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The Hamilton, Metro Center - A Massive Concert Venue from the Clyde's Group


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Hanger steak poutine? That has potential to be the most awesome thing in the world, or complete crap. I worry about a restaurant trying to be so many different things. But the hanger steak poutine is good enough to bring in for at least one visit.

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It frosts me that GAR generally gets a pass in this community, while Clyde's is vilified. I will choose Clyde's over GAR any day of the week, because Clyde's doesn't have the same tired GAR menu where every restaurant has to throw sun-dried cranberries into every salad, or where the ubiquitous "short smoked salmon" is on every menu, or where the sandwich menu doesn't have anything worth ordering.

What you're guaranteed to get from Clyde's is spare-no-expense decor, the best raw bar deal in town at happy hour, a kitchen with talent to prepare almost anything off the menu if the ingredients are in house, and a different menu at each restaurant.

The food at both chains suffer from time to time because of size, crowds and volume. But at Clyde's, I just get the feeling that they're trying harder.

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It frosts me that GAR generally gets a pass in this community, while Clyde's is vilified. I will choose Clyde's over GAR any day of the week, because Clyde's doesn't have the same tired GAR menu where every restaurant has to throw sun-dried cranberries into every salad, or where the ubiquitous "short smoked salmon" is on every menu, or where the sandwich menu doesn't have anything worth ordering.

What you're guaranteed to get from Clyde's is spare-no-expense decor, the best raw bar deal in town at happy hour, a kitchen with talent to prepare almost anything off the menu if the ingredients are in house, and a different menu at each restaurant.

The food at both chains suffer from time to time because of size, crowds and volume. But at Clyde's, I just get the feeling that they're trying harder.

I'd say Old Ebbitt's raw bar, and by extension, Old Ebbitt itself, has gotten about as much of a free pass as anything in town. I'm not saying the raw bar isn't good, but the restaurant itself is just plain awful, and I've also had less-than wonderful oysters from them in the past.

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It frosts me that GAR generally gets a pass in this community, while Clyde's is vilified. I will choose Clyde's over GAR any day of the week, because Clyde's doesn't have the same tired GAR menu where every restaurant has to throw sun-dried cranberries into every salad, or where the ubiquitous "short smoked salmon" is on every menu, or where the sandwich menu doesn't have anything worth ordering.

What you're guaranteed to get from Clyde's is spare-no-expense decor, the best raw bar deal in town at happy hour, a kitchen with talent to prepare almost anything off the menu if the ingredients are in house, and a different menu at each restaurant.

The food at both chains suffer from time to time because of size, crowds and volume. But at Clyde's, I just get the feeling that they're trying harder.

The Clydes outposts vary so wildly in terms of quality and consistency its hard to treat them as one. I can't say that I've ever had a really good meal at the Clydes in Gallery Place. The Clydes in Chevy Chase, where I'm almost certain I was the most frequent customer at the bar for several years, has truly awful food. But the food at Tower Oaks consistently ranks for me as well above average, with a menu that is, at times, inventive. I hope Hamilton follows the Tower Oaks model, but the original idea for Hamilton was to have a place nearby to funnel the Ebbitt overflow.

The sad part about the Ebbitt is that the chefs really can cook, and can cook well. I've seen and tasted a few off menu items the chefs prepare for themselves and other staff members. Unfortunately at a restaurant of this volume, Clydes has chosen to go with those dishes that sell best to the masses rather than relying on their talent to prove their menu with quality. Mike at the Oyster Bar is a pretty fantastic bar tender though...

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I've been to The Hamilton a few times since opening... Largely the usually Clydes formula with a few deviations - 24 hrs, live music, and most happily, a more extensive beer list plus the sushi counter. The bar at the 14th st entrance is about what you'd expect- massive but comfortable place to grab a libation. The bar in the middle of the restaurant was a bit less inviting, felt like a train station.

