PX

Sat at the bar, our mixologist was amazing at what he does.  We had three cocktails each.  I can't describe how good these were, you'll have to try them.  Very complex flavors.

The atmosphere was awesome.  Take a date or business associate here to impress the hell out of them.  Boo-ya!

This review is quite long due to the severity of our disappointing experience at PX.

It was by far the worst customer service experience I have had in my life. My sister and I were celebrating my birthday with reservations at the Tasting Room at Restaurant Eve and its sister establishment, "PX." After enjoying a wonderful meal at the Tasting Room at Restaurant Eve where we had ordered the wine pairing to accompany our dinners, we wanted to enjoy some tea with our desert to add a finishing touch to a lovely dining experience. Realizing that this would cause us to be late to our reservation at PX, our server at Eve called and confirmed with PX to ensure that a tardy arrival would be alright, and assured us that we could take our time. Prior to walking over to PX, we had the hostess at Eve call PX again to notify them of our imminent arrival.

Upon arriving at PX, Briana (a server and apparently a gatekeeper; the female with the long, blond curly hair) recognized us as the party from Eve.  Before she let us in, she told us that as reservations are only valid for 2 hours, we would only be able to stay until 11, leaving us a little over 1.5 hours. We assured her that we would be out before 11. Once we ordered our drinks, we had to wait for 30 minutes before they arrived. (I don't know why it took 30 minutes to make two cocktails.) The drinks were presented well, but were subpar to what I'd expect from a speakeasy cocktail. At 10:20pm (with 40 minutes remaining and not even halfway through our drinks), Briana returned and asked to pay and leave so that she could make room for other reservations. She tried to take our credit card before even bringing us a bill. Another server came by with the bill, and I pointed out that we were disappointed that we were asked to pay and leave. Not one server asked about our drinks, and why I had barely touched mine.  They seemed only concerned with the check, and to rush us out.  Offended by the rude service, we paid our bill and tipped decently but I left half my drink as I had no desire to stay longer. Then, it got WORSE.

As we were heading out, Briana rushed to beat us down the stairs where she physically blocked us from leaving. As in, she held onto the door handle with her left hand and stood between us and the exit.  In the most condescending manner, Briana pointed her finger in our faces and said, "YOU two, I'm not letting you leave until you understand that [it wasn't my intention to offend you]." When my sister asked her to open the door, she refused and continued to block the door (!). Immediately, I asked her for her name (which we did not know at the time), to which she responded by saying "YOU don't need to know my name, I don't work here!"  

In an effort to get her name, I walked back upstairs where I saw the other server, who felt uncomfortable sharing Briana's name, as she realized there were issues at hand. Once the bartender (not someone I'd call a mixologist) had a moment, I asked him for the name. He hesitated as well, almost sensing that she was stirring up more trouble, but told me. I thanked him and returned downstairs to exit, where I found that my sister had charged past Briana and finally got the door open. Even as we were exiting, she was still yelling at us, but as soon as she realized that other patrons were waiting to enter, her demeanor instantly changed. She generated a smile and wished my sister and me a pleasant evening, to which I responded that she must be joking. As other patrons were present, she insisted on her genuine feelings and we walked away.  Needless to say, we were very upset and troubled.  I don't recommend that anyone visit PX, especially if Briana is still there.

We stopped by Eamon's with the purpose of informing upper management in the restaurant group of the incident that had occurred that evening. The employee at Eamon's was sympathetic and wished sincerely that he could help us. As we had just dined at Restaurant Eve, he recommended that we return and speak with a manager there.

Ugh...well, I give them 2 stars because my cocktail was quite good and, for Old Town Alexandria, it's a very cool space. Standard cool factor of well done speakeasy (very similar to Milk and Honey in NYC).

The massive downfall...service.  We were sent there after dinner at their sister restaurant Eve and they called ahead before we got there (Eve is top notch).  When we arrived we were "greeted" by an Incredibly rude hostess (shocking really).  She made us stop on the landing to read the rules of the house.  I get it as a gimmick, but when I didn't stop to actually read them, she physically stepped past me to block my way and pointed at the sign (seriously).  

Then, despite there being 6 open bar stools in a row, she made me move because I sat in the one next to the one she pointed to (seriously).  She then told the bartender in VERY poor french, "Jason from restaurant Eve sent them over, but it's ok, they are only staying for one drink." If you are going to insult me, don't do it in a language EVERYONE speaks.  We then were subject to crazy attitude from the bartender.  I asked about the "chili soda" in my drink (because I loved it) and he was beyond condescending in his response (and the entire time we were there he never once made eye contact).  Also, it took forever to get our drinks.  There were only 5 other people in the place and we waited 15 minutes from the time we sat down (again, my cocktail was fantastic so worth the wait).

I left there wanting to scream in perfect french at the hostess and remind her that she works at a fake speakeasy in the burbs