Duffy’s namesake Andy Duffy is again trading cold and snowy winters for a warmer climate.
The neighborhood tavern’s general manager and onetime owner will leave the District after April 6 to bounce around Florida and Costa Rica, according a statement he posted to Facebook yesterday.
Duffy, who founded the bar at 2106 Vermont Ave. NW roughly eight years ago, closed up shop and left for Florida in 2014. But when the bar reopened under the ownership of Duffy’s regular Casey Callister roughly one year later, Duffy returned as general manager.
Is there a connection between Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and the chicken wings at Duffy’s Irish Pub?
Not at all, according to Duffy’s general manager Andy Duffy. But that didn’t stop him from buying a Bernie Sanders-related web domain last week.
“I was just sitting around having beers when I thought of it,” Duffy said. “I actually got the idea because of when Trump bought Jeb Bush’s domain.”
How does U Street like its chili? That contentious question will be answered next month at Duffy’s (2106 Vermont Ave. NW) during the neighborhood bar’s first-ever chili cook-off.
On Feb. 21, 10 members of the community will gather at Duffy’s to see who has the best chili. But chili con melee this is not, said Duffy’s namesake and general manager Andy Duffy. The idea is to bring neighbors together for a friendly competition.
“It’s just something i kind of thought up over the weekend while I was eating a little chili,” said Duffy, who prefers “plain old Texas chili with beans and ground beef.”
“It’s not for people that are [professional] cooks. It’s for people that live within a few blocks of Duffy’s,” he added.
The winner of the contest will receive two VIP tickets to the bar’s St. Patrick’s day celebration and a plaque on the wall proclaiming them to be “Duffy’s chili champion.”
Though the roster for competitors is full, locals can still visit the bar on the day of the contest for drink specials and free chili samples. And there are plenty of interesting recipes in store, Duffy said.
“I know one guy wants to do vegetarian chili, and I know one person is doing a chicken chili,” Duffy said.
Though this is the bar’s first foray into cooking competitions, Duffy said he’s like to make it a yearly event.
“It’s a great opportunity to meet people that live in the neighborhood, Duffy said. “That’s what Duffy’s is, the neighborhood pub.”
Photo via Facebook.com/DuffysIrishPub
Mayor Muriel Bowser, Ward 1 D.C. Councilmember Brianne Nadeau and other local politicians cut ribbons at 14 Shaw- and U Street-area businesses during a “ribbon cutting roundup” organized by Shaw Main Streets earlier today.
Duffy’s Irish Pub (2106 Vermont Ave. NW) and U Scoot (1949 Vermont Ave. NW) were two of the businesses honored with a ceremony.
“We’ve been open since June, but it feels like it’s official now that they’ve come here and cut a ribbon,” U Scoot owner Andre Esser said.
Bowser was scheduled to cut ribbons during the openings, but had to cancel many appearances — including ones at U Scoot and Duffy’s — at the last minute.
Duffy’s general manager and former owner Andy Duffy laid out dozens wings in anticipation of Bowser’s arrival, but when he cut the large red ribbon, he was joined only by Nadeau, new Duffy’s owner Casey Callister and Shaw Main Streets Executive Director Alexander Padro.
As attendees left the pub with to-go boxes packed with wings, Duffy and Callister said they were just happy to be recognized, even if the mayor herself couldn’t make it.
“We’re very grateful to have that kind of support,” added Callister. “I think it shows that we care about businesses here in D.C. and our politicians care.”
Blocks away at U Scoot, Esser echoed the positivity. “It was a success,” he said. “[The mayor] wasn’t here, but it was still nice.”
Photo of Mayor Bowser via Twitter/MayorBowser
The famous wings at Duffy’s Irish Pub have an official comeback date.
For $15, customers can eat as many wings as they can stomach at a pre-opening wing feast on Sunday, Sept. 13 from 1-4 p.m.
The wing feast will double as a Nationals viewing party, and patrons will be able to watch the Nationals take play the Miami Marlins on the pub’s newly installed televisions.
“This is kind of an initial welcome back between us and the neighborhood,” said former Duffy’s owner and current general manager Andy Duffy. “It’s a fun event to get the neighborhood back involved and re-meet our neighbors.”
But it won’t be just like old times. The pub will not serve alcohol at the wing feast due to an in-process liquor license. But Duffy said he expects to receive the liquor license and open start pouring beers later in the month.
The pub made headlines last week when Duffy announced its re-opening.
Duffy said excited neighbors have already stopped by the pub as he has been preparing for the reopening.
“A guy came by yesterday with his kid in a stroller and looked in the window, then 10 minutes later he came back with a six-pack of Guinness to welcome us back,” Duffy said. “We’ve had stuff like that happening all week.”
