The Greenhouse

Had an amazing lobster egg Benedict here. The poached eggs were perfect and just oozed out when I cut into them. There was plenty of lobster and it was very tender. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

In some of my reviews I may have mentioned that my friend and I do trophy wife days, and what’s more trophy wife-​y than high tea? During on little vacation to DC we decided to do tea and I scoured the internet ( Unilocal) to find a place we could go. I stumbled upon the the Greenhouse at The Jefferson and I am so glad I did. Everything was perfect. The food, the tea, and staff, it was everything I wanted in a high tea experience. Getting dressed up, walking into a beautiful room and getting to enjoy tea, some light food, and good company was one of the best ways to enjoy a Sunday afternoon. Whether you’re in DC for vacation or live there, I highly recommend grabbing some of your girlfriends, daughters, family, etc, and enjoy an afternoon here.

This is hands down the prettiest place to have afternoon tea in DC. I came here with a large group and we were awed by how beautiful it was inside. From the flowers to the indoor fountains to the glass ceiling, it all was lovely. When we entered each person was given a small stool for their handbag and promptly ushered to our table. The food was the usual tea fare and well presented. They were very accommodating for vegetarians and there was quite a variety for them. I wish the sweets has been served at the same time as the savory items but the pastries were only on the table once the sandwiches were eaten. The scones were hot and fresh, and the tea was loose leaf, but I did hanker for more white tea offerings. The service was pleasant and though we stayed till the very end of tea time, no one tried to hurry us out and make us leave faster. The food wasn’t the best I’ve had but with the excellent ambiance the Greenhouse can’t be beat.

I’ won a gift certificate for Sunday Afternoon Tea for Two at The Greenhouse in The Jefferson from Taste of the Nation’s auction and waited until the very last Sunday to redeem it. It was a very personal and enjoyable experience. It was the best Afternoon Tea experience I’ve ever had — definitely better than the one I had at Henley Park Hotel (in DC) and Fairmont Battery Wharf (in MA). The staff were very polite and friendly. Upon checking in for our reservation, the maitre’d offered to take our coats. When he seated us at the table, he brought a stool for my purse. The table top was a mirror with light gray basket woven placemat and fancy porcelain plates, cups, and saucers. The chairs were vintage theme and very comfortable.
Since I am a tea expert, my boyfriend wanted to expand his palate, I recommended that he get the Darjeeling Summer Gold (which went well with honey and milk) while I got the Green Dragon (which went well with honey or sugar cubes). I didn’t like how the tea leaves were steeped directly into the hot water in a pot, it made the tea strong and bitter.
Shortly after the tea was brought to us, our server brought a plate of tea sandwiches — Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese topped with Mini Capers on Pumpernickel Toast, Egg Salad Sandwiches, Roast Beef Sandwiches, and Cucumber and Cream Cheese with Grapefruit Caviar on Wheat Toast. I’ll admit some of Pumpernickel Bread was stale but it didn’t ruin the experience. After we finished our tea sandwiches, they brought out a plate of napkin wrapped, fresh baked scones with two different kinds of plain scones and a two tier tray of desserts. The scones tasted like sweet biscuits and was served with three kinds of homemade spreads — Lemon Curd, Devonshire Cream, and Apricot Preserve. The first tier of the dessert tray consisted of Lemon and Almond Cake Pop and Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta topped with cherry filling. The Lemon and Almond Cake Pop reminded me of a slightly larger petit four on a stick. The ‘lollipop’ consisted of almond cake, lemon curd, and almond paste and coated with lemon buttercream. The Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta was served in a mini tasting jar. It was rich and creamy and the cherry filling reminded me of a Cherry Pie. The second tier of the dessert tray consisted of Chocolate Éclair, Chocolate Tart, and Cinnamon Doughnut Hole. The Chocolate Éclair consisted of a milk chocolate log topped with dark chocolate icing, candied orange peel, and orange caviar. The Chocolate Tart consisted of a cookie crusted tart shell filled with chocolate mousse and halved grapes topped with coconut cream. The Cinnamon Doughnut Hole consisted of a doughnut hole rolled in cinnamon-​sugar.

