Hope you enjoyed your Labor Day holiday; Round-up of news for the past week and a half

• Read my post on where to watch the Top 25 college football teams in DC this season.
• Bar News
  • Openings
    • Bar Charley (Dupont) (Facebook page): neighborhood spot notable for relatively cheap craft cocktails ($7 tiki cocktails on draft, $8 classics like an Old Fashioned) from the owners of Jackie’s (Silver Spring) and El Chucho (ColHi) opening near 18th and T next to Lauriol Plaza on Thursday, Sept. 5th. Extremely excited for this place to open in my hood (WaPo/Hahn, Washingtonian/Best Bites, PoPville)
    • Dacha Beer Garden (Shaw) (Facebook page, Twitter page)): beer garden opened at 7th and Q on Wed. Sept 4th. 12 taps (mostly Belgian & German brews), will be open till 10:30p Mon-Th and midnight Fri-Sat. Boots are $14 for a liter (WCP/Young & Hungry, PoPville, WaPo/Hahn)
    • El Centro D.F. Georgetown (Website): the popular 14th St. Mexican joint opens up this Friday Sept. 6th in the completely transformed former Third Edition space at Wisconsin & M. 2 floors and an outdoor bar/large patio seating 55 w/ a fire pit off the 2nd floor (WaPo, BYT, Eater, PoPville, Revamp)
    • RedRocks (H Street) (Twitter page): 4th location of the local pizza chainlet opened its largest location (6800 sq ft) at 13th and H on Wed. Sept. 4th;  seats 250 seats over 3 floors, 3 full bars, a roof deck, and retractable roof. Expect this to be fairly popular, even late night (Washingtonian/Best Bites, WaPo, WCP/Young & Hungry, )
      
    • 2 Birds 1 Stone (U Street / Logan Circle) (Website, Twitter page): “approachable” 60-seat cocktail bar opened up on Tues. Aug 27th under the new Asian spot Doi Moi off 14th & S; from folks behind Proof & Estadio (WaPo/Hahn, Thrillist)
  • After over two years, the promised-basement bar, The Whiskey Cellar at Jack Rose finally opens to the public with whiskey on tap.  “The Whiskey Cellar Series,” a weekly event with a guest speaker educating attendees about different whiskeys begins Thursday, Sept. 5th. (Urbandaddy)
  • The Reef (AdMo): closed for good after complications from a stabbing by a bouncer. Lasted over 10 years on the 18th St. strip (WaPo/Hahn, WCP/City Desk, Washingtonian/Best Bites, DCist
  • As reported widely, the recognizable bar manager/head of security at the 9:30 Club, Josh Burdette, passed away unexpectedly on Sept. 1st. Read this touching obituary by the Post’s Adam Bernstein.
  • The landlord for the unpopular TruOrleans spot on the west side of H Street is trying to evict the restaurant/bar. Lots of woes for the spot: unpaid rent, bills, and a huge brawl over an unpaid bill (demonstrates why I generally avoid group dining/being waited at bars). (WCP/Y&H)
  • Fritz Hahn also lists good bars to watch college football, including a in-depth look at DC’s SEC bar, Mason Inn in Glover Park.
  • Hahn also notes that tiki drinks can be had on every day of the week, including at the Foggy Bottom Tonic at Quigley’s on Tuesdays, Hogo everyday, the Jack Rose tiki bar (upstairs in the back) Thu-Sun, including a great half-price HH on Thurs 5-10p, and the new Bar Charley everyday.
• Barred in DC Activity: 
  • Fiola (Penn Quarter): finally made it to the celebrated 4-6p HH at the fine-dining Italian restaurant; cheap ($5-6) fancy cocktails with cheap Italian bites
  • Teddy and the Bully Bar (Dupont): new restaurant/bar in Dupont; a good-looking space for folks trying to escape the 22 year olds outside, though I recommend turning off the lights and clarifying to the bartenders (and the menus) on what drinks are discounted during the late night happy hour
  • Thomas Foolery (Dupont): 2nd stop at this game spot; interesting unique sight: about 10 young Muslim (I presume) women (along with a baby in a stroller) having a ton of fun playing games and drinking milk and cookies at 1am
  • Public Bar (Dupont): great scene for Iowa Hawkeye fans
  • Buffalo Billiards (Dupont): great scene for Michigan Wolverine fans
  • GBD (Dupont): great HH (had a $3 bourbon punch and $4 fried catfish nuggets); if you like UVa, the manager and the main bartender are grads like me, so they may have the game on