A Love Letter To My Favorite Pub

On July 31, the world was going through some major geopolitical and security events that had broad implications. Organizations were assessing the aftermath of Israel neutralizing a Hamas leader in Tehran. Microsoft was trying to fix a problem from a major DDOS attack. The Bank of Japan was raising interest rates higher than they had in 15 years. Protests were happening in Venezuela that threatened regional stability. America had just declared they would give $500 million in military aid to the Philippines to help deter Chinese action in the area. The world was finding out about Russian mercenaries being attacked by an al-Qaeda affiliate in Mali.

Also, that was the day my favorite pub closed its doors.

Mattie & Eddie’s was a unique Irish pub that exemplified all the best qualities of a neighborhood bar. The bartenders and chef created a welcoming and open space to enjoy good food, good drinks, and good people. Sitting at the wooden bar, looking at the historical paraphernalia on the wall, drinking a perfectly made cocktail, and listening to old Irish men playing “Take Me Home, Country Roads” transported you to a simpler time and elevated your spirits. I first went to Mattie & Eddie’s the week I moved back to the DC area because I knew I needed a night to relax. I had no idea it would take me on a multi-year journey of deep friendships, lost loves, ignited passions, and interpersonal drama.

Therefore, I want to share about this wonderful place in the hope you can find your own one day.

Epicurean Delights

Geopolitics & Gin is dedicated to Epicurean delights, and truly I can say without hesitation Mattie & Eddie’s offered some of the greatest and purest expressions of decadent, gourmet, and delectable food one could ever consume. And that was all thanks to the genius (literally) of Chef Casey. Chef Casey’s style was to combine the warmth of home cooking with expert classical techniques. Her depth of knowledge on flavor and wild imagination led to extraordinary culinary experiences. There were so many favorite specials that she created, including spicy butternut squash soup, mushroom agnolotti with goat cheese, and duck confit. However, my favorite dinner I ever had there was for Valentine’s Day when she made me a seven-course meal of Maryland oysters, tuna tartare with fried wontons, chicken pot pie, lobster risotto, tomahawk steak, and then both cheesecake and chocolate cake for dessert. Casey embodies what Virginia Woolf wrote in A Room of One’s Own, “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.”

Importantly, the qualities as a chef that made her spectacular went beyond her gastronomic erudition. It included her dedication to perfection and loving embrace of her customers. Even on small dishes, they had to be done correctly. Once while she was away, the sous chef overcooked my steak. I texted her because I know she wants to be aware of any mistakes, but I explicitly stated, “Don’t do anything about it. I’m just letting you know so you can talk with the sous chef.” Before that text could even be delivered the general manager walked over and told me a new steak was coming because Casey would not tolerate improper food. Yet she combined that with a maternal love in the kitchen. Like when I would order the pate, and she’d draw a heart on it to let me know she cared. All of that makes Casey one of the best chefs of her generation, and she always, always impressed this gourmand when I ordered food. (She is currently at Maketto in DC. Highly recommend going.)

Of course, the Epicurean delights were not limited to the food. Mattie & Eddie’s had one of the most wonderful wine collections, but it was bartenders like the handsome, slightly nerdy Colin who would take the time to apply art to the craft. Colin was the only bartender willing to patiently make cocktails with the absolute precision I prefer. He was also willing to put up with my pretentions, peccadilloes, and pontifications. Any bartender like Colin who can tolerantly manage those ostrobogulous regulars like myself adds a layer of enjoyment to the pub that cannot be accurately expressed. Epicurean enjoyment is not merely about the ingredients or the taste, but it includes the ambience and the atmosphere. Colin expertly managed that.

Hearth and Home

Genuinely, Mattie & Eddie’s epitomized that concept we all seek in this world: hearth and home. Community is at the center of our existence, but community cannot be created without a place to gather, talk, laugh, and cry. In many ways it was as Bilbo described Elrond’s home, “That house was…‘a perfect house, whether you like food or sleep or story-telling or singing, or just sitting and thinking best, or a pleasant mixture of them all.’ Merely to be there was a cure for weariness, fear and sadness.” (The Fellowship of the Ring, part 1)

The effervescent and rambunctious Rachel made the pub home with her ability to bring joy to all interactions and stay positive. When I would enter the pub, she would scream a delightful expletive (that I cannot write here) and come give me a hug. Then immediately find me a seat (or make sure she had the one saved I like), pour me a glass of wine, and start a whirlwind of a conversation about the happenings of the day. It was the feeling of family, like when you see your sister after a long time apart. But she emulated that feeling every day at the pub.

