Clarendon closings in 2014

 This past year was a tumultuous time for Clarendon with many surprise closings of some of my favorite venues. Here is a run down with the changes over 2014:


Sadly the fancy restaurant and rooftop Eventide suddenly closed one Sunday without warning. I wish I had a last chance at the excellent food in the second floor dining hall with the super high ceilings and booths with mini doors. Even worse this high end restaurant is planned to be replaced by Don Tito from the A-Town team, which sounds like it will be completely opposite of what Eventide once offered.

Twin quirky restaurants Tallula and Eatbar both shut down at the end of 2014. I enjoyed Tallula's menu, although it was often empty on that side of the building. Eatbar was a fun movie themed bar, but the food was overpriced and subpar and also suffered from being not close to anything. Texas Jack's Barbecue is set to take over the space in 2015.

We lost Wilson Tavern in Courthouse to a new hotel project this past year. I was sad about that as Social DC PR just started throwing fun themed parties there and it was the spot to catch the last episode of How I Met Your Mother.

Summers in Courthouse is set to close this year, and I have mixed feelings about the outdated soccer bar leaving us. It felt stagnant, but will miss the nights I spent there as a Marymount college student.

Java Shack will be turning into Commonwealth Joe in 2015. I felt luke warm on Java Shack so I am optimistic about this change.

And rumor has it that Carpool in Ballston my close in 2015 and may be demolished to make way for more high rise residential development. I hope that isn't true and we don't lose another quirky old favorite spot here.

Jay's is the clear winner in 2014 as they are still open despite years of talk of closing and the upper floor of the building being deemed unsafe.

Goodbye Eventide

Sadly and suddenly, Eventide announced last Sunday November 16 closed its doors for the last time. The high end three story restaurant was one of my favorite places in Clarendon since it opened in 2008 with expensive but well worth it food, a more upscale and intimate rooftop, and first floor bar which tried to be a little more upscale compared to its rowdy neighbors of Spider Kelly's and Clarendon Ballroom. This "Odd Bar" was more of a classy spot where you could order and Old Fashioned, with bourbon, and the bartender would push it across the bar to you with a cane.

I loved the second floor beautiful dining hall with extra tall ceilings - built before air conditioning to provide better ventilation in the 1920s - and fun felt doors to the interior booths. Menus usually varied depending what floor you were dining on, but I never had a meal on their second story that wasn't blown over by.

We don't have long to wait to meet Eventide's replacement, as ArlNow is already reporting that Don Tito will open their in Spring 2015. One the owners of this new beer and tequila bar is the famous (or infamous if you have a noise complaint out against him) Scott Parker. Two years ago Parker led a redesign of Caribbean Breeze into the successful and controversial Ballston nightclub A-Town, which is best known for its rowdy and over-the-top Sunday Funday brunches.

Rock the Roof Wine Night at Eventide

The highlight of summertime in Clarendon are the rooftops, and the rooftop party the night of on Wednesday August 6 is not to be missed if you are into wine. Rock The Roof DC and the Young Winos convinced Eventide to extend their rooftop happy hour to 4-8pm. Specials will include half priced wines by the glass, additional wine selections and regular happy hour prices. In case it rains the party moves to Eventide's first floor Odd Bar.

Arlington rooftop tour this Thursday

This Thursday August 22 Things To Do DC is crossing the river and going rooftop hopping in Arlington for the next in their "After Dark" series of events. The bar tour includes all four of Clarendon's rooftop bars: Arlington Rooftop Bar & Grill, Whitlows Tiki Bar, Eventide, and then finally Clarendon Ballroom. Tickets are $20 and includes no cover, no lines and $1 for your first beer at Arlington Rooftop, which is where the night starts off at 8pm. I'm hoping there will be more drink specials at the other locations too.

Thanks to the great new blog Rock The Roof DC for posting this event first. It's a great site for local outdoor events and taking advantage of rooftop fun before the summer ends.

Odd Bar at Eventide open now

Eventide's Odd Bar in Clarendon

One of my favorite local restuants Eventide recently underwent a moderate redesign. Now dubbed Odd Bar, the interior of Eventide's first floor has been redone to facilite more social interactions with standing-height tables and additional room to move around. The decorations are more industrial-modern, and it seems they are trying to appeal to a younger crowd with the addition of several TVs playing sports channels. The second and third floor have remained unchanged.
 
Eventide also includes a new dishes designed by Executive Chef Adam Barnett. Odd Bar’s menu features classic American fare with a twist like Buffalo Chicken Wings marinated in a slightly south of Buffalo sauce and blue cheese fondue, and new bistro plates like Steak Frites, teres major steak with herb butter and steak jus; Potato Gnocchi with roasted mushrooms and lemon hollandaise; and Virginia Sea Bream with broccolini in a brown, butter sauce.

My favorite features of Odd Bar are their happy hour sepecials until 7pm weekdays: a burger & draft beer for $15, Bucket of fries for $3 or The Bronx cocktail at $5.50.

Great Date Scenes - Eventide

In the first of a new series of posts highlighting good dating venues in Clarendon, here is a much over due review of Spider Kelley's/the Ballroom's sister restaurant.

Eventide opened last year and quickly became good competition for the renowned Liberty Tavern nearby. Its a three level wine lounge and classy restaurant very close to the Clarendon Metro stop.

Eventide's personality changes depending on where you sit, as each of its three floors has a different menu. The ground floor is a wine bar and lounge, the second story is a formal dining room, and the roof is more casual and airy.

Its a great date spot, as the great food and classy atmosphere make for good conversation starters. The Pan Seared Alaskan Halibut, pictured here, was beautiful and delicious on a bed of pasta balls and peas. The Compart Farms Pork Chop is a more masculine choice, having excellent flavor and being served with spicy sausage and spinach.

Expect a formal dinner for two with wine to run about $100, so it definitely is in the upscale dating venue category in Clarendon. But you could also have a more causal and less expensive date on the roof deck, if its open. Beware: reservations aren't accepted for roof seating, so its bound to be packed when the warm summer weekend nights arrive.