georgetown bars 1970s
And awesome. And then Bistro Francais on M, where everyone would show up at 3am and stay till dawn. I bartended, waitered and managed the place from 1975-1980. Brad, you might be right, but what I read is that Flack started at the Georgetown Mr. Henrys and then the club owner, Henry Yaffe, recognized her talent and then built a room for her at his Capitol Hill location. In the Washington Post, January 7, 1982, there is an account of the unfathomably named Richard Hamilton Herrud Houghton III. What started out as a trip to bid on a collection of antique beer steins at a tax auction for the oldest saloon in the city, resulted in Stuart and John becoming its new owners. Check out this websiteto learn more! Rhino Bar is the old Winstons, which I agree was a staple for years. Those were the days.Let me tell you. At Commander Salamander, punk rockers in concentration camp coiffures gobble up New Wave merchandise just like the middle-class consumers they disdain. The abuse? It transitioned toWinstons Pumphouse in 1972, and then in 1996 it became Rhinoa popular if not beloved Georgetown Universitybar. The customer wasnt charged, but he wasnt able to finish his meal, either. He's the author of a new memoir, "Meet Me at the Bar, I'm Hungry." The antique-lined bar at 75-year-old seafood restaurant Crisfield. Meanwhile, the bars upstairs, outdoor patio was a tiki bar complete with kitschy totems. By fww2. Meanwhile, the bars upstairs, outdoor patio was a tiki bar complete with kitschy totems. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Back on Wisconsin Avenue, Mr. Henry's of Georgetown bar and restaurant, where gays and straights mingle freely, is so demure ("We're not a cruise bar, hon," said waiter Mark Redell) that families and heterosexual couples sometimes wander in, only to look around and walk right back out. Photograph: Courtesy Blues Alley. It was a safe spot to meet. The article Revisiting the 1980s Heyday of Georgetowns Fabled Preppy Bars by Aaron Goldfarb was originally published on InsideHook. Open in Google Maps. As for Richard Hamilton Herrud Houghton III, that original WaPo article is literally the only time his full formal name would ever be mentioned in the annals of American journalism. The Bayou was a music venue and nightclub located in Georgetown, Washington, D.C.[1][2] The club occupied an old building at 3135 K Street, NW, in Georgetown, under the Whitehurst Freeway for forty-six years. There are out-of-town families trying to decide where to eat: "But I don't want steak" went the refrain recently outside Dino's Steakhouse. It was closed in 2015 due to high rent and is now Club Monaco, a clothing store. ORileys Pub, opened in the late-1970s by two Georgetown alums one who owned an old warehouse, the other who simply had a catchy Irish name. And hes especially fond of the saloon, a style of establishment for which Georgetown home of the original Clydes became famous. 293 views, 6 likes, 4 loves, 2 comments, 1 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Preserving LGBT Sites in Metro DC: The Georgetown Grill, from 1948 to 1977, became a popular gay male hangout, especially. Where else can you watch drama, comedy, tragedy and farce for the price of a drink? One of the premier music spots in Washington, D.C., the small club served as the genesis for entertainers and as a tryout venue for larger markets. I personally took comedians Redd Foxx and Richard Pryor to Brits. By Joann Stevens. Mike tells tales on himself, like the time he saw a customer abusing the dish he most loved to make: a veal chop stuffed with prosciutto and Fontina cheese. American Cafe was great, a landmark endeavor for Georgetown and the food industry. It closed in 1989 and is now the Running Company. A rich tan (and were not talking about the Q.T. It then became a French bistro and then Five Guys and now &Pizza. Looks like Old Glory is the last one standing. This bar created Georgetowns punk rock scene. acid jazz and electronica, following the establishment of a variety of bars and clubs in the area, most notably The Black Cat (which was co-founded by Dave Grohl, another native of the DC punk scene). By 2002 Bebe had moved in. "I'm getting disillusioned with gay life," said the 39-year-old man. This became the preppy list-restricted George-more popular with a slightly older 20-something crowd of transplant Southerners-which itself recently became Chinese Disco. My friends Craig and Ardith and I would go there several times a week for happy hour, for years approx 1974 to 1977-ish. It's what they call a "listening room," with little signs on the tables firmly requesting that customers not chitchat during