Day 104 / April 14, 2011
Spaten Red?
Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu / Munchen Germany
| A | NG | P | G | VG | O |
...with fingernails that shine like justice...
As you should have figured out by now, live music is also another habit/hobby/passion/vice of mine. I have had an exceptionally busy spring concert season – believe me, it usually isn’t like this, it’s just that all the artists I like happen to be passing through town.
About 3 blocks from the 930 Club in DC, we found The Saloon, in the bustling U Street corridor, right near Ben's Chili Bowl. The Saloon has a lot of rules:
As you should have figured out by now, live music is also another habit/hobby/passion/vice of mine. I have had an exceptionally busy spring concert season – believe me, it usually isn’t like this, it’s just that all the artists I like happen to be passing through town.
About 3 blocks from the 930 Club in DC, we found The Saloon, in the bustling U Street corridor, right near Ben's Chili Bowl. The Saloon has a lot of rules:
- No standing.
- No TVs.
- Don’t be afraid to talk to your neighbor at the bar.
- Don’t order your drink and your food at the same time.
All of these rules are posted around the pub or in the menu. And I'm sure that there's a good reason behind each one. Despite all the rules, the staff was friendly, the place wasn’t too crowded, and the food was very good. The bartender even gave us a heads up that happy hour was ending, and let us pre-order out next round. I think we’ve found our new pre-930 Club hangout.
For dinner, I had the Spicy Saloon Sub, and I don’t see any reason to ever order anything else. It was a hot corned beef sandwich with hot peppers, mustard and some other stuff, and it was served with a great tangy red cabbage salad (see, I skipped the fries).
For dinner, I had the Spicy Saloon Sub, and I don’t see any reason to ever order anything else. It was a hot corned beef sandwich with hot peppers, mustard and some other stuff, and it was served with a great tangy red cabbage salad (see, I skipped the fries).
Before I ordered my food, I ordered my beer (according to the rules). I ordered a Spaten Red draft from the list on the menu. It was a good, crisp amber beer with a taste of malt, served in a tall wheat beer glass. But… when I went to do some research on Spaten Red, it apparently doesn’t exist. I suspect it may have been a Spaten Oktoberfest Marzen, but that’s a little out of season.
So, just to be on the safe side, I’m banking the Harpoon IPA I had at the 930 Club as the official beer of the day.
And who did we see at the 930 Club? See if you can figure it out from the first paragraph of their bio on Allmusic.com…
Best-known for their ubiquitous hit "The Distance," ???? epitomized the postmodern, irony-drenched aesthetic of ‘90s geek-rock. Their sound freely mixed and matched pastiches of widely varying genres -- white-boy funk, hip-hop, country, new wave pop, jazz, college rock, and guitar rock -- with a particular delight in the clashes that resulted. Their songs were filled with lyrical non sequiturs, pop-culture references, and smirky satire, all delivered with bone-dry detachment by speak-singing frontman John McCrea.
Did you guess? Scroll down and see if you’re right. And it was an awesome show!
I've walked by there but never tried it, I'll check it out next time. Another good pre-show place is a little further down across the street; Bistro la Bonne. Nice little French place, decent selection of beers on tap (mostly Belgian), and a great happy hour special: a huge bowl of mussels, cone of fries, and a beer for fifteen bucks. Glad the show was good, wish I could have made it.
ReplyDeleteDid you go on Thursday night? The guy in the Post slammed them in the paper, saying the show was short - too much talk and not enoough music.
ReplyDelete-HHH
Dude in the post is a tool. The show was a little short, but it was very good - a very unique sound. A few hundred people would disagree with the dude.
ReplyDelete