Part of the Eat, Write, Retreat experience was a walking food tour of the Capitol Hill area of Washington, DC with DC Metro Food Tours. Conference attendees boarded buses on Saturday evening, and we met our fun guides for an evening FULL of food, history, and fun conversation.
I had never wandered he Capitol Hill neighborhood before, but it is gorgeous. Neat little brick houses, many painted in bright colors like pink and purple, sit side-by-side with slightly overgrown gardens full of bright greens and rainbows of flowers. It was both stunning and an allergy nightmare. But I tried to ignore my inability to breathe and soldiered on in the name of food.
Our first stop was the Capitol Hill Tandoor & Grill where we met the owner and had a few Anglo-Indian bites.
We started with Mulligatawny Soup with a squeeze of lemon which made the soup bright and flavorful.
Next, plates of naan bread, Basmati rice, and spicy chicken and vegetables came out. The sauce on the chicken really had a kick; I wanted to scrape every last bit off of the plate. Both courses were delicious.
The tour left plenty of time for meandering and checking out some historical homes and a generally lovely neighborhood. This one’s for my Canadian friends, eh. 
We also passed the Commandant’s house where the Commandant of the Marines has always lived. A Marine barracks sprawls behind it, taking up several blocks.
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This was one of my favorite yards on the tour. I loved how the yards and gardens weren’t impeccably manicured. It gave them a Secret Garden feeling.
Our next stop was for some Southern soul food at Levi’s Port Café. This is the best soul food in DC, and we certainly filled up.
I sipped on sweet tea and sampled a plate of collard greens, cornbread, sweet potatoes, macaroni and cheese heaven, and Carolina style pulled pork.
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After this filling feast, we luckily had plenty of time to walk. We viewed this historical church.
And checked out some of the last alley dwellings in DC. These adorable little homes are literally in an alley. They don’t face a street at all.
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As darkness set in, we made our way to the final stop of the night, Las Placitas Restaurant, a family-run Salvadoran restaurant that was packed!
Just when we thought we couldn’t eat any more, we were served up chips and salsa, margaritas, and large plates of plantains, pupusas and shredded beef
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And finally dessert, sopapillas with honey, strawberry sauce, and whipped cream. Oooof. I think we all rolled out of there!
During each stop of the tour, we sat with different bloggers, allowing for a little time to chat and get to know new people. It was fun but also tiring! Our guides were really fantastic; they knew everything off the tops of their heads and didn’t stumble or fumble once. You could tell they were seasoned pros, and they had lots of recommendations for eating in DC.
I am actually going on a new food tour of Boston this afternoon, so stay tuned for more food tour fun!
Have you ever been on a food tour?
