[R. Lopez]
Tonight marks the official opening of Sixth Engine, a new restaurant in Mount Vernon Square from the folks behind The Dubliner and Town Hall. Set in an historic firehouse — built in 1855 and the oldest in DC — Sixth Engine will be serving modern American cuisine from former Town Hall chef Paul Madrid. And while the restaurateurs have previously been more on the bar side, owner Gavin Coleman says this one is "definitely more restaurant than bar."
The menu includes things like burgers, duck scrapple, pot roast and lobster tortellone. Accompanying that will be a list of craft beers — though Guinness will still be on tap considering that these people also own an Irish bar — and "thoughtful" cocktails that Coleman says won't be over-the-top. For oenophiles, there will be 50 to 60 bottles of wine with half-bottles highlighted.
As for the design, Coleman says they're not necessarily focusing on the fact that it's in a firehouse — as in, firehouse kitsch — but rather on the history that comes with that. So there's a portrait of the architect adorning the walls, plus portraits of his other works such as Eastern Market. There's also a picture of the mayor from the time when the building was commissioned. But, of course, there is still some firehouse kitsch: a mural of a fireman rushing off to a fire, another mural of the ladder company's logo and also a model fire truck among them.
Sixth Engine opens at 5 p.m. to the general public — just in time for the weekend.
· Sixth Engine [Official Site]
