07.07.11 - Washington Post Live Chat with Dior Toney Minister of Hospitality

Dior live chatted with the Washington Post about McFadden's, bar tips and dancing topless on the bar! Visit Website

01.19.10 - Jersey Shore Stars Party at McFadden's DC

Jersey Shore Stars Party at McFadden's DC Visit Website

01.19.10 - Jersey Shore Kids Show Up in Nation's Capitol

Jersey Shore Kids Show Up in Nation's Capitol Visit Website

01.19.10 - JWow and Pauly D Party at McFadden's DC!

JWow and Pauly D Party at McFadden's DC! Visit Website

01.19.10 - Jersey Shore Comes to DC!

Jersey Shore Comes to DC! Visit Website

05.20.08 - Vote McFadden's Best Happy Hour in DC!

Vote McFadden's Best Happy Hour in DC!
MCFADDEN’S NOMINATED AS ONE OF WASHINGTON D.C.'S BEST HAPPY HOUR IN CITY'S BEST® 2008 PROGRAM
Nationwide Categories Include Best Burgers, Best Pizza, Best Dance Clubs, Best Romantic Restaurants, Best Cheap Eats, Best Happy Hour, Best Sports Bars, Best Singles Scene and Many More

Vote Online at http://www.aol.com/citysbest through July 10, 2008
Washington, D.C. -- May 20, 2008 -- Celebrating the best in local dining and nightlife, City's Best® powered by AOL Local (http://www.aol.com/citysbest) has announced the nominees for City's Best 2008 and McFadden’s Restaurant & Saloon has been nominated in the Best Happy Hour category. More than 200 businesses were nominated in each of City's Best's 40 major markets across the country. Voting for the 2008 campaign is open now through July 10, 2008 and winners will be announced on or after July 22, 2008.

The annual City's Best program provides an opportunity for local residents to vote for their favorite venues in their hometown, as well as cities they enjoy visiting. The wide range of categories include: Best Weekend Brunch, Best Cheap Eats, Best Chinese Restaurants, Best Romantic Restaurants, Best Steakhouses, Best Mexican Restaurants, Best Outdoor Dining, Best Family-Friendly Restaurants, Best Sports Bars, Best Singles Scene and many more.

McFadden's Restaurant and Saloon opened in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of downtown Washington, DC on St. Patrick's Day 2003 and has quickly taken its place among the premier Irish Pubs/ Restaurants and citywide nightspots. Renown for its Happy Hour Specials Monday through Friday with a Live DJ spinning the hottest music Tuesday through Saturday nights.

"We're thrilled to kick off City's Best 2008 and to recognize the outstanding restaurants, clubs and other establishments that were nominated," said Chris Spanos, Director, AOL Search Verticals. "For the past nine years, millions of people have cast their votes for the best local venues across the country and we invite everyone to once again make their voices heard by selecting the best of the best in their city."

City's Best establishments are nominated based on insights of the City's Best editorial team and user feedback. Consumers' votes and rankings ultimately determine which venues are chosen #1 in their categories leading up to the announcement of the winners in July 2008. Voting is open now at http://www.aol.com/citysbest.
About City's Best

The City's Best campaign is an annual program produced by AOL CityGuide, an online local entertainment guide for people who want to know where to go and what to do in more than 300 cities across the U.S. AOL CityGuide's information offerings focus on restaurants, bars and special events. AOL CityGuide can be found free on the Web at http://cityguide.aol.com. The City's Best campaign is part of the City's Best® service that provides reviews and information on a broad range of dining, entertainment and recreational activities.

Contact

Erin Hamada
Event Coordinator, McFadden’s Restaurant & Saloon
(202) 223-2338
erin@mcfaddensdc.com

For press inquiries regarding City's Best, please contact:

Jaymelina Esmele
AOL
(703) 265-7831
Jaymelina.Esmele@corp.aol.com

02.22.08 - Ride 'Em Cowboys

By Fritz Hahn
In this line of work, one of the most frequently asked questions has nothing to do with salsa nights, exotic beers or how to get past the bouncer at Eighteenth Street Lounge. Believe it or not, it is simply, "Do you know where there's a bar with a mechanical bull?"

That's a tough one. You can find mechanical bulls at state fairs or special events, but there's no bar near Washington that has installed its own bucking bull. Chalk it up to safety regulations or a fear of lawsuits.

However, those with urban cowboy fantasies got a boost around Thanksgiving when McFadden's Restaurant and Saloon, the raucous Irish pub across from George Washington University, started hosting western-themed events with costume contests, drink specials and, best of all, a mechanical bull-riding contest.

The first two parties went so well that the bull now makes monthly appearances. (The bar rents it from a New York-based company.)

What a perfect way to spend a cold Saturday night.


