M- and I had to get out of the house today. We'd driven down to Georgetown once before and we didn't even get out of the car, it was mere reconnaissance, but this time we were determined to park and walk around. I’ve since discovered that there are Georgetown Metro Connection buses from red, blue and orange line Metro stations, and there is also parking! We didn't see any lots, but we made a lucky turn on P Street and found a spot half a block east of Wisconsin.
Georgetown is cute, but I can't see heading down often without visitors in tow. It's definitely got some personality, and more charm than I've seen collectively elsewhere in the DC/MD area. But the stores are mostly mainstream—Ralph Lauren, Banana Republic, The Gap, Puma (as cool as they are), Kenneth Cole, 9 West (you can see them on this nifty pop-up map)—with a sprinkling of stores that will help you dress like a Russian hooker and/or clothe your children organically, and it's just doesn't seem entirely worth the effort to get there.
We didn't know enough to make our way to M Street, so our options were Five Guys (a ridiculously well regarded and greasy smelling joint), Paolo's (Italian always seems too staid for a good brunch) and Martin's. I'm not a big fan of the Irish pub, but Martin's got me the minute I saw Eggs Idaho on the menu—scrambled eggs over potato skins topped with crumbled bacon and cheese—so we went in, waited a few minutes for a hostess to notice us, and followed her through the main room and back to a booth in an almost too dark and cozy non-smoking room.
Martin's seems to be the restaurant food snobs love to hate, lacking both charm and sophistication, but filling up nonetheless with locals and tourists for years and years and years and years. It's been around since 1933, and has been run by four generations of Martins, and has become a landmark feeding "Georgetowners, Washington’s movers and shakers, Hollywood stars, Broadway legends and just plain 'G.I. Joes'." The menu is full of irresistible (to me) dishes like Petite Crab Cakes and Artichoke Cheese Fritters, and has an array of steaks and pastas, and deep earth-toned specialties, priced under $20, like Martin's Hot Brown (hot sliced turkey on toast smothered in our homemade rarebit sauce, topped with sliced tomato, parmesan cheese and bacon), Welsh Rarebit (a classic cheddar sauce made with amber ale and spices, served with toast points), and Martin's Light Supper (vine ripe tomatoes stuffed with spinach pudding, topped with fine aged cheese and served with mashed potatoes and veggie). It made us wish we had a table full of people to share and sample more than we could reasonably order for ourselves.
The service was charmingly indifferent. We started with decent bloody mary's, ordered when the drinks came, and not too long after that the waiter delivered our Eggs Idaho and Steak and Eggs. If you've been to Chicago, you know that steak-and-eggs steak there is usually a thin slab of butt steak, and if you live there for eight years, you come to expect it. Martin's serves their eggs with a steak you could legitimately eat for dinner, albeit a bit small. It was tender, cooked medium rare as requested, and seasoned generously with pepper. The plate also comes adorned with toast, of course, and some decent enough roasted looking home fries. My Eggs Idaho was everything I hoped it would be—scrambled eggs resting on fried potato skins, hiding under a heart-stopping, thick layer of cheddar cheese and one-inch bacon pieces, with a side of sour cream and a side of salsa.
Martin's stayed busy through our meal, which we finished at almost 2:00. We did manage to walk around a little more, but after about half an hour I was struck down by an Eggs Idaho food coma and had to head home for a nap. Some people may like a nice productive Sunday afternoon, but I actually prefer a brunch that can knock me off my feet for almost two hours, like Martin's did.
Martin's Tavern, 1264 Wisconsin Avenue, Georgetown, 202.333.7370
The Hoya on Martin's; The Hill on Martin's; washigtonpost.com on Five Guys; dcist on burgers
A great entry. This makes me want to go to Martin's. Keep it up and Happy Thanksgiving!
Posted by: Brad Toth | November 22, 2005 at 11:19 PM