The time has come to eat a loaded dog inside a dinosaur. | Joy Asico Legacy HiFi joins Adams Morgan’s nightlife corridor on Wednesday, November 27 Chunky analog televisions, a vintage soda machine, and payphones just got a new life inside Adams Morgan’s nostalgia-inducing Legacy HiFi. The hip new hangout, open daily out of the gate at 5 p.m., lands at the top of the nightlife strip where rugby bar Tight Five Pub most recently sat (2471 18th Street NW). Legacy HiFi makes its timely debut on Thanksgiving Eve, better known as one of the biggest going-out nights of the year when hundreds of D.C. establishments get the green light to pour until 4 a.m. D.C.’s newest bar comes from the team behind Legacy DC, a cultural hub at the corner of 14th and U stacked with a rotating art gallery, live music and comedy, dispensary, streetwear, and podcast studio. Legacy HiFi marks 3-year-old mashup brand’s first foray into hospitality. Joy Asico A clackety train station display spelling out the name hovers above a bar lined with spray paint cans and Supreme skater swag. Cocktails here are cheaper than most: $10 for an espresso martini, Moscow mule, margarita, rum punch, paloma, gin Rickey, or Old Fashioned (plus shot combos, too). Legacy HiFi comes from Tim Slayton, who long led the bar at U Street’s now-closed mainstay Marvin; Legacy DC co-creator and talented graffiti artist Tyler Stoe; and chef Mathew Ramsey. The Pornburger cookbook author brings Michelin credentials to the table, having previously worked at D.C.’s one-starred Tail Up Goat and two-starred Pineapple & Pearls. There’s just drinks to start, and food will follow in the near future. Ramsey was slated to open a place of his own called Cold Beer in 2020 before the pandemic derailed his plans. Four years later, he turns to his childhood memories and fine dining background to whip up a menu full of cheffed-up sliders and dogs. “I love how Pineapple brings fun into the food and I want to continue to do that with my own cuisine,” he tells Eater. At Legacy HiFi, that starts with dinosaur-shaped dining vessels. Brontosaurus figurines straight out of the Land Before Time house hot dogs topped with edible glitter, while a toothy T-Rex prop holds the pickles for your sliders. Joy Asico Beer can-shaped toothpicks settle into sliders. The Wisconsin native says he moved everywhere from Texas to Tokyo over the years, but it was the quintessential burger shacks of his youth that remind him of the simple pleasures of home. “This day and age we want to do everything so grandiose — burgers have to have two patties or three toppings. I want to bring back what gave me butterflies,” he says. As such, the less-is-more lineup is split between two main characters: “shorties” (sliders) and “slims” (hot dogs) served on silver trays. The ButterBurger born at cult Midwest chain Culver’s was the muse for his smash patty sliders. Slapped with a pat of miso-brown butter for a rich-and-juicy finish, the dry-aged trio on soft potato rolls comes with mustard, pickles, griddled onions, and smoky sauce. Another slider stars a slather of kimchi and pimento cheese — a compilation he dubs “kimento” — with a hot honey drizzle. All-beef smoked franks get pickle-brined, deep fried, and topped with diced onions and relish. Joy Asico Legacy HiFi partners Mathew Ramsey, Tim Slayton, and Tyler Stoe. Stoe contributes his colorful street art skills to the walls, along with a vast collection of random retro goods. That includes coin-operated telephones he sourced for an interactive installation at Legacy DC. The reclaimed soda machine does work, but not in the way you’d think. With the press of a button, the repurposed door opens up to a staircase that leads to a future second level. A roll-up garage door leads to an outdoor patio come spring. Joy Asico A tricked out soda machine hangs out near throwback prints. “There’s a lot of history in this building, which was fun to discover,” says Ramsey. Back in the day it housed Asylum, a storied rock-and-roll lounge where actor Harrison Ford once threw a party. Music lives on at Legacy HiFi, with bands and weekly DJs slated to perform on a newly built stage. Joy Asico Brick walls got the graffiti-splashed treatment at Legacy HiFi.