D.C. Bites

Guilt plagues me if I'm in a new place and I eat at a nationwide food chain. So much that I will walk miles—Spencer can attest—to find that perfect restaurant, especially in Washington, D.C., arguably the international food capitol of the country. In our summer of eating, we did pho and Thai and Indian and Middle Eastern and Greek and Argentine (didn't quite make it to Ethiopian)—and we were the only Caucasians at the fish market. But we didn't go all international. In fact, the best hamburger I've ever had in my life is now in D.C. And of course, I had to find the best milkshake. (Utah is still the only place I've been that thinks soft serve ice cream is a milkshake. It is not. If I can hold my cup upside down, and nothing falls out, it is not a shake.)

If you find yourself in D.C., don't miss stuffing your face here:


Founding Farmers
ALL of the food is fresh, green, all-organic, all-local, all-any other such qualifier you can think of. And it tastes that way. I'm confident that everything on the menu is amazing, but make a reservation or wait 2 hours for a table. Near Georgetown.






Ted's Bulletin
You step into a '20s diner, with no detail overlooked. You order things like "walk-of-shame" burritos from a newspaper menu. You will try the homemade pop tart. Near the Eastern Market.


Kabob Palace
I never knew I could love chick peas this much. This is the most respectable 24-hour food joint I've ever stepped foot in—and probably the only 24-hour joint to receive rave reviews from the Washington Post. Note the needle-point declaration of love for American tanks in Afghanistan draping the walls. In Crystal City.


Good Stuff Eatery
I don't even like hamburgers and I could eat at Good Stuff every day. Top Chef contestant Spike Mendlesohn opened the joint. Shakes are top-notch. Two blocks from the Library of Congress.




Johnny Corbins BBQ
OK, this is in Gettysburg, PA, not D.C. But you literally see your pork smoking in Johnny's front yard and sit on a porch in dilapidated booths with a charm all their own. I mean, Michelle Obama lunched there with Malea and Sasha. Rush and Zepp were playing from a boombox, so Spence was in heaven with his hog wings. A mile from Devil's Den. The Devil's Den.