A defense of the Ebbitt

Earlier this year, Tom Sietsema of the Washington Post released his 2011 Spring Dining Guide, in which he revisited restaurants he hadn't been to in a long time.  Now, I normally like Tom's reviews, and I tend to agree with him much of the time.  However, I do feel (and many others agree) that he has some clear biases - overrating places such as Rasika and Jaleo while hating on others on a continuing basis. 

Now, I also have biases.  One of my biases is my liking of the Old Ebbitt Grill (I'm on my way there in a few minutes).  Which is why I took umbrage with his uncharacteristic beating of the Ebbitt in this dining guide.  It wasn't just a bad review, it was almost uncomfortable to read.  And at least one reader (me) detected an almost childlike enthusiasm for reaffirming what he'd long held to be true - that the Ebbitt was a terrible restaurant.

Now, there are a lot of drawbacks to the Clydes family of restaurants, which owns and operates the Ebbitt.  Through the years, they have gotten less seasonal and experimental with their menu, and many now closely resemble each other with their cooking.  Call it cheap, call it complacency, but Clyde's isn't what it once was.

Having said that, I find several glaring points of disagreement with Tom's review.  The Ebbitt almost needs to be treated as two separate restaurants - the sit-down dining rooms, and the bars (there are four).  I cannot accurately recall the last time I sat at a table at the Ebbitt, for good reason.  Most of the "charm" of the Ebbitt is decor and location, after that wears off, its forgettable food. Ask any Ebbitt regular and I bet they'd say the same thing - they never go to the dining room, they always hit one of the bars.  Now to be fair, its not Tom's job to review bars, but the food is from the same kitchen. 

The bars have some of the most professional, longest serving bar tenders in the city.  Walk in and be polite to both your fellow customers and the staff, and you will be treated in kind.  Walk in and act like an asshole, and well, be treated in kind (I say this as a good thing, for I do not act like an asshole [at a bar], and therefore appreciate the sentiment).  Having a small knowledge of inside Clyde's corporate knowledge (no I have never worked there), I can also tell you that if you complain about service, that is acted upon, sometimes harshly.

Another point Sietsema fails to give the Ebbitt sufficient credit for - the raw bar.  I have never once had a bad oyster at the Ebbitt (full disclosure, I did at Tower Oaks, a sister restaurant).  This is something so few restaurants do well, and the Ebbitt is among the best.  And that, my friends, deserves at least a modicum of credit.  I'd also mention that the entire raw bar is half price during happy hour and late night - you can get a dozen fresh oysters for less than 15$.

Finally, Sietsema contradicts his own review structure when assessing the Ebbitt.  He claims to assess restaurant performance on what it is TRYING to be, the niche it is trying to carve in the market.  The Ebbitt is a money factory no doubt (on the top 10 highest grossing privately owned restaurants in the country).  As I said earlier, their dining room target audience isn't a downtown office worker, its the tourist from the White House or the weekend your parents are in town and you just need somewhere to go.  No, its not a relaxing place to eat, its huge, its bustling, its crowded.  But it FEELS historic, the food is consistent, and thats one reason why they make SO much money.

The other reason?  As I mentioned earlier - the bars, whose target audience IS the downtown worker, and they do it quite well.  The Ebbitt makes more money off of alcohol than many other restaurants on the top lists, and this is a main reason why.

The Ebbitt isn't Citronelle, Komi, or Cityzen.  But it's not trying to be.  It excels at satisfying both of its target audiences, and provides an awesome raw bar at a good price while doing it.  For that it deserved more than a half star.