It’s summer in the city. At the Crab Deck in Kent Narrows, Maryland, just over the Bay Bridge, one can have a vacation in an evening, despite what can be an unpleasant drive on 495. Once a year I have to get my fix of Old Bay Seasoning, steamed clams, beer and corn on the cob, all placed on brown paper table covering and paper towels. For Sunday lunch, I was inspired to make lobster rolls, fresh corn salad with cilantro, and watermelon-raspberry juice. Despite the humidity and the frizz in my hair, I am trying to lean into a D.C. summer.
This blog post, however, is about art and food! I will be trying to merge the two things that inspire me most as I continue on my writing way.
One of my favorite activities to do in Washington is visit The Smithsonian. Offering a full day of art and picnic opportunities, the Smithsonian is a beautiful stop in D.C. in the summer for locals, despite the tourists. Having grown up going to the Smithsonian, for me the challenge is always where to have lunch. I wonder if tourists really do rely on the fast-food concession stands that are on the mall, as I always see lines, and perhaps it is a novelty to buy items from the famous D.C. concessions stands. I myself am very nostalgic for the red, white and blue bomb pop, but this is just a sugar rush. There is of course the pleasant, but overpriced, cafeteria in the National Gallery of Art, as well as their lovely Garden café. The Garden Café` often offers themed menus that accompany exhibitions and this does add to a unique exhibition experience.
But I wanted to explore some newer options. First of all, there are food trucks! Not the concessions stands or tourist-packed trucks on the mall, but restaurants on wheels. Technically they are not on the mall, but just a block over on Independence Avenue and only between 12-2 p.m. To find them, head down to the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) on Independence and you will see them lined up on 12th St. and Independence just outside the L’Enfant Plaza metro stop. There is sushi, Ethiopian cuisine, Peruvian food, Greek, and if you are lucky the grilled cheese truck. Food trucks are a great option for keeping the price of your lunch down and there are plenty of places to picnic.
Benches on the mall are always an option, as well as just bringing a blanket with you and sitting on the grassy part of the mall in the sun. But I recently stumbled upon the perfect alfresco lunch spot in the gardens of the Smithsonian castle. The Smithsonian castle is one of my favorite stops today, as it was redone a few years ago as a welcome center. (While I did hear a group complaining about how unimpressed they were with the castle and that there is nothing there and they would tell people to skip it on their next trip, to me the castle is a welcome oasis from the heat of the mall and tourists.) Perhaps one reason for me is that there are bathrooms there—it is a great meeting spot when you get off the Smithsonian metro in the morning, need to use the restroom after your 30-minute train ride, and you can even grab a coffee as you make your way to your favorite museum. And as much as it is a nice morning stop it is in the gardens at the castle that you will find hidden benches and my recent discovery of three umbrella-covered tables that are open for public use. I found it odd that no one was using the tables mid-day and perhaps in the pristine gardens of the Smithsonian castle they seem private, but I asked a grounds person who was nearby water plants and she clarifies they are open for use. So, why not grab a food truck option to go and stroll back to the garden oasis that waits you to shelter you from the D.C. heat?
The most interesting lunch location I am going to recommend is a cafeteria of sorts. It is the café in the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI). The Mitsitam Native Foods café is a unique experience. It features Native American regional cuisine. Of course for me this is perfect as I appreciate learning through food and trying things I would not make for myself.
As stated on their web site:
“Mitsitam” means “Let’s Eat!” in the Native language of the Delaware and Piscataway People. The Mitsitam Cafe enhances the museum experience by providing visitors the opportunity to enjoy indigenous cuisines of the Americas. The cafe features native foods found throughout the Western Hemisphere. Northern Woodlands– Region that spans from the Atlantic Coast to the Mississippi and from Southern Canada to the Chesapeake. Mesoamerica– Home of the Papago or “Bean People” and spans from the American Southwest to Mexico and Central America. South America– Region that encompasses the entire southwestern hemisphere. Northwest Coast– Region that stretches from Southern Alaska to Northern California. Great Plains– Region that stretched over the great landscape from Alberta, Canada to Texas. Each Station depicts the life ways and related cooking techniques, ingredients and flavors found in both traditional and contemporary Native dishes.”
Some items on the menu the day we visited included items like octopus escabeche, puree of persimmon and carrot soup, fire-roasted chicken and yucca stew, purple potato and green chili with a queso stuffed pepper, chicken tamal with almond mole sauce and side dishes like sweet potato and coconut cazuela, quinoa, roasted poblano and corn salad. Not only do these options reflect some native traditions, they are something new to learn about and reasonably healthy. While cafeteria style, it is great to see things like sweet potatoes, quinoa, and cabbage salads on the menus. In addition, they have a coffee car that serves specialty drinks of coffees and hot cocoas. While I have sampled many Mexican hot chocolates, the spicy blackberry cappuccino and Mexican Latte De Olla were new to me. You can also book a chef’s tasting at the café for your group and the chef will tell you the history of the café and give you a personal tour of the seasonal cuisine. That does need to be booked in advance and information is on the web site.
Otherwise, you can take your own tour, it’s just hard to decide which region to taste.
pizzabagel cooks 