Overall the food... Underwhelming. A chicken banh mi tasted off, as if their pate didn't work well with the sandwich. Cheeseburger sliders were good, but those are pretty standard. A fall gnocchi was good but had too heavy a hand. It's also a half step up in price from other Clydes places, including the Ebbitt. Want fries with that sandwich? 5$. For a side of fries with a burger.

Going to drink? Ask the hostess for directions to The Loft - a quiet little bar tucked upstairs- in my opinion, the best part about this recent expansion.

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I've been in the Hamilton a few times since it has opened, but only at the bar, and only for drinks. Genericeric is right, the beer list is much, much better than at Old Ebbitt, although the place has essentially the same feel. The whiskey selection is also superior, and has some unique offerings. They've made a priority of stocking less-common American liquor options, including a number of smaller production gins, whiskeys, vodkas, etc, which is a nice touch. Finding a bartender who actually knows how to make a drink that doesn't just involve pouring liquid into a glass is definitely a challenge, as it is at Old Ebbitt. I agree that the Loft looks like the best place in the establishment to grab a drink. Unfortunately when we tried to settle in there the heater was operating so successfully that we couldn't give it a fair shot.

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Unfortunately when we tried to settle in there the heater was operating so successfully that we couldn't give it a fair shot.

All of the heat must be going upstairs - when I was there for lunch on Monday at the main bar downstairs I was surprised I couldn't see my breath it was so cold.
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posted this on Tom's chat this morning

we went to a performance there last week-beautiful space, btw. They offered a limited menu-we sampled the thin crust pizza and sushi which we liked. Nothing you haven't tasted before but well prepared. Good beer wine and wine list with lots of servers. They plan to be open 24/7-not sure how that will work.

The pizza was a spicy pepperoni and it was spicy. I didn't taste the sushi but my spouse liked it.

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I am generally not a fan of behemoth restaurants/venues, they always try to be too many things to too many people, but The Hamilton seems to be bucking the trend at this point.

Walking in was kind of overwhelming. Do we go downstairs, stay on the main level or go upstairs? Even though it was a Saturday night, the newness kept the crowds away, so we had a chance to spend some time on each level. My initial thoughts of the music venue downstairs is that it is simply awesome. No band was playing, so I will reserve full judgment until I see it in action, but the space is truly impressive. The main level is what you expect from a Clyde's group restaurant, several rooms and several bars, dark wood, old school decor. The top level, which will likely often be used for private events, would be a good place to get away on a very busy day. Since tonight was empty, this space was empty as well and had no specific vibe or feel to it.

Our service was outstanding, especially for being such a new restaurant. I asked A LOT about the restaurant and our waitress answered every single question. Is that impressive? To some it may not be, but there is a lot of information to know about, so I was happy to see that she did her homework.

I don't drink beer, but the list was labeled "better than most" by my dining companion. The wine list was laid out in an interesting way (this is what you drink with pastas, this is what you drink with burgers, etc.), but was a bit lacking in my opinion. They had the variety, the pricing was fine, but it lacked creative pairings. The drink list, however, was inspiring, whoever put this together really took it on as a pet project. As was said above, they need good bartenders to put these interesting spirits to good use, but they have a strong base to build from.

The food, of which we didn't have much, was solid, but not spectacular. Is it better than what I have had recently from Old Ebbitt Grill and Clyde's (Verizon Center)? Definitely. Was it better than the dinner I had at Fiola recently? Definitely not. I will say, however, that they are at least trying, and trying hard. I am not sure what it going to come of the plethora of menus that they have (breakfast, lunch, dinner, sushi, downstairs, late night), some may not be there when I go back again, but they read well and make your mouth water. Will they be able to execute the prosciutto and egg sandwich at breakfast, then the duck carbonara at lunch, then the porchetta sandwich at lunch, then the niman ranch pork chop at dinner, then the ramen at 2:00 AM, all the time while serving the fire dragon roll off the sushi menu and the hot chocolate ice cream sandwich off the dessert menu? Beats the hell out of me, but I am willing to give them the shot until they prove me wrong.

