So the transit seemed to whisk by, and after a little the requisite flailing around in DC due to some construction and so forth we were discharged right in front of the Gallery. As fate would have it, we arrived at the same time as our “tour guide”, who led us inside. Local (and even national) readers will remember that Dr. Martin “Marty” Sullivan who used to be director of Historic St. Mary’s City was given the opportunity to become director of the Portrait Gallery which he did. So we spent a wonderful hour and a half going into various galleries, hearing stories about the paintings, what they told about the subject, and seeing little details one (me at least) would never see on the canvas without some help. Marty has an astonishing knowledge of “his” paintings, their history, the artists, the subject and the context in which they were depicted, it’s just amazing. He spoke about the (I hope this is correct) “intersection of biography and portraiture”. We saw many famous paintings of George Washington, Katherine Hepburn, Winston Churchill, and so on, but two, no wait, three, of the paintings that I thought were outstanding was one of Tom Wolfe in elegant garb, another of the legendary food writer M.F.K. Fisher (“Wine and cheese are ageless companions, like aspirin and aches, or June and moon, or good people and noble ventures”), and one you should really see of Eunice Shriver commemorating the founding of Special Olympics. If you look at that and have a dry eye, you aren’t human. It’s an amazing piece of art.
We also saw the exhibit that sponsored so much brouhaha lately called “Hide/Seek”. The morals cops were quelled by removing a video that got people all riled up. It is an interesting exhibit. When you think of “National Portrait Gallery” you kind of automatically think of graying photos of old white men. While I have to admit there are some of those, there is so much more to see that I highly recommend a visit. What treasures lie just 80 or so miles up the road. It’s a shame we don’t do it more often.
After relaxing a bit, the group went to dinner. Due to the size of the party (now 13) reservations were obtained for us at nearby McCormick and Schmick’s. As you probably know they are a “chain” kind of in the sense that Morton’s or Ruth’s Chris could be called a chain. And, in fact, you might think that M&S is a seafood version of the “steak house”, without the eye-popping prices. Décor is heavy wood, muted lights, banquettes, tables in cloths (and those damn paper squares) with crystal and silver.
Now, because there may be some (believe it or not) new readers that were part of the party last night, I will include my standard disclaimer speech that when I look at a restaurant and it’s food, I desperately try to separate my observations and feelings from the enjoyment of being with friends sharing food. And, when I take notes, it is to help the mushy brain with points to remember, NOT, as I was (humorously) accused last night, to make note of fellow diner’s choices and behaviors. Obviously we had a wonderful time, talked about the food, the tour, and other pertinent topics.
Our table of 13 was handled by a single server who also had other tables to care for. He was bright enough, did a bit of hustling the chef’s special (which was “really good”) but generally did an okay job. He explained about the menu some which was a ponderous large white card, and also about “restaurant week” specials, and said “I’ll be back with water of course”. The regular menu was (duhhh) heavily weighted toward fish and shellfish, but also contained a smallish section of steaks, chops, and fowl (a whole Cornish hen). And like it’s big brother steak houses, there is a section for “sides”, with the requisite mashed potatoes, spinach, mushroom sauté, Mac and Cheese, etc.. Most were 3 – 5 dollars, with the entrees low to mid twenties, although if you wanted to show off, there was the mixed seafood grill (including half a lobster) for $38.95, or on the carnivore side was a Cowboy Steak (with a “cowboy Chili rub”) for $37.95. We were also given a little sub menu card that had the restaurant week selections on it, a three course meal for $35.11 (they always have the cents equal the year) with choices of a starter, a main course, and a dessert. Given the prices on the regular menu, not a bad deal if you wanted a complete meal. Some of the choices on the special menu were not on the main menu.
About this time our server returned and started taking drink orders. The backside of the large menu contains the wine list, and it’s a pretty good one, mostly listed by varietal although there are sections dubbed “Crisp, Refreshing Whites”, and “Spicy, Earthy, Sexy Reds”. I’m not sure what landed what in those bins, I usually don’t think of Viogner as “crisp” although I can understand why Shiraz, Syrah, and Zin would belong there. And no doubt any wine called Ménage a Trois fits the later category. Wonder if the folks that didn’t like the exhibit at the Portrait Gallery know that.. My goodness, what are these people thinking!! A little twist is that with wines by the glass you can choose from a 5 or 8 oz. portion. 5 ounces generally around 8 dollars, the bigger portion in the teens. Another feature was a little icon next to some wines indicating they had received a 90 point or higher rating from the Wine Spectator, although good tap water will get at least an 87 from them. Anyway, when taking the drink orders, our server’s standard statement was “and what are you drinking today?”, which is okay for the first person, but when you’re the sixth person you kind of figure it out. He worked his way around the table figuring out who was drinking what today. I had a Sterling Chardonnay. He disappeared for a while (a fairly common occurance), to return for the food order, but I don’t recall a “what are we eating today?”. I took the “week” menu of fried green tomatoes, prosciutto wrapped scallops, and a chocolate espresso crème brulee. MFO selected a salad with “spun beets”, a top sirloin with brandy sauce, and a baked Alaska. Some people did the “week” thing, others split appetizers and soups, some from the main menu. Oh, I forgot to mention that he said they were out of salmon. Excuse me?
Drinks began to arrive after our food order went in at 7:38. The wines by the glass are served by pouring a little carafe into the wine glass. I can only assume that he knew which person ordered which wine as all the carafes looked the same. An order of hot tea was brought after he was reminded. At around 8:10 our appetizers began to appear and generally hit the table at the proper seat. My stuffed fried green tomatoes (yes, I know it is January)
were properly acidic, and the goat cheese was okay, but it wasn’t a clear winner. MFO’s salad was good, and spun beets turn out to be strands of red and yellow beets which provided a nice visual. Entrees began coming out around 8:30 again placed correctly. Mine consisted of three scallops enrobed in the prosciutto, placed (at 2, 6, and 10) around a mound of risotto. The scallops were nicely cooked, but the darn prosciutto tended to fall off when touched, but not a bad dish. The rice was a bit firmer than I prefer but did retain some crunch. Other people were satisfied with what they had. A second glass of chardonnay ordered shortly after the food order, arrived as I was finishing the last of the scallops. MFO’s steak was okay although a bit firm.
Desserts arrived around 8:15 and MFO’s baked Alaska was nicely prepared
However, my crème Brule was an odd color (maybe because of the chocolate) kind of an unappetizing grayish and a bit soupy.
All in all, I would say it was a good to adequate meal, friendly service but table visits were infrequent, and the food took (IMHO) too long., maybe a result of the large party.. I have had a good lunch at the Inner Harbor edition of M&S.
But, I reiterate and emphasize we had a wonderful day, saw impressive things, had great conversations, and a delightful trip. Would do it again in a heartbeat. Oh, 13 of 13 travelers were
DFD
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