Not long ago the 1100 block of H Street housed Taylor Gourmet, Little Miss Whiskey’s, and not much else. The combination of vacant buildings and a somewhat sketchy liquor store made the block one of the less appealing parts of H Street. However, this summer the block sprung to life with first the exciting addition of H&pizza and now Cusbah (1128 H Street), a Southeast Asian restaurant with a wonderful outdoor bar and patio. Even in its first few weeks, Cusbah has already helped transform a largely abandoned block into one of the most exciting (and tasty) blocks on H Street.
Cusbah on H Street
The owners of Cusbah completely remodeled what had previously been Naby’s Island Restaurant into a beautiful new space that has both indoor and outdoor patio seating. Cusbah is located in a corner townhouse unit on the eastern end of the block. As you enter, the indoor seating is intimate with dimly lit lights that reveal jars of spices above the tables that line the left side of the restaurant. The seats on the right hand side are high top stools located at the bar. The owners knocked out part of the exterior wall on the right side to create a large window behind the bar to form a two sided bar (with the bar tenders in the middle by where the exterior wall should be), so that diners can sit inside at the bar or outside on the patio at the bar. To get outside to the patio, diners are escorted through the restaurant and through the interior door by the bar to the patio that is located on the corner of H and 12th streets (it is separated from the sidewalk by a waist-high fence and several planters). Apart from the bar seating (four seats) outside, there are a variety of regular tables and high top tables. When it is nice weather outside, you would be pressed to find a more pleasant environment to dine. As it gets colder outside, we are told that the owners plan to put up a temporary roof over the patio and will presumable heat it somewhat, so that diners can enjoy the patio even during the winter. Continue reading
District Cuisine 