A visit to Washington DC is always going to deliver a healthy dose of Americana, particularly if politics are an interest. With an election year in full swing, all eyes are on the nation’s capital. The city is a veritable candy shop for fans of civic affairs, bursting with iconic landmarks and historical sites. There’s an excitement in just seeing the famous buildings already so familiar from decades of consuming American TV, movies, books and news. Visiting the White House, I think of Independence Day, The Pelican Brief, The West Wing and even Legally Blonde 2. I remember Forrest Gump at the Lincoln Memorial, All the President’s Men at the Watergate Hotel and in Georgetown I make a beeline for the steep steps from the original Exorcist. But among the smorgasbord of famous movie and TV settings, there was one less obvious on-screen location that topped my list: Julia Child’s kitchen.
Julia Child is a famed American cook and author best known for teaching Americans how to cook French food at home through her television shows and books in the 1960s and 1970s. More recently, a whole new audience has become enamoured of her thanks to two successful on-screen depictions, the award-winning movie Julie and Julia, and more recently, Julia, a comedy-drama series about her life. To know Julia Child is to love her, so getting to see her actual kitchen, not a replica, is quite the buzz.
Child’s kitchen is on display in the National Museum of American History, which is part of the Smithsonian. This particular museum is dedicated to exploring the scientific, cultural, social, technological and political evolution of the United States – you can also see the ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz and the actual Star-Spangled Banner. Child’s kitchen is busy and orderly, full yet spacious, with tools, gadgets and knives for days. Her enviable cookbook collection is on full display, with fridges painted black because she thought it would look more chic, a huge Garland stove, and a pegboard wall where she hung her copper pots and tools, each in its place. There’s a large table in the middle with a yellow oilcloth, surrounded by mismatched wooden chairs. As I was (and still am) planning a new kitchen for my first home, it hadn’t occurred to me to look for inspiration in the US’s capital city, but I found it.
When I finally managed to pull myself away from the entertaining cacophony that is the American Museum and attempt to explore the rest of the Smithsonian, I realised there is a lot to see. The Smithsonian is another element of Washington that shows up and is referenced in a plethora of TV series and movies but despite this, I hadn’t realised that it isn’t just one museum but is in fact an institution made up of 21 museums: it’s the largest museum, education and research complex in the world, with something for everyone.
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But back to Julia for a minute – her kitchen is part of an exhibition called FOOD: Transforming the American Table where you can also learn about the history of beer and other foods in the US. What it reminds me of, however, is that often food in the US is packaged, processed, and fast. While at first there’s a certain novelty in seeing shelves and shops full of products we are more used to seeing on screens, it can get tiring. I usually find after a few days stateside I’m craving nutrients and normal portions but I have to say I am pleasantly surprised by what DC has to offer. Despite being a touristy city and a big business hub – or maybe because it is – there seems to be a neighbourhood feel to pockets of the city and plenty of good food to be had.
That doesn’t mean it’s always easy to find – in the tourist hubs the streets will often be lined with food trucks, which sounds promising, but don’t be fooled – there are a lot of limp-looking hot dogs and neon iced drinks. A safer bet is to check out the museum cafes and restaurants, of which there are many. I have a decent lunch in the Pavilion Café, hidden among the picturesque sculpture garden of the National Gallery, and I try some award-winning gelato at their Espresso & Gelato Bar.
To get to grips with the neighbourhoods of a city, I always find a bike or walking tour is a good idea early on. DC is well set up for cycling with its extensive network of bicycle lanes and scenic routes, so I join a Monuments and Memorials evening bike tour, where we pedal around the Potomac river and visit a lot of the tick-list of historical sights and significant monuments. You do get to see a lot and familiarise yourself with what’s where but there are a few too many war memorials for my liking and throngs of school tours doing the rounds, which make it hard work. A bonus, however, is that most of the bike tours start and end in The Wharf, DC’s historic waterfront area, which is full of eating and drinking options. A cocktail at the newly opened Pendry’s rooftop is worth it for the views alone. For a fun and casual feed, stop off at Colada Shop, an all-day Cuban cafe. You could also check out the nation’s longest continually operating open-air fish market, and take a nose around the houseboats.
