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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.
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