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What is a former Theology and Government double major and football player up to after his Spring ’07 graduation from Georgetown? Probably more than you think. Fritz Brogan (COL ’07) is hosting his high school’s get-together for D.C. area alumni at Kitchen 2404 — one of the restaurant/bars he co-owns and manages while also continuing his Hoya career at Georgetown Law Center...
Fritz Hahn; The Washington Post
This Glover Park tavern caters to an early-to-mid-20s crowd with its dance nights and cover bands, and football games draw recent grads of Alabama, Georgia and other SEC schools to watch the half-dozen plasma flat-screens that hang around the room. On Saturdays and Sundays, pay $20 for unlimited beers and bloody marys between noon and 5 p.m., plus $2 mini-burgers and pork sliders.
Situated just a few steps north of the popular Town Hall and Bourbon are the bright blue glowing lights adorning Glover Park hotspot Gin & Tonic, known as simply “G&T” to locals. This newer bar is a joint venture between Fritz Brogan, who graduated Georgetown undergraduate in 2007 and is now in his second year at Georgetown Law, and renowned restaurateur and nightlife guru Mauricio Fraga-Rosenfeld. Brogan played football as an undergraduate and began his nightlife career bartending at Third Edition. He went on to partner in the creation of both The Deck in Glover Park and the extremely popular, undergrad-laden Gryphon Room found underneath The Guards on M Street. Fraga-Rosenfeld is the CEO of Latin Concepts, a company whose signature style combines urban living with cultural accents.
According to their Web site, Brogan and Fraga-Rosenfeld define Gin & Tonic as a great place to watch sports, have dinner with friends, host charity events and celebrate birthdays. In addition, Wednesday through Saturday evenings it is the major destination in Glover Park for cocktails, mingling and dancing. I had walked by the line to get into G&T before, and noticed it was one-in, one-out — a telltale sign of a happening scene. I decided to stop in on a Thursday and see what it was all about.
Once inside, I could tell the place had energy – but not the people. It was surprisingly empty given the hype. I walked through an empty dance floor in the center to the bar in the back and ordered a drink. The bartender was a pretty brunette as smiley as the jovial doorman. Gin and Tonic’s décor is unusual, with exposed brick walls and deep black ceilings. Highly mounted plasma screen TVs broadcast sports (I happened to catch the Lakers rocking the Nuggets while there) next to a large mounted buck’s head with full antlers on the south wall.
When she finished pouring my drink, I found my friends standing at one of many small tables lining the side wall. One of them yelled, “This is my song!” to some random techno joint I had never heard, and waved her hand in the air. Eventually, there were a handful of well-dressed people on the dancefloor, and they weren’t holding back. I saw Tory Burch heels gleefully splashing in beer puddles. I recalled some faces from earlier in the night at Town Hall and realized that 70 percent of the people at G&T were still in their work clothes; the other 30 percent are probably reading this article right now.
By the time I finished my drink, the door was barely hitting the frame. People filed in and aggressively approached one of the two bars. Before I knew it, the place was packed and getting a second drink became an epic drama. There were only two bartenders at the back bar, a guy and a girl. Both were attractive, but both were only one person. I fought my way to the front and ran into a friend I haven’t seen in a while. She yelled something about Dewey Beach, then repeated it several times, but it was too loud to hear her. The dance floor now was at least that crowded, and G&T must have been approaching capacity. By midnight, 80s hits and current pop bangers were being pumped through the speakers.
Gin & Tonic has my approval. I saw guys in T-shirts and hats and people in business suits. Neither looked out of place, and both seemed like there was nowhere they’d rather be. The patrons were generally very attractive and most of the crowd appeared to know most of the crowd. Despite some people behaving like they were in Vegas, I was getting a ‘locals’ party’ vibe. G&T isn’t an uppity lounge; it’s a come-as-you-are get down, hinging on a kickass dance floor … with a deer head on the wall? Whatever, just go. You won’t regret it.
Read more: "You Can Drink and Be Merry at D.C.'s Gin & Tonic | The Hoya" - http://www.thehoya.com/node/18739#ixzz0DEJTUK1b&A
By Jeff Dufour and Patrick Gavin
Social Set
Despite their heavy workload, members of the Obama administration aren’t wasting any time in getting acquainted with Washington’s social scene.That was White House press secretary Robert Gibbs spotted Thursday night at a party for the new members of The Madison Club, the group of mostly twenty something, mostly Georgetown-based (and mostly Republican) socialites. A source on the scene said the Madisons began the night with a members-only dinner at the new Kitchen restaurant in Glover Park, before opening it up to the general public for a charity event at Gin & Tonic a few doors up Wisconsin Avenue. Fox News’s Juan Williams was also spotted at the soiree, which we hear featured “like 10 girls to every guy.”Meanwhile on Thursday evening, a Yeas & Nays spy saw Obama advisers David Plouffe and David Axelrod dining at Café Atlantico along with HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan and the usual complement of security.Finally, on Friday, we caught Michelle Obama and Jill Biden going to meet Mayor Fenty and his wife, Michelle, at Georgia Brown’s for lunch.
