Thing 3: The Hawk 'N' Dove

The Hawk ‘N’ Dove is so close to my office that I think of it practically as our company cafeteria, but remembering that it is a DC treasure and an institution for anyone who lives or works on Capitol Hill, I will add it to the list.

A good friend of mine from college called me at work yesterday morning to let me know he’d be on the Hill for a hearing, and could we have lunch? So around noon we walked the block and half to the venerable Hawk ‘N’ Dove and took a seat in the pub’s dimly lit back room.

The Hawk ‘N’ Dove seems to have only three wait staff, institutions in and of themselves. They are weathered and gruff men and women that get the job done with an efficiency and boredom that comes with having been subjected to low lighting and smoke-filled rooms for years. (The Hawk is now, like all bars in DC, smoke free). I ordered “Susie’s Supreme”, which is what I get nearly ever time and which I highly recommend – a grilled turkey, cheese and broccoli sandwich. It sounds weird, but the broccoli adds a delicious crunch, and you can also nearly fool yourself into thinking the sandwich is healthy. Broccoli fights cancer, right?

The Hawk caters to poor Hill staffers and interns, with their nightly happy hour specials. My favorite is Wednesday’s -- $2 Miller Lites come in red solo cups, and a dozen chicken wings cost a dollar. Throw $10 down, and you’ve had a meal, a couple beers and a decent tip. They also have a weird “Club Hawk ‘N’ Dove” that come alive upstairs on the weekends. This is when the grimy, dark pub pretends it is a hip dance club. I don’t recommend it unless you are an underage Hill intern.

But the Hawk is truly best enjoyed in the spring and summer, if you can manage to snag one of the tables outdoors on the sidewalk. There you can enjoy a Guinness and a cheap cigar, catch up with old friends, eavesdrop on the latest political gossip and enjoy the sticky night air.