Clyde's at Gallery Place, Washington, D.C.

Had lunch today in Gallery Place at Clyde's. Robert had a craving for their "Washingtonian roast beef sandwich," so since I was in the neighborhood having been at the federal courthouse all morning, I agreed to come along.

Now, I'm craving potato salad.

Robert's sandwich was a large thing with thinly sliced roast beef with cream cheese and red onions on toasted pumpernickel bread served with creamed horseradish sauce. It came with a side dish of some absolutely delicious looking salad of new red potatoes, and potato salad has been on my mind ever since.

I started with their Maryland crab soup, since we're cooking a crab chowder on Monday and Robert and I wanted to sample their version. It was okay, with a bit of a pepper bite (probably Old Bay Seasoning) in a thin, tomato-based broth. For my main course, I had their steakhouse salad, a nice entree salad with romaine, vegetables, feta cheese, and hot slices of grilled sirloin, in their steakhouse dressing. For dessert, thinking Robert was going to share, I got the peach cobbler, but he decided he didn't want any dessert. Probably just as well, though, since I thought the cobbler was especially mediocre. It was actually tough!

Now I'm hungry. Haven't had dinner yet. But, I'll be stuck here in front of the television watching the end of the Republican convention before I can venture out to forage for food. I wonder if anyone will have potato salad at midnight?

Mr. Henry's Victorian Pub, Washington, D.C.

After going to the National Symphony's annual Labor Day concert on the Capitol lawn last night, we walked down Pennsylvania Avenue to the east and went to Mr. Henry's Victorian Pub for dinner. Mr. Henry's is a very laid back, comfortable kind of place that usually is packed with Capitol Hill staffers, but the Hill is always nearly empty in August and will stay deserted until after the Republican national convention concludes. That made it nice for us, since we could actually talk during dinner without having to shout.

We got the daily special; it being Sunday night, that meant a couple of mini-filet mignon steaks served with sliced potato "French fries" and enough lettuce and tomato slice garnish to constitute a small salad. Their daily specials are only $10.95. The little filets came with a tiny cup of creamed horseradish sauce and were delicious. I also ordered a little side salad with my dinner, primarily to get a taste of their famous pepper parmesan dressing.

Our waiter was very attentive, but, if his shorts had been any tighter, he would have had to have painted them on! I'm glad he didn't drop anything, because I'm sure those shorts would have ripped if he had had to bend over.

After dinner, we Metroed back to Columbia Heights after a very enjoyable night out on the town.

The Prime Rib, Washington, D.C.

Well, today is the last day of Restaurant Week 2008 ("restaurant month" for those that extended), and it's been a fun run. For my last special lunch, I went with my friend Peter to The Prime Rib in the West End. The Prime Rib is always a nice, elegant place to lunch, and it is the only restaurant in town that still maintains a dress code requiring gentlemen to wear both coat and tie (a couple of others require just a coat). As I've mentioned before, it's decorated in ornate blacks and golds and has a grand piano in the middle of the dining room with a pianist playing lounge music—very early 1960s.

The last time I was at The Prime Rib was actually Restaurant Week in January 2006 (I had to look it up), and the menu was virtually identical. Peter and I both started with the house salad, a very tasty chopped salad with lots of egg and bits of pepperoncini dressed with a dijon mustard-scented, mayonnaise-based house dressing.

Peter chose to pay the $4.00 upcharge to have their luncheon size prime rib for his entrée. If what he got was "luncheon size," I'd hate to see what they bring for dinner! The slab of beef covered a large, oval plate. Of course, prime rib is their signature item, so it's always good. I might note that an RW-style special with the prime rib is always available here at lunch for $25.

I stuck with the RW plan and got the crab imperial. I got a good sized serving of sweet crab meat, very lightly sauced, baked in a large scallop shell. Peter and I were each both brought the same side dishes in little individual-sized au gratin casseroles, one with mashed potatoes and the other with some exceptionally delicious, bright green, lightly creamed spinach. One of the things I like about this restaurant is that they don't overwhelm their dishes with sauces and fillers. Both the crab and the spinach could have been filled with all kinds of cheap fillers, but in both cases, they used a lot of the main ingredient and let the virtues of that ingredient shine through.

For dessert, Peter got the key lime pie, and I got the crème brulée. My crème brulée was very nicely done, and I was very pleased to note the sugar crust was warm while the underlying custard was cold, so the sugar was freshly broiled (or, more likely, propane torched) immediately prior to serving.

The one service faux pas of the day occurred at dessert, when the waiter initially brought me a key lime pie (I'm certain I ordered the crème brulée at the beginning of the meal), but the problem was immediately rectified. Otherwise, the service here is formal, dignified, and efficient.

The Prime Rib is a lovely restaurant, albeit an expensive one. It's an excellent, dependable location for those special "meals to impress" or anytime one wants a big piece of meat elegantly served.