IndeBleu

IndeBleu is a restaurant/lounge that opened in mid-December 2004 at 707 G Street NW, Washington, DC, next to the MCI Center. The restaurant is upstairs; the lounge is downstairs and features an extensive drink menu. A sunken lounge in the rear offers tables and bottle service.

Christine Moritz was one of IndeBleu's resident DJs from December 2004 through March 2005.

See photos from Christine's January 1 appearance at IndeBleu, taken by local scene photographer Fitsum

See Christine's IndeBleu set lists

IndeBleu Information / Press (through Jan. 2005)

IndeBleu website - Part of the official site for the Bleu group of companies, which also includes a salon and a winery.

IndeBleu - Washingtonpost.com Entertainment Guide listing

IndeBleu - Washingtonpost.com "Weekly Dish" item - An advance preview of the restaurant side of IndeBleu, written by restaurant critic Tom Sietsema.

The lounge side of IndeBleu received substantial attention from Washingtonpost.com in the first few months of 2005, both in "This Week in Nightlife" (a weekly feature in which Washingtonpost.com's Fritz Hahn and Rhome Anderson share their entertainment recommendations), and in "Got Plans," a weekly live online chat in which the Washingtonpost.com's Entertainment Guide experts take questions from readers.

"This Week in Nightlife," January 6, 2005

Friday, Jan. 7

Looking for a new place to lounge? IndeBleu offers a swank environment, exotic cocktails (a total of 50 on the menu) and -- tonight, anyway -- DJ Sid Barcelona of Eighteenth Street Lounge's mod duo Thunderball. And unlike ESL, IndeBleu allows patrons in blue jeans and sneakers as well as couture, and doesn't charge a cover. The DJ starts around 10 and goes late. Can't make it Friday? Barcelona's partner in crime Steve Raskin and JonH of the Fort Knox Five spin Saturday night.

"Got Plans?" online chat, January 6, 2005

Read the complete transcript.

[. . .]

Bethesda, MD: What's the scoop on Indebleu? Are the drinks pricey? Is there a dress code? Are there DJs every night? Thanks!

Fritz: It's stylish and crowded -- Martinis (there are 50) hover around $10. There's no dress code, and IndeBleu has siphoned a few Eighteenth Street Lounge-related DJs for their bar, which stays open late. DJs are Weds-Sat at the moment, I'm told, and there's no cover. RHome and I have more details and a DJ schedule in the This Week in Nightlife column.

[. . .]

Washington, D.C.: Hey guys! My boyfriend and I, are going to Ceiba for dinner tomorrow night at 8:00 and I was looking for suggestions for something different in that area to do after we eat. Different from the usual bar scene on a Friday night. I'm up for anything- theater, comedy, dancing, etc. Something romantic and fun would be nice. Any help is greatly appreciated!

Maura: You would have to cross town to Foggy Bottom to find dancing at Melrose (where the crowd skews a bit older) and theater performancew would be well-underway by the time you finish up dinner. You might want to stop for an after-dinner drink at a number of nearby posher restaurants/bars -- Oceannaire, the new IndeBleu or Le Bar.

"Got Plans?" online chat, January 13, 2005

Read the complete transcript.

[. . .]

Washington, D.C.: I'm a big fan of the Chinatown/MCI Center area but was looking for a good lounge in the neighborhood. Seems like everything is a restaurant (ala Zaytinya, Poste, Zola) with a small bar area or is a sports bar/pub. Suggestions?

Fritz: It's all about Indebleu right now, with a huge cocktail menu (about 50 martinis, and the "guide" is a takeoff on the Metro map), plenty of lounge seating and some great DJs who've either been affiliated with Eighteenth Street Lounge or on its label in the past. I think it's exactly what you're looking for, and what the neighborhood needed. Double bonus: It's not a chain.

[. . .]

Indebleu: Another plus for Indebleu - they lured cute and fabulous bartender Tim from Johnny's Half Shell to come over to their turf. A former Post Bartender of the Month, who makes a killer gimlet and sidecar, is worth a trip to their bar alone!

Fritz: Awesome. I'm a fan of Tim's work, that's good to know.

[. . .]

