Monday, October 27, 2008

DC Cheap Eats: Capitol Hill

Forget the long hours, the low pay and the demanding bosses, the real hardship associated with being a Capitol Hill staffer is the frustrating lack of good lunch options around our office buildings. Predictable sub sandwiches, overpriced "designer" salads and mediocre Mexican can only take a girl so far. I've managed to uncover a few gems during my time on the Hill, however, that I don't mind sharing with the class. Now that we've improved the lunch situation, how about we tackle the paycheck situation next? :)

210 2nd St. SE
Washington, DC 20003
(202)547-7200
A charming little cafe tucked just around the corner from the "main drag" of Pennsylvania Avenue, LeBon Cafe is a little slice of the City of Lights on Capitol Hill. The menu features French favorites like quiche and croque monsieur as well as hearty soups, fresh salads and tasty paninis. On nice days, they put out a bunch of sidewalk tables and you can enjoy your food while watching the action around the Hill. While not quite as good as wiling away your afternoon in a cafe on the Ile St. Louis, it isn't a bad way to pass the lunch hour.

303 Pennsylvania Ave. SE
Washington, DC 20003
(202) 543-8222

A relative newcomer to the Capitol Hill lunch scene, Good Stuff Eatery caused quite a stir in the Halls of Congress when it opened this summer, promising good, fresh burgers fast. It didn't hurt that semi-celebrity chef Spike Mendelsohn, of Top Chef fame, was at the helm. With the help of my always willing taste tester, I checked out Good Stuff last week. We sampled the turkey burger with cheddar, a regular burger loaded down with cheese, bacon, bbq sauce and onion rings and the handcut "Spike's Fries", generously doused with cracked pepper and herbs. Not exactly health food, but delicious nonetheless! I'm still on cloud 9 from the dellllllicious Milky Way shake that we split, on a whim, at the end of our meal. Handspun when you order using house-churned ice cream, it was out of this world (Get it? Milky Way...out of this world... ok, sorry, bad pun ;)). Get the mini size...because even though it is tasty, it is really rich, and you'll likely lapse into sugar shock if you finish a large size by yourself! It was worth every delicious sip...

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