Overall, one visit really is only one visit. The business man side of me took over - how much did this place cost, how do they organize the staff, what did this project plan look like - and very well may on subsequent visits. After that, the proof is in the pudding (they serve butterscotch and vanilla pudding for dessert), so execution will be key. But, for now, color me impressed.

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Will they be able to execute the prosciutto and egg sandwich at breakfast, then the duck carbonara at lunch, then the porchetta sandwich at lunch, then the niman ranch pork chop at dinner, then the ramen at 2:00 AM

Based on my last experience there I can confirm that they won't be able to execute a decent bowl of ramen at 2:00 AM.

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I'd say Old Ebbitt's raw bar, and by extension, Old Ebbitt itself, has gotten about as much of a free pass as anything in town. I'm not saying the raw bar isn't good, but the restaurant itself is just plain awful, and I've also had less-than wonderful oysters from them in the past.

I have yet to find any place that exceeds Old Ebbitt's and Clyde's raw bar, and believe me, I keep an open mind on this. I will always order raw oysters whereever I go, if they are on the menu. Clyde's/Old Ebbit's always has an impressive selection of raw oysters, properly shucked, served properly, on crushed ice, with mignonette sauce if you want it (which we do) and as many slices of lemon as you desire.

Examples of major flaws at allegedly good restaurants -- served on a platter that does not have crushed ice, egregious bits of shell in the oyster, not properly loosening the oyster from the shell, no mignonette sauce, serving with a dinner fork or a salad fork rather than the little fork used for raw oysters, and even, God help me, serving the oyster on the top shell rather than the bottom.

If the oysters are no good you can send them back. But nothing can make up for being served an oyster on the top shell. If you try to loosen an oyster on the top shell, all you do is scramble it into bits. Serving a mangled oyster on the top shell full of broken shell with a dinner fork on a naked platter and only cocktail sauce is a clear sign of total incompetence in the kitchen. I shall name no names.

If you are not a raw oyster maven, then your mileage will obviously differ.

For example, last night we had a couple dozen mostly excellent oysters at Old Ebbit's to start, then DH had a smoked salmon sandwich, which he loved, and I had "jambalaya", which was a seafood soup served over rice. Wrong! Anybody else would have called it bouillabaisse, and treating it as bouillabaisse, it was OK, not awful. The Starr Hill Double Platinum IPA on draft was good. We would never go there except for the oysters.

(I say mostly excellent because six were American raised Ostrea edulis, a European variety which we find inferior to the American East Coast Crassostrea virginica. They were healthy and fresh but we just did not like them.)

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Went last night at the request of a friend. I figured it was better than dealing with Restaurant Week crowds. It exceeded my expectations. The menu kind of wanders all over the place, but that makes it a good place for diners with varied tastes and appetites. There aren't too many places where a group of friends can get a sushi and duck carbonara. My carbonara was rich without being overwhelming and had more duck than I expected. The butternut squash kind of got lost in the mix and it was a tad salty. But, it was a satisfying snowy evening dinner. My friend raved about her fire dragon roll. She thought it had a great blend of salty, sweet, and tangy but could have used a bit of something crunchy to add textural complexity. Fabulous food? No. But a notch above what I've had at Old Ebbitt's or Clyde's and I would definitely go back. The multiple large bar areas would make for good group happy hours.

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I can't speak for the main dishes, but I had a great evening at the center bar (I think it's called the Oak Room?), and I look forward to going back. The Hamilton Mule (vodka, lime, ginger, sugar rim, soda) is lovely--the fresh ginger gives it a really nice kick. A whisky sour comes with fresh sour mix, and apparently a gratis cheese selection and a charcuterie board featuring "surryano" ham (serrano ham made in Surry, Virginia) , because our bartender wanted to make sure my group tried some of the bar food, which he helps source. (So of course we ended up ordering more cheese and more charcuterie.) The little details like the housemade pickled vegetables and mustard on the charcuterie boards and the tangy marinated leeks that accompany the rmushroom arancini make it easy to enjoy the bar, and easy to look forward to trying their main dishes. The staff seem to be really proud of the place, excited about the food and the atmosphere, and I'm looking forward to a proper dinner and perhaps some live music.

