Inaugurated back in 2002, Paris Plage has become a permanent fixture of summers in the city of light, attracting vacation-deprived parisians as well as tourists. From mid-July to mid-August, the banks of the Seine voie George Pompidou in the center of the city look more like a seaside resort than a speedway, with sand, deck chairs, palm trees, a pool, pétanque courts and more… I totally think this concept could work really well here in D.C. (Anacostia Plage anyone?) but until that happens, I’m happy to wiggle my toes in the sand at the New York Avenue Beach Bar, which opened Friday night at, you guessed it, New York Avenue and 7th street. And apparently, Mayor Gray is a fan, dropping by for the ceremonial ribbon cutting and staying over to play corn hole (Anacostia Plage next year mayor Gray?? Pretty s’il vous plait…)
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| Mayor Gray playing corn Hole – picture courtesy of my friend Vlasta Hakes |
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| 70 tons of sand were brought in from Ocean City to bring the Beach Bar to life. |
As far as the bar is concerned (it is a bar after all), expectations are pretty high since the new hot-spot is the brainchild of Tom Brown, co-owner of The Passenger. The drink menu is centered around rum, and I’m happy to report I’ve spotted some rhum from Martinique, my favourite kind… bien sûr! The price point for mixed drinks seems a little high for me ($10 for a small margarita that wasn’t all that good and $5-6 for canned beers) but that didn’t seem to deter the 700 people who showed up the first night 😉
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| $10 margarita (but free corn hole) at New York Avenue Beach Bar |
For food, the selection is pretty good and the price point is more in tune with what you get… Shaw sandwich shop Sundevich has set up a food truck that’s not rolling the street but staying put on the beach and serving a selection of rolls like a bratwurst, a chorizo roll with chimichurri and garlic mayo, a half smoked rolls, a russian salad roll and a BBQ pulled pork sandwich with pickles. All are $5 and there’s a variety of sides offered as well, like potato salad, chips and dips (the dip being tzatziki which I love) and a small portion of peel n’ eat shrimp. I found out the hard way last night when my friends (some friends) made fun of me for saying shrimps that you don’t actually pluralize shrimp in English… who knew? Not this ESL girl 😉 But I know now, and I also know that at $5 these little boiled crustaceans hit all the right spots.
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| Peel n eat shrimp… not shrimps apparently 😉 |
So far, the New York Avenue Beach Bar seems to be a resounding success with the left-behind in the city on Memorial day weekend crowd. I’ve already been twice in the two days that it’s been opened (don’t judge me) though I’ve never stayed very long… the bathroom situation (porta potties basically) is a bit of a problem I think but then again, since the drinks are kinda pricey I don’t anticipate having to use the restrooms too much…
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| In addition to corn hole, beach chairs and hammock there’s also a jet ski… |
So, what do you say mayor Gray… can we talk DC Plage next year??
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