Wandering Foodie on the Loose in D.C.
Don’t get in Hagan Blount’s way this weekend if you run into him in a D.C. bar or restaurant. He’s got mouths to feed—or more accurately, one mouth, 24 times: his own. Blount, who blogs under the name “Wandering Foodie,” is invading D.C. this weekend in an attempt to test 24 of the area’s eateries in 24 hours. He performed a similar feat in Boston last month—video footage available here and here—and has now been scouting D.C. for the better part of the last two weeks: testing routes, interviewing fellow foodies, and talking with some of D.C. food industry insiders. Some of his interview footage is already posted here.
Blount, for whom food was just a hobby until recently, is a recovering mortgage industry salesperson who decided to become a full-time foodie after the mortgage market crashed in 2008. He toyed with law school, he told DCist in a phone interview last week, but then he realized that what he really wanted to do was “eat a bunch of food and travel.” He started out blogging about beer during a motorcycle trip around Costa Rica, but upon his return, decided to focus more on food because “I think it might have made me a bit of an alcoholic,” he jokes.
24 in 24 was born out of his desire to establish himself as a household name in travel and food writing. Now based in Las Vegas, he started in Boston because he recently lived there—before that, he lived in various places around the D.C. area for almost 10 years. “Food and travel have always been two of my passions,” he said. “And I’m not going to stop doing what I’m doing until I’m a food personality.” Or perhaps, until he runs out of cash? Blount admitted he’s currently sinking his savings into the Wandering Foodie endeavor. He also includes a charitable factor in planning these trips—for the D.C. trip, he’s raising money for the Capital Area Food Bank.
This weekend, whether you’re out and about in D.C., Virginia or Maryland, you have a good chance of bumping into Blount, as he’s got local joints in all three areas on his list. His route is ambitious however—from Etete in the U St. Corridor to Ray’s Hell Burger in Rosslyn during the lunch hour? Could be tight. Citronelle in Georgetown to the Capitol Lounge between 8 and 9 p.m. on Saturday night? Good luck. Ditto for Perry’s drag brunch in under an hour—those entertainers aren’t likely to let Blount off that easily.
Here’s his full itinerary. See any favorite spots he’s missing? Any other items that are going to require miracles of modern transportation and traffic to accomplish? Leave your thoughts in the comments.
Saturday, September 12th
5:00 a.m. - The Diner
6:00 - Afterwords
7:00 - Peregrine Espresso
8:00 - Market Lunch
9:00 - Busboys & Poets
10:00 - Florida Avenue Grill
11:00 - Perry's DQ Brunch
12:00 p.m.- Old Ebbitt Grill
1:00 - Etete
2:00 - Ray's Hell Burger
3:00 - Fojol Brothers
4:00 - 2 Amys
5:00 - Zatinya
6:00 - Makoto
7:00 - Cashion's Eat Place
8:00 - Citronelle
9:00 - Capitol Lounge
10:00 - The Gibson
11:00 - Brickskeller
Sunday, September 13th
12:00 - Adams Morgan
1:00 - 18th Street Lounge
2:00 - Ben's Chili Bowl
3:00 - Tangier
4:00 - Amsterdam Falafelshop