Oval Room

The Oval Room occupies some pretty prime real estate, sitting in the equidistant center of a Polygon of Power formed by the Hay-Adams Hotel, Army & Navy Club, Eisenhower Building and Decatur House. (We can imagine a Dan Brown character drawing marker lines between all of the above to the Oval, whispering, ‘It all fits !’ But we digress.) You could plop the Oval in bloody Bethesda and it’d still serve standout food, generally of the American-hint-of-Mediterranean genre. This author loves butter and cream, yet he’ll admit the Oval’s eschewing of the above in favor of allowing ingredients to hold their own intensity, such as foie gras with lemon and lavender, or bass laced with a delicate mix of anise and toasted almonds, works wonders. Condoleezza Rice agrees; this is her favorite restaurant in town.