It's been a while since I've written a review, but in the last 2 weekends I've visited 3 great places. One of them is Oyamel, one of Jose Andres' yet another gem in the city. A very chic and trendy decor adorns this corner spot on Penn Square where a previous authentic rural Mexican cuisine restaurant, Andale, resided. Oyamel offers a good selection of wines from California, unlike its other sister restaurants (Jaleo and Zaitinya) offerings off from its respective regions of Spain and the Mediterranean. Chef Andres specializes is small plate presentations such as Tapas (Spanish small plates), Mezze (Mediterranean small plates) - Jaleo and Zaitinya respectively.
Oyamel offers great traditional Mexican small plates - Antojitos, prepared with slightly updated versions of its traditional form.
Limes, Cilantro, garlic and cumin rule the flavors.
I went with a friend and shared a few things, as is usually the norm when one visits these types of places.
One cannot pass up the freshly made guacamole, tableside. Made with 2 hass avocadoes, fresh minced garlic, lime juice, cilantro and topped with Mexican Cotija cheese. A combination of smooth and sweet avocado texture, citrus and sharp cheese.
Also not to be passed are the freshly made tacos prepared at the Taco Bar, always go with the fish tacos. Prepared with presumably Tilapia, with a hint of garlic and lime flavors. The beef tongue is no. 2 on ,y last as it is bursting with flavors of almost corned beef without the acidity and a slight smoky after-taste. I made sure I didn't tell my friend eating with me knew that it's beef tongue, as it she may not be as adventurous as I am. For those who are a little more daring, there is also a Tacos chapulines, grasshopper...crispy and slightly spicy, but not for the faint of heart as it is an acquired taste....some say the texture may be a turn-off.
There are also chicken and vegetarian taco choices as well as seafood. The tacos are pretty small as a variety of choices is encouraged. I ordered, 2 fish tacos, 2 chicken tacos, Pollo guisado which is shredded chicken pieces in a tomato chile sauce and grilled with chicken pieces served with a guacamole sauce. Both are good and citrusy. I also ordered the beef tongue taco, which is surprisingly light in flavor, almost smoky and a slight cured tasting.
On other occasions I've also had their corn tamales topped with green tomatillo sauce, which is very good; light and creamy with a consistency of polenta.
The food here stays consistently good, professionally prepared with high quality ingredients and always a great value. A perfect combination in a sea of unnecessarily high priced restaurants in DC.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Friday, May 7, 2010
Tabaq
This is a typical U Street Restaurant; trendy (at least when it first opened), happy hour hang out, rooftop dining room with a great view and retractable roof. Decent food (Mezze), above decent wine list and mixers. If you go and can't get a rooftop seat (even at the bar) don't bother, the experience is dining, or drinking, on the rooftop.
The rooftop is roughly 3 floors up, the main dining room just above street level is mostly red with "pleather"......geared for the lounge/drinking crowd. The rooftop dining room has a summery feel to it, even in winter; glass roof and a great view of the city. At the end of the stairwell you will approach the bar, which is on the right side of the dining room. During peak hours and busy nights, one can't even just stand and wait for spot standing near or around the bar. So, it's best to go early.
The dining room is minimally decorated, with beach looking furniture and port lights on the walls under the windows; in some ways it does create a mediterranean feel to the atmosphere.
The menu is mostly Mezze (greek small plates) with a few entrees. Typical offerings such as Borek, Dolma, lamb offerings, some seafood, one or two fish and a decent amount of vegetarian plates.
I usually order the seafood risotto, it's filling and very decent. It's almost like a small Paella.
The wine list is also decent, with a few California, Oregon or French surprises once in a while.
As you might expect, no bells and whistles from my review; Tabaq is a great place to come and enjoy the view, watch the sunset, etc......when it's busy and full, the enjoyment of being there is taken away.
It's a great place to meet, especially on a weeknight.
The rooftop is roughly 3 floors up, the main dining room just above street level is mostly red with "pleather"......geared for the lounge/drinking crowd. The rooftop dining room has a summery feel to it, even in winter; glass roof and a great view of the city. At the end of the stairwell you will approach the bar, which is on the right side of the dining room. During peak hours and busy nights, one can't even just stand and wait for spot standing near or around the bar. So, it's best to go early.
The dining room is minimally decorated, with beach looking furniture and port lights on the walls under the windows; in some ways it does create a mediterranean feel to the atmosphere.
The menu is mostly Mezze (greek small plates) with a few entrees. Typical offerings such as Borek, Dolma, lamb offerings, some seafood, one or two fish and a decent amount of vegetarian plates.
I usually order the seafood risotto, it's filling and very decent. It's almost like a small Paella.
The wine list is also decent, with a few California, Oregon or French surprises once in a while.
As you might expect, no bells and whistles from my review; Tabaq is a great place to come and enjoy the view, watch the sunset, etc......when it's busy and full, the enjoyment of being there is taken away.
It's a great place to meet, especially on a weeknight.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Cafe Divan
A few weeks ago i re-visited an old favorite with friends from the old neighborhood at McLean Gardens: Cafe Divan.
A rare Turkish gem in a city filled with, lately, Belgian and small plate (Tapas/Mezze/Antojito) concepts. This is located on Wisconsin Ave, NW just across from the famous Georgetown's social Safeway, which is now being developed into a multi-use property.......read - Condos on upper Georgetown. The building it resides used to be a very small apartment building and Divan's spot used to be small breakfast and lunch joint and a frame shop in the back. The building is now a fancy Boutique hotel that is owned by the same person who owns Cafe Divan.
The restaurant is located in a very weird space as the building is literally in the shape of a Delta, so the dining room at some point gets narrower. The Decor is modern and has an Italian minimalist style furniture, yet cozy.
Unfortunately, due to space limitations, a Bar is not present; the space where they used to offer takeout separately in the back now becomes a small lounge. A happy hour place this is not, which is unfortunate......this means that Divan only attracts sit down diners and no casual neighborhood traffic.
The wine list...........as expected is......at least in my book.....a "forget it" list. House wines by the glass and nothing special.
The menu, however, is awesome! A few lamb dishes that are prepared daily (hopefully), and fresh tasting. Quite a few vegetarian selections as well such as homemade Hommus, grape leaves, etc...
The best item is only prepared on Thursday night, unfortunately, a healthy portion of lamb shavings that has been roasted spit style (gyro) that has flavors of garlic, salt, spices, just perfectly prepared. Served on a bed of rice. I always forget that each entree come with a small salad, so pace yourself.
The best appetizer to get is the Mezze platter....good to share......plenty for 2, enough for 3. It consist of Dolma (grape leaves stuffed with rice), Borek (phylo filled with feta and deep fried), hummus, and lentil kofte.
They also sandwich selections which tends to be smaller versions of their entree wrapped in flatbread.
Wood burning selections over thin crusted pizza made with pita/flat bread dough.
This is a great neighborhood restaurant, which unfortunately, is not a place one can actually frequent and hang out. Perhaps this is okay, but there seems to be an opportunity missed here......
A rare Turkish gem in a city filled with, lately, Belgian and small plate (Tapas/Mezze/Antojito) concepts. This is located on Wisconsin Ave, NW just across from the famous Georgetown's social Safeway, which is now being developed into a multi-use property.......read - Condos on upper Georgetown. The building it resides used to be a very small apartment building and Divan's spot used to be small breakfast and lunch joint and a frame shop in the back. The building is now a fancy Boutique hotel that is owned by the same person who owns Cafe Divan.
The restaurant is located in a very weird space as the building is literally in the shape of a Delta, so the dining room at some point gets narrower. The Decor is modern and has an Italian minimalist style furniture, yet cozy.
Unfortunately, due to space limitations, a Bar is not present; the space where they used to offer takeout separately in the back now becomes a small lounge. A happy hour place this is not, which is unfortunate......this means that Divan only attracts sit down diners and no casual neighborhood traffic.
The wine list...........as expected is......at least in my book.....a "forget it" list. House wines by the glass and nothing special.
The menu, however, is awesome! A few lamb dishes that are prepared daily (hopefully), and fresh tasting. Quite a few vegetarian selections as well such as homemade Hommus, grape leaves, etc...
