Nancy and I hosted Ella (9) and Lily (7) for a week of Grandparents’ Camp this summer during a gap amid their formal, organized camps.
On Day 1 we hopped on the Metro, transferred, and exited at the Smithsonian stop, and then walked to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. You will see no photographs because the staff make clear that the very sight of an iPhone will cause your removal by armed federal agents. Thus, I can’t share with you the delicious sight of pallets each holding a square meter of hundred dollar bills. It was a good tour but they didn’t give samples.
Our next trek was across the National Mall, which was still fenced off as heavy machinery removed the various structures for Independence Day, the National Fair, and the World Cup. Did you know they’d put up a huge tele-screen for the World Cup? I didn’t, but then I don’t get out much. Anyway, that meant a detour of, oh, a bit more than an extra mile in torrid heat on a day when sunshine is your enemy. We added an extra detour through the two blocks of the National Gallery of Art where we spent a good bit of time looking at paintings, including Mommy’ favorite, in air-conditioned comfort.
And then on to lunch. I had a place in mind that I refused to identify. The girls started guessing blocks away, but no one noticed the sign until we were almost on top of Ella’s Wood Fired Kitchen at 610 9th Street, NW.
Ella was very pleased. I knew of Ella’s from my Justice Department days when I’d enjoyed lunch there occasionally. It had always been busy, but on this day when only we and Englishmen went out in the noonday sun, the place was pretty quiet.
Ella ordered the Ella’s Cheese pizza. Of course.
and attacked it enthusiastically. It’s a little the worse for my cutting, but doesn’t it look good with those puffy Neapolitan edges with a little char? The tomato sauce was seasoned well and all in all was a fine pizza.
Lily declined to get an Ella’s Pizza and instead had pasta with butter. I need to find a restaurant named Lily’s to square things.
Nancy ordered a Grilled Salmon Nicoise Salad.
You can easily identify most of the ingredients, but look closely at the spinach. Yes, there are capers. And the spinach leaves are pristine. How often have you had spinach in a salad that looked as if someone had crushed it in their hand, all lined and broken? Not here. Nancy tossed it all together after passing me the kalamata olives, tasted everything, and said, “Why doesn’t everyone serve a salade Nicoise? This is really good!” Good question! She also favorably commented on the salmon specifically.
I ordered a sweet sausage pizza with fennel.
I ordered sweet because they didn’t offer a hot sausage, but there were crushed red pepper flakes right in front of me for heat, and the fennel was the big draw. Again there was a good sauce and a beautiful Neapolitan crust with a swoon-inducing flavor. I love bread. For those who insist on folding each slice, I’ll acknowledge that due to the weight of the sausage and the flexibility of the crust I had to cut off the point of each slice and eat it that portion with a fork, which Iwas delighted to do.
We proceeded to the National Building Museum, originally built as the Pension Building to serve Union veterans. It’s a remarkable building, with an interior courtyard 316 fort long and116 feet wide, It’s a grand space, but for years the city government had offices there. In 1975 Nancy and I got our marriage license there. (As we entered, two employees heading out for lunch chimed a drawn-out “You’ll be sorry!” Ha! Fifty-one years later and no regrets.) The historic structure later became a museum and celebration of the building arts, and for the summer it became an indoor playground. The girls had great fun running around the playground, and later at Legos room.
On other days later visited the Air and Space Museum, which was a huge hit, toured and had lunch at the Museum of the American Indians, the Bubble Room, hosted play-dates, and did a lot of swimming. Washington is a wonderful place for children. And Ella’s is a wonderful place to take them, one at which they’ll enjoy their meal while you have some very good grown-up food at the same time. Put it on your list — for a trip with kids or by yourself.
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