(Mostly) Adore Granville Moore's

C Says...

I. Love. Granville. Moore's. So imagine my surprise when I learned that J had never been to this establishment that was featured in an episode of "Throwdown with Bobby Flay" and is one of H Street's "go to" dining establishments.

I love everything about this place. The story behind the restaurant. The dark lighting and dark wood. The beer list. Oh, and the food. The mussels are divine. The fries are sublime. And the dipping sauces are a condiment lover's idea of heaven.

This time, I opted for the bison burger, as should you, after eating my way through the mussel options on numerous previous trips. Don't believe whatever J writes. Go. To. Granville's. Now.

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J Says...

C was very excited about taking me to Granville Moore's, which clearly unnerved me a bit. As we drove to the land that time forgot (or was really really bad too), I became a bit more nervous but was determined to give it a fair hearing. Standing outside the "restaurant"...a renovated townhouse you would simply walk-by typically...the hearing was off to a poor start.

To be fair, I had been warned that my gut reaction to the exterior would be quickly replaced once inside (people know me too well). Inside, the decor reminded me of an underground Irish gay bar, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Dim lighting, exposed beams, unruly and unkempt crowd...this felt like one of my many trips to Dublin.

Having heard rave reviews about the mussels, I opted for that (though I would try to bison burger that C had on a repeat visit). Not my favorite mussels in the city, but not bad. The accompanying frites were tasty and plentiful. And the beer selection was as expected from a Belgian, not Irish, restaurant.

All in all, get past the neighborhood and exterior to find a gem inside. Just go when there is plenty of light outside.


Granville Moore's - 1238 H Street NE, 202.399.2546, www.granvillemoores.com