fly-traps.

Looking Glass Lounge Trivia Alternative

Love bar trivia night, but can't always get to the Wonderland on Monday by 6PM to score a table?

Well the Wonderland's sibling bar, the Looking Glass Lounge, has hosted a Thursday night bar trivia contest for some time now. This past Thursday, the Heights Life checked it out.

The details:

• 8PM start time, arrive by 7:30PM to score a table.
• Trivia is upstairs, even though the Looking Glass website directs you downstairs.
  
• Five rounds, third round is picture, fifth round is audio.
• Ten questions per round.
  
• Up to five people per team.
• Mystery person question, one clue per round.
• Double up points on one round of your choosing.

One thing that has caused the quality of trivia at the Wonderland to degrade some in recent years is the open hosting rule. It's a crap shoot. Sometimes a great team will host and present really interesting rounds. Other times some newbies will host and the rounds will be beyond cliche (i.e. the classics).

The Looking Glass is a throwback to the original Wonderland trivia style with a regular host. His categories last Thursday included an open-ended "Easy Questions," a round about disease names, something on presidents' past jobs, a picture round on vampires, and a hip hop one hit wonder audio round. My team unanimously approved of the categories, even if we failed miserably on a few of them.

Host Dalton is a one-man trivia operation, asking and tabulating, which takes some time, but if you're looking for somewhere to talk and hang out with friends while also answering some trivia questions, it's a perfect option.

Trivia night in DC has grown in recent years, and there at lots of options in the Columbia Heights vicinity including the Wonderland, Looking Glass, Solly's, Duffy's, Nellie's, Stetson's and many others. For a list of where you can get your trivia on, click here.

Taking Punches to the Glut

Punch was a staple at holiday parties when I was growing up. Just pour some cranberry juice, a bottle of ginger ale, the all-important container of raspberry sherbet, add ice, maybe a little mint, and — voila! — a tasty nonalcoholic drink for the entire family to enjoy. What’s new in the DC cocktail scene, though, is not your family's fruit punch.

Last night the owners of Room 11 — the new wine and pastry bar on 11th and Lamont — offered a preview of their drink menu at the final Punch Club held at Warehouse. Five punch bowls were available, as well as beer, wine, and specialty drinks.

With prices set at $5 or $6, The Heights Life and friends were able to sample quite a few of the offered libations. Among the punches, a lively, earthy cup of Jersey Lightning was voted No. 1 by the table. Also tried was a lighter version of Chatham Artillery (my favorite), a Pisco Punch, and some delicious (albeit quite sweet) glögg.

If just a few of these drinks make are served at Room 11, it will be a neighborhood gem. While mixing drinks, partner Dan Searing said that Room 11 is set to open in four to six weeks and will have patio seating.

Reflections on the Fourth

On Friday evening, I continued my Fourth of July tradition of cringing at the cheesiness of "A Capitol Fourth" on WETA, watching the official fireworks from afar, and then seeing the neighborhood show from the Wonderland's beer garden. This year, I watched the Mall fireworks from Cardozo High School, a first, and there was a much bigger crowd than I expected. Like myself, the amount of people seemed to surprise MPD, too, as they did little to stop traffic on 13^th or Clifton streets until after the fireworks ended. However, any driver who thought taking 13^th Street north- or south-bound would be a good idea during the fireworks clearly does not know the area. The neighborhood fireworks were not as plentiful as previous years, but I think the rain played a role in that. However, there were still "oohs and aahs" late into the evening. So much that at one point I couldn't see across the Kenyon and 11^th intersection for a good 5 minutes. 

Men in Dresses: The Wonderland Annual Sun Dress Party

The Wonderland Ballroom held its annual sun dress party (still going on as I write this) today, providing the neighborhood with a true feast.

There was delicious roast pig, slaw and beans to eat. And for eating with the eyes: girls and boys galore decked out in pretty summer sun dresses. They even had a rack available for those needing to buy a dress - $10 with the proceeds going to the Latin American Youth Center on Columbia Road.

We caught Matthew and Rose, the Wonderland and Looking Glass Lounge owners, out front. Matthew switched up his dress at least twice, and maybe more.

We also captured a little video in case you missed it:

And in case you haven't noticed, the Wonderland has an updated website, no longer exclusively on MySpace. Check it out here.

Beyond The Heights: DCist's Unbuckled

DCist hosted "Unbuckled" tonight at DC9. We caught the opening act, Motel, and captured a bit of the guys freestyling.

Just a few years ago I knew of DC9 (9th just south of U St. NW) for certain dance nights, but rarely thought of it as decent venue for shows. Either I've changed, or they've changed, because now I pay attention to their schedule - and they regularly pull in solid local and regional groups and charge a reasonable $8-$12 a show.

You can visit Motel online here, and check them out below (though, the sound is pretty garbled):

In praise of drinking outside

A busy work schedule has prevented me from participating in one of my favorite activities, drinking outside. But now that life has calmed down for a bit and spring has fully arrived, I am ready to enjoy the great outdoors. So last night I headed to the Wonderland's beer garden. As the Prince of Petworth reported yesterday, there are now tables on the 11th Street sidewalk, which helps offset the usual crowding in the beer garden. Also a new addition, is a tap outside where you can get a $4 Belgian white beer during happy hour. It saves you a trip inside, but then you couldn't make a stop at the jukebox and chat with whoever is bartending that day.

But last night. Last night encompassed everything that's great about living in Columbia Heights (or any city neighborhood with a quality bar and outdoor seating). Your bloggers met friends, old and new; shared quite a few rounds of drinks with said friends; and finally headed home after Miss Angela herded us inside as the patio approached its Cinderella hour of midnight.

Adventures Beyond The Heights: H Street NE

ArtBart and I have nearly died four times while driving across the city to Rock and Roll Hotel. She went the wrong way on a one-way... The picture is from moments after the incident.

The show is now sold out and a local band, Pash, is awesome but about to wrap.

ArtBart says, 'That is so mean cause it is totally not true.' But really, the girl went the wrong way down a one-way.

At least we don't have to find a taxi home. I'll give her that.

What to do? Trivia Night v. Manhattan Mondays

It's Monday in Columbia Heights. It's probably also Monday in the rest of Washington, but those folks don't have to deal with my Columbia Heights Exclusive Monday Dilemma...

Trivia Night at the Wonderland? Or Manhattan Mondays at the Red Derby?

On the one hand: Organized fun and happy hour, but a slight risk that someone from NoVa might be there.

On the other hand: Better drinks, video projections, and a no-NoVa guarantee.

Columbia Heights Exclusive Monday Night Dilemma will be decided as all such dilemmas are decided: a mass email.