Recapping the week that was with bars in DC during this rainy week…

• Bar News
  • Mockingbird Hill, a sherry-and-ham bar (seriously), opened up on Friday deep in Shaw (7th and T NW). Excited about this cozy spot (seats 40); I knew it was from Derek Brown (one of the folks behind The Passenger & Columbia Road down the street), but just learned last week that he is partnering with his wife, Chantal Tseng-one of the city’s best bartenders who’s shown us some terrific drinks at Tabard Inn and other venues in the past. 54 sherrys are on the list (each comes with a few nibbles), along with 4 ham’s (not HAM).  Beers and cocktails (including the Green Hat & Tonics) on tap. (BYT, Tom Sietsma/GoG)
  • Suburbia, the latest pop-up DC bar (last year’s NY Avenue Beach Bar is no mas) opens up in the parking lot of the super yupster Union Market in NE, a few blocks from the NoMa Metro. The bar is set up in a 1960s Airstream trailer, serving $8 frozen drinks and $4-7 beers (including rotating local beers on tap). Cash-only, but sounds pretty awesome; only open Fri-Sat until July 11th. (Fritz Hahn/WaPo GoG)
  • The bar-ification of the east side of Connecticut Ave. directly south of Dupont Circle continues. PoPville (or his tipsters) spots an alcoholic license placard for NTH (National Tap House) at a current dry cleaners. Supposedly a sports bar, personally doubt it will differ too much from the nearby Public Bar, Gryphon and Madhatters, though I will continue to monitor as it’s only a couple blocks from home for me. (PoPville)
  • Over on 14th Street (north of U), the gay bar Mova announces that it will open a rooftop absinthe bar, called Le Fee Verte (The Green Fairy), and will begin taking reservations July 1st. It will have an unlisted phone number that you’ll have to text if you want to get in. As Young & Hungry notes, this will not last very long. (Young & Hungry, Eater)
  • More details about the 5-7p weekday happy hour at DNV (Donovan House’s rooftop bar in Thomas Circle): $6 Pimm’s Cup on draft, $6.50 frozen caipirinha drink. Other frozen cocktails, punches, & sangrias are $6-7, draft beers are $5. (Fritz Hahn/WaPo GoG)
  • Although the sequester didn’t cause huge widespread furloughs to most federal agencies, it did hit some agencies pretty hard. To ease some of this pain, Duffy’s in the U Street area announced it would begin hosting a DoD Thursday night Furlough Happy Hour July 11th and continuing the rest of the summer (perhaps fiscal year). $1 Miller Lite/Sam & Sam Summer/ PBR/Tecate, and 1/2 price menu from 4-7p (Duffy’s Website)
  • Washingtonian’s Best Bites Blog has a great post listing 20 (15 in DC) weekend happy hours.  Personally a huge fan of Black Jack‘s Sunday Funday happy hour, though it means that I’ve never sampled the supposedly solid cocktails there.
  • Bier Baron apparently has $3 mystery beers always available. Lets hope they’re not just Stroh’s or PBR. (Twitter).
• Barred in DC Activity: 
  • Elephant & Castle – first trip to this location of this British-themed chain for work happy hour, lighter & cozier than Pennsylvania Ave. outpost (Downtown-19th/I)
  • GBD – first post-happy hour/early-evening trip, biscuits as good as ever, as was the bucket of chicken shared with 2 other friends; pro-tip for beer drinkers who like variety-get the taster portions of many beers (Dupont)
  • The Gryphon – another first-made it to this newish sports bar/lounge late night on a weekend. Not crowded but  slow service at front bar, where the TVs are still turned on to sports; easier to get drinks at the back bar, where TVs are turned to music videos or off, and where folks create impromptu dance floors.  Better than Public Bar for the sports bar/lounge scene, less crowded than Madhatter for dancing. S0mewhat defensive on Twitter. (Dupont)
  • Estadio – sidled up to the bar to this upscale Spanish restaurant for the best G&T I’ve ever had (old Raj gin + orange/thyme house-made tonic; $12), a slushito (alcoholic slushee), and a $6 sangrai at 11p for nightcap (hard to get a barstool earlier) (Logan Circle)