Taste of DC is Just That!

A beautiful, sunny 80 degree day in October calls for an outdoor plan. I join some friends for the Taste of DC. For some reason, this event has been missing from DC for eight years, but it is back with a bang during the three day Columbus Day Weekend. Seafood seems to call my name with four out of the five dishes that I sample.

I begin with a small appetizer of fried oysters with remoulade sauce from Marvin, a DC restaurant inspired by Marvin Gaye and his life in Belgium. This dish is crispy, meaty, and a sweet start to my day. I will definitely check out this restaurant in the U Street/Shaw neighborhood, especially for the shrimp and grits and rooftop bar.

Next for a delicious taste of salmon tartare at Petits Plats, in Woodley Park near the zoo. Looks like a great place for lunch and/or outside dining. This taste is quite yummy and worthwhile, however, not to be compared with the tuna tartare at Raku in Bethesda.

Onto my only meat dish: duck and pine nut dumpling from Sequoia in Georgetown. Quite delicious and cooked perfectly, but not enough pine nuts for my liking.

One of my favorites is a surprise dish from Sushi Rock in Clarendon: "Free Fallin'" a beautiful roll (three pieces) of spicy tuna + scallion + akami + spicy aioli. This could have more zest to it, but I love the combination of flavors and delicacy. I would love to check out more dishes, especially sushi, from this restaurant, but Clarendon is usually not one of my go to spots. You never know, because the creative names of  rolls are perfectly named, such as: "You Shook Me All Night Long" or "Stairway to Heaven" or "Light My Fire".

The pieces de resistance of the whole afternoon is the succulent and perfect lobster roll from New York City's Luke's Lobster, right near Verizon Center in Penn Quarter. The longest line of the day is here, and it is worth every waiting moment. The lobster is chilled inside a New England-style split top bun with a secret, amazing sauce. I feel as though I am in Maine, by the water when eating this roll. Yes, I will be returning to Luke's again soon.

This is certainly my type of day: lots of tastes, beautiful weather, wine and/or beer tastes too, and no sharing of foods I don't love. Sorry that the Taste of DC is over for this year, but you can certainly check out any of these restaurants and take notes for next year's events.