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There’s no doubt that Montgomery County cities have their share of highly rated restaurants, not to mention the selection of top restaurants in DC. This is regardless of whether you defer to the gold standard Michelin rating, the traveler’s favorite Zagat’s ratings, or simply pulling up the latest local Yelp reviews. However, when eating in our nation’s capital, you have another choice as well. You not only can eat in a highly rated restaurant, but you can indulge in a bit of history as well. Having a rather long, if not storied past, Washington, DC, boasts a number of restaurants that are more than a century old. That’s right. These restaurants have been serving their customers long before there was fast food and reservations made by that newfangled device called a telephone. Ratings are fine, especially for new restaurants, but when a restaurant has been around for over 100 years, you have to believe they’re doing something right. With that in mind, let’s take a look at two of them, of which one is right here in DC and the other, across the Potomac River in Alexandria. Let’s start with the DC granddaddy of them all, the Old Ebbitt Grill, which opened in 1856, when it is believed that an innkeeper by the name of William E. Ebbitt bought a boarding house. As such, the Ebbitt guest book read like a Who's Who of American History. President McKinley is said to have lived there during his time in Congress, and Presidents Ulysses S. Grant, Andrew Johnson, Grover Cleveland, Theodore Roosevelt, and Warren Harding all supposedly drank at its stand-around bar. In fact, Teddy Roosevelt is rumored to have bagged animal heads at that bar! Located only steps from the White House, its official recognition is as the oldest tavern in DC, though today it is anything but just an old watering hole. With a full selection of great fare from breakfast to dinner, they’re very picky when it comes to their food preparation, buying their produce from local farms, and seasonally using only fresh fruits and vegetables. In addition, much of their meat, poultry, and seafood is sourced directly from its native region, whenever possible. All of this comes served to you in a historic Beaux-Arts styled building that once housed the Benjamin Franklin Keith's Theater. No longer just a tavern, there are four bars and dining rooms, as well as a private dining room for parties. True to its heritage, it has received the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence every year since 1998, but the food doesn’t take a back table either, so to speak. In 2014, Restaurant Business Magazine named it to its list of top 100 independent restaurants in the country, coming in at a rarified number three. Even older, and across the river, in Alexandria, Virginia, is Gadsby’s Tavern, which first opened in 1770. Yes, that’s right. This establishment was serving food and drink before its address was documented as being in the United States of America! How’s that for being historic? Also, since the city of Alexandria remained part of the District of Columbia until 1846, its history certainly can be considered a part of the history of our nation’s capital. The tavern was frequented by the likes of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, James Madison, and James Monroe. Not a bad short list of honored patrons, wouldn’t you say? In 1782, a Marylander by the name of John Wise purchased the plot of land on which the original bar sat and built the existing Georgian-style tavern in 1785, and later in 1792 adding a larger addition to the adjacent City Tavern. The original three-story Georgian edifice, now a National Historic Landmark, included a large ballroom, which hosted two of President Washington’s birthday parties, with detailed wood paneling and a gallery for musicians. Not long after, an Englishman, John Gadsby, leased the tavern in 1796 and renewed his lease in 1802 to include the smaller 1780s tavern. Gadsby, for whom the tavern is named, was the establishment’s host until he moved to Maryland in 1808. Today, Gadsby’s is certainly much more than just a bar. The menu features some colonial classics, including an old standby, a grilled duck breast with scalloped potatoes, corn pudding, sweet and sour red cabbage, and port wine orange glaze, which was known to be George Washington’s favorite dish. Libations are still an honored tradition, though, as the tavern features a robust wine list and great ales, along with those historic recipes from George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin. So, go ahead and consult those ratings and reviews, but if it’s a bit of history you’d like on the side with your meal, then there are only a handful of places to patronize, but certainly must be on anyone’s list of top restaurants in DC.
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