Ask for Soup at the center bar...he's quick, fun, and knowledgable. They really seem to have a great team behind the bar.

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posted this on Tom's chat this morning

we went to a performance there last week-beautiful space, btw. They offered a limited menu-we sampled the thin crust pizza and sushi which we liked. Nothing you haven't tasted before but well prepared. Good beer wine and wine list with lots of servers. They plan to be open 24/7-not sure how that will work.

The pizza was a spicy pepperoni and it was spicy. I didn't taste the sushi but my spouse liked it.

My first visit to The Hamilton was last night, also for a performance. It is a fantastic music space, in my opinion, a beautiful space, as mr food noted, with great sight lines, lots of seating, and two bars. I LOVE the fact that the ticket price you see on the website is the ticket price; no fees, add-ons, etc. $20 is $20. They have a simple check-in system, with no printed tickets, just different colored wrist bands for seated/standing room tickets.

The menu offers a more limited selection (salads, pizzas, sandwiches, sushi, cheese, charcuterie) than what you find upstairs, but I was perfectly happy with what I tried. We ordered the spicy tuna roll (6 pieces, $6) and a tiger fur roll (8 pieces, $12). Both were fresh and appropriately sized for the price. I also tried a slice of my friend's margherita pizza - it was good as well, with fresh mozz and basil, and a crispy crust. At $13 for about a 12" pizza, it was a reasonable value. Another friend enjoyed his pulled pork sandwich, which was huge.

The drinks menu has a decent selection of beers and wines, also at prices in line with expectations. The service was very good, as the wait staff work as a team and you can order from any of them. Food and drinks came out quickly and checks were processed tableside, so no long wait to pay after the show. My only disappointment was there wasn't a bigger crowd to get down with Big Sam's Funky Nation, 'cause he puts on a hell of a show!

I will be back and hope they continue to get some great acts in there.

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My husband and I have been to The Hamilton music venue twice in the past two weeks and I agree that it is a beautiful venue with excellent seating and sight lines. As stated by others, the menu is not the same as the restaurant menu, mostly sandwiches and finger food. So far, the pizzas seem to be the best of the lot and are quite good. All in all, a very enjoyable experience if you are into the music scene and don't expect too much in the way of food. We plan to return for as many concerts as possible!

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We saw Michael Burks last night at the Hamilton (an amazing show), and were happy with the service, the food, and the wine/drinks options. All the positive comments above apply, so they are keeping up a solid performance. The feel is like an upscale Birchmere with a better view of the stage from all the tables, and free water. ;)

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I saw Michael Burks as well and was blown away by this "upscaleness" of this venue! Nothing compared to the venue where I use to work at in Saint Louis @ BB's jazz, Blues & Soups where I first saw Michael Burks. At Hamilton, Michael Burk got off stage and walked around the whole floor rocking his Fender! He even came up stairs to balcony to say "Hi" to me! Oh- I had a pepperoni & sausage pizza and shared pitchers of Loose Cannon- Heavy Seas, and some California Rolls. For a venue, it has a lot options for drinks and food, pricey, but what do you expect? Your in a music venue, your downtown, and your across from the White House! (At least they are making good use out of Roberta Donna's old space, Galileo!)

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There used to be a bookstore/cafe about a block away at 13th and E St. that tried the 24/7 concept some years ago. They couldn't keep it up either. I just do not think DC is a 24/7 town yet.

It does not have the population density or parking to be one. Annandale is a more happening place at 4:30 AM.

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Well, that didn't take long.

Does anyone remember Sette Osteria swearing they'd be open until (I think it was) 2 AM every night, no matter what?

The Trump Shuttle saying that if a plane filled up from DC to Newark, they'd get out another one and fly it, even if you're the only passenger?

Right.

It's tough to open a brand new business and decide between promising too much (not being able to fulfill the off-hour promises) and not promising enough (appearing stand-offish and self-righteous). Especially when you're breaking untested market barriers.

