Porter's Press/Reviews Check out what the Critics have to say: A Good Trip Back to Basics Porter's Dining Saloon is something of a sleeper on the downtown scene. I'll admit I was underwhelmed the first few times I stopped by the bar, which occupies three stories of a rowhouse near the corner of 19th and M streets NW. Everything is so simple: The main floor features exposed, weathered brick walls decorated with a few antique-style mirrors and lightened by panels of stained glass. A sturdy wooden bar runs down one wall, facing a long green banquette and a couple of tables. In the very front of the room, a bay window, outfitted with a couple of high stools and a rail for resting drinks, has become a favorite place to perch. Lights are perpetually dim, barring the luminous row of six flat-screen televisions on the wall. An upstairs dining room sees most of its use on weekends, when a young crowd comes out to dance, as does a narrow, low-ceilinged rathskeller. Both floors are similarly decorated with a minimalist combination of brick and televisions -- 17 screens in all. Porter's reminds me of taverns and old pubs I've visited in London, New York and Philadelphia, but honestly, nothing about the place jumps out. I was thinking about this the other night as I sat at the bar there, sipping a pint of Foggy Bottom Ale, munching on a very good blue-cheese burger and waiting for the Nationals game to come on on one of the televisions Sometimes, this is enough. It makes me long for a hot new trend: bar and lounge owners spending less time and money trying to get their establishments into Interior Design Magazine or attempting to convince me that I've popped across the pond for a pint in a "traditional" pub, and spending more time just creating a comfortable space with thoughtful touches. I like that Porters is a pub that reliably has sports on TV but doesn't try to hit me over the head with dozens of super-size screens or cover the walls with memorabilia and sepia-toned photos. Nationals, Red Sox, Yankees and Orioles seem to get priority right now (in that order), but come football season and March Madness, Porters attracts Terrapins, Nittany Lions, Boston College Eagles and other ACC and Big East fans...... [click HERE to read the rest of the article] Fritz Hahn [from washingtonpost.com]