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Esteemed Cocktail Bar Columbia Room Adds a Spritz Garden in Blagden Alley

Plus, Clarendon go-to bar Whitlow’s on Wilson is closing in June

Aperol cocktails get paired with olives, marinated artichoke hearts, meatballs, and whipped gorgonzola.
Aperol cocktails get paired with olives, marinated artichoke hearts, meatballs, and whipped gorgonzola.
Maya Oren/MOJALVO
Tierney Plumb is the editor of Eater DC, covering all things food and drink around the nation's capital.

High-end cocktail bar Columbia Room is opening a new, Aperol-themed outdoor setup in Blagden Alley it’s calling the Spritz Garden. Starting Wednesday, April 7, the bar will offer Italy’s iconic drink in various forms (read: frozen and low-proof Cynar varieties), with reservations accepted Wednesdays to Saturday. The drinks list includes a Negroni and watermelon Americano (Campari, Dollin Blanc, and watermelon soda). For food, there’s reliable subs from Columbia Room’s pandemic-era pop-up Your Only Friend, plus a short list of drinking snacks. Adorned with bright umbrellas, the alfresco addition aims to conjure European alleyway vibes with greenery and a mural from local artist Kathrine Campagna. Four dedicated tables on the street sit below its rooftop, which also opens at 5 p.m. To whet palates, there’s a virtual cocktail class ($75) on Saturday, March 27, led by Bourbon Steak alum Duane Sylvestre.

In other news...

  • Tiki dive Whitlow’s on Wilson will close at the end of June after a 26-year run along its eponymous Clarendon strip after lease renegotiation efforts fizzled. The brand is on the prowl for a new home, the team adds on social media.
  • There’s a little time left to vote for FishScale co-owner Brandon Williams in an online competition for “Favorite Chef” competition. The prize: $50,000 and a featured spot in Bon Appétit.
  • Adams Morgan brasserie Mintwood Place rounds out Women’s History month with a three-course collab with Catoctin Creek Distillery, Loudoun County’s revered whisky maker led by Becky Harris. The two-night boozy dinner ($50 per person, $75 with cocktail pairings) on Friday, March 26, and Saturday, March 27, donates a portion of proceeds to House of Ruth.
Catocin-cured gravlax rye (crumble, crème fraiche and cucumber roulade, salmon roe).
Holly Barzyk/Mintwood Place
  • Navy Yard’s Puerto Rican all-day cafe La Famosa rolls out a special pre-game menu when the nearby Nationals play at home this season. The affordable lineup ($3-$8) includes drinking snacks like adobo-seasoned pork rinds and tamarind-glazed pork shanks, plus mini piña coladas and Medalla beers by the can.
La Famosa’s baseball menu will be served starting two hours before games until the first pitch.
General Design Co./La Famosa

Columbia Room

1021 7th Street NW, Washington, DC 20001 202 393 0220 Visit Website