Mother Nature tried her best; but even
she couldn't dampen the mood at the fourth annual
Taste of DC along Pennsylvania Avenue earlier today. Day one was a huge hit, with hundreds (seemingly thousands) waiting in line to try delicious tastes from 70 local restaurants and food trucks (we managed to hit four ourselves, with more on the horizon tomorrow.) Live music (on two stages) and
Ben's Chili Bowl World Chili Eating Championship (won by competitive eater extraordinaire
Joey Chestnut) only added to the fun. Taste of DC continues tomorrow at noon (through 7:00 PM) with clear skies in the forecast.
In case you missed it, Chestnut won the Ben's Chili Bowl contest by scarfing down 1.875
gallons of chili, just ahead of last year's champion
Bob Shoudt (1.625 gallons) and
Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas 1.1875. It was Chestnut's second overall title (he won the inaugural contest in 2011) and solidifies his hold on the #1 world ranking, according to the
International Federation of Competitive Eating (yes, there's such a thing.) I may never eat chili again. Speaking of eating, I managed to squeeze some in (without the pressure of competition.) Scroll down to read some of our mini-reviews. Check back later for day two summaries: Fingers crossed for short lines at
The Carolina Kitchen and today's most popular destination Latin Grill. I'm getting hungry all over again.
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| Free Hummus, courtesy of Sabra |
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| Abe the Matador! |
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| George and Abe pose with fans |
District Doughnut: Two bucks for a
mini doughnut is steep; but DD's
Brown Butter (cinnamon dough, tossed in cinnamon sugar with brown butter icing) is mighty tasty, and darn nice to look at too. Truth be told, it
could be one of the best doughnuts in DC. This calls for further investigation: A trip to 749 8th Street, SE for a full-size version, appears to be in order.
Carving Room: Great set-up (order taker in
front of the stand = smart) and best menu card, by a country mile. I wanted to order all four items, but stuck to a $1
Cigar (fried spring roll, stuffed with Moroccan spiced ground beef) and a delicious
Mini Corned Beef ($5, 21-day wet cure on rye with mustard and a thick pickle on top.) The sandwich was amazing, but pricey for basically 1/4 of a $12 sandwich without fries or slaw. The good news? I can't wait to visit their
brick & mortar home near Mount Vernon Square.
Sophie's Cuban Cuisine: Three cheers for not raising prices (each empanada costs $2) and a standing ovation for serving 'em
HOT! These full-sized treats ranked as the day's best value, and the
Beef Patty... the day's best bite. Wish I could say the same for the
Chicken Patty, but shredded, zestless chicken isn't my idea of tasty (stick to chunks
please.) Not quite on par with
Panas, but delicious all the same.
Tapas Truck: I'm not a big fan of food trucks; but $3 for a sample size
Corn Fritters (Sweet Corn Nuggets, served with Cilantro Lime Sauce) was too good a deal, to pass on. Great crunch, and I love the presentation (a la an ice cream cone) but be careful of the sauce, which overwhelms the fritters (especially on top.) It's applied generously, and adds a bit too much tartness for its own good. Cut the sauce in half, and we're talking a home run. Super fast (and friendly) service too. I can't wait to try the
Shrimp Pil-Pil tomorrow ($9 with Garlic Fries.)