Don't hate The Hamilton for not being able to pull this off. I believe that they tried, but surely they had a built-in failure limit in their opening business plan. DC's not going to support this - it's because of the Capitol Dome height restrictions (which I'm personally glad we have).

Then again, there's L.L. Bean in Freeport. Hmm...

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Kinda just think that DC is not and will never be a 24-hour town, period. The people here are up by 5 or 6 AM every single day, even weekends. Possible exceptions are the frat culture of Clarendon, and even they get up before 11 AM after a night out partying. Nothing gets in the way of that type-A personality, and while a place that stays open until 2 AM might work out, no 24-hour establishment will until an actual middle class pops up within DC and the suburbs that can afford the type of food being sold by these places. Let's face it, a 24-hour restaurant like The Hamilton would be dicey and barely profitable even on Manhattan.

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Don't hate The Hamilton for not being able to pull this off. I believe that they tried, but surely they had a built-in failure limit in their opening business plan.

I think this was a failure in execution rather than planning - the Diner's been open 24 hours for years and it seems to work fine. I went to The Hamilton several times between 2 and 5am and it was pretty clear the 24-hour service was an afterthought.

Only one room was kept open for late night dining, and it was a pretty formal room with tablecloths and no bar. From an operation standpoint I'm sure it was easier to keep staff and patrons out of areas with liquor after last call, but from a customer standpoint not having a bar area or more flexible seating was a bummer. On weekdays most people out during those hours work in the service industry, and The Hamilton wasn't someplace that was comfortable to go alone and sit at a table with mediocre at best service, and it wasn't someplace that was easy for groups to congregate.

There are plenty of exceptions to any sweeping generalization made about what "DC people" are like, and businesses that realize that will be successful. But they won't work without a lot of consideration of what their target audience is and what their preferences are, and The Hamilton clearly placed operational ease beyond customer's wishes, and their business didn't reach its potential because of it.

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The WaPo has an article in today's Metro section that is timely to this discussion:

Black and Orange, new U Street burger joint, tests idea of 24-hour city

The article references the opening of the Hamilton as a 24/7 operation, but fails to note the recent roll-back of hours there.

The WaPo has since updated its online version of the article to reflect the new change in hours at the Hamilton, and to note that Black and Orange, the main subject of the article, has also rolled back its hours. It is no longer be open until 5am every day, contrary to what was reported in the original piece. The latter news was appparently broken by the Going Out Gurus via Twitter yesterday at 2:07pm. I guess they do not talk to each other much at the Post. They still cannot change the fact challenged print edition, however.

Also, the City Paper posted the same news for both the Hamilton and Black and Orange yesterday at 3:18pm on the Young & Hungry blog. This is embarrassing reporting by the WaPo.

Edited by dcs
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Kinda just think that DC is not and will never be a 24-hour town, period. The people here are up by 5 or 6 AM every single day, even weekends. Possible exceptions are the frat culture of Clarendon, and even they get up before 11 AM after a night out partying. Nothing gets in the way of that type-A personality, and while a place that stays open until 2 AM might work out, no 24-hour establishment will until an actual middle class pops up within DC and the suburbs that can afford the type of food being sold by these places. Let's face it, a 24-hour restaurant like The Hamilton would be dicey and barely profitable even on Manhattan.

Nailed it.

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Lately I've been hesitant to stop into The Hamilton after a string of mediocre experiences - and that's mediocre compared to the Ebbitt. I'll also say that I'm not a huge fan of the main floor of The Hamilton - I do enjoy the Loft but its frequently closed for private events, which I understand but find frustrating at the same time.

