FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 3, 2008

Nathan’s of Georgetown has been a part of Georgetown’s legendary and lively bar and restaurant scene since the 1970s. A mix of socialites, sports stars, political operatives, media heavies and regular folks come from everywhere to mingle with authentic Georgetowners. The restaurant is known for its Q&A Cafés, a weekly lunch event offering guests a chance to lob questions at notable locals and visiting celebrities. nathanslunch.com.

A favorite of the Kennedys, The Monocle Restaurant is considered the Capitol Hill neighborhood’s “first table cloth restaurant” and boasts a long tradition of serving members of Congress, staffers and lobbyists. themonocle.com.

The mahogany and velvet booths and bars set in marble, brass and beveled glass, along with a well-known oyster bar and an enviable location adjacent to the White House have made Old Ebbitt Grill a downtown mainstay since 1856. DC’s oldest restaurant, it was the dining room of choice for Presidents Grant, Cleveland, Harding and Theodore Roosevelt. ebbitt.com.

For more than seven decades, Martin’s Tavern has never has a problem filling seats with notable faces. During his time as a bachelor congressman and later a senator, John F. Kennedy dined in the little half booth, known as the rumble seat, just inside the front door and proposed to Jackie in booth No. 3. Richard Nixon, Harry Truman, Lyndon Johnson and Alger Hiss were also regulars, and Madeleine Albright regularly drops in. martins-tavern.com.

The Hay-Adams Hotel’s Off the Record Bar draws staffers, journalists and local and international lawmakers across Lafayette Park for cocktails and camaraderie. The pressed tin ceilings, the glass cabinet holding bottles behind the oval bar and the red walls bring a distinguished aura, while the dozens of political caricatures, donated by editorial cartoonist and author Art Wood, somewhat lighten the mood. hayadams.com.

For celebrity-spotting, there’s no match for Georgetown’s Café Milano, where famous Hollywood faces mingle with fashionable crowds, politicos, diplomats and professional athletes over upscale Italian cuisine.

For power dining suggestions, explore the DC foodie scene at Washington.org.