Posts from — November 2008

So I was planning on writing about this a long time ago, but I’ve been slacking with updating this blog.  Back in September (yes, I realize it is now November), me and 2 friends went to check out the H Street Festival.  There were street vendors selling everything from BBQ ribs to Barack the House t-shirts.  We also got to hear some music and see a dance troupe perform, but the highlight of our jaunt to NE was lunch at the gastropub, Granville Moore’s.  Located at 1238 H St. NE, this place is easy to miss but was recently featured on an episode of Bobby Flay’s Throwdown which is the only reason I recognized the name when we passed it.  I don’t venture out of my NW quadrant very often (mainly due to laziness) but I have been to the Rock and Roll Hotel so H St. looked at least vaguely familiar.

With it’s exposed beams and ancient brick walls, G-Moore’s isn’t one of those trendy gastropubs with shi-shi food and overpriced beer.  The dark wood bar stretches across half the restaurant with rustic wooden tables available for diners that want table service.  The menu offerings concentrate heavily on Belgian favorites (moules, frites, steaks) mixed with standard pub food like burgers and sandwiches.

Per ushe, the star of the show was the frites.  Double fried, crispy, salty perfection … these fancy french fries had just the right combo of sea salt and fresh herbs.  Coupled with any one of their six house dipping sauces, these frites are miles above any craptastic fast food offerings.  I think some of the sauces might be seasonal flavors, since I don’t see the delicious pesto mayo we tried on the menu anymore.  I had the fromage bleu moules (mussels with bleu cheese and bacon in a white wine sauce) and my friend had the chicken sandwich with goat cheese.  The mussels were juicy and flavorful, with the bleu cheese and bacon pairing nicely with the briny mussels and slightly acidic white wine broth.  My only complaint was that the bacon was slightly rubbery and not very appetizing.  I know that is shocking considering my intense love for bacon, but for some reason Granville Moore’s bacon just wasn’t doing it for me.  I took a bite of the chicken sandwich and the crispy breading was a nice compliment to the creamy tang of the goat cheese.

As far as the bevvies go, G-Moore’s has a pretty extensive beer selection with it’s chalkboard displaying over 60 different varieties by the bottle and 4 on draft.  It would be a great place for Happy Hour, and I hear on Mondays that the moules frites are half price.  AND if that isn’t enough to get your ass down to NE, located a couple of doors down from Granville Moore’s is The Palace of Wonders aka The Most Random Effing Bar/Carnival/House of Horrors Ever.

At the PoW, not only can you enjoy a drink at the bar, but for no extra charge you can wander upstairs and see some of the world’s “wonders.”  Behold, the world’s last known living unicorn in all of it’s taxidermied glory:

Wheee! I just escaped from Hogwarts.

Or a shrunken headed scary sea creature:

Beer me that voodoo sea snake

And my personal fav, the scooter bench in the outdoor circus tent-y patio:

“I get 25 miles to the gallon on this hog.”