Brass Monkey
2317 18th St. N.W.
Something I thoroughly enjoy about Adams Morgan is that despite going there countless times, I can still find bars tucked within the 18th Street corridor that I have never set foot inside of. Most of you (legal) readers have probably danced on the second floor of Tom Tom’s, sung along with the cover bands at Madam’s Organ, picked out jukebox songs in Adam’s Mill or taken shots with the bartenders at Angry Inch. Yet it is the lesser-known, in-between bars that I find hold the most potential. This weekend I made not one, but two visits to Adams Morgan in order to experience these hidden treasures.
Night one: Friday. After picking up a friend, we approached a bar called Bourbon at 2321 18th St., in search of our other friends. After what seemed like only five minutes inside, we got a text directing us to Brass Monkey due to unforeseen problems with a Bourbon bouncer. Note to the underage reader – do not test your luck at Bourbon. Apparently these guys not only know their stuff, but they are also willing to follow you to other bars in order to tattle about your not-so-legitimate identification. The five minutes I spent inside Bourbon gave me enough of an impression to keep a mental note, as I happened to return to it Saturday night for my sister’s 25th birthday, something I’ll save for another installment.
Brass Monkey (2317 18th St. N.W.) had quite the shoes to fill because my favorite bar while studying abroad had been an Australian pub called Brass Monkey. It served some of the best beers in the world on tap and boasted a live karaoke band. I can’t say Adams Morgan’s version earned the same grade in my book, but it definitely had enough character to set it apart from the array of bars in the same locale. Several split-levels and bars bring Brass Monkey to life, making it fairly easy to stake out a spot for you and your friends. On the second level there is a huge flat screen television that proved useful for quick updates on ESPN. When the crowd started to encroach on our personal terrain, a large outdoor patio was perfect for a quick cool down. Even better, the patio overlooked all of 18th Street and provided some of the best people-watching I’ve had in a while.
Drinks averaged around the same price that you would pay at other area bars, so I have to admit I was a little disappointed in that aspect, but the quick service that I received there is definitely not common at other 18th Street bars. One quirk I did notice at Brass Monkey was the strange wall art. I mean, I give the bar credit for rebelling against the usual dark and ominous interior decorating, but I kind of felt like I had stepped inside the pages of “Where the Wild Things Are”- funky but perhaps presented a bit too sloppily. I’ve said it drunkenly to a bartender at Garrett’s and I’ll say it again to those working at Brass Monkey – I am definitely available to paint murals on your walls in exchange for lots of free booze! Call my editor.
In other news, I think the furniture probably was found in the wild because you could hunt down a chair or couch pretty much anywhere in your vicinity. Comfortable? Probably, but also possibly diseased. All in all, I came to the conclusion that Brass Monkey is reminiscent of a dive bar with frat boys and cheap décor, but my wallet definitely reminded me that a dive bar in Adams Morgan is hardly representative of what dive bars truly stand for.
GW students will always lay claim to certain bars on the 18th Street stretch, but sometimes it’s nice to experience new people and new venues. Support all the Jan Brady bars that don’t get enough love from the GW crowd and check out those places that most of us carelessly walk by. For a breath of fresh air, this “dive” bar gets splashed with three bells.
Bar Belle Rating: Three out of four bells