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ESPNZone, 11th & E Streets NW - Closing


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Probably not long, unless they put buffalo wings on the menu. :blink: We've already got a Hard Rock Cafe and ESPN Zone truckin them in by the busload. Is there another garbage concept chain ready to move into DC?

Name a better sports bar in DC than ESPNzone where you can watch sporting events -- somewhere that carries more than network or basic cable games.

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Name a better sports bar in DC than ESPNzone where you can watch sporting events -- somewhere that carries more than network or basic cable games.

Cleveland Park Bar and Grill

Pour House

Lucky Bar

That's only 3 off the top of my head in the District, all with satellite coverage. Hell, even Mackey's has retrofitted with more flat screens in the back room. Crystal City Sports Pub if you are across the river. Oh, and Summer's. And Mister Day's. Mind you none of these are great or serve superior food, but they are leaps and bounds above ESPNZone.

ESPNZone is terrible in every way except for the size and number of screens (which are only any good if you NEED to track 4-5 games simultaneously without rotating your head more than 30 degrees). We were going there for the UMich-OSU with 20-30 fans for 3 years until they instituted a minimum per person tab (to the tune of $40 or so) AND stopped taking reservations for the big screen area. Complete ripoff, although since their beers are so overpriced it was easy to hit that target the one year we went :blink: . Oh, and they wouldn't allow kids in the main viewing area even though they are allowed every where else in the establishment. Good riddance!

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Cleveland Park Bar and Grill

I haven't been to CP Bar & Grill since last football season, but have they replaced those ancient standard-def TVs that are behind the bar? While it was always a fun place to watch a game and it was never too hard to get an obscure, hard-to-find game tuned in, watching those smallish TVs high above the bar wasn't easy on the neck.

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Does the ESPNZone offer Baby Back Back Back Ribs, or Boo-Yah-baise? I can just imagine that they are doing for cuisine what ESPN has done for sports viewing and commentary.

I wouldn't say their cuisine is close to their sports programming, but then again I'm not going to a bar for its food. I'm just saying it's the only place near me where I can count on watching a game. Most bars only get limited programming, even if they have satellite service. For that reason, I highly value ESPNZone's presence.

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I wouldn't say their cuisine is close to their sports programming, but then again I'm not going to a bar for its food. I'm just saying it's the only place near me where I can count on watching a game. Most bars only get limited programming, even if they have satellite service. For that reason, I highly value ESPNZone's presence.

Rocket bar isn't far from there and shows lots of games. They have no cuisine of their own, but welcome patrons who bring take out from the many nearby options.

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I wouldn't say their cuisine is close to their sports programming, but then again I'm not going to a bar for its food. I'm just saying it's the only place near me where I can count on watching a game. Most bars only get limited programming, even if they have satellite service. For that reason, I highly value ESPNZone's presence.
My comment was in no way meant to praise the pitiable programming content of ESPN.
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My comment was in no way meant to praise the pitiable programming content of ESPN.

We're getting off topic (although one could argue it relates to the restaurant's atmosphere), but I have no idea why you are troubled by ESPN's programming. Just not a fan of sports?

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We're getting off topic (although one could argue it relates to the restaurant's atmosphere), but I have no idea why you are troubled by ESPN's programming. Just not a fan of sports?
I am quite the sports fan. When they build a restaurant around their entertainment network (that is what the "e" stands for), their content is on topic. I have walked into the one in DC and the one in Times Square and found it to be as cheesy as the scripted shtick of Stuart Scott or some over-wrought line delivered by that blowhard Berman. But what really struck me about these two places is that it personified what Le Anne Schreiber (the ESPN Ombudswoman) said about her network " In the past two months, I have heard a lot of yelling" And that does not even get into the lack of journalistic standards that the network has (the aforementioned Le Anne Schreiber wrote an article called “At ESPN, Conflict of Interest is Business as Usual.”
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At least the two of us think we're on topic. I believe that the sports coverage at a sports bar far exceeds food offerings in importance.

The article makes an interesting point regarding conflicts, but I think most of us see through the promos and overdone tv shows though. It's taken too far at times, like Gut Check Saturday or the party line for the ridiculous "plus one" football championship concept (don't get me started). Still, overall, ESPN covers a lot of the best games -- NFL, college football, college basketball, NBA. Even when they do not, at least ESPNZone carries the Big Ten Network. And really, isn't that all we care about?

You have no idea how many bars in my neighborhood that I tried one afternoon before arriving at ESPNZone -- Lucky Strike, Bar Louie, RFD, Fado, Hooter's, Capitol City Brewing -- one of which previously and incorrectly promised me that they had BTN and were carrying the game. That was the reason for my original post. Regardless of flaws, ESPNZone carries a lot of games. I'll gladly go to the Pour House, but sometimes I want some place I can pop into quickly, and no other place near me serves that purpose (although I'll check on a recommendation for Rocket Bar - I'd like to watch games there).

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At least the two of us think we're on topic. I believe that the sports coverage at a sports bar far exceeds food offerings in importance.

[in this case, I agree - it's a legitimate discussion of the restaurant's ambiance. I really don't expect much critical analysis of their Fettucini Alfredo, but if anyone wants to, by all means.... Cheers, Rocks.]

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At least the two of us think we're on topic. I believe that the sports coverage at a sports bar far exceeds food offerings in importance.

