Description: A sweet and spiffy neighborhood gay bar on Capitol Hill.

Crowd-drawing wonderments: Nightly piano theatrics.

Oddities found at Martins: A magical fireplace that contorts its flame into a flickering corkscrew.

Other fire-based oddities not available at Martins but found elsewhere in the universe: The mind-blowing flame of a candle in zero gravity, which is a uniform faint blue color and holds the shape of a sphere. (Imagine the wick as being encased by a ghostly blue Afro.)

Happy hours: Sat–Sun 9 am–6 pm, Mon–Fri 11 am–6 pm, Sun–Thurs 11 pm–close (drinks); Sun–Thurs 11 pm–close, Mon–Thurs 4–6 pm (food).

Happy-hour drink specials: $2.50 well drinks, $3 microbrews (Kilt Lifter, Stella Artois).

Happy-hour food specials: Depending on the time and day, either 20 percent off sandwiches and appetizers or half off appetizers under $10 ($4 popcorn chicken, $4.50 pulled-pork quesadilla).