Location: 199 Fleet Street, Oxon Hill MD 20745 (National Harbor)
Business Hours: Mon-Fri 11:00am-2am; Sat-Sun 10:00am-3am
Cost: $7 - $23 (various food & drink)
Description: A restaurant serving upscale American cuisine with a lively bar and lounge area. Every Tuesday come sing your heart out from 9pm-1am. Karaoke is only for those 21 & up.
Critique: The Public House is located directly across from the Cadillac Ranch down at the National Harbor in Oxon Hill, MD. My visit to this establishment was brought on by the need to celebrate a career milestone & a friend’s birthday. The night that I attend was a Tuesday which is...YUP...Karaoke night.
Upon entering the establishment, there is a full bar directly in front of you w/ 3 big screen plasma TVs on each side of it. Of course for dining purposes there are booths scattered throughout the restaurant. Also upon entering I could hear my friend, Hollywood, taking a shot at a Ralph Tresvant song “Sensitivity”. That was hilarious, especially since he resembles Ralph. Now singing like him would be another whole review...LOL (You know we folks Hollywood!). There was a stage setup towards the front of the restaurant with a gigantic screen that displayed the lyrics to the songs being sung. To the left of the stage was the DJ area where he manned the controls to the Karaoke database.
On this night the bar wasn’t packed but contained a fair amount of people. I would say about 40-50 folks. I sat on the opposite side of the bar away from the entrance but near the front of the stage. The bartenders on duty were very attentive and pleasant. This night I didn’t have the pleasure of ordering food because I didn’t arrive until about midnight but I did order a Long Island Ice Tea & a Coors Light for a friend. This bill came up to $25! WOW!!! It was shocking but not really. I would not expect anything less from a restaurant at the National Harbor. In regards to the strength of my drink, it was satisfying. Not as strong as I would have liked but it satisfied my thirst.
As the night went along a few people took the bold dive into the Karaoke scene. We heard songs such as “Got It Bad” by Usher, “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)” by Beyonce, "Rockstar" by Nickleback and my favorite “Rapper’s Delight” by SugarHill Gang. The DJ promised a free drink to the person who could complete the “Rapper’s Delight” song without stopping or messing up. Mind you, this is an 8 MINUTE song with tricky words and verses. About 3 people tried and failed...miserably might I add. Until, THE ONE! He was an older fellow, looked to be in his late 40’s accompanied by a lady friend. He took the mic off stage and began his journey. This fellow finished the WHOLE SONG almost perfectly. When done, the crowd gave him a round of applause and he bowed humbly. I’m not sure if he accepted the free drink or not but he was definitely the star of the night (Sorry Hollywood). After that amazing performance, I enjoyed one last drink on the rocks, Glenfiddich Scotch Whisky, before departing this marvelous establishment.
Even though I didn’t get to taste the cuisine, I thoroughly enjoyed the drinks, atmosphere and people. It was a lovely night and great place to celebrate. I definitely appreciated the time spent and look forward to another Karaoke night w/ hopes of food!
Rating:
~ Caribgem, Program Director
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