Jun 03, 2005  |  By: CHERYL WILLIS  | COMMENTS     

FOR 45 YEARS, THE Market Inn, an unassuming restaurant in Southwest D.C., has been keeping customers happy seven days a week with its vast menu. There currently are 85 seafood and beef entrees available here.

But the appeal of this D.C. landmark, which opened in 1959, extends beyond its cuisine. Located near Capitol Hill, in Independence Square, the Market Inn offers free valet parking, live jazz on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, a pleasant happy hour and plenty of seating.

Owned by the Landis family, this is the type of place to which people invite folks they either really like or are trying to impress.

Once inside the restaurant’s foyer, the first sound you are likely to hear, depending on the day, is live jazz, filtering through the bar area. The Market Inn’s interior, filled with rich mahogany and a swanky chandelier, is warm and cozy without being highfalutin.

Seating consists of high-backed booths accented with cube-like red, glowing bulbs. As diners leaned on stark white tablecloths, the scene gave the illusion of standing in the aisle of an Amtrak train.

Our host led us toward a section known as the “Hangar Room,” based on the multitude of photographs in there of every type of plane or fighter jet ever made. The restaurant has four sections with such themes. Along the wall in the Hangar Room is continuous red leather seating, with small tables nearby and upright, curve-backed chairs lining the aisles.

ALMOST AS SOON as we sat down, our waiter slid small plates before us that contained a dinner roll, four club crackers and a personal cheese ball. He soon returned with menus and a smile.

The fresh filet of salmon comes with a delightful dill sauce as well as fairly ordinary side orders of string beans and a baked potato, among other options. I ordered the fresh prime rib with a baked potato and coleslaw.

Eighteen minutes later, our food arrived, cooked almost to perfection. The salmon could have been taken off the grill a few minutes earlier, but leaving it on longer did not ruin its taste. The prime rib, accompanied by au jus, was so tender and well seasoned that I only used the knife because it was the proper thing to do.

At nearby tables, other patrons seemed equally satisfied, dining on fried jumbo shrimp, sea scallops, and the very popular “she crab” soup — a blend of female crab meat, cream, butter, spices and sherry. Diners also have the option of adding whipped cream on top. (A cup is $4.75; a bowl is $7.75.)

Other options on the menu range from jumbo crab cake and jumbo soft shell crab sandwiches ($12.95 each) to the market burger ($8.50) and a filet mignon steak sandwich ($12.95). There also are numerous lobster, crab, shrimp and oyster options, in addition to ocean and farmed fish, pastas, steaks, chops and spare ribs and chicken (barbecued or seasoned with a light Cajun spice mixture).

Among the dessert options are low-carb cheesecake ($4.95), mango raspberry cheesecake ($5.95), and a mile-high chocolate cake ($6.75).

Appetizers, from $4.95 to $15.95; entrees, $16.95 to $37.95; and desserts, $4.25 to $7.95.

On Sundays, the all-you-can-eat Champagne “Jazz” Buffet Brunch is $24.95 for adults, $10.95 for children 12, and free for children under 4. The Market Inn also takes special orders online and ships food near and far.