H St. NE

If I had cash and the economy wasn't in a tailspin, I'd buy property on H st NE. In five years, that area is going to be what Columbia Heights has turned into now. But its not quite there yet.

So for those of you headed to Justin Jones on Thursday night, or if you're just looking for some new places to go, here are my recommendations:

Travel - Cab it from Union Station. Seriously, its like, just over a mile so it's not a bad cab ride, but you don't want to walk on certain stretches of this route late at night, while other stretches are fine. There apparently is a shuttle run by Joe Englert, owner of several of the bars in the area, but it only runs at certain times on certain nights. Take a cab. If you are coming down here at a respectable hour from the hill, the streets just north are much more pedestrian friendly, and everything is fine to the south and west of H and 4th NE.

Where to go - Granville Moore's (12th) seems to have solidified it's standard as #1 destination after Bobby Flay lost his Food Network Challenge - Mussels, to this Belgian eatery. The place offers 5 different preparations of Mussels, craft beers (watch the prices, though), and a few different wines. Ya gotta kinda go with the flow with regards to the service though, but there are various specials on different nights of the week. Stick with the Moules Frites (Bleu Fromage style is the one that beat Flay), grab a belgian beer and be happy.

Pap and Pete's (4th) is a charming little neighborhood bar at 4th and H. On weekend nights there is usually a pretty mellow live jazz or music combo playing in the corner as the bar is filled up by regulars from the surrounding blocks. This is a no-frills and non-pretentious place to hang (no miller lite), but the main drawback is its location in correlation with the other H st hot spots. Trust me, I accidentally had a cab drop me off at 10th instead of 4th one night, and that is not a walk you want to make after 10pm.

The Argonaut (14th) is a pirate-themed place with good beer and decent food - a good alternative to the jammed Granville Moore's or if you don't care for Mussels (wtf?). Draft beers are pretty reasonable, but being called The Argonaut, rum drinks naturally reign to fit with the nautical theme. Rumor has it its gotten more expensive as of late, which would maybe make me thing twice about eating here, but this is probably my first choice on H st. for food and drink.

Rock and Roll Hotel (13th) - 930 Club, this is not. But its not trying to be. First of all, no, you can't get a room here. Upstairs there is a loungy bar with comfortable furniture and drunken jinga on certain nights of the week. Downstairs is a performace venue that is rumored to be able to hold 400 (though i'd think that would be pretty darned tight). Food is... well its better than 930 but thats not saying much. Drinks are too expensive, and they attract a pretty good crowd.