The Gryphon's Got Game; Upscale Gastropub/Sports Bar Bows Wednesday In Dupont

DUPONT CIRCLE -- Washingtonians hungering for the start of March Madness will be treated to a gourmet feast of sight, sound, and taste on Wednesday, March 13th, as The Gryphon opens its doors for the first time at 8:00p.m., for both bar and dinner service.

The new 5,000-squarefoot eatery marries 'the heart of a pub' with 'the view of a stadium'. Guests will enjoy a refined menu of modernly interpreted bar bites, such as oyster po'boy sandwiches, duck rillette with crostini, and signature chili-and-soy gryphon wings, courtesy of Executive Chef Joseph Evans.

Bags of fresh popcorn, popped in-house inside an old fashioned trolley, will also surely be fan favorites. No doubt the perfect snack accompaniment to the some 30+ beers available to order.

Loyal patrons of Lost Society are, of course, already familiar with Evans' culinary creations, as the U Street hotspot will serve as the brother restaurant to The Gryphon.

Beyond a new palate-tantalizing menu, guests at the new Dupont Circle venue will enjoy 31 flatscreen televisions strategically scattered throughout the space -- all powered by a state of the art Creston DigitalMedia HD Video distribution platform.

The Gryphon boasts two bars, with seating for 192 and standing capacity for 350. Designers José Tohá and Jim Cronenberg of GRUPO7 Architecture + Interiors were enlisted to transform the ground-level property into a uniquely masculine, but still distinctly sexy environment.

To such an end, dark wood furnishings, rich yellow accents, and bucolic decor accents abound, with tin ceilings and distressed leather chairs adding to the Jazz Age-influenced motif. Betting chalkboards (for decoration only) and antlers hanging on the wall further reinforce the gaming nature of the space.

Owners David Karim, Rich Vasey, and Tony Hudgins are well-known by the city's foodies, clubbers, and cocktail hounds alike, as the backers behind such perennial D.C. favorites as Josephine, Lost Society, Policy, Capitale, Public Bar, Play, and Sushi Rock.

Forget about the eagle. The Gryphon has landed.