#8: Banana Cafe & Piano Bar

I spent a summer in the District when I was 20 and let me tell you, it was the pits.  I wasn't allowed in many restaurants after 8pm and there are very few things I could do on a Friday night that didn't involve watching credits at the end.  One of the highlights of this summer occurred when my best friend Krystin visited and we ventured to Banana Cafe in Eastern Market.  I haven't forgotten the favor that Banana Cafe paid me by actually letting me in and to pay them back, I brought Matt for an adventure when I had much more money than I did as an unpaid intern.

We were originally going for the piano bar upstairs, but upon arrival, we realized we were a bit early.  So we went downstairs and had a filling, affordable meal.  Banana Cafe's website says it's "renowned for its Cuban, Mexican and Puerto Rican cuisine," and we were quick fans.  I went to town on some delicious chimichangas and while Matt's entree choice is fuzzy, he did have some pretty awesome plantains.  And then came the entertainment.

Matt's a good sport and can have a good time virtually anywhere.  So he was already pretty content with the concept of a piano bar.  He had no idea what he was in for.  Gordon Kent is a fantastically talented entertainer who would be worth watching for his talent alone.  What makes him even more impressive is what he does as one man.  The man interchangeably plays saxophone, trumpet, and of course, piano, while singing, yelling at the crowd to get louder and taking requests.  And if playing those instruments weren't impressive enough, it's worth noting that he's blind.  Feel inferior yet? 

From Banana Cafe's site:
http://www.bananacafedc.com/piano.htm

We hung out at the bar and listened to Gordon play a range of recent songs and oldies, from Outkast to Bob Seger.  The bride-to-be in a bachelorette party took to the "dance floor" (space in front of Gordon's piano) with an 85-year-old birthday boy, the crowd sang and clapped along, and it was the most open, laid-back environment I've been in on a Friday night in awhile.  The happy hour is good (4pm to 7:30pm), the food is good, the entertainment is fantastic - the only negative of the night was when he took a break!

Location: 500 8th Street, SE (8th & E SE) Map

Closest Metro Stop: Eastern Market (orange/blue)

Cost: Happy hour has $3 margaritas, beers and rail drinks; Dinner was about $30 for two





#7: Einstein Memorial

Good old Albert Einstein.  Despite the number of times I've been called "Einstein," I've never really harbored any negative feelings towards the ol' chap.  Until I tried to visit his monument.  When you Google the monument, you read about exact locations and see photographs.  It looks like a nice hidden gem a stone's throw from the mall and without all of the people.  To put it succinctly: it looks lovely for a "local."

Apparently after 2 years here, I wasn't local enough.  We tried to visit the monument and wound up passing it at least 3 times, despite having the coordinates and a visual in my head.  The problem with the plan was that I didn't get all the way down to street view (an error I would never make again).  Street view shows you that the monument is obstructed from the street by a nice array of trees and bushes.  What does the maps view show?  A monument on a corner.  To me, that's the easiest thing to find.  Alas, I was wrong.

A few wrong turns led us to the Vietnam Memorial (which was good, since Matt had never been) and then the Lincoln Memorial (which was good but less so, as we were getting impatient), before we broke down and asked for directions.  Many vague fingerpoints and another time asking later, we finally found our way to the monument.

It was lovely.


Photo from Wikipedia

Quiet, shady and imposing, the monument really was beautiful.  In fact, being hidden was part of its appeal.  Monuments in DC fall into two distinct categories: climbers and lookers.  This is certainly a climber.  Little kids swarmed the monument while others posed for pictures right in front.

But I can't say I'm happy about it.  I was tired and - dare I say - slightly bitter.  For a "ah, we'll see it and it'll be a quick, great adventure!" type of adventure, this one left me apologizing quite a bit.  But it's worth a visit, so go there already.  Just don't look like an idiot trying to find a genius.

Location: 2101 Constitution Ave., NW.  Directly on the corner of a nameless street and across from Henry Bacon Drive.  Map
Closest Metro Stop: Foggy Bottom (orange/blue) or Farragut North (orange/blue)
Cost: Free

#6: Crackle Bar

On the top floor of Georgetown's seafood eatery sits Crackle Bar, a quaint, New Englandy beach bar that offered us some of the best happy hour deals we've seen yet.  They were out of the $2 margaritas that we ventured there for, but we didn't mind replacing them with $1.50 beers and $3 calamari. 

