March Madness: Little Miss Whiskey's Golden Dollar vs. Biergarten Haus

Did you miss the original March Madness post? If so, go here and catch up!

It seems the match up between the Argonaut and the Queen Vic has roused the faithful to vote. It is inspiring to see the love and passion on both sides.

I was also given some H Street bars and I feel obligated to share that at my advanced age I am not spending as much time in bars as I may once have done. Whew! With that confession out of the way, let us now consider Little Miss Whiskey’s Golden Dollar and the Biergarten Haus.

I think this is quite possibly the most disparate pairing of our Madness round up. In my mind the only things these establishments have in common is an H Street address, and they make money on booze.  How you vote will say much about who you are as a human being. A bar-based Rorschach if you will.

Little Miss Whiskey’s Golden Dollar has no signage on its building at 1104 H Street NE.  It is now painted a flamboyant lavender with some decorative fleur-de-lis but a non-observant, elderly person, like myself, could be be forgiven for missing it entirely. When it opened a few years ago, it made one feel cool just knowing it was there. Like its older sibling, the Bladensburg cool-kid spot, Jimmy Valentine’s Lonely hearts Club, the bar feels like a secret.  Inside is dark and the décor pays some homage to New Orleans. The beer list is massive but the bartenders will kindly make recommendations based upon your preferences. These days a sandwich board graces the sidewalk out side informing potential customers of some food options. I would never begin to speculate on a “typical” customer because H Street venues tend to attract their neighbors in addition to those who have braved hardships to get all the way over here. {sarcasm}

One can figure out where the Biergarten Haus is from quite a distance. The exterior of the building has been remodeled to resemble a Bavarian fantasy and if that is too subtle for you the German flags would give it away. The interior of the place is quite small. The real attraction for me, and I would assume everyone else, is the extensive patio. It is so much larger than you would imagine possible in this neighborhood. The cheerful tents keep off the raindrops and UV rays. Last year a roof deck was added so the place has the ability to satisfy tons of thirsty folks on a sunny Saturday.  The beer is German as is the food. The only thing I’ve eaten were the pretzels which, well once you’ve eaten the offerings from The Pretzel Bakery, all others pale in comparison.

So there you have it please vote. As an H Street diehard, all H Street establishments are my favorites so I can’t choose just one but I’m sure you can.