American Ice Co. Brings PickleBack; One Year Anniversary Celebration Cool As…

U STREET CORRIDOR -- With everyone from lobbyists to artists to PR wonks to musicians calling the U Street Corridor and surrounding Shaw neighborhood home these days, it’s difficult for any one local restaurant or bar to stand out amidst such a sea of seemingly competitive tastes.

Yet, with its rustically welcoming décor, tasty BBQ, refreshing drinks, and overall casual vibe, V Street-based American Ice Co. has excelled at rising above the chatter since it first opened its doors in December of 2010.

And the popular bar/restaurant hybrid owned by Joe Reza, Eric Hilton, and Ian Hilton (of The Gibson, Marvin, and Eighteenth Street Lounge fame) celebrated its first birthday on Tuesday evening, with a customary low key party sans guest list (and pretense).

As a testament to its ability to make just about anyone feel comfortable as soon as they pass through its (now heated) patio area, over a hundred friends and loyal customers could be spotted mingling about the crowd last night.

Many who turned out to congratulate American Ice Co. bar manager Patrick Owens you would recognize from behind the bars of some the city’s other top hotspots (e.g., Blackjack, Café Saint-Ex, etc.). Other faces might not be as familiar, but would still nevertheless be quite at home in the pages of Rolling Stone.

Plates of brisket and beans were certainly up for grabs, but the true draw of the night were jars brimming with DC Brau Citizen Belgian Ale and Hofbrau Octoberfest beer, not to mention shots of rye whiskey picklebacks – all priced at just a buck each.

The correct way to serve a pickleback.

And the not-so-correct way…
DJ Yellow Fever and DJ Kalani had setup shop in front, next to the BBQ station, and kept an endless cycle of beats spinning throughout the night (and well into the early morning).

Good food. Good drink. Good times.