Dr. Dremo’s, Arlington’s archetypal dive bar, has seen more drama in its existence than a whole afternoon of cheesy soap operas. It’s condemned! It’s open! The hurricane caved in the roof! It’s re-opened! It’s closing to make way for condos! The county might not approve the condos! It’s moving! It’s not! For the number of times Dremo’s has died and returned, George Romero ought to be making movies about it.
Through it all, people keep coming back to Dremo’s because the beer is good (Fuller’s ESB! On tap!) and it’s the opposite of foofy and pretentious.
Now, I like Dremo’s as much as the next chick who hates beer does, but there’s one thing I just don’t get.
How the HELL does Dremo’s stay in business in the summer? They don’t have AC. There is only one fan, an ancient, rickety, tabletop model pointed straight at the bartenders. The place is a freaking sauna. We went last night to hang out with some friends, but we only lasted 5 minutes because the air was more oppressive inside than outside.
I suppose this might have added to Dremo’s unique brand of always-one-step-ahead-of-condemnation charm, but then I made one simple request: I wanted a big glass of ice to pour my Diet Coke over.
There’s no ice.
No… ice?! How the HELL does a BAR not have ICE?! No AC and no FREEZER?! WTF?
(I realize this is not a shocker to most of you, particularly those in Arlington, but I do most of my drinking downtown, right after work, and don’t spend a lot of time at Dremo’s.)
I drank my Diet Coke as fast as I could, pausing only to hold the can against my forehead and neck to make up for the utter lack of air movement, and yet by the time I had nearly finished it, it was room temperature.
I don’t understand how any establishment in this area, even one with the history of tenacity that Dremo’s has, can attract customers without even some damn ceiling fans and a bag of ice from 7-11. We promptly left and headed for the Courts up the street, as did the other guys sitting at the bar with us.
Sorry Dremo. See you in late September.
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
Tiffany Baxendell Bridge is an Internet enthusiast and an incurable smartass. When not heckling the neighborhood political scene on Twitter, she can be found goofing off with her ukulele, Bollywood dancing, or obsessing about cult TV. She is That Woman With the Baby In the Bar.
Tiffany lives in Brookland with her husband Tom, son Charlie, and two high-maintenance cats. Read why Tiffany loves DC.
