Cooking For Engineers

[Dilbert]

On a recent Saturday outing with family we opted for a brunch at Woodward Table,
1426 H St NW, Washington, DC. It's just a few blocks from the White House - as a quick orientation.
Old line establishment with a solid reputation. Non-stuffy atmosphere; comfortable non-crowded seating; well maintained.

http://woodwardtable.com
Note: there's Woodward Table and Woodward Takeout Food - physically adjacent - if you find any confusion with the name.

Our selection included standard menu items:

CHESAPEAKE EGGS BENEDICT
crab imperial, english muffin, virginia ham, poached eggs, old bay hollandaise

CROQUE MADAME
smoked ham, gruyere cheese, mornay sauce, fried egg, toasted brioche

I opted to for the daily appetizer special - asparagus soup.

This was some kicked up asparagus soup! The consistency / texture was excellent; bits of asparagus tips included - still crispy. Kicked up with (a) baby garden fresh green peas and (b) a dollop of crème fraîche - which was accented with just the right twist of lemon to make it a stellar addition providing a "Yo! what's im my crèmey stuff?" taste sensation. I suspect there's a smidge of pea puree to bolster the asparagus - this is a recipe much worth stealing.

The Eggs Benedict and the Croque Madame were both absolutely stunningly excellent.
Be aware - Croque Madame is a lot of dish - good choice if you're especially hungry.

The balance and flavor blend of crab/sauce/ham/cheese/etc. was perfect in both dishes. This is not a greasy spoon execution of the dishes - they are really good.

Definitely recommend and on my "got to get back there" list.

The Nits.
Our server. Forgot multiple things, couldn't be found when needed, fortunately the busboy had our backs and rousted the server back into action. Outright fibbed about "things are taking longer" nonsense in response to his forgotten items. The good news is, he's unlikely to last, so that is a self-resolving problem.

"Virginia ham" - this was thinly sliced "decks" of (very tasty) ham which were grilled / broiled / whatever.
Not the "usual" Virginia ham style - and was a slight detraction. But must add - in these dishes a thicker slice could be more difficult to cut&fork "with aplomb." So - it's a nit - but frankly Woodward may have proven internally the thin slices work better. I haven't tried both, so I'm give them the benefit of the nit.

Table setting - white linen covered by a (disposable) paper liner. scuze? I guess it may be more economical, but it does detract - and fair warning - fiddle not with the "what's this" thing or you'll wind up like me with a nasty paper cut.

Cost:
Pretty dang decent as big city prices go. Tax, title, tags and tip about $30/person.
Their web site brags on about the bar. Do not go here for any serious drinking. Call mixed drinks run $18 plus tax&tip a pop. Ouch.