Omega D.C.

In the mid-'80s, the Frat House was one of the District's hottest gay bars. But hard times and increased competition caused the crowds to dwindle. So, like so many gay bars, the 20-year-old landmark has reinvented itself, transforming into the Omega D.C. The effect has been revitalizing.

The two-floor bar has undergone a dramatic refurbishing. The downstairs room shed its dingy collegiate-library trappings in favor of a techno-swank look: turquoise walls, video monitors virtually everywhere (including one embedded into the entrance floor), an impressive new sound system, a seating area that doubles as a stage and lots of tasteful male-oriented artwork, including a vintage poster from "Querelle." A more recent innovation is a piano bar in the second downstairs bar.

Upstairs, you'll also find two bars. The neon-purple main room is presided over by convivial bartender, Perry Morehouse, as close to a gay bartending legend as Washington. has ever seen. For the trendy, the back bar serves cigars and martinis, though most folks opt for the latter. It boasts a pool table, and during our last visit still had one of our favorite pinball machines – "Johnny Mnemonic" – on which we could play for hours.

– Randy Shulman