Peachy Dines Al Fresco in Washington D.C. at Martin's Tavern Est. 1933 in Georgetown Our Coverage Sponsored by Fresh Origins
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...and you're going to eat it up too! We could not be more thrilled to present our inaugural review in Peachy Dines Al Fresco in Washington, D.C. and we begin with that city's oldest family-owned restaurant, our beloved Martin's Tavern (read our first review here). It started four generations ago in 1933 with this Billy Martin's great-grandfather and grandfather who came to America from County Galway (we LOVE Ireland-check out this Bafta-winning Irishman introduced to us last week courtesy of Tourism Ireland), and it was later run by Billy's dad, also Billy Martin.
Today, Billy Martin IV is captain of this ship!
The story of this illustrious venue that has hosted every President from Truman to George W. Bush holds a unique spot in American culinary and social history. We are honored to work with this brand of distinction that is a beacon of pride for America not only for its history but also for its innovation and direction for the future. Can you think of another restaurant that has always been kept in the same family since it started in the 1930's? We have looked, but we cannot. And even if we found another as old and as tight in one family, we doubt it would have the culinary expertise proven to us here again coupled with a clear cut vision for future success.
Billy Martin still would never rest on the laurels of history: this venue is highly competitive in the culinary arts led by Executive Chef Gregorio Martinez.
The minute Peachy Deegan arrived at Martin's Tavern, Billy was there with his characteristic million-dollar smile and infectious enthusiasm. We are always more excited to return to a place we know we love and is fussy about every last detail. We had such a phenomenal experience the last time we did not know how they'd top it, but they did with their 200 year old historic menu, and the company and conversation of the highly esteemed Billy Martin. Their outdoor seating is exceptional and their location on Wisconsin Avenue with an obtuse angle ensures premium people-watching from all angles.
Billy graciously dined with us and colored in every detail of our experience with pride. He is the embodiment of a consummate professional restaurateur, and we suppose he's genetically inclined as well!
Let us refresh the tale for you recounted to us by Martin's Tavern - we love and applaud their passion for history- and time travel back 200 years with us.
August 24, 1814 – The British Burn Washington, D.C.
August of 1814 was one of the hottest the 8,000 residents of America's new capital could remember and to make it worse, the British had targeted our capital city of Washington on its way to take the valuable port of Baltimore up the Chesapeake Bay.
General Robert Ross and a few British soldiers rode into the city with a flag of truce and terms for that truce. But just over the district border, they were shot at from a house (the Sewall-Belmont House, 144 Constitution Avenue, NE) and the General’s horse was killed. Thus began the burning of Washington.
That evening, the vanguard of the British army reached Capitol Hill, raised the Union Jack flag and began its systematic destruction of public buildings in the city.
"...Of the Senate house, the President's palace, the barracks, the dockyard, etc., nothing could be seen except heaps of smoking ruins. The sky was brilliantly illuminated by the different conflagrations "
George Gleig, British soldier (1796 - 1888)
Stephen Pleasonton, a government clerk, received a note from Secretary of State James Monroe directing him to save important documents from the advancing British. Pleasonton took the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution of the United States of America and other important documents to Georgetown in coarse linen bags he stitched together himself. As more and more fires lit up the sky, he took the linen bags of original historic documents and rode to Leesburg, Virginia.
Billy traveled back in time to bring Dolley back!
And at the White House that night:
"President's House, 11 P.M., Wednesday, August 24…. the President's House, the British walked unmolested through the front door and found the mansion deserted, but ready to host visitors. The table in the state dining room was set for dinner for forty… fine wine poured into cut-glass decanters was chilling on ice on the sideboard…the British assumed the Americans had prepared a victory banquet. The sight tickled Ross's Irish fancy. 'So unexpected was our entry and capture of Washington, and so confident was Madison (President of the States) of the defeat of our troops, that he had prepared for supper for the expected conquerors; and when our advance party entered the president's house they found a table laid with 40 covers.' he delightedly wrote his brother-in-law, Ned Glascock. The men, including a company of hungry Fusiliers, wolfed down the food."