performances. They chat, window-shop, kiss under the Whitehurst Freeway, throw change to street musicians, carry vendors' red roses, sit on cars and play the radio (sun roofs and hatchbacks open) as if settling down for a day at the beach. Reportedly decked in khakis and polished penny loafers, blond hair and blue eyes, he was a Georgetown junior at the time. And remember when there was Boogeys or Boogies, where now we have the Apple Store? All info on Bar Poliesportiu De Monserrat in Montserrat - Call to book a table. In Blues Alley and Charlie's, jazz-lovers sip drinks and converse in muted tones. Loved American Cafe. If the Ivy League look had been around since the early 20th century, with a true scene emerging by mid-century, it would be mainstreamed into preppy culture by the start of the 1980s. 1050 30th St. NW The steakhouse was called Dinos Paramount steakhouse and served the best sizzling steaks in the city. "My dog's better'n that," replied Costner. Panelists include: Storz, in Kelly green bermuda shorts, planted a noisy smooch on Smith's lips. Sign up now for more from the Beltway. I think that may have been replaced by American Cafe, which was very popular. Just ten years ago, such an outcome would seem impossible, but after a few years of relentless closures, the inevitable has come about. Pool. I think the gay steakhouse was called Paramount? For more discriminating tastes, there are establishments like the Pisces Club, F. Scott's, the Georgetown Club, Charlie's Georgetown, Chinoiserie and Blues Alley, which are protected from the masses by understated facades and locations off the well-trodden Wisconsin-and-M pathway. This brought a huge influx of teenagers from the DC suburbs to Georgetown on Fridays and Saturdays that, when combined with the sizable university population, led to swells of 20,000 to 30,000 patrons, many of whom travelled by car, during the nighttime.. This bar (known primarily as a gay bar) was famous for being the place where Roberta Flack launched her career. Jammed upstairs and down. This building used to house The Cellar Door, a live music club thatplayed host to famous artists such as Jimmy Buffet, Patti Smith, Carole King and manymore from1965-1981. $66. There are a few prerequisites [for entry], wrote WaPo. Georgetown is a multicultural and international hub now which I think is a positive thing.. 1. The best was very comfortable. The action stops only after 2 a.m., when serving liquor is forbidden, and the streets slowly empty as people try to remember where they parked. At least Quick Pita lives on!! The price is $66 per night. Your email address will not be published. homestead high school staff. Clarke-like bar/restaurant, a reference to Manhattans iconic preppy paradise. Bill Scanlan: MTITV, filmmaker of The Bayou: DCs Killer Joint . "We wear our boxer shorts and some say 'Oh, my God, who are these guys?' The scene was burning so bright, however, that it couldnt possibly last forever. lolAnyone remember Cafe de Paris and Sundowner Club? oh, but they were just south on M~ Cheers to those Great Times . While Chinese Disco had long since moved locations to Prospect Street NW, even it would close in 2018. In 1985, The Third Edition exterior acted as the stand-in for the titular St. Elmos Fire bar in the Joel Schumacher film about recent Georgetown graduates. Garretts: GM spent many hours at this bar in his early 20s. The owner sold it to a corporation and then it began to slide. Espaol . The current location, near the White House, has been its home since 1983. The loss of a significant number of Georgetown's bars and late-night options has run contrary to the neighborhood's population growth. Here at 4E we asked these questions and did the research into Georgetowns bar history, and no this is not a shameless plug for my final research project. Michael OHarro: Tramps and Champions I worked there. ", "Ma'am," said the Winston's manager, gazing on the exhibition with horror, "I hope you don't think they reflect my clientele.". But Mike always had a soft spot for the bar both sides of it. Though Lisa Birnbachs iconic 1980 Official Preppy Handbook was meant to lampoon the aesthetic, it instead galvanized it, and, just like the early-aughts Brooklyn hipster movement, all irony was soon stripped away. Modeled after turn-of-the-century Chicago taverns, it offered a 50-foot-long bar, gold-painted ceiling, solid oak floor and elevator doors repurposed from Manhattans Waldorf-Astoria. English . Then it was taken over by the famous disco club Tramps, run by Washington Playboy Mike OHarro. For previous columns, visit washingtonpost.com/johnkelly. Vernon College girls in Pappagallo shoes, McMullen