Anyone looking for a bacon fix and a strong drink can head to Stanton & Greene tonight, which starts their soft-opening run on Capitol Hill. The bar/restaurant will serve a limited menu from chef Josh Hutter (also of neighboring Sonoma) until the official debut on Thursday. In the mix: a triple-bacon burger and cocktails fashioned by Wisdom/Church & State owner Erik Holzherr.
The three-level space takes over the building that once occupied the Pour House, and was completely refurbished with mid-19th century grandeur in mind. The sidewalk-level floor includes a dining room, while an Art Deco-style bar above can be used for crowded evenings or private events. A basement concept, slated to be the fanciest of the three, is still in the works.
The menu of classic cocktails and throwback dishes take the same throwback cues; think oysters Rockefeller, trout almondine, French dip sandwiches, and bourbon punch (see a preview of the menu here). The kitchen also takes modern creative license, like with the Greene burger. The towering dish is fashioned out of two six-ounce beef patties mixed with ground bacon, then topped with smoked gouda, onion rings, bacon aioli, and more crispy bacon, all served on a pretzel roll. You may want to loosen the stomach muscles in advance at happy hour, which runs Monday through Saturday and offers the likes of $4 draft beers, $6 cocktails, and discount bar snacks. A classic Mai Tai with aged El Dorado rum sounds tasty any time of day.
Stanton & Greene. 319 Pennsylvania Ave., SE.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
