By the Gastronomes

For those of us who live in Alexandria and particularly Old Town, we are aware of all of the beauty and history that surrounds us. However, sometimes we just don’t take advantage of some of those historical places that also serve a vital function. I have lived in the Old Town area since 1977 and have only dined at Gadsby’s Tavern Restaurant once or twice. It is more than a historic attraction, it is an everyday go-to restaurant.

Over the last forty some years I have developed my favorite restaurants and watering holes, but Gadsby’s never enters my mind. However, seeking somewhere steeped in tradition for this column, we decided we would make a return visit to this elegant building on 138 North Royal Street and have a nice lunch. We did make reservations and were a bit early but got seated immediately. We are glad we did, as the dining room was filling up fast for a Thursday at noon.

To set the stage for your experience, here is a bit of history for you:

Founded as a seaport in 1749, Alexandria has always greeted visitors from near and far. Taverns, like Gadsby’s, provided travelers with much needed rest, food and drink, the latest news, a place to make business deals and to hold political discussions, and a variety of entertainment.

The site known as Gadsby’s Tavern consists of two buildings, a circa 1785 Tavern and the 1792 City Hotel. Named after Englishman John Gadsby, an entrepreneur who leased the buildings and operated them as tavern keeper from 1796 until 1808, the tavern and hotel were the center of Alexandria’s economic, political, and social life in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

The buildings were threatened with demolition in the19th century, however, American Legion Post Twenty-four stepped in to save the day. The Legion started the preservation process and, today, the City of Alexandria continues their preservation and interpretation through Gadsby’s Tavern Museum and by leasing the restaurant space to modern entrepreneurs.

Currently, the complex is home to Gadsby’s Tavern Restaurant, American Legion Post 24, and Gadsby’s Tavern Museum – a cultural history museum. The museum houses exhibits of early American life in Virginia, and the restaurant operates in the original 1792 Tavern dining room, serving a mixture of period and modern foods.

The atmosphere of early America is found today in the famous 18th Century hostelry, which was the setting for brilliant balls for society in the 1700’s, meeting of patriots and receptions for several Presidents of the United States. In their letters and journals, guests were universal in their praise for the lavishness of life at the tavern, which was described as the finest public house in America. Notable visitors included George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, James Madison and James Monroe. It was a group of historical heavyweights.

Gadsby’s Tavern Restaurant has been offering fine dining since 1770. Today you can dine as the patriots of yesteryear did. The menu is pretty straight forward and very fairly priced. Unlike some locals might think, Gadsby’s is not a tourist trap but rather an authentic slice of days gone by. In fact, there were several tables of local business men and women having lunch with clients when we were there.

Let’s get in to our experience. The décor is what we think was the norm for “back in the day”. We were surprised that it isn’t white table cloth dining at dinner but guess that’s not how a tavern was then. All of the menus – brunch, lunch and dinner – cover all of the bases (appetizers, soups salads, sandwiches and mains including beef, pork, chicken, seafood, etc.). What they do have that the bulk of other establishments in the area don’t, are period dishes the likes of Surry Co. Peanut Soup, Cock-a-Leekie Pye, Meatloaf a la Daube and some West African and Caribbean Dishes including Jerk Chicken, Fried Catfish and Baked Chicken Marsala.

The lunch menu is fairly priced with the Chesapeake Bay Lump Crab Cake at $18, the aforementioned Cock-a-Leekie Pye and Meatloaf a la Danube at $15 and an Ale Battered Crispy Cod coming in at $16. The sandwiches range from $12-$16 and are all served with hand-cut fries and coleslaw. The dinner menu is more extensive including a Filet Mignon, Lamb Chops and George Washington’s “favorite”, a Roasted Half Duck finished with a cherry glace served with corn pudding and scalloped potatoes. Dinner prices are a few dollars more as would be expected. They offer a “specials menu” each day as well.

They also feature an impressing number of assorted Ales & Lagers of which many are brewed locally and a nice selection of wines by the glass. We didn’t peruse the bottle wine list but imagine it is fairly extensive. They also offer Gadsby’s Punch Bowls and two Colonial Cocktails as well as your old favorites – martinis, Manhattans, etc.

We started out with cocktails and being a big fan of rum, I gave the Gadsby’s Rum Punch – rum, lime, ginger bitters, sugar and ginger ale – a try and it fit the bill. Lani opted for one of the Colonial Cocktails – the Stone Fence. This concoction was pretty tasty as well – rum, hard apple cider and bitters. It is said that Ethan Allan and the Green Mountain Boys found the courage to seize Fort Ticonderoga by imbibing a few Stone Fences immediately prior to the assault on the fort. Well, whatever works I guess.

There are two soops (this is how they spell it) on the lunch menu so we each tried one. I had the Madeira Onion -sweet onions in a home-style stock with a touch of Madeira wine, topped with a crouton and melted Swiss – it was very good. Lani had the Surrey Co. Peanut – roasted peanuts simmered in fresh chicken stock with garlic and ginger – and loved it. We moved on the main course and I ordered the Meatloaf a la Danube – beef and veal wrapped in bacon with mushroom demi-glace, served with hand-cut fries and coleslaw. It was very good and priced at just $15. She went for the Cock-a-Leekie Pye. This is a simple combination of tender chunks of chicken, leeks, carrots and celery baked in a crock with chicken stock and herbs and topped with a puff pastry. It has a bit different consistency than the standard chicken pot pie, more like chowder than gravy and is very tasty. Both dishes were substantial and we enjoyed second meals a day or so later. We couldn’t resist having dessert and ended up sharing the Berry Heaven – fresh berries in a vanilla cream cloud with honey – and Scottish Apple Gingerbread with cinnamon icing. Both very good and large enough we brought some of each home as well.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, we local folks seem to establish our favorite dining and drinking spots and sometimes overlook the obvious. Gadsby’s Tavern Restaurant is definitely worth a visit. Enjoy lunch, dinner and brunch in one of the elegant colonial dining rooms. The one-of-a-kind Gadsby’s Tavern experience awaits you.

Gadsby’s Tavern Restaurant

138 North Royal Street

Old Town Alexandria

703-548-1288

Gadsbystavernrestaurant.com