Woo!

First Safeway, now Busboys and Poets is open around the corner, too.  Sweet.

New Course Restaurant

Highly Recommended. At 3rd and E Streets, NW, this place serves breakfast and lunch for bare-bones prices M-F. I had a great club sandwich there on Wednesday--any place that carves turkey, ham, and roast beef per order is doing things well.  Looking to try it out for breakfast later this week.

Beyond that, it has a great mission: "Our goal is to provide the highest quality food and service to our customers while operating a successful catering business. Our mission is to train homeless and chronically unemployed men and women for a future in the food service industry by providing hands-on culinary arts training." 

More on their website here: http://www.newcoursecatering.com/

The Fried Oyster Stew at Old Ebbitt Grill

Wow.  Try it, even if you don't like seafood.  I'm trying to get a recipe for this, it's that good.

Levi's Port Cafe

1102 8th St. SE, Washington, DC

Highly recommended.  Jill and I went there for lunch on my birthday, and aside from incredibly friendly service (and a free slice of birthday cake, complete with candle and singing), the food is fantastic.  On Barracks Row (between Eastern Market and Nationals Park), it has fantastic soul food and North Carolina-style BBQ.  Great fried chicken and chopped pork, in particular, as well as macaroni and cheese.  Affordable, too--2 large lunches, plus sodas, plus tax, came out to around $22.  

There's also sweet tea, which as a New Yorker, I don't see as a selling point, but Jill gave it her Texas seal of approval, so who am I to judge?