District of Columbia (DC)
Coming to Washington DC has always been a somber occasion for me. The only time I hang out here is to attend the National Law Enforcement Memorial Event. And only when it’s a colleague or personal friend of mine who’s name was being added to the memorial monument.
This year I am here for my friend and colleague, Sgt. Damon C. Gutzwiller. He was murdered June 6, 2020, while on-duty. He was face to face with a domestic terrorist, who had already murdered a Federal Officer in Oakland, California. Damon is a hero! He laid his life down, so others could live. The ultimate sacrifice! I can only repay him by being here in DC, honoring his name, his life, and his sacrifice.
While the event was a serious ceremony, I know, deep in my heart, that Damon would want us to enjoy our time in DC as well, and not be depressed individuals wanting to curl up in a ball and die.
So, this trip was about food, booze, and all the wonderful things DC had to offer. It’s what Damon would have wanted us to do and not cry over him, but to live, laugh, and explore what life had to offer in DC. So I am doing just that! And living up to his motto: Be Like Damon!
The Tavern at Crowne Plaza Hotel
My first night in, while waiting for my colleagues to arrive, I ate and drank at the hotel’s restaurant called the Tavern.
And wouldn’t you know it, I had a burger with an egg on top! I must say, and maybe because I hadn’t eaten all day, but the brunch burger was good for hotel food! The beef patty was cooked to my liking (medium rare) and my egg was runny!
French onion soup is definitely a favorite of mine, even in hot humid weather I couldn’t resist a bowl. Savory onion broth and that gooey cheese was so good!
I love meeting new people when I travel, and for the most part, the people I meet are good human beings, just trying to live life without complications.
But buyer beware!! Not everything seemed as it was. Like that saying “don’t judge a book by its cover” had dual meaning here (positive and negative)!
The guy next to me was actually a great guy in the end. I’m going to name him “Dave”. He works for an electric company in Chicago and was here attending a training conference for the week. Cool guy who likes to fly video simulation planes. Not your kid’s kind of video games. His was a sophisticated and elaborate set up with multiple monitor screens to simulate a full visual cockpit. He was happy to show me several photos from his phone. “Dave” approved this photo.
The other two folks started out nice, but in the end, and after a lot of alcohol, their true nature slipped out a bit. One became an obnoxious drunk and the other walked away without paying their tab. Alcohol did play a role in that behavior (not that it’s an excuse) but I have done it myself, where I have walked out of an establishment thinking I paid the bill, but didn’t! But I always came back and paid up!
The great thing about meeting people you don’t know, at the end of the night, you walk away and never have to deal with them ever again!
San Antonio Bar & Grill
In an underground shopping mall sits the San Antonio Bar & Grill in Crystal City, Arlington, Virginia.
I’m a fan of ground beef, especially inside enchiladas, and this was perfect for soaking up all the alcohol from the night before!
The restaurant had a full bar and friendly staff. During the weekdays their customers are mainly local business people looking for lunch.
Crystal City Sports Pub
Later into the night I ended up at Crystal City Sports Pub, which was a few blocks away from my hotel. It’s another restaurant & bar, with lots of TV screens for all things sports!
I had my usual Jameson on the rocks and an Irish car bomb or two, plus a bowl of wild mushroom cream of soup. It was very tasty, the perfect thickness I like for cream of soups, and it was piping hot.
Metro (Subway) System
Getting around DC efficiently without busting your transportation budget, was made easy by taking the subway, known as “Metro” around here.
During the week days a 1 day pass was about 8 bucks. During the weekend was $13, and they had multi-day passes as well.
It was cheaper than Uber, Lyft, or taxi cab. And you get to your location in a short amount of time. For tourists, the “blue line” metro train is the only thing you need to know. It will get you to all the tourist areas and downtown eating and drinking spots. Yes, you have to walk a bit, but after all the eating and drinking I was doing, I needed to walk off the extra calories and pounds as much as I could.
Lincoln Memorial and the National Mall
Walking around DC was filled with monuments, memorials, and museums. Give yourself a few days to explore DC. There was a lot for me to take in.
Alternative Ways To Site See DC
If you are not into walking DC, you can bike or scooter DC for a fee! I found it to be a whole lot of fun!
Of course, there is nothing like being on a motor to get around DC. It was National Police Week here in DC and law enforcement from all around the country were here to honor fallen heroes.
This was one of many NYPD motor teams visiting DC. I got them to pose (it wasn’t hard to get them to comply) for this photo.
Old Ebbitt Grill
Walking DC makes me hungry, so I stopped in at a favorite restaurant of mine. Old Ebbitt Grill. Every time I’m in DC I stop here to eat.
I had the New York strip steak and fries for lunch. First of all, I don’t like sauce on my steak. However, this one was pretty good! It’s a shallot-Dijon cream sauce and it worked for this dish.
Their clam chowder was good! Not too thick, not too thin, just right! The clams were soft not chewy. And the blend of cream and clam juice was velvety righteous.
The Hamilton Restaurant
Hamilton Restaurant had an eclectic menu. They had sushi, sashimi, ramen, burgers, steaks, chicken wings and more.
This dish is called “Fatty Tuna” Nigiri. It comes from the belly area of a high grade Tuna, typically from the belly area of blue fin or yellow tail tuna fish.
The extra fat starts to melt at room temperature and dissolves rapidly in your mouth! It’s a tasty morsel of fish.
You can’t go wrong with a bowl of ramen noodle soup. The noodles are fresh made! My soup base was miso, and I had it with chicken, pork belly, and a soft boiled egg.
The deep fried chicken wings with mumbo sauce.
Mumbo sauce originated out of Chicago. It’s a sweet, sour, and spicy sauce. It’s extremely popular in Washington DC. It’s a sauce DC folks put on everything, especially fried chicken!
And the mumbo sauce did not disappoint! It goes great on a side of deep fried chicken wings!
East Coast Irish Pubs
Irish pubs are my favorite kind of pubs! In Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia, these East Coast Pubs are all about law enforcement and all things Irish. Kelly’s Irish Times and Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub are some of the best in the region.
The drinks are cold and affordable! My single shot Jameson on the rocks was really a triple, filled to the rim, for $8 dollars all night long!!
I was here for serious and important reasons. I was not here for vacation. However, Damon Gutzwiller, was the kind of guy that during the most serious moments in life, would find a way to break the tension and stress by doing something funny, to get you to ease up a bit and refocus on the task.
His good nature, fun, and adventurous self, wouldn’t want it any other way. He knew what a good time was! And he would not want us to waste time being sad about him. He would want us to go out and have fun and laugh while taking care of those serious moments. So I did just that! I went into the town and ate and drank my way through DC having a great time. “Be Like Damon”! Now our mantra through the rest of our lives without him.
So I raise my glass to Damon and I imagine that signature grin, that big ol’ smile on his face…and I smile back and say, “Cheers to you my friend, wherever you are now, thank you for the time we spent together. I am a better man for knowing you! Continue to Rest in Peace Brother, I love you”! And I swiftly downed my drink and went on to the next.
Until next time on Foodie Booze Explorer…
Beautifully written bro!
Thank you Sis!