OLD EBBITT GRILL
ADDRESS: 675 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005
WEBSITE: https://www.ebbitt.com/
Old Ebbitt Grill still stands as the oldest restaurant in Washington, DC, located right near the White House. Funny enough, I’ve only visited the restaurant in the two trips I’ve taken back to DC since I’ve moved away, including this most recent one. My friends and I were spending our first full day in the area by walking around the National Mall, and we were talking about where to get some dinner as we were wrapping up the day. My friend Mario’s suggestion was Old Ebbitt Grill, which worked out perfectly since the White House was our last stop of the day.
Reservations at this spot are usually recommended, so we were definitely rolling the dice a little bit by showing up as a walk-in, especially with a group of nine. Even though it was only 4:00PM, the entire restaurant was jam-packed, including the waiting area in front of the hostess stand. But luck was on our side, because we only had to wait probably 20 minutes or so before we were able to get seated in their overflow area at the back of the restaurant.
Old Ebbitt Grill definitely has an expansive full-page menu, chock full of a variety of appetizers, pastas, salads, sandwiches, and other meat & seafood entrées. Most of the dishes could be classified as American, with a few items (such as the pastas) lining up more with Italian. The moment I saw calamari as one of the appetizers, I started making a pitch to split it with some people sitting around me. For my entrée, I’m not sure if it was because I was extra hungry since we skipped lunch, but I was really craving a steak for some reason. The 16 oz. ribeye really jumped out to me, so I thought “why not?”
Where we ended up sitting definitely looked like an overflow seating area, occupying a shared space of the larger building that looked like it had other entrances to company offices. This overflow area was actually pretty large, probably able to occupy at least 50 to 60 people on its own. The modern ambiance of the marble and granite was definitely a bit of a contrast to the more traditional feel of the wood, carpet, and velvet used in the primary dining areas. I definitely didn’t mind the difference in ambiance, but credit to both the waitstaff and kitchen staff for being able to keep up with servicing all of the guests if all the dining areas were full.
I think sometimes the mark of a good waitstaff member can be how they handle a table with a large crowd. In that regard, I thought that our waiter Eric did a great job helping us out that day. He was very personable, patient, and also helped answer questions that we had on some of the food and drinks. We saw him stopping by pretty often throughout the meal as well to check in with us and make sure everyone had what we needed.
We didn’t have long to wait before all of our appetizer plates arrived out to the table, including the order of calamari. For the breading, it looked like they used semolina flour, which was reminiscent of the calamari that we had gotten at Virtue Feed & Grain the day prior. In addition to the squid, this calamari plate also contained breaded versions of pickled cherry peppers and zucchini chips, served with a lemon-basil aioli. This was also the first time I saw lemon wedges provided in a mesh bag, the classy way to make sure you didn’t get seeds in your food when you squeezed the lemon.
I think the semolina flour breading really does make a difference, helping to provide that textural contrast with the squid and vegetables as you were eating it. I also thought that the lemon-basil aioli was a nice touch, with subtle flavors to complement each bite. With how good that it was, I honestly probably could have finished the entire plate by myself.
Next up, that 16 oz. ribeye. I honestly think that’s probably the largest steak I’ve ever eaten; the size of the steak was definitely pretty intimidating when it first got put in front of me. Cooked medium-well, the steak was still really moist when I sliced into it and the fat was able to render during the cooking process, making it very smooth to eat and not chewy at all.
The steak was topped with a bearnaise compound butter, and the herbs definitely helped to provide an additional depth of flavor to complement the steak. Crispy fingerling potatoes and grilled asparagus were served on the side, which helped to break up the richness of the steak between bites. If I was hungry before because we had skipped lunch, I was definitely pretty stuffed walking out of the place.
There’s definitely good reason that this restaurant has survived the test of time, being a local favorite of residents, tourists, and even politicians as well. The quality of this second visit was consistent with my first — great service coupled with great food in an upscale, but relaxed atmosphere. It’s definitely a popular place, so if you’re looking to try to get in for a meal, be sure to plan ahead if you can and snag a reservation. I’ll be looking to make return visits during subsequent trips back to the DC area.
Let’s now take a look at the Old Ebbitt Grill Dish Spotlight. Asterisks (*) below mark my recommended dishes.
** House Bread **
Complementary bread served for the table, with whipped butter.
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** Point Judith Rhode Island Calamari **
Squid, zucchini chips, and pickled cherry peppers, fried in semolina flour breading. Served with lemon-basil aioli for dipping.
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** Cedar River Farms Ribeye **
16 oz. ribeye steak, topped with bearnaise compound butter, served with crispy fingerling potatoes and grilled asparagus.
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And finally, here are my rankings for Old Ebbitt Grill:
Food: 4.75 / 5
The quality of the food came out great, and the menu was loaded with an assortment of options. With such a variety to choose from, you are bound to find something to fit the mood you’re in.
Atmosphere: 4.5 / 5
Being as packed as it was inside the restaurant, even though there was a busy air about the place, it never felt overcrowded or anything like that. I thought that the décor of the main dining areas was reminiscent of a more traditional and stately atmosphere, as a nod to the restaurant’s history.
Service: 4.75 / 5
Eric did a great job as our waiter, and I thought that he was very personable towards our entire party to make us feel welcome during our meal. The kitchen was also able to stay on top of our dishes, getting them sent out at a good pace, despite how jam-packed the restaurant was.
Price: 4.75 / 5
From a general perspective, I thought that the pricing of the dishes overall seemed pretty reasonable, given the prime location, the atmosphere, and the overall quality of the food.
Overall:
18.75 / 20
(94%)
Categories: Restaurants, Washington, D.C.
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