Sid Gold's Request Room

A Legendary NYC Piano Bar Is Coming to D.C. | Eater DC

"I'm looking forward to the fourth U.S. edition of Sid Gold's Request Room: a retro, mid-century–influenced piano bar with live karaoke that began in Chelsea in 2015 when co-founder Paul Devitt (of Beauty Bar fame) teamed with former Psychedelic Furs keyboardist Joe McGinty. Two other locations opened in Detroit and Nashville, and the latest 125-seat edition — situated on a buzzing Northeast block next to St. Anselm — is scheduled to open in late March at 1262 5th Street NE. Each layout starts with a cocktail bar up front and a piano lounge in the back, and the D.C. spot will showcase a similar menu to the other locations: classic cocktails (French 75s, Hemingway daiquiris, Moscow mules, Penicillins, espresso martinis), music-themed creations like the La Bamba (tequila, lime, elderflower liqueur, cucumber, Creole bitters), wines by the glass and bottle, and bottled, canned, and draft beers. Devitt worked with D.C. architecture firm DesignCase and NYC decorative painter Steven Hammel on the look, which includes a bar wrapped in oversized keyboard decor. The venue's unconventional karaoke lets customers take the stage to belt everything from pop to punk to soul to classic rock from a 1,000-song library, with each accompanying pianist providing vocal guidance and harmony to steady novice performers — “patrons become as much a part of the show as the singer on stage,” Devitt says — and the room also regularly hosts burlesque performances; McGinty is additionally known for his long-running NYC tribute project Loser's Lounge. A one-night pop-up preview will be at Buffalo & Bergen inside Union Market on Thursday, February 29 (5 p.m. to 8 p.m.)." - Tierney Plumb