Washingtonians Green With Envy Over Winners Of P.J. Clarke's St. Patrick's Day Celebration Contest!

NORTHWEST -- To most area bars and restaurants, Saint Patrick’s Day brings an uptick in customers and perhaps the chance to breakout a green shirt or two for employees. But to P.J. Clarke’s, the holiday represents the venerable saloon’s longest standing annual celebration.

And the D.C. location of the more than century-old institution did founder (and Irish emigrant) Patrick J. Clarke proud over the weekend, with a blowout bash full of playful pomp and circumstance and, of course, plenty of good food and drink.

The holiday began a little early for members of P.J. Clarke’s semi-private dining room, Sidecar, with the wood-paneled lower level of the venue playing host to a guest list-only Saint Patrick’s Day Eve party on Friday night, featuring an open bar replete with Irish fare.

But the celebration didn’t kick-in in earnest until early Saturday morning, when the entire restaurant threw open its doors at 8:00 a.m. for a special ‘kegs & eggs’ brunch that lasted through the early afternoon.

By 2:00 p.m., the K Street venue’s outdoor patio area was crowded with revelers – all clad in various shades of green apparel and festooned in green accessories of various shapes and sizes.

Between games of cornhole, long sips of Guinness, and shots of Jameson, guests dove into heaping plates of traditional Irish menu items, such as corned beef and cabbage.

And all throughout the day and early evening, P.J. Clarke’s was packed with a series of live entertainment options, including a troupe of authentic Irish dancers, live bagpipe and band performances, and even an appearance by two of the First Ladies of Football themselves, the Redskinettes.

Always keen to end the holiday on a high note, the restaurant capped the day’s festivities with a special 10:00 p.m. raffle drawing for matching his/her Vespa scooters. In the preceding weeks, guests had been invited to purchase specially branded t-shirts for $20/each, with each purchase qualifying for one contest entry. Proceeds from the sale had been earmarked for the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, with one of the charity’s representatives even in attendance to pick the lucky winner.

The end result was that, for one day at least, Washingtonians could proudly boast about being green with envy!