First Look: Eatonville
Oyster po' boy with coleslaw and fries. (Photo by jjgardner3, used under a Creative Commons license.)
The restaurant is named after Eatonville, FL, one of the first all African-American towns to be incorporated following the Emancipation Proclamation, and childhood home of Harlem Renaissance author Zora Neale Hurston. The town was immortalized in her most famous novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God. Hurston has her own connections to D.C., having attended Howard University in the 1920s. Eatonville the restaurant manages to marry the vibrant spirit of U Street while simultaneously channeling its namesake's southern roots.
The atmosphere is decidedly eclectic -- the walls are covered in eye-popping murals of Hurston, rendered in a funky mix of graffiti and bold, folk art styles. Antique chandeliers hang from a pressed tin ceiling, and corner of the bar features a picket fence and rocking chairs. The clientele is equally mixed -- a tourist couple, a birthday party of twenty-something girls, an older gentleman dining by himself. It doesn't seem like all these dissimilar elements should work, but somehow they do.
What is even more exciting is the food. In the past, I have been overwhelmed by the crowds and underwhelmed by the food at Busboys and Poets, so I approached my meal at Eatonville with some skepticism. However, I was delighted by excellent quality of the meal and the smooth, friendly service. Chef Rusty Holman has crafted a menu that features elevated Southern and Cajun classics at reasonable prices, including hush puppies, fried green tomatoes, gumbo, and po' boys. Sides include collard greens, mac and cheese, and Andouille sausage and sweet potato hash.
The highlight of our meal was the cheese tart appetizer ($7), a juxtaposition of gooey aged cheddar and sweet Vidalia onions and roasted tomatoes. A pile of microgreens, cilantro, and parsley oil cut through the richness of the cheese, creating a mouthful of flavors as bright as the paintings on the wall.
The oyster po' boy ($9) comes stuffed with fat, cornmeal-crusted oysters, lettuce, tomatoes, and a "spicy" remoulade. Unfortunately, the soft bread sucked most of the kick out of the remoulade, a problem that I tried to remedy with some extra Tabasco sauce. The po' boy is served with creamy coleslaw and super crispy, skin-on fries.
We also sampled the fish and grits ($16), made that day with catfish. Like the oysters, the fish had a light cornmeal breading and was moist and mild. It was accompanied by creamy, cheesy jalapeño grits, tender collard greens, and a creamy tomato sauce. Jalapeño fans may be disappointed that the grits are not spicy; if you like the heat, you'll have to add it yourself. On the upside, you can add heat either Tabasco or Texas Pete hot sauces.
We closed out the meal with a classic blackberry peach cobbler that was just a little too sugary, but still altogether enjoyable: juicy, warm fruit and cinnamon topped with ultra-buttery biscuits and vanilla ice cream. Overall, the kitchen does an excellent job balancing well-executed soul food with a few modern twists. Eatonville also gets high marks in the front of the house, from the warm reception by the hostesses to our waiter remembering exactly how much sweetener we liked in our iced tea. You'd never guess this was a restaurant that opened less than a month ago.
In this economy, it is refreshing to find a restaurant that is a great value, not just in terms of the food, but for the service and atmosphere as well. Eatonville manages to marry history and tradition with cool and modern, in a gracious, unpretentious manner.
Eatonville
2121 14th Street
Washington, DC 20009
202-387-9672
Metro: U Street
Hours:
Lunch - 11:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Dinner - 5 p.m. - 12 a.m.