So much so, that the bartenders, servers, and managers from neighboring restaurants would stop by for a quick chat during their shifts and finish the night with a tipple at the pub. Then there were the regulars. People who lived or worked nearby would stop in for drinks a couple nights a week. We all got to know each other so well. In a wonderful way, they were a diverse group of characters who made that small town feeling so often absent from the big city. We had a former cybersecurity operator for the Army, a defense industrial base specialist, a property manager, a biology teacher, an archivist, a retired HR manager, and so many more. Different backgrounds, beliefs, careers, dreams, and experiences all coming together. It was as if Hobbiton were recreated for all of us.

Many other bartenders, cooks, and servers deserve recognition as well for what they brought to this place over the years. Alicia, Dez, Chris, Grace E., Sophie, Eamon, Noel, Evey, Dakota, Phill, Hector, Alvin, Berto, etc. etc. etc. They all made this a home and built a community.

Friendship Matters Most

That great Catholic theologian Thomas Aquinas spent time on the importance of friendship in his masterful tome Summa Theologica because he knew friendship was ordained by God (II.II Questions 23-26). As Aquinas wrote, “There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship.” He continued, “Friendship is the source of the greatest pleasures, and without friends even the most agreeable pursuits become tedious.”

The most important day for me at the pub was when I met my now best friend. It was probably the most distinctive night I have ever had at a pub before or after. Through a strange meandering of fortune, all of the regulars came to the pub on the very same night. Raucous merriment ensued, and there was mirth and laughter with everyone. That evening, I was wearing a shirt that is quite distinct. Black with the words “I’m Hard To Kidnap” on it, it is meant as a humorous observation on my rotund stature. Well, I am walking by a table when someone touches me on the shoulder. I turn around and the man sitting there says, “I’d hit you with my truck.” Quite befuddled, I did not know how to respond. That’s when he pointed at my shirt and said again, “I’d hit you with my truck.” I roared with laughter as I got the comment and immediately knew I had found a kindred spirit. Such an innocuous joke began a friendship that will stand the test of time, that gave me a brother and someone whom I love and support always. That serendipitous meeting could only have happened at a place as special as Mattie & Eddie’s.

This is why we do what we do...

Those of us in security do our jobs because we believe everyone has a right to be safe. We do this because we believe in protecting our community, our friends, our family, and our country. We believe in protecting our way of life. However, these are merely abstract ideas. Places like Mattie & Eddie’s are concrete examples of what we want to protect: a place for the community to come together filled with our loved ones to laugh and enjoy Epicurean delights. That pub exemplified what security professionals want to defend. May we all have places like that in our lives and hearts.

"So I am, in a way, fated to wander the footpath that ambles from Wittenberg to Rome, not knowing whether I will ever see Rome; reverse direction and return to Wittenberg; or simply meander ongoingly in between, perhaps stopping along the way to take up lodgings in a village where the conversation is good, the neighbors friendly, the library well-stocked, the stirring words of 'A Mighty Fortress Is Our God' emanate from the small Lutheran church, the bell from the Catholic church marks the passing of the day, the sounds of the Torah being read in the local synagogue float in the air, and rousing gospels from the black Baptist church beckon." - Jean Bethke Elshtain, Augustine and the Limits of Politics

August’s Cocktail: Irish Coffee

In response to Mattie & Eddie’s closing, I feel like the best cocktail to share with y’all is my version of the Irish Coffee. Now, that’s normally just an easy way of saying “adding whiskey to your morning Joe,” but there is definitely an art to making a hot beverage that warms the soul. Fairly simple to make, this will be good for the coming autumn when you no longer have a pub to return to.

Instructions

1. Get a French Press and add freshly ground coffee (4 tablespoons for 12 ounces).
2. Boil water and pour into French Press. Let sit two minutes. Then press down.
3. Pour hot water into glass coffee mug to warm it up.
4. Add heavy cream to large measuring cup (or bowl) and slightly whip while mug is heating and French Press is steeping.
5. Put one teaspoon of brown sugar in the bottom of mug, and then pour 6 ounces of coffee into the mug.
6. Add 1.5 ounces of Jameson and 1.5 ounces of Bailey’s into the glass, and stir ten times.
7. Pour slightly whipped heavy cream over spoon (this is to taste).
8. Take finely grated fresh chocolate shavings to sprinkle on top.