Happy New Year! Hope you enjoyed New Year’s Eve with the help of Barred in DC’s most popular post ever (over 2500 hits)-the comprehensive list of NYE events at DC bars. Thanks to those Google searchers, three different Reddit threads, and a Yelper who led all those folks to this site.  Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook. On to the last DC bar news for 2013

• Bar Openings
  • Southern Efficiency (Shaw) – 1841 7th St. NW (at T) – (Twitter, Facebook) Opened Sat. Dec. 21st – the 3rd in the trilogy of adjacent bars (Mockingbird Hill & Eat the Rich) from Derek Brown focusing on bourbon and Tennessee whiskey and Southern food. There is a whiskey and smoked Cola on tap and you can also spend $5 to have peanuts in a glass of Coke (Washingtonian, InTheCapital, Zagat, Post, Eater, WCP, PoPville, BYT)
  • Ivy & Coney (Shaw) – 1537 7th St. NW (at P) – (Twitter, Facebook, website) Soft opened Sat. Dec. 28th, Officially opened Wed. Jan 1st – eagerly awaited tiny 2nd floor Detroit and Chicago-themed neighborhood spot from the Kangaroo Boxing Club folks. Cheap beer and hot dogs. Amazingly cash-only as a throwback. Rooftop deck coming in summer or fall. (Post, PoPville)
  • Simple Bar and Grill (Brightwood) – 5828 Georgia Ave. NW (at Military/Missouri) – Opened Tues. Dec. 31st – neighborhood bar and grill (PoPville)
  • RiRa Irish Pub (Georgetown) – 3123-3125 M St. NW – (Twitter, Facebook, website) Opened Tues. Dec 31st – Only Irish bar in Georgetown opens in the old Mie n Yu spot. Chainlet (about 10 US locations, including one in Clarendon). Very nice space, I predict it will be a hit, though this bar opening has been completely under the radar. (PoPville, Eater)
  • New Town Kitchen & Bar (U Street) – 1336 U St. NW (Facebook, Twitter, website) – Soft opened Sat. Dec. 15th, Officially opened Mon. Dec. 17th- New American spot opens in old Tabaq Bistro space, accommodates 600 (PoPville)
• Bar Announcements
  • Cause (U Street) – Officially closes for good on Friday Dec. 27th, vindicating Barred in DC and my anonymous source who reported the bar was closing back in August. The “philanthropub” just didn’t turn any profit. (WCP, DCist, PoPville)
  • The Getaway (Columbia Heights) – closed NYE, as earlier reported. Everything being auctioned off (PoPville)
  • El Rey  (U Street) – 919 U St. NW – ETA early January 2014 – taqueria & beer garden from Hilton Brothers, made up a shipping containers with a retractable roof. Gets detailed write-up (with picture graphics) of construction process from the Post, which is definitely worth checking out.
  • Bin 1301 (U Street) -1301 U St. NW – new wine bar in old U Scream ice cream shop gets a construction permit (PoPville)
  • Ultramint Sports Bar & Hookah (Petworth) -713 Kennedy St. NW – 15-seat tavern/sports bar with hookah gets construction permit (WBJ)
• Other News
  • The Derek Brown Shaw Bar Crawl-the top two bar writers in DC both describe an ideal bar crawl for the 3 new Derek Brown spots at 7th/T (Mockingbird Hill, Eat the Rich & Southern Efficiency)
    • Jessica Sidman (WCP/Young & Hungry) – pretty detailed, check it out
    • Fritz Hahn (Post/Going Out Gurus): “…Oysters and sparkling wine at Eat the Rich, then feasting on ham and sherry at Mockingbird Hill, followed by a nightcap of whiskey and dessert at Southern Efficiency.”
  • Eat the Rich (Shaw) reviewed by Tom Sietsma of the Post
  • The Passenger, Bar7, and Hogo in Shaw/Mount Vernon Square likely temporarily (at least) set to close by May due to construction of adjacent building (WCP)
  • The Big Hunt named one of the best 19 dive bars in America by Maxim Magazine. Well-deserved.
  • InTheCapital lists the best happy hours on Barracks Row in Eastern Market
  • Pretty cool PBR mural outside Solly’s U Street Tavern
  • New chef and menu at Bar Charley (Post). Also, Bar Charley is not a gay bar-hope this satisfies the random Google searcher who found this website.
  • The Argonaut gets approval for new patio layout to be covered with retractable greenhouse
  • BYT’s 2013 Food roundup is worth reading
• Barred in DC Activity
  • Estadio (U Street/Logan) – enjoyed a Pistachio Slushito, some tastes of Sherry and Madeira and a well-priced Sangria at the bar here. Fun bartender Mick too.
  • Clyde’s of Gallery Place (Chinatown/Penn Quarter) – enjoyed a few drinks at this sprawling bar’s daily 3-6p HH ($2.50 PBR, $4 Yuengling, $5 Absolut vodka drinks) on a recent Saturday before catching a movie. Favorite moment was the 40-something man quietly asking the bartender for a “Three Wise Men” shot (“I’ll pay in cash, real quick”) while wife in restroom.
  • 1905 (U Street) – Enjoyed the best rooftop bar in DC (though bar itself wasn’t open, had to go down to main bar to grab drinks) on an unseasonably warm December night
  • Thomas Foolery (Dupont) – Last ThurstDay of 2013 held at this goofy spot. Definitely had a Sweet tart-flavored shot of vodka with candy in it and some cookies
  • El Centro D.F. (U Street/Logan) – Checked out the covered (in the winter) rooftop bar, good crowd/spot for dancing on 14th Street (much more relaxed than the basement dance party)
  • 2 Birds 1 Stone (U Street/Logan) – My first trip to the new cocktail bar under Doi Moi. Fashionable crowd in a fashionable space. Had the $8 punch, which was a hot mulled cider that was quite good. Will need to sample one of the $14 cocktails at a future date.
  • Duke’s Grocery (Dupont) – Had a blast here for a lower key (but still bustling/fun) New Year’s Eve in the upstairs bar.