---Through the Perilous Fight: Six Weeks That Saved the Nation, Steve Vogel [Random House:New York] 2013 (p 178-179)
When Congress convened in Washington in September, many felt it would be too costly to rebuild the capital and favored moving it back to Philadelphia. They debated for weeks, but voted in October to remain in Washington and rehired Benjamin Latrobe, Architect of the Capitol from 1804 to 1813 to restore what he had just spent nine years building as the architect.
The Dinner That Wasn’t Served The White House August 24, 1814
There is no record of the menu to be served to forty guests celebrating the assumed victory at the Battle of Bladensburg, Maryland that would include cabinet members, and military leaders. But we do know President James Madison favored Virginia Ham, apple pie and locally harvested fish, fruits and vegetables and First Lady Dolley Madison made ice cream all the rage as a dessert in Washington. T
homas Jefferson’s love of French cuisine still influenced the White House kitchen and French wines were most popular throughout the colonies...and with all of this in mind, please return t
o 2014 with us. Billy suggested a superb Tamari Malbec:
An excellent choice, the ripeness of this quality Argentinian Malbec (we were pleased to participate in Malbec Day in 2011 with the Consulate General of Argentina) made us feel quite welcome and we perused the historical menu as well as the excellent standard dinner menu at Martin's Tavern.
However, while we sipped the wine bursting with notes of dark fruit, and he remembered Peachy loves a dark sophisticated fruity red, we heard sirens.
Oh my goodness we left New York because we hear too many there.
Could it be?
Are the British coming?
Are they going to ruin our dinner?
Wait, we aren't even in Boston. (and Paul Revere did not say that.)
Could it be?
Are the British coming?
Are they going to ruin our dinner?
Wait, we aren't even in Boston. (and Paul Revere did not say that.)
OH NO!
Just in case there is a fire, we are prepared.
This was not staged, someone else rang up those fire trucks (for more on Firemen, see HBO's latest documentary released yesterday). And know that we are huge proponents of the UK and that everyone British as well as Irish will love Martin's Tavern (don't worry we got over the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, but we'll warn you, you might want to convince Billy to reverse colonize in London and Dublin with his food.)
The funniest things happen to us.
The funniest things happen to us.
Peachy Deegan is a huge fan of New England Clam Chowder, and you would not believe how hard it is to find it done well in Manhattan. Thankfully, we know where it is done phenomenally in Washington, D.C.! The aroma was tantalizing and the chunky goodness of the succulent clams were the catalysts to the loud applause that emanated from Peachy's stomach, easily overpowering the sirens. You absolutely need to try this fantastic New England Clam Chowder at Martin's Tavern and we felt the spirit of JFK eat it with us. The oyster stew ordered by our panelist was also exceptional and they aren't kidding when they say in red on the menu that it's the best on the East Coast. It's justified.
Remember how we told you details are done right here? Even the butter will wow you. Dolley Madison's Recipe Fairy Butter will set you aflutter! We always thought Rosewater was best found in Crabtree & Evelyn, however we stand corrected! Everything literally is coming up roses at Martin's Tavern and the bread was fresh and delicious as well.
Billy had the item marked in red "must try" on the menu: Martin's Delight, our own Hot Brown. Like every other northerner, Peachy said, "What on earth is that Billy?"
They define it like this and we are telling you as a culinary historical reference:
Roasted Turkey Breast on
Toast Points, Sauce Mornay,
Pecorino Romano Cheese,
Tomatoes and Bacon.
Baked to Perfection!
A Louisville legend, invented
at The Brown in 1926!
The Hot Brown…a Louisville
tradition with worldwide
appeal.
