August 8, 2007
Eating In: Dr. Granville Moore's Brickyard
Dr. Granville Moore’s Brickyard officially opened its doors this weekend, and with much avail. Located at 1238 H Street NE, this Belgian influenced pub has a great deal to offer, which was obvious with the number of people who showed up for the “soft opening.” Chris Surrusco, formerly of Rustico’s in Alexandria, is a proprietor and the beer connoisseur. He had estimated about 50 or so covers each night and was pleasantly surprised to see those numbers more than doubled. Unfortunately for us, we didn’t head up that way until the end of the weekend and were unable to get a few items from the menu. We’ll have to try our luck at their official grand opening in September.
The kitchen is led by executive chef David Nugent, who was the Chef de Partie of The French Laundry in California before relocating to the D.C. area. The menu is simple; a perfect match with the entire feel of the pub. Half of the menu is dedicated to Mussels (Moules) and Fries (Frites) served with a variety of sauces. The mussels come with 5 different choices of preparation, from Belgium Tripple with toasted garlic, to Smoked Bacon with leek, parsley and cream, and to preserved lemon with black olive and harissa broth. The Frites come with a choice of 6 different dipping sauces which range from roasted garlic mayo to sea salt and malt vinegar to “Dijonaisse.” The other half of the menu’s offerings include Mushroom Risotto, Croque Monsieur, and Seared Scallops with bacon and corn ragout, to name a few. As for the beer selections, there were many to choose from (currently approximately 55 Belgian selections), so we required recommendations from Chris. Speaking with him was as intense as discussing wine choices with a professional sommelier, minus the attitude, and his suggestions definitely fit what we were looking for.
From the outside, the place has a very "speakeasy" feel: it is completely unadorned except for the original sign for Dr. Granville Moore, M.D. still hanging above the large wooden door. Once inside, you instantly forget about the street you just walked in from and are able to quickly settle in, possibly for the night. There are two levels inside, each with their own bar, and a back patio. The walls are bare and the shelves and refrigerators behind the bar are antique wooden cabinets, which gives everything an old-fashioned feel, until you look at the very modern jukebox in the corner.
If you want a place to get your Belgian Beer (and Frites) fix without having to spend a whole lot, this is definitely worth checking out. Beers certainly range in price, but start around $5 and seem to average about $6-$7, with a few hitting double digits. The menu prices are $7-$8 for appetizers, $10-$15 for entrees, $14 for mussels and $3.50-$7.00 for Frites. The portion sizes are very generous.
We were inspired by the delicious simplicity of the Seared Scallops that we decided to feature it for this week’s Eating In. This dish paired nicely with the St. Feullien Triple.
Shopping List:
1 medium leek
1 ear of fresh corn
1 sprig of thyme
3 slices of smoked bacon
2 large or 4 medium sized scallops
2 Tbsp of heavy cream
Olive oil to sauté
Salt and black pepper
Recipe:
1. Dice the bacon and cook in a large sauté pan over medium heat to slowly render (cook the fat out of) it.
2. Trim off all of the green from the leek and the root on the opposite end. Cut it completely in half and rinse under cold water to clean out all of the dirt. Thinly slice each half into ribbons.
3. Shuck the corn and remove the corn kernels from the cob.
4. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon from the pan and put it to the side, reserving the fat in the pan. Add the sliced leeks to the bacon fat and stir for about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the 2 tbsp of cream. Turn the heat to a medium/low temperature, return the pan to the heat and lightly simmer the leeks for about 5-6 minutes.
5. Turning the heat back to medium/high, add the bacon and corn into the pan with the leeks and cream. Sprinkle with a little salt and black pepper. Cook for another 3-4 minutes.
6. Finish the corn ragout by removing the thyme leaves from the stem and adding them into the pan.
7. To finish the dish, heat a small sauté pan to a high heat. If there are any feet on the scallops, remove them. Add about ½ tbsp of olive oil (enough to lightly coat the bottom of the pan) to the pan. If the oil smokes your pan is too hot. Season each scallop with salt and pepper and place directly into the pan.
8. Sear on one side until you achieve a brown crust, about 1-2 minutes, then quickly flip them over and repeat. Once they are cooked, place on a plate with the corn ragout.
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Sprig of time? Or do you mean thyme?
oops... yes of course thyme. Must've been an auto correct on spell check... Sorry about that!
Not to pile on, but
What is that even supposed to mean?
Avail is both a noun and a verb, meaning:
Use, benefit, or advantage
Surely you've heard the common phrase "to no avail."
I could never develop a taste for scallops (I think the texture is what really grosses me out), but that corn medley would make an easy and elegant companion for grilled fish.
Though crowded and hard to get a table at, this place was delicious and that staff was beyond fabulous. Just tried it out last night and will definitely be heading back sooner rather than later. The risotto was superb.
Is the address 1238 H Street NE, or NW?
It's NE, a couple doors east of Red & Black and Palace of Wonders.
This place looks promising, and I wish them well. But H Street businesses are going to have to get together and hire some private security, like off duty DC cops. Emo kids and hipsters going to clubs are one thing. But nice sit down restaurants attract a totally different crowd that's far less willing to put up with getting jacked on the street.
hillman,
i must have missed all the reports of h street patrons getting jacked (or at least getting jacked in greater numbers than in other parts of the city like adams morgan). could you hook me up with the 411?? if there's an epidemic of jackings going on, i definitely agree that security should be stepped up. also, not that i want to make this place any more popular and crowded than it already is, but i definitely think peeps should check it out. the dinner i had last week was excellent! price is right too considering the quality and quantity of the offering. i know where i'm going this friday night.
Dawg:
According to MPD within the past year there have been 20 assaults with deadly weapon and 8 robberies with a gun within 1000 feet of this restaurant.
