Restaurant Review: Black Squirrel

(Photo courtesy of DCist)

A weekend evening out in Adams Morgan is usually a tedious affair. Cheap liquor, an abundance of Bros, too many people who think it's okay to wear sunglasses at night, and a stifling police presence create shitstorm conditions. Best to hunker down somewhere safe, nurse a few drinks, and try not to make eye contact--or, if you've been around D.C. long enough, to find a new spot altogether.

It's become almost cliche to shit-talk AMo, but it's so easy, I figure I might as well hate along with everyone else. The Strip is a godawful place to be on a Friday or Saturday night. Unfortunately, when else are government employees/lobbyists/politicos/hill grunts/lawyers/etc going to hit the bars? D.C. is a decidedly staid city, and the people who work shitty/frustrating/stressful jobs get only two nights (or sometimes just one) a week to let loose. And where does all that stress/cash funnel into? You guessed it. It's probably a combination of the density of watering holes, proximity to downtown, and access to public transportation that makes a weekend trip to AMo so desirable to these people. In any case, they won't find me drinking with them.

But hold on; if the Strip is so bad on the weekends, what about the rest of the week? Glad you asked. There are a number of decent joints on 18th street that are worth a visit. During the week, many of these places offer deals and specials meant to entice the very same people who have seen the place on a Friday or Saturday and probably do not wish to return.

The Black Squirrel is just such a bar.

Heights Hops recommends Tuesday night for a trip to the Squirrel. Two reasons why:

1. Scotty works on Tuesday nights. Give Scotty your business. Dude knows his beer and can pour one perfectly. (Side note: a couple of the Ogden Street Brewers went to Paradiso in Georgetown about a month ago and were treated to a shameful sight: the bartender had no idea how to pour a bottle-fermented beer, and a perfectly delicious Westmalle Double was ruined with yeast sediment. Let that be a lesson to you: don't go to Paradiso on a Tuesday night, and always leave a centimeter at the bottom of a bottle-fermented beer. Ugh.)

2. App special. Like I said, the Squirrel is overrun with Bros on a typical weekend night. In order to do some REAL business, they keep people coming during the week with half-priced appetizers.

The Black Squirrel is one of those AMo bars that is easy to miss; it's tucked into your standard four-story row house, next to Amsterdam Falafel. The place used to be a Red Sox bar called Muttly's, and though the Boston paraphernalia is gone, the walls are tastefully lined with framed SI covers and other subtle homages to sport. Sleek HD televisions bookend the bar. There are a dozen tables and a couple of cozy booths, and the wood bar is long enough to seat fifteen comfortably. The lighting is restrained; bathrooms are clean. It is, in short, a perfectly tidy little place.

Oh, and that food. I don't know how chef Gene Sohn does it (probably his experience at Saveur and Marcel), but I doubt much else along 18th street (Reef and Orleans might take umbrage with this) comes close. This reviewer suggests pairing the plump, crispy calamari, accompanied by a tangy red pepper aioli, with the sweet grilled cheese-and-bacon sandwich and the hearty tomato soup. Or indulge in a crock of the mac-n-cheese with bechamel. Other favorites--full price entrees, but worth every penny: Hereford Filet with herb butter, Free-range buttermilk fried chicken, and the House bratwurst, which--coming from a Wisconsin kid--ain't half bad.

But what good would the food be without beer? The Squirrel has the standard dozen or so taps. Nothing on tap tends to stand out (you'll find all the usual suspects, random light lagers/Guinness etc, though the Squirrel does have it's own White beer. Not bad.) The real treat are the bottles: about fifty in all, divided helpfully into domestic and imported, and further classified by style. You'll find the full range of Unibroue beers (OSB favorites from Canada), along with familiar names like Ommegang, Stone, and Rogue stateside, and Chimay, Baltica, and Weihenstephan from overseas. Nothing on the list could be considered rare or eclectic, and the Squirrel tends to oversell certain styles while neglecting others (too many lagers, lacking in more compelling niche styles like Saisons, Barleywines and the like). But the collection as a whole serves as an efficient and worthy crossection of reputable domestic microbrews and foreign standards.

Finally, if you're not into beer, then you shouldn't be reading this blog. But, on the off-chance somebody like that stumbles across this review and needs another reason for visiting the Squirrel, there's always the absinthe (several different bottles) and the "Lambicane," a drink the owners advertise as being the strongest on the strip. A nice idea in theory, but I'm not sure overworked hill people need another incentive to get f***ed up in AMo on a Friday night.

Overall: A great place to kick back and enjoy a decent brew with some excellent food. Bring a friend or a date.

Final Rating: ***1/2