From 1997-1999 Donovan Kelly wrote a column for the Washington Post called "Crummy But Good" in which he reviewed local eateries that looked dubious from the outside, but that offered something beyond the ordinary on the inside. His popular column, the ongoing radio series (WAMU-FM) and the never-ending suggestions from his legion of "crummy-but-good" scouts are brought together for this first compilation of reviews of the 50 best establishments meeting the highly technical crummy-but-good criteria. "Crummy" means a place that looks so bad from the outside that you would hesitate to take your mother inside, especially if she were wearing her good dress. "But Good" means that, once inside, you find some combination of a good menu, good food, relaxing atmosphere, friendly people, and reasonable prices that makes you want to come back. And maybe bring your smart aleck brother from New Jersey who thinks he’s seen everything.

The restaurants are located in DC, and nearby and not so nearby Maryland and Virginia, and West Virginia. Included is a completely unbiased (?) list of the ten best places as well as a chronicle of the ongoing, ever-controversial Crummy but Good Crabcake War.

Donovan Kelly is a free-lance writer who has written more than 70 restaurant reviews, life-style columns, and travel pieces for the Washington Post since 1996. He has also written for newspapers in Virginia and Pennsylvania and writes a regular column about a greenhorn country weekender for a weekly West Virginia newspaper. Following brief flings as a geologist, hydrologist and geophysical engineer, he has published poetry and fiction and taught courses in science writing. He retired from 30 years of writing science for the general public (senior public affairs officer, U.S. Geological Survey) in 1997. He lives in Hamilton, Virginia, but spends weekends at his mountain cabin in West Virginia splitting wood, writing and daydreaming.

"Want good food without the hoity-toity manner? Quest for the Holy Grill: 50 Crummy but Good Restaurants Within Rambling Range of Washington, D.C. (Oct., $12.95) by Donovan Kelly profiles 50 rough-and-ready joints, based on the Washington Post column." --Publishers Weekly

"He writes knowledgeably about the food, the place, the owners, the atmosphere, and he does it all with a jumbo side order of humor and an extra serving of admiration for these one-of-a-kind restaurateurs." --Gale Waldron, Washington Post

"If your restaurant’s too swanky, this critic isn’t interested. A former food columnist for The Washington Post with a National Public Radio show on the same subject, Donovan Kelly has reviewed about 200 restaurants. While Kelly likes good food, he’s not looking for ambiance. He likes his restaurants crummy...Although the book’s title may sound like a back-handed compliment to the restaurants included, Kelly likes them all."
--Star Traylor, The Winchester Star

"Here’s a holiday gift idea for your favorite greasy-spoon fan: The Quest for the Holy Grill." Baltimore Sun

"Just in time for that adventurous person’s holiday list comes a new guidebook to 50 of the most unexpectedly good restaurants in the Greater Washington area." Hancock News

"If you’re looking for a place where the vinyl booths are mended with electrical tape and the home-cooked food is cheap and good, Donovan Kelly has a suggestion. Actually, he has a million of ‘em. Kelly’s new book, Quest for the Holy Grill is an homage to the greasy spoon." Washington Flyer

"The book is a series of humorous restaurant reviews/essays based on a series Donovan wrote for the Washington Post." Humor Writers Newsletter. Named Humor Writer of the Month for January, 2003.