The bar itself had wooden floors and walls with various nautical props decorating the room.  Flat screen TVs hung on the walls and the vibe was energetic, with a mixture of young professionals and college students.  We sat on barstools at a counter overlooking M Street and received quick service despite the room being packed.  While our experience didn't last too long, it was a nice stop for a quick and cheap happy hour - with a snack (calamari) to boot!

Photo from "Crackle Bar Debuts Happy Hour" on Metrocurean

I can remember this goodbye being surprisingly hard for me - it's so rare that we hang out for just a short amount of time and then commute our own separate ways.  But I'm hooked (+1 for a Crackle Bar pun?) so it makes sense.

Happy hour runs weeknights from 5-7pm and has $1 oyster shooters, $3 calamari, $0.50 chicken wings, $5 steamed shrimp, $1.50 bottles of Bud and Bud Light and $2 frozen margaritas.  Not a bad deal!

Location: 3245 M Street, NW (Upstairs)
Closest Metro Stop: Rosslyn (orange/blue) or Foggy Bottom (orange/blue) - the Circulator stops right nearby
Cost: $6 for two beers and calamari for two

#5: Tryst

I'm not one of those people that falls neatly into either generally skeptical or generally optimistic when it comes to places with a lot of hype.  So with Matt living in Adams Morgan, we left a good amount of stones unturned ("Best Jumbo Slice in DC" down the street from "#1 Jumbo Slice in the City"?  Hard to believe) while experimenting with the variety of places to eat, drink and be merry in the neighborhood.  Tryst was one of those places with a lot of hype.  So we approached it cautiously but eagerly after our trip to the Spanish Steps and we pleased with our snacktime adventure.   

Upon entering, I saw a scene out of any WB drama from the early 2000s: tons of couches, laptops and a saucy wait staff littering a HUGE space.  We found a cute table for two in the back between an iPod-budded student and a wine-fueled gossipfest and settled in.  To start, I ordered a banana smoothie that was enormous and especially satisfying on such a hot day.  To snack, I ordered Lebneh.  It's described on their site as "A Lebanese tangy yogurt served with za'atar - a blend of oregano and thyme-olives & lavash."  It was refreshing and a very generous portion.  Matt grabbed a variety of turkey sandwich (I believe "Grace": "sliced turkey, creamy brie, granny smith apple and cranberry sauce" but I could be wrong) and was happy as well.  It was definitely a "don't rush, take it easy" sort of vibe and those around us were certainly not budging.  Worth braving the scene.

Location: 2459 18th Street, NW (between Columbia and Mintwood)

Closest Metro Stop: Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan (Red) - 12 minute walk, or take the Circulator to the top of the hill

Cost: Around $25.72 for two (sandwich, dip, smoothie)

#4: The Spanish Steps

On a summer day in DC, spending any amount of time outside requires a worthwhile destination and a good supply of water. So when I asked Matt to go on an adventure in the beginning of the summer, it was a slight push to get us out of the air conditioning. But knowing that the shady, peaceful Spanish Steps were our destination, I pushed a bit and we were on our way.

The Spanish Steps are tucked away near Dupont Circle and after revisiting them several times, I can confirm seeing someone else near them just once. This is part of the appeal: knowing how close you are to the hustle and bustle of Dupont but actually getting to be alone and relax nearby.  Getting to the steps requires just a brief walk down S Street, past a few embassies and beautiful townhouses. Fortunately for us, the walk is almost entirely in the shade. The landmark kind of creeps up on you; look the other way for too long and you'll miss it.  But if you keep an eye out for it, you'll encounter old stone steps that wrap around a small fountain and come together in the middle. The steps are surrounded by some well-maintained vines and flowers and made me feel like I had stepped into The Secret Garden.  Looking down the steps gives you a nice view down 22nd Street and a different perspective of the city.  While the steps aren't very large, they are charming and a nice detour from busy Connecticut Ave.

(Lifted from My DC: Spanish Steps)

Once we walked from the top of the steps down to Decatur, we saw an old fire callbox and Matt taught me what they were. I claimed to have never seen one before but lo and behold, I walk past several every day. We then took a nice walk down Decatur in the shade and checked out the beautiful details of the houses on that street. These walks are one of my favorite things that Matt and I do - somehow, regardless of how many times we've traveled through an area - we always find something new to check out. And those moments are some of the few that I manage to stop talking for a little bit. The Steps ended up being just a starting point for a nice escape for us, though I could see it being a good spot to read a book or relax.

