One great advantage of eating vicariously during the COVID pandemic is the chance to revisit favorite haunts that unfortunately no longer exist. I was particularly sad when a particular French brasserie formerly located on 31st Street, NW in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, DC, shuttered in 2014 after 40 years as the purveyor of fine regional dishes. Over the years I enjoyed meeting up there with friends and colleagues at Café La Ruche [French for beehive].
Originally a small Maryland tobacco port town on the Potomac River, Georgetown was founded and named after King George II in 1751. It was ceded to the new District of Columbia in 1790 and was eventually incorporated into Washington, DC in 1871. The building housing Café La Ruche was originally a private residence constructed circa 1830 on what was then known as Fishing Lane. It remained a family residence for many years, and in the 1960s it served as the Market Playhouse and home to its popular repertory company. Café La Ruche, which was long a favorite watering hole in Georgetown, opened its doors in 1979. “A bit of Paris on the Potomac.”
Unfortunately, Georgetown, one of the more pricey precincts of the Nation’s Capital, is not as accessible as say downtown, Adams Morgan, the U Street corridor, and the Waterfront as parking is at a premium and there is no nearby Metro service (the closest stations are at Foggy Bottom, several blocks to the east, or across the river in Arlington, Virginia. One of the age old questions is why there is no Metro service to what is considered one of the local meccas for residents and tourist alike. The story most often heard is the fear by local residents that it would bring crime to this historic and tony area. One does not have to look very far to get a strong whiff of racism. Some defenders of the decision not to put a station claimed that its topography and nearness to the river prevented it. Hmmmm. The same argument can be used for the Arlington station which was part of the original system design. There is talk of a future station in the area but it won’t be in my lifetime so I’m saving my breath.
So a healthy walk is usually a precursor to food and drink at Café La Ruche. The place had a typical homey bistro feel . . . a long and narrow flag-bedecked dining room with tables along each wall and the bar and Chef Jean-Claude Cauderlier’s kitchen at the far end. There was also a quiet outdoor terrasse in the adjacent former alley.
A wonderful space for a dégagé meal alone or with friends. The menu was typical bistro fare. I would often order the Maison Paté, the Mousse de Canard, or the Saumon Fume aux Capres with a glass or two of a nice red wine from Provence. A bowl of the Soupe de Poisson or Potage Parisien (chopped potatoes and leeks) would be perfect on a damp, chilly day. On the hunt for a more substantial repast I would often start out with the Escargot aux Champignon followed by
Coq au Vin La Revolution served with pasta, the Truite Maria Antoinette (fresh rainbow trout . . . headless of course) topped with mushrooms, or the Canard à l’Orange, both of the latter served with green beans and roasted red potatoes. And don’t forget the wine. There must always be wine. A visit to Café La Ruche also provided an ideal opportunity to work off a good meal with a wander along the C&O Canal as it transects Georgetown just a block to the north. From its starting point at the former tidewater canal where Rock Creek flows into the Potomac River very near the Watergate complex, the canal parallels the Potomac from Washington, DC to Cumberland, Maryland,
The canal was originally designed to allow for the transportation of goods and cargo from the head of navigable water on the Potomac to the headwaters of the Ohio River at Pittsburgh, in western Pennsylvania. The Patowmack Company, established by George Washington in 1785, constructed a series of canals along the Virginia side of the river to improve navigation on the Potomac by bypassing the falls above Georgetown. It eventually ceded its holdings to the Chesapeake and Ohio Company in 1824, and President John Quincy Adams broke ground for the new canal on July 4, 1828. The first section from Georgetown to Seneca Falls, Maryland was completed and operational in 1831. The remainder of the canal and its 74 locks, which raised or lowered barges 604 feet, were completed only to Cumberland in 1851, and in 1889 it came under the control of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. The canal remained operational until 1924 when it was damaged by flooding and could no longer compete with the faster railroads.
At the time the canal was built Georgetown was a gritty, industrial port with warehouses, foundries and mills located along its edges. The towpath was originally on the river (south) side of the canal as far as what is now 29th Street, NW (formerly Green Street) to avoid interfering with the wharves that were expanding along the river front to handle coal, building stones and other cargo following the construction of the canal. Today the canal walk in Georgetown, runs entirely along the north side of the canal and the first four locks, which are situated very close together in the first mile, still contain water and are some of the best preserved locks on the entire canal. Walking here one can get a real sense of what it was like over a century ago.
The federal government took control of the obsolete canal in 1938 with the idea of transforming it into a National Park, plans for which were delayed by the onset of World War II. After the war there was talk of constructing a highway along the river, and in 1954 Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas hiked the entire length of the old canal to underscore its importance as a recreational area. It was finally designated a National Historic Park in January 1971, due in large part to Douglas’ continuing efforts.
It was a sad day when the Café La Ruche shuttered it door to be replaced by Chez Billy Sud, another French bistro. But I still have wonderful memories of the simple yet elegant meals I shared there with others, or perhaps just by myself in the company of a good book.
Et n'oubliez pas le vin. Il doit toujours y avoir du vin.
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