Food Lovers’ Guide to Washington, D.C.

It was such a pleasure to receive Beth Kanter’s new book! A fun and informative book about where to eat (and drink) in our nation’s capital! I am thrilled and honored that she mentions my food writing class in her book.

GIVEAWAY: We are giving away a copy of this lovely book to one lucky winner. To enter: Leave a comment here and please share the word of this giveaway with your friends! I will pick a random winner on Feb 16^th 2012.

I was lucky enough to be able to do a brief interview with Beth:

1. Why did you decide to write this book?

I was lucky enough to be approached by my wonderful editor at Globe Pequot Press to write the Food Lovers’ Guide to Washington, D.C. We had worked together on my first book, Day Trips from Washington, D.C, and she called me to say that she wanted to expand what was then the small but very successful Food Lovers’ series to include Washington. She asked if I would take it on and I jumped at the chance. I love writing about D.C. and found it to be a natural extension of the other travel writing I do about my hometown. I am happy to say the series is no longer small but still is very successful.

2. Tell me what the process was like….

The first step was coming up with the approach. I knew I wanted the book to be more than just restaurant listings. I created an outline and a table of contents based on the idea that Food Lovers’ Guide to Washington, D.C. would be a guidebook steered by the sense of taste. I wanted to show how you could use food to experience the city so I decided to include chapters on volunteering with food, cultural food experiences, underground supper clubs, home delivery services, markets, classes for foodies, etc. Of course, the book also includes all the chapters you’d expect to find in a food guide like breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner and dessert although those chapters are arranged by experience, too.

After the organization of the book was set, it was really just a lot of old-fashioned reporting. I talked to a ton of people – chefs, owners, diners, friends, friends of friends, and people on the street. I spent a lot of time wandering neighborhoods, browsing farmers markets, scoping out menus, checking food truck Twitter feeds, exploring shops, and, of course, tasting.  I often found that much like with newspaper reporting, I had to be open to where the reporting took the story.

3.  Tell me about a place you discovered as a result of your research that you did not previously know about?

I had heard a lot about food trucks but for some reason I was really resistant to the idea before I started writing the book. Now I am a food truck evangelical. I particularly love CapMac (capmacdc.com), Sixth & Rye (twitter.com/sixthandrye), and TaKorean (takorean.com).

The good people at Hill’s Kitchen tipped me off to the fact that nearby Seventh Hill Pizza makes incredible sandwiches on its pizza dough, an idea whose time has come. Hill’s Kitchen (www.hillskitchen.com/) and Seventh Hill Pizza (http://www.montmartredc.com/seventhhill/) both rank as great finds.

4. I have to ask – most favorite, family-friendly place to eat in DC?

Comet Ping Pong (http://www.cometpingpong.com/) is always a hit with my kids. The Ping Pong tables in the back make it fun and the pizza always is great – when it comes time to pick toppings I almost always include smoky mushrooms and melted onions on my pie. If you are looking for a more formal night out with the kids and they have built up some restaurant stamina, I would point you toward Firefly (http://www.firefly-dc.com). Surfside (http://www.surfsidedc.com/www/) is my other favorite family-friend spot, especially when it’s nice enough to sit outside on the rooftop patio.  Everything is always fresh and yummy and the ordering system is perfect for families. And, for dessert, Max’s Best Ice Cream is just a few doors away.

5. If you had to pick your top five hottest places in DC right now, they would be?

I think Chef Enzo Fargione’s newly opened Elisir (http://elisirrestaurant.com/)in Penn Quarter will be a hot spot for a long time to come. Komi (komirestaurant.com/) is near impossible to get into for a reason. The Source (http://www.wolfgangpuck.com/restaurants/fine-dining/3941), Estadio (estadio-dc.com/) and Restaurant Eve (restauranteve.com) are other favorite hot spots and, after the first couple’s recent birthday outing to BLT Steak (http://www.e2hospitality.com/blt-steak/), it gets a few additional hot spot points.

6. Which coffee shop did you love most? Why?

My heart belongs to Modern Times Coffeehouse (www.moderntimescoffeehouse.com/). Tucked away in the basement of Politics & Prose (my favorite bookstore), the indie shop gives off a great vibe from its mismatched second-hand furniture to the laptop warriors to the playlists set by the baristas. I’ve written many an article and book chapter at those tables. My favorite cold day drink there is the London Fog – Earl Grey tea, steamed soy milk and honey.  Yum.