Arts & Entertainment
Kangaroo critique
Food truck barbecue operation opens sit-down spot in Columbia Heights
Portions are generous at Kangaroo Boxing Club. (Blade photo by Michael Key)
The still-new Kangaroo Boxing Club, which opened at 3410 11th Street NW in June, is a brick-and-mortar spin-off of the PORC food truck which its owners envision as a laid-back eatery where barbecue lovers can get in a restaurant the kind of food they serve in their food trucks.
Proprietors John Saltzman, Trent Allen, Peyton Sherwood, Chris Powers and Zack Spencer have opened a spot that consists of seven indoor tables, a few seats at the bar and limited patio seating. In November, I reviewed the PORC food truck and with the new establishment I was expecting a much-elevated version of the food. Unfortunately this was not to be.
We arrived and were seated in the front window seat. The waiter piled rustic wooden clipboards with the menu attached haphazardly on the table and scurried away. When he returned for our drink order, he directed us to a barely visible chalkboard across the bar. All I could see was the beer selections that were crossed off, indicating that they were out.
While we had his attention we selected the “Meat Board” appetizer that has pulled pork, Smokey Joe — beef smothered in barbecue sauce — and pastrami. It was served with a blueberry habanero salsa and three microscopic pieces of crostini. We did order more crostini but it didn’t arrive until after our entrees. This platter was met with a lukewarm reception from the table, partly because the meats were lukewarm and partly because they lacked a key element: flavor. I believe that sauces shouldn’t provide the only flavor for food, but they should enhance it; the blueberry habanero salsa didn’t do either. It fell flat, not even delivering the heat one expects from habaneros.
Our meat-centric entrees included pulled pork sandwiches, three little pigs platter, and the pastrami sandwich. I planned on ordering the Big Bad Wolf Burger that comes with ham, bacon and pulled pork, with the Costanza Burger patty instead of the standard, because it is described as the most sensual of burgers. However the waiter never asked me which I wanted, nor did he ask how I wanted it cooked. I was barely able to request cheddar cheese on the burger before he rushed off. With most entrees you have your choice of sides including collard greens, mac and cheese, barbecue beans, Johnny Cakes and fries. We chose a variety of these sides, although most of us also added the mac and cheese.
Our entrees arrived, moments after the appetizer. The pastrami sandwich could have fed four people and the pulled pork was erupting from the bun. My burger was on a thick slice of ham, pulled pork piled high and two pieces of bacon crisscrossed over top. It was missing the cheese, but I am not sure where that would have been placed anyway.
I smashed the top bun down and struggled to fit the sandwich in my mouth. My first sloppy bite was a preview to my disappointment — the patty was overcooked, the pulled pork was bland and dry and even the bacon couldn’t save it. I splashed on some hot sauce, but I quickly gave up. My mac and cheese, also ordered with bacon because I couldn’t resist adding more meat to this meal, had too much goopy sauce on top and the noodles were undercooked. The bite of blue cheese was barely evident in the sauce. Most startling however, was that all four mac-and-cheese sides at the table were significantly different.
Not all was disappointing, though. The Johnny Cakes were perfectly prepared. The meat-soaked collard greens and pastrami sandwich showed potential.
And while several of the offerings were lackluster, the overarching problem at Kangaroo Boxing Club is service. They need to slow down and pay attention to the needs of the patron. The only focus seems to be turning tables, and that is creating rushed, poorly prepared and inconsistent meals. It feels like they’re operating a stationary food truck at the peak of lunch rush. If they slow down and concentrate on the food, then Kangaroo Boxing Club could bring excellent barbeque to Columbia Heights. If the food is extraordinary, then people will be willing to wait. Until then, this offers little you can’t get at the food truck.
History
Julius’ Bar ‘sip-in’ laid groundwork for Stonewall
Tuesday marked 60 years since four gay activists held protest
While Stonewall is widely considered the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ rights movement in the U.S., a lesser-known protest inside a Greenwich Village bar three years earlier helped lay critical groundwork for what would follow.
Tuesday marked 60 years since the Julius’ Bar “sip in.”
On April 21, 1966, four gay rights activists — Dick Leitsch, Craig Rodwell, John Timmons, and later Randy Wicker — walked into Julius’ Bar and staged what would become known as a “sip-in” to challenge state liquor regulations on serving alcoholic beverages to gay men — with a drink.
Modeled after the sit-ins that challenged racial segregation across the American South, the protest was designed to confront discriminatory practices targeting LGBTQ patrons in public spaces.
