If it’s true that American wine consumption is on the rise, then Tallula is certainly the place to inbibe. But those prime midweek to weekend nights can be seriously hot. Ever since the old Whitey’s space re-opened as a swankly decorated wine bar/restaurant with an inventive menu, getting a table can be tough, but worth it.
Anyway, apart from the anomaly of last Friday, I don’t really hang out at night outside the District – not that I’m adverse to it, it’s just that drinking and driving hasn’t been my thing since the Capitol Police pulled me over one late night (then again, I don’t even drive at all anymore!). So my favorite time to go to Tallula is during the day on a Sunday, as I did yesterday.
A dear friend works there as a hostess and we arrived just in time to join her for a late afternoon glass of vino. It was quiet, the bar sparsely populated by folks watching football at the bar or reading the paper in one of the cosy nooks. My girlfriends and I settled into a corner and pulled the gauzy curtains closed – with the sun streaming in it was a wonderfully relaxing cocoon. We leisurely ordered some of the delicious bite-sized “amuses” – risotto fritters, baby burgers, pulled pork BBQ – and a few glasses of wine, of course. Tallula truly stands out with its selection of wines by the glass, with over 65 available. It’s a lot of fun to sample a few pours and the reasonable pricing (you can get half or full pours) means you can be more adventurous than you might normally be when faced with the pressure of ordering a bottle.
It was a brisk autumn afternoon in the perfect place to slowly nosh and sip while catching up with friends.
Now, if only I could do that every day…
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
As one of the founding editors of We Love DC, Jenn’s passions are theater and cocktails. After two decades in the city, she’s loved every quirky, mundane, elegant, rude minute of her DC life. A proud advocate for DC’s talented drinks scene, she’s judged the Corcoran Gallery of Art’s ARTINI contest, the DC Rickey Month contest, the Jefferson Hotel’s Quill Cocktail competition, and is a founding member of LUPEC DC. A graduate of Catholic University’s drama program, she toured the country as a member of National Players, and has been both an actor and a costume designer before jumping the aisle to theater criticism. Writing for We Love DC restored her happiness after a life-threatening illness, and she’s grateful to you, dear readers. Send your suggestions to jenn (at) welovedc (dot) com and follow her on Twitter.
