Old Ebbitt Grill (DC - Downtown)

We grabbed a quick dinner with some friends Thursday night at that venerable DC institution, The Old Ebbitt Grill (also known more affectionately as, "The Ebbitt").

On any given night, you will see members of Congress packed into booths next to tourists from the Midwest, while young professionals pack the bars (yes, there are three bars) three and four deep. And why not? The Ebbitt has a little bit of something for everyone.

The menu is classic American fare: steaks, burgers, grilled fish, etc. combined with a top notch raw bar (be sure to check out their nightly oyster specials, the mammoth "Walrus platter" and do NOT miss their annual bacchanal, dubbed "Oyster Riot" - two nights in November where it is rumored that 2,000 people suck down 42,000 oysters).

Add to that a well thought out and lengthy list of reasonably-priced wines, some sinful desserts and an address just across the street from the White House and it is no wonder that this is the highest grossing restaurant in DC.

On this particular night, we started with a crab and artichoke dip. This is a steaming plate of cream cheese, artichoke hearts and blue crab, covered in parmesan and baked until golden brown. What's not to like? Smother it on the sliced baguette and you have a creamy/crunchy mouthful sure to warm even the most hardened politician's heart.

For dinner, we ordered the petit filet béarnaise and the grilled sockeye salmon. The filet is an odd concoction that has become a staple at the Ebbitt. It consists of two tiny filets resting on a bed of sprouts astride an English muffin and covered in béarnaise sauce. It is an eggs benedict-inspired dish that works very well (and is perhaps the only entree I have ever heard my wife order in more than six years of dining at the Ebbitt).

The sockeye was outstanding as well. It was grilled perfectly - cool in the center, per my request - and served on a bed of mixed vegetables (summer squash, cherry tomatoes, asparagus and fingerling potatoes). This was a no frills dish that let the freshness of the sockeye and the peaking local produce speak for themselves.

For dessert we had the bourbon walnut pie. This is a chocolate chip cookie dough crust filled with a mixture of chocolate, walnuts and bourbon, topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. This was an amazingly sweet, rich and completely decadent concoction.

Just business as usual at the Ebbitt. Ninety-one days until Oyster Riot and counting. . .