American Pie Foggy Bottomís David Greggory Reworks Traditional Dishes by Rachel Hunt and Stephen Qualiana Itís nice to see that Foggy Bottom has added a hip, fun dining spot with David Greggory restaurant oróas its Web site identifies itóìRestau Lounge.î That nebulous but attractive area known as Foggy Bottom is always overshadowed by its flashy neighbors Dupont Circle and Georgetown. So when an innovative restaurant opens there you take notice, especially when itís a rather large and well-designed place. On the corner of 21st and M streets, David Greggory is very lively, with lots of conversation and activity. It has fairly high ceilings in a 1950s-style building, so it has a retro-nuevo look. Near the entrance is an amusing stylized painting of eight chefs standing together, with a wide variety of expressions on their faces. The paintingís huge size and central location make it almost a focal point. It was painted by local artist Gary Fisher as a donation to the 1996 Chefís Best Benefit for Food & Friends, where chef Greggory Hill purchased it at an auction. The dining room is L-shaped with the top perimeter of the glass walls facing the streets and defined by white hanging ici cle lights. The end of the long part of the ìLî is divided by a glass wall that exposes the kitchen. We could see the two chef owners, David Hagedorn and Greggory Hill (David Greggory being a combination of their first names), busy in there, along with other kitchen and wait staff, reworking and updating mostly American-as-pie dishes on their menu, and in the process inventing several of their own. We started off with a couple of specialty cocktails: a vintage sidecar and a mango-rita. The sidecar was correctly flavored and slightly heavy. The tropical mango-rita, made with silver and gold Cuervo tequila, was so irresistible it was gone quickly. The bread plate set the tone for the rest of the meal. It was a fabulous collection of unusual breads: warm pita stuffed with caramelized onions, a buttermilk biscuit and a crunchy, heavy white rye. We tried one of the ìhalvablesîódishes that could be ordered in half portions for an appetizeróin the form of steamed mussels (half order $9, full order $18) with coconut milk, chili paste, lemongrass and lime on linguine with fennel chips. The tender juicy mussels absorbed the brothís flavors nicely, and the fennel chips were crispy, lightly seasoned and thankfully without the heavy bitter fennel taste, making them a good way to whet your appetite. The salmon croquette ($12) was molded loosely in the shape of a hockey puck. The pinkish fish was delicate, moist and exotically flavored with curry and other spices. It was accompanied by a salad of chopped tomatoes, pea greens, raw onions and chipotle mayonnaise, making a delicious combination of tastes and textures. The professional and friendly wait staff worked as a team with the main waiter taking our order and giving us recommendations, which turned out to be on the mark, and others serving the food or removing the empty plates. Our waiter was very much into the food and seemed to know every detail about it and its preparation. The portobello Milanese (half order $12, full order $18) was one of our favoritesóan enticing concoction of smoked red pepper sauce, orzo and squash blossoms. The breaded portobello cap was highly processed as the our waiter explained to us, with the chefs using a complex, time-consuming cooking method (marinate, bread, pan sear, dry out, then slow bake in convection oven), and was served with a squash blossom stuffed with creamy manchengo cheese and orzo and the sprightly red pepper dipping sauce. The five sea scallops ($26) were plump, juicy and lightly pan seared. Five silver-dollar-size scallops made a generous portion and worked nicely alongside the bed of grilled spinach with a slightly peppery wild mushroom manchengo rice and cream sauce, all topped with a parmesan crisp. The waiter noted that the grilled lamb ($24) was one of the kitchenís signature dishesóand for good reason. The meat was tender, perfectly cooked grilled and served with a grain pilaf of grains, apricots, pine nuts, and olives with artichokes in a pomegranate sauce. The lamb loin was velvety and without any gamey undertones. The arugula salad ($9) had a fresh, crisp, nutty taste and made a nice transitional dish. It was a simple but lively mix of arugula and mirableu cheese with white truffle oil, Bartlett pears, pine nuts and shallot crisps. The desserts were especially attractive visually, served in big white plates and with colorful garnishes. The vanilla poached pear ($8) was wrapped in phyllo and stuffed with sweet ricotta cheese and covered in caramel sauce. The white chocolate coconut cake ($8) was a luscious concoction of white chocolate coconut layer cake covered with seared banana slices, with caramel-flavored whipped cream between the layers, all sitting in a pool of creamy brandy sauce. With all the traffic, parking and crowd difficulties of nearby Dupont Circle and Georgetown, we hope that David Greggory helps give restaurant-goers a reason to visit Foggy Bottom. And the parking is much easier. David Greggory is at 2030 M St., NW. The phone number is (202) 872-8700. The kitchen is open for lunch 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday to Friday. Dinner is served 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Wednesday and from 5:30 to 11 p.m. Thursday to Saturday. Dress is mostly urban casual and business. Valet parking is available Friday and Saturday evenings from 5:30 p.m. Rachel Hunt and Stephen Qualiana are the restaurant reviewers for The Washington Diplomat.