"Crisp, Bloomingdale’s go-to spot for Nashville hot wings and chicken sandwiches, officially flipped into Hopscotch last week, bringing the neighborhood a place full of board games, $7 glasses of wine, and Italian-American entrees. The two-story venture (1837 1st Street NW) comes from Matt Mazzocchi and his father, Tommy Mazzocchi, who spent the past seven years working at Dupont Circle sports bar Maddy’s. They began overhauling the menu and renovating the space in March. The bar’s new name stems from both the childhood game — which is depicted across the black-and-white entrance — and the breakdown of “hops” for beer, and “scotch” for liquor. Classic cocktails are $9 to $12, and orange or grapefruit summertime crushes are $7. The opening beer list includes 15 bottles and cans, with Flying Dog, Corona, and Sierra Nevada in the mix ($5 to $7). Natty Boh is $4 all day. The two-story space opens at 5 p.m. daily to start. Starters ($5-$11) include mac and cheese, turkey chili, and plenty of fried food (chicken liver, pickles, calamari, wings). Boar’s Head products star in the sandwich section ($9-$13), which includes hot dogs, a hot pastrami sandwich, and Italian classics like a meatball Parmesan or sausage and peppers. Entrees are reasonably priced ($11 to $14) and include Alfredo tortellini, stuffed shells, fish and chips, and a grilled pork chop with mashed potatoes. Nine wines are all $7 by the glass. Crisp chef Monroe Marsh, whose background is Italian, stayed on board to man the menu: Crisp’s bogo happy hour is gone, sadly. Weekday happy hour at Hopscotch runs from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and calls for cheap wine, beer, and rail drinks (starting at $4) along with discounted appetizers. Renovations to the stone-lined space upstairs space include framed throwback movie posters from ET, 10 and Conan the Barbarian, as well as references to Marilyn Monroe and Frank Sinatra. Guests are encouraged to grab a board game at the entrance, with options like Sorry and Battleship." - Tierney Plumb