By Fritz Hahn
Gin & Tonic has made quite a name for itself since taking over Grog & Tankard in Glover Park a few months ago, with Georgetown's young-and-preppy waiting in long lines outside the back-to-basics tavern on weekends. The draw: DJs spinning '80s classics and current hits, tables folded out of the way to turn the room into a huge dance floor and heavy-handed bartenders. But, says owner Fritz Brogan, there was a problem: The crowds weren't showing up until after 10 p.m. So he's trying to lure them in the old-fashioned way: drink specials. The four-hour progressive happy hour on Thursday, Friday and Saturday means that, beginning at 5 p.m., selected domestic drafts are $1 and mixed drinks $2. Prices rise a dollar an hour until 9 p.m. Is the idea new? Hardly. But finding $1 drinks on Friday and Saturday nights is a steal, even if it means having to leave the house a little early. Click here to read the entire article.
By Amy McKeever
Glover Park, in upper Georgetown, has been experiencing a foodie renaissance in recent months. Gin & Tonic is the newest of restaurants and bars gracing Wisconsin Avenue. Partners Fritz Brogan and Mauricio Fraga-Rosenfeld have set Gin & Tonic in the cavernous space that used to house the legendary neighborhood dive, Grog and Tankard. But this G&T has gone a little more upscale — think exposed brick, skylights and 42-inch flat-screen TVs — to attract the cocktails crowd. Beyond mixed drinks, though, Gin & Tonic offers an eclectic dinner menu to match its "casually refined" atmosphere. The restaurant's signature dish is its sliders — pick any three of its 10 mini-burger options for $11 or six of them for $18. The bleu cheese and carmelized onion burger is positively decadent and among the most filling of the options. A healthier and more refined option is the chicken pesto burger served with mozzarella. Pair the sliders with any of the typical bar food appetizers on the menu, including wings, spinach dip and chicken tenders (a menu item that was sorely missing in Glover Park restaurants). Rounding out the menu is a more exotic option: empanadas. Of course, this meat-filled Latin specialty is not entirely unexpected given that Fraga-Rosenfeld is the man behind Latin Concepts restaurants (Ceviche, Chi Cha Lounge, Guarapo to name a few). Still, empanadas are a pleasant addition to a menu that focuses on traditional American fare like burgers and fries. Snagging a table may be difficult with only 11 tables plus some bar seating. Tables line the walls after dinner to allow patrons to mingle on an expansive dance floor to the beat of local bands and DJs. Gin & Tonic serves dinner only on Monday through Friday. Brunch (including omelets, pancakes and steak and eggs) is served along with the regular menu on weekends. — Gin & Tonic: 2408 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington, D.C.
By Kate Michael, D.C. Community Examiner
Vodka? Beer? Rum? Nope. Gin was all anyone ordered Tuesday night at the grand opening of the new Gin & Tonic in Glover Park. Bombay Sapphire provided complimentary cocktails to the guests of Capitol File magazine for a celebration of the finally finished renovations to this new neighborhood nightspot. What was once the old Grog & Tankard, a dive bar institution on upper Wisconsin Avenue, has been re-opened by co-owners Mauricio Fraga-Rosenfeld (of Latin Concepts) and Fritz Brogan as an American tavern - with a hearty menu and a dozen quality beers on draft and in bottle. Thankfully for most of the old (and new) G &T patrons, the feel of the place won’t change much. The old concrete floor has been tiled and new furniture added for those who want to sit and have a bite with their brew. And the increasingly common and dreaded door “list” won’t be put into effect. “[Lists] keep out fun people and fresh faces,” says Brogan. But now you can watch your favorite game or sitcom 7 days a week on the 52” plasma behind the bar and then get groovin’ on the dance floor when the tables clear and the space starts to rock to tunes from the oldest Culture Club to the newest Chris Brown. Gin & Tonic is located at 2408 Wisconsin Avenue, NW. (202.333.3114)
www.kstreetkate.net
Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's been "open" for a while. But now it has a floor and that bleach smell is gone. And there is signage outside! Yesterday, for the first (and perhaps only) time, a uniquely older clientelle enjoyed the new Gin & Tonic on Wisconsin Ave. Capitol File magazine and (appropriately) Bombay Sapphire gin co-sponsored a Grand Opening party to introduce the new local bar and restaurant to its neighbors... the ones who hadn't already pinballed on its dancefloor. The open bar was all Bombay Sapphire gin all the time - which was rough for this little lady -but they got creative with the mixology. By the end of the night, that dance floor was in full effect. (I'm with my good friend Kheira at right, about to sip on some Gin & Tonic!) Check back for my actual wrap-up post of the event in the Examiner.
