Broken Halo
Oh Halo, all good things must come to an end, I suppose. Gregory and I stopped in this past Friday night for a few drinks, I thought, to greet the impending snow. Nice call on that one, meteorologists! It turns out that their much praised 2 for 1 drink special has changed. Now they only offer two signature cocktails a night, one from the DC bar and one from the new Miami location. Those get a 2 for 1 special until midnight, otherwise there’s a short list of “premium rail” liquors that will also be 2 for 1 in cocktails containing them.
Honestly, this is still a pretty good deal, I don’t deny that. But when I went to order my usual cocktail, my favorite Halo bartender Victor explained the new deal to me. I later told him that I really didn’t care for it and he said “Well it’s still 2 for 1!” and I responded, “Yeah, but not on the drinks that I want.” I used to suggest Halo all the time as a good place for people, straight or queer, to head out for drinks after work, but now… I dunno.
Perhaps it’s just the writing on the wall for me. I’m in one of those “I need to drink less” moods. I don’t know if I have the stones to give up all booze completely, but I need to seriously cut back on my intake. I’m not ready to place any rules on it, but come the new year it’ll be a lot less. I do enjoy meeting friends out for drinks, or having wine with dinner or pulling out the really old drinks recipe books because that’s more like a foodie experience than anything. There are pros and cons to this, of course, and I look forward to finding out what they are and if there are more cons, writing about it… at length.
I really do not like Halo. I find the place soulless, both in the atmosphere and the clientele.
Where do you think you will move on to?
Kyle, I think I have a different perspective of Halo because I’ve been going since they first opened. They were only the upper floor then, it was a small bar, very laid-back and they were one of the first non-smoking bars/lounges to open in DC well before the smoking ban. I used to go there before my sci-fi book club that met nearby, sometimes for a drink, sometimes to try and finish the book! 🙂 I have never cared much who the clientèle was since I was there to have fun with my friends.
However I will agree that it’s changed. They’re trying for a new feel and I guess it’s just not what I’m into anymore. I like that the staff recognizes me when I go in, and they mix good drinks (which doesn’t necessarily mean “strong”) but I can mix good drinks on my own at home and it’s far more economical.
I don’t know where I’m headed next. I’ve enjoyed some nights at Cobalt/30 Degrees, and their happy hour specials are reasonable, but maybe it’s just Fate’s way of telling me that I should make “going out for drinks” a more special and less regular experience. I had a single martini last night with dinner and it was nice and felt right. Most of my friends are in relationships and “nesting” so they don’t really go out that much anymore and right now given the choice between going out to drink on my own or staying in and drinking on my own, I’ll skip both and order sushi instead.