DCGuide
Go-Go Legends Rare Essence On Pancake Houses For Every Occasion
photo credit: Rare Essence
Go-go is the rhythm of the nation’s capitol, and Rare Essence has been providing one of the best soundtracks for beatin’ our feet for decades. Since its release in 1998, “Overnight Scenario”, their ode to pancake houses (among other things), has become one of their biggest hits—and we all know that post-club pancakes are as DC as half-smokes and carryout wings. So if you don’t hear the words “three in the morning” and immediately crave butter and syrup, we ain’t the same.
While we might never know where slim lived that she called her cab at 7am and didn’t get home until 9am, we do now know what area pancake houses keep Rare Essence’s Andre “Whiteboy” Johnson fed—even during normal breakfast hours.
THE SPOTS
“I actually learned about First Watch from one of the Prince George's County Council people. They have great food over there as well. It's not the traditional stuff like IHOP does. They'll add specialty cheeses like gouda to some of the omelets. It's very tasty. First Watch is like Silver Diner. It's not really a party atmosphere, but the staff there is friendly and the people that come in are friendly and we end up knowing somebody.”
“There is one up on St. Barnabas Road. We've been going to that one for at least 35 years. Everybody that was just in the go-go ended up at IHOP. The party just moved from whatever club we were at over to IHOP, and they were doing really good business at three, four in the morning. You would think it was three or four in the afternoon!”
“I really like Silver Diner. I like omelets. They make a ham and cheese omelet that I absolutely love. That's actually the only thing I get for breakfast every time I go in there. It's to the point where I don't even have to say what I want—I end up with the same waitress all the time and she just brings it over.”
“We stumbled on the Succotash. They have a sort of a New Orleans feel to it. We figured, the shrimp and grits gotta be good here, you know? Which is exactly what we ate and it was good. Now, I don't like spicy foods, and this had a kick to it, but it was real tasty. It was a lot of people just hanging out. They had some jazzy New Orleans bluesy type of music playing in the background. It was a good vibe.”
“I went down there with my family and we found out that their specialty was crepes. The food was really good—I mean, really, really good down there. The staff is very pleasant. It's small. It's a house, actually. We were eating in what would be the living room. There was a fireplace and a bunch of tables. It's more of a family atmosphere in there.”
photo credit: Jai Williams
“That's a DC staple right there. Florida Avenue Grill has been around for probably 70 years. Obviously we know everybody in there. And everybody used to go to the Grill, which is what we all call it. I think I met Charlie Rose in the Florida Avenue Grill. So we always run into those types of people, as well as the people that used to come see us back in the early eighties. When I'm there, I'll eat just eggs, bacon, grits, toast, and iced tea. Every time I go there, that's what I get, and it's always good.”
“We kind of stumbled into that one, which is in Arlington, Virginia. Now it's a really nice place. It's kind of designer food—somewhat upscale. They have that gruyere type of cheese in their omelets, as well. And they have brioche bread that they use for French toast. The food is good, the staff is great. It's a lot of families and also a lot of couples.”
“Boy, that's a really good restaurant. They mix their foods up, too. So they can do a traditional omelet with the regular American cheese or cheddar cheese, but they can also add different types of cheese in it as well. And they have this pancake that was 12 inches. It was like eating a record, it was that big. I have 11-year-old twin daughters, and they absolutely love going back there because they get a kick out of that great big pancake. It's a family atmosphere. And they’re Black-owned. We have a great time there.”
