The “OG Chicken Sandwich” at Crisp Kitchen + Bar (Elizabeth Traynor).

By DCist Contributor Elizabeth Traynor

Spice has always been my friend. I’ll gladly belly up to any bar that makes its own hot sauce and am a vocal advocate of keeping a stash of chili-based products in my desk drawer. (You know, just to ensure that no desk lunch becomes a sad desk lunch.) So when I found out that a restaurant specializing in Nashville hot chicken was opening just a few blocks from my house, it shot to the top of my to-eat list.

Crisp Kitchen + Bar (1837 1st Street NW) opened at the very end of November, and I swung by on the exact date of its two-week anniversary. Chef Alex McCoy, of Food Network Star fame, has teamed up with Ivy & Coney alum Jamie Hess and Akeim Brooker, formerly of Duke’s Grocery, to open in the former Costa Brava location. It’s a cozy space in a Bloomingdale townhouse. Seating just 45, one can dine in either the downstairs dining room, or head upstairs to sit at the bar.

As expected, hot chicken is the star of the menu. The platter sounds promising—a half chicken (“hot or very hot”), shaved onions, white bread, buttermilk ranch, and garlic dill pickles. If you’re not into mouth-burning poultry, there’s other platter options, including southern fried chicken and hot fish.

But I’m not one to back away from a challenge—or a heat rating—so hot chicken it was. The “OG Chicken Sandwich” takes Crisp’s signature hot chicken, tops it with shaved onion, pickled veggies, shaved lettuce, and garlic mayo, slapping it all between a bun.

The fried chicken was as crunchy as it should be—no soggy batter here—and was paired with a savory layer of mayo. Its heat was complemented by the sweet-sour crunch of the veggies, an irresistible combination. Make no mistake about it, the “regular hot” chicken was spicy. But when the guys behind the bar heard how much I liked spicy foods, they slid me a side of the house’s “I Promise It’s Safe” hot sauce, which had tears running down my face.

The Farmer’s Market: bourbon, simple syrup, lime juice, bitters and ginger beer (Elizabeth Traynor).

Though you should come for the chicken, definitely stay for the drinks. Don’t be put off by the tongue-in-millennial-cheek beverage names (one is called “Do you have an iPhone 7 charger?”). The libations created by Eddie Lopez are heavily of the whiskey variety, which complements the Nashville fare perfectly.

Since I was there during happy hour, when from 5 to 8 p.m. everything behind the bar is $5, I was pretty much obligated to try the “Farmer’s Market”: bourbon, simple syrup, lime juice, bitters and ginger beer. The result was excellent; a drink that didn’t lose the taste of bourbon but was laced throughout with the sweet/spicy fragrance of ginger. I can see Crisp becoming a go-to dinner spot and a place to catch cheap after-works drinks with friends—the best of both worlds.

Crisp Kitchen + Bar is open from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. Sun. through Thurs. and 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday.