Ahhhhhhhhh! May 2023 was a GREAT month for Washington, DC area dining. As I kicked off the month celebrating my 24th Birthday, there were MANY dinners out checking out new-to-me restaurants along with some restaurants that I’ve been to before. I feel so beyond lucky to have many incredible and loving family and friends who made this past month so special and memorable. SO many special memories were made while dining out this May 2023 (you can also see my DC Dining round-up from March and April 2023 here and here).
Farmers Fishers Bakers (3000 K Street NW, Washington DC – Harbour at The Georgetown Waterfront)
Located in The Washington Harbour in Washington, DC’s gorgeous neighborhood of Georgetown, Farmers Fishers Bakers is literally in the perfect location for dining and fun vibes along with *of course* scenic views of the waterfront! Farmers Fishers Bakers is a farm-to-table restaurant just like its sister restaurant Founding Farmers that has locations in both Tysons, Virginia and Foggy Bottom in Washington, DC (I visited each respective location during February and March of this year coincidentally!). Farmers Fishers Bakers is a very special restaurant to me. I first went to Farmers Fishers Bakers was with my now best friends Briana and Brittany for our first-ever meet-up during DC Restaurant Week Winter 2022 for an amazing all-inclusive brunch buffet. There at Farmers Fishers Bakers, we all found out that we went to the same exact high school (though at different times) and lived within minutes of one another to this *very* day! This time around, I celebrated my Birthday with my friends Shivani and Joelle amongst pizza and their 10/10 caesar salad with THE BEST signature cornbread croutons (!!!). Shivani, Joelle, and I had an amazing time just catching up and celebrating. It was such a blessing to see them both AND I always love the vibes at Farmers Fishers Bakers and *of course* the Georgetown Waterfront!
Urban Roast (916 G Street NW suite c-2, Washington DC – Penn Quarter)
Urban Roast is LITERALLY THE MOST Instagrammable pop up restaurant/bar in all of Washington, DC! It reminds me of Virginia’s Darling – an adorable bar in nearby Old Town Alexandria, Virginia – a bit with its signature Spring decorations which were up when we went in mid-May. Urban Roast spices up its decorations seasonally along with its menu that includes a variety of charcuterie spreads ranging from breakfast spreads to cheese boards to pastry spreads and drinks including seasonally along with individual menu items, too. What I LOVE about Urban Roast is how friendly the staff is there and social that they are as well as *of course* how gorgeous and fun the decor is, too! I also LOVE LOVE LOVE how easy of a walk it is to Urban Roast from both the Metro Center and Gallery Place Metro stations (less than a five minute walk!) and from the well-known Capital One Arena where the Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards play along with several artists on tour (including The Jonas Brothers who I am seeing there this September!). I came here with my best friends Briana and Brittany and their ultra-sweet Mom and we had a BLAST catching up, taking in the ALLLLL moments, and snapping several photos!
La Chaumiere (2813 M Street NW, Washington DC – Georgetown)
Some of the best memories that I have made in my high school years (and now post-grad years!) with my Dad were at La Chaumiere (French for “the cottage”) ever since I was 14 and just about to start high school. I have had many Daddy-daughter dates at this restaurant as well as my 17th Birthday celebration with friends. On their website, La Chaumiere prides itself on being “as close as it gets to dining in a French country” by serving *none other than* traditional French cuisine. La Chaumiere has a strict no-phone policy and formal dress code policy where guests can truly enjoy the moments in their best, classy attire. I came back to La Chaumiere for the first time in 7 years with my Dad and Step-Mom DD to celebrate my Birthday and we had such a special time catching up and bonding. A highlight for me besides our great dinnertime conversations phone-free was getting to enjoy two bottles with the family of Katherine’s (my legal first name!!) Vineyard Chardonnay (which was AMAZING!) out of Cambria Vineyards in California. Specials memories were made at La Chaumiere and the extremely friendly staff made it even more memorable!
