Five O'Clock Meeting: Eventide

The cocktail list, currently heavy on citrus to complement the season, serves you well as you sit outdoors enjoying the end of a hot day. On a recent visit the bartender mixed me up a Vieux Mot ($10)—an absolutely delicious yet simple drink pairing the rarer St. Germain elderflower liquor with gin and fresh squeezed lemon. (Although perhaps he shouldn’t have told me it was the first time he was making this drink for a customer. I wouldn’t have known.) Bartenders pay attention to detail at Eventide—juice is squeezed fresh and then meticulously strained, and ingredients are measured to ensure proportions remain the way bar manager Steve Warner envisioned them. The Texas Rose ($9), a sweeter, more refined take on a margarita, is also a standout with Lunazul tequila, Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur, ginger/honey syrup, lime juice, and strawberry puree.

You will pay a bit of a premium to sit topside, however, as there are no happy hour specials available on the roof. Unlike in the downstairs lounge, nothing is half price from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. You can enjoy the rooftop atmosphere a little more economically by sticking to beer, although if you’re used to drinking cans of PBR, you might balk at paying $4 apiece. The rooftop selection also includes cans of Tecate ($4.50) and Dale’s Pale Ale ($5), and Flying Dog In Heat Wheat ($6), Miller Lite ($4.50) and Corona ($5.50) in the bottle. A menu of cold dishes specific to the rooftop, which includes a seating area separate from the bar, is also available, ranging from those perfect to share for a nosh (“Angry Shrimp” for $15, or house made charcuterie and a cheese plate for $10) to chilled soups, large salads and even some desserts that could make an entire light meal.

Downstairs, plush overstuffed bar stools, deep red and gray colors and details like artful glass holders for the beverage menus make for a definite lounge atmosphere. The design may try a shade too hard—one chandelier looks like something out of Hot Topic—but it’s the solid service and healthy beer list that you’ll remember anyway. The staff have an encyclopedic knowledge of the beer menu, which features a number of beers from nearby breweries, including the 60-Minute IPA from Dogfish Head, a porter from St. George Brewing Co. in Hampton, VA and the Jomo Lager from Starr Hill Brewing Co. in Charlottesville, VA. For Belgian-style fans, Eventide is eager to please with the La Fin du Monde triple from the Unibroue brewery in Quebec ($8) and the Garde Dog Biere de Garde from Flying Dog ($6). Beers are half price from 5 to 7 p.m., and two house wines are also served for $5 during happy hour.

The lounge also has its own cocktail and food menu separate from the roof. Some of Warner’s signatures include the Stilwell ($9) with Virginia Gentleman 90 Whiskey, Dubonnet Rouge and bitters; and the Peach Chumpy ($9), a mix of rum, white balsamic vinegar, preserved peach puree and ginger liqueur. The list also includes the de rigeur drink of the moment, a Jack Rose ($7) and other classics like an Aviation ($10) and an Algonquin ($8). For a good snack, try the soft pretzels with house-made peach mustard and deviled ham ($8). The two moist, doughy twists with the perfectly balanced salty and sweet sides bring the usually pedestrian dish to a whole new level. Other options on the lounge menu are roasted olives ($5), herbed fries with apricot-horseradish mustard ($6), grilled skirt steak ($14) and soup and a sandwich ($10)—grilled white cheddar cheese sandwich and lobster bisque.

Although there wasn’t a wait during either of DCist’s visits to the spot, Eventide’s management acknowledges that you may have to wait to get into the lounge as well—it has a similar overcrowding prevention policy that owners hope will create a more “conversation-enabling” atmosphere, according to Managing Partner Dave Pressley. They’ve had a pretty good response to the approach, he said, pointing out that “the people that hate us for not letting them pack the bar are exactly the crowd we didn’t want in the first place, so it’s working out fine.” Despite this policy, which leans toward the exclusive, the bar’s smiling service and simple, quality food and drink bring Eventide back down to earth.

Eventide
3165 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington, VA
Bar & Rooftop Patio open Tues.-Sat., 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Dining Room open Tues.-Sat., 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., plus Sunday Brunch, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
(703) 276-3165