Harold Meyerson asks if D.C. is the only place in America not affected by the downturn:
The view from Charlie Palmer’s Steakhouse is terrific. Look out the massive picture windows and there, above the leafy trees that stretch nearly to the top of the hill, the Capitol dome glistens, refulgent in the late summer heat. Your heart skips a beat, and not just because of the size of the check.
The view inside Charlie Palmer’s Steakhouse is also upbeat. Nestled at the foot of the Senate side of Capitol Hill, the place is a magnet for lobbyists and legislators. During the Friday lunchtime when I pay a call, the dining room is a little more than half full, but then it’s Friday, when members of Congress have already gone home for the weekend. “Some of the folks we get on Friday,” says Lamar, the bartender, “are bummed that they have to be here. Not here at the restaurant; here in D.C.”
