This election season, the electorate is hungry for change. Or perhaps we’re just hungry. As the presidential campaign enters its home stretch, area bars and restaurants are rolling out election-themed eats and drinks. Around town you can eat a sushi roll or hamburger that represents your favorite candidate; drink a martini that represents your true political color; watch a debate while dining on Undecider Sliders and sipping an On The Fence martini. While seasoned campaigners know that true election eats more closely resemble donuts, cold pizza, and stale beer, you members of the Washington elite may toast your status with a Blue Donkey or Red Elephant.

The Source
The “Chicago-Style” Half-Smokes at The Source top our list as D.C.’s most distinctive and distinguished election eat. The quintessential Windy City dish is simultaneously given the D.C. and the haute cuisine treatment. A housemade rendition of the Vienna Beef dog, flecked with fat and bits of red pepper, is cradled in a fresh baked, poppy seed-dotted brioche bun. The brioche is dense while moist, rich but not overly buttery, and is almost as good as the dog, which is better than any you’ll find in D.C. The pickled jalapeno slice (standing in for a sport pepper) that runs the length of the dog adds a spicy kick. And the dog is completed by the traditional Chicago-style toppings: tomato, relish, and house made deli-style mustard, though celery salt is conspicuously absent.

Where the “haute” dogs show the sophistication of a Harvard Law grad, Arizona-inspired Baby Back Ribs show the grit of a naval aviator. In a story we’ve all heard before, the ribs make it through a tough, formative eight hours of braising and a run-in with a flash fryer. However, they make it out seasoned and prepared to be slathered in honey-chipotle sauce (which makes quite the mess for such a high-end establishment). After a distinguished career, they’re ready for the presidency. Er…ready to be stacked on a white plate and sucked to the bone. Obama’s half smokes and McCain’s ribs cost $14 a plate. That’s almost $5 a dog. But what a dog.