Food

Fighting Words: Madam’s Organ Slams Tryst

The Adams Morgan blues bar dubs the coffeehouse “worst neighbor 2013.”

Photograph of Madam's Organ by Flickr user Denis Bocquet.

Madam’s Organ doled out a 2013 “award” Wednesday, and not one full of New Year’s cheer. The Adams Morgan blues bar dubbed nearby cafe Tryst the “worst neighbor 2013.” The following post appeared on the dive bar’s Facebook page [ed. note: the post appears exactly as written]:

“Tryst. Our shitty neighbor, every New Year’s Eve rents a large moving van and park it in front of Madam’s, completely blocking out front. This shit move just so they can temporarily store their furniture to squeeze more people in the door. For this I would like to award the owner, Cunstantine [sic] the 2013 Worst Neighbor Ever award.”

Fighting words! According to the restaurant, Tryst has closed on New Year’s Eve for a private event for several years, with proceeds from ticket sales benefiting Bread for the City. The coffeehouse received permission from the Metropolitan Police Department to park the U-Haul, which was used to remove large furniture to accommodate the party. Bread for the City, a nonprofit organization that provides food, clothing, and other services to “vulnerable residents” of DC, provided the following comment:

“Tryst has been kind enough to allow us to use their space for a private party that is a New Year’s Eve benefit for Bread for the City. Because of the generosity of Tryst and our guests, we’ve been able to give thousands to help DC’s most needy over the years. For those who would like to join our guests in donating, a link is available here: http://givingtuesday.razoo.com/story/Tryst-New-Years-2014.”

This isn’t the first time the Madam’s Organ team has voiced strong opinions to the public. Remember the “anatomically correct nude Daniel Snyder cake”? Because we sure do.

Food Editor

Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.