Tired of gorging on the same old Tuscany pizza every Friday night? If you find yourself in Adams Morgan this weekend, or are simply feeling a bit more adventurous, a more refined late-night experience awaits you at Cashion’s Eat Place. Located at 1819 Columbia Rd., just off 18th Street, the Adams Morgan institution is now offering an “after dark menu” from midnight to 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
The bar, over which hangs a reproduction of French artist Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres’s
19th-century masterpiece the Odalisque, offers late-night enticements including cheesesteaks, pork carnitas and homemade French fries.
Though these snacks may cost you double or triple the price of a slice of pizza at Tuscany, you’ll find that the quality of the food and the elegance increase proportionally, and you might even be lucky enough to avoid the customary queasy stomach pains when you sit down in Lau come Sunday afternoon. There’s also the chance to do some Georgetown-style networking — Yo-Yo Ma’s son has been counted among the posse of Cashion’s locals and regulars who stick around for late-night socializing.
When former chef Ann Cashion decided to sell the restaurant to longtime sous-chef John Manolatos four years ago, he partnered with his brother George and friend Justin Abad to form a new ownership team. Their dedication is obvious — every night, you’ll find John in the kitchen, George slinging bottles behind the bar and Justin overseeing nightly operations, which include attending to his customers and playing the role of sommelier. The new ownership brings a lighter, more youthful touch to the classic Cashion’s tradition.
The concept for the after-dark menu was devised when John and Justin, after nights out in Adams Morgan, grew weary of the idea of patronizing the usual neighborhood late-night falafel or pizza haunts. Instead, they would head back to their apartment and whip up something sophisticated and delicious using whatever they could find in the fridge.
But the after-dark menu is only one original aspect of this restaurant. Cashion’s also has a nightly dinner and Sunday brunch menu, which reflect head chef Manolatos’ infusion of traditional American cuisine with Mediterranean influences from his native Greece. By no means cheap, Cashion’s should perhaps be saved for a special occasion, such as a birthday meal or parents’ weekend, or one can stick with the more affordable late night snacks.
A word of advice if you do opt for Cashion’s over Tuscany this weekend: You’ll likely have to compete with the hoards of party animals looking for taxis as they depart the bars, with the added challenge of drivers who seem to be unfairly prejudiced against taking paying customers to Georgetown. But don’t tolerate the discrimination, and refuse to take no for an answer. After all, you’ve just had enough style to choose the classiest late night ever.
