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Iron Gate Review by: Daniela Ricci 1734 N Street, NW Phone: 202.737-1370 |
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Open for lunch: Monday through Saturday, 11:00 a.m. to 2:15 p.m.
Open for dinner: Closed: Sundays,Thanksgiving,and Christmas
Metro:
Parking:
Reservations:
Service:
Food:
Smoking:
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 Dining at the Iron Gate Restaurant offers a casual yet elegant
environment, and food which owner Nabeel David describes as "the kind your
grandmother would spend all day preparing." The menu takes American cuisine
and combines it with a decidedly Mediterranean influence. The portions are
just right; there is no "volcano food" here, says Nabeel -- you know, the
mountainous kind that dwarfs your plate and is covered with excess sauce.
Pasta dishes are spartan, like the linguine with greens and toasted pine
nuts, tossed with roasted garlic olive oil, so the ingredients are unmasked.
The Iron Gate uses simple food combinations in their dishes that have the
extra benefit of leaving you feeling healthy at the end of the meal.
The Iron Gate Inn has been under the David's ownership since 1991. Seventy-five years ago, the Democratic Women's Council next door bought this old stable and converted it into their commissary. Various restaurants have inhabited it since then. But the original owner and builder was General Miles, the man who put shackles on Jefferson Davis, captured Geronimo, and gave Buffalo Bill his horse. (You have never heard much of this general since both Hearst and Pulitzer didn't have a liking for the young man.) There is even a ghost. Every night, the chairs are placed on the tables and the candles are extinguished. Once, in the subdued light of an early morning dining room, Nabeel walked in to find a chair sitting before a table. Upon it was a burning candle, a glass and a bottle of Southern Comfort. Some of the liquor had spilled onto the floor -- onto the exact spot where a stain which mysteriously kept coming back had just been cleaned. Calls to the alarm company confirmed that no one had gone in or out all night. Nabeel's theory is that General Miles' niece has come back to protect his good name. Outside the restaurant on N Street in Dupont Circle, tall wrought iron gates open into a long alcove lined with candle lit tables, beckoning you inside. Once a carriage house which dates back to the Civil War, the restaurant is tucked between two rowhomes. A canopy of grape vines covers the patio dining area further inside. Soft candlelight is reflected in rustic mirrors hung all over the restaurant. Smoking is prohibited, even outdoors on the patio. In the winter months, a glowing fireplace warms the inside dining room. Long tables clothed with white linen fill the old horse stalls. Original hay bins still hang at the end of each stall. Every table feels intimate and cozy, yet the steady din of quiet conversations gives the guests an easy camaraderie. Nabeel and Karen David, co-owners, are careful and decided about the quality of the service offered at the Iron Gate. The small wait staff is attentive and polite, sharing stories with you and chatting together by the bar. The peaceful aura and demeanor of the restaurant are contagious. Nabeel is always around, and gets to know his regular customer's tastes quite well. He offers everyone who enters the enchanted gates of the restaurant a haven of pampering.
Begin your meal with an order of lemony stuffed grape leaves, tender and filled with rice, lentils and parsley. The Chicken Liver and Green Peppercorn Pate is dense, and so tasty on the buttered french bread croutons that even liver haters will be converted. Salads are simple and use olives, tomatoes, vinegar-based dressings and Mediterranean cheeses like mozzarella and feta. Karen investigates farmer's markets on weekends, choosing dainty string beans and baby carrots to serve as sides, and zucchini, eggplant and onions to use in dishes like the Mediterranean Vegetable Tagine with Couscous. In this dish, the stewed vegetables meld with curry spices, giving them an aromatic bite. Grilled eggplant slices arranged around the bed of couscous are brushed with olive oil, leaving them moist and tender. Sliced almonds are a nice surprise in this Middle Eastern classic. While side dishes like green beans and herbed rice are reminiscent of Thanksgiving dinner at home, the mashed potatoes are smooth and garlicky, the vegetables small and tender. Truly impressive is the Roasted Farm Chicken with Peach Chutney and Garlic Mashed Potatoes. Fifteen free-range chickens are delivered to the restaurant every week. Their flavor and texture stand apart from any other chicken you have ever had. The cooked meat is tender, and the juices which remain in the meat make every bite taste like homemade chicken soup. Kosher salt rubbed onto the skin seals in the juices and the chicken come out of the oven crispy and golden. While it tastes salty at first, the flavors mix as you work your way through the breast, thigh and leg. Try it with a bit of tangy peach and raisin chutney for a warm burst of sweet and sour flavors. The meats rise above in all cases, as in the case of the Lamb Shish Kebob with Grilled Vegetables, Orzo (tiny pasta shapes) and Feta (fresh goat cheese). Nabeel chooses the lean, tender round from the leg of lamb, and grills it between slices of zucchini and squash, which take on the taste of the lamb. The flavor of the grill tempers the medallions' slight pungency. The menu's offerings are predominantly meat based, and includes pan roasted halibut, yellowfin tuna with calamata olives, pork tenderloin au poivre and grilled filet mignon, among others. Nabeel has put together and extensive wine list. Try the Adelsheine Vineyard's Oregon Pinot Noir, 1995, a nice dry red table wine with meat dishes. For dessert, recommended above all is the homemade almond flan. The kitchen has perfected the texture of the custardy yet firm concoction. The sweetness of the almond syrup is just right, and toasted almond slices add a mellow, crunchy taste. Homemade tiramisu is rich and sweet: heavy on the creamy, smooth mascarpone, lighter on the coffee flavor.
Photos by: Axel Martinez |
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Nabeel and Karen are equally selective in buying the ingredients of their
dishes, and go to great lengths to find only the freshest and best available.
The shrimp used in the linguine with pancetta and greens comes from Thailand,
where the shrimp fleets run in the purest waters. Nabeel goes to Arlington
to shop for long grain rice, which he believes is less sticky than others.
Arabic bread comes from a bakery in Philadelphia. Anything less would counter
their philosophy of excellence in customer service.
Nabeel and Karen David hope their talents continue to bring
life to the enchanting restaurant, which is a jewel hidden in the heart of
Dupont. Savor the experience for as long as you like -- it is worth spending
a couple of hours enjoying a place which understands the finer things in
life are always worth the search.