Food Talk

DC city dining and cuisine

Around Town: Last Truckaroo of 2016 @ Fairgrounds, 9/16/16

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Truckaroo in DCTruckaroo 2016

Friday, September 16th is your last chance for Truckaroo this year!

The final entry of this monthly food truck festival takes place at the Fairgrounds near Nationals Park.

Get lunch or dinner or a snack or cold treats all day!

There is no Nationals game that day, but still plenty of excuses to get down there. For example, a few interesting food trucks I may consider, include Arepa Zone, Capital Chicken & Waffles (now I want some) and Popped! Republic (also craving popcorn). But there are plenty more options!

Truckaroo 2016 #6
Fairgrounds (M St and Half St SE) near the Nationals Park
Friday, September 16, 2016
11am-11pm
Free Admission (pay for food and beverages)
All ages

List of Food Trucks

Continue Reading

Around Town: International Colombian Festival @ Gallaudet Pavilion, 7/17/16

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Door Medellín, Colombia – come on in. (Photo Credit: Jeremy Bailey)

¡Viva Colombia!

DC will get the chance to indulge in the tastes and sounds of Colombia on Sunday, July 17th.

Come down to the DC (Gallaudet) Pavilion near Union Market for the International Colombian Festival. Colombian music, dancing, art and plenty of tasty food!

The festival will feature a series of bands from Colombia and a beauty pageant.

If it gets anything like Parque Lleras in Medellín, it should be a good time. If the food is anything like bandeja paisa, it should be amazing.

Bandeja paisa
Bandeja paisa

International Colombian Festival 2016
DC (Gallaudet) Pavilion near Union Market (1399 5th St NE, Washington, District of Columbia 20002)
Sunday, July 17
10am-7pm
$15 (VIP $35)
All ages (children under 10 free)

Around Town: Truckaroo #4 @ Fairgrounds, 7/8/16

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Truckaroo DC

Truckaroo is here. 27 food trucks wrangled together in one spot for your eating pleasure!

Friday, July 8th, come down to the Fairgrounds, near Nationals Park, and wade through the myriad of food truck options.

Defeat the humidity with cool sweets at Carmen’s Italian Ice or The Orange Cow. Or come for lunch (opens at 11am) or dinner or a late snack (closes at 11pm). There will be music, games and adult beverages as well.

I’m going to try to make it this time. I’ll likely pick between Urban Poutine and Due South, as two food trucks I have yet to try.

Future Truckaroo dates are August 19 and September 16.

Truckaroo 2016 #4
Fairgrounds (M St and Half St SE) near the Nationals Park
Friday, July 8
11am-11pm
Free Admission (pay for food and beverages)
All ages + dogs

List of Food Trucks

Continue Reading

Around Town: PupusaFest 2016 @ Shrine of the Sacred Heart, 6/26/16

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Pupusa

I don’t know about you, but pupusas are delicious, so anytime I hear the word PupusaFest (coming on Sunday, June 26th), I’m on board. Sadly I’ll be out-of-town, but for those you who aren’t, get there!

I first experienced pupusas in small, neighborhood restaurants in San Salvador, El Salvador in 2005. They served them piping hot for around $.30 each. On the table was a giant jar of curtido (the cabbage slaw) and squeeze bottles of the salsa roja. I ate them all, everyday.

As soon as I returned to DC, I searched for all the places that served them. I eventually settled on Tortilla Cafe (next to Eastern Market) as my go to place. Every few months I get a craving and go back. I know there are many good places in Columbia Heights, but I don’t live near there.

PupusaFest 2016
Shrine of the Sacred Heart (3211 Sacred Heart Way, Washington, DC 20011)
Sunday, June 26, 2016
8am-5pm
Free entry (Three pupusas for $5, cash only)
All ages

Don’t Miss: DC On Tap Beer Festival @ Washington Convention Center, 5/21/16

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Beer

If the opportunity to indulge in three hours of unadulterated beer tasting is presented to you, will you seize it?

This Saturday, May 21st, is the DC On Tap Beer Festival (part of a larger craft beer festival series put on by American On Tap across the country).

Seize the opportunity! You can sample over a 150 beers from more than 80 different breweries, including DC breweries like 3 Stars, Handsome Beer and Atlas Brew Works.

This week (May 16-22) is also American Craft Beer Week, so it is extra apropos that you go.

There will also be food for purchase, live music and a few vendors to peek at while you steel yourself for the next rounds of beer.

Just to whet your appetite a bit, here are just a few of the beers I’ll be targeting:

  • Maine Brewing Company – Mean Old Tom (a mean, old stout with hints of vanilla)
  • Caboose Brewing Company – Saison (they opened in VA about a year ago, and I haven’t tried any of their beers yet)
  • Brewer’s Art – Zeke’s Coffee Porter (should wake me up!)
  • Handsome Beer Company – Strange Charm (a brown ale with a Belgian twist from the newest DC-based brewery – they rent space from other breweries for now)

It may be summer, but I still like them dark.