The best item is only prepared on Thursday night, unfortunately, a healthy portion of lamb shavings that has been roasted spit style (gyro) that has flavors of garlic, salt, spices, just perfectly prepared. Served on a bed of rice. I always forget that each entree come with a small salad, so pace yourself.
The best appetizer to get is the Mezze platter....good to share......plenty for 2, enough for 3. It consist of Dolma (grape leaves stuffed with rice), Borek (phylo filled with feta and deep fried), hummus, and lentil kofte.
They also sandwich selections which tends to be smaller versions of their entree wrapped in flatbread.
Wood burning selections over thin crusted pizza made with pita/flat bread dough.
This is a great neighborhood restaurant, which unfortunately, is not a place one can actually frequent and hang out. Perhaps this is okay, but there seems to be an opportunity missed here......
CAVA Capitol Hill
This was a new addition last summer to the Marine Barracks' neighborhood. With Belga, Matchbox and Banana Cafe as a few of the anchors on that Street, this neighborhood now presents quite a diverse offerings of restaurants: Indian, Thai, Puerto Rican/Cuban, Salvadorean, Belgian, Italian, Mediterranean Mezze, a few Irish themed bars, .....not to mention the arrival of Zest and the soon to be Chesapeake Room and Ted rounds up the comfort food offerings on the Hill.
Cava is a locally owned chain; Potomac Fine Foods, started in 2007. The menu, seemingly, formulated and standardized for continuity and consistency throughout all of their locations.
I've only been to the Capitol Hill location, but I assume the decor, look and feel will be similar on all locations.
The Capitol Hill location has a dark exterior; with seating outside under large mediterranean style umbrellas. Upon entering the bar is located on the right side that stretches 3/4 of the length of the dining room with app. 20-24 seating. The bar is sectioned off by perforated walls so as not to create a claustrophobic feel at the bar. There is also a small bar that is geared for private functions that also doubles as a rooftop deck lounge.
The wine selection offers a selection of Greek, Italian, California and some Australian/New Zealand and Argentinean.....
Tip #1: Skip the Greek and Italian wines, don't bother with Argentinean, go straight to the California and oregon if they have them by the glass.
The menu selection offers Mezze style (mediterranean style small plates) and some entree selections as well.
I especially like the Sparaggia (Grilled asparagus dressed with lemon vinaigrette and feta), a healthy amount of asparagus spears perfectly grilled, although they could hold back a little bit on the feta and lemon dressing.
I also tried the Kastoria Beans (large navy beans stewed in tomato, garlic and Basil), this is also very good, but tasted almost like bean soup.....nothing special.
The fried cod, however, a potentially good dish was waaaayyyy too salty. I realized that it is a salt cured preparation, but the batter needed to be neutral.
On another visit, I tried the Whole roasted Branzino, which is a european bass, closely related to the rockfish. This was prepared with simply by roasting it with lemon, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper; simple yet perfectly done......remember my preachings about simple preparations?
The Branzino tasted like trout, but stronger yet not fishy, presented whole on a platter enough to be shared for 2 persons. Te end product is a very nice flaky roasted fish with all the flavors of the fish, lemon and oregano and perfectly seasoned.
I haven't tried any of their desert as of yet, but perhaps that would be for the next review..........
Cava is a locally owned chain; Potomac Fine Foods, started in 2007. The menu, seemingly, formulated and standardized for continuity and consistency throughout all of their locations.
I've only been to the Capitol Hill location, but I assume the decor, look and feel will be similar on all locations.
The Capitol Hill location has a dark exterior; with seating outside under large mediterranean style umbrellas. Upon entering the bar is located on the right side that stretches 3/4 of the length of the dining room with app. 20-24 seating. The bar is sectioned off by perforated walls so as not to create a claustrophobic feel at the bar. There is also a small bar that is geared for private functions that also doubles as a rooftop deck lounge.
The wine selection offers a selection of Greek, Italian, California and some Australian/New Zealand and Argentinean.....
Tip #1: Skip the Greek and Italian wines, don't bother with Argentinean, go straight to the California and oregon if they have them by the glass.
