William H. Sullivan to Duke Zeibert, May 10, 1967
Washington’s booming dining scene owes its start to the personalities and cultures that pepper its past. That’s why the RAMMYs – D.C.’s restaurant awards – names its top prize after Duke Zeibert, a legendary restaurant owner beloved by politicians and celebrities alike. His downtown establishment, Duke Zeibert’s Restaurant, was famed for its Jewish comfort food and the charisma of Zeibert himself, who floated among tables, never forgetting a name. The dining experience at Zeibert’s so impressed Billy Sullivan, owner of the Boston (now New England) Patriots, that he wrote this heartfelt thank you letter after announcing pre-season games against the Washington Redskins and then-Baltimore Colts in 1967.
