Image: Cajun Shrimp with Brie creamed corn.
Last Updated: September 2021
Current Status: Open for lunch/brunch and dinner Wednesday to Sunday.
Overview: This is old-school, American-style comfort food with suggestions of culinary showmanship. Pork chops, roast chicken, brisket are the type of mains you will find. Running the kitchen is Mykie Moll, who worked as a Sous Chef at Doi Moi when it was rebounding and then did some amazing work at Pom Pom, before it sadly closed in 2020 after a short run. Here, Moll has toned down the edgier elements to focus on classics, but there are hints of the work he did at Pom Pom, like string beans in tempura that accompany the pork chop. They have meat and non-meat versions of burgers. Vegetarian options are clearly marked on the menu. This is also an obvious good brunch place, though we haven’t tried it yet. Don’t miss the doughnut bread pudding for dessert.
The space is spacious, taking over an old-school Irish bar and tactfully covering over the TV outlets above the bar. The dominant color of the place is pink, just like Miss Pixie’s, whose owner helped design it. The cute factor is increased with mix and match yard-sale plates and mugs. The driving force behind the place is Shane Mayson, a long-time D.C. restaurant industry vet, who clearly tapped his local network to open the place. Jo-Jo Valenzuela of The Game did the cocktail menu. Thor Cheston of Right Proper Brewing Company put together the rest of the bar list. Not surprisingly, the beer and cocktail list are more developed than the wine list. The whole project is thought through and solid all around. It may not blow your socks off, but it could be like the favorite sweater you reach for more than you realize.
Summary:
Cuisine: New or Old American
Neighborhood: Capitol Hill
Address: 713 8th St SE, Washington, DC 20003
Website: https://www.crazyaunthelens.com/
Reservations: Tock on Website
Other Critics/Voices:
Washington Post: No coverage yet.
Washingtonian: Preview
DonRockwell.com – No thread yet. But did find this fun discussion on what to do when you are invited out by a friend who picks a place you don’t like.
Washington City Paper – Laura Hayes put the Smoked Salmon sub on her summer 2020 sandwich list.