Much more enjoyable than the bicycle tour is a Black Broadway walking tour, led by local author and journalist Briana Thomas. Thomas will introduce you to a side of DC that you won’t find on the tourist trail or even in most guidebooks. Hear about DC native Duke Ellington while exploring The U Street corridor and getting invaluable insights into the art, music and history of the area through black culture. This tour ends at Ben’s Chili Bowl, a famous DC foodie landmark and make sure to join the queue in this buzzy, nostalgic diner. Order the half-smoke – a hot dog topped with chilli – and dig in, but beware: the portions here are not for the faint-hearted. It’s a place to share, indulge and enjoy.
You could even finish by pouring yourself a pint of Guinness if, like me, you can convince the manager you can pour a better one than Leo Varadkar
I stayed central the first few nights and ended up strolling around the area of Shaw, Blagden Alley and Naylor Court, a hip and historic part of town that’s full of bars, restaurants and cafes. In the mornings, add Seylou Bakery to your list for organic breads and pastries and pick up a coffee from La Colombe. For dinner, choose from Michelin-starred plant-based Oyster Oyster and Peruvian fine dining at Causa or keep it casual at Unconventional Diner or Maxwell Park wine bar.
Like many other big cities, DC has embraced the food hall renaissance. It’s a concept that suits tourists particularly well, as you can get a snapshot of the food on offer, and it’s a bit of a day out too. The Union Market building is home to 30-plus food and drinks vendors and a handful of pop-ups and there’s food for every part of the day: coffee and bagels in the morning, then choose from Vietnamese pho, American barbecue, Korean bao and more. Make time to stop off at Crooked Run Fermentation, a gorgeous modern taproom serving beers brewed locally. For great lunches or dinners, you won’t go wrong by booking into one of the restaurants from the well-regarded Starr restaurant group. Expect show-stopping interiors, fun menus and clever cooking whether you choose the group’s American tavern St Anselm for brunch, the DC outpost of beloved New York City restaurant Pastis for lunch, or the Mexican-inspired El Rey for a buzzy dinner on the terrace. And they are all close to each other.
A day or two in charming Georgetown is a must. It’s the perfect place to potter, taking in the rich architecture, frame row houses and cobblestone streets plus there’s some great shopping, with bookstores and antiques galore. Pepper your exploring by stopping off for refreshments at the old-school Sovereign Bar for a hugely extensive beer menu. For a glass of wine check out Chez Billy Sud, a quaint French-inspired restaurant and bar. It’s worth joining the queue for Yellow, a playful Levantine cafe serving mezze, hummus and pitta sandwiches wood-fired to order. For dinner book ahead and consider Martin’s Tavern, a charismatic, old-school restaurant with unparalleled DC history. It lays claim to having hosted all the city’s movers and shakers over the years, including every president since Truman – look out for the booth where JFK proposed to Jackie or the one where Richard Nixon ate his meatloaf. The food is not going to blow you away but stick to the classics here and you won’t be disappointed – a cold martini, local oysters, crab cakes and fries and you could even finish by pouring yourself a pint of Guinness if, like me, you can convince the manager you can pour a better one than Leo Varadkar and the many other Irish politicians who have eaten (and poured) here.
Discovering Bold Fork Books on my last day is the full confirmation I needed that DC is indeed a foodie city. This is a must-visit for cookbook fans: a bookstore dedicated to all things culinary in the bustling neighbourhood of Mount Pleasant, packed with new and vintage cookbooks, magazines and cool kitchenware. A shopping trip here, along with a final visit to Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods to stock up on store cupboard essentials, almost tips me over my baggage allowance.
Aer Lingus fly direct between Dublin and Washington DC. Ali Dunworth was a guest of Destination DC. https://washington.org/experiencedc
