Some Members of Congress are taking time to balance work and play during the otherwise mundane lame-duck session — several were spotted kicking back around town Wednesday night.

HOH spied several Members hobnobbing at Capitol Hill hot spot the Monocle for the restaurant’s 50th anniversary celebration. That’s where House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer admitted he often spent time during his younger years for a reason that any Hill intern would understand.

The Maryland Democrat, who was among those who shared stories about the restaurant, recalled hanging out there in the early 1960s. The reason he loved the restaurant so much? His friend’s father had a tab at the bar.

“We were two kids that were in great shape,” he said with a laugh, drawing huge cheers from the crowd. “It was a place where we could feel comfortable.”

Also on hand: Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Reps. Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.) and Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.).

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Hill, Reps. John Larson (D-Conn.), Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) and Christopher Murphy (D-Conn.) toasted military members at a reception at the Library of Congress hosted by the Newman’s Own Foundation. Adm. Mike Mullen spoke at the event, praising men and women in uniform.

But he also noted he’s a big fan of the late actor Paul Newman, who founded the charity. “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” the Oscar-winning song famously featured in Newman’s 1969 flick “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” was Mullen’s wedding song, he revealed.

Across town, an HOH spy eyed GOP Sens. Jim DeMint (S.C.), Tom Coburn (Okla.) and John Ensign (Nev.) and former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) dining at Central Michel Richard. And Members weren’t the only ones out on the town Wednesday night: “Top Chef: All Stars” contestants Mike Isabella and Spike Mendelsohn were spotted kicking back at Mendelsohn’s Capitol Hill restaurant We, the Pizza, where they caught the season premiere of their show.