There are few restaurants left from the 19th century in Washington D.C. but the most famous one is quite clearly Old EbbitGrill on 15th, near the White House, and I make it a point to visit at least once, every time I come to D.C. The Grill opened in 1858, right in time to be frequented by Abraham Lincoln and many others there after. Situated as it is within a five to ten minute walk of the White House, it was, and remains a popular spot, not least because of its great food and atmosphere.
I started with some excellent New England style clam chowder….
This was followed by an equally good and fresh mixed green salad with house made thousand island dressing.
But this was only the prelude to the most amazing scallop dish I have ever had…
First of all there are tender pan-seared scallops encircling the inside wall of that dish. Secondly, there is spinach, and grapefruit slices and orange slices and croutons and a bit of sprigs of lettuce, but all of this was cooked in a creme sauce which you can just make out around the inside edge of the pan beneath the scallops. This was an amazing combination of flavors, and I’m not even a foody or gourmet to recognize this was special.
After lunch I walked down 15th to the corner and noticed this sign….
This tavern was built in the 1790s, in hopes D.C. would become a great capital city, which it has done, It opened in 1801 and was used as a meeting place by Washington and the architect of the White House. It was a boarding house for members of Congress, and kept evolving. The British spared it when they burned the capital in 1814. Eventually it became the locale of the Press Club due to its easy access to the White House, and here Presidents Teddy Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson met with them. The citizens of Washington tried to save the building, not least because it was the finishing point of every inaugural parade from Thomas Jefferson’s in 1805 until Ronald Reagans in 1981. In fact the citizens voted to preserve the building in 1983, but alas, they were over-ruled and the building was razed in 1984. At least Old Ebbitt still stands.
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