Bounty of the Sea à la Bouillabaisse, Maison

Almost as soon as it opened in Washington, D.C., on May 30, 1965, the Three Thieves was, or at least was said to be, the city’s new “in” restaurant. For starters, it was embedded in a brand-new office building at 2233 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W., immediately north of Georgetown, the toniest neighborhood in the nation’s capital. And it could seat more than 300 diners in an over-the-top setting that the restaurant’s owners said was inspired by a Spanish castle.

“A stunning new entry on the dining-out scene,” John M. Rosson, the Washington Evening Star’s restaurant critic, gushed in an early review. “The Three Thieves is quite a looker. In terms of décor you’d think you were walking into New York’s Four Seasons. It’s that rich.”

In truth, however, it was more as if the Four Seasons had swapped its midcentury-modern cool for a sort of conquistador-style grandiosity. The central decorative feature of the Three Thieves was a massive fireplace visible from just about every table in the restaurant, but there were also antique brick and wrought iron accents galore, walls of dark-wood panels laid in a herringbone pattern, ornate chandeliers (though made in Mexico, not Spain), and assorted heraldic paraphernalia. An elevated dining area emitted an aura of exclusivity, separated as it was from the main floor by three steps and a decorative balustrade.

Five investors were apparently behind this ambitious venture, including three—Norman Abramson, a lawyer; Norman Bromze, a lawyer turned full-time restaurateur; and Victor Silbert, an accountant—who somewhat cheekily declared themselves to be the restaurant’s namesake “thieves,” this for having unapologetically borrowed the finest recipes from their travels and translated them into an expansive menu designed to bridge European and American palates. (The three men, as it happened, had first joined forces four years earlier when they acquired Costin’s Sirloin Room in the National Press Building.) At one end, for example, there was the pretentiously styled “Bounty of the Sea à la Bouillabaisse, Maison,” at the other the crackers and cheddar-cheese spread that was served gratis to all diners.

The Three Thieves also featured the “Rogue Room,” a cocktail lounge with an intimate area for dancing and, most nights, a talented combo providing live music.

Yet, for all its glitz and glamour, the Three Thieves was not long for the nation’s capital. In 1971 the restaurant suddenly and without explanation closed its doors. Some whispered of financial troubles, others cited shifting tastes in an era of social upheaval. Whatever the truth, the space was soon taken over by a new restaurant, Le Pauvre Immigrant (The Poor Immigrant).

Print Recipe

Bounty of the Sea à la Bouillabaisse, Maison

(No Ratings Yet)

Loading...

4

From the moment the Three Thieves opened its doors in Washington, D.C., in 1965, this dish—the French seafood stew that originated in the port city of Marseille—headlined the restaurant's menu (at a price of $9.95 for two). When John M. Rosson, the restaurant critic for the Washington Evening Star, sampled it with a companion later that year, he clearly was smitten. “We had three bowls," he wrote, "and if there had been any more in the cast iron cauldron in which the Three Thieves serves its bouillabaisse, we'd have had more.”

Ingredients

• 1 large snapper skeleton
• 2 celery stalks with leaves
• 2 whole onions, quartered
• A handful of parsley (leaves and stems)
• 8 ripe tomatoes, peeled and quartered
• 18 pearl onions, peeled
• 2 cups celery hearts, cut into 1-inch pieces and parboiled
• 8 clams in their shells, scrubbed clean
• 2 large lobster tails, cut into 1 ½-inch sections
• 8 large sea scallops
• 8 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 pound sole fillet, cut into 2-ounce portions
• 1 pound red snapper fillet, cut into 2-ounce portions
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 ounces dry white wine (such as Chablis)
• Garlic toast, for serving

Instructions

1

Make fish stock by combining the snapper skeleton, celery, onions, and parsley in a large pot. Cover with water and simmer gently for 3 hours. Strain and reserve 2 quarts of the stock.

2

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, combine the fish stock with the tomatoes, pearl onions, parboiled celery, clams, lobster, scallops, shrimp, sole, and red snapper. Add the parsley, oregano, and bay leaves. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 45 minutes, ensuring the seafood is tender and infused with the aromatic broth.

3

During the last 5 minutes of cooking, stir in the dry white wine to brighten the flavors.

4

Serve the bouillabaisse in deep bowls over slices of garlic toast.