Bag Ladies had the pleasure of attending the Washingtonian Magazine’s Verizon Wireless Best of Washington event on July 15. Let’s start by saying I almost went into sensory overload when I entered the venue. The event was held at the gorgeous National Building Museum right here in Washington, DC!!! From the moment my guest and I stepped foot through the door, we were hit with samplings from the winners of the contest. I can't think of a better way to start an evening full of over indulgence, than with ice cream! And delicious ice cream from Morrenko’s in Silver Spring was set up in a traditional ice cream truck, right outside…soft serve to die for, with delicious fruit toppings…believe me, it’s exactly what we needed after the walk from the car.
Upon entering the venue, my guest and I decided to mill around and see "who's who" was in attendance. Of course, I happened upon Georgetown cupcake (it wasn't planned), and chatted with those wonderful ladies for almost ten minutes while devouring their world famous red velvet cupcakes. Admittedly, I had three. I guess I should've considered the standard but anyone who has had the pleasure of tasting these treats, knows you can't stop at just one or perhaps I just can't stope at one. Next stop…the bar…of course. While many restaurants served their signature cocktails to go along with their munchies, Washingtonian had the foresight to have three full sized bars serving beer, wine, and soda. There were a number of restaurants that completely showed off….8407, opening in August in Silver Spring, offered a delicious smoked salmon and cream cheese petit four with an arugula salad that was absolutely delicious; BGR, the Burger Joint served up amazing burgers with a pickle, a little onion, and their “special” sauce. Honestly, if I didn’t have to try everything to report back to you guys, I would've posted up here all night ...the torture of having to move on though and devour even more delectable cuisine. To my great surprise, California Tortilla served the tastiest burrito I’ve ever had…and totally beat out Rosa Mexicano for my favorite Mexican Restaurant in attendance(RM only served their guac…it’s good, but come on)…Pete’s New Haven Style Apizza (that’s right, it’s “ah-beets”) didn’t give us pizza…instead they gave us what looked a lot like the toppings at the falafel bar in Adams Morgan, but it was tasty nonetheless…a little tabouleh, beet salad…you get the picture.
There were a number of places that lost their signs by the time I got around to tasting (people were taking full advantage of the bar and once they started dancing…you get the picture)….the only ones worth mentioning are the amazing sausage lasagna; and the bread pudding and brisket…Magnificent! A couple of places totally let me down…Founding Farmers, a gorgeous organic restaurant, over on Pennsylvania Ave in downtown served trail mix and bread with sauce…come on guys. I will say, on the positive side, I’ve dined in the restaurant before, and it was amazing…I guess I expected more. Matchbox was a fun table, but the sliders were dry…and I mean dry…had fun talking to those guys though.
In a nutshell, three hours of sensory overload…visual (the room was decorated immaculately…candlelit, but still very bright and vibrant. Chinese dragons weaved through the crowd, along with the Nationals mascots, and several different dance troups); auditory (the DJ was GREAT, I actually remember saying “OWW” a few times…couldn’t control myself); olfactory (one would think all of the smells would send you running for cover, but each vendor’s aroma was very nicely contained to their area and the smells just kept that belly bulgin’); and of course…taste. Jennifer Haber and the rest of the team at Washingtonian mag did an excellent job creating an atmosphere and vibe that made for a great event. All the restaurant locations that make you slobber and drool per the Washingtonian annual issue, that's supreme! It was a wonderful night of mingling with DC elite and sampling the wares of all of those restaurants you’ve been meaning to try.
Click here for photos from the event.
-- Madame Myra
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