Plus 55 thefts from auto, and 50 stolen autos.
Plus three sex crimes. But two of those were me.
And that's just the ones reported. A whole lot of crime in this neighborhood is not reported.
These are the numbers we already have.
And this before the hordes of wealthier restaurant-goers and partiers have started descending on H making H Street a known target for predatory losers from across the region, like they have been in Adams Morgan for years.
I'm as big a fan of H Street as anyone. But us pretending there isn't a very real crime problem is short-sighted. And I'm not sure that saying we're no worse than Adams Morgan crime-wise is much of a comfort. That's not really a high bar to match.
Of course the real answer is MPD officers stationed on foot on H Street, especially during restaurant and bar hours. But to my knowledge that's not very common on H. I could be wrong about that.
If H St NE merchants really wanted to stand out from the crowd they'd actually make security and safety work for them. It's one contiguous strip, and it's really not that big. Hire a private security firm to videotape the entire strip in real time, and shame MPD into using the video as a crime fighting (and prevention) tool on a regular basis. Make it painfully obvious that video surveillance is being used. Talk the city into a big parking garage with real security for parking your car. Hire off duty cops, enough to make a difference, to patrol. Actively discourage panhandling. Make H Street known for being safer than Adams Morgan and other areas. You'd draw an awful lot of us that go out less in DC because we've gotten tired of the jackings.
Sorry to sidetrack the conversation about crime in DC (well, only sort of sorry), but this recipe is awesome! I just got done fixing this for dinner and it was perfect. We had most of the ingredients from this week's farm share (minus the scallops, of course) and served it with some roasted potatoes and a homebrewed saison. Very nice. I'll be cooking more of the Eating In features in the future.
That said, Hillman's nailed it in comment 12. Safety could be a HUGE competitive advantage for any neighborhood that wants to put in the effort. I think everybody in DC wants to go somewhere and not worry about random crime and street harassment. Back it up with actual crime statistics (and not just kicking bums out or anything superficial like that) and the neighborhood's businesses would roll in cash.
To get back to DC crime, Sidamo Coffee and Tea on H Street was robbed last night.
Man, Hillman is one negative guy. There is simply no epidemic of people getting jacked on H St. There is an epidemic of boarded up windows that make you FEEL unsafe, but crime on H St itself is surprisingly low.
Stick-ups tend to happen in residential areas to people who aren't paying attention, not big groups out enjoying themselves at night.
Granville Moore's is absolutely delicious and a fun place to hang out. Don't let the negativity of others keep you away.
Doug
Guest 15:
The stats speak for themselves (as far as you can trust DC stats).
That's a whole bunch of crime 1000 feet from this particular restaurant, or any restaurant. You can parse it all you want - this is an area with a lot of crime.
Do you really think those prone to crime are going to somehow magically avoid H Street itself?
Not just violent crimes, though. 50 stolen cars within 1000 feet (actually I reran the MPD stats tonite and now it says 108 stolen autos). To me that's a lot. But perhaps it was the cars' fault, as they weren't paying attention enough?
I'm not saying avoid H. I'm saying that it's obvious MPD is unwilling or unable to make H Street any safer. With the HUGE amount of money being poured into H perhaps these deep pocket guys can get together and do something on their own.
So is this place officially open, as in, if I go there tonight was it just open for a soft opening last weekend and then they reopen for the grand opening? I'm confused.
It's open. They're just trying to build word-of-mouth and iron out some kinks before the grand opening and the inevitable onslaught of City Paper ads. I'd imagine with Fritz's superlatives, the place will surely be swamped this weekend.
This is, after all, "The Man Who Helped Kill Live Music in DC" through his cheerleading of dj nights.
I went over Tues night around 8:30, and it was slammed. I had to wait for a seat at the bar, but it was worth it. Both the beer and the food are light years ahead of anything else on H st. The tamarind mussels were wonderful/fresh/tender: the sauce so good I asked for extra bread just to dip. Also the geuze that server recommended was a perfect accompaniment (if a bit pricey). The curry sauce for the fries was just as good. The 'shabby chic' decor isn't really my thing, but I see what they are going for, and it fits the overall vibe of a rustic Belgian cellar/pub. Certainly, they were still working out the kinks with the service, but the staff was helpful and apologetic - and in their defense, who would expect an H st joint to be packed on a Tuesday night? I wish them the best of success, and will be frequenting the place.
Is David Nugent still the exec chef? I had heard a rumor someone else was taking that over?
Nugent's gone. They still have the mussels though.
The neighborhood's going through growing pains, just like the Golden Triangle, U street Corridor/14th Street etc. ENOUGH ABOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD this isn't a debate about safety, it's a revieww of an establishment.
The restaurant is great. Wonderful ambiance, excellent food, and the beer and wine selection is delightful. I can't remember the last time I looked behind a bar and saw bottles of really good wine opened and on hand instead of the usual mystery bar wines (and for about the same price too!). Our only issue with dinner was that we all ordered our meat (hangar steaks and Burgers) medium (not medium well) and it all came out ranging from medium well to well done. Still delicious, but it only made us wish it had been prepared right that much more. I recommend it to everyone (except vegans), just park in clear view and be aware of your surroundings, as you should when you go anywhere at night.
This was my second time visiting Granville's Brickyard, the first experience was great and the mussels were fantastic. However, the second time the service was still good, the beer even better, but I don't think I will choose to eat there anymore. I'm home worried I am going to be sick because of a batch of bad mussels and to think I even paid full price for the meal, hey "it's the chance you take with seafood," I'm quoting the bartender.
I am a big fan of mussels and I have never been served a batch of bad mussels; however I overheard that they changed chefs since the first time I was there, so I'm wondering if it was really a bad batch of mussels.