Photo courtesy of Duffy’s
Duffy’s is coming back.
The bar, which was heralded as D.C.’s best Nats bar by the Washington Post when it closed last November, will again serve its famous wings when it reopens at 2106 Vermont Avenue NW in mid-September.
On Saturday, the pub launched an IndieGoGo campaign seeking $150,000 to help with the reopening. Contribution perks include half-off food and drinks, credit toward future bar tabs and the chance to rent out the bar for an entire night.
Former owner Andy Duffy says he will return to serve as the pub’s general manager. Manning the ship as owner will be Casey Callister, a local film producer and longtime Duffy’s regular.
“We are going to reopen regardless of whether we hit the goal,” Duffy says. “The lease is already signed.”
Although the ownership has changed, the general feel of the bar hasn’t, says Duffy.
“There will be new furniture and some things the customers won’t even notice,” he says. “We’re going to concentrate on the wings.”
But Duffy hopes customers will take notice of one small change: the addition of fish and chips to the menu. “Casey is a huge fish and chips fan, so we’re going to do the best fish and chips in town,” he says.
For Duffy, the reopening couldn’t come soon enough. He says that when his restaurant and bar closed in November, he moved to Florida and got a job waiting tables at a Bonefish Grill.
“I was completely broke when I left,” Duffy says. “I literally didn’t have a dime to my name.”
Though he says he enjoyed not being the center of attention for a while, Duffy is eager to get back to the way things were before.
“I’ve been here for about five days now painting and renovating. I’ve been inside the place day and night,” Duffy says. “I’m full of energy and focused and ready to go. We want to start off strong on day one.”
Image via Facebook.com/DuffysIrishPub
Duffy’s Irish neighborhood bar. (Luis Gomez Photos)
From Rachel Nania. Check out her blog, Sear, Simmer & Stir. Follow Nania on Twitter @rnania, email her at rachel[AT]borderstan.com.
Duffy’s Irish Pub at 2106 Vermont Avenue NW is soliciting signatures from local residents to extend its seating to an outdoor patio.
The petition, available on SignOn.com, currently has 33 signatures; Duffy’s is requesting 50. A general statement from residents at The Rhapsody, a residential apartment building at 2120 Vermont Avenue NW that has a total of 162 units on 6 floors, supports the expansion.
The statement says, “We the undersigned residents of the Rhapsody wish to express out support for outdoor seating at Duffy’s. He has been a good and generous neighbor for six years and we believe that he would be respectful of our privacy and keep noise to a minimum.”
Duffy’s is currently open Monday through Thursday until 2 am and Friday through Sunday until 3 am.
Get an RSS Feed for all Borderstan stories or subscribe to Borderstan’s daily email newsletter.
Borderstan welcomes new contributor Laetitia Brock. Email her at laetitia[AT]borderstan.com. You can follow her at @FrenchtwistDC and on her own blog French twist DC.
DC soccer fans: Where will you watch the Euro 2012 tournament? (Laetitia Brock)
Yes, this weekend is Capital Pride and we’ll all be celebrating the unique heritage and history of the LGBT community here in D.C. but it’s also the first weekend of the Euro 2012 soccer tournament. Soccer players are quite attractive and fit, so one really doesn’t have to exclude the other.
The Euro is all about a different kind of pride… European national pride. Pride in the beautiful sport. Pride in calling football “football” and not “soccer” and to know you belong to a small, misunderstood sports fans minority here in the U.S.
Every four years, we Europeans take pride in hating one another: all in good spirit, of course. Because of the time difference, most of the matches are shown in the middle of the day. Which is great on weekends when we all want an excuse to start drinking at noon. On weekdays, it’s a little trickier… though you can always sneak out for a “long lunch” and watch the games at the few bars and restaurants that will be showing them in the area.
Veranda. If you’ve made the connection that the exterior of Veranda pretty much matches the Greek flag, you won’t be surprised to hear that the Logan Circle restaurant is throwing its weight behind the troubled Galanolefki. Poor Greece (and I for once I don’t mean bailout poor) has the tricky task of playing Poland, one of the host nations, in the opening game of the tournament. Not fun. So, take a long lunch break (or the afternoon off, I mean it IS Friday, after all) and come watch the match at noon on Veranda’s big HD screens. Then come back the next day, there’ll be a lamb on a spit. And soccer too. Though the football will be done by the time the lamb is ready (6ish).
James Hoban’s Irish Restaurant and Bar. The boys in green rarely get to go to international tournaments (sometimes because of a French hand and a bad call from a referee) and this is only their second time ever qualifying for a Euro Cup. They’re in a tough qualifying group that includes reigning world cup champions Spain, four-time world cup winners Italy and Croatia, which is ranked 8th in the world. But who doesn’t love an underdog? And Guinness! Both Irish pubs are showing all tournament matches live but I think the Irish game would be particularly great to watch there, with $4 Heineken and $5 Guinness specials.
