You'll find restaurants with note-worthy chefs at the helm including Jose Andres, host of PBS' "Made in Spain," and James Beard Award Winner Eric Ziebold of CityZen. You'll also see on the scene fresh faces like Top Chef Finalists Carla Hall and Spike Mendelson with the likes of the bubbly Elli Benchimol at Zola Wine & Kitchen (of Stir Food Group). With DC chefs finding celebrity on national TV, restaurants placing focus on all things green and a First Family sampling all that DC’s culinary scene has to offer, there’s no better time to visit the nation’s capital.
Above: Elli Benchimol lounging at Zola Wine & Kitchen. Below right: Julia's Kitchen at the American History Museum and Eric Ziebold of CityZen.
FOODIES ON FOOT
Moveable Feast: This 3-hour nibble-and-nosh culinary tour offered by guide Washington Walks celebrates the locally grown and locally invented. We’ll stay on the move, serving up some of our favorite tales of gastronomic history along the way -- from the inaugural party turned food fight to Mrs. Terrell’s quiet milestone in civil rights. Our territory covers the heart of downtown, where nary a suit in the lunch-hour crowd realizes he’s swarming in DC’s former market neighborhood. These days think bubble tea, ginger scones and coffee roasted only a stone’s throw away.
DC Metro Food Tours: This tour guide company specializes in foodie-focused tours that tend to concentrate on Capitol Hill in the District and Old Town Alexandria just outside the city. Explore Eastern Market, a grand and historic food market on the Hill in their Foods of Eastern Market Tour, opt for food tours of either the Hill or Old Town, or celebrate the end of a long day of sightseeing with a pub crawl.
HIP & HUNGRY GETAWAY TO DC
Looking for a little inspiration? Destination DC and Bon Appétit magazine teamed up with experienced tour company epitourean.com to offer Hip & Hungry Getaways to DC. They can help build a custom culinary visit to DC that fits your desires, budget and timeframe - including lodging, city tours, cooking classes and all the right restaurant reservations.
WELCOME TO JULIA'S KITCHEN, REALLY
The popular blog, book and subsequent popular summer movie Julie & Julia all ended with the same reward – a trip to Smithsonian's National Museum of American History to see Julia Child’s kitchen. Savor a tour of her legendary Cambridge, Massachusetts kitchen that was donated to the Smithsonian. Explore videos, cookbooks, gadgets and utensils to gain insight into Julia’s great passion for food and for life.
FRESH FROM THE FARM...AND THE WHITE HOUSE GARDEN
DC has been home to pioneers in the organic and sustainable movements for years. Nora Pouillon was the first certified organic restaurant in the United States right here in 1999 (Restaurant Nora), and Ann Yonkers has been spreading the “gospel” of FRESHFARM food at markets that have now sprouted in neighborhoods across the city. But this year marked a special milestone in this movement, when First Lady Michelle Obama worked with her White House staff to create the first edible garden at the White House since the Victory Gardens in the 1940s. Check out the video above for an inside look.
DC'S WINE COUNTRY
Head out of town for the afternoon to sip around DC’s Wine Country. Just 25 miles outside of DC, Loudoun County boasts more than 20 boutique wineries, rolling hills, meandering stone walls, horse country and historic towns. Sit back and enjoy the ride, and contact Reston Limousine to take in one of their organized tours visiting several wineries or they can build one just to your liking.
HUNGRY FOR MORE?
If we’ve whet our appetite for DC’s dining scene, we recommend several other sites and blogs for more a more in-depth coverage:
Best Bites Blog - from Washingtonian magazine
The Washington Post - olnline food section of The Washington Post with reviews, blogs, more
Metrocurean - smart blog on local restaurant buzz and local happenings
Capital Spice - a blog on cooking, eating and drinking arond the capital
The List Are You on It - a buzz-worthy site with restaurant openings, events, more
DC Foodies - a blog about eating out, restaurants and events
Dishing It Out - a weekly radio show on WTOP covering the culinary capital
