IndeBleu and Chloe

IndeBleu features a swank first floor bar which offered a great deal of a $5 open bar until 10pm.

The music was loud enough to inspire quite a few people to start bumping on the "dance floor" section, while American Gangster strangely started being projected on two walls of the club.

I enjoyed the decor of the venue, but think the $5 coat check is pretty steep.

After leaving the always lively China Town, we found our way into an 80s night party at Chloe Adams Morgan. Despite the rain there was enough legwarmers and fanny packs to make the trip worthwhile, even if I didn't get a chance to grab a jumbo slice of pizza next door.

Open Bar @ IndeBleu tonight

Apparently there is an open bar for $5 at IndeBleu tonight between 8 to 10pm.

I've always wanted to check the place out, as its high class restaurant seems pricey and gets good reviews.

Boxcar Collision @ The Red And The Black

Mardi Gras Parade Gallery

Wilson Blvd heading west was closed tonight from its intersection at Washington Blvd down to Courthouse for the annual Mardi Gras Parade.

A photo gallery of the parade is on Flickr. Thanks Adam!

Mardi Gras Parade

Apparently there is a Parade to celebrate Fat Tuesday tonight in Clarendon. The kid friendly festivities are supposed to start at 8pm, and I'm wondering if there will be any road closures.

Support DC Voting Rights!

The D.C. Voting Rights Act is in the Senate as S.160 today.

I'm throwing my support for voting rights, even though it doesn't affect me.

More details on the DCist.

Carnafolia @ Ibiza

An insane number of people where patronizing the DC dance club Ibiza in a Brazilian themed birthday party Saturday night.

One of the bday's celebrated was that of the DJ himself. I think it was Fabio Soul but can't remember... its not surprising to have memory loss after staying at the packed and chaotic club till close at 3am.

As typical with this sort of DC venue, there was drama abound. These sorts of mega club serve to remind me how I like the less stressful nightlife scene in Arlington much better.

Shout out to the guy in the middle of the dance floor rocking to the beats in an electric wheelchair all night. He might have had cerebral palsy and still could dance better than I could.

Chilly night in Clarendon

The Clarendon nightlife seemed a little sparse for this Friday night. I think it was the combination of a little wind chill and people heading into DC to take advantage of the end of Restaurant Week.

Eleventh was a little quiet, as the basement music was far too loud for the near empty room.

Mister Days was more populated and had a good sized crowd dancing (i.e. typical drunken gyrating out of beat with the music). Usually I think of Mister Days as "at least its not Ballroom," but tonight was a lot of fun.

Thanks to T-Bone and Flash for my new hair. I'm sure Mystery would approve.

Endo Sushi‎

Tried out Endo Sushi tonight located at 3000 Washington Blvd in the Reserve apartment bulding. Its tucked away in the corner and easy to miss, but it offers decent food at good prices.

Unfortunately they close at 10:30pm, which is exactly when we arrived. They were nice enough to give us our order to go.

A malt liquor 40 oz is the recommended accompaniment to sushi by the way.

The Club to replace Arlington Funeral Home

I've always wondered how long the Arlington Funeral Home would last in Ballston. The single story building and very large ground parking lot looks very out of place flanked by high rise apartments in the quite urban downtown Arlington.

Located on the corner of Fairfax Blvd and Quincy Street, it will be replace by a luxury residential building built by WCI. The builders don't have any information about "The Club" on their site yet.

I question whether the Ballston community needs another luxury condo highrise, especially given the market. Light commercial business might do better there, as there is not much dining or nightlife nearby save for Temple Lounge or Pines of Flourence.

Edit: Looks like I didn't do my homework here, as construction on the Club has been in the works for 2 years. Guess I never noticed the sign... embarrassing....

Thanks Neil for pointing this out!

Science Club

Another venue in Foggy Bottom that I'm becoming a fan of is the Science Club. Located on 19th St NW, it is just up the street from 18th Street Lounge.

