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1015 L St. NW
(202) 898-1200
Hours of Operation and Prices
Lunch: M-F 11-2; Entrees: $11.25-$14.50
Dinner: M-Th 6-9:30, F-Sat 6-10, Sun 6-9; Entrees: $16-$22
Brunch: Sun 11-2, $17
Other Information
• Credit Cards: All major
• Reservations: Recommended
• Dress: Jacket preferred
• Parking: Complimentary valet
• Nearest Metro: Metro Center
• Handicapped accessible
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Morrison-Clark Inn is a small inn with a Victorian aesthetic. Lace curtains cover the floor-to-ceiling windows, while draperies, carpeting and soft fabrics conspire to mute any noise that might threaten the peace. Cabbage roses bloom on the upholstery, and an immense arrangement of silk flowers towers over a circular sofa. It is the perfect place to take your grandmother.
One would hope that Grandma has the appetite to enjoy chef Susan McCreight Lindeborg's somewhat Southern and unabashedly rich creations. It would be a shame to miss the "bunny and bourbon," the staff's pet name for the bourbon-sauced rabbit loin stuffed with pecan corn bread. In the spring Lindeborg features garlic grits with spicy shrimp as an appetizer, in fall Carolina Low Country scalloped oysters with Virginia ham. Lindeborg loves hearty foods. Yet she tempers them by degreasing them, lightening their textures and moderating the portions. And all year long the entrees showcase the best of the season's vegetables, so interesting in themselves that they could easily be the main focus. But save room -Morrison-Clark's pastries are casually, subtly beautiful. One day I thought the chocolate-peanut butter mousse cake had to be the best, and I don't even like peanut butter desserts. The next visit, I was swayed by the lemon sesame napoleon with blackberry compote. And the napoleon was in a close contest with the chocolate caramel tart - thick, smooth and buried in praline whipped cream. It's rare that a fruit crisp is outclassed by other desserts, but the cranberry-apple crisp didn't have a chance against such competitors.
Lindeborg's cooking concentrates on flavor, on texture, on the composition in the mouth rather than on the plate. This is not cooking calculated to make the chef look good, but to make the diner feel good.
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