W hotel grand opening happy hour

July 9, 10:40 AMDC Restaurant ExaminerLisa Shapiro

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Kelly Collis Fredrick, Me, and Jill Collins

Last Night, I joined the DC socialites and was part of the 'Scene' and went to the happy hour and grand opening of the W Hotel (515 15th St., NW). I was unable to get up on the roof to check out the POV (Point of View rooftop bar) so I just hung out in the 'living room'. I was joined by PR Maven Jill Collins, the very handsome Associate Publisher at Biznow.com, Mike Ponticelli, CityShopGirl, Kelly Collis Fredrick, My dear friend Charlie Richardson with Cox Communications and others. I was introduced to Mark Indre, Market Director of Public Relations for Marriott and Andrew Stover, Director of Wine Marketing for Oya Restaurant ... among others. I tried their St. Hilaire cocktail which is St. Germaine, Champagne, and a slice of lemon peel. It was wonderfully refreshing! I loved it! Too bad it took over 15 minutes to get a drink. I hope that they are better prepared for the official Grand Opening.

The photo I risked my life to take ...

Jill and I walked through the new JG Steakhouse and the wine bar before it got really busy. At around 6 p.m. we were the only people down in the wine bar below the restaurant. I snapped a quick photo and was practically tackled to the ground. I was told that photos were not allowed unless we go through the PR people. Jill Collins was quick to my defense ... I got to keep my picture.

The wine bar is a very intimiate room. It's small yes, but that is part of its charm. I liked the dark magenta pink lighting behind the glasses (if you look very closely in the photo, you can tell). It looks modern - the long tables in the room are not real wood - not sure what it's made of. Even with no one else in the room, it's still quite inviting. Note to the ladies - there is a door that opens up to sidewalk adjacent to the patio next to Cafe du Parc, for a quick get-away. ;)

You can SEE the pepper!

An hour or so later, Jill and I returned to the wine bar and ordered off the bar menu. While her petite filet was moist, tender, and delicious, my grilled chicken sandwiche was so peppery, I could barely eat it. In addition to the two think chunks of chicken, there was lettuce, tomato, and cucumber on the sandwiche. The cucumber actually tasted almost pickled - it had a light vinegar taste to it. I loved the cucumber. Nice touch for a rather common sandwich. My other problem with the sandwich, other than the fact that it had too much pepper - the bun. The bun was not big enough to hold the sandwich so the pieces of chicken just fell out as you picked it up. Reminded me of a taco. I ended up having to take everything off the bun to eat it with a knife and fork. What a disappointment. The frites that came with the sandwich were obviously made from frozen fries, but were generally okay. I hope that the food at the JG Steakhouse is much better. I can't wait to try it out!