Having said that, Saturday night found no stools at the Ebbitt, so we trudged over to The Hamilton and found the Loft open, blissfully quiet, and staffed by a great bartender named Ken. I had a soft shell appetizer here a few weeks ago that was fried tempura-style and didn't really dig it. It wasn't bad per se, but thats a lot of breading for a small crab. On Saturday they had an entree that was 'pan fried' - two soft shells (on the medium-to-small scale) sauteed, and served with a sort of radish salad ($25). They were by no means light, but they weren't overpowered by breading, and were the best softshells I had so far this year. (note the menu online now shows a more deep fried option, not sure if this is out of date or if the menu changed since Saturday)

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Posted 06 April 2012 - 12:11 AM

Kinda just think that DC is not and will never be a 24-hour town, period. The people here are up by 5 or 6 AM every single day, even weekends. Possible exceptions are the frat culture of Clarendon, and even they get up before 11 AM after a night out partying. Nothing gets in the way of that type-A personality, and while a place that stays open until 2 AM might work out, no 24-hour establishment will until an actual middle class pops up within DC and the suburbs that can afford the type of food being sold by these places. Let's face it, a 24-hour restaurant like The Hamilton would be dicey and barely profitable even on Manhattan.

Nailed it.

Apparently not.

Which is ironic, because it turns out the main thing that’s holding late-night dining back in D.C. right now is booze.

* * *

At The Hamilton, the experiment in staying up all night was going pretty well for the nearly four months that it was going on. Demand was strong, says Tom Meyer, president of Clyde’s Restaurant Group, which operates The Hamilton. The hours between last call and breakfast racked up nearly $30,000 in food sales each week on average during the hours between last call and breakfast. “We were really busy,” Meyer says. “It wasn’t for lack of interest—that’s not why I stopped it.”

So what was the problem? “People came to us in such an intoxicated state, it really made it untenable,” he says. “Every night, there would be an awful fight. I had a policeman there and two security guards. And the policeman suggested that I get another policeman. It’s just unfortunate. I just thought it would be a good place for people to go and get something to eat when the bars let out. I wasn’t anticipating the state that people would show up in.

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Apparently not.

(Thanks for posting this--I read it a few days ago, forgot to post, and then promptly forgot the source.)

Sounds about right to me. I've always marveled at the what must be saint-like patience of the staff of the Diner, Amsterdam Falafelshop, and others, considering the state of the crowds they deal with.

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At The Hamilton, the experiment in staying up all night was going pretty well for the nearly four months that it was going on. Demand was strong, says Tom Meyer, president of Clyde’s Restaurant Group, which operates The Hamilton. The hours between last call and breakfast racked up nearly $30,000 in food sales each week on average during the hours between last call and breakfast. “We were really busy,” Meyer says. “It wasn’t for lack of interest—that’s not why I stopped it.”

So what was the problem? “People came to us in such an intoxicated state, it really made it untenable,” he says. “Every night, there would be an awful fight. I had a policeman there and two security guards. And the policeman suggested that I get another policeman. It’s just unfortunate. I just thought it would be a good place for people to go and get something to eat when the bars let out. I wasn’t anticipating the state that people would show up in.

A dispiriting commentary on modern behavior.

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(Thanks for posting this--I read it a few days ago, forgot to post, and then promptly forgot the source.)

Sounds about right to me. I've always marveled at the what must be saint-like patience of the staff of the Diner, Amsterdam Falafelshop, and others, considering the state of the crowds they deal with.

My son worked the overnight shift at Amsterdam for a few months. Having a large security guard looming in a small space kept things relatively orderly, but incidences of folk diving for his tip jar and of intoxicated ladies suggesting they might have something better for him to do than sling chickpeas (a handsome devil he is, just like dad ;) ) were, apparently, not uncommon.

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Hamilton Live...is it ok to eat creme brulee at a concert...I would argue no.

The main floor of the venue is all tables. Think The Birchmere meets snazzy jazz club. The standing areas are off to the side and in a mezzanine back bar area. If there is no difference in tickets prices I would recommend getting a table ticket. Table tickets you are front and center, with waitstaff serving you...standing tickets you are basically shoved off to the side in roped off areas with terrible bartenders. It's like you are a third class concert goer stuffed into steerage for the same price.