blouses, Villager skirts and Liberty sweaters; Georgetown Foreign Service School types in some of the first Gucci shoes and Paul Stuart suits seen in Washington: tousled Irish Catholic kids in jeans and tweed sportcoats, whose great regret in life was not being old enough to have gotten drunk with Dylan Thomas at the White Horse in Greenwich Village.. Cerphe Colwell: musicplanetradio.com. Nightlife. The Georgetown bar culture was filled with much more than loafers, gingham, pleats and shoulder pads, wrote McGovern. Log In. Have you ever heard the rumors of Georgetowns bustling nightlife and bar scene in the 1980s,1990s and early 2000s? Every Friday night, he would head to The Day Lily, a red and gold velvet-walled Chinese restaurant, a seedy spot that would seem beneath his social class. Remember in the 1980s, DC wasnt doing well, says Alana McGovern, a Georgetown alum who wrote about the neighborhoods bar scene over the years for a project entitled Booze to Bougie. As for Mr. Henrys, there may have been one in Georgetown, but Id go to Mr. Henrys on Capitol Hill, upstairs, to see Roberta Flack. They go to good colleges or have good jobs.. There was one at Tenly Circle and the famous Mr. Henrys of Roberta Flack fame is at 601 Pennsylvania Ave SE on Capitol Hill. The announcement yesterday of the imminent closure of the Rhino Bar means that come March, there will be no more "college bars" left in the heart of Georgetown. Its still a lot like a frat party, except now, because of the recent prep craze, you might see a Marine or someone from [the bar] across the street just because its cool to be prep, explained another suffixed partier, Jean-Charles Dibbs III, then a barely-legal Republican political aide. It occupied the location of a former music club called The Shadows. Nor the fact that an endorsement from then-Mayor Marion Berry would make September 30, 1986 the final day 18-year-olds could legally drink in Washington. Had no regard for my coworkers. In his day, a good bartender worked fast. 5. Donal Leace, who sadly passed away yesterday in Texas from COVID19, use to play Sunday afternoon shows at Mr. Henrys on Wisconsin. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. It closed two years ago and became El Centro. The 9:30 club . 10. An American Bar, according to its marquees subtitle, it opened in 1963 in a former motorcycle hangout as the first full-sized bar in the District since Prohibition. Half of Mikes book is recipes, scaled down for household use, and half is behind-the-scenes reminiscences. Upstairs was a deli/market called Il Pane (thats Italian for bread). Georgetown Billiards: GM loved this place. Popular Mobile Games You Must Play In 2023, Revisiting the 1980s Heyday of Georgetowns Fabled Preppy Bars. Eventually, Wilkerson convinced Flack to give pop music a try. Now, its location is filled in with Fine Retailer (whatever that means). card. And this Georgetown dining room was the fanciest, Frenchest of them all. Some places, I fit right in. I was pretty cool with the bartenders and doormen and lots of ladies (current and graduates). Somehow we had to remake things so that those who wished could engage in political activity. James Muggy (Mike) Smith, a self-proclaimed "filthy rich" Indiana University student from Arlington, and Brian Storz, a Tulane University student from Savannah, Ga., met in the Third Edition this summer. Closed down long ago. Yes, a locals place had a great time. (202) 387-8411. During the Tramonte's ownership of the club, Paul Wolff was the front of house engineer. Fish Tails Bar & Grill. The space next door was Britches Great Outdoors, Britches of Georgetownwhich sold mens suitswas where Ralph Lauren currently is. Admittedly, the quiet Wendy Beamish (Mare Winningham) is the only real preppy in St. Elmos Fire (described as a sweet-faced, insecure preppy in the script) as Alec Newbury (Judd Nelson) has advanced into more of a mid-1980s yuppie with his slick hair and Gordon Gekko-esque contrast-collar dress shirts. The Death Knell of Georgetown College Bars, ANC Signals End to Moratorium But Delays Decision | The Georgetown Metropolitan, The Georgetown Metropolitan Forgets its Birthday Again | The Georgetown Metropolitan, Ten Years: The Recent Past | The Georgetown Metropolitan, Mayor Proposes End to Tavern License Cap in Georgetown | The Georgetown Metropolitan, Georgetown Looks Set to Double Tavern License Cap, Will it Matter? This group is now the most populous . Panelists include: Mike Tramonte: The Bayou Bill Scanlan: MTITV, filmmaker of "The Bayou: DC's Killer Joint" Richard Harrington: music critic, the Washington Post In my day. Interpretation of the news based on evidence, including