Taste of Georgetown Soggy But Fun
By • September 23, 2018 0 676
Sept. 23 was a soggy Sunday, but the organizers of the annual Taste of Georgetown cleverly decided a few years ago to hold the event — featuring 30 or so of the town’s top restaurants and breweries, plus retail booths and games — along K Street under the wide covering of the Whitehurst Freeway. As a result, and despite a fairly continual rain, this year’s edition, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., attracted Georgetown visitors and residents of all ages, including students and families with young children.
Starting with two tickets totaling $11, tasters could buy small plates of Georgetown’s best eats: fish and chips from Rí Rá, mushroom and creamy kale tacos from Chaia, cold-brew coffee and avocado smash from Bluestone Lane and mango panna cotta with pickled wild shrimp from Eno Wine Bar, among others. Some of the longest lines were for beef sliders from Thunder Burger, Italian meatball skewers from Pinstripes, grilled baby lamb chops from Martin’s Tavern and pulled pork sandwiches from the new America Eats.
Dessert samplings included sweet crepes from Café Bonaparte, strawberry cupcakes from Baked & Wired, velvet and chocolate cupcakes from Sprinkles and Georgetown Cupcake, cookie dough from the Dough Jar, mini doughnuts from District Doughnut, Belgian waffles from the Sovereign and macarons from Olivia Macaron.
Produced by the Georgetown Business Improvement District with Washingtonian magazine and presented by Infiniti, Taste of Georgetown supports Georgetown Ministry Center.
Some retail sponsors gave out swag in exchange for contact info. Attendees could pick up dark glasses, bags, water bottles and phone and computer chargers from the likes of State Farm, TTR Sotheby’s, PNC Bank, United Bank and Kitchen Saver.
Other sponsors included: DC Lottery, Laura’s Lean, 90+ Cellars, Coca-Cola, Pizzeria Paradiso, 94.7 Fresh FM, DGS Create, Soul & Ink, Carr Workplaces, Foley & Lardner, Georgetown Park, Zico Coconut Water, Bravo Marketing Group, Dafero, Mangia DC Food Tours, Nila Bags and Unofficial DC.
Georgetown’s venerable 1789 Restaurant won Best in Show. Among the other awardees were Chaia for Vegetarian’s Dream Dish, Rí Rá for Best Catch of the Sea, Sequoia for Carnivore’s Champion Dish and Ristorante Piccolo for the Sweetest Sweet. The crowd laughed most at a ve-e-ry powdery sugar-doughnut-on-a-string eating contest. Bean bag tosses, tower building blocks (for adults) and other games added to the fun. The event was crowded till the food ran out.
Brooks Hunt of Eno Wine Bar. Georgetowner photo.
The donut competiton brought fun and taste together. Photo by Bill Starrels.
From 1789 Restaurant: general manager Rich Kaufman, executive chef Tracy O’Grady, pastry chef Mollie Bird and server Hosanna Amanuel.
Luis Valle, Luis Lopez and Alejandro Villeanueva of Martin’s Tavern offered its popular pesto-marinated lamb pops. Georgetowner photo.
