Hey BASHer's

We missed you while we were on our little break. We are gearing up for more happy hours in the near future, maybe not every week, but hopefully at least once a month. There are a couple of places I have come across lately that I want to try like Cuba Libra and 901 Restaurant and Bar.  Rashmi has been to Mad Ross Tavern in Arlington, and I have yet to conquer that one, plus there are a few new places that have popped up in the area. Lots of good times ahead. See you all soon! ~RB

Sorry no BASH this week!

Hey y'all Rash and I are headed to the lake to enjoy a girls weekend with friends. Sorry there will be no BASH happy hour this week. We look forward to catching up with you next week.  In the meantime, let us know if you come across and new places that we can try.

Cheer~RB

BASH Happy Hour @ ZEST BISTRO

ZEST is a cute little spot in the Barracks row area of DC. The decor is pleasant, the food tastey and the service great. Unfortunately, the bar area is rather small and made for a difficult HH for the 6 of us. We tried a few of the bar specials; meatballs with curry, the calamari, I remember the sauce being a bit sweet and tangy, and the hh chardonnay was decent. Overall, I liked the vibe in the place, but I would suggest you try it in sets of two. We could have sat at a table, the wait was not to long, but then we would have missed all the fun specials at the bar.  

 When the weather cools down I want to sit outside on this patio with my glass of wine.

 We added a few new BASHer's this week. Thanks to everyone who came out!

BASH @ Restaurant 3

Hello y'all and welcome to Friday. Wow how time flies, two weeks ago we BASHed at Restaurant 3 in Arlington, VA.  Even though I drive by this place regularly, I had actually never been there before. As Rashmi said the temperatures have been intense so we thought it a good opportunity to try it. My first impressions of this place; bar area is kinda cool looking, it has a huge mural on the wall, ample seating either at cocktail tables or in clusters with stools around a shorter round tables. I like the sound control; it wasn’t too loud so it was easy to talk to and hear others. It has a decent crowd, although a little older than the usual Arlington group. I agree with Rashmi, the service was okay, the beer specials great, the mussels were good but cannot compare to the awesome HH mussels at Lyon Hall. We thrive on happy hours specials and this place didn’t really have anything super to offer us on a Friday night.  While there I found out that they are known for their bacon and they have a bacon happy hour that looks pretty fun. I will have to try it out and report back, maybe this is the night to go. But otherwise to me the only saving grace is that they have the Morgan Syrah/Grenache (my current favorite red wine) otherwise, I probably would not go back. (Which I went back for a week later and also tried the potato fries with blue cheese, they were very good.)

Despite the sub par feel on the happy hour specials we had a fantastic time with the crew that joined us. B Gant, my hubby Ryan, Sona and Jonathan, and the Jones’s as well as a few other. Thank you all for coming out! 

 

Despite the sub par feel on the happy hour specials we had a fantastic time with the crew that joined us. B Gant, my hubby Ryan, Sona and Jonathan, and the Jones’s as well as a few others. Thank you all for coming out!

Restaurant 3 *Arlington/Clarendon*

Hello my friends .... I am a little late to this post, its been a crazy few weeks and with summer wrapping up, BASH is trying to get all our drinks I mean ducks in a row to continue through the fall.  I had never been to  3 in Clarendon and since it was our 11th straight row of 100+ degrees BASH decided to stay local.  It was the perfect reason to finally to go Restaurant 3.  Since Becca had been before, I am curious as to what her thoughts are now that we walk into these places with a different mindset ... Becca??

As for me, loved the ambiance, ample seating not only at the bar but the bar lounge.  For a beer lover, this is your place.  Not cheap but worth it, as I haven't seen a beer list as extensive and delicious in the Arlington area.  I must say the same but not gloat about it, the wine list.  They have Morgan!  I wasn't to crazy about their Friday hh specials (during the week it seems a bit better)  Service was OK, food was good and prices didn't seem anything to be happy about, especially during the 5 o'clock hour.  As you can tell I wasn't to crazy about this place.  However, I don't think that will stop me from going there again.

Becca and I did order the mussels.  I think Lyon Hall has spoiled us when it comes to their HH specials and the mussels.  That's the whole point right.  All in all, try 3 (No not the 3 Britney Spears sings about) especially during the weekdays, that's when they highlight their specials.

BASH is out of town the following friday, however, we have a few things up our sleeves that we can't wait to tell all our dedicated bashers about for our upcoming events.