"Carry a copy in your car." Joe Borda, Clarke Times-Courier

In the Beginning: Anger and Harmony
Crummy but Good Defined
You Know You Are a Crummy but Good Scout if . . .
The Fun Is in the Quest
Ten Best
Reviews of the Current Top Ten
Planet Wayside, Hamilton, VA
Barbara Fritchie, Frederick, MD
Ben’s Whole Hog Barbecue, Manassas, VA
Bridge Restaurant, Hancock, MD
Café Monti, Alexandria, VA
Ercilia's Restaurant, Washington, DC
Havabite Eatery, Fairfax, VA
Li Ho Food Restaurant, Washington, DC
Vienna Inn, Vienna, VA
The Waffle Shop, Washington, DC
Crummy but Good West and South of the Potomac
Arlington and Fairfax Counties
Angie's Family Restaurant
Whitey’s Restaurant
Celebrity Delly
Pepper's Texas Bar-B-Q
Quarterdeck Restaurant
Shamshiry Chelo Kabob
A Taste of the World
Thelma's Homemade Ice Cream
Charcoal Kabab
Loudoun and Prince William Counties
Blue Ridge Seafood
Fran's Place
Planet Wayside: Secretary of State Does Crummy by Tim O’Neil
Western Virginia and West Virginia
Warrenton Plaza
Dee Dee’s Restaurant
Pine Grove
Jane’s Lunch
Bon Matin Bakery-Cafe
John's Family Restaurant
Lauder’s
Inspirations Cafe, Bakery and Bed and Breakfast
Warm Springs Restaurant
Crummy But Good Restaurants East and North of the Potomac
Washington, DC
Moby Dick House of Kabob
Bistro Italiano
Mayur Kabab House
Central Maryland
Tastee Diner
Nick’s Diner
Happy Italian Delight
Moon Cafe
Pee Wee's Place
Southern Maryland
Top of the Hill
The Frying Pan Restaurant
Captain’s Table
Western Maryland
Nick's Airport Inn
Red Byrd Restaurant and Motel
Burkholder’s Bakery
Park-N-Dine
Bill’s Place and Orleans Grocery
Best BBQ in Northern Virginia Is
Dear Friends of Crummy But Good Barbeque
Dixie Bones
Bubba’s Bar-B-Q
The Crummy but Good Crab Cake War
On Starting a Crab Cake War
And the Winners Are
Stoney's Seafood House
G&M Restaurant
Captain Billy's Crab House
Jerry's Seafood
Cantler's Riverside Inn
Davis's Pub
Angler's Restaurant
Olive Grove
Joe's Ocean Cove
Timbuktu Restaurant and Lounge
In Crabby Conclusion
Some Crab Cake Recipes
Kimberley's Decadent Crabcakes
Barbara's and the Captain's Crab Cake Mix
Gone But Not Forgotten
Buttermilk Cafe
Henkel's Restaurant
Paisanos Restaurant
Acknowledgements
Known Crummy But Good Scouts and Companions
You Too Can Be A Crummy But Good Scout
Alphabetical Index of Restaurants

A Taste of the World 39
Angie's Family Restaurant 28
Angler's Restaurant 117
Barbara Fritchie 10
Ben’s Whole Hog Barbecue 12
Bill’s Place and Orleans Grocery 98
Bistro Italiano 71
Blue Ridge Seafood 47
Bon Matin Bakery-Cafe 59
Bridge Restaurant 14
Bubba’s Bar-B-Q 105
Burkholder’s Bakery 95
Buttermilk Cafe 126
Café Monti 17
Cantler's Riverside Inn 115
Captain Billy's Crab House 112
Captain’s Table 89
Celebrity Delly 32
Charcoal Kabab 44
Davis's Pub 116
Dee Dee’s Restaurant 56
Dixie Bones 104
Ercilia's Restaurant 19
Fran's Place 49
G&M Restaurant 110
Happy Italian Delight 81
Havabite Eatery 21
Henkel's Restaurant 128
Inspirations Cafe, Bakery and Bed and Breakfast 65
Jane’s Lunch 59
Jerry's Seafood 113
Joe's Ocean Cove 118
John's Family Restaurant 61
Lauder’s 63
Li Ho Food Restaurant 23
Mayur Kabab House 74
Moby Dick House of Kabob 69
Moon Cafe 82
Nick’s Diner 79
Nick's Airport Inn 91
Olive Grove 118
Paisanos Restaurant 131
Park-N-Dine 96
Pee Wee's Place 85
Pepper's Texas Bar-B-Q 34
Pine Grove 57
Planet Wayside 8,51
Quarterdeck Restaurant 35
Red Byrd Restaurant and Motel 92
Shamshiry Chelo Kabob 37
Stoney's Seafood House 108
Tastee Diner 76
The Frying Pan Restaurant 88
The Waffle Shop 26
Thelma's Homemade Ice Cream 41
Timbuktu Restaurant and Lounge 120
Top of the Hill 86
Vienna Inn 25
Warm Springs Restaurant 67
Warrenton Plaza 53
Whitey’s Restaurant 30