Tune Inn tuned out!

FIRE!

Last week I was really sad to read that the Tune Inn kitchen caught on fire. It's a well-known dive bar on Pennsylvania Ave., just a few blocks from where I lived in Washington, DC, southeast of the Capitol. Nobody was hurt, but the entire kitchen has to be gutted. Looks like it's going to be a while until one of Capitol Hill's favorite dives is back up and running. The bar, once featured on Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, is amping up support on Facebook, trying to raise funds to support employees while the fixing's being done.

In light of this event, I would like to take some time to explore the Capitol Hill bar scene, particularly the block of Pennsylvania Ave. between 3rd and 4th Streets SE (where the Tune Inn is located)...

First things first... the Tune Inn:

It's a little place. Narrow, long bar in the front, wood-paneled, booths in the back. What caught my eye the first time I walked in was the decor. There's local kitsch, plaques boasting pictures of little league teams the bar had sponsored, but most strikingly - animal heads. (Butts too, if you happen to wander towards the bathrooms...) You get a wide range of people here. Old men sitting at the bar. Capitol Hill staffers. The occasional family (during the day). They serve up your traditional bar food - fried, greasy goodness. I got the chicken strips and tater tots there once, quite tasty. The place has a lot of history. The same family has owned and run the bar since 1947. This bar has character, no doubt. It is distinctly American. Friends from Columbia, Mo. - it reminds me a lot of Booches. If taxidermy doesn't bother you, this place will make you feel right at home.


The Hawk n' Dove:

Oh dear... this was one of the first bars I went to in DC and I will certainly never forget it. The Hawk n' Dove (located right next to the Tune Inn) is an intern bar. It's dark inside, very sketchy looking. The first floor is not too far off from the Tune Inn... small, long bar towards the front, various taxidermy decorations. But it's much darker in here, a good place for Hill interns to run off too after a long, hard day of ingratiating work for which they are not paid. From 5-9, you see a younger crowd grabbing beers and cheap wings. My personal favorite was the deep fried "Capitol" onion - think bloomin' onion from Outback. Then after 10p.m., the party starts. The second floor of the Hawk n' Dove is home to a dance floor and DJ spinning top 40 hits and hip hop. The crowd is 18-early 20s (you can get in at 18, but all under 21s get wrist bands). It gets VERY loud. There will be no hope of a conversation. Late at night, there will be a line to get in. Not because the Hawk n' Dove is some fancy, pretentious, hyper-exclusive club - it's just small and can only hold so many drunken interns. As a 21-year old intern who loves to dance but is not totally into the club scene, I had fun here.

Pour House:

The Pour House seems to me like the definition of your standard bar. I didn't spend much time here, but when I did, it was just to sit with some friends, share a pitcher and chat. Everyone else was doing the same. There are a whole bunch of TVs if you want to watch a game, some arcade games and darts. There's music but it's not loud or distracting like the second floor of the Hawk n' Dove. No awkward animals popping out of walls like the Tune Inn. Just your standard pub to chill with friends. There is, however, a second floor here. I unfortunately missed this, but some of my friends got into a political fundraiser being held upstairs at Pour House - complete with free beer. All I heard about this night were raves - likely free-beer-induced, but nonetheless, keep an eye out for open bar fundraisers here.

These three bars are a pretty good representation of the Capitol Hill bar scene. It's nothing fancy. Not pretentious. Not classy. And it doesn't pretend to be anything it's not. If all you're looking for is a no-frills beer with some buddies after work, and you don't care if you are in the company of very old men or very young interns, head to Penn Ave.

Also on this block are some DC hot spots I've mentioned earlier in this blog... Good Stuff Eatery, We The Pizza and my favorite Starbucks in DC.