Table Talk: Coffee, eggs and ambience
It seems that whenever anyone travels to Alexandria, Virginia, just across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., they look for the trendy places to eat. Invariably, though, they're often disappointed when they arrive and find they have to fight crowds, pay sky-high prices and risk towing and/or tickets because parking is so sketchy.
With occasional exceptions, locals avoid those "in" spots and head to the "locals' favorites" eateries.
Now don't tell everyone or soon this place will be jammed with visitors, but one such place is Table Talk, 1623 Duke St., Alexandria, located right on the outskirts of Old Town Alexandria (Look for "George Washington Was Here" signs on just about every building in the area and you'll know you've arrived).
The food at Table Talk is nothing fancy, mind you. If you want high-end crab cakes and gourmet croissants, this isn't the restaurant for you. Head back toward the heart of Old Town or over the D.C. border where such offerings are abundant.
But if your taste runs more toward fresh, homemade soups, sandwiches and some of the fluffiest omelets this side of Betty Crocker's kitchen, you should stop in for breakfast or lunch – sorry, they don't serve dinner.
The first thing you'll notice is that with few exceptions, you have free, off-street parking. That's a rare treat in Old Town.
You may need to stand for a few minutes before you're seated at one of the first-come-first-served tables. That's generally only true on weekend mornings, though, when the whole D.C. area seems to go to breakfast.
Have a seat at one of the highly polished wood tables that looks out onto fresh flowers blooming from window boxes and planters and you'll immediately experience a slice of local life.
Table Talk is a frequent haunt of local politicians and area office workers so you'll likely catch more than a bit of business-style "Table Talk."
Fear not, though. The owners (who seem to always be on site) and servers (who call patrons "hon" and make sure that your coffee cup is full) treat everybody just like kin.
One caveat – don't plan to hunker down for hours with your newspaper spread out before you. The tables are small and the café chairs aren't designed for hours-long meals.
Take a chance – just once -- and forego the high-end designer coffee, luxurious booths and dazzling artwork. Your reward will be a just-like-mom-made meal that can be had for under $10 -- $5 if you're really bargain conscious – in a restaurant where everyone wants to know your name.
HelloWashingtonDC Tip: Use the address of this restaurant to find Homewood Suites, Courtyard Marriott and other nearby hotels. They're not in the heart of the historic district but are an easy walk from it. They're also within walking distance of the Metro or likely offer a free shuttle. D.C. and Washington Reagan National Airport are only two or three Metro stops from this area (depending on which Metro line you take).
Posted by Nancy Dunham
