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    The Fourth Estate

    3.6 (93 reviews)
    PriceyNew American
    Open 11:30 am - 8:30 pm

    The Fourth Estate Photos

    THE FOURTH ESTATE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Classy
    Quiet
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - The Fourth Estate

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    Outside this building where the restaurant is hidden.
    sandy b.

    The service was very good. The restaurant is clean and neat and a bit formal looking though the staff is friendly and the dress code casual. A complimentary basket of hearty bread with salmon spread was brought out first. We began with the juicy and flavorful lamb meatballs with ginger pieces, so succulent. I can't wait to repeat that dish as well as my artic char with tasty spinach and yellow rice with peas. My hub liked his crab cakes and also looks forward to a return visit.

    Mojito
    Ruth T.

    My friend had always wanted to try this restaurant, so when she came across a promotion, she couldn't pass it up. We didn't make a reservation so we decided to go before they became busy. We were the first dinner customers that evening. To start I ordered a mojito, and was a bit disappointed. It was extremely sweet and I couldn't taste anything else. For appetizer, we ordered the lamb meatballs. Another disappointment. There was very little seasoning and flavor. The raw vegetables used to garnish the dish tasted better. Since I hate wasting food, I was sure to finish it, and the sauce/dip that came with it helped. For entree I ordered the pan-seared sea scallops. Now that was delicious. With the way the evening started, I was pleasantly pleased that it was done right. My friend ordered the Angus beef strip steak, and she liked it too. So, the chef redeemed himself. The waiter was very nice and pleasant to talk to. He was able to answer every question we had. The restaurant is located on the 13th floor of the national press building. It is a mid-upscale restaurant with an old decor flare.

    Dinning area
    Tim H.

    Yelpers, here's one of the best kept secrets in Washington DC - NPC has a fantastic restaurant that opens to the public! The Fourth Estate has just about the venue around - service, atmosphere, reasonably priced menu, adequate selections of delicious dishes. My favorite lunch dish is the Calamari Salad - not only it's delicious, it looks like it made with care and there's plenty of it. If you're in town for a visit, instead of going to one of the establishments close by, why don't you bring your VIP over for lunch? It costs about the same and it doubles as a memorable experience. Once you've arrived on the 13th floor, there's no waiting, and if there's a line, you and your guests can walk around the hallway to see what other dignitaries had visited this place. Enjoy!!!

    vegetarian risotto
    angela n.

    My friend is literally addicted to the Fourth Estate's scallops: She ate here three times during Restaurant Week! Being vegetarian, I didn't try them, but hers did look tasty. The Fourth Estate menu, on its face, was not veggie friendly. But I asked the nice staff if they could accommodate me. They asked if I liked cheese (Yes!), then they spoke with the chef, who kindly prepared: - a fresh salad made of avocado, tomatoes, hearts of palm, green leafy sprouts, and mango. - a smooth cold peach-ginger ale soup (yeah that sounds unique, doesn't it? I liked its fizzy sweetness) - a pleasantly cheesy vegetarian risotto with red and yellow bell peppers, onions, zucchini, tomatoes... - the highlight: a damn fine cheese plate. It had an Irish cheese (made with Guinness!), a sharp Spanish goat cheese, an Italian sheep cheese with black peppercorns, a British "Harlack" cheese made with horseradish, and a pungent blue cheese whose origins I forget. The plate was served with small berries, almonds, and some honey. On the whole, four large tasty courses made a good Restaurant Week deal. It was also fun to browse the wall photos of NPC events (George Clooney, etc.).The only reasons I don't rate the Fourth Estate higher are that I didn't see any windows (on the 13th floor, you'd expect some sort of view, no?), and the non-Restaurant Week prices are just a little too high for my taste (but if you're a National Press Club member, you'd get a discount).

    Seared scallops
    Michelle S.

    Definitely one of the best kept secrets in DC! And you don't have to be a member of the press to dine here? I'm sold!! Was lucky to have had lunch here with several colleagues and an employee of the National Press Club. I had the Seared Scallops, Lemon Beurre Blanc, Sautéed Spinach and Red Lentils Rice. The flavor of everything on the plate was exactly how I love it to be. The scallops were just the right temperature, the sauce had so much flavor(!) and the spinach and lentil rice were perfect side dishes. I'm not a fan of plain spinach but when mixed with the creamy sauce, it was so good! For dessert i shared a bit of heaven. A sweet biscuit with whipped cream? and pieces of fruit - so good! I don't like chocolate (I know I'm one of few women who don't) so to have a dessert dish that did not have any chocolate was a nice change. The added treat: Executive Chef Susan Delbert came out to our table to talk with us and she was incredibly nice. The bathrooms were a bit of a hike but I don't mind especially because they were clean. Overall, I can't wait to go back!

    Dan R.

    OK, so here's a review of Fourth Estate by a current/former journalist who is also an avid restaurant goer. My wife purchased a TravelZoo special. One of the attractions likely of going to this restaurant is that it is located right in the NPC in DC. Lots of historic photos on the wall, very interesting to look at either before or after dinner. Judging from the reviews here, one has to observe that this place is still struggling. The dinner menu is extremely limited. TravelZoo special gets you a full bottle of NPC-branded (Rutherford Wines of CA) wine, which is very nice. You get ONE starter -- not so great. And no dessert -- again, not great. Dinner rolls were not warmed, clearly left over from hours before. My wife enjoyed her crabcakes. I got the veal -- huge and fairly tasty with potatoes and beans -- but it wasn't the best Porterhouse veal I had ever had, just OK. Service provided by 3 or 4 waiters. When we came in, there was no one at the front to greet us -- had to wait a little bit for the host to appear to seat us. There was a definite downturn in attentiveness at one point when we had to ask one of the other waiters to get our waiter back to order dessert, which we did. French press coffee was good, dessert was pretty good. But overall, nothing that I will remember forever based on taste of the food alone. I don't want to be overly critical because everyone did a passable job, but the food seemed to me to be just a couple of steps above what one would expect to get if one were attending. . . . wait for it -- some lunch event AT the NPC where a newsmaker was speaking. For me, that does not place The Fourth Estate among "must go to" restaurants in DC, certainly not worth a drive downtown in cold rainy weather. Hopefully, they can improve.

    Cheryl A.

    This restaurant maybe a little difficult to find but well worth your effort. Very welcoming and the food is spectacular. You can tell by our pictures that this is a must see. We will definitely be back..

    Hallway of history! Soak up every picture and caption--legendary!
    Kera T.

    Came here with my husband to celebrate the fast sale of our condo and had a really nice time. Early evening, mid-week so it wasn't crowded at all. Our server was very friendly, attentive and knowledgeable of the menu. We were pretty hungry so we played it pretty safe. Caesar salads to start but we did split the vegetarian zucchini quesadilla; I wasn't blown away but it was fair. I modified my tasty crab cake entree and opted for the asparagus instead of the pineapple slaw (allergy). I'm glad they were open to substitutions. The blueberry cobbler a la mode was a delightful surprise, the cornbread crust was a yummy touch. I have background in news so The National Press Club is kind of hallowed for me, such a rich history. It took us forever to leave because I wanted to read every picture caption!

    Abena R.

    Great service I really enjoyed my Dinner! They were very accommodating although I was a little late to my rsvp due to traffic. The food was made to perfection! Wine was great. The waiter was down to earth which made everything worth it. I love the location. Parking sucks a bit. If you want a fun night out in D.C. start off with dinner here! Food was so Good!

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