Indeblue? [sic] Chinatown, D.C.: I heart martinis. This Indeblue lounge in Chinatown with over 50 of them sounds great. Why hasn't it been reviewed yet, Fritz? If you need help dissecting the anatomy of a martini or why calling everything in a v-shaped glass a "martini" is a misnomer, I'm there!

Fritz: I haven't written a review yet because my sense is that they're still trying to settle on a DJ schedule and crowd, among other things. Tom Sietsema has written a preview of the restaurant. I'm pretty sure I'll have something up next week.

BTW, I hate calling anything but gin and vermouth a martini, but you have to roll with the nomenclature, and they're calling their menu at martini list, so.....

"Got Plans?" online chat, January 27, 2005

Read the complete transcript.

[. . .]

Maryland: So why do all of the hotel and restaurant bars in Penn Quarter seem to close up so early? This past Saturday, my fiancee and I were out and found that everyplace seemed to stop serving by 12:45. There were still hordes of people out even with that deadline, and if a place or three stayed open later, I'm sure they'd make a killing on their high-end mixed drinks. Witness the packed bar and lounge at Indebleu... Why don't more places stay open until the legally required closing time in a cosmopolitan city like DC?

Fritz: You know, Maryland, I've complained about this before. Friends who live over that way, though, have been steering me to the Irish Channel Pub in the Red Roof Inn (5th and H). Friendly Irish bartenders, good Guinness and they're open until last call. (I've never ordered cocktails there -- well, I don't think I've ever ordered cocktails there.)

[. . .]

Washington, DC: My company is having our holiday party next weekend at the National Building Museum. (yes I know it is February) Six of us are looking for a place to have cocktails ahead of time. Ideal is a place where we can all sit and hear each other. And the party is black tie, so we are trying to avoid jeans/sneakers type of bars. Any place immediately in the vacinity of the museum will likely get crowded with the hundreds of other people having the same pre-game thoughts so multiple suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks Gurus!

Fritz: Two options spring to mind: the new Indebleu, which is pretty classy and has an excellent (pricey) cocktail list, or Poste, the bar in the Hotel Monaco. I think you might have an easier time getting seats at Poste; when friends and I were at Indebleu recently, we were told there was a $200 minimum tab required for tables in one area and $500 for another. Six of you might be able to hit the lower mark (one of my favorite cocktails, which involved champagne and basil, was around $15), but I'm not sure you'd want to do that before the party.

You could also try Zola, but I think it tends to be too crowded for a group of three, let alone six, to stand around and talk.

[. . .]

Alexandria, VA: Hey GOGs, i just came back from new york and became addicted to lychee martinis there...do you know anywhere in dc that offers these delish drinks??

Fritz: I've had good ones at Blue Gin and Indebleu (and the soon-to-reopen Savino's), but I know Antoina at Blue Gin stopped making them for a while because the lychees she was getting were out of season. Indebleu had 'em a week ago, I think, but I didn't try one.

[. . .]

After-Dinner Stuff in Penn Quarter: Hi Gurus!;

I am looking for after-dinner stuff (music, bars, maybe even dessert, etc.) for after my birthday dinner Saturday night at Zola. Bonus points if activities start early since we have a 6:45 reservation...Thanks!;

Fritz: If it's your birthday, head for the trendy new resto-lounge Indebleu, where they have some great DJs (Steve Raskin of Thunderball and JonH of Fort Knox Five) and fantastic cocktails. Even better: You can get a seat early without having to drop big bucks.

[. . .]

Washington, DC: Wha? A $200 minimum at Indebleu? A friend and I were thinking of heading there to check it out and have a few drinks one night after work (just the bar). Fourteen-dollar martinis I can handle from time to time. But $200? Has this place levitated out of my price range already?

Fritz: That's just for seats in a back lounge. If you want to hang out at the bar, there's never a cover charge or dress code.

[. . .]

Arlington, Va.: I dont get what Indebleu is! Is is a lounge/bar/restaurant? What time do they DJs start? Is there dancing?

Fritz: Yes! Yes! Yes! It's a restaurant with large bar and lounge areas. DJs start at 10 Wednesday through Saturday. There's not really any place to dance, but the music is more of an Eighteenth Street Lounge vibe than uptempo party music.