The menu selection offers Mezze style (mediterranean style small plates) and some entree selections as well.
I especially like the Sparaggia (Grilled asparagus dressed with lemon vinaigrette and feta), a healthy amount of asparagus spears perfectly grilled, although they could hold back a little bit on the feta and lemon dressing.
I also tried the Kastoria Beans (large navy beans stewed in tomato, garlic and Basil), this is also very good, but tasted almost like bean soup.....nothing special.
The fried cod, however, a potentially good dish was waaaayyyy too salty. I realized that it is a salt cured preparation, but the batter needed to be neutral.
On another visit, I tried the Whole roasted Branzino, which is a european bass, closely related to the rockfish. This was prepared with simply by roasting it with lemon, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper; simple yet perfectly done......remember my preachings about simple preparations?
The Branzino tasted like trout, but stronger yet not fishy, presented whole on a platter enough to be shared for 2 persons. Te end product is a very nice flaky roasted fish with all the flavors of the fish, lemon and oregano and perfectly seasoned.
I haven't tried any of their desert as of yet, but perhaps that would be for the next review..........
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Cafe Deluxe, Cleveland Park
Cafe Deluxe is one of those restaurants that you've been to many times because it's there; a neighborhood joint, not quite a "destination"......well at least it used to be so........
When it opened in Cleveland Park (more like Cathedral Heights) back in early 2000 (I think), it was "the" place to go in the neighborhood. Touted as having a French Bistro feel, it serves mostly american comfort fare. The location it currently resides on Wisconsin Ave, NW, just a block from the National Cathedral used to reside a Thai restaurant, which name escapes me. The decor is geared to look like a Parisian Bistro; dark wood bar, booth tables with white table cloth and covered with white butcher paper; the servers all wear white Dress shirt and tie with long bistro aprons.......classy. Cafe Deluxe also offers outside seating with red umbrellas. The ambience........really just a neighborhood joint that offers a slightly fancier look and offerings. Within the last year or so this particular location has expanded; the consignment next door to them closed and Cafe Deluxe took it over and now offers seating up to 160-200, and the opportunity to have private functions.
The prices are very reasonable, most of the featured wines cost under $10, main courses $12-20. Starters ranging from Asian inspired crispy chicken spring rolls and Ahi Tuna to Roasted beet salad; Main courses contain your typical items: Steak, Fish and Chicken and a lamb shank that is decently prepared.....not always.
They also have hot sandwiches, but unfortunately, I usually pass on sandwiches......especially the cold ones, although the burger follows the trend of using a Brioche roll. On one occasion I tried the lump crab cake with corn and asparagus, while decent and well prepared....it is so outdated. I remember preparing a similar dish during my stint as a chef back in 1999. The grilled meatloaf should be passed on......while novel when it first opened, it wasn't very well prepared then, it still taste the same now, never mind the grilled description.
Skip the salmon, it has yet to evolve in the way it's prepared. FYI, farmed salmon should be avoided as much as possible, they're not environmentally sustainable and taste watered down compared to its wild brethren.....enough of my salmon rant......
Just last night I went with a good friend for a pre-concert dinner; we shared the roast beet salad (typical these days to have this on the menu) which was good, but not different than what Matchbox offers. We also shared the herb roasted chicken and the special of the evening: grilled grouper fillet with corn sauce, tomato relish and risotto cake.The grouper was good, nicely prepared, not dry or overcooked and perfectly seasoned; the corn sauce, a nice sweet compliment to the fish..........BUT again that is so '00 and passe.....
We also shared the herb roasted chicken, served with mashed red potatoes and asparagus......now you've probably heard me saying that I almost always pass the chicken on the menu, however, this time I was surprised by the flavorful of the preparation. It was a half chicken, semi bone-in, roasted with a dry-rub; most likely thyme, tarragon, oregano.....but there was this sweetness that is hard to describe. It was a perfect combination of earthy, savory and sweet. The garlic mashed red potatoes is probably an instant pre-prepared product; unfortunately the asparagus was slightly overcooked.
Dessert choices are pretty much a pass, but if you need to get one.......rule of thumb, almost always get the Creme Brulee if offered on the menu.
