Early Look: H Street Country Club

The idea is a simple one: close your eyes and imagine playing putt-putt golf. You played when you were a kid, but there aren't exactly tons of courses close to the city, so it's been a while. Still, you remember: the colorful balls, the tiny pencils to keep score with, the fanciful courses with themes like pirates or dinosaurs. Now, imagine you can combine all of that with your love of booze. Because really, what goes better together than alcohol and golf clubs? Erm, we'll get to this later.

At any rate, someone decided to take a novel concept and run with it. And not for the first time, it was Joe Englert and two other investors involved in the Atlas District (H St NE, between roughly 9th and 14th). Although plans originally called for a much earlier opening, construction is underway and from the looks of the interior, they might actually be open by the end of February (although it certainly could be March or later, as these things go).

The name of the place is the H Street Country Club, a nod to the hoity-toity private clubs that were once the center of high-class social life in much of this country. In almost every way, however, it seems as if the nod is more of a nod, then turn to your friends and laugh about the sweater-vest you just saw walk by. You walk downstairs to the "Locker Room" where some fake lockers adorn the walls. The lower level will have pool tables, shuffleboard, and Skee-Ball (!), along with a rather long bar that should make getting drinks a cinch. If you're after some dinner or some putt-putt, you head upstairs, where the dining room and the golf course live. The food menu will have a Mexican theme. The full menu hasn't been locked down yet, but standards like quesadillas and nachos will be available both upstairs and down, with more complex offerings (like duck chilaquiles and lamb enchiladas) only available in the upstairs dining room.