DC Eats – where we ate in the District…and a little out…
One of the best things about traveling is getting to experience lots of new places to eat. It’s always a goal of mine to avoid any “Kansas” restaurants and visit lots of local places while away from home. In D.C. we tried to hit some local haunts or at least places they don’t have anywhere near the Emporia area.
1. Our first restaurant was in the Woodley Park/Adams Morgan neighborhood. “Hot n Juicy Crawfish” was the name of the restaurant and it was a great first place to visit. The restaurant features many different seasoning options as well as spice level options. We decided to go for “The Drool” which came with crawfish, shrimp, crab, andouille sausage, corn, potatoes and calamari. Our waiter told us that we should go for the Hot n Juicy Special seasoning and we chose a “medium” on the heat scale. The meal was great! Especially traveling with some “newbie” teachers – it was fun to bond over “The Drool!”
2. Several people had told me that I needed to try “Pizzeria Paridiso” while I was in DC. This pizzeria (with locations around D.C) was a journey to find – sometimes a regular old map does a lot better job than a smartphone. We went to the one near Dupont Circle, and they had some amazing pizze (their spelling). The pizza is made in a wood-burning stove and the dough was simply amazing. The ingredients they put on top were excellent quality. I really enjoyed my experience and was glad for the recommendations that took us there! I ordered the Bosco which had Paradiso Tomato, Spinach, Mozzarella, Mushrooms and Red Onions for toppings – so good!
3. We spent a little time in the Georgetown area (and I LOVED all of the row houses and cute little shops. Our restaurant destination in Georgetown was “Clyde’s.” Known as one of the restaurants that made M Street the shopping and dining destination of NW D.C., Clyde’s was another winner for us! Each room in the restaurant was decorated in different ways. We were in the plane room – other rooms included the train room, the car room and the sports memorabilia room. I was going to go with a burger (because I’d been craving one) but I couldn’t pass up the Linguini and Clams. The seafood was amazing and there was so much of it!
4. If you’re looking for a quick bite to eat (and you’re close to Capitol Hill) the West Wing Cafe is a winner. We wanted a quick bite and this place offered many different sandwiches, salads and soups. I was leaning towards getting a sandwich, but then I saw the sushi and I couldn’t pass it up. It was VERY reasonably priced and if we would have had a little more time, it would have been cool to grab the bite to eat and then go out and eat on the steps of the Capitol. Perfect quick lunch spot!
5. Our last destination was a spur of the moment option. None of us had been to Maryland…and it just so happens that it’s a quick metro trip to Maryland. We decided to go ahead and visit College Park, home of the University of Maryland, because we wanted to see what the college atmosphere was. What a great side trip. We all felt so at home with actual houses WITH lawns. After chatting with some students in the area around the campus, we could out that Looney’s Pub was the place to go for some good old Maryland grub. We were told we should get a Boh-Tini (which is Natty Boh with an Old Bay rim) and then they also suggested the Crab Cakes…let me tell you, the choice of Crab Cakes was a great decision. SO GOOD…the best crab cakes I’ve ever had. Maryland gets an A+ from me!
I was pretty happy with all of our restaurant choices while in D.C. – it was a great part of the trip.
the seeds you plant. 