Old Ebbitt Grill, Downtown, Washington, DC

Back in my working days, I often met people for lunch or drinks at the Old Ebbitt Grill. It’s at 675 15th Street, NW, right across 15th Street from the Treasury Department building and a short block from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, an address that will come up again presently. Old Ebbitt has in an ideal location, and I remember a few years back reading that it was the 4th highest grossing restaurant in the country.

I rarely go downtown these days, and we have a Clyde’s maybe six blocks from us. Clyde’s is run by the same group as Old Ebbitt, and has the same virtues of dependability and breadth of menu. Old Ebbitt does have a more extensive menu, including caviar and a selection of oysters, but then I never buy caviar and I never pay $3.99 for an oyster. Circumstances took us downtown recently for an event at the cocktail hour, and rather than make dinner out of hors d’oeuvres, we reserved a table at Old Ebbitt.

I’ll get to the food right away, but stay for the reception. It’s the really important part.

Nancy and I had nibbled at the food at the reception. Well, Nancy had nibbled. We left early and went the few steps to Old Ebbitt. Nancy just ordered a salad,

and a pretty salad it was. It was a “power” lettuce and hence mostly very fresh spinach, but with lots of goat cheese, almonds, and other treats. Nancy pronounced it very good.

I veered from my usual Clyde’s Group burger/sandwich/steak salad routine and ordered fried catfish.

I like fried catfish, but I really don’t trust it too far away from the catfish farms that dot areas of the South below the Fall Line, or Gnat Line as it’s sometimes lovingly known by people who live above the line.

I’m happy to say that this was excellent catfish. Just look at that cornmeal crust! It was a delight, with a fine crunch and a good flavor. Old Ebbitt did an admirable job sealing in the heat of the fish, and the uninitiated will want to remember to break the crust here and there to allow some of that heat to escape. The fish itself was firm and flaky with a freshness that suggested the catfish may have come from the Chesapeake Bay, which I understand catfish are invading.

The catfish came with grits, which were fine, and an andouille gravy. The gravy was a surprise in that it was short on andouille and hence heavy on tomato flavor. That’s not characteristic of the Old Ebbitt or the Clyde’s Group, and I’ll presume it was a one-off. The greenery included a pickled okra relish which I enjoyed. Altogether it was a fine plate of food and a pleasant surprise. Now on to the reception.

The event was to honor Operation Smile volunteers and was held in conjunction with an Operation Smile conference in the area. Nancy volunteered with Operation Smile regularly before Ella was born. She went on missions to Ethiopia, Morocco, Cambodia, India, the Philippines, Vietnam, Mexico, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras, Peru, and the Dominican Republic (twice). She was there to keep electronic medical records, which she did very well, and also to comfort and play with the children, help the parents, and distribute toys from an extra suitcase she’d brought. Most of all, though ,she was there to contribute to the utter and complete transformation of the lives of the patients, who came in with cleft lips, cleft palates, and other facial deformities and were given free surgeries. I asked “How was it?? when she came back from the Nicaragua mission and she responded, “We worked 15 hours a day, it was at least 95 degrees every day, there was no air conditioning, we all got food poisoning, the power went out, there was an earthquake, and I can’t wait to do it again.”

Nancy had bonded with other volunteers and was eager to see who would show up, so downtown we went. There was quite a crowd of volunteers and conferees, and Nancy and I had a opportunity to meet admirable people from all over the world. It was very inspiring to see people who knew what was truly important in the world.

And it happened to show another thing truly important in my world. As it happened, it was still in the 90s at the time of the reception and Washington was showing off its fabled humidity. The reception was held at the W Hotel. The W has a rooftop deck with a view of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

No other publicly accessible building has that view, so it’s a major attraction for visitors to Washington. This reception had direct access to that view and during the hour or so we were there precisely three people — Nancy, a volunteer from West Africa, and me — went out to the un-air conditioned deck to see that view. Instead they stayed jammed into the event space connecting with others.

I heard people from around the globe in wonder at air conditioning and in joyous awe at the United States for its greatness, its beauty, and the friendliness of its people. We remain a wonder to the world. And Operation Smile remains a wonder to me. Not only does the group provide medical care, they also train local personnel to care for the needy by themselves. Nancy and others from the US only were needed in Vietnam and the Philippines because those countries were helping celebrate 30-year anniversaries with missions at multiple locations.

What a wonderful group of people! I hope that you will support Operation Smile, and that you’ll go to the Old Ebbitt Grill for some fried catfish, and perhaps stop by the W for a rooftop drink and a view of the White House. And don’t give a thought to the hidden Secret Service snipers with their rifles trained on you.

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