Historically inspired dishes in the heart of Georgetown!
This has been an exciting, eventful summer so far, which is unfortunately why the blog has been so quiet these last few months. I’m hoping to come back with a fall full of exciting historical recipes, possibly with some new friends to explore those with us, as well as celebrating A Peek into the Pantry’s fifth anniversary next week!
But until then, I do have a little something to tide you over: a trip to America Eats Tavern in Georgetown!
But until then, I do have a little something to tide you over: a trip to America Eats Tavern in Georgetown!
America Eats Tavern got on my radar thanks to my brother, a food and restaurant enthusiast who always has the scoop on the best places to eat, no matter where we might be traveling. The lucky duck is getting his undergraduate degree from Georgetown University, so he’s got access to a lot of fun places to eat. Visiting him in one of DC’s least accessible by public transit neighborhoods is well worth the frustration of hiking all the way from Dupont Circle.
He was lucky enough to get a sneak preview of the restaurant with his coworkers and immediately told my parents and I that we needed to go the week they were coming down to help both of us move, me into a new apartment, and him out of his summer housing. Fortunately, my parents are also always on board for a new culinary adventure, so we booked a table and waited with impatience to see what it was like.
Or at least, I did. I miss doing food history field trips.
America Eats Tavern is the brain child of chef José Andrés, who has been working on versions of the restaurant since 2011, when he partnered with the National Archives to create a pop up version of the restaurant in Adams Morgan. Located at 3139 M St NW, the Georgetown version is right in the heart of the neighborhood’s shopping district and has taken over the location of a barbeque joint that people were pretty fond of. I never visited the older restaurant, so I can’t say if it’s a good or bad thing that Old Glory closed its doors, but it is nice to see something new go in instead of letting the storefront linger unused.
He was lucky enough to get a sneak preview of the restaurant with his coworkers and immediately told my parents and I that we needed to go the week they were coming down to help both of us move, me into a new apartment, and him out of his summer housing. Fortunately, my parents are also always on board for a new culinary adventure, so we booked a table and waited with impatience to see what it was like.
Or at least, I did. I miss doing food history field trips.
America Eats Tavern is the brain child of chef José Andrés, who has been working on versions of the restaurant since 2011, when he partnered with the National Archives to create a pop up version of the restaurant in Adams Morgan. Located at 3139 M St NW, the Georgetown version is right in the heart of the neighborhood’s shopping district and has taken over the location of a barbeque joint that people were pretty fond of. I never visited the older restaurant, so I can’t say if it’s a good or bad thing that Old Glory closed its doors, but it is nice to see something new go in instead of letting the storefront linger unused.
Inside, the restaurant features rustic furniture and Americana inspired murals. We ate on the second floor, and were greeted by these great quotes from barbecue historian Robert Moss and the world famous Julia Child:
The menu labels certain dishes with years and locations, suggesting that there was a particular historic recipe or time period in mind when the menu was designed. Not every dish has this, and I have to admit, as a food history dork, I was a little disappointed to see that.
I was very excited to see one dish in particular though!
I was very excited to see one dish in particular though!
It’s so unusual to see Jamestown referenced on pretty much anything, so I knew I was going to be ordering this no matter what else was on the menu.
I was a little disappointed in their drinks selection, although this is probably somewhat unfair of me. There are some historic cocktails and wines, but between my article about the history of tiki bars and a few other projects focusing on the history of alcohol in the United States, I was bummed to find the cocktail list was a little sparse and ordered an Arnold Palmer instead.
Personally, I prefer the Arnold Palmer at Founding Farmers, another DC area restaurant that takes some inspiration from historical and classic recipes, as it has a better balance of tea to lemonade but this was tasty enough.
