A new bar has popped up just two blocks from our apartment. There goes the neighborhood!

Just kidding. This is great. As I mentioned in a local bar review last year, new businesses seem to be opening up every day. (Gentrification!) Now that we have a pick of four or five quality, cheap bars within walking distance, the need to go into Manhattan is pretty much eliminated.

This bar is so new, it doesn’t even have a sign up yet. Or maybe that’s the edgy point. Either way, it’s called Washington Commons, located on the corner of Washington Ave. and Park Place. It’s been open a month or two, and has already built up a regular crowd, it seems. There was a large backyard section, and I can’t actually show it to you because it was too packed to enter. It looked plain but they’re apparently still working on the patio section to be unveiled this summer.

We ended up easily finding a table at around 10 PM even though the crowd was building up; the inside was spacious and well designed. The owners of Washington Commons also own a pub in Park Slope called Fourth Avenue, so I’ll have to see if the simple set-up is similar. Unlike at Franklin Park, there were people constantly around but not an overwhelming amount, so I felt like we had a choice of how private we wanted the night to be.

I tried to take a picture of the draft selections because, according to Anne, they are great…? What do I know—I actually chose to get a 6-pack of Bud Light Lime recently (“Ooh, it tastes like Corona but you don’t have to buy the lime!”) so I just took her word for it. Of course, after I couldn’t get a good photo, I just took the menu. So if you’re ever at my apartment, we can make some early choices about what to drink later. The menu includes Green Flash West Coast IPA, Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale, Old Speckled Hen, Sixpoint Righteous Rye Ale, Guinness Stout.

I stuck with Blue Point Blueberry Ale, but they also had Woodchuck Amber Apple Cider, which I usually enjoy (all mentioned above are $5 or $6). Despite the good price, I did think the serving sizes were a little small. This makes sense for beers with higher alcohol content (like the ones Alcoholic Anne was getting), but I tend to judge a bar by its quantity (pint size). I realize this makes me trash but still, something to work on, New Bar.

The bartenders were pretty friendly, and there were enough to go around. The music played was great—nothing too pretentious and didn’t stick to one genre. We haven’t been there for happy hour, but according to the sign, it lasts from 3 PM until 8 PM and features $2 off any drink. $3 quality beers is a really good deal, and it’s always nice to find a happy hour that goes past 7 PM.

Like I’ve noticed in other Brooklyn bars, there wasn’t much interaction between groups, which is a main reason to go out. But that may have been because we were at a table and not at the bar or backyard. The crowd seemed friendly enough, and a little older than the Franklin Park scene. Between the bartenders and the crowd, the atmosphere was mellow and comfortable.