A different DJ every night pumps beats through the four floors of the converted townhouse. My favorite room is the basement, as features very cozy with science theme decor on the walls. Any place that has photos of Einstein and the periodic table behind the bar wins points in my book.

Vapiano

The trendy Italian venue Vapiano has been getting such great reviews from Yelp and local word of mouth that I had high expectations tonight. After a great meal, great wine and warming up next to the fireplace I was not disappointed.

Vapiano uses a completely unique ordering process that involves absolutely no wait staff. Instead, customers tell the chefs in person their order and the professional cooks prepare the meal right in front of them!

Also the venue uses swipe cards for each individual customer to keep track of what they have ordered, eliminating the hassle of splitting up checks for larger groups.

Located conveniently in Ballston near Best Bun. I highly, highly recommend a visit soon before they alter the wine list.

The Pub in McLean

An interesting dive bar located in the new shopping center in downtown McLean is simply named "The Pub". Its an honest dive bar that holds a few interesting twists.

The owners of The Pub also run the next door Chinese food restaurant, Peking Imperial. So the two very different venues actually share the same address.

Also, patrons of the Pub can order Chinese food or traditional American bar food fare. It could be quite an experience to be receiving General Tsao's at a dive bar.

Oh, and one of the patrons brought a pet baby alligator to the bar. Classy.

My whinings about traffic

This is a typical view getting on 66 West in the weekday mornings, going away from the city.

Notice how 66 East is clear because of its HOV restrictions at this time of day.

66 West however is completely jammed every morning on both the Ballston and East Falls Church entrance ramps. This backup is caused by the fact there is only two lanes available.

Today was a good day; on a bad day cars can be backed up for a good mile past the entrance ramps, which can cause delays in the local intersections leading up to the entrances.

Still not nearly as bad as the hell traffic people go through on 495 or the toll roll, but I think its notable since all these cars are going away from the city or the opposite direction of expected traffic in the morning.

Union Jack's in Ballston

I just discovered Rock Bottom's neighbor Union Jack's in Ballston mall. The smoke-free british pub is very new and has taken over the Macaroni Grill's space.

Union Jack's reminds me alot of the 4P's in Falls Church, with its talkative youthful happy hour patrons and evening bar quiz contest. The venue seems right at home along with Bailey's and Frontpage, and was surprisingly well occupied for a Monday night.

Didn't try the food, but it seems standard bar food fair with a British theme. I did like the decor and the staff was friendly. I would like to venture out there again on a more crowded weekend night.

Although the restaurant is new, What's Up Arlington beat me to reviewing it. Grrr.

Big Buns in Ballston

Ever wonder what a hamburger at Chipotle would taste like? Big Buns has the delicious answer.

The trendy burger joint in Ballston shares such a similar decor and ordering system as Chipotle that they must be owned by the same parent company.

Located at 4401 Wilson Blvd, I've managed to overlook this gourmet grill until now. I had an awesome chicken sandwich with sweet potato fries. The regular fries are amazing as well.

I opted for the chocolate milkshake instead of a Yuengling, and was very happy with my juvenile choice.

Highly, highly, highly recommended.

Eleventh closed early tonight

Eleventh is quickly becoming my favorite spot in Clarendon, due to its laid back atmosphere and lack of a cover fee.

Tonight was a little disappointing, as the patronage was a little thin and the basement closed early at 1am. Then half an hour later the entire venue closed, 30 minutes before the usual kick out.

Super Bowl After Party @ Marvin

God damn Steelers. Thats all I have to say about that.

Went out to a late night Super Bowl after party at Marvin. This is a nice little lounge located on U street. Its known for its outdoor rear bar, which luckily has overhead heaters to keep the patrons warm in the winter.

The upstairs front bar featured a collection of tables and comfy chairs and a DJ booth. Our friendly barkeep Lou advised us that we where his first and only customers tonight! Not that surprising, on accounts that it was a Sunday night and post-Super Bowl.

Marvin is a nice upscale venue that would be great locale for a date, especially with the fresh air bar with a view in the back.