[windrider86]

what is your iso set at? A high number can produce a lot noise/grain/
One thing I do a lot (forgive me cause I am no expert but can only tell you what works for me) is to do a noise removal. Topaz Adjust offers a wonderful plugin for that (and have heard Noise Ninja works well to) you can set your settings at the least amount to avoid losing deatil. If you do, you can always re-sharpen in certain areas, be sure to do this on a duplicate layer
Another way that i like to sharpen is by using the high pass effect, set at about 10. then set the blend mode to overlay. if its too sharp you can lower the opacity or if you only like certain areas you can erase the areas you dont want to stay in your final image.
I hope this makes sense.
Altho I love Topaz, using it to create an hdr like image doesnt make it a true hdr. Combing different images at different exposures is a true hdr.