Roger Troutman

Overall they tend to shy away from the amped up hops that are so pervasive in American craft brewing today, focusing more on the malts and roasted flavors.

This alone makes me want to check it out. Too many American microbrewers these days seem to think that the key to making a good beer is to hop it to death. I like my beers malty.

Is there any particular reason they are known as Shenandoah Brewing?

I enjoy sitting at a bar and chain smoking, while drinking. And when smoking is banned in these places, will I miss it? Probably. But I'll get over it, and so will just about everybody else. Hell, I'll probably even quit smoking. The ban IS coming, like it or not.

Tonic.

I walked by last night at about 7:30, and the place was SLAMMED.

Hopefully, come summer, it'll be just hidden enough from the Woodley-Metro-to-Zoo walking hordes.

That's really my only worry. It's bound to attract a certain number of the often annoying and occasionally rude hotel guests from across the street, but they will earn the support of the neighborhood, without a doubt. For me, at least, it'll sure beat having to trek across the bridge and stand around stalking an empty seat at Tryst on a Sunday morning

Thanks for the update!

Excellent. I may have to stop down for a beer after work. What's on tap? And just out of curiosity, what's their smoking policy?

The Roy Rogers I remember as a kid in the mid-80s was awful. But I've been to the location on Route 15 just south of Frederick, which is only a few years old, and the food there is far better than the typical McDonalds or Arby's. The burger with ham on top of it is really tasty.

From On Tap Magazine:

http://www.ontaponline.com/view_article.php?article_id=10111

OPEN CITY

The latest venture by Constantine Stavropoulos (Tryst, The Diner) is called Open City, and it is situated on a piece of prime real estate by the corners of Connecticut and Calvert in Woodley Park/Adams Morgan. The coffeehouse/diner/bar aims to, like Stavropoulos' successful Tryst, become the "third place" for area residents. "You have this third place that you go to," Stavropoulos explains. "There's your office, your home, and the other place." This particular third place—also Stavropoulos' third spot in the city—will offer WiFi and feature a gourmet coffee bar, a full-service (cocktail) bar with beer on tap and some 12-or-so wines by-the-glass, and plenty of seats in the dining area to order upscale-ish diner food like Italian-style pizzas, eggs all day, sandwiches and salads.

"We're really doing this with the Woodley Park neighborhood in mind," he adds. "We want to evolve the diner idea into one for Washington." That must mean a place where we can get our food, fizz, caffeine, flirt, Net and mingle fixes satisfied all at once.

(2331 Calvert St., NW)

The Park Bench Pub has just reopened as Uptown Tavern. I'd never visited the downstairs part before, but it looks like they have done a lot of work to it. Lots of nice flat screen TVs around the room. There's an ancient-looking Foosball table in the corner (which earns them bonus points, in my book). The bar itself looks old but refinished. Good, reliable beers on tap --- Guinness, Bass, Yuengling, Sierra Nevada, Shiner Hefeweizen, and maybe a couple more. There's a small bar menu with appetizers and sandwiches. A very comfortable, cozy space that I look forward to frequenting this winter

The bartender I spoke to said that the upstairs pub on Ordway will be reopening eventually, but a lot of work has been necessary in order to bring it up to spec. Apparently, the downstairs area has been there for a long time. Is this the space that the "Club Soda" sign once belonged to?

And what on earth is that hideous pipe running along the south sidewalk?

I really hope that it's not permanent, but it's been there for about a year. It really mars one of the finest bridges in the city.

And back to the streetcar turn-arounds: There's another one on the west side of Connecticut Avenue, just south of Chevy Chase Circle.

I walked by the place and noticed that the plastic had been taken down from the windows. I was in a hurry and didn't stop to peer inside, but from the quick glance I took, it looks very similar to Tryst. I assume the exterior will be getting a new paintjob soon---the removal of old signage and fixtures has left some bare spots.

I hope they open soon enough to be able to put the patio area to good use before it gets too cold!

Little Fountain is one of my favorite spots, but nobody ever seems to talk about it, and none of my friends have ever been there. It's never incredibly busy (at least not when we've been there on weeknights), and the food and service have never been anything but excellent.

This isn't the same Warren Brown who is the Post's automotive columnist, is it?

I will be thrilled if and when the little ground-level section of the Park Bench Pub on Ordway re-opens. Although I'd barely gotten a chance to get to know the place and its staff before they closed last spring, it quickly became one of my favorite places in town. An excellent place to grab a few beers after work.

This place REALLY feels like Paris. 

Is the service really that awful in Paris? There was a rather extensive discussion of this subject on one of the other boards, and the general concensus was that the service at Bistrot du Coin is just plain bad, owing nothing to the French. If anything, the wretched service at this place only serves to reinforce the negative stereotypes that have been unfairly laid upon the French.

The food is very good, but not really worth the horrid service. We waited at least 15 minutes for our drink order to be taken, before giving up. Numerous servers walked past us as if we weren't even there. The place wasn't particularly busy, either.

BYO food, which is illegal in DC, I believe

When I used to hang out at Bedrock Billiards more regularly, I would often bring a couple of empanadas over from Julia's. Nobody ever complained.

The Raven is still a great neighborhood dive bar, after work during the week. Along with the Townhouse Tavern, it's a favorite of mine. And I agree that the TT has the best jukebox in town.

One place that I'm surprised hasn't been mentioned yet, is the upstairs bar at The Dancing Crab, in Tenleytown. I believe it may be known as "The Malt Shop," according to the sign. Who knows. The place has a wonderfully crusty ambience, replete with walls covered in photos of patrons and half-recognizable semi-celebrities and politicians.

I strongly second that recommendation!

If you're interested:

http://www.falafelshop.com/

I've only been there twice, but I love that place. Great pre- or post-drinking fare.

I've only been to the locations in Georgetown and Chinatown/Gallery Place/Penn Quarter/whatever the hell that neighborhood is called this week, and the difference is night and day. The Chinatown location is clean, with fast service and good food. The one in Georgetown was unclean, crowded, and slow. It took a long time to find a table that was even remotely clean, and we were elbow to elbow with folks sitting at other tables. The food wasn't bad, though.

Oh, and memo to Mr. Mellencamp and other enthusiasts: The chili dogs at Tastee Freeze suck now too.

I think you meant Mr. Cougar.

I've driven by Southern Fried Chicken and Pizza a few times. Come on, this is a brilliant concept. Why no mention anywhere?

I've never even heard of fried pizza before, but I'm willing to try anything once.

I find the burritos at California Tortilla to be vastly superior to those from Chipotle.

I've never been to a Bennigan's, but there's a similar mass-appeal "American" restaurant chain called Garfield's that used to serve up an awesome Monte Cristo. This was years ago, though.

I believe that I've found the interview mentioned above. Judging from how great Tryst and The Diner are, I can't wait until this joint opens!!!

http://restore.dc.gov/restoredc/cwp/view.asp?a=1416&q=572785

I heard from a fairly reliable source that it's going to be another Tryst. Or perhaps I imagined it.

That's what I've been hearing as well, but I have to wonder if it will be known as Tryst, with the other location so relatively nearby.

The generous amount of sidewalk space should provide for some really nice outdoor seating.