data, as well as anticipating how events might unfold based on past events, Mike Soper, a D.C. chef who started out working in Georgetown bars in the early 1970s, at Bobby Van's restaurant in Washington. A note to Jacques: Before Lucianos on the second floor was Blimpies, the original foot long sandwich shop (theres still one up in New Jersey). Washingtons weird territorial placement in the American firmament also played a key role in the bar scene that emerged. "Now that's a babe," he said, pointing to a picture of a blond. I wonder if Rocky Horror Picture Show is still playing at that little theater across from Henrys? "Now which one of y'all is going to tell me that's her?" Reserve now, pay when you stay. Friendships often begin in Georgetown bars. Bros in polos and hungry clubbers start the night with massive plates of Irish nachos before climbing the stairs to the hot and heavy dance floor, wrote one review. Just ten years ago, such an outcome would seem impossible, but after a few years of relentless closures, the inevitable has come about. Kentucky Explorer. There was a Mr. henrys on Wisconsin Ave. in the late 1960s. "This is?" Washington, DC 20007 Outside Winston's rock 'n' roll cave, jean-clad youths wait impatiently to show identification to bouncer Wally Costner, whose 21 years of living are distributed through a 6-foot-5, 240-pound frame. It is currently a Zara clothing store. While Maryland raised its drinking age to 21 in 1982 and Virginia did the same in 1985, the District of Columbia held out, wrote Hunter Main for The Hoya Georgetown Universitys student newspaper in trying to explain the era. By 1980, WaPo was offering a laundry list of the clientele to expect there: Mt. The Boy-Whore World. There were family restaurants, jazz clubs, punk bars and average joe-type dives, many frequented by Marines from the nearby barracks. At first she considered the suggestion an insult, but over time she began making appearances at local clubs, both as a pop singer and as a piano accompanist for others. This week for Not So Long Ago, GM stops by Wisconsin Ave. just above M St. where the Vinyard Vines and Bebe shops now sit. Though Lisa Birnbachs iconic 1980 Official Preppy Handbook was meant to lampoon the aesthetic, it instead galvanized it, and, just like the early-aughts Brooklyn hipster movement, all irony was soon stripped away. [6] The club had a lower level area with a large raised stage and a wrap around upper balcony that overlooked the dance floor and stage below. Winston's is part of the cluster of bars in the 3200 block of M Street, which includes Crazy Horse, Desperados, Beneath It All and Paul Mall. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. But if it was, I would suggest that you check out this website to learn more. Only In D.C. Facebook page for more. "The Bayou was a mid-Atlantic icon," said Dave Lilling . J. Pauls would close a few months after that, marking the end of an era, according to Eater. Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/roberta-flack#ixzz1cew9n6YQ. Nor the fact that an endorsement from then-Mayor Marion Berry would make September 30, 1986 the final day 18-year-olds could legally drink in Washington. Donal was a protege of Roberta Flacks. Best jazz clubs in DC. http://www.answers.com/topic/roberta-flack#ixzz1cew9n6YQ, Neighborhood News Roundup: Your Receipt, Please Edition - City Desk, St. Elmos Georgetown | The Georgetown Metropolitan, From the Comments | The Georgetown Metropolitan, ICYMI: When Wootten Met Thompson at Jelleff. Milos Forman, R. Lee Ermey: More Than Movie Originals, Questions for Chloe: Positive Reinforcement for Better Sleep. Mr. Smiths: This piano bar abruptly closed last year, it immediately reopened in the space that Chadwicks occupied. He looks back on his career in a new self-published memoir: Meet Me at the Bar, Im Hungry (Dog Ear Publishing; $16.95 paperback, $26.95 hardcover). Photographer Michael Horsley documented the era with a fascinating series of 537 photos. Two recent college grads, Nicky Williams and Buff McDonald, asked The Day Lilys aging owner, Jim Chin, if they could start renting his restaurant for Friday night parties. [8], In the late 1990s, The Bayou was owned by Dave Williams (Cellar Door Productions), who was also responsible for putting on the concerts at DAR Constitution Hall and the Capital Centre. I once met John Waters and Divine there. Tastes in mixed drinks have changed. They have a gay following and the original is near Dupont Circle. I ran an escort service called the Stables and many of my models would meet there clients there. "He totally grossed her out," said Smith, with relish. Spent a lot of time at the tiki bar