Duffy’s Irish Pub. Duffy’s would be a great place to watch the Ireland games too, except they’re only showing the weekend games. They will have $3 Tall Boys of PBR available, but since their kitchen only opens at 5 pm (and the games are either at noon or 2:45) you can actually bring your own food or order delivery from one of the many nearby spots. Potluck anyone?
Barcode. Duffy’s is only showing weekend games? Well, Barcode on the other hand is only showing the weekday matches…
Local 16. Is showing all of the weekend games on their outdoor screens during brunch. Always a great place to enjoy the food and drinks.
Lucky Bar. Lucky Bar is always one of the better spot to watch the beautiful sport. On weekends, and maybe even during the week, it will fill up really quickly, so I recommend you show early, or even call ahead and book a table.
Public Bar. If you can make it up the stairs, Public Bar across the street offers $3 Peronis during the games, which is bound to attract supporters of the Azzurri. Italy-Spain should be a great game (Sunday, June 10 at noon) but be careful with those Peronis. You’ll have to make it down those stairs eventually…
Buffalo Billiards DC . Showing all the games live with $3.50 Heineken drafts and $3.50 Newcastle drafts specials.
Ventnor Sports Cafe. While they ask patrons to kindly leave their vuvuzelas at home, Ventnor will be opening up early for lunch everyday to screen the Euro Cup matches. Most of the games will be aired on ESPN and I’ve found that if you ask nicely and there’s no other big sporting event going on, restaurants with a television are not opposed to switching the channel for you (thanks Commissary and Stoney’s!). Though that doesn’t seem to include Estadio, who told me they only show “classic” soccer matches on their television sets… A final option for die-hard soccer fans is to hop on a plane to the Ukraine. According to this Washington Post article, there are still some tickets left for some of the games.
The UEFA Euro 2012 starts Friday, June 9 at noon and ends July 1. We’ll update the post once the teams have been narrowed down to the eight quater finalists. In the meantime, you can find a complete schedule of matches on the tournament’s website. May the odds ever be in your team’s favor!
Like reading Borderstan’s Food & Drink stories? Get an RSS Feed for the F&E Section, or an RSS Feed for all Borderstan stories.
Duffy’s Irish Pub at 2106 Vermont Avenue NW will Irish dancing on St. Patrick’s Day. (Luis Gomez Photos)
From Alejandra Owens and Laura Herman. On Twitter: follow Alejandra on @frijolita and Laura @Lmhhabs. Alejandra also writes about food at at her site, One Bite At A Time.
Few things say St. Patrick’s day more than a green beer, an Irish band playing in the background and singing an Irish ballad or two.
Okay, so where does one partake in the green-beer-singing-hopping around fun? D.C. might not be Boston (or New York or Chicago), rich with Irish pubs and a history of Irish immigrants, but we do have a few great bars to enjoy the day of the patron saint of Ireland.
Laura and I pulled together of best bets and a few good deals for when you make your way out this week. Do you guys have plans to celebrate? Where will you be?
Bars to Hit and Their Best Deals
- The Blaguard falls just outside the boundaries at 18th Street and Florida Avenue/U Street NW, but is a hidden gem of a bar.
- Duffy’s Irish Pub is the District’s Irish bar in resident. With Irish dancers, an Irish bar, Guiness and Jameson girls and green beer, you better get there early. There’s no cover from noon to 2 pm, $5 from 2 to 3 pm and $10 after 3 pm. The first 200 people get a free T-shirt to commemorate the day. Don’t forget to grab $2 Green Jello shooters and $5 green beer. Duffy’s is at 2106 Vermont Avenue NW, across from the 9:30 Club.
- James Hoban’s Irish Restaurant is located off the southwest side of Dupont Circle (address is 1 Dupont Circle) and serves up dishes such as Irish Stew and shepherd’s pie along with other pub favorites like burgers and fish and chips. Happy hour prices will last from 9 am to 2 pm, so that’s $5 imported drafts, $4 domestic drafts, $4 imported bottles, $3 domestic bottles and $4 rail drinks and glasses of wine.
- Solly’s Tavern is a long-time favorite you can go to on St. Patrick’s Day, at 11th and U Streets NW.
- Maddy’s Bar and Grille can’t be called thew newcomer to Dupont any longer. With a loyal following, lots of space and solid bar food, you can’t beat it! Location is 1726 Connecticut Avenue NW, just south of S Street on the west side of the avenue.