Hometown Grill and Bar (9000 Lorton Station Blvd, Lorton, Virginia)
Hometown Grill and Bar is essentially a hometown hangout for those local to the Lorton, Virginia area near to well-known and refurbished Workhouse Arts Center! I grew up around Lorton, Virginia in the nearby Fairfax Station, Virginia where I still live today with Papa! I feel so lucky to live with my Papa in my childhood home and I’m savoring EVERY SINGLE MOMENT. Enough of my soap box – LOL! Hometown Grill and Bar is a favorite dining spot of mine. My good friend James and I went to Hometown Grill and Bar for dinner and catching up with one another. One of the highlights of Hometown Grill and Bar is that everything ingredients-wise is locally-sourced and farm-to-table AND every season has its own unique menu to reflect what may be in-season. So, I got to try the brand-new Spring 2023 Dinner Menu at Hometown Grill and Bar which I LOVED getting to do and tried their seafood rigatoni which I am still craving.
Coastal Flats (11901 Grand Commons Avenue, Fairfax, Virginia with additional locations in Tysons, Virginia & Gaithersburg, Maryland)
One of the Great American Restaurants owned by The Carlyle Group based primarily in Northern Virginia, Coastal Flats is a seafood restaurant that offers an incredible sea-themed atmosphere with impeccable dishes to try, too. Papa, Aunt Amy, and I have been going to Coastal Flats together for years now! We usually go to the Fairfax, Virginia location since it is nearest to us in distance. Alongside the variety of delicious seafood and all-American fare dishes, a highlight of Coastal Flats is their seasonal cocktail menu that is SO SO SO fun. My favorite appetizer which we get *just about* every time is their crab fritters which are SO tasty and unique as well. Aunt Amy and I are HUGE FANS of the salmon at Coastal Flats which is served across many of the other fellow Great American Restaurants but decided to branch out and try a veggie burger (Aunt Amy) and grouper (me) this time around. Needless to say, we were not disappointed as with every visit!
Bistro Cacao (316 Massachusetts Avenue NE, Washington DC – Capitol Hill)
A gorgeous French restaurant located in Capitol Hill just blocks away from Washington, DC’s iconic Union Station, Bistro Cacao has gorgeous atmospheres and delicious fares. I came here to Bistro Cacao with my friend Tiffany when she was in town after a conference *just blocks away* from the Capitol Building. On our way to Bistro Cacao, Tiffany and I took a stunning walk alongside the Capitol Building and through some of the iconic Capitol Hill neighborhood. Our food was delicious and we sat outside in their fun and floral atmosphere. I ordered the salmon which was delicious! HOWEVER, I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to go back to dine at Bistro Cacao and dine inside which Tiffany had done in the past and showed me its gorgeous interiors!
1310 Kitchen & Bar (1310 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC – adjacent to The Georgetown Inn in Georgetown)
1310 Kitchen & Bar is located coincidentally on 1310 Wisconsin Ave – a GREAT location for dining and shopping within Washington, DC’s neighborhood of Georgetown. In fact, 1310 Kitchen & Bar is *just* a few blocks up the road from M Street NW in Georgetown near ALLLL the shops and bakeries, whether it be Glossier’s DC storefront, TJ Maxx, Shop Made in DC, Little Words Project, Baked & Wired, Scout Bags Flagship Store, Vineyard Vines, Bitty & Beau’s, Kendra Scott, and Tory Burch. You can see why I just LOVE Georgetown?!?! I came to 1310 Kitchen & Bar with my high school best friends Laura and Haley to catch up and enjoy Georgetown. The food and staff were super kind at 1310 Kitchen & Bar and it was a great time. I ordered the spinach omelet which was AMAZING! At the same time, with 1310 Kitchen & Bar’s adjacent location to The Georgetown Inn, I got to enjoy the lobby including its gorgeous paintings just before we headed out for more shopping and neighborhood admiring.
Maman Joon Kitchen (8048 Tyson’s Corner Center (Tyson’s Corner Mall), McLean, Virginia)
Located right near the Apple Store within Tyson’s Corner Center, Maman Joon Kitchen is a brand-new Persian Kabob restaurant. My best friend Stephanie and I met up here one day after I was at a work happy hour. What’s funny about this spot is that Stephanie and I both saw it via the power of Instