By Fritz Hahn
Friday, March 16, 2007
Comparing night life in Washington and its outer suburbs is pointless because they're different beasts.
Instead of having dozens of happening bars and restaurants grouped in destination neighborhoods, such as Clarendon, Georgetown or Bethesda, night life in Loudoun, Prince William or northern Fairfax counties is more community-based. Drive past most strip malls or village centers and you'll see a central place for residents to hang out and get a beer, whether that's a local tavern such as Spanky's Shenanigans or a national chain such as Beef O'Brady's.
Government statistics show that Loudoun County is among the fastest-growing counties in the nation, and as it expands, well-known local bars are keeping up.
Kirkpatrick Harris, who opened the comfortable Kirkpatrick's Irish Pub in Ashburn in 2002, was spending a Sunday house-hunting with his wife in Haymarket a few years ago when he saw a sign advertising a large, yet-to-be-built shopping center. He knew customers were driving to Kirkpatrick's from South Riding and other farther-out new towns, and he saw an opportunity. "I told my wife, 'If we ever open a second location, this would be it -- there's nothing else out here.' " Harris seized his chance, signing a lease before the shopping center was completed. The second Kirkpatrick's opened in June, joining the Harrises, who now live nearby.
Kirkpatrick's wasn't the first to expand its empire (for example, Leesburg's well-regarded Tuscarora Mill added Magnolias at the Mill in Purcellville a little more than three years ago), but no one has gone farther than the Herndon-based Ned Devine's and Ned Kelly's. Owner Graham Davies opened the huge Ned Devine's Irish Village in Sterling in late 2005 before unveiling a second Irish-meets-Aussie pub in Centreville last summer.
Those new arrivals join an already busy bar scene that mixes homegrown nightspots and national and international chains. There are Irish and English pubs, clubs with live music, places to watch the big game, bars that brew their own beers and atmospheric restaurants with martinis and draft selections to rival more popular spots inside the Beltway. And for the most part, they're free of cover charges, dress codes and attitude. This won't assuage the frustration of residents who want a cool upscale lounge or a place to dance to music other than rock or Top 40, but the exurbs still have plenty to offer. Here are a few of my favorite newcomers as well as some veteran nightspots that are occasionally overlooked.
The Bungalow46300 McClellan Way, Sterling; 703-421-3776
The Bungalow does its best to change your mood after a rough day at the office. Settle into a bright red or yellow bar stool, look down and check out the old vacation photographs, postcards and Hawaiian records arranged under the clear bar counter. Look up to see flags representing Key West's Conch Republic and the Outer Banks hanging overhead.
Beers arrive in 32-ounce mason jars as well as in standard pint glasses, and bartenders whip up margarita after margarita. Behind the bar is a huge backdrop done up like a battered old house with televisions in its windows. Flat-screen monitors show sports as well as a rotation of photographs from Mardi Gras and other past parties at the bar.
Every weekday brings a different happy hour. There's the Monday fiesta with $1 mini Coronas and tacos and half-price nachos, free pool for women Wednesday nights and complimentary snacks and discounted beers on Fridays.
Throw in dart lanes and a room full of pool tables and the Bungalow has everything you need to get away from it all, at least temporarily.
This branch of the Bungalow was the second of four locally owned bar-and-billiards combos to open in Northern Virginia, all with the same party-hearty vibe that draws crowds of ball-capped 20-somethings, though older patrons don't look out of place. If you're not the theme-bar type, the decor can feel a little overwrought and cheesy at times, but there's one more escape: Once warm weather arrives, there's a good-size patio outside.
The Firkin & Hound25031 Riding Plaza, South Riding; 703-327-4288
On our first visit to the Firkin & Hound, a friend and I sat at the bar trying to figure out which English pub it reminded us of: thick, floral-patterned carpet underfoot; whitewashed walls hung with old black-and-white photographs and a couple of logoed beer mirrors; heavy, black bar set with chunky columns; a rounded booth with red velvet seats raised on a platform and tucked into a corner.
Eventually, we decided that it wasn't reminiscent of just one bar but that it had most of the characteristics of community pubs we'd stumbled across in northern England.
(Note to British expats and Anglophiles: This Canadian chain isn't connected to the Firkin brew pubs in England, though they do name their taverns in a similar fashion.) Most of the space is devoted to the dining room, though a large game area features a pool table, video games and even one of those claw machine arcade games. (You're older now, but you still won't win the good stuff.) A nook to the side, which looks like a closet, hides two dart lanes. Want more entertainment? The pub has live music on Friday nights, a DJ on Saturdays and an Internet jukebox for all the times in between.
The Hound, as its staff calls it, draws a younger and more boisterous crowd than some of the other bars in this story, and the chatty bartenders have built up a rapport with their patrons, even if service sometimes slows because of it. It's the kind of place where I wouldn't mind meeting a few folks for a weekend pint. Just like those pubs in England.
Kirkpatrick's Irish Pub5351 Merchants View Sq., Haymarket;
571-248-6635
More than six years after leaving his job as a lobbyist to open a bar in Ashburn, Kirkpatrick Harris has learned a thing or two about running a neighborhood watering hole. That experience is what makes a visit to the Dominion Valley branch of Kirkpatrick's so enjoyable.
"It's everything that I couldn't do or didn't do with Ashburn," Harris says, starting with the bar area. The counter is long and segmented in smaller areas with screens, making for a more intimate experience. There's plenty of space between the bar stools and dining area, so when it's standing-room-only, you don't feel like you're crushed against other patrons. The attractive, wood-covered dining room and lounge areas are also open and filled with display cabinets, booths and high, round bar tables, most offering views of the televisions behind the bar or on the wall. No matter where you're hanging out, service is friendly, if sometimes a little slower than at the bar.
Though sitting with friends at the bar or on the large patio is nice, I prefer the rear club room, where the leather chairs, molded ceiling and crackling faux fireplace are more like a drawing room from a fancy private club -- well, one with flat-screen TVs.
On Friday nights, there's occasionally an Irish musician playing pub favorites or a band (such as Friday's appearance by acoustic rockers October Skies), but it's often karaoke, so you might want to check out http://www.kirkpatrickspub.com/ for the latest schedule before heading out. Saturday's DJ sets more of a dance mood, though that's being preempted on St. Patrick's Day for a full day of Irish music by Manny Bernardo, Laurence McKenna and Rocky Guttman, plus step dancing and other activities. A bonus: Kirkpatrick's never levels a cover charge -- even Saturday, when most Irish bars ask for $10 to $20 just to get in the door. "In college, I always hated paying a cover," Harris says. "I called it greens fees for a bar. And if I don't like doing it, I can't ask my customers to do it."
This Kirkpatrick's draws a different crowd from its sister location in Ashburn -- a bit older, sometimes bringing kids to dinner -- so some concessions have been made. Most of the pub is nonsmoking until 8 p.m., though puffing is allowed in the rear club room. Sunday brunch features a Celtic harpist and a full Irish breakfast (eggs, bangers, rashers, tomatoes, mushrooms) for adults, while kids can enjoy chocolate chip pancakes, bowls of Lucky Charms and age-appropriate TV shows on the televisions.
The adults turn out for half-price beer and appetizer specials at happy hour, the weekly poker tournaments or NASCAR viewing parties. And, the staff boasts, Kirkpatrick's is open from 11 a.m. to midnight 363 days a year. On Thanksgiving and Christmas, the doors open at 5.
Magnolias at the Mill198 N. 21st St., Purcellville; 540-338-9800
Most of the bars and restaurants in Leesburg or Sterling were shoehorned into new shopping plazas or malls built within the past 30 years. The stunning Magnolias at the Mill is an exception: This gorgeous old building began life as a flour mill in 1905, and when the restaurant moved into the space 99 years later, the owners kept most of the graceful three-story building intact, along with a number of the old wooden pulleys and buckets that hang overhead.
Full of naked, weathered wooden beams, walls and floorboards, Magnolias is striking in its simplicity. A wide-open layout inside allows you to see the rafters from most dining areas and staircase landings. Rare flashes of color come from Amish-style quilts hanging in small anterooms and the huge wine storage unit under the stairs.
Classy and minimalist, this is not a place to go when you want to get crazy. The atmospheric setting, low lights and great wine selection make it a date spot more than anything else. You can bring friends to sit at the bar and watch games on the flat-screen TVs, but you might do better to invite a special someone for a quiet drink or two.
Like its sister restaurant, Tuscarora Mill in Leesburg, Magnolias has one of the better beer selections around. My last visit found the taps pouring the insanely hoppy and pungent Green Flash West Coast IPA; Breckenridge's sweet, malty, amber Avalanche Ale; floral, golden Anderson Valley Poleeko Gold; and, for a hint of warm weather to come, the summery, citrusy Bell's Oberon wheat ale.
Speaking of Bell's, Magnolias just welcomed the Michigan brewer for its monthly beer dinner, which pairs selected beers with the chef's four-course tasting menu. The next one, on April 26, features beers from California's highly regarded Lagunitas Brewing Co. Tickets are $65, available from the restaurant, and include all food and drink.
For snacking, you won't go wrong with the flatbreads, which are mini-pizzas topped with a variety of meats and cheeses; the one with the chorizo sausage, spinach and five-cheese blend made the best impression. It's also worth noting the martinis, which veer toward the sweet-and-fruity end of the spectrum; the interesting wine list, which contains a few good Virginia bottles; and limited-time-only selections of wine.
A word of caution before you go: Don't think about ending the night at Magnolias, unless you're the early-to-rise sort. The bar shuts down at 10 during the week and midnight on weekends.
Ned Devine's Irish Pub Restaurant6208 Multiplex Dr., Centreville; 703-266-2194
On Friday nights, there's no bigger party in Centreville than at Ned Devine's Irish Pub Restaurant. The name may hint at a cozy spot for conversations and pints of Guinness, but the casually dressed 20- and 30-somethings crowding the dance floor and the two bars are here to groove and flirt while bands rock out in the background.
