When asked about his title at Crazy Aunt Helen’s, Shane Mayson chuckles. “I’m the director and producer,” he says. “I cast the right people for the right roles. I create the set and try to fill it with energy.”
It’s the day after Crazy Aunt Helen’s opened in mid July on Barracks Row, and Mayson — who in actuality is the restaurant’s owner — is taking a break to survey his new operation. “I’m behind on making the schedule,” he admits. “I’ve got to get payroll done. The liquor distributor didn’t bring all the things, so I have to take some things off the menu.”
But then, he adds, “And I haven’t been happier in my life.”
The restaurant is massive. There’s seating for 76 downstairs, another 70 upstairs, and 12 on the patio, plus a streatery that’s set to expand. It takes over the space once occupied by quintessential Irish pub Finn McCool’s, which shut down during the pandemic. Though the space was dark, its aesthetic mostly brick and unpainted wood, Mayson immediately saw its potential when he toured. “It was like that TV show Say Yes to the Dress,” he says. “I said, ‘This is it. This is the place.’”
Now the downstairs dining room is alive with big, bold splashes of rich purple, verdant green, and demure pinks. It’s punctuated with fragrant bouquets of flowers; the walls are adorned with pop culture portraits of J.F.K., Jackie Kennedy, and Elvis, all by the restaurant’s first artist in residence, painter David Amoroso. (The plan is to rotate in a new artist’s works every two months.) The overall vibe was inspired by Auntie Mame, the classic 1958 film starring Rosalind Russell as an exuberant and eccentric socialite, while the restaurant’s name nods to Mayson’s Aunt Helen. “But she was not crazy,” he clarifies. “She was warm and fun and welcoming and loving.”
The space’s boisterous explosion of color, culture, and kitsch is thanks to Pixie Windsor, owner of Miss Pixie’s vintage furniture and home goods on 14th Street NW and one of Mayson’s dearest friends. She designed the restaurant, the first time she’s ever undertaken such a task.
Crazy Aunt Helen’s is a first for Mayson, too, though the onetime drama major has been working in the industry since he first moved to D.C. in 1984 and got a job waiting tables at Capitol Hill mainstay Mr. Henry’s. That introduction ended up being consequential for this next step. It was there he met his current business partner, Mary Quillian Helms, the daughter of the original owner of the restaurant (which she now owns). Mayson most recently worked for Jamie Leeds and was the marketing director for Hank’s Oyster Bar.
Mayson tapped Mykie Moll, executive chef of Petworth’s now-shuttered Pom Pom and a former sous chef at Doi Moi, to head up the kitchen. Mayson had only a few menu must-haves, starting with boiled peanuts, a staple in his home state of South Carolina. “They come in the shell,” he says. “I love the idea of eating with your hands, because right away, you’re at home.” The other directives were to have a really good BLT and at least a third of the menu needed to be vegetarian or vegan. Other than that, the goal was to offer American comfort food.
“I think when people hear ‘American comfort food,’ they only think of things with a lot of butter and salt, but that’s not comfort food in a lot of places in America,” says Moll. “We wanted to have a menu everyone could eat. So, if you’re feeling a little bit healthier today, we have those options. We also have things that are buttery and delicious.”
Moll dug into family recipe books for several dishes, including his grandmother’s brisket. Brined for 12 hours, the cut is braised in an earthy burgundy stock enriched with mushrooms and thyme. Detouring from tradition, Moll serves it with smoked baby carrots cooked with bourbon and butter, and mashed potatoes (it’s also available as a sandwich with a side of house-made chips). A tender single-layer honey cake finished with a sprinkling of chopped walnuts is a hand-me-down from Moll’s great-great-grandmother. “Typically, it’s only served on Jewish high holidays,” Moll says, “but at Crazy Aunt Helen’s, it’s a high holiday every day. We’re always having fun here.”
The lunch menu is generally divided into starters (including chicken liver mousse and fried green tomatoes), seasonally-minded salads (currently, there’s a classic Caprese sweetened with grilled peaches), sandwiches, and specialty burgers (which can all be made with an Impossible burger). Desserts lean towards the familiar, like warm cookies, chocolate cake, and thick milkshakes. The dinner menu is similar, but emphasizes composed entrees over sandwiches, including a pork porterhouse, vegan crab cakes, and steak frites.
The cocktail program was designed by Jo-Jo Valenzuela, who operates The Game sports bar in Adams Morgan. The drinks take inspiration from, as Mayson puts it, “Grandma’s candy dish,” but are not overly sweet. Crazy Aunt Helen’s is home to several sober staffers, so zero proof cocktails make the menu, including limeade punctuated with jalapeño and passionfruit, and a fizzy pineapple guava punch which gets its effervescence from ginger ale.
The restaurant is currently open for lunch, dinner, and brunch downstairs and outside. (It originally offered breakfast on the weekdays it was open, but had to stop due to staffing shortages.) Mayson also aims to open its upstairs shortly, a space that includes a second bar and a small stage. He plans to feature improv troupes on Thursdays, jazz musicians on Fridays, and cabaret acts on Saturdays. There are already some stand-alone performers booked, including drag queen Sherry Vine in August and comedian Jessica Kirson in September.
No matter what’s happening upstairs, Mayson is treating every day at the restaurant like a stage production. “The reason it’s called a play is because when the curtain goes up, we play,” he says.
Crazy Aunt Helen’s is located at 713 8th St. SE. Open Wednesday – Friday from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. for lunch and 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. for dinner, Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. for brunch and 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. for dinner.
This story has been updated to correct the pronouns for Chef Mykie Moll.