www.dailycandy.com
Gin & Tonic Tavern Opens Bustling city street. Two figures collide. Gin: Oh, pardon me. Wait, Tonic, is that you? Tonic: It’s been a while. What’s new? G: Nothing much since our last date. How come you never called? T: To be honest, you got a little drunk. G: Give me another shot at this new tavern called Gin & Tonic. It’s got a laid-back vibe with a large dance floor, a bar teeming with youngsters, and delicious food like bacon fries and ten different kinds of sliders. What do you say we mix it up? T: Sounds like it was made for us. I’ll pick you up at 8? G: Let’s make it 7 so the night won’t be wasted. Gin & Tonic, 2408 Wisconsin Avenue NW, between Calvert and W Streets (202-333-3114).
By Rebecca Heslin
HELLO, NEIGHBOR Glover Park’s groovy upgrade is graced by a chic gin joint Mauricio Fraga-Rosenfeld is shaking things up in Glover Park—and promptly pouring the conte
nts of his new nightlife cocktail into martini glasses and highballs. The Ecuadorian mastermind behind Maté, Chi-Cha Lounge and Ceviche is adding another haute haunt to his repertoire—Gin & Tonic.
But this time he’s not going it alone. He’s tapped younger forces. Enter 24-year-old super-promoter Fritz Brogan.
The Georgetown Law student and White House counsel clerk has been the brains and brawn behind Gtown’s membersonly basement bar, Gryphon Room. “I’m really looking forward to working with Mauricio,” Brogan says. “He’s an institution. We come from very diff erent backgrounds but both know what customers want, and we have the same taste.” For Fraga-Rosenfeld, it’s less of a teaching opportunity and more of a chance to strike while the iron is hot. “I started asking, ‘who’s the hottest person in town right now that we need to team up with?’” Fraga-Rosenfeld says. “I like to work with young people because they have big ideas. I knew I had to grab Fritz before someone else did. Not everyone has that same spirit and drive.” It’s a new territory for both—an actual ownership in a bar for Brogan and a step outside Latin-flavored joints for Fraga-Rosenfeld.
Gin & Tonic set up shop in the former Glover Park staple Grog and Tankard. “We wanted to stick with the G&T idea,” Brogan says. Fraga- Rosenfeld adds that “Grog and Tankard has been here for decades. People my age were going there back in college. It was our hangout.” The sticky floor’s traffi c had slowed in recent years and the duo knows it will take more than a name change to bring back the crowds. Th e 41-year-old lounge legend says he’s sticking to the advice of his partner just over half his age.
The American tavern will off er a selection of small-batch and high-end gins as well as high-quality natural tonics, hence the name. But we predict it’ll be the beer selection that attracts the neighbors. The joint aims to have the best beers from M to Mass., with at least 14 on draft.
When Brogan and Fraga-Rosenfeld decided what they wanted in the place, comfortable seating for locals to lounge topped the list. “It’s going to be a preppy place,” Brogan says of the dark, dignified wood interiors.
“You say preppy, I say traditional,” the older mixmaster laughs. The renovations, designed by Fraga-Rosenfeld’s go-to fi rm Grupo 7, maximize the space with luxe leather booths, barstools and high-top tables scattered around a large fi replace. Th e bar remains comfortably Grog and Tankard- Style in the back and skylights smartly brighten up the space. But don’t expect the BYTs to head elsewhere once the sun goes down.
Brogan swears that this bar will be nothing like his previous Glover Park concept—the notoriously bad neighbor known as Th e Deck, an outdoor bar with a bit of a noisy streak. “Th is is defi nitely not The Deck 2.0,” Brogan says. “I’m ready to move to a more mature, professional clientele. I want this to be a place for the young professionals in the neighborhood.” Despite his previous rough rep with the neighbors, Brogan—under the tutelage of Fraga-Rosenfeld—is ready to give the nabe another shot, pun intended.
And so, it seems, are many of DC’s most-loved restaurants. Wisconsin Avenue just got a lot cooler south of Mass Ave. Fraga-Rosenfeld helped fuel this trend last year when he opened up Ceviche, a chic Latin eatery with a DIY wine bar. It seems the Georgetown gastronomes caught on, as well.
Smith Point’s Bo Blair opened Surfside, a casual seafood joint, across the street. The DC duo behind Capitol Hill’s Sonoma and Bethesda’s Redwood (for more on this eatery, turn to Food Drink Review) are reportedly carving out a new joint in the Busara space. An owner of Glover Park staple Bourbon spread the love across the street with Breadsoda, which is essentially a glorified deli to which local socials have taken. And the team behind M Street’s Mon Cherie Café have opened a Z Burger here. With all these options residents can think twice before rolling down to Georgetown.
“This will truly be a local spot where everybody really will know your name and you’ll want to be a regular,” says Fraga-Rosenfeld. Sounds like just the right amount of shaking and stirring this nabe needs.