Lake Virginia

Lady Bird Rooftop Bar Opens With Monument Views Atop the Banneker Hotel | Eater DC

"Perched atop Kimpton’s new Banneker hotel on the edge of Scott Circle, this small, stylish rooftop bar—named after First Lady “Lady Bird” Johnson—is the lighthearted counterpart to the property’s lobby-level French bistro. The indoor-outdoor setup on the newly built top floor (officially opened October 8) fits about 80 people inside and 50 on the patio and requires taking two elevators to access; initial hours are Wednesday–Thursday 4 p.m.–midnight and Friday–Saturday until 1 a.m. A tiny bar framed in glossy turquoise tiles sends out a sizable drinks program: 12 cocktails (priced $14–$16) including a Harvey Wallbanger and a kiwi-wheel caipirinha made with Novo Fogo cachaça, plus a roster of highballs that nod to countries (e.g., “Japan,” “Italy,” “France”) and 20 wines available by the glass (and by bottle) from Virginia, California, France, and Italy. The one-page rooftop menu by Le Sel chef Laurent Hollaender mixes elegant French snacks—heirloom tomato tartine, goat cheese and cornmeal beignets, a cheese and charcuterie plate built with chicken truffle pâté, soppressata, and lingonberry jam—with non-French items like baba ghanoush, grilled lamb sausage on a naan bun, and boneless chicken thigh bites with crushed olive chimichurri. The 1,200-square-foot space channels a chic SoCal vibe with fire pits, palms, movable glass walls, woven chairs, soft sky-blue seating under nest-shaped metallic light fixtures, and wood-thrush–inspired wallpaper and fabrics; a high-tech irrigation system on the patio also references the environmentalist namesake." - Tierney Plumb