at Third Edition. Sometimes we take our pants off and it really bums people out, claimed James Muggy (Mike) Smith, a self-proclaimed filthy rich kid who was wearing a pink-and-green plaid bow tie and pink sweater when he was interviewed in yet another 1982 WaPo article on the scene. Or have you accepted the fact that M Street is an eerily too similar replica of your hometown mall? John Dominis. Also, Nathan's an elegant Georgetown bar is real big now." But Tramps was more than a disco. I could go anywhere in Georgetown and not spend a dime. For the record: Dinos Paramont Steakhouse, with a parking lot to the left, and Mr. Henrys to the right, and American Cafe to the right of that. In 1970, All Souls was the site of the Black Panthers' Peoples Revolutionary Constitutional Convention, an event staged with the strong support of DC's Gay Liberation Front. Drinks were different back then. Equally lamentable was the disappearance of Philly Cheesesteak. I guess it would be fairer to say she was discovered at the K St. club (the Bayou maybe?). And there was nothing gay about Dinos. All rights reserved. Blues Alley. C/Luis Garca Berlanga, 19-21, Valencia, Valencia, 46023. October 7, 1980. There were family restaurants, jazz clubs, punk bars and average joe-type dives, many frequented by Marines from the nearby barracks. There are two worlds in Georgetown. A one-square-mile neighborhood of cobble-stone streets and stately, federal-style homes centered around the intersection of Wisconsin Avenue and M Street, Georgetown nonetheless boasted more than 115 liquor licenses in an approximately 10-block area. Whats a Hoya with a fake ID to do these days? The idea was you needed to sell food at the bar, as well as drinks, because it took up so much real estate, Mike says. One amorous pair -- a man and woman -- eating dinner and oblivious to their surroundings, was asked, "Did you know this is considered a gay bar?". Before Il Pane, there was a very tasty Italian sandwich shop up on the second floor called Lucianos Cafe. The Washington, DC of the 1980s and '90s was a dramatically different place than the Washington, DC of 2017. Georgetown Most things at The Tombs aren't older than a college senior today. And the location, perfect! This location was first the Carriage House, a dining room frequented by many important social and political figures of the District. Then Hugh tossed the meat back onto the plates and said it was probably plenty tender now. Copyright 2023 InsideHook. Yes, definitely Mr. Henrys (Georgetown) was just above M street on Wisconsin Avenue, I think it was #1225. Unfortunately, in 1982 it stopped Staying Alive and closed its doors. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. Enjoy the seasonal outdoor pool and visit the 3 bars/lounges and poolside bar for drinks. This really does cap a disturbing trend in the Wisconsin/M area. She also found time for a social life during this period, culminating in her 1966 marriage to Stephen Novosel, a jazz bassist. The club, which was a regular stop on East Coast tours by UK bands from the late 1970s on, featured artists including U2 (their second show in the United States), Kiss, Guns N' Roses, Red Hot Chili Peppers (performing twice in 1988 which would be their final DC shows with founding members Hillel Slovak and Jack Irons), The Only Ones, Squeeze, Peter Tosh, Basia (1988, her first show in the United States), The Police, Phish, Leftover Salmon, Dave Matthews Band, Blue yster Cult, Lindsey Buckingham, The New Orleans Radiators, Hootie & the Blowfish, Billy Joel, Bon Jovi, Dire Straits, the Tom-Tom Club, Acoustic Junction, Steeleye Span, From Good Homes, Foreigner, The Kinks, Todd Rundgren (backed by Utopia on this stop of his 1978 Back to the Bars tour), Yellow Magic Orchestra and other artists that influenced the evolution of rock as well as rhythm and blues from the 1960s through the 1990s. While Chinese Disco had long since moved locations to Prospect Street NW, even it would close in 2018. The spacious bar offered martinis and Sinatra music, while a preppy look acted as the cover charge. Before the dawn reclaims the streets, there are myriad human sights and sounds, often in stark contrast. Prices and visitors' opinions on dishes. 12. Is everyone forgetting the Library? Mike, 63, is semi-retired now. In Nathan's, where sophisticated young professionals mingle before a backdrop of forest green walls and framed pastel hunting scenes, a lawyer explained his presence simply: "It's loneliness, the human condition. The East India Trading Company ( I think), another bar, in the basement of what was most recently Maxime. He said he comes to Mr. Henry's mainly for conversation.