At the time, the Mattachine Society — one of the country’s earliest gay rights groups — was actively pushing back against policies enforced by the New York State Liquor Authority. One of those policies could have resulted in the loss of liquor licenses for serving known or suspected gay men and lesbians. The participants had visited multiple establishments, openly identified themselves as homosexual, and requested a drink — with the anticipation of being denied.
Their final stop was Julius’, where reporters and a photographer had gathered to document the moment. When Leitsch declared their identity, the bartender covered their glasses and refused service, reportedly saying, “I think it’s against the law.” The next day, the New York Times ran a story with the headline, “3 Deviates Invite Exclusion by Bars,” cementing the moment in the public record.
Though initially framed with disrespect — the term “sip-in” itself was coined as a play on civil rights protests — the action marked a turning point. It brought national attention to the systemic discrimination LGBTQ people faced and helped catalyze changes in how liquor laws were enforced. In the years that followed, the protest contributed to the emergence of licensed, more openly gay-friendly bars, which became central social and organizing spaces for LGBTQ communities.
The Washington Blade originally covered when the bar was officially added to the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places in 2016.
Today, historians and advocates increasingly recognize the “sip-in” as a key pre-Stonewall milestone. According to the New York City LGBTQ Historic Sites Project, the protest not only increased visibility of the early LGBTQ rights movement but also exposed widespread surveillance and entrapment tactics used against the community.
Marking the 60th anniversary of the event, commemorations have taken place in New York and across the country. Reflecting on its enduring legacy, Amanda Davis, executive director of the NYC LGBTQ Historic Sites Project, spoke about the event.
“Julius’ Bar is a place you can visit and viscerally connect with history,” said Davis. “We’re thrilled to have solidarity locations across the country join us in commemorating the ‘sip-in’’s 60th anniversary and the queer community’s First Amendment right to peaceably assemble.”
For current stewards of the historic bar, the responsibility of preserving that legacy remains front of mind.
“It’s a privilege and a responsibility to be the steward of a place so important to American and LGBTQ history,” said current owner of Julius’ Bar, Helen Buford. “The events of the 1966 Sip-In here at Julius’ resonated across the country and inspired countless others to stand proud for their rights.”
The timing couldn’t have come at a more important moment, Kymn Goldstein, executive director of the June L. Mazer Lesbian Archives, explained.
“At a time when our community faces renewed challenges, coming together in resilience and solidarity reminds us of the power in our collective resistance,” Goldstein said.
The American Civil Liberties Union, an organization dedicated to defending rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution, is currently tracking 519 anti-LGBTQ bills across the U.S. The majority are targeted at restricting transgender rights — particularly related to gender-affirming care, sports participation, and the use of public bathrooms.
Some additional groups and bars that held their own “sip-in” as solidarity events to uplift this historic milestone are from across the country include:
Alice Austen House at Steiny’s Pub, Staten Island, N.Y.
Bellows Falls Pride Committee at PK’s Irish Pub, Bellows Falls, Vt.
Brick Road Coffee, Mesa, Ariz.
Brick Road Coffee, Tempe, Ariz.
Dick Leitsch’s Family at Old Louisville Brewery, Louisville, Ky.
The Faerie Playhouse & LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana at Le Cabaret, New Orleans
Harlem Pride & John Reddick at L’Artista Italian Kitchen & Bar, New York
JOYR!DE KiKi at Loafers Cocktail Bar, New York
Matthew Lawrence & Jason Tranchida / Headmaster at Deadbeats Bar, Providence, R.I.
Mazer Lesbian Archives at Alana’s Coffee, Los Angeles
New Hope Celebrates at The Club Room, New Hope, Pa.
Queer Memory Project at the University of Evansville Multicultural Student Commons / Ridgway University Center, Evansville, Ind.
Sandy Jack’s Bar, Brooklyn, N.Y.
St. Louis LGBT History Project at Just John Club, St. Louis
The LGBTQ+ Victory Fund National Champagne Brunch was held at Salamander Washington DC on Sunday, April 19. Gov. Andy Beshear (D-Ky.) was presented with the Allyship Award.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
The umbrella LGBTQ sports organization Team D.C. held its annual Night of Champions Gala at the Georgetown Marriott on Saturday, April 18. Team D.C. presented scholarships to local student athletes and presented awards to Adam Peck, Manuel Montelongo (a.k.a. Mari Con Carne), Dr. Sara Varghai, Dan Martin and the Centaur Motorcycle Club. Sean Bartel was posthumously honored with the Most Valuable Person Award.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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