Cheeers,
Rashmi

BASH HH Club is going to ZEST Bistro in DC

Hello friends and fellow BASH-er's,

Becca and Rashmi's happy hour tour is heading to ZEST Bistro on today around 6:00PM. The address is 735 8th Street SE. The closest metro is Eastern Market. There is a HH menu from 3-7PM but it is a surprise. This looks like a great spot, I am looking forward to trying it out.

http://www.zestbistro.com/contactus.html

If you are looking for something to do tonight come join us. Feel free to invite others you know. Hope to see you there, cheers!

BASH HH Club is going to Restaurant 3, Arlington, VA

Hello friends,

Becca and Rashmi's happy hour tour is heading to Restaurant 3, around 5:30PM tonight. The address is 2950 Clarendon Blvd. The HH menu features $3 drafts, $5 featured wines in bar & lounge areas from 4pm - 8pm. I hear the food has a southern flair, I am looking forward to trying it out.

http://www.restaurantthree.com/index.html

If you are looking for something to do tonight come join us. Feel free to invite others you know. Hope to see you there, cheers!

BASH @ PS7's

Hello friends and Rash thanks for the welcome back! Sorry I missed WOW, but it sounds like I didn't miss much....

I owe you all a update on PS7's.

When I walked in I thought I was going into a super fancy restaurant and I was going to be out of place. I made my way to the bar area and was a little more relaxed by the clusters of seating and groups of people.  I had a little time until Janis arrived so I made myself comfy at the bar.

Thinking back on this experience it reminds me of the tv series “Cheers.”  PS7’s is the kind of bar that if you attend a couple of times they will remember your name. The regular patrons and staff were super friendly.  Within ten minutes I had a glass of wine, a dish of popcorn and my neighbor at the bar was sharing his compari & hibiscus liquors and pizza with me.  I couldn’t have felt more welcome.

Once Janis arrived; we ordered the tuna tartare sliders, and the nutty goat cheese pizza.  YUM. I don’t know what happen ya’ll. I had such a good time, probably drank too much wine, I forgot to take pictures of my food. I guess I am just going to have to go back and do it again!!!

I did get this one of Janis and I. Janis thanks for coming out!

Rash is heading to Truckeroo 2 tonight. Half and M Street, SE. 25 food trucks and live music. Admission is free. Sorry I am going to miss this one too, hope you all have a fantastic time. The link is below for details. 

http://www.truckeroodc.com/www/

Happy Friday, see you next week.

~Becca

Whitlow's Roof Top

Hello my friends and welcome back Becca!  I wanted to take this time to give you my thoughts on Whitlow's rooftop .... b/c of the rain on Friday evening, it was closed. I thought to myself, no biggie, we will just hangout here in the main area.  Now you all know about Whitlow's, know where it is, probably have been there for their Sunday Funday brunch.  But really when was the last time you really went there to enjoy a drink??? It had been a while for me and so I wanted to give it a try.  Within minutes of getting a drink I quickly realized why I haven't been there in a LONG time.  I felt like I was in a sticky, smelly frat house.  Seriously.  My shoes were sticking to the ground, the bar was all grimy and the people, well, not to friendly.  Before I could even finish my drink I was out of there.  I quickly headed to Circa.  AHHH, the crowd, the food, the clean air and the good wine felt so much better.  Environment makes everything better and of course company.  That is when I sent out a BASH HH email and told everyone to come to Circa.  It seemed as though they were a little more pleased.  Now, I don't mean to "bash"Whitlow's, it may just be for some people and of course I don't want to dis the rooftop either.  I am hoping for better expectations then what I saw on Friday evening.

If you haven't been to Circa, BASH HH club will be happy to return there for an official happy hour!

Have a great week ya'll and hope to see you at Truckaroo II this coming Friday!

Cheers,
Rashmi

BASH DC HH Club goes to PS7's

Hello Happy Hour Crew. Tonight we are off to PS7's. I have not been here before and am really looking forward to it. PS7's is between 7th and 8th on I Street NW. The closest metro stop is Gallery Place China Town.  The HH menu features select $3 beers, $4 wines and a few discounted food options. As Rashmi is out of town enjoying San Fran for this lovely 4th of July holiday weekend, Janis will be joining me for tonight's venture. I hope to see some new faces there around 5PM.

 Cheers ~ RLB

http://www.ps7restaurant.com/index.html

Lyon Hall - Arlington, VA

Yeah, this place was pretty awesome. From the moment you walk in the door you are greeted by someone friendly, fortunately we didn't have to wait long for a table, and then a basket of bread and butter arrived.  Great first impression, I would say.  I started with a glass of vouray and the mussels of course. To my surprise they came with fries, yum!

