Capitol Hill Pleasures

I hope most of the 2 million strong who visited D.C. for President Obama’s historic inauguration took a moment to step east of the Capitol Building. The visitor walks between the colored brick row-houses of Capitol Hill, stepping into a couple centuries of history, roots and side streets. I’ve heard other Washingtonians still dismiss it as “the ghetto.” Just rumors – no one I know personally. It’s baloney. The neighborhoods become poorer the further one steps away from the Capitol, and it does have the same sort of crime and socio-economic problems of any American urban center. It is well worth the visit, and it is the closest path to residential Washington from the museums and monuments.

Should you come to visit, I hope you will be more courageous than these wimpy Washingtonians, too scared to venture behind the Library of Congress. As you work your way southeast down Pennsylvania Ave., let me share with you some of my Capitol Hill pleasures (in no particular order):

1) The “Barack Obama Burger” from Good Stuff Eatery – I never watched Top Chef before Spike moved to town. I watched a couple of times afterwards and did not enjoy it (there’s too much pride and gossip in real life; I don’t need to watch more of it on TV). However, I hope they keep producing great restaurants. Good Stuff Eatery features some amazing burgers. Spike’s chef senses provide a unity of spices between burgers, fries and other sides, but he does not let that get in the way of the delicious, sloppy mess that a burger is supposed to be. The Obama burger, which featured heavily in the election and was special for the Inauguration is my favorite so far.

2) Soy Macchiato from Peregrine Espresso – best coffee on the Hill, and the Soy Macchiato is without a doubt my favorite drink. The Barista will even draw you a heart in the foam.

3) The Biergarten at Café Berlin – My wife points out that those northern Germans don’t understand southern German cooking. But on a hot Saturday afternoon in the summer, there is nothing better than a half-liter Hefeweizen with a lemon. (A pleasant fantasy during winter)

4) Used books at Eastern Market – I never read Emily Dickinson at school, and my inner lit-nerd (shy little fellow) was not developed enough in college to check out her works in the library. I’ve only heard her referenced, well, pretty much all my life, and this was enough to get me to shell out a couple of bucks to the ornery old man at Capitol Hill Books. Was your liberal arts education lacking, in any way? Stop by and read up.

5) The Chocolate Croissant at Le Pain Quotidien – I realize this European style bakery is not unique to Capitol Hill, or indeed D.C., but it is certainly welcome. If you have been anywhere in Francophone Europe, the bread, and the Chocolate Croissants, are simply better there. LPQ brings European delights to Capitol Hill.

6) The fajita platter at La Plaza Restaurant – Coming from a warmer climate, I had a hard time finding good Mexican food in Washington. La Plaza makes for mighty fine dining though. My wife and I like to split one of the fajita platters and a side. The salsa itself is amazing.

7) Church of the Resurrection Church service – Many people do not associate church with pleasure. If this is the case for you, then I suspect you have not experienced true spirituality, at least while sitting in the pews. Now let’s be clear about definitions: Church pleasure is not Las Vegas pleasure. It’s something more patient, and it usually comes through waiting or brokenness, not through immediate gratification. It’s more in the ballpark of the pleasure of thinking about an old friend, or allowing a baby to grasp your index finger, or hearing the silence of nature after being in the city for too long. When it comes through brokenness, church pleasure involves the pain of repentance or forgiveness, but this will lead you to a deeper understanding and love of both God and neighbor. And this will give you deeper pleasure of a longer lasting stock. Rez services are long, but I suspect most of us who attend know that true pleasure in worship takes awhile to achieve. It usually takes me a journey through songs, prayers, scripture, sermons and finally to communion to reach that point. If you have not experienced this, I encourage you to come in, kneel, sing, listen, repent, believe, eat and drink. This kind of pleasure is worth the wait.

These are some of my Capitol Hill Pleasures. What are yours?