The ambience and service is superb. As soon as you walk in, everyone is extremely friendly and the waiter was very attentive. If you are looking for ambience alone, this is the perfect place.
I am giving 2 stars due to the disappointing food. The brunch lacked flavor and was cold, and definitely overpriced ($ 7 for coffee). I would expect this quality of food from a cheap motel, not The Jefferson.

Had afternoon tea with the ladies… excellent service. Great place to catchup with your girlfriends… I will definitely be back. However. I won’t go hungry next time… this is afternoon and not brunch… my mistake not eating breakfast… though the finger sandwiches and pastries were tasty… and the scone were the best I’ve had in a long time.

The Jefferson Hotel is a boutique hotel located in the heart of DC. Its informal restaurant, The Greenhouse, is a well appointed restaurant with class and elegance. I went for brunch and much enjoyed it. The restaurant also serves breakfast, lunch, brunch, and afternoon tea. We went for brunch, and while the menu isn’t extensive, it is original. Most of the breakfast oriented options revolve around eggs, and the lunch options consist of a few salads and some other items such as crabcakes or pasta. Overall, everything was tasty and the venue itself is very enjoyable. It is refined, but not too stuffy. The prices are a bit steep for some items – 7 dollars or so for a cup of coffee! but that aside, everything was enjoyable and I’d return for both the food and the ambiance.

The Greenhouse is an elegant and sophisticated dining establishment that will leave you feeling like you are royalty. So much so – that I left feeling like I had just taken a trip to Versailles or had a meal at the Gatsby mansion. Brunch with F. Scott Fitzgerald, yes! This place is so pretty that I couldn’t stop staring at the décor when I was there. Can I live here?
The brunch here is pretty good, although kinda pricey as would be expected from any place inside a luxury boutique hotel like the Jefferson. The Jefferson isn’t only for tourists though, and I’m so glad that my friend suggested it. The hotel attempts to embody all elements of Thomas Jefferson’s life in its design –the artwork, the sculptures, and the furniture.
The brunch menu features some items that I don’t ordinarily see on brunch menus. I got the lobster eggs benedict and it was delicious, although if you aren’t a big fan of hollandaise sauce, I would recommend you ask them to go light on the sauce. Beautiful restaurant. Beautiful venue.

Cool, elegant interior, located in the lobby of the famed Jefferson Hotel at 16^th & M, NW. If you need an F. Scott Fitzgerald-​esque venue for a low key DC power lunch this is your spot. The mood is utterly old-​school discreet with well spaced tables allowing for serious, and seriously private, conversation. There are never any braying DC wannabes in evidence, and the service is always calm and effortlessly executed. The menu is a nice mix of healthy fare and classics; pay attention to the lunch specials, as they are usually spot-​on good choices.

Loved the interior design of the Greenhouse. I felt relaxed in their ambiance.
Service was good/​average.
I ordered the three egg-​white omelette (with mushrooms and spinach) and a bloody mary. My drink had a bit too much kick and my dish was average, nothing amazing or intriguing.
I would probably check out other brunch places next time I’m in Dc.

