Hawk 'n' Dove, Washington, D.C.

After an afternoon at the Library of Congress, I stuck around long enough to meet Ian when he left his Capitol Hill office at six, and we walked up Pennsylvania Avenue to Hawk 'n' Dove, one of those old bars frequented by congressional staffers and interns, for happy hour and dinner.

Ian wasn't being very happy hour-ish, drinking only a single Coke. I had a glass of nasty cheap Miller Lite beer (but it only cost $2). My cheap beer entitled me to order a dozen chicken wings for only $2, so I did that. The chicken wings were done in a rather sweet sauce; I think it could have used a bit of spice and heat. Ian had one of their daily specials, a chicken tri-color tortellini alfredo. It also came with a side salad, though Ian had to ask the waiter to bring it after the pasta arrived, the waiter not yet having served it (Ian also had to go fetch his own silverware, since the waiter left the plate and ran off without having provided a fork).

The tables near us had two different waiters from ours. I saw our waiter taking care of a table on the patio as we left. What ever happened to the system of having a zone or section for a waiter to serve? Do all restaurants scatter their waiters around the dining room, bar, and patio these days? No wonder we can never find a waiter when we want one!

Before leaving, I made my way to their, um, rather "utilitarian" men's room, and was amused (given the clientele in this place, all dutifully serving us and going about the Nation's business) to find this on the wall:

This is the first time I've seen such a thing in D.C. I mean, after all, we don't have any truck stops here. I wonder if the machine gets much use? Was it installed in a Republican or a Democrat administration?