In summary, Cafe Deluxe passes for a fancy neighborhood bistro with reasonably priced gourmet-like food preparations in need of reinventing itself at some point.
Cafe Deluxe, Cleveland park
3238 Wisconsin Ave, NW
Washington DC 20016
Cafedeluxe.com
Prices: $20-30/pp, appetizer w/ main course and a glass of wine, tax and tips not included
When it opened in Cleveland Park (more like Cathedral Heights) back in early 2000 (I think), it was "the" place to go in the neighborhood. Touted as having a French Bistro feel, it serves mostly american comfort fare. The location it currently resides on Wisconsin Ave, NW, just a block from the National Cathedral used to reside a Thai restaurant, which name escapes me. The decor is geared to look like a Parisian Bistro; dark wood bar, booth tables with white table cloth and covered with white butcher paper; the servers all wear white Dress shirt and tie with long bistro aprons.......classy. Cafe Deluxe also offers outside seating with red umbrellas. The ambience........really just a neighborhood joint that offers a slightly fancier look and offerings. Within the last year or so this particular location has expanded; the consignment next door to them closed and Cafe Deluxe took it over and now offers seating up to 160-200, and the opportunity to have private functions.
The prices are very reasonable, most of the featured wines cost under $10, main courses $12-20. Starters ranging from Asian inspired crispy chicken spring rolls and Ahi Tuna to Roasted beet salad; Main courses contain your typical items: Steak, Fish and Chicken and a lamb shank that is decently prepared.....not always.
They also have hot sandwiches, but unfortunately, I usually pass on sandwiches......especially the cold ones, although the burger follows the trend of using a Brioche roll. On one occasion I tried the lump crab cake with corn and asparagus, while decent and well prepared....it is so outdated. I remember preparing a similar dish during my stint as a chef back in 1999. The grilled meatloaf should be passed on......while novel when it first opened, it wasn't very well prepared then, it still taste the same now, never mind the grilled description.
Skip the salmon, it has yet to evolve in the way it's prepared. FYI, farmed salmon should be avoided as much as possible, they're not environmentally sustainable and taste watered down compared to its wild brethren.....enough of my salmon rant......
Just last night I went with a good friend for a pre-concert dinner; we shared the roast beet salad (typical these days to have this on the menu) which was good, but not different than what Matchbox offers. We also shared the herb roasted chicken and the special of the evening: grilled grouper fillet with corn sauce, tomato relish and risotto cake.The grouper was good, nicely prepared, not dry or overcooked and perfectly seasoned; the corn sauce, a nice sweet compliment to the fish..........BUT again that is so '00 and passe.....
We also shared the herb roasted chicken, served with mashed red potatoes and asparagus......now you've probably heard me saying that I almost always pass the chicken on the menu, however, this time I was surprised by the flavorful of the preparation. It was a half chicken, semi bone-in, roasted with a dry-rub; most likely thyme, tarragon, oregano.....but there was this sweetness that is hard to describe. It was a perfect combination of earthy, savory and sweet. The garlic mashed red potatoes is probably an instant pre-prepared product; unfortunately the asparagus was slightly overcooked.
Dessert choices are pretty much a pass, but if you need to get one.......rule of thumb, almost always get the Creme Brulee if offered on the menu.
In summary, Cafe Deluxe passes for a fancy neighborhood bistro with reasonably priced gourmet-like food preparations in need of reinventing itself at some point.
Cafe Deluxe, Cleveland park
3238 Wisconsin Ave, NW
Washington DC 20016
Cafedeluxe.com
Prices: $20-30/pp, appetizer w/ main course and a glass of wine, tax and tips not included
Friday, February 12, 2010
Sticky Rice
Sticky Rice is a cool Asian hangout in the middle of "Capitol Hood", as I call it, just a few doors down from Granville Moore.
They offer reasonably priced and cheap popular Asian offerings with a little bit of a twist.
The location is within reach of a few popular neighborhood watering hole such as The Red and the Black, Palace of Wonders, The Pug and Granville Moore. Once you walk in the space looks larger than it is: a bar to the right; about 8 tables and a couple of tall tables by the window. To the far left stairs to the upstairs sushi bar and more seating.
