Old Fashioned #2 - Laos in Town
Surprisingly Great Old Fashioned at the Southeast Asian Space in NoMa
When?
Monday lunch. Had business in the area and I had been to Laos in Town many times before. Jumped in and sat at the small bar.
What exactly did I order?
I was feeling like a midday Old Fashioned wouldn’t hurt. I asked the bartender if she knew her way around an Old Fashioned. Her responses was essentially a “I’m offended. I got you.” All she asked was whether I preferred rye or bourbon - I went with rye.
Appearance?
Take a look:
The rock was certainly bigger than the one I had at the Hamilton, so it didn’t get watered down too quickly. Dehydrated orange as a garnish. Glass is kind of cool. Certainly I have (and hopefully will) see better, but especially for a small little bar at lunchtime, not bad at all.
Thoughts?
Suprisingly (no offense to the bartender), it was a pretty well balanced cocktail! She used Bulleit Rye, which certainly is a standard rye option. It was a tiny bit on the sweeter side, but I didn’t mind it. The dehydrated orange was a nice little rye-infused snack at the end. Won’t lie, I definitely had a second to help with the spice on the green curry. Also, my bartender was very talkative. Did it help make the Old Fashioned better? Hard to know. But it didn’t hurt.
Finally, not that it impacts the Old Fashioned too much, but the food was delicious. Green curry is a personal favorite since it’s delicious but has a little bit of a spicy kick, but you can really explore the space. I’ve been here many times previously and you can really explore the space on the food. My Yelp review for this visit is here:
Would I get the Old Fashioned again?
If that bartender was there again (I think her name was Lane), absolutely. But I may explore it with something other than Bulleit Rye.
Is it the best Old Fashioned in DC?
So, it’s this one versus the one at The Hamilton, which as you know I wasn’t a fan off….. soo….. Yes, it’s the best Old Fashioned in DC as of now! Maybe some would like The Hamilton’s version better. Not me. And honestly, I think this one would beat out most “standard” Old Fashioneds. It had a little extra. I’m expecting it to be dethroned, but it will take a solid cocktail to do it.