Farah Ofogh

Fat City Kitchen

330 South Picket Street

Alexandria

703-685-9172

FatCityKitchen.com

Farah conjures up a Fat City Kitchen Specialty of Isaac Bowman Port Whiskey, Honey Water, Black Walnut Bitters & Sea Salt all live smoked with hickory wood chips and finished with a flamed orange peel

How did you get started in the bartending business?

It all started with my brother who is 12 years older than me. He was prominent in the industry in the Virginia and DC area and I used to watch him practice flare bartending in our backyard. He would take me to the coolest bars and restaurants where everyone knew him and he received so much love and always had the coolest and hottest friends. His lifestyle was so glamorous and intriguing and I knew that’s what I’d like to do. He got me a job as a soda girl at his friends restaurant (because I wasn’t old enough to serve alcohol) and the rest is history.

What is your biggest bartender pet peeve?

Guests who feel they are owed a drink. It’s a privilege, not a right. I don’t have to do it and it’s not mine to give away to begin with.

What is the cleverest line anyone has ever used to get you to give them a free drink?

Someone bet they knew me and I didn’t remember them. He bet a drink if he could prove it. He pulled up a picture from 13 years ago of us at a party and I remembered him. I bought him a few drinks.

What is the best/worst pickup line you have overheard at the bar?

I was bartending an outdoor bar in Florida and this homeless guy walks by, stops dead in his tracks and said “girl, I’d clean up so good for you. I’d get a job and everything.” I felt like I could change the world.

Tell us about an interesting encounter you have had with a customer(s).

I had a guest who was Asian. She asked for hot sauce to go with her wings, so I gave her a bunch of unique hot sauces I keep behind the bar. But I warned her about one and told her to try it first because it was extremely hot. She swore up and down that she could handle it because she’s Asian and proceeded to dump it on her wings. When she was done with her meal, the other bartender asked her how the hot sauce was. She put her hands on her head and in her very thick accent said, “OH MY GOD! Too spicy! My head a hurt so baaaad. I cannot feel my fingas.” He didn’t understand so he asked, “huh?” She held her hands out, tapped each finger and said, “my fingas, they go numb! I think about call 911!” It was so funny I had to walk away. This story is even better when I tell it in person! You can’t write this stuff, I swear!

If you could sit down and have a drink with anyone in the world, past or present, who would that be?

This is a hard question because I’ve drank with a lot of incredible people. If I absolutely had to choose, it would probably be my General Manager at a concert. It would be so interesting to see him let loose outside of our restaurant. As funny as he is here, I can only imagine what he’s like with a drink or two in him.

Farah is behind the bar on Thursday night and all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday!

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