(Via Facebook)

The latest trendy restaurant has brought out more than just the usual eye rolling about small plates, overpriced cocktails, or sexy steakhouses; it has spawned WMATA jokes.

A restaurateur looked out the windows of a new space in NoMA and was inspired by the tracks outside, according to the Washington City Paper. So he went full Metro on the place:

Every detail of the restaurant draws inspiration from the District’s transportation system: From the white and yellow subway tiles that line the walls to the train-themed cocktails on the menu…

The finished look is designed by Maggie O’Neill, who also worked with Gardner on Irish Public House and Copperwood Tavern, and includes framed street maps, crosswalk-themed wallpaper, and even a full-sized stoplight.

The cocktail menu adds to the theme, with drinks like the Redline, a sour made with peppercorn-infused tequila.

Surely this proves we are at the bottom of the barrel of kitschy restaurant themes? And surely someone somewhere on this team thought about being associated with an institution that is such a hot mess that it is the first subway system in the country that the feds decided they needed to directly supervise?

Regardless, the panoply of Metro Twitter watchers chimed in right quick, beginning with Chris Barnes—otherwise known as @FixWMATA and one of the founders of the WMATA Riders’ Union.

“It’s always interesting when you apply WMATA problems to other scenarios like this. The different perspective, while fun, shows just how bad off WMATA actually is,” he says. “I really do wish the ACTUAL restaurant well.”

Filed Under: metro, restaurants, union social, wmata,