The hush puppies we ordered as an appetizer were a completely different story. Hot out of the oven and served with a really delicious honey butter, I could have eaten three whole orders of these all on my own. Hush puppies are in keeping with the tradition started by Native peoples of grinding corn and frying or baking it. European colonists took to it as well, and by 1899 recipes for a “hushpuppy” began to appear in cookbooks, so called because hunters could feed the fried balls of corn meal to their dogs to keep them quiet during cookouts.
We also ordered the vermicelli macaroni and cheese, which Greg insisted was a must have. The waitress warned us that the noodles used would be different from what we expected, in that vermicelli is a medium length, thin noodle, not the elbows or shells people have come to expect. This is actually pretty authentic, as we have detailed information about exactly what kind of pasta Thomas Jefferson – the father of macaroni and cheese for Americans – imported to the United States. He even ordered a pasta maker, but was dissatisfied with the results and decided to just import things from Italy directly. It’s not the most financially questionable decision he ever made.
The cheese sauce was delicious, but definitely more modern than the mac and cheese Thomas Jefferson would have had, which makes sense. Even in a restaurant aimed at featuring dishes from America’s past, you need to think about what a modern person is actually used to and interested in eating. Bringing out a 100% authentic macaroni and cheese might be a bit of a turn off to the average visitor.
This was still probably my favorite thing we ordered though!
Our entrees were very generous portions, especially considering the price. DC is an expensive city to live and eat in, and I thought what I got was definitely worth $16. Two years of living here has made me sort of used to feeling my wallet cry after going out to dinner so maybe I’m just desensitized, but this was definitely a fairer price and portion than I’ve gotten from other local eateries.
Now, I think it’s a bit of a stretch to say that John Smith and co. were eating anything that even came close to resembling this very tasty, hearty version of shrimp and grits, but I still definitely see the inspiration: corn from the Powhatan confederacy helped keep the early colonists from starving, as did anything edible they could catch in the rivers or bay. So, not really historical, but still somewhat true to life.
Maybe we should make another version of it with Jane someday!
Greg helped us choose sides, which included corn on the cob, Brussel sprouts, and fried okra with smoked yogurt. I was skeptical about the okra and yogurt, but it was really delicious and I would definitely recommend giving it a shot. Cooked okra can be gooey and slimy, but this wasn’t at all, and the yogurt was really unusual and fun to try.
When it came time for my favorite part of the meal, I knew I was ordering Martha Washington’s chocolate cake. I had enjoyed a version of this at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia and was excited to see what this version would be like.
Although its presentation is definitely not even close to what Martha Washington would have made, it was a really beautiful presentation, with alternating kisses of ganache and chocolate Chantilly cream. It was garnished with a little fleur de sel, one of my favorite secret ingredients. The cake itself was the best part of the dish for me. It was nice and moist, not too sweet and very, very chocolatey. Would recommend.
So, final thoughts? I would definitely go back, and I’m very interested to see how the menu continues to grow and evolve. Obviously I love any restaurant that even attempts to reference historical menus and recipes (like the cafes at Plimoth Plantation or the National World War II Museum, for example!) so it’s exciting to see one taking root so close (relatively speaking) to where I live. This concept is actually what I wish the cafeteria at the National Museum of American History could be like. The dining experiences at the National Museum of the American Indian and the National Museum of African American History and Culture are so much more linked to the museum’s theme and create a really unique dining experience rather than generic cafeteria food. It would be so cool to see NMAH revamp their café to spotlight stand out dishes in American history the way America Eats Tavern does.
Now, this isn’t to say the food is 100% historically accurate and you’re going to feel like you’re stepping back into a time portal to 1802, but honestly, that would probably only appeal to a very small portion of the population. It frustrates me to see Colonial Williamsburg’s menus getting less historical, but from a business stand point, I do understand it. Historical food can be a tricky novelty to sell to the average tourist, and I think America Eats Tavern is striking a decent balance between celebrating the past and catering to the tastes of today. Hope I get to go back soon!
