Mad Cows?

Well, this explains it: mad cow disease. It’s the only answer. These beef eating "lawmakers" have swiss cheese for brains. Think about it.

It's Mealtime in Washington, and Your Congressman Is Buying

Sept. 30 (Bloomberg) -- It's mealtime in Washington. Do you know where your lawmaker is?

Sam & Harry's, a Dupont Circle steakhouse lined with jazz- themed paintings, may be a good bet: Members of Congress racked up an average bill of $1,971 in 80 visits there in the past 2 1/2 years, according to filings by their political action committees and campaigns. Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy and his group dropped $10,500 there one night, the records show.

Or how about the Caucus Room, with its burgundy leather booths and private dining rooms named for presidents? Lawmakers shelled out an average of $1,140 in 157 visits since the start of 2003. And there's Charlie Palmer Steak, where congressional entourages stopped by 160 times. Average tab: $1,303.

It's good to be a restaurant in the nation's capital when lawmakers have stomachs to fill and money to spend. ``About 20 percent of our business comes from congressmen,'' said Ed D'Alessandro, the Caucus Room's general manager. ``Without Congress, we'd have to downsize.''

Members of Congress spent $1.5 million from the beginning of 2003 through last June at the 10 Washington restaurants that reaped the most from the wining and dining, according to a Bloomberg News analysis of figures compiled by Washington-based PoliticalMoneyLine, which tracks politicians' spending. The tally counts the bills for each lawmaker's table or function.

Red Meat

Red-meat eateries top the list of Washington's power dining spots. The Caucus Room, a steakhouse founded in 2000 by Democratic lobbyist Tommy Boggs and former Republican National Committee chairman Haley Barbour, raked in the most ($292,114) from legislators in the past 2 1/2 years. Sam & Harry's, home of the $40.95 porterhouse, topped the list for the average tab.

Other steakhouses in the top 10 are Charlie Parker (No. 2 in lawmaker expenditures), which offers a touch-screen wine list and a rooftop terrace with views of the Capitol, and the Capital Grille (No. 8), whose menu boasts of beef ``dry-aged on premises.''

Oceanaire Seafood Room (No. 9), an art-deco emporium with red-leather banquettes, and four French restaurants -- Bistro Bis (No. 4), La Colline (No. 5), the Monocle (No. 6) and the now- closed La Brasserie (No. 10) -- also make the lawmakers' favorites list.

Then there is Signatures (No. 7), where former Representative Rob Portman, an Ohio Republican, spent $14,000 in PAC money at a January 2003 donor reception. A spokesman for Portman, who is now U.S. trade representative, declined to comment.

Abramoff's Place

Signatures may be losing favor with Capitol Hill after lobbyist Jack Abramoff, its former co-owner, became the subject of federal investigations into whether he defrauded clients. Signatures, named for the autographed letters and other documents it displays and sells for as much as $100,000, saw its take from lawmakers plunge 57 percent in the second quarter of this year from the same period a year earlier.

Abramoff and his co-owners sold the restaurant recently to a group including former Representative Bob Livingston, a Louisiana Republican who is now a Washington lobbyist. The new owners will drop the Signatures name, spokeswoman Linda Roth Conte said.

The lawmakers' favorite restaurants are reluctant to disclose their famous clientele. Sam & Harry's co-owner Larry Work says about 20 congressmen drop by several days a week, but he won't give any names.

Massachusetts Democrat Kennedy has been known to patronize Sam & Harry's. He followed up his $10,500 evening in June 2004 with a $9,685 event last June, according to the spending records. Laura Capps, a Kennedy spokeswoman, said it was fund-raising.

Tourists' Thrills

Representative John Boehner, an Ohio Republican, has spent $50,000 at Sam & Harry's in the past 2 1/2 years, according to the filings. A Boehner spokesman declined to comment.
Senator Rick Santorum, a Pennsylvania Republican, ran up a tab of more than $15,000 at Capitol Hill restaurants in the second quarter of 2005, including more than $9,000 at the Capital Grille. A Santorum spokesman didn't return phone calls.

The Caucus Room's fame has spread beyond politicians, policy wonks and lobbyists, manager D'Allesandro said. ``Almost every week tourists pop in the door and ask if a senator or congressman is here,'' he said. ``They ask to be seated next to them. They want to bask in the glory.''

While lawmakers don't want to be disturbed by fellow diners, they enjoy being recognized, said Sam & Harry's Work, who also owns a share of the Caucus Room.

The two-week training for new Sam & Harry's employees includes ``making sure they know who's who, being able to put a face with a name,'' Work said. Staffers review the restaurant's list of 100 top customers at weekly meetings, he said.


`Plenty of Lore'

Sam & Harry's also keeps a congressional guide with photos at the front desk. ``If we draw a blank on what a congressman looks like, we look them up,'' Work said.

Restaurant employees are also trained to be discreet, as something more than dining has been known to happen at some lawmakers' bashes.

``There's plenty of lore, but none of it you can publish in a family newspaper,'' said John Breaux, who represented Louisiana in Washington as a senator and representative for 32 years.
His favorite spot was La Colline (``The Hill'' in French), located two blocks from the Senate side of the Capitol, said Breaux, who is now senior counsel at Patton Boggs LLP in Washington.

The Monocle, another French eatery an easy walk from the Capitol, is also a frequent destination for senators, Breaux said. It features ceiling beams stenciled with political quotes such as ``I live by my principles, and one of my principles is flexibility,'' attributed to former Illinois Senator Everett Dirksen.

Stars and Stripes

French criticism of the U.S. invasion of Iraq presented a ticklish situation for some French restaurants in Washington. La Colline responded by having waiters don stars-and-stripes ties and, following the lead of congressional cafeterias, offering Freedom fries instead of French fries.
``We're not against the French, or for them,'' said La Colline manager Paul Zucconi.
Food may not be the biggest draw for lawmakers. None of their top 10 restaurants makes the Zagat Survey's list of the 40 best for food in the area, and only two -- La Colline and Bistro Bis -- are among Washingtonian magazine's ``100 very best.''

The Caucus Room acknowledges as much on its Web site, where it posts a quote from Newsweek: ``At this restaurant, it's who you meet, not what you eat.''

Sam & Harry's doggy bags tell customers, ``You are where you eat.''

To contact the reporter or editor responsible for this story:
Joe Winski in Washington at jwinski@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: September 30, 2005 00:29 EDT