There\u2019s an oddity in Wheaton, MD:\u00a0 A Scottish-themed bar.\u00a0 Though the theme is about as far as it goes.\u00a0 The only thing Scottish about the food is that all the dishes have names like \u201cThe Nessie Fish and Chips\u201d and so on.<\/p>\n
It is often crowded and noisy, but was always a real destination for the otherwise lacking in anything interesting Wheaton.<\/p>\n As Wheaton has gentrified, so has the Royal Mile.\u00a0 Prices are up, the menu is less daring (I didn\u2019t see the dreaded haggis, always poorly prepared, when I last visited), and the feel of the place has shifted to a grim sort of hospitality management 101 style as opposed to the groovy family-owned sense that allowed the casual diner and drinker to tolerate eccentric service.<\/p>\n What they have not lost, however, is their beer and scotch selection.\u00a0 By far, they remain the best place to go to for scotch in Montgomery County.\u00a0 Though I did notice that the scotch list is shrinking, and the somewhat joyous embracing of the drink \u2013 the owner used to circulate and talk endlessly about it \u2013 is lost. But they do still hold regular scotch tasting nights that are still worth your money and time.<\/p>\n As the scotch menu slowly shrinks, the beer menu grows.\u00a0 Always a pleasure to see and, at the moment, the main draw for the modern Royal Mile (which was never really lacking in the beer department).<\/p>\n Remember yesterday\u2019s ratings?\u00a0 1-5, in service, food, and atmosphere.\u00a0 Royal Mile gets a 1 for service \u2013 you\u2019re pushed towards table service. They get a 2 for the food. Again, the only good stuff are the American staples. There\u2019s absolutely nothing Scottish on the menu.\u00a0 Atmosphere is a 2.\u00a0 It should be a one, but there\u2019s still a bit of the weirdness there that draws you in.\u00a0 Again, their drinks selection saves the day and is worth checking out.\u00a0 Actually, ignore the low rankings and get a visit to the Royal Mile under your belt.\u00a0 If only to experience the Scottish theme as an interesting academic study related to my Irishness rant.<\/p>\n And, so, we leave the suburbs and head into DC.\u00a0 Following the Red Line down from Wheaton, through Silver Spring, and across the border, the first notable hit is Union Station.<\/p>\n These days, the neighborhood around Union Station has been gentrified beyond recognition and rebranded \u201cNoma\u201d \u2013 North of Mass. Ave.\u00a0 But this isn\u2019t the first time the Union Station area has seen gentrification.\u00a0 In the 19th Century, the neighborhood had the much more entertaining name of \u201cSwampoodle,\u201d an often violent Irish slum.\u00a0 In 1901, it was decided that DC needed a proper railroad station, instead of a clumsy terminus outside the Capitol (the current National Mall, which always looks like they just ripped up the 19th Century tracks yesterday).<\/p>\n The Irish were relocated, and Swampoodle vanished into obscure DC history to make way for big ass Union Station.<\/p>\n Within a couple blocks of Union Station are two Irish-American joints.\u00a0 The Dubliner<\/a>, a hotel bar and, next door, the grand old Irish Times<\/a>, located in a historic building that will give you a quick glance back to Swampoodle life.<\/p>\n Of course, the atmosphere is long gone.<\/p>\n The Dubliner acts as the more-or-less proper dining establishment as opposed to the ruckus often raised next door at the Irish Times. The Dubliner features the better balcony, so-so food, limited bar service, and a quieter, darker interior.\u00a0 The Irish Times is almost always a zoo, with a wildly active bar, lots of noise, and a sense of fun occasionally displaced by an invasion of college kids.<\/p>\n In the end, if you must choose, I\u2019d lean towards the Times.\u00a0 If only for the sense of history.\u00a0 Though I am, currently, banned\u2026so meet me at the Dubliner.<\/p>\n The ratings!\u00a0 For the Times:\u00a0 2 for service. You\u2019ll be drawn to the bar, and the patio and tables are all attended by waiters.\u00a0 1 for food.\u00a0 You\u2019re going to the Times to drink, okay? 4 for atmosphere.\u00a0 The historic building is a great plus, and the bar somehow conveys the sense of a small town high street pub.\u00a0 Which just might be as \u201cauthentic\u201d as you can get in DC.<\/p>\n For the Dubliner: 1 for service. It\u2019s very much intended to be sit down. 1 for food. Even the cheeseburgers are a miss. 3 for atmosphere.\u00a0 They have a great patio space, from which you can enviously watch the patio over at the Times, and the interior has a certain chaotic watch-your-step feel that is very pub-like.<\/p>\n For Monday, I\u2019ll look at the Irish Channel, Fado, and the dueling joints at Cleveland Park.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There\u2019s an oddity in Wheaton, MD:\u00a0 A Scottish-themed bar.\u00a0 Though the theme is about as far as it goes.\u00a0 The only thing Scottish about the food is that all the dishes have names like \u201cThe Nessie Fish and Chips\u201d and …<\/p>\n
\nThe Royal Mile<\/a>, over the years, has changed dramatically.\u00a0 It used to be a kooky place with a weird, islanded, crowded bar that could only really seat a handful of people, and an equally crowded sea of table-service butting up against it, with a third of the bar given over to service.<\/p>\n