Martin's Tavern says: Invented in Kentuky, perfected by Martin's Tavern! Sliced roasted turkey on toast, smothered in our homemade rarebit sauce topped with sliced tomato, bacon, and parmesean cheese...served in a cast iron skillet.
We say, it hits the spot! You've got to try it. We've never seen it before.
Among the other popular items at Martin's Tavern are the Slow Roasted Pot Roast, which there is year-round demand for, and is made fresh every day.
Now it was time for dessert. When in doubt, try everything! We must have been eating dessert on a dinner plate...and quite happily too. We tried James Madison's Favorite Apple Pie (we LOVE apple pie!), Dolley Madison's Recipe Spice Cake (Flour, Sugar, Cinnamon, Butter, Baking Soda) with Vanilla Ice Cream and a Sprig of Fresh Mint and Bread Pudding. All were amazing in their own right, are staples of American tradition, and they have quite the convincing dessert menu.
"Georgetown's going through a major revitalization in Real Estate. Martin's Tavern is not going anywhere. We started in the Depression and we'll still be here tomorrow!" says Billy Martin.
Make sure you are there tomorrow, and the next day, and on every trip to Washington, D.C. unless you live there!
Up with independent restaurants of historic excellence, namely Martin's Tavern.
Our esteemed panelist adds:
Walking into Martin's Tavern, my first impressions were it was clean and classy. The tables were covered with white linens, and the dining room was quite full for a Sunday evening. The decor gives you a sense of the history behind this establishment. This obviously isn't your typical tavern, and has served every President since Truman. Obama has yet to go, and doesn't appear interested in taking part in a piece of DC history. His loss. Billy Martin, the proprietor, is the 4th generation of Martin's running the tavern. Billy is passionate about his restaurant, and it shows in the quality of food.
I was early, and took a seat at the bar while waiting for Peachy. I was greeted immediately by the bartender, and ordered a Guinness. While sipping on my pint, I noticed a certificate on the wall showing that Martin's tavern has been certified in the perfect pint. All of you Guinness lovers out there know how important it is to have the proper pour.
We were quickly seated in the outside dining area along N St. The dining area is the perfect size, accommodating roughly 20 people. Since it's along a more residential street, there wasn't too much traffic. It was a cozy setting where you can really enjoy the weather, conversation, along with a tasty meal. We were fortunate enough to have Billy join us for dinner. He is quite a wealth of information. It was a real treat to be able to hear all of his stories. Martin's current executive chef, Gregorio, has brought some welcome additions to Martin's Tavern. He has made sure all the ingredients are fresh, and the plating is superbly done. He has done all of this without affecting prices!
They had a special menu while we were there. It was in honor of the meal put together, to the date, 200 years prior by Dolly Madison. Referred to as the dinner that was never served, it was possibly the menu for the night of August 24, 1814, the night the British burned the White House down. There's no record of the exact meal, but items were typical of Dolly's cooking.
Now for the best part, the food! We started with a bottle of Malbec. This wine was a fine example of a Malbec from the Uco Valley, and was nice to sip on while dining Al Fresco. We were served fresh bread and fairy butter. Fairy butter was one of Dolly Madison's recipes, which consists of butter and a hint of rose water and sugar. I started with the oyster stew, and Peachy had the clam chowder. I had never tried oyster stew before, but this was an exceptional soup. It had a light creamy texture with excellent flavor. There were 5 oysters along with a garlic crostini. This was my first oyster stew since recently moving to the east coast. If their claim of "it's the best on the east coast" is true, I may only be getting this soup at Martin's tavern from here on out. Peachy's chowder looked delicious, so I had to steal a taste. This is definitely a delicious chowder. It was full of flavor, and not thick and creamy like a lot of clam chowders. I have to admit I had a bit of food envy.
