First Visit: St. Arnolds of Cleveland Park

It's been a crazy couple of weeks, so I hadn't been to St. Arnold's Mussel Bar & Underground's new Cleveland Park outpost since it opened this month. But when pals Will & Rachel were headed up there tonight, I crashed their party.

St. Arnolds in Cleveland Park, Patio Side

I was rewarded with a cozy bar setting with communal tables, a great selection of Belgian and English beers and their specialty, mussels and frites a billion different ways (ok, maybe more like 20+ ways). I went with the house speciality which is made with beer sauce, caramelized shallots, garlic, thyme and duck fat. I got a huge steaming pot of mussels perfectly cooked with a side of crispy, flavorful french fries. 

Mussels & Frites at St. Arnolds, Cleveland Park

On the beer front, I'm no expert, but my server steered me to the Ommegang Witte beer and I liked it a lot.  The beer steins are big, hefty and satisfying! I can't wait for spring when the windows all open and it's a beer garden all around. (We wondered aloud if the menu would change? It's so cozy and winter warming!)

Bottom line: It's worth checking out while it's cozy in January. If nothing else, you'll want to be on first name status with the bartender by the time spring breaks and those windows roll up!

St. Arnolds is located at 3433 Connecticut Avenue, at the corner of Connecticut and Ordway Street NW in Washington, DC. It's just across Ordway from Cleveland Park Metro. Full menu is here. 

More after the jump!

Games down at St. Arnolds Underground in Cleveland Park

PS. I'm a sucker for darts and Buck Hunter... who wants to challenge me? This is in the St. Arnolds Underground... you can enter through Connecticut Avenue (near Atomic) or via the restaurant side on Ordway. There were tons of TVs for game days, though I was there for a debate night and it was all about politics. Though, girls, take note, it was all guys down there and they were almost all super cute!

PSS. Is Cleveland Park becoming the go-to date night? Between St. Arnolds and Medium Rare there are two great fixed price options for fantastic food, service, atmosphere and drinks!