Great American Bites: A taste of history at Philly's City Tavern

• Washington ate here on an almost daily basis in the 1770s, making this the first power broker eatery
• Visit for a thematic Colonial experience: every dish is historically vetted and waiters are costumed
• Recipes served are by Martha Washington, Ben Franklin, and even General Washington himself

The scene: Full of museums, cultural and historic sites, the City of Brotherly Love is always well worth a visit. And given that Revolutionary War era history is one of its chief assets, visitors should put lunch or dinner at City Tavern, serving authentic 18th century American cuisine in a rebuilt 1773 building, high on their list.

Depending how you count, this is one of the very oldest eateries in the country, though it has not been in continuous operation. But there is no arguing its history: George Washington not only ate at this location, but did so on an almost daily basis in the 1770s, discussing weighty matters with members of the Continental Congress and making this the first power broker eatery in the New World. City Tavern is more steeped in presidential dining lore than any restaurant, and when our second president, John Adams, visited for the first time, he called it "the most genteel tavern in America."

Unfortunately, after a fire the original building was demolished in 1854. Almost a century later, Congress declared this very historic part of the city Independence National Historic Park and ordered a rebuilding of the tavern in historically correct fashion, a feat finished in time for America's 1976 bicentennial celebration. A three-story townhouse, City Tavern is filled with small rooms on each floor in straightforward colonial style, with lots of exposed wood and mantelpieces, just a few tables to each room, with a large garden and lawn in back. Furniture is historically accurate, light comes from flickering hurricane lamps, and the tables are adorned with pewter pitchers and heavy tankards. Chef Walter Staib, Emmy Award winning host of the PBS series A Taste of History and author of four Colonial-era cookbooks, came on board in 1994 and for almost two decades has kept a sharp focus on the historical accuracy of the food, drink and even wait-staff uniforms – they dress in period clothing like something out of Colonial Williamsburg.

Reason to visit: Martha Washington's turkey pot pie, pepper pot soup, roast duck, sausages, desserts, Presidential beer

The food: The main reason for visiting City Tavern is the thematic Colonial experience, with waiters dressed in wool breeches, vests, neck kerchiefs and blousy linen smock shirts. But the food is surprisingly good as well. Every dish here has to be historically vetted, and while the nature of ingredients has changed in the past two-plus centuries, Chef Staib stays as true as possible to his mission: All sausages are made in house from scratch, there is no freezer and no microwave. The Colonial dietary focus on rabbit, duck, lamb, trout, salmon, oysters, chicken, pork and beef is reflected in the hearty cuisine, as are the sauces made with madeira, cream, butter and mustard, and the sides, mashed potatoes, egg noodles, cabbage and asparagus. There is a noticeable Pennsylvania Dutch (German) influence in dishes such as veal and herb sausage and wiener schnitzel.

Some dishes are timeless staples, such as medallions of beef tenderloin and Chesapeake Bay crab cakes, while others are much more period specialized, such as the signature West Indies pepper pot soup, made with beef, green vegetables and taro root, a common Colonial-era dish imported from the Caribbean. Staib's version is based on the one General Washington served his men before crossing the Delaware at Valley Forge, with allspice and habanero. In between these extremes are more common dishes given period flair, such as the pork chop, which is salted and smoked rather than simply grilled, reflecting the way in which meats were preserved at the time, and the oysters, fried in the then-popular cornmeal.

Staib is the nation's leading chef specializing in the Colonial era, and has even cooked in George Washington's kitchen at Mt. Vernon for historical purposes. He is constantly researching old recipes, which is why he recently did the unthinkable and added fried tofu – the only vegetarian entrée - to the menu, but only after finding a 1770 letter from Benjamin Franklin explaining how to make the dish. For similar reasons, Staib's most famous dish is the turkey pot pie, based on one Martha Washington served. It is delicious and the restaurant's best seller. It comes as an individual serving, round and tall like a personal soufflé, with a tender crust and is full of hearty chunks of turkey and red bliss potatoes, plus mushrooms and baby peas, all in a rich sherry cream sauce. Another standout is the crispy roast duck with honey glaze and fruit chutney on the side. The assorted breads served with every meal are equally authentic and made in house, including the cornmeal and molasses based anadama loaves and the sweet potato biscuits. Also baked from scratch are the changing slate of tempting desserts such as crème brulee, cheesecake, strawberry shortcake and a variety of fruit crumbles, plus Philadelphia's own Bassett's ice cream, America's oldest, since 1861.

Staib even takes his historical accuracy approach to the drinks, including "shrubs," cocktails that mix champagne with fruit vinegars, used to preserve fruits such as raspberries. He found recipes from several renowned patriot home brewers, including Alexander Hamilton, Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, and commissioned them to be remade by Philadelphia's acclaimed Yards Brewing Company – although he tweaked the recipes to cut down from the traditional Colonial-era strength, a whopping 14% alcohol.

Pilgrimage-worthy?: Yes – if you are visiting Philadelphia's rich history, this is a living part of it.

Rating: Mmmm! (Scale: Blah, OK, Mmmm, Yum!, OMG!)

Price: $$ ($ cheap, $$ moderate, $$$ expensive)

Details: 138 South 2nd Street, Philadelphia; 215-413-1443; citytavern.com/

Larry Olmsted has been writing about food and travel for more than 15 years. An avid eater and cook, he has attended cooking classes in Italy, judged a BBQ contest and once dined with Julia Child. Follow him on Twitter, @TravelFoodGuy, and if there's a unique American eatery you think he should visit, send him an e-mail at travel@usatoday.com.