The last meal I’d like to write about from our trip to Washington, D.C. was at the Old Ebbitt Grill. This family friendly restaurant with upscale food is just steps from The White House. I made a reservation for our family of four on OpenTable for 5 P.M. and we were seated immediately upon our arrival.

Inside

Inside Old Ebbitt Grill is a massive space full of rich mahogany and velvet covered booths. The decor is described as Beaux-Arts, meaning rich, lavish, and heavily ornamented. It is probably one of the fanciest places my young kids have ever stepped foot inside. Our service was excellent and the pace of the meal was perfect for our young family.

Brick Chicken

For dinner I had the brick chicken, a semi boneless half chicken, served with smashed sweet potatoes, apple-cranberry relish, crispy Brussels sprouts, and chicken jus ($18.59). The chicken was juicy and cooked perfectly. The sauce was sweet and the vegetable base was filling. This is one of the better chicken dishes I’ve had.

Jumbo Lump Crab Cake

My wife tried their signature jumbo lump crab cake served with roasted fingerling sweet potatoes, sautéed Swiss chard, and Cajun remoulade ($19.99). She was very impressed with this dish and having the option of a single crab cake is a nice option for those with smaller appetites.

Grass-Fed Cheeseburger Sliders

As impressed as we were with our entrées, the children’s menu is equally as impressive. The list is lengthy and has something for all appetites. My son decided to enjoy the grass-fed cheeseburger sliders ($9). This was served with a choice of side which is nearly as lengthy as the entrée selections, fries, tater tots, fruit, salad, apple sauce, vegetable, etc. The serving size was very generous and he seemed to enjoy these. My three-year-old daughter loved the finger food platter with carrots, ants on a log, hummus, ranch, pita, and fruit ($9).

Finger Food Platter

Our entire family loved dining at the Old Ebbitt Grill. I can only wish that our hometown of Cincinnati might one day have something comparable to this. An upscale eatery that also caters to those with kids. I would absolutely return without a question on a future visit to D.C.

Washington, D.C. can be a very tiring city to visit. After a full day out with the kids on our trip to the nations capitol, we were too tired to venture out for dinner. I didn’t want to order chain pizza, so instead I found Caviar, an online order and delivery system available in over a dozen cities nationwide.

Pizza Box

After browsing the available restaurants in the area of our hotel, I decided to order a pizza from Pizzeria Paradiso, a local wood-burning pizza company with three locations. Pizzas are served in two sizes, nine inch and twelve inch, with a large variety of creations or you can make your own. Salads and a handful of sandwiches are also available.

Bosco

My wife and I decided to split the Bosco with Paradiso tomato sauce, spinach, mozzarella, mushroom, and red onion ($19 for 12 inch). Their crust was perfectly dense and browned expertly. Toppings were plentiful and of the highest quality. This was a really good pizza and I felt that it was worth the somewhat high price tag. I would not hesitate to order from Pizzeria Paradiso again.