Awful experience! Stay away! Two star service and one star food quality. When I made a reservation for dessert tea, the hotel told me the chef would accommodate gluten free guests since I asked well in advance. When we were served, I saw that what they meant by «accommodate» was to simply remove all the pastries from your tray. The Jefferson’s gluten free menu for tea was one that did have any pastries/​baked goods, which was also missing half of the items that was on a regular menu. There was cream and jam but nothing for me to spread it on. When I saw that, I asked for them to just serve me the regular menu so that at least my friends could enjoy my pastries. The waiter returned with a bowl of sorbet instead, compliments of the chef, which was a nice gesture but I didn’t pay $ 40 for ice cream – strike one. Other dessert teas, like the Mandarin Oriental, encouraged guests to try as many of their teas as they’d like. At the Jefferson, I was emphatically told to stick to one. When I was trying to decide between two teas and asked for a sample, the waiter made a big deal about how he was going to handle the logistics of getting me a small sample when the teas were already made in large pots – strike two. The hotel eventually did bring out two samples from which I chose one. When the hotel called me the morning of the date to confirm the reservation the offered to validate parking. I specifically asked whether they validated the entire amount for a meal, as does the Four Seasons in Georgetown, or only partially. The reservation maker assured me valet parking would be free. When I arrived, the reservations desk had little clue about parking validation and had to call to ask. The desk apologized for «the confusion» even though I was not the one confused and they were the ones who’d given me blatantly wrong information. They apologized but told to pay $ 10 nonetheless – strike three. For a five star hotel, if offered two star service. The Greenhouse has no business serving dessert tea because the only item that lived up to the caliber of a five star hotel was the décor. Other places around town like the Mandarin Oriental, the Manson on O street offer much better high tea experiences.

The food was good, standard brunch fare, but the service was horrible! The waiters gave us major attitude for asking for anything, and when the bill came they were very rude about splitting. Somehow, my friend ended up being charged $ 4 more than she was supposed to but rather than deal with the wait staff, who were EXTREMELY slow, she just ate the charge. When I got home and checked my online bank statement, turns out I had been charged more than the amount on my check too! Oh, and it was my birthday so they brought out a slice of cake as a surprise. The surprise was on us when we had been charged for an item we didn’t order!

We went to afternoon tea today and were not impressed with the service or tea. We arrived on time, and were seated in their words in the «enclave». There was one main room where all of the other tables were, but we were seated in the enclave. This was where they had their area to fix the tea and one table. We asked to be moved, as we wished to be near other people and were told that this was «special» seating and that unfortunately they were booked. We were told that the area that we were seating was lovely and that people really enjoyed the decorations. I was confused as what the decorations were, seeing as how there only one stone hanging on the wall. Regardless, they did not pour the tea, we did that. They did not refill the tea, we had to ask. We did not have spoons to stir the tea, we had to ask. We did not get refills, we had to ask. They did send us complimentary champagne, however we do not drink so it was not a big win for us. They charged us incorrectly, but they did fix it when it was brought to their attention. The tea itself was tasty, but the scones were extremely bland. There was quite a bit left on the table that was not eaten, however none of wished to take it home. I personally love afternoon tea, and love going. This is definitely going on the bottom of the list of places to go. We will not be back. I wish the Four Seasons still had their afternoon tea, because it was wonderful.

Lovely upscale venue for a nice lunch. I don’t know if it was because we were seated in the atrium, but the service was rather inattentive.
Seasonal greens salad with lobster — B+ (well dressed but was not expecting the lobster to be shredded bits)
Broccolini Side — B– (well seasoned but a bit overcooked and too oily)

One of my girlfriends and I visited the Green House for high tea this past winter and had such a good experience that we decided to visit it again this past Saturday. Oh my, were we disappointed on our second visit? Just like the other reviewers said, the tea menu consists of two courses: 1^st course with a few stale ad dry finger sandwiches which obviously were sitting out for a few hours; and the 2^nd course with a few cookies, scones and muffins. We really enjoyed the scones the first time we had tea there; they were very warm, buttery and it seemed the restaurant freshly baked them just for us. But this time around, the scones and muffins were just warm and again, dry! I was truly disappointed at the poor quality of the food.
The Green House is not a cheap place but the quality of afternoon tea there definitely does not match to its price. I am definitely crossing the Green House off on my high –tea –places-​to-​go list now.

