We're Back! Brunch With Us at Tarbard Inn

It has been far too long since our last blog post! The months of July and August for folks who work at colleges and universities and in student affairs are the craziest months of year. Damien works in residence life and was busily preparing to help welcome 4,000+ new students and thousands of returning students (back) to campus at the end of August, and Simone and Joe had the time of their lives on their honeymoon in Europe in late August. But now that life has finally slowed down for both of us, we are ecstatic to return to #HappyTummyList! We have missed our blog and all of you, and are looking forward to our upcoming adventures!

We are thrilled to get back to this blog post that was started weeks ago but never finished (Simone will tell you that Damien is to blame for this delay and she is right!) and finally get to share it with all of you. At the very end of July, summer certainly felt like it was running away from us and time was moving too fast. Before we jumped into the fall season, we knew we had to indulge in brunches, happy hours, and the cool summer breeze at least a few more times. On a hot and bright Sunday morning on the last day of July, we journeyed to northwest Washington, D.C. to drink and eat at the restaurant at the Tabard Inn. The history of the inn dates back to 1922. The charming and eccentric artwork, fixtures, and historical origin story of the inn is definitely quite alluring. And the restaurant is made up of three adjoining Victorian townhouses, which is visually stunning and fascinating. After our brunch, we just had to walk through the patio area and take a gander at the other dinning sections in the rest of the restaurant to check it all out. It is really a beautiful place for a great meal in D.C. and we certainly were not disappointed.

We were starving and decided to order Tabard Donuts for an appetizer. Prior to getting our donuts, we were greeted with a warm basket of complimentary muffins, including a sweet corn muffin and a carrot muffin. The muffins were soft, moist, sweet, and perfectly baked. If we are being nit-picky, the muffins could have been served a little bit warmer to help soften the butter that came with the muffins, but they were still delicious. The Tabard Donuts comes in one flavor--cinnamon and sugar--and are served with whipped cream. If the donuts sound underwhelming, please trust us in knowing that they were really great. The donuts were cooked well and had really great flavor, and whipped cream was the perfect accompaniment for them. In the midst of eating and laughing, we ordered mimosas and bellinis (specifically the Brunch and Bubbles! on the cocktail menu), which were delightful. The waitress gave us a bottle of champagne with our appropriate juices to make our own brunch cocktails at the table. We may or may not have drank an entire bottle of champagne, so needless to say it was a fun morning.

Now on to our entrees! Damien ordered the Tabard Cheese Grits and Simone orders the Applewood Smoked Salmon. Simply put, the Tabard Cheese Grits were phenomenal. The creamy and cheesy grits were paired with fried oysters, poached eggs, crispy pork belly, and a spicy beurre blanc. The eggs were perfectly cooked and added great richness when opened to the grits. There is just nothing like delicious, runny eggs for brunch! And the oysters and pork belly were also expertly prepared and provided some much needed salt and flavor to bolster the grits. The grits could have benefitted from a bit more spice in Damien's opinion, but overall this dish was incredible. And for Simone, an evenly toasted bagel combined with applewood smoked salmon, lemon-dill cream cheese, and organic mixed greens is the epitome of the word "delectable". The bagel was toasted until golden brown and was crunchy on the inside but just soft enough on the outside. The applewood smoked salmon was sweet and perfectly balanced by the silkiness of the lemon-dill cream cheese. And the capers truly made the sandwich a symphony of sweet and savory. All parts of the Applewood Smoked Salmon dish worked together well to create an exquisite sandwich that was too good for this world. In addition to the sandwich, Simone had a side order of scrambled eggs, which were soft, buttery, and delicious. This meal was a favorite of Simone's and she might be going back sooner rather than later.

Overall, we would give the Tabard Inn a 5 out of 5. The food was simply outstanding, the service was great, and the aesthetic, history, and features of the restaurant itself made it a beautiful place to be and enjoy a great meal. The Brunch and Bubbles! cocktail option was definitely a bit pricey at $37 (not including the accompanying juices), but sometimes you just have to treat yo' self. And of course, this is D.C. and everyone hates parking in D.C., but the Tabard Inn is one of the few Sunday brunch venues that offers valet parking (it costs $12 and they take credit cards!), and we definitely took advantage of it. If you have the chance to venture here in the final days of summer (or anytime), get a bottle of champagne, some delicious food, and live your best life. In the mean time, we hope you enjoy some great food with even better friends and family soon, and we'll be back soon!