What about the Old Ebbitt Grill?

[bobmac]

A friend in Washington recommends it.

[Busboy]

The Old Ebbitt is a Washington institution, kind of, the bar (and the emblematic walrus head above it) having been ripped out of its old space by the owners when its previous home was torn down, and installed in a much larger and less funky location. In another 20 years it will be as cool as the old place, though it will lack the patina that 40 years of smoking gives the woodwork and the walls.

This is no place for gourmets. It is, however, a great place for a burger, post-theater bite, dinner with the unadventurous, or brunch. You can get a steak, pasta, grilled chicken -- the usual stuff -- in a very pleasant white-tablecloth (but not stuffy) main room; a snug back room, with frescos of voluptuous naked chicks; or the building atrium.

Well worth a trip is the raw bar, particularly if your body clock allows you to go very early or very late, for the half-priced happy hour (not available Friday or Saturday).

Decent wine list, good martinis.

Apparently, these days, jammed to the gills with Cherry Blossom types. Call first.

Number here.

(Have half a mind to head over there right now myself for a bacon-cheeseburger and a glass of cab. Breakfast of champions.)

[bobmac]

Thanks. I was afraid of that. I can get a burger anywhere. I don't want unadventurous.

I also see I spelled it wrong. Funny, I got many hits on Google with the wrong spelling, but now I see why I didn't find Ebbits website.

[ladycakeapril]

It's best to go after the other restaurants close, around 1am. A lot of D.C. chefs hang out there after work, so it's good for local celeb watching...

[Pontormo]

See my report on this forum's thread asking where to take boys 10 & 13 years old which Busboy obviously read.

Very underwhelming food if one doesn't order raw oysters or other of his recommendations; mediocre fries. Some parts of the interior evoke Babbit, Carnegie, Frick--I mean that in a positive sense if you like late 19th-early 20th century American splendor. This is what B's earlier post discusses. I will add that at crowded times, sometimes hapless parties are seated OUTSIDE the transplanted original interior in a rather characterless space clearly part of a marble lobby.

Edited April 8, 2006 by Pontormo (log)

[collije]

I will add that at crowded times, sometimes hapless parties are seated OUTSIDE the transplanted original interior in a rather characterless space clearly part of a marble lobby.

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I second many of the comments by Pontormo. On Friday, my dining group brought 30 people to the place for dinner [wasn't my choice to eat there lol, particularly on a Friday]. Reseration at 8:30, weren't ready for us. Had to wait 45 minutes only to be placed in a glorified mall lobby, with 3 tables being quickly setup. Food was overall bland & uninspiring. Those that got the seafood & oysters were generally happy, others not so much.

To be fair to the mgmt, they did comp our drinks bought during dinner [not many of us, since we drank at the bar for 45 minutes waiting for our table] as a surprise. We were appreciative of the gesture & tipped the single waitress we were given generously.

Will I go back for happies & occasionally burgers/sandwiches when I'm in that area of town? Sure...but not for anything else.

[little ms foodie]

Was there yesterday for a dozen on the half shell and a bottle wine, quite fun and a good atmosphere- sat at the main bar.

[bavila]

Oh man. I freakin' miss the Grill! I used to work down the street, and we'd go there all the time. It always felt so...paternal to me. You'll find better/more interesting food in Washington, but this is a good place to go to people watch, and it's also good for bringing a group with tame palates.

[Busboy]

Was there yesterday for a dozen on the half shell and a bottle wine, quite fun and a good atmosphere- sat at the main bar.

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When do we hear about the rest of your trip?

[little ms foodie]

Was there yesterday for a dozen on the half shell and a bottle wine, quite fun and a good atmosphere- sat at the main bar.

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When do we hear about the rest of your trip?

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I just started posting here

[Varmint]

Traveling with 4 L'il Varmints, the Old Ebbitt Grill was a great place to visit. Although they didn't have our table for us when we arrived, we had a most excellent bartender at the raw bar. He had beers refilled before we asked him for another. He got our kids anything they wanted. He got us our clams and oysters within 5 minutes -- and this was 6:30 on a Saturday night.

The food itself was very good. It certainly beats anything that a chain might have to offer, and the prices were quite reasonable. Everyone in our family was quite pleased.

Is this the best restaurant in the city? Of course not. But it was certainly the best restaurant for our family that night!

[Busboy]

Traveling with 4 L'il Varmints, the Old Ebbitt Grill was a great place to visit.  Although they didn't have our table for us when we arrived, we had a most excellent bartender at the raw bar.  He had beers refilled before we asked him for another.  He got our kids anything they wanted.  He got us our clams and oysters within 5 minutes -- and this was 6:30 on a Saturday night.

The food itself was very good.  It certainly beats anything that a chain might have to offer, and the prices were quite reasonable.  Everyone in our family was quite pleased. 

Is this the best restaurant in the city?  Of course not.  But it was certainly the best restaurant for our family that night!

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Old Ebbitt fills many holes in our lives -- burgers after the symphony, brunches after First Communion, a good martini any old time.

Tickets for their annual Oyster Riot went on sale today; if anyone's interested, they sell out fast. I haven't been (yet, got my tix for this year this AM) but I understand it's all the bivalves you can eat, all the white wine and beer you can swill.

I have no love for chains (thouhg I do have a soft spot for Clyde's which counts OE as part of their local mini-empire) but Clyde's deserves at least a modest brass plaque for rescuing the bar and the animal heads from the old Old Ebbitt Grill, a smaller, smokier and divier place around the corner from the present location in a building that has since been torn down.