Buy your tickets now!
America On Tap Craft Beer Festival Series: DC On Tap
Walter E. Washington Convention Center (Exhibit Hall D – Level 2)
May 21
5:00-8:00pm (VIP 4:00-8:00pm)
$45 (VIP $60)
21+

Food Park: Taste of 8th @ Barracks Row, 5/7/16

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Taste of 8th

Come down to Barracks Row on Saturday, May 7th for the annual Taste of 8th food festival.

Local restaurants will serve samples (for $5) of their best or newest dishes.

Newer restaurants like Souk and Pineapple and Pearls will be serving, along with classics like Matchbox, Bayou Bakery, Lavagna, Belga Cafe and many more.

Get your tickets here.

Taste of 8th
Barracks Row (8th St SE)
Saturday, May 7
1-4pm
$5 per taste (or $20 for five)
All ages

Food Park: Return of Truckaroo @ Fairgrounds, 4/15/16

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Red Hook Lobster Pound Food TruckRed Hook Lobster Pound Food Truck

Food trucks have definitely lost a step in the popularity department over the last couple years. The hipsters have moved on to the new, shiny thing and now food trucks are ‘simply there’, serving good food (most of the time) and acting as a proper business.

Once a month in the summer, over 20 food trucks circle together in the Fairgrounds space near Nationals Park to dish up some of the best in DC’s food truck options. There is also live music, adult beverages and games like cornhole.

Open from 11am to 11pm, it’s good for lunch, happy hour and dinner!

Some notable tasty food trucks:

  • CapMac
  • Peruvian Brothers
  • Korean BBQ Taco Box
  • Surfside

Food trucks I may need to try:

  • Tacos Matadores
  • Urban Poutine (Oh Canada, help us get on the cheese curds and gravy truck…err train)
  • Due South

See the full food truck list here.

 

Truckaroo 2016
Fairgrounds (M St and Half St SE) near the Nationals Park
Friday, April 15
11am-11pm
Free Admission (pay for food and beverages)
All ages

Around Town: Drink the District’s Hoppy Holidays Beer Festival @ The Ring Building, 12/11 & 12/12/15

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Drink the District's Hoppy Holidays

With more than 30 beers and ciders on hand for you to enjoy and make merry with, it’s a no brainer not to regale yourself at one of the three Hoppy Holidays Beer Festival sessions hosted by Drink the District.

It’s indoors, at the top floor of the Ring Building in Dupont (1200 18th St NW), so no need to worry about the frosty elements. Worry instead about the frosty glass you can use to partake in as many two oz pours of delicious beer as possible over the span of three hours.

Breweries include Elysian, Devil’s Backbone, Victory, Bluepoint, Rogue, Schlafly and many more!

There will also be vendors, including food, like Rito Loco, District Doughnut and The Bacon Jams (mmmm, bacon).

Buy tickets here.

 

Drink the District’s Hoppy Holidays Beer Festival
The Ring Building (1200 18th St NW, Top Floor)
December 11 (7-10pm)
December 12 (2-5pm and 7-10pm )
$35 ($50 at the door)
21+

Around Town: 2015 Hilly Award Winners

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Bayou Bakery

The 2015 edition of the Hilly Awards took place last weekend, November 7th. This annual event celebrates Capitol Hill businesses. This year had 22 winning businesses.

Much like last year, Rose’s Luxury won Best Restaurant.

And a new edition to the Hill Center on Pennsylvania Avenue SE, Bayou Bakery, won Best Bakery. The space is great and the beignets and muffalettas are quite good.

 

BEST BAR/TAVERN
Tunnicliff’s

BEST COFFEE SHOP
Peregrine

BEST RESTAURANT
Rose’s Luxury

BEST BAKERY
Bayou Bakery

See all the Hilly Award winners.

Don’t Miss: The Emporiyum DC @ Union Market (Dock 5), 11/14 & 11/15/15

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EmporiyumYou can eat THIS!

Food. One word is all it takes to get most of us excited.

It might be a particular cuisine or style or dish (of the moment), but just the thought of it will cause you to perk right up.

Well, you are luck. No matter what you’re jonesing for at this particular moment, they are sure to have it at The Emporiyum at Union Market on Saturday, November 14th and Sunday, November 15th.

Over 75 vendors will offer some delicious food option for you to sample. And drinks I guess. And maybe some shopping if that’s what you’re in to.

But really, go for the food!

 

The Emporiyum DC
Dock 5 @ Union Market
Saturday, November 14 and Sunday, November 15
10:00am-3:00pm (depending on ticket)
$15 (1:00pm Entry), $25 (11:00am Entry), $40 (VIP, 10:00am Entry)
All ages