#good bars

Ilu My Father's Place

            At Cafe Dupont, conveniently located in Dupont Circle on New Hampshire Ave. in Washington, DC, one bartender is serving up smiles along with his distinct, yet tasty handcrafted drinks. Working at Cafe Dupont for only less than a year, Dave already has his regular patrons and has befriended countless guests. Many of these people whom come to the Cafe Dupont bar are simply trying to take the edge off from a tough day at work or just popping in for a quick escape. On the other hand, these guests are tasting more than just a martini, they are tasting drinks with character.

Dave first started bartending about 11 years ago at his uncle’s restaurant in Chicago, when he was just 16 years old. Several jobs later, he’s here at Cafe Dupont. Admittedly so, Dave knows bartending is not his career ( it’s in I.T.). Irregardless, he really enjoys it and even calls the drinks he makes ‘playful art that involves a lot of imagination’. Even so, he never overthinks his drinks and never takes his job too seriously which is a big reason why so many people love him.

One of Dave’s regulars, Chris Capavelli, says “Dave is an honest, sincere, genuine individual and the bonus is he’s a great bartender…” which is why he confided that he likes to keep coming back to the cafe whenever he’s in town. Mr. Capavelli developed an affinity to the place and has enjoyed the chill vibe that Dave has established at the cafe’s low key bar. However, Mr. Capavelli isn’t the only one who feels that way and Dave loves the people too! He says “I like to give everyone a fair shot” and he enjoys the people he gets to interact with everyday. He knows ‘his job is to get people turned up’, so he turns up with them and has a good time.

And with the drinks that Dave makes, getting people turned up is not a challenging task at all. These deliciously creative drinks by bartender Dave Luckett, boasts as much personality as Luckett himself. A lot of Dave’s drinks are named after people he knows or places of interest.

Drinks like the “Mr. Dixon”, named after his uncle, is a seasonal, cool spiced drink made with rum, cinnamon and apple cider. This drink is one of my favorites and a favorite of the patrons at Cafe Dupont as well. The “Brandy Alexandra”, a twist on the traditional Brandy Alexander, is named for a friend. This luxuriously delicious drink is served warm in a mug made with amaretto, espresso, creme de cacao and bailey’s among other ingredients. It’s a delightful, warm pick-me-up on a cold winter evening. The “1500 Ginger Ave”, named for the street where the cafe is located, is another one of my favorites. This drink serenades you with both a hint of sweet and spice. It packs a powerful punch of ginger and even though it’s served cold, the spice is enough to warm your stomach up!

Well if you’re looking to wind down or to simply forget whatever ails you at the moment, the bar at Cafe Dupont (with Dave’s drinks and Dave as bartender of course) is the perfect escape. The Cafe Dupont bar is usually quiet and not very crowded (unlike it’s sister spot, Bar Dupont) and the drinks as served by Dave Luckett are tremendously good. I totally recommend this place; it is truly one of the best kept secrets in Washington D.C.’s Dupont Circle.

Dave is currently accepting offers to bartend for private parties and events. if your interested, please give him a shout out @:  [email protected]

~Keziah Proctor

  How do I even go about cataloguing this? I don't know where to start. I spent a lot of time in bars here, dancing, drinking, sitting and talking. I would never be able to pick a single favourite, so instead here are  :

Makumba- the African bar. A friend and I spent a good half hour in elevators trying to find it after it opened in LKF. It seems to be guarded by a pan-dimensional elevator. Meant to be on the third floor...possibly the second?, but the trick is you have to go to the third, the fifth, clap your hands, spin, and back to the third (or second). Good luck, gentlemen.

Sugar- worth going into just for the view from the bathroom. Seriously. First time I went there was a lightning storm. I had a prickly pear- pear juice, gin and ginger I think- delicious but expensive. Sugar has an early happy hour, so weather dependant you can always go and watch the sunset with a $50 mojito. 

Met up with some friends and had a bite to eat and then went downtown to see The Easy Star All Stars at Bourbon Street in the city. They were pretty good, but it was College Night next door and some of the club music was bleeding through parts of the walls. Also, it was $10 for a thimble full shot of Maker's Mark. All in all the show was pretty fun and I had a good time even though I spent a shit ton of money.