Recap: Taste of DC 2015

Recap: Taste of DC 2015

This past Sunday I ventured to the Taste of DC, an annual 2-day food festival which takes over a good portion of Pennsylvania Avenue in the Northwest corridor of the District. Over 50 D.C. area restaurants and food trucks participated this year, with samples ranging from $2-$8. There were Asian, Italian, and American cuisines present, and even Ethiopian and Jamaican restaurants participating. The festival included a wine walk, music stage, beer garden, a culinary stage, and novelties like oversized beer pong, giant Jenga, a Stella Artois gif booth & a slew of food trucks.

Stella Gif Booth

WHAT I ATE

Here’s the rundown:

1. I started off with Korean fried chicken from Oki Bowl. I’ve never been there but plan to go soon to try one of their rice bowls.

Korean Fried Chicken

2. Next I tried the bulgogi from Kogiya Korean BBQ. I still am not sure what the white doughy things were, but the bulgogi was good.

Bulgogi

3. Pinch Dumplings had some hearty dumplings. They offer lamb, chicken, pork, vegetarian, vegan and crab dumplings at their Pennsylvania Avenue location.  I tasted the chicken and beef…two thumbs up.

Dumplings

4. I moved on from Asian to Cuban. Sophie’s Cuban Cuisine had a great curry chicken empanada that was branded with the restaurant’s name…cute and tasty.

Empanada

5. My favorite by far was the ByU Crunch rito, a sushi burrito from Rolls By U. It was filled with shrimp tempura, crab, guacamole, tempura flakes, sriracha aioli, lettuce and cucumber. It was filling, tasty and refreshing all in one. Sadly, they’re only in Arlington, so I may just stick to some of the other sushi hand roll eateries in D.C. (hi Buredo, hi Maki Shop).

ByU Crunch rito

6. Honorable mention goes to the smoked chicken wing from Old Glory BBQ, and the lobster roll from Willie T’s Lobster Shack that was more roll than lobster.

Lobster Roll

THE GOOD

There was food… lots of food. This is a great event for D.C. newcomers who want to figure out what the city has to offer. If you’re a local, it’s a great opportunity to discover new restaurants that have popped up, as they do often in the District.

The festival was also the debut of BuzzBar, a boozy ice cream company. The frozen treats were infused with your staple liquors: rum, whiskey, tequila, vodka, and cognac, which made the line insane. I regret not trying one now but the price ($8 a bar) and the wait made me think twice. Hopefully a store will pop up in D.C. soon, as I’m sure we could all appreciate the booze/ice cream mix any time of year.

BuzzBar Menu

THE NOT SO GOOD

So about this $20 ticket you had to purchase for entry. Were the proceeds going to repaving Pennsylvania Avenue when the festival was done? Did it go to the completion of the Capitol’s renovations? The people want to know. In all seriousness though, the ticket got you a complimentary beverage (if you chose the white wine it was definitely Moscato) and a free rice bowl from ShopHouse Kitchen, the Southeast Asian branch of Chipotle.

MY VERDICT

Go next year if you have a full day to eat and don’t mind spending extra on drink tickets too. I spent 3 hours out there, and you can see the small selection of samples I got through with the help of my sister. If you’re a D.C. foodie this event might not be that impressive to you but it’s still an opportunity to discover something new.

For more information on Taste of DC visit TheTasteofDC.org.

– Nyasha Chikowore

Hotel Review: Cambridge House Bed and Breakfast

Well, the Cambridge House Bed and Breakfast (112 High Street, Cambridge, Maryland 21613) isn’t a hotel, but I did stay there while exploring Dorchester County, Maryland.  In all of my travels, surprisingly, I’ve never stayed at a bed and breakfast.  So I was excited this would be my first time, yet I was unsure about exactly what to expect.

This was also my mother’s first time staying at a bed and breakfast, so she was a little hesitant when she learned we’d be staying at the Cambridge House.  Nevertheless, we decided it’d be a new experience for us both and found solace in the fact that we’d only be staying for one night if it turned out to be less than stellar. Luckily, our fears were completely unfounded. We enjoyed our stay and I’m happy to report that my first bed and breakfast experience was a great one.

PROS

Location

Cambridge House is perfectly situated near downtown Cambridge.  You can leave your car parked and walk a short distance to plenty of restaurants and shops. They have a small gravel parking lot in the back if you don’t want to park on the street, but there’s plenty of street parking available.  It’s also quite close to the waterfront, so you’re able to take a morning stroll and visit the Choptank River Lighthouse.

Clean

Since I didn’t have the greatest experience with my first Airbnb stay, I was most worried about the room’s and bathroom’s cleanliness.  We stayed on the first floor in the Governor’s Room.  The room was perfectly clean and tidy, and the bathroom was spick and span.  Whew!  It’s also worth noting that the Cambridge House has their own line of soaps and shampoos if you’ve left yours at home.

Our room even had a door leading to an outside patio, where there was a table for two to enjoy passersby.

Great Breakfast

Breakfast was served between 8:30 – 9:30 a.m.  I was expecting a buffet, but to my pleasant surprise, all guests were served individually by the innkeepers at the dining room tables.  They offered water, coffee, and various types of teas and juices.  We started breakfast with sliced apples topped with a homemade cranberry compote.  Then we were served homemade blueberry pancakes with a side of crispy bacon.  It was so good that I ate everything on my plate…which is also why I don’t have any pictures.  I ate too fast!  Oops.

Since we were among the first guests to arrive at breakfast, we sat at the larger dining room table with a couple visiting from Pennsylvania.  The other two guest couples came down a little later and while they sat at the two adjacent tables, the whole dining room evolved into one big conversation.  I enjoyed talking to and learning more about the other guests and what brought them to Cambridge.  This is an experience you don’t typically get at a hotel and actually turned out to be my favorite part about staying at the Cambridge House.

Friendly Innkeepers

The owners and innkeepers, Jim and Marianne Benson, were very accommodating and friendly.  They immediately welcomed us with open arms and gave us tips on what to see and do while visiting Cambridge.  I learned that they were world travelers in their past life before deciding to operate the Cambridge House.  Jim and Marianne also have an active and friendly dog, Max, who made it feel like a real home.

CONS

Noisy Neighbors

The only con is that you may have noisy upstairs neighbors if you stay on the bottom floor.  It wasn’t really bothersome to me because I’m not a light sleeper, but my mother was slightly perturbed by our upstairs neighbors pacing the floor at 3 a.m.  But that’s no fault of the B&B and I imagine it doesn’t happen very often.

Other Things to Know:

• There’s a hot tub on the porch to enjoy during warmer months.
• There’s free wi-fi.
• They have DVDs, CDs, games and books if you need to entertain yourself.
• There is cable television in each room, which is always a plus in my book.
• There was a guest refrigerator that we were able to put our leftovers in, which really came in handy.

OVERALL RATING: 5 out of 5 cocktails

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at the Cambridge House Bed and Breakfast and highly recommend booking a stay if you’re visiting Cambridge.  My mother also enjoyed her stay and said it opened her eyes to hotel alternatives.  I think staying at the Cambridge House will positively contribute to your overall experience in the quaint and friendly town.  Tell them we sent you!

While this trip was hosted by Dorchester County Tourism, all opinions are my own.