Washington DC Eats
Because of the cold weather in DC, we generally ate at restaurants near our hotel. But we did venture further a few times for some memorable meals.
Steve, Amy and I dined at Dōgon, the newest restaurant by James Beard “Rising Star Chef” Kwame Onwuachi. Scoring hard-to-get restaurant reservations is one of Steve’s superpowers, and the three of us had enjoyed a memorable meal at Chef Kwame’s Tatiana in NYC earlier in the year.
Dōgon was in the beautiful Salamander Washington DC Hotel. The Afro-Caribbean dishes were terrific! I especially loved the Hoe Crab: I could construct each bite, putting flavorful fresh crab on a fluffy mini-pancake and topping it with shito crunch and verde sauce. The Curry Branzino was amazing, too.
BUT. Our table was so dark that my enjoyment of the meal was dimmed (pun intended). I already feel a bit rude taking photos of my food at restaurants; I refuse to do so with flash, so Amy did the honors. The Cornbread was just as delicious as Tatiana’s, but the Piri Piri Salad was disappointingly one-note. And I admire Chef Kwame’s rags-to-riches life story, but his restaurants are very exclusive and expensive. I wish he would share his culinary genius in more affordable ways that reach more people. I expect more generosity from a chef who was once a troubled kid in the Bronx.
When visiting DC, we must always dine at one of Chef José Andrés’s restaurants. We took the whole family to Oyamel for Mexican cuisine. Naturally, we had plenty of Salt Air Margaritas; the pitchers were accompanied by bowls of salt foam. I loved the Gazpacho Estilo Morelia, a refreshing salad of pineapple, jicama, cucumber, and queso fresco, dusted with chili pepper. I even tasted chapulines (grasshoppers)! They were sautéed with shallots and tequila and served as a taco, topped with fresh guacamole. I’m glad I tried them, but one bite was plenty.
Another must-do dining experience in DC is brunch. Unconventional Diner was perfect for us; the menu offered comfort food with global variety and a modern twist. It was easy for everyone to find something they loved.
During our short stay at the historic Mayflower Hotel, we enjoyed breakfast at Edgar, named after FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, who dined there every day. The signature dish was banana bread, lightly sautéed to a crisp and served with whipped butter and sea salt.
Finally, there was Founding Farmers, which was right near our hotel. We usually avoid chain restaurants, preferring to patronize independent, locally owned spots. But Founding Farmers is a regional chain “with a conscience” that we were happy to support. The company is owned by family farmers and focuses on locally sourced ingredients, food and drink made from scratch on site, sustainability, and community. With such cold weather, we were thankful to have delicious, healthy food just a few minutes’ walk from us. The traditional Thanksgiving Day meal is popular at Founding Farmers; the restaurant near our hotel served 10,000 diners that day!