The decor is Asian with mostly red hues on the wall. I always sit at the bar.......in fact I've never actually sat at a table.
There's a sushi item called Godzirra, which is a variation of a california roll made with shrimp, avocado, tempura crunchies, cream cheese and tobiko (flying fish roe).......now I'm not quite a sushi person but this is very good. I'm not sure if it's because of the cream cheese that made it creamy or the combination of the crunchiness and the sushi-like consistencies that made it very appealing and yummy. The Godzirra itself is a meal so, it's good to share. I also tried the Mongolian Beef noodles.....it's pretty much a stir fried noodle in a Hoisin-like sauce.....messy and very good. The other noodle offerings are soup-like and hearty and yummy. The crispy tofu chunks are also great; I grew up eating these with Indonesian sweet soy, so this is a welcome surprise to see it on a bar menu.
I need to visit Sticky Rice mor often as they don't break your bank; you can have a beer or two and have a satisfying meal and go home without shelling out more than $25. And that's rare these days.
Sticky Rice
1224 H Street, NE
Washington DC 20002
www.stickyricedc.com
Pricing: $20-25/pp excluding tax and tips.
They offer reasonably priced and cheap popular Asian offerings with a little bit of a twist.
The location is within reach of a few popular neighborhood watering hole such as The Red and the Black, Palace of Wonders, The Pug and Granville Moore. Once you walk in the space looks larger than it is: a bar to the right; about 8 tables and a couple of tall tables by the window. To the far left stairs to the upstairs sushi bar and more seating.
The decor is Asian with mostly red hues on the wall. I always sit at the bar.......in fact I've never actually sat at a table.
There's a sushi item called Godzirra, which is a variation of a california roll made with shrimp, avocado, tempura crunchies, cream cheese and tobiko (flying fish roe).......now I'm not quite a sushi person but this is very good. I'm not sure if it's because of the cream cheese that made it creamy or the combination of the crunchiness and the sushi-like consistencies that made it very appealing and yummy. The Godzirra itself is a meal so, it's good to share. I also tried the Mongolian Beef noodles.....it's pretty much a stir fried noodle in a Hoisin-like sauce.....messy and very good. The other noodle offerings are soup-like and hearty and yummy. The crispy tofu chunks are also great; I grew up eating these with Indonesian sweet soy, so this is a welcome surprise to see it on a bar menu.
I need to visit Sticky Rice mor often as they don't break your bank; you can have a beer or two and have a satisfying meal and go home without shelling out more than $25. And that's rare these days.
Sticky Rice
1224 H Street, NE
Washington DC 20002
www.stickyricedc.com
Pricing: $20-25/pp excluding tax and tips.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Granville Moore
Granville Moore opened in the summer of 2007. Upon arriving one would never notice where the place is.....no signage showing the name except for a very small plaque on the entrance that says Dr. Granville Moore. The location itself has some history to the neighborhood; Dr. Moore was a local physician who would perform pro-bono work for the locals who were less fortunate.
According to the bartenders at Granville, some locals who patron the restaurant would share stories of the doctor. Though not the first, Granville was probably the first popular full service restaurant in the H Street, NE corridor. The H Street corridor has been going through a revitalization in the last 7yrs or so. I moved in to that neighborhood in the summer of 2004, with my then wife. Back then there were no places to go to except for several Wings, fast food and fish fry places. Until Suddenly the summer of 2005 when things turned around when a few bars opened that included Argonaut, Palace of Wonders followed by the Red and The Black, H Street Martini Lounge to name a few. Granville Moore now resides on the same block with the Pug, Martini Lounge, Red and the Black, Palace of Wonders and Sticky Rice. Quite a change from a couple of years ago.
Granville Moore is one of several Gastropubs that has been popping up around DC as of late that included Commonwealth, Elephant and Castle, Bar Pilar, H Street Country Club, etc. Although, BricksKeller probably started the trend before it was a trend and has been around as long as I have been in DC......25yrs.
