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Dish of the Week
Whole Roasted Lamb
For many Washingtonians, the bloom of the cherry blossoms signals the changing of the seasons. But for outdoor food fans, nothing says spring quite like a weekend full of outdoor food festivals. The whiff of grilled pork, charcoal, and butane filling the air, styrofoam plates piled high with pad thai, pupusas, and eggplant parmesan; you can walk, eat, and drink your way clear into next week.
Taste of Arlington expects to see 12,000 people descend on Ballston this Sunday to sample dishes from 45 restaurants. Advance ticket sales ended today, but you can buy tickets for $2 a pop at the festival. Chains and corporate eateries will abound, but be sure to catch local gems like Willow, Tallula, the new Alexandria outpost of Hank’s Oyster Bar, and last year’s "Best of the Best" winner, Sangam Restaurant.
Also Sunday, Taste of Wheaton promises a more likely venue to get your meat on a stick fix. The festival celebrates the bounty of bargain ethnic joints that have found a home in Wheaton, where the portion sizes are generous and cost a mere $1 each. Salvadoran restaurants dominate the landscape, with a healthy amount of Vietnamese, Chinese, Italian, American, and Thai spots peppered in. Start off in Wheaton, where the festival runs from 11-5 p.m., then roll yourself down to Arlington where a 7:30 p.m. end time gives your eyes and stomach plenty of time to recover and find dinner.
And if you’re not such a fan of meat on a stick, how about lamb on a spit? The annual Greek Festival at Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral runs from noon - 9 p.m. all weekend. You can get your fill of souvlaki, feta burgers, loukoumades, baklava, and more starting today. But whole roasted lamb is Saturday and Sunday only.
Photo by dklimke
Those looking for “an American craft beer & food experience” can try to get in to SAVOR, taking place this weekend downtown at the Mellon Auditorium. But tickets were only available in advance and all 700 tickets per session are sold out. Check craig to try to score last minute tickets. But if scalped tickets and neighborhood festivals aren’t your thing, tickets are still available for the Food & Wine Festival going on all weekend at the National Harbor. A weekend long clambake, an opening demonstration by Michel Richard, and an open flame cast-iron cook-off headline the event, which also features presenting chefs, restaurants, and lecturers, expert panels, and wine tastings galore.
And finally, those out of town this weekend need not miss out on all the fun. Celebrating ten years in the neighborhood, the Verizon Center hosts its Taste of Ten Luncheon on Wednesday from 12 - 2 p.m. A $10 entrance donation will allow you to taste six of the 29 participating establishments. Proceeds benefit the Washington Sports & Entertainment Charities. Can’t afford a meal at The Source? Here’s a chance to taste what Scott Drewno is cooking up in the Newseum - for $1.66! At that price, it may be worth using a few of your tickets for samples from Wolfgang’s new eatery. Just save room for Jaleo, Matchbox, Morton’s, and Zaytinya.
Small Bites
Musical Coffeehouse Chairs
Cozy coffee shop 14U is shuttered with a sign on their door “awaiting new management.” But 14th And You is suspicious whether they're ever reopening. Filling the void just one block south is Café Collage, an Ethiopian coffee house in a residential space on T Street, which had temporarily closed. Lucky for java fans! Unlucky for T Street residents? Eastern market coffee fans may be happy to know that the former Murky space won't be straying too far from the family. Former Murky manager Ryan Jensen has acquired the lease for the storefront and plans to reopen under the name Peregrine Espresso.
Sushi and Tatertots
Ever had a hankering for sushi with a side of tater tots (with special tot sauce). No? Well, Sticky Rice DC is betting they can make you come around. The American/Pan-Asian eatery promises a “charming atmosphere and bad attitude”—and inexpensive prices to boot. They will be the latest business to set up shop on H Street NE when they open—reportedly on Tuesday, May 20. Vegetarians can dine on Tofu Max, The Hot Hippy, and G.I. Jane. Frozen Tropics has more info, pictures, and specials.
Death by Chocolate
Co Co. Sala, D.C.’s boldest entry yet in the world of dessert dining, is now open for business in Penn Quarter. It’s a chocolate lounge and, while twelve savory small bites top the menu, the experience is really about the Monde Du Chocolat. Nisha Sidhu, formerly of 2941 in Falls Church, has created four sets of chocolate tasting menus, each with elixir pairings. And don’t forget the hot and frozen chocolate flights.
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i am from richmond, va, where the original sticky rice is, and just a warning: their sushi is not very good. actually, their food in general is not very good, but it is a very popular bar in richmond where all the tattooed kids hang out. their tater tots and tot sauce, however, were always very good. so if you go, i suggest you go for drinks and tots.
thanks for letting us know about these festivals. i live about 3 blocks from where the Taste of Arlington will be, and now i know not to try and move my car. parking in the neighborhood is a bitch to start with. i hope the patrons are smart and either park in the mall (cheaper than a ticket!) or just take metro.
Saint Sophia's Greek fest is a blast. Took the whole monkey family there last year and had a ball. Made a spectacle of ourselves on the spit roasted lamb, souvlaki, Greek beer, and a rogues gallery of pastries in the church basement. Parking can be a pain in the ass, so get there early. And the vendors are really cool. Baby Monkey got tons of free loot, including a blue glass amulet to ward off the evil eye.