I was a little disappointed in their drinks selection, although this is probably somewhat unfair of me. There are some historic cocktails and wines, but between my article about the history of tiki bars and a few other projects focusing on the history of alcohol in the United States, I was bummed to find the cocktail list was a little sparse and ordered an Arnold Palmer instead.
Personally, I prefer the Arnold Palmer at Founding Farmers, another DC area restaurant that takes some inspiration from historical and classic recipes, as it has a better balance of tea to lemonade but this was tasty enough.
The hush puppies we ordered as an appetizer were a completely different story. Hot out of the oven and served with a really delicious honey butter, I could have eaten three whole orders of these all on my own. Hush puppies are in keeping with the tradition started by Native peoples of grinding corn and frying or baking it. European colonists took to it as well, and by 1899 recipes for a “hushpuppy” began to appear in cookbooks, so called because hunters could feed the fried balls of corn meal to their dogs to keep them quiet during cookouts.
The cheese sauce was delicious, but definitely more modern than the mac and cheese Thomas Jefferson would have had, which makes sense. Even in a restaurant aimed at featuring dishes from America’s past, you need to think about what a modern person is actually used to and interested in eating. Bringing out a 100% authentic macaroni and cheese might be a bit of a turn off to the average visitor.
This was still probably my favorite thing we ordered though!
Our entrees were very generous portions, especially considering the price. DC is an expensive city to live and eat in, and I thought what I got was definitely worth $16. Two years of living here has made me sort of used to feeling my wallet cry after going out to dinner so maybe I’m just desensitized, but this was definitely a fairer price and portion than I’ve gotten from other local eateries.
Now, I think it’s a bit of a stretch to say that John Smith and co. were eating anything that even came close to resembling this very tasty, hearty version of shrimp and grits, but I still definitely see the inspiration: corn from the Powhatan confederacy helped keep the early colonists from starving, as did anything edible they could catch in the rivers or bay. So, not really historical, but still somewhat true to life.
Greg helped us choose sides, which included corn on the cob, Brussel sprouts, and fried okra with smoked yogurt. I was skeptical about the okra and yogurt, but it was really delicious and I would definitely recommend giving it a shot. Cooked okra can be gooey and slimy, but this wasn’t at all, and the yogurt was really unusual and fun to try.
Although its presentation is definitely not even close to what Martha Washington would have made, it was a really beautiful presentation, with alternating kisses of ganache and chocolate Chantilly cream. It was garnished with a little fleur de sel, one of my favorite secret ingredients. The cake itself was the best part of the dish for me. It was nice and moist, not too sweet and very, very chocolatey. Would recommend.
Now, this isn’t to say the food is 100% historically accurate and you’re going to feel like you’re stepping back into a time portal to 1802, but honestly, that would probably only appeal to a very small portion of the population. It frustrates me to see Colonial Williamsburg’s menus getting less historical, but from a business stand point, I do understand it. Historical food can be a tricky novelty to sell to the average tourist, and I think America Eats Tavern is striking a decent balance between celebrating the past and catering to the tastes of today. Hope I get to go back soon!
And order another one of these cakes...
I first came across Martha Washington's chocolate cake recipe when I was researching a cookbook fundraiser for church. Our little church is in Valley Forge and the house where Washington stayed belonged to one of the original church members. We also supported an orphanage in Haiti. This particular cookbook focused on modern church cookbook style recipes with the twists of Colonial and Haitian recipes. What a hit! It was fascinating to see what overlapped and logically connected with such theoretically isolated cultures (they really aren't so isolated when we all love food!).
ReplyDeleteI will take any opportunity to try a Martha Washington chocolate cake. Usually I find them dry (not when I make it at home) because of how it's stored and served. I really disliked the version at the Museum of the American Revolution.
Completely historical food doesn't feel healthy to a lot of people today. It's sad because a lot of it really was in its own way. We do less and need fewer calories today though. I wish historical locations would offer small portion taster size items so you can try it all!