Anyway, when entering you wouldn't know that Granville is more than just a divey looking bar. There are, maybe, 5 tables of 4 on the first floor against the wall to the left and a bar that seats maybe 10-12 to the right. The decor is mostly wooden and forgettable and the ambience is dark. Further back, a stairwell is located to the upstairs bar and dining area. There is also a patio for outside seating in the back that, kinda, faces the alley.
The decor and ambience may be forgettable, but the food and beverage offering is not. When looking at the menu one would think that this is another Belgian restaurant; it offers 8 kinds of mussel preparations that included ones made with a belgian beer, pomme frites hot sandwiches and steak and frites.
The menu may be small but very well executed. The Mussels are very well prepared; I prefer the classic white wine and garlic, although the morrocan mussel prepared with belgian beer and lamb sausage is excellent.
I've also had their scallops wrapped in bacon in a bed of squash puree; a very good combination of seafood savory and autumn-like creamy and sweet. The pomme frites (Belgian fries) are homemade....at least last I was there. The potatoes are cut and blanched in house and 8 different dipping sauce is made that included: chipotle mayo, homemade hot sauce, curry mayo and mornay sauce (tomatoes in Hollandaise sauce). The beer selection is plentiful for a small restaurant, mostly Belgian selections. They also have a decent high end single batch bourbon selection such as Elmer T. Lee, Elijah Craig and Bulleit.
Granville Moore provides reasonably priced offerings posing as a neighborhood watering hole when it's actually a great Gastropub with more than just a typical local grill menu. Unfortunately, perhaps fortunately for them, they're only open for dinner only Monday - Sunday.
This one's a can't miss, hope they thrive for years to come.
According to the bartenders at Granville, some locals who patron the restaurant would share stories of the doctor. Though not the first, Granville was probably the first popular full service restaurant in the H Street, NE corridor. The H Street corridor has been going through a revitalization in the last 7yrs or so. I moved in to that neighborhood in the summer of 2004, with my then wife. Back then there were no places to go to except for several Wings, fast food and fish fry places. Until Suddenly the summer of 2005 when things turned around when a few bars opened that included Argonaut, Palace of Wonders followed by the Red and The Black, H Street Martini Lounge to name a few. Granville Moore now resides on the same block with the Pug, Martini Lounge, Red and the Black, Palace of Wonders and Sticky Rice. Quite a change from a couple of years ago.
Granville Moore is one of several Gastropubs that has been popping up around DC as of late that included Commonwealth, Elephant and Castle, Bar Pilar, H Street Country Club, etc. Although, BricksKeller probably started the trend before it was a trend and has been around as long as I have been in DC......25yrs.
Anyway, when entering you wouldn't know that Granville is more than just a divey looking bar. There are, maybe, 5 tables of 4 on the first floor against the wall to the left and a bar that seats maybe 10-12 to the right. The decor is mostly wooden and forgettable and the ambience is dark. Further back, a stairwell is located to the upstairs bar and dining area. There is also a patio for outside seating in the back that, kinda, faces the alley.
The decor and ambience may be forgettable, but the food and beverage offering is not. When looking at the menu one would think that this is another Belgian restaurant; it offers 8 kinds of mussel preparations that included ones made with a belgian beer, pomme frites hot sandwiches and steak and frites.
The menu may be small but very well executed. The Mussels are very well prepared; I prefer the classic white wine and garlic, although the morrocan mussel prepared with belgian beer and lamb sausage is excellent.
I've also had their scallops wrapped in bacon in a bed of squash puree; a very good combination of seafood savory and autumn-like creamy and sweet. The pomme frites (Belgian fries) are homemade....at least last I was there. The potatoes are cut and blanched in house and 8 different dipping sauce is made that included: chipotle mayo, homemade hot sauce, curry mayo and mornay sauce (tomatoes in Hollandaise sauce). The beer selection is plentiful for a small restaurant, mostly Belgian selections. They also have a decent high end single batch bourbon selection such as Elmer T. Lee, Elijah Craig and Bulleit.
Granville Moore provides reasonably priced offerings posing as a neighborhood watering hole when it's actually a great Gastropub with more than just a typical local grill menu. Unfortunately, perhaps fortunately for them, they're only open for dinner only Monday - Sunday.
This one's a can't miss, hope they thrive for years to come.
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