old ebbitt grill

old ebbitt grill

675 15th street NW (between F street and G street), washington, DC 20005
tel: 202) 347-4800
happy hours: daily (except holidays) 3:30pm-6:30pm, 11pm-close

what was consumed: the orca platter!

the ladies and i set a date and finally got together. we decided on old ebbitt's to enjoy their raw bar (and a couple of bottles of wine, of course). while i was pretty sure i could enjoy the entire thing on my own (i might, next time!), k and i agreed to split their orca platter: 12 cocktail shrimp, 12 oysters, 12 clams, 12 crab claws, and a 1 pound lobster. the photos, above, show what the orca platter looked like when we were served, and then what it looked like after demolishing the entire thing. yes, we recreated an empty plate. delicious. when can we go again? it will not be too soon!

so, when hankering for oysters, or some other raw bar menu items, i highly recommend enjoying the fare at old ebbitt grill. some friends say it's the freshest and best in the city (i agree with the fresh quality). it's a total bonus that in addition to their regular happy hour, old ebbitt's has a reverse/late night happy hour. AND the happy hour applies anywhere in the restaurant, not just at the bar. i can't say that the drink deals are awesome (i don't even remember if there were any), but during HH, their entire raw bar (i think?) is half off - woohoo!

01 february 2010

old ebbitt grill
675 15th street NW (between F street and G street), washington, DC 20005
tel: 202) 347-4800
hours: monday-friday 7:30am-1am; saturday-sunday 8:30am-1am

what was consumed: spinach, artichoke, and crab dip; octoberfest platter (grilled knockwurst, bratwurst, and pork loin, mashed potatoes, sauerkraut, caraway sauce and crispy fried onions); steamed canadian cove mussels (rope-cultured PEI mussels, marinara sauce, linguini, fresh herbs and garlic crouton); seafood jambalaya (shrimp, mussels, calamari, scallops, clams, chicken chorizo sausage, vegetable stew and rice)

i read about old ebbitt grill soon after i moved to DC. talk about how capital hill big wigs come here, its historical significance, a tourist draw, etc. i have to admit, the tourist-y-ness of what i read was actually quite intriguing. would i really see the DC version of celebrities? incentive to go! i honestly didn't even think about the food.

so, when friend stacey was in town, and we were looking for a place to grab a bit to eat sort of late in the evening, stumbling upon old ebbitt grill was a great find - hurrah!

old ebbitt grill is a part of the clyde's franchise (if that means anything?), so a lot of the specials that are at clyde's is also at old ebbitt grill (like their lobster meal in the summer! yumyumyum). point is, the food at old ebbitt grill is good - pretty standard american fare, i guess you can say. the crab dip we started with was a little on the salty side, but since i love salty food, it appeased my palate greatly (haha). i countinued with the octoberfest platter (you really can't go wrong with brawts! and smashed potatoes. yes, smashed. and sauerkraut! no knockwurst in my platter - they were out! sucks. i did get a double dousing of smahsed potatoes (oh, and a brawt replacement) instead, so i was happy ^_^). hearty, classic, solid. i enjoyed the meal that i had and will most likely visit old ebbitt grill to enjoy their fare again. they don't offer super unique dishes or culinary marvels, but if you want a good meal that is filling and have a great time (all while seemingly rubbing shoulders with capital hill-ers, supposedly), then old ebbitt's grill is the place to go!

AND! the service at old ebbitt grill is fantastic. the servers are nice, knowledgeable, and seem to be overall concerned about your visit and want to make it as pleasant as possible.

i also read (on their menu) that old ebbitt has a regular AND a reverse happy hour (i.e., late night eats) for their raw bar. YUM. let's go!

online: http://www.ebbitt.com/