3003 M St. N.W.
Carded: at the door
Cover: nope
Dress: whatever works for you
Specials: Vary throughout the week, but the best are $1.50 Bud and Bud Light drafts on Wednesdays and $2 Pennsylvania Beer Night on Thursdays.
Belle Rating: 2.5 belles

In regards to my absence last week, I apologize. I was busy with midterms and watching VH1’s “I love the ’80s Strikes Back.” Plus, my parents were in town. However, I did take my folks to Lindy’s for a pitcher of beer, so not all was wasted.

But moving on …There are certain events in life, even common ones, that must live up to high expectations, 21st birthdays and first dates among them. There are also many bars in Georgetown that must live up to high expectations, even if you visit them week after week. But what happens when those exciting events occur in the same bar over and over, and your expectations are continuously crushed? Well, that’s my story with Garrett’s.

That is not to say the M Street bar should be avoided. Its two floors and various rooms allow for a bustling 20-something crowd on weekends, and the $1.50 drafts on Wednesdays are tough to beat. It’s just that I have no luck with the place, and yet I keep giving it another chance.

While my 21st birthday featured celebratory drinking, the trip to Garrett’s at midnight was just “eh.” The bouncer didn’t even wish me happy birthday! All I got was a comment that my hair is now a different color than it is on my ID. My most recent visit to Garrett’s was the requisite stop for a drink (or two or three) following a date at Loews Cinema. It wasn’t a first date, but still in the single digits, and I still had some expectations for the guy. But once again, I stepped into Garrett’s and they all disappeared. Basically, I had a better time talking to other people at the bar than I did talking to the date.

It was hard not to talk to other people at Garrett’s. Even though it has three separate bars, they are often crowded. And with the Marlins just winning the World Series, the replays were on all of the televisions, so it was difficult to not overhear someone gripe about the Yankees.

Like other places in Georgetown, Garrett’s promotes itself as a sports bar. By describing itself as such, Garrett’s instantly becomes a Mecca for the men of D.C. I wasn’t surprised by this, but a group of women was also there on Saturday night. One of them screamed on her cell phone over the noise of the crowd, “You should come down here. There are men everywhere!”