Brunch is a Serious Work of Art at the National Gallery
/Bottomless and Buffet-Style, The Garden Café Wins on the Weekend
Charcuterie and cheese at the National Gallery of Art Garden Cafe brunch. (Photo compliments the National Gallery of Art)
By AJ Dronkers, EdibleDC
Weekend brunch is serious sport in Washington, D.C. Most restaurants, including those that feature our top local chefs, offer insane brunch specials to include the ubiquitous bottomless brunch. While you were fighting for a reservation on 14th street, the National Gallery of Art just launched what might be the best bottomless brunch experience, category: Buffet Edition.
No surprises here. Team EdibleDC loves brunch and has sampled our way through a fair share of DC's brunch options. As a rule of thumb, buffet-style anything is oft avoided, but we recently made an exception to try the new brunch at the Garden Café inside the National Gallery of Art. Surrounded by awe-inspiring art as you walk through the marbled gallery, we snagged a table next to a fountain centered with a female statue that in my imagination is saying, “Oh yasssss.” What the Garden Café might lack in a party vibe, it more than makes up for in ambiance and people watching.
The Garden Cafe at the National Gallery of Art West Building. (Photo compliments the National Gallery of Art)
Buffet brunch at the Garden Cafe. (Photo compliments of the National Gallery of Art)
For $30, you get an all-access ticket to the brunch buffet which includes traditional items like buttermilk pancakes, baked frittata, pork sausage and seasonal fruit. We opted to start with a heaping tray of imported charcuterie and cheese because, well, shouldn't everything in life start with cheese and champagne? Our group quickly decided to add on the $10 bottomless feature.
As we sipped on our second mimosa, we discovered roasted butternut squash, baby kale, and a Greek couscous salad. A pleasant addition, as we people watched gallery goers.
Just as I began to realize how tipsy I’ll be for Game of Thrones, our waitress reminded us to try the roasted free range chicken and the short ribs. Seriously, cancel all your plans and get yourself to the National Gallery for brunch available now through September. You’ll thank us later.
The National Gallery of Art. (Photo compliments of the National Gallery of Art)
National Gallery of Art
West Building
6th & Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20565
AJ Dronkers is the Associate Publisher and Digital Editor for EdibleDC Magazine. When he's not eating and drinking he's usually making up for it at spin. @aj_dc