After having had a great experience at the hotel’s bar, Quill, I decided to stop in for a lunch meeting with an out-​of-​town client. We were both promptly greeted by name (gathered during the reservation process) and sat in an airy and bright dining room. I found it to be perfect for a business lunch, as it was not the typical darker Bistro lighting found at many lunch spots.
Food was excellent, with fresh flavors and average portion sizes; hate huge portions at lunch, especially since it is often at the expense of quality. I ordered the Raw Vegetable Salad and then the Skate Wing.
Service was efficient with no extended wait between courses.
While the meal is certainly not an everyday lunch break, I would recommend it to anyone wanting to host a business lunch, celebration or simply to enjoy a well-​prepared meal.

When you’re seeking some understated elegance and refinement – and a much-​needed break from the concrete jungle of DC – stop into the Jefferson Hotel for tea. High tea. Now being from the South, the «tea» I’m used to is ice cold and swimming in enough sugar to induce a diabetic coma. But that is not the tea the Jefferson is serving! This is put-​on-​a-​nice-​dress-​and-​a-​fake-​British-​accent tea. (Ok, maybe you do without the fake British accent…)
Now I’m not generally a fan of hot tea, but the Lemongrass Green Tea was pretty good. The sandwiches were decent (with the beef one being the best) and the service was moderately attentive (though it was nice to be left alone to talk, to be frank) but the pastries at the end were. .. meh, only so so. That said, the setting was nice and the conversation was great (sorry, that can’t be duplicated for you though) — so I give this a 3.5-star experience over all.

I’d give two and a half stars if possible. Decided to eat at the Greenhouse because it was convenient. The setting is super elegant and the service is very courteous and prompt. My water was refilled many times. The disappointment was really the food. My roasted rockfish had a perfectly crispy skin and meat was tender but rather bland. I didn’t think that it went with the ham underlaid, and i had asked them to hold the fava beans. Maybe the beans would have perfectly balanced it out? My side of fingerling mash was delightfully creamy but sadly too salty.

I came here for a restaurant week lunch. Given the reviews of the companion restaurant Plume at the Jefferson Hotel, I thought Greenhouse would be a good choice. Given the picture below, I expected an elegant lunch. But I was disappointed. My experience here was reminiscent of country clubs: having imitation gourmet food and imperfect interior design.
My salmon tartar came with a heaping portion of crème cheese on top. I prefer to enjoy the salmon alone, but the salmon was nearly flavorless, so I understood why they added the crème cheese. The grapefruit pieces were a nice and different touch to the salmon tartar, but didn’t really complement the salmon well.
I ordered my burger medium rare and it came well done. Adding to the disappointment, it had so much breading in it that any of the meat flavor disappeared. It was a pretty flavorless hamburger. My companion ordered the rockfish, which came in about 3 oz portion. Like the salmon tartar, the rockfish came with vegetables that didn’t complement the rockfish. Yet, the rockfish itself was good and had a subtle flavor.
The desserts were the highlight. My companion’s passionfruit dessert packed a punch. My cinnamon dessert with moscarpone ice cream was also good.
The service here intends to be five star. They bring you your proper utensils on silver platters. Actually, everything is brought to you on silver platters. Although, I didn’t get a crumb scraping, which you would expect at such a place.
The design and décor here still needs tweaking to be perfectly undistracting. The paint job is error-​ridden and the renovating construction needs better consistency with the original pieces. On the positive side, there is a lovely large mural painting reminiscent of colonial-​era paintings in the lobby area.

Went to the Greenhouse for lunch. Tiny, intimate setting just off the lobby, my first time in the hotel since it’s renovation. Very pretty space but understated at same time. Service was very attentive and food was above average. We had tomato soup appetizer, mixed green salad appetizer, tuna appetizer served as main course, ny strip (med rare) w/​fries, wine and caps. Would have everything again but fries were average at best but did come with a very nice homemade ketchup.
We drove right up to the door, valet had our car back in just a fee minutes.