While we sipped on vino and slurped up mussels we did enjoyed some people watching. No particular stories to share on that front other than we were in a perfect spot to see into the bar, restaurant and the patio outside.  Unlike Sonoma last week Lyon Hall has quite the happy  hour crew. It was during the people watching that we spotted the pretzel dish arriving at another table. We knew we had to try them and we were so glad we did. They were so soft and chewy, paring with the spicy mustard's gave them the perfect kick.

Another item I want to note is that the music selection was really fun and up beat. I caught myself singing a couple of times. Lastly, I want to give a shout out to Ashley for her excellent service which contributed to our fantastic time at Lyon Hall.  This week we had a couple of friends join us,  Karli from Chicago and Sona, thanks for coming out!

BASH HH @ Lyon Hall

I have to give Becca props of picking this gem in Arlington.  Not only is the ambiance nice and relaxing it does not smell like sticky beer (Mr. Days)  and its crowd is that of a "working crowd excited to be out on a Friday night with friends" And not necessarily to get smashed.

The service was awesome and the mussels, YUM!! Where can you find mussels on a HH menu for only $10.00 and a really good glass or two of wine half off during HH.  Did I mention that Becca and I couldn't resist the pretzel sticks and 3 different tangy and spicy mustards.

I have to say that Becca and I have the exact same thoughts here. I know I will definitely be making a stop there again whether with friends, or with a blind date; if it goes bad at least there is some decent people watching!

Till next week, which I am sad to miss, however, I think Becca will be picking a good place!

Cheers,
Rashmi

BASH DC HH Club goes to Arlington's Lyon Hall

Our tour continues at Lyon Hall in Arlington.  Location 3100 N. Washington Blvd. It is metro accessible on the orange line. Lyon Hall is a brasserie focusing on French classic cuisine. They offer a range of beers, as well as French wines.  HH Specials include $3.50 session beers, ½ price wines by the glass, $5.00 on a signature vodka drink, $10.00 mussels, $5.00 pretzels and $5.00 Frankfurters. It seems they have an array of items on their menu as well.  I am really looking forward to the mussels. Yay, can’t wait.

Hope to see you all there!

Cheers~RB

http://lyonhallarlington.com/

Sonoma Restaurant & Wine Bar

Hello friends happy Friday!

Bash DC HH is getting off to a slow start. I have been trying all week to get the post on Sonoma out to you all, but their online menu page has been down and I did not want to put incorrect information out there.

So before we get ahead of ourselves and move on to today’s HH let me give you our take on last week’s HH at Sonoma Restaurant and Wine Bar. 

Sonoma maybe an unknown gem. If you are looking for a low key place to relax with your friends, enjoy a few beverages, good food and hear the conversation this is the place to be. If you are looking for the love of your life maybe not so much…..

HH occurred on the second floor in the lounge area (see above). We happened to be in the mood for white wines that evening so we ordered the HH pinot grigio. A crisp white with a citrus taste, not bad for $5.00.  I would also like to note they offer a  $15 bottle of prosseco that we discovered was part of the HH specials.  This was a big hit among other patrons as well.

From the menu we split the house-made meatballs (AWESOME) and the spinach salad. The meatballs were AMAZING. I am not a total food so I will try to explain the flavors I enjoyed. The meatballs were made in a red sauce on top of creamy polenta; it was very hearty and flavorful.  The spinach salad was light and fresh; it included toasted walnuts, balsamic onions and charred onion vinaigrette. In case you didn't notice the salad was great, but I really likes the meatballs. I mentioned we ordered these from the main menu. Not going to lie I was a little disappointed that they did not have any happy hour appetizers, but none the less the food we ate was indeed yummy. 

That's it for Sonoma. I would definitely recommend trying it out. 

How was that for our first post? Let me know if there is any other information you are looking to hear about and we will make sure to include it on the next go round.

Now on to tonight's location.  Cheers~

Sonoma DC

Tonight is the first stop on our tour. We will be going to Sonoma Restaurant and Wine Bar. Sonoma looks like an amazing place to have a glass of wine. I can't wait to cozy up in one of their couches and try a few of their tasty appetizers.  They feature 3 happy hour specials for us to test. Plus, they are close to the Capitol South Metro stop on the orange and blue line, how convenient.

Hope to see you all there!

http://www.sonomadc.com/

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