I think your concert enjoyment at Hamilton Live really comes down to what type of concert you are going to. Gospel Brunch, a good jazz band, someone rocking an acoustic set, then Hamilton Live is great intimate venue. For something more upbeat and rocking, I'm not really feeling it as my concert venue of choice.

That said, Rebirth Brass Band rocked it.

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I was at that show as well, my first time seeing a band in that venue, and I agree. Rebirth killed. Also agree, when I was walking around the tables seemed like a much better viewing location than the standing areas. Sound system is pretty great. The food was so so, although I hadn't eaten yet that day when I arrived, so I was just pleased that they had food period.

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I'm still quite satisfied with the food (and music) offerings at The Hamilton. Wild Mushroom pizza and the Cheeseburger Sliders were more than enough shared by two of us. I had a nibble of the mushroom crostini and will probably be ordering that next time (at the Mavis Staples show). Prices seem pretty reasonable to me, given the quantity and relative quality compared to what's available at similar venues.

When you just gotta dance, you're usually not the only one and the crowd will wind up on the floor in front of the stage once they've finished eating. At least that's been my experience at the shows I've seen there. They really have some great artists coming through and it's a wonderful place to see them.

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I'm so confused. Please help.

In the Restaurant Guide, "The Hamilton" is italicized but followed by the comment "...don't expect anything other than genuinely bad (and we're talking dog poop) food." I don't see any post in this thread that could justify such a scathing comment.

The menu looks passable enough for a concert venue (although their wine selections certainly don't qualify for "artisinal" in my book) and I'm glad they offer "cold beer" (vs. the alternative), so I'm wondering why the strange listing.

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I'm so confused. Please help.

In the Restaurant Guide, "The Hamilton" is italicized but followed by the comment "...don't expect anything other than genuinely bad (and we're talking dog poop) food." I don't see any post in this thread that could justify such a scathing comment.

The menu looks passable enough for a concert venue (although their wine selections certainly don't qualify for "artisinal" in my book) and I'm glad they offer "cold beer" (vs. the alternative), so I'm wondering why the strange listing.

[That comment was wrong. I'd since fixed the title of this thread, but neglected to go back and change the placemarker in the dining guide that I put in before the establishment opened. Thanks for pointing this out to me - it's changed now, with my apologies. (It's in Italic primarily because it's such an important live-music venue.)

If anyone sees blatant errors such as this, please write me!]

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Working downtown, I've always been a fan of Ebbitt's half price raw bar from 3-6, but lately as the price of oysters has shot up (I was told by a staff member they were losing several dollars per dozen during the 1/2 price time), I've found myself walking around the corner to Hamilton's half price sushi happy hour from 3-6.

Sushi Taro this is not, but certainly better than average, large orders of sushi for around $6.50-$7.00. I prefer the Tuna Cubed (three kinds of tuna with cucumber topped with a jalepeno sauce) and the Dynamite roll (tempura with spicy tuna wrapped in rice paper). I've also enjoyed the sashimi that I've tried, including the Chu Toro. If you can get past the train station-like ambiance of sitting at the bars here, this isn't a bad deal for a happy hour meal.

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Even as large as it is, getting a reservation for lunch at the Hamilton can be a challenge. The secret is to just walk in and have a seat at the sushi bar. These seats are almost never full (in fact today, at lunch, my wife and I were the only people at the ten seat counter until halfway through our meal), and you can order anything from the entire menu. The sushi is totally fine, and the menu across the board is way better than Old Ebbitt.

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Even as large as it is, getting a reservation for lunch at the Hamilton can be a challenge. The secret is to just walk in and have a seat at the sushi bar. These seats are almost never full (in fact today, at lunch, my wife and I were the only people at the ten seat counter until halfway through our meal), and you can order anything from the entire menu. The sushi is totally fine, and the menu across the board is way better than Old Ebbitt.

I recently heard that someone couldn't get a weekend reservation at Range.

The only possible thing I can think of is that they just don't have the staff (either BOH or FOH) to handle it, despite empty seats in the house. I can't picture either of these two restaurants actually being "full."

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