This is the third in our Meet Your Neighbors series by Alex Rego. Check out the first two here.
Meet Davino. For years he has led a split life: day and night, uppers and downers, barista and bartender.
But now he is working to bring his two passions together with his new concept Duality Bar, an espresso and whiskey pairing
experience. Davino has been hosting Duality pop-ups around the city for
a few months and is settling down on U Street’s Bin 1301.
While Davino is raising his two daughters Blesyn and Faith
in Maryland, he spends the rest of his time here in the neighborhood.
“I feel as if I am part of the community, I work, eat and
play here. Much to some of my friends’ dismay, I spend most of my time on U
Street.”
Davino has been working in the U Street corridor for almost
a decade at various restaurants, cafes, and bars. From Busboys and Poets to wine bar Bin 1301, Davino used all of his experiences to craft his concept for The Duality
Bar.
“We are in what the coffee community calls the ‘Third Wave.’ My idea is to usher in the ‘Fourth Wave,’ which is focused on
pairings. All of the new coffee shops opening, including Starbucks, are
introducing beer and wine on their menus, but no one is blending the options or
putting pairings in the forefront.”
The Third Wave of coffee brought us high-quality beans and
fair trade and revived old brewing methods like the pour-over. Davino’s
idea of a new kind of coffee experience will bring local roasted
Brazilian espresso and Colombian beans to a French press and pair them with
whiskeys and bourbons from around the world. The coffee is from DC Gold Cup, owned by
DC native Jeremy Murray and roasted in Hyattsville.
The Duality Bar is all about keeping it local; Davino plans
to have baked goods from Firehook Bakery of Dupont Circle including scones, muffins, and croissant sandwiches. In addition to
the pairings menu, Duality Bar will offer sensibly priced lattes, cocktails,
and combo specials.
The Duality Bar will be setting up shop in Bin 1301 from 6am to 3pm Monday through Friday and taking over during brunch hours. With
Davino’s chill vibe, plenty of patio seating, and wifi, Duality aims to
satisfy both the lonely blogger and the business brunchers.
“I love the U Street corridor! It is an amazing neighborhood
that embraces outsiders like me, as long as you have something to offer back.
The duality of being from NY and thriving in DC allows me to use both cultures
to make this a successful venture.”
Davino hopes to give back to the community and the people
that have supported and inspired him in this last decade. By starting his
business here, he hopes to bring more jobs to the area and to shine a light on
the diversity of the community.
Duality Bar opened this Friday, April 1st at 6 am.
To find out more about Davino and the Duality Bar connect with him via Facebook, Instagram or
Twitter, @thedualitybar.
