Capitol Hill bid goodbye to longstanding neighborhood institution Hawk 'n' Dove over the weekend. The Hill offers a proper eulogy, complete with quotes from U.S. Rep Barney Frank, as well as long-time proprietor Stuart Long, who calls the closure "the end of my adult life."
After learning that the lease on the property would be "increasing significantly, and maintaining the business would be an impossibility," Long is ceding control of the space to new operator Xavier Cervera, proprietor of Barracks Row eateries Chesapeake Room and Molly Malone’s, who plans to renovate the premises, upgrade the menu and expel the under-agers.
History may note the venue as the setting of several episodes of NBC's "West Wing" and the first-date spot for opposite-attracting political pundit couple James Carville and Mary Matalin.
CityPaper's Young & Hungry will remember the Hawk for a number of reasons:
(1) It's the first place I recall seeing scrapple listed on a menu, circa 2001.
(2) It was the site of my first pub burger in D.C. I didn't dare try the scrapple at that time. The Swiss-smothered patty didn't suck, as I recall, though this was at least five years before the gourmet burger boom.
(3) It introduced me to hilarious bartender Bill Pietrucha, aka "Cowboy Bill," aka "Mann Coulter," whose comical drag-show impersonations of conservative blowhard Ann Coulter we discussed in these pages back in 2004. Anyone know what happened to that guy?
What are your memories of the Hawk?
Photo by Chris Shott
Here’s One For The Scrapple Book: Hawk ‘n’ Dove, R.I.P. (1967-2011) was originally published by Washington City Paper on Oct. 3, 2011.