This is the third nightspot bearing the Ned Devine's name to open in Northern Virginia in the past six years. The first, a half-Irish, half-Australian pub called Ned Devine's and Ned Kelly's, arrived in Herndon in 2001. Ned Devine's Irish Village, a much more ambitious pub-and-dance-club combo, debuted in Sterling in late 2005. The Centreville location, the most recent addition, is the least Gaelic of the bunch. Its main feature is a large concert hall area that welcomes the more popular acts from the local alternative rock and cover-band circuits, including JunkFood, Welbilt or the '80s-centric Reflex. And when the music is over on Fridays and Saturdays, the crowd jumps up to dance to Beyoncé or Outkast. (Tuesday nights, on the other hand, cater to a different crowd with country music and plenty of line dancing.)
The main bar area (that's the section with the "Melbourne Gaol" sign and a number of tables and wooden booths) is more Aussie than Irish. Dedicated to the legendary Australian bushranger Ned Kelly, it features a life-size replica of his famous metal armor. Behind it, wax heads peer through the bars of heavy prison doors. It's all very Madame Tussauds chamber of horrors -- fitting, since Kelly was executed in Melbourne Gaol in 1880.
Despite the other entertainment options, which include Texas Hold 'Em tournaments every Monday and regular screenings of Six Nations rugby games, live music remains the best reason to head to Ned's. The cover is usually not too bad (about $8), and there's a coat check, so you don't have to lug your jacket around as you hop from the bar to the dance floor and back.
The Original Steakhouse And Sports Theatre43145 Broadlands Center Plaza, Ashburn;
571-223-0100
I've spent time at the ESPN Zone, which has, oh, 150 high-definition TVs, including a gi-normous 16-foot display. I've watched games at bars with dozens of televisions posted at every angle, so I didn't miss a single minute of a game. But I can't remember the last time I was as awed by a sports bar as I was by the Original Steakhouse and Sports Theatre a few weekends ago.
Sit at the long U-shaped counter and you're surrounded by 10 6-by-8-foot projection screens, all showing basketball or racing as large as life -- or larger. When they're all showing different games, it's a dizzying experience, but a lot of fun. It's hard not to be distracted, keeping your eyes from jumping from screen to screen. This is perfect for short-attention-span NCAA basketball viewing but bad for polite company. When the action is so in-your-face, you're going to lose track of conversation, unless it's yelling, "Did you see that?" while pointing at the closest movie-size broadcast.
Even the beers are outsized, but it's hard to say "no" to a large 22-ounce mug of Dominion Ale, especially when it's only $5.50. Bargain hunters will do well at happy hour, where the monster drafts are $2 from 4 to 7 on weeknights. There are nightly specials, too, including $1 bottles of Budweiser or $2 shots.
The high-ceilinged room isn't meant for large groups, especially if you're eating. (As you'd expect from the name, the restaurant specializes in cuts of carved bovine, though even the wings are available bone-in or bone-out.) There are TVs in the booth-filled dining room, though not as many and certainly not as large. There are even televisions in the foyer, so you can watch games while waiting for a table.
Vintage 5050 Catoctin Cir. NE, Leesburg; 703-777-2169
Some of the freshest and best beer in Loudoun County flows from the taps at Vintage 50, a brew pub that has taken over the space formerly occupied by Thoroughbreds. What sets the new Leesburg bar apart is that the man concocting its ales and lagers is award-winning brewer Bill Madden, who ran the show at Capitol City Brewing Co. and Founders.
After running down the taps at Vintage 50, I've yet to be disappointed. His Extra Special Bitter is the best in the Washington area to wear that famous name, a solid, malty example of the British favorite. Point of Rocks Pale Ale is tasty without being overwhelmed by hops, and its Belgian cousin, a hard-to-find Belgian Pale Ale, is tart and surprising.
Madden is still making his delicate German Kolsch and the delicious Wee Heavy Scottish Ale recipes he has carried with him since Cap City. His cask-conditioned ales, served through an English-style hand pump, weren't available on my last visit. The bartender explained that they'd simply run out because they hadn't foreseen how popular the beer was going to be.
Everything coming from the taps sounds good, so it's best to order the sampler -- five-ounce pours of any four from the six or seven beers on the list -- before deciding what you want to drink.
Unlike at most other area brew pubs, Vintage 50's bar area is a separate, intimate affair not dominated by copper serving tanks or brewing apparatus. (Those are on your right as you walk in.) At one end of the room is a raised lounge area with couches, leather stools and low-slung tables, which could have come from a higher-priced joint downtown. It feels like a VIP area, which is slightly odd when juxtaposed against the rest of the bland-but-attractive decor: high two-person tables, flat-screen TVs and plenty of bar stools.
Aesthetic gripes aside, I'll be back for happy hour, which runs from 4 to 8 weekdays and features $3 pints. Tuesday is an even better value: $2 beers and $2 jumbo pretzels. If you need a souvenir of your visit, Vintage 50 sells growlers of its beers to go: $12 for the 64-ounce resealable glass jug, and $8 every time you have it refilled.
Fritz Hahn is the bars and clubs editor for washingtonpost.com.
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