The bull is tucked into a large back room on the pub's lower level, past the DJ spinning '90s hip-hop hits and college students taking advantage of the night's open bar -- unlimited drinks from 8 to 11 for $20, a generous deal that encourages many to take a wild ride in front of a crowd of onlookers. Most of the space is taken up with a huge inflatable pad, offering several inches of cushion to anyone (er, everyone) who gets thrown. In the middle sits the bull: a broad, padded block of leather with a menacing-looking pair of rubber horns. Thrill seekers line one wall. A steady stream of people climb on and get tossed off just as quickly as their friends, crowded around the mat, can whoop and holler.

The queue moves briskly; anywhere from 150 to 200 people can ride in four hours, says Clark Webb, who runs the bull with partner Daniel Culbert. "Once they go once," Webb says with a grin, "they go again."

Webb and Culbert work for a company called Wild West Performers, carting mechanical bulls between Upstate New York and Florida. This one is a sophisticated model "designed to train rodeo riders," Webb says.

Culbert works two dials: one determines which way the bull spins and the other how hard it bucks. The longer a rider stays on, the more unpredictable the bull's motions become.

"If it's a girl, we make her look good," Webb says, rotating the bull slower so she can pose and her friends can cheer. On the other hand, "guys like to get thrown off pretty rough," he says.

No matter their gender, almost no one lasts more than 15 to 20 seconds.

My friends say there's no way I can write this story without taking a turn, and they're right. Against my better judgment, I get in line, where the topics of conversation are limited to commentary about the current rider and techniques for staying on the bull.

"Hold on with both hands," says University of Maryland student Leon Flek. No, jokes his buddy Igor Simas, a Maryland graduate who works as an information technology consultant. "Hold on to the horns."

Both of them are thrown off pretty quickly, but they get up laughing and head for the bar.

Finally, it's my turn. After signing a form confirming that I'm risking life and limb, I'm handed a sturdy leather glove and told to climb on and hold a strap around the bull's neck.

A few seconds later, I'm unceremoniously sprawled on the mat. Clearly, I need help.

In the hopes of getting a few tips, I ask Webb which of the riders has managed to stay on the longest. He points me to a woman wearing a cowboy hat on the other side of the room. "We had trouble getting her off the bull," he says, adding that, generally, "girls are better at moving their hips and counterbalancing."

Deborah Pfaff is 29 and works for the Department of Defense. She first rode a mechanical bull a few years ago in New Orleans, and when she got an e-mail from McFadden's about the event, she had to come out. "I had a good time in New Orleans," she says, and here, "it's always a good crowd. They cheer for you."

Pfaff's technique is the result of years spent as an equestrian. She advises me to keep my back down and use my free hand for balance. But the secret, she says, is "squeeze with your inner thighs."

Pfaff has gotten into the spirit of the night, from her hat to her boot-cut jeans, and she has plenty of company: women in plaid tops with their hair in braided pigtails, "Little House on the Prairie" style, and fancy boots; guys in embroidered western shirts and faded jeans.

I take another turn on the bull with predictably similar results, though keeping low does seem to help, and I don't embarrass myself too badly -- at least no one boos.

As I watch, another guy manages to stay on for a decent amount of time despite repeated shifts of direction. This is Ari Fingeroth's second time on a mechanical bull. The first time was a little more than a month ago in Tennessee, "and I broke my foot," the 30-year-old carpenter says.

Yikes.

Despite his injury, Fingeroth didn't hesitate to get back in the saddle. "Up until the point where I broke my foot, it was a lot of fun," he says.

His advice for fellow riders? "Don't let go. Hold on tight."

McFadden's Restaurant and Saloon 2401 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Phone:202-223-2338 Mechanical bull: Last Saturday of the month from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Cover:$5 after 9.

05.10.07 - From A True Sabres Fan...

"I spent most of the season and the playoffs in Washington, DC. What I saw there, were Sabres fans. People traveling from all over to see them play the Caps because it was easier to get tickets there than at home, following the team wherever they went. McFadden's DC throughout the playoffs was like being in Buffalo. The back room packed with hockey fans, cheering on the Sabres, screaming at the refs, drinking Labatt and supporting the team that was playing over 500 miles away from them. We were our own Sabres community, a Buffalo family, brought together because of the Sabres. I know that DC wasn't the only city to experience this."

01.29.07 - Voted 2007 AOL's Best Happy Hour!

McFadden's brings to town the traditional fun and new funk that's made it a bar star in the Big Apple. 'We're not your grandfather's saloon,' warns McFadden's, but it does preserve the best old pub traditions -- like St. Patrick's Day 365 days a year.

Glossy dark wood and polished brass railings are signatures at McFadden's, along with the long and lively bar. Check out happy hour specials from brews to 'tinis, rockin' hot DJs and unexpected new contests. Most folks come for the nightlife, but that doesn't mean you have to starve. McFadden's American pub grub, like boneless wings and mozzarella sticks, make for good finger food. Come for a pint and a bite after work, and you'll probably end up staying for the evening. -- Tracey Meloni (Photo: Melanie Mize Renzulli)

08.01.06 - WashingtonPost.com Editorial Review

WashingtonPost.com Editorial Review Click for more information