The article makes an interesting point regarding conflicts, but I think most of us see through the promos and overdone tv shows though. It's taken too far at times, like Gut Check Saturday or the party line for the ridiculous "plus one" football championship concept (don't get me started). Still, overall, ESPN covers a lot of the best games -- NFL, college football, college basketball, NBA. Even when they do not, at least ESPNZone carries the Big Ten Network. And really, isn't that all we care about?

You have no idea how many bars in my neighborhood that I tried one afternoon before arriving at ESPNZone ...

ESPN is not all evil, when you turn the volume down the games become watchable (well except for all of the Duke basketball games). But most of the heads do nothing but ruin the watching experience (i.e. almost anything to do with the new MNF format and booth, Dick “the Duke toady” Vitale, or anytime they let Stephen A. Smith speak).

I have found that the best option for sports viewing is DirecTV sports package with Sunday Ticket. The beer is cheaper, the food is better, and the bathroom is actually clean. Not to mention the glories of watching sports with the benefit of TiVo.

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ESPN is not all evil, when you turn the volume down the games become watchable (well except for all of the Duke basketball games). But most of the heads do nothing but ruin the watching experience (i.e. almost anything to do with the new MNF format and booth, Dick “the Duke toady” Vitale, or anytime they let Stephen A. Smith speak).

Bite me.

[Dislcaimer: Yes, pitiful attempt to have some board-related retort without it being seen as a personal insult. At least no more of one then someone slamming my team. With some of the chatter in another thread I wanted to be super-extra-careful to show this as the sarcasm it is. But still, bite me.]

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Bite me.

[Dislcaimer: Yes, pitiful attempt to have some board-related retort without it being seen as a personal insult. At least no more of one then someone slamming my team. With some of the chatter in another thread I wanted to be super-extra-careful to show this as the sarcasm it is. But still, bite me.]

[Final judgment: "Bite me" is food-related. Sustained.]

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At least the two of us think we're on topic. I believe that the sports coverage at a sports bar far exceeds food offerings in importance.

The article makes an interesting point regarding conflicts, but I think most of us see through the promos and overdone tv shows though. It's taken too far at times, like Gut Check Saturday or the party line for the ridiculous "plus one" football championship concept (don't get me started). Still, overall, ESPN covers a lot of the best games -- NFL, college football, college basketball, NBA. Even when they do not, at least ESPNZone carries the Big Ten Network. And really, isn't that all we care about?

You have no idea how many bars in my neighborhood that I tried one afternoon before arriving at ESPNZone -- Lucky Strike, Bar Louie, RFD, Fado, Hooter's, Capitol City Brewing -- one of which previously and incorrectly promised me that they had BTN and were carrying the game. That was the reason for my original post. Regardless of flaws, ESPNZone carries a lot of games. I'll gladly go to the Pour House, but sometimes I want some place I can pop into quickly, and no other place near me serves that purpose (although I'll check on a recommendation for Rocket Bar - I'd like to watch games there).

In the neighborhood, also check out the Grand Slam Sports Bar in the Grand Hyatt... they've pulled up some obscure channels for us to show college hockey for our alumni group. It may be worth checking Green Turtle also...

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Name a better sports bar in DC than ESPNzone where you can watch sporting events -- somewhere that carries more than network or basic cable games.
While ESPNZone certainly has a large number of screens and lots of variety, I find the environment annoying. The TVs are too far away from most of the tables for you to really enjoy the game. I choose my sports bar based on the type of game that's on.

My wife is a Michigan alum and she goes to the Pour House or Tommy Joe's to watch the games with the UM alumni group so that's where I go for college football. For hockey, nothing beats the Bugsy's in Old Town or O'Sullivans in Arlington. For European sports, I prefer Solly's. For baseball, I prefer any place that doesn't have a TV. :blink:

A new place we've been going lately is Nellie's Sports Bar on U St. They have LOTS of high def TVs and you can even reserve programming for a specific TV for your group. They also have a great rooftop patio for smokers. There's a decent beer selection and the food is average bar food, though I liked their wings. A diverse clientele, too.

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He may not have, but there are several others of us who did. We suggest you move on to other topics. :blink:
My comments had absolutely nothing to do with Duke, but with ESPN's lack of objectivity in their programming. And when it comes to college hoops it is all Duke all the time. A little balanced approach to covering other teams or even conferences would be welcomed.
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Hallelujah! Lets pray for something passable in its place.

On another note, how could these places possibly lose money? I would have guess that they were goldmines with their $8 beers and $25 Sysco steaks.

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On another note, how could these places possibly lose money? I would have guess that they were goldmines with their $8 beers and $25 Sysco steaks.

To paraphrase the old quip about trees in forests: if nobody is there to eat $8 beers and $25 Sysco steaks, do they still generate revenue?

I only went to the DC ESPNZone twice--both times to see specific sporting events that I couldn't get on home cable. Both times it was like watching a sporting event in a canyon. Huge space. No bodies. (And I suspect reasonably high rent for that large space.) I'm guessing the *only* time these places might have been crowded is during March Madness, especially with people now having eighty-seven channels of sports on their home televisions (and access to all NFL games through DirectTV).

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Hallelujah! Lets pray for something passable in its place.

On another note, how could these places possibly lose money? I would have guess that they were goldmines with their $8 beers and $25 Sysco steaks.

Even if your profit margin on what you're serving is extremely high, you won't make money if people aren't coming through the door.

EDIT: Damn! Beaten to it.

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I had a decent bloody mary at the DC location about 10 years ago after a charity walk. If at any point in the next 10 years I finish a charity walk and have a hankering for a bloody mary, I'll think "oh darn, the ESPN zone is no longer an option". Then I'll go elsewhere.

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