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!

St. Arnold's Mussel Bar to Open January 11th in Cleveland Park

Fans of St. Arnold's Mussel Bar's Facebook page learned today that the new Cleveland Park outpost will open January 11, 2012 at 5pm.

For those of you who don't yet know, St. Arnold's Mussel Bar & Underground has taken over the old Sabores space on Ordway Street at Connecticut Avenue NW - right across the street from the metro stop. I've been to the Dupont Circle location and can tell you it's a cozy spot that has super nice owner (that are often the ones serving you.)

They have a huge selection of Belgian beers on draft. I'd recommend trying out one of their mussels and frites dishes (they serve em SEVEN ways!) for dinner or a Nutella Belgian waffle for brunch or dessert.  Read the full menu here.

St. Arnolds: The "Before" Picture

I love what they've done to the enclosed (for winter, but in summer it rolls up) patio - festive lights strung across the ceiling, huge TVs for game day, and tons of chairs to accomodate groups. What we'll all get to see on the 11th is the basement space they've redone (anyone remember Park Bench... well, hopefully we can forget that.)

St. Arnolds: 48 Hours Before Opening Night

Will you be one of the first ones at to try it out or will you give them a few weeks before you pull up your barstool?

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