Lyon Hall: a French Brasserie in Clarendon

Lyon Hall is the place you want to be on a chilly fall day.  It is warm, inviting, and full of cozy booths.  The subtle lighting is calming – it’s a comfortable retreat at the end of the day, and not to mention, a delicious one.

The Schweitzel, with pomegranate dijon

While I visited with my friend Steph, we were surrounded by all kinds of visitors: an 8-person birthday party group, an office party who rented out all the high tops, two friends next to us at the bar, and a man having a cheap beer by himself.  And Lyon Hall is equally as fitting for any of those kinds of patrons – it is suitable to larger parties and more intimate gatherings, but comfortable enough to visit on your own.

One of the best things about Lyon Hall is its happy hour specials from 5 to 7 pm, seven days a week, which is a rare treat.  Select beers and wines are half price by the glass, and at least one cocktail is featured for $5. But they also boast a great happy hour food menu with specials like the house burger ($8) with a (a bit too strong of a stinky cheese for me, personally,) and Dijon mustard, sided by a generous helping of house-made fries.  Two different brats are offered – I highly recommend the “Schweitzel,” covered with a pomegranate Dijon, relish, and sauerkraut.  Bursting with flavor, this upscale dog can stand a lone as a hearty snack.  And it’s just $6. 

The main menu offers variations on their signature dish, mussels.  Choose from….  Their entrée list is bursting with meaty meals and savory dishes, including

Whether if you’re looking for a place to read a book and get a good delicious deal by yourself, looking for a place to catch up with friends over reasonably-priced treat, or watch the football game with fancier hot dogs than you’d get at the stadium, Lyon Hall can serve as your neighborhood meet-up spot.


This article can also be found here: http://patch.com/A-mLm4

October means Pumpkin Beer

My top pick, Brooklyn Brewery's Post Road

Let me start by saying that if someone made an “I heart Screwtop” t-shirt, I would wear it proudly.  There is so much to at this Arlington eatery and wine bar.  Screwtop (in Clarendon) has a plethora of wines from various regions with rotating seasonal choices and favorites. 

Their wildly popular wine club hosts monthly pick-up parties and members get to bring home two carefully selected bottles each month paired with the perfect cheese.  On top of that, members get various discounts and VIP access to events. Check out their website for wine club membership options.

If you’re looking for a good tasting now and then, Screwtop doesn’t make you wait for special events.  They serve fun wine flights daily, 3 options to check out and pair with your food.  My favorite feature is the personal placemat telling me what I’m drinking – a fun but practical detail. Their generous charcuterie boards, hearty sandwiches, (and mmmm, that truffle salt popcorn) all pack flavorful punches to any wine selection you so choose.

Besides the wine selection, the bar offers a lot more to celebrate. Screwtop has fun gifts for the foodie in your life, a great locally farmed cheese selection, and a broad range of hard-to-find beers. The food is worth the trip, imbibing or no.  Their generous cheese boards, bacon-wrapped dates (a favorite, savory and sweet), and full dinner dishes are worth a trip.

A couple weeks ago, I visited Screwtop to their Oktoberfest beer tasting featuring pumpkin beers.  I’m not always a “flavored” beer fan, but these brews proved perfect for a fall meal or a flavorful happy hour beer.

The tasting was led by Hop & Wine in DC (www.hopandwine.com), who led a large group of eager beer-loving folks through 4 tasty beers.  Here are the results. Go pick some up for your next gathering!

Taste 1 – Post Road from Brooklyn Brewery came in as my top choice.  Jonathan sold it as a taste of pumpkin pie, and that proved to be true.  Delicious.  Brooklyn Brewery produces Dogfish, a heavier beer, so Post Road came out as a lighter version and it gets the job done.  A perfect answer to the need for a lighter but flavorful fall beer.  A six-pack of Post Road made it home with me.

Taste 2 – Hailing from Michigan, Ichabod brought forward nutmeg flavors and a heavier, throaty body (a bit similar to Dogfish, actually, if you’re familiar) with a spicier, more powerful taste.

Taste 3 – Shipyard’s Smashed Pumpkin was a close runner-up, again offering pumpkin pie notes, but markedly different from Post Road.  With 9% alcohol and a fruitier sweetness to it, this signature series wheat brew caused rumors to swirl around the tasting area: it can guarantee an equally hearty hangover. Shipyard’s website recommends pairings with nuts, pumpkin pie, hearty stews, sharp cheese and lamb.  Any of those seem like a great idea.  I learned that it’s brewed with Ringwood yeast, a high brow brewing yeast most frequently used in England.

Taste 4 – The on tap selection was Great Pumpkin, from Cambridge Brewing Company in Massachusetts, which I found to feel more cinnamon/nutmeg/spice themed like Ichabod, but much lighter and easier on the palette.  Great Pumpkin is apparently hard to find – distributers are sold out.  Its popularity is no mystery: it’s full of spice and body, the kind you taste in the back of your throat with a great aftertaste.

www.screwtop.com