Location: S Street NW between 23rd and Phelps (or, coming from the bottom of the steps: Decatur between Florida Ave. and 22nd.)

Closest Metro Stop: Dupont Circle (Red)

Cost: Free

#3: Nooshi Sushi Crazy Hour

At the age of 16, I fell in love for the first time.  His name was sushi, and he was intoxicating.  My parents had inexplicably tried to keep us apart for too long and with one taste, I was hooked.  Since then, I've done my best to make up for lost time.  I haven't gotten past rolls for the most part (c'mon, I'm being encouraged to have cream cheese in my entrees?  Sign me UP), but I do try to order something new each time. 

While I knew it was impractical to make a list of adventures that read "try all sushi spots in all of the DC Metro area," I wasn't about to get through 3 adventures without making one pitstop to indulge first.  Our weapon of choice?  Nooshi Sushi.  I came across Nooshi while looking for good happy hours - Matt enjoys a well-made cocktail just slightly more than he loves barely paying for one.  So a sushi happy hour was like blending my heaven with his, and blend indeed we did.

Nooshi's "crazy hour" brings half-off all drinks: cocktails, sake, beers and non-alcoholic beverages.  Though we went on a rainy day, they have a little patio outside that's distinctly Farragut.  Inside, an enormous bar lines one wall while the opposite wall has big booths that continue to the back of the rather large restaurant.  Before going to Nooshi, I read that a reservation was mandatory because of happy hour crowds, but that didn't pose a problem to us on that Thursday night.  Then again, GWU was not in session and it's apparently a go-to for students there.

The sushi was average-priced ($5.25 shrimp tempura, $4.00 California and $8-$12 specialty maki rolls) and delicious.  I indulged and ordered (devoured) a dancing eel roll: BBQ eel, crabstick, masago and cucumber.  It was filling and a work of art.  Unfortunately, I get stage fright at restaurants and am reluctant to take pictures (read: embarrass Matt more than I probably already am), so you'll have to use your imagination.  (It's called the dancing eel.  Got it?  Good.)  We also split their Japanese Dumpling to start.  Though it was delicious, that's as far as we got on their dinner menu.  Other items on our table included shrimp tempura for me and spicy tuna and spicy crunchy yellowtail for Matt.  Not one complaint was uttered!

The Happy Hour runs from 3pm to 7pm on weeknights.  Besides sushi, Nooshi also has a fairly large lunch and dinner menu, with noodles, teriyaki, and other dishes.

Location: 1120 19th St, NW (between L & M streets), Washington, DC 20036
Closest Metro Stops: Farragut West (Orange/Blue), Farragut North (Red)
My Cost: $29.29 for dinner (two sushi rolls, spring rolls) and drinks (one cocktail, one iced tea)

#2: Sonny Bono Memorial Park

In keeping with the theme of surprising landmarks within our stomping ground, for adventure number two we found our way to the Sonny Bono Memorial Park.  After far too much wandering, we found the park - a small triangle of fenced-in grass near New Hampshire, 20th, and O Streets NW.  The park has some small benches, a Japanese maple tree and some flowers, and is a quaint little place that is easily overlooked in such a high-traffic area.

The plaque in the park reads: "In memory of my friend Sonny Bono 1935-1998
Entertainer - Entrepreneur - Statesman - Friend"

A little research taught me that buried 4 feet under the plaque is the sheet music to "The Beat Goes On," Bono's congressional cufflinks, a coffee mug from Sonny's Italian Restaurant and other Bono-related gear.  Supposedly the park's founder, Bono's friend Geary Simon, asked Bono's friends for contributions to the underground vault.  Among other items, Simon received two sealed envelopes that were buried as they were given to him.  Adding mystery to an adventure?  Bonus! 

Once we had finally found the park, I darted over and caught the attention of some passers-by, who asked what we were looking at.  One of them said, "I've walked past here 20,000 times and never knew that was here!"  Ta-da, mission accomplished!

Location: New Hampshire & 20th Street, NW
Closest Metro Stop: Dupont Circle (Red)
Cost: Free