I recently saw Drew Hastings and Costaki Economopoulos perform during The Stansbury Love Stinks…read moreComedy Show on Valentine's Day. First, in the interest of full disclosure, this review is limited to my experience with the venue. I didn't order drinks from the bar, which is why I decided that I would be relatively generous with the rating I gave it. I figure, if I didn't use the full range of services here, I shouldn't penalize this venue too harshly simply out of my own ignorance.
The venue itself is nice, clean, and cozy. The Stansbury Show sold out two shows here and the packed house definitely gave this place a lively vibe. For the comedy show, the venue put out rows of folding chairs, which was fine, but also a little cramped. I found a seat on the end, which gave me a little more leg room then most people, but I imagine I would've felt a bit cramped had I chosen a middle seat. On the other hand, given the space they had to work with, I think the layout they had was probably close to the best they could do. For future shows, I'd suggest incorporating a little more leg room, if possible. The show, by the way, was great. I enjoyed both the opener and the headliner. Stansbury and Fantone were excellent MCs. I think I'd come out just to see them do a set of their own.
Parking is available right next to the building, which is nice. But, if you're unfamiliar with the area and you haven't used Google Street View to look up this place in advance, you might miss this place at first glance. The Auricle is attached to The Metropolitan Centre, which (from what I can tell online) is a multi-purpose event space with a large ballroom and a rooftop patio - think wedding receptions, etc. In any case, The Auricle itself is on the west side of the building closer to Dewalt Ave and 6th Street NW, which isn't immediately obvious when you enter the lot off of Cleveland Ave NW. The only reason I downgraded this venue by one star is because I think The Auricle should post a sign indicating that parking for The Auricle is specifically allowed in this lot.
A sign in the bathroom poked fun at drinking domestic beers. From that I gather that this may be a good place to find foreign and/or craft brews. Again, I didn't drink here this time, so you'll have to investigate that on your own. Speaking of the bathroom, one last thing is worth noting: the bathroom was clean, but the only urinal in the men's room wasn't draining properly. Someone should get that fixed.