SoGoodBlog.com

 

The beer list, .. , is extensive. . . While the beer selection is terrific, it is the food at The Black Squirrel that really shines. To call this 'bar food' would hardly do it justice. Head chef Gene Sohn, a finance major in college, learned to cook while working in a restaurant as a teenager. Sohn has put together a menu that he hopes is 'easy to read' and will provide 'good value to those in the neighborhood.

 

WashingtonPost.com

Washington Post Going Out Gurus: "Appetizers -- including mussels in a cream sauce and shrimp dusted in salty blackened Cajun spice -- were the highlight of my weekend visit. Entree options, which [chef Gene] Sohn says all will be priced under $20, include baby back ribs in a port barbeque sauce and a grilled Angus ribeye. . . Black Squirrel's extensive, multi-page beer list is particularly exciting. Try the bar's namesake beer -- a dark brew that's not too heavy and not too sweet.

 

Washingtonian Magazine

Washingtonian magazine: "[Gene] Sohn previously worked as a line cook at chef Robert Widmaier's luxe and expensive Marcel's in D.C.'s West End. He bought some friends with him from that kitchen to cook at this much more laid-back operation, where the menu of American comfort fare hints at Sohn's classical French training. Ribs are braised for 24 hours, duck spring rolls are wrapped in feuille de bric, and bacon burgers are stuffed with Brie, 'so even if someone asks for it well done, it stays nice.' The still-growing list of 50 beers (11 on tap) is the domain of co-owner Paul Uppole, who's been bartending around D.C. since 1991. He's got Belgian brews like Chimay on tap, and the bottled selection includes more-exotic finds such as Svyturys, a Lithuanian beer that's one of Uppole's personal favorites. (2008)

 

Black Squirrel is surprisingly low-key given its location on the Adams Morgan strip. The cozy spot has more than 70 varieties on its interesting beer list, including 11 drafts plus bottles from Belgium, Germany, Lithuania, Russia, and elsewhere. The chef/owner used to work at Marcel's before opening Black Squirrel last year, and the food here includes typical pub fare plus fancier options such as mussels and filet mignon. There are specials every night, including half-price burgers on Thursday. (2009)

 

The Washington Times

The Washington Times: " . . . a sit-down upscale restaurant in Adams Morgan. A group of French-trained chefs is attempting just that with the recently opened Black Squirrel in a remodeled row house at 2427 18th St. NW. Chef Gene Sohn and chef de cuisine Andrew Kern, both formerly of Marcel's, serve stuffed rainbow trout, as well as baby back ribs and Buffalo wings."

The Hill

But for those who crave a decent meal before a night out on 18th Street, hope has arrived in the surprising form of a squirrel. The Black Squirrel pairs the culinary brio of chef Gene Sohn, a veteran of the downtown Belgian standby Marcel’s, with 1970s-inspired design to craft a watering hole for grown-ups who love good food.

 

On Tap Magazine

"The Black Squirrel carefully balances being a fun, neighborhood hangout and a place for finer dining. What do we mean? Well, take a look at their apps: Yes, Buffalo wings, but you can also get mussels and fries. Sure, start with a simple house salad, but you can also have a poached beet salad ... And we haven't gotten to the best part: A beer list numbering more than 60 selections ... So fine food, fine beer, laid-back setting. Yeah, we're sold."

 

The Onion

"The Black Squirrel cleverly hides its culinary pretensions underneath a kitschy retro-jock veneer -- which, you have to admit, is kind of brilliant. Under Chef Gene Sohn, a former cook at Marcel's, The Black Squirrel is part gastro-pub, part neighborhood watering hole. The beer list is concise and smart, littered with both domestics and imports, including the joint's own branded Black Squirrel white ale, which compares favorably to the Belgian stuff.... For: A real beer in the land of Miller Lite."