For the main course I decided to try something that sounded unique to Martin's Tavern, and they didn't fail to disappoint. This menu item was added by the current Executive Chef Gregorio. I had the seafood lasagna, which consists of shrimp, lobster, and crab stacked in the form of lasagna topped with melted cheese. The traditional red sauce was replaced with a tasty cream sauce containing tomates and corn. The sweetness of the corn and tomatoes were a wonderful complement to the seafood. All around a delicious dish that I would recommend trying!
Billy had the Martin's Delight. There was a bit of culinary history that went along with his dish. He ordered the Martin's Delight, which is the Martin's Tavern version of a hot brown. Billy explained how the hot Brown is a special dish created by the Brown hotel in Kentucky in the 1920s. The dish comes served in a cast iron skillet containing an open faced turkey sandwich topped with a rarebit sauce, with a tomato and 2 slices of bacon on top. He gave us a taster of the rarebit sauce, which was delicious. I think I know what I'll be trying on my next trip to Martin's Tavern.
Finally for desert. Not sure I how I had more room for dessert, but I'm glad I wasn't too stuffed. We had a sampling of Apple pie, bread pudding, and Dolly Madison's spice cake. The apple pie is made in house, and was yummy. The bread pudding was moist and full of flavor, but my favorite was the spice cake. It was very light and moist, and topped with a dollop of ice cream.
I truly enjoyed my first dining experience at Martin's Tavern. Billy was a wonderful host, and says he's always accessible. I'm sure next time I'm in Georgetown, I'll be stopping by to try Martin's delight.
Peachy Dines Al Fresco in Washington, D.C. at Martin's Tavern could not be more highly recommended and we applaud their superior cuisine and their passion for American History!
Martin's Tavern has earned our Highest Recommendation!
Tell Billy that Peachy sent you.
Martin's Tavern has earned our Highest Recommendation!
Tell Billy that Peachy sent you.
We hate to leave!
https://twitter.com/MartinsTavernDC
The Dinner That Wasn’t Served The White House August 24, 1814 Menu
LOCALLY HARVESTED SALAD
baby arugula, tomatoes, cucumbers, corn & beets in champagne vinaigrette
Bread Basket with Dolley Madison’s Recipe Fairy Butter
ENTREE
Baked Virginia Ham or Maryland Rockfish Beurre Blanc
Served with Braised Cabbage with Bacon and Lyonnaise Potatoes
DESSERT
James Madison’s Favorite Apple Pie
Dolley Madison’s Recipe Spice Cake and Vanilla Ice Cream
HobNob Pinot Noir, Vin De Pays D’Oc, France
Chateau Bonnet, Sauvignon Blanc Blend, Bordeaux, France
Samuel Adams Summer Ale Draught
Established in 1933, Martin's Tavern is one of Washington DC’s most historic family-owned enterprises. For 80 years, Martin’s Tavern has been a renowned fixture in the mid-Atlantic and a must-visit establishment in historic Georgetown. In the late 1890's, William S. Martin traveled from Galway, Ireland to America. Forty years later, he and his son, William G. Martin, the current Billy's grandfather, opened Martin’s Tavern on the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and N Street NW which is run today by our friend, William A. Martin Jr. You can call him Billy! From sitting Presidents and media icons, to city residents and worldly travelers, Martin’s Tavern is a welcoming home to the many who have long embraced its warm atmosphere. Its quintessentially classic American fare has delighted discriminating palates for decades from the Oakwood Atlantic Smoked Salmon to the Filet Mignon to whatever your little heart desires from the convincing menu. Every President from Truman to George W. Bush has happily dined at Martin's Tavern, and you can see the delicious culinary choices preferred by each in our review: Martin's Tavern is Highly Recommended by Whom You Know:
The President’s favorite booths, The Proposal Booth of Jack and Jackie Kennedy, Mickey Mantle in The Dugout Room, George W. Bush and family at Table 12 are just a few of the iconic stories. Fourth generation owner Billy Martin, Jr. continues the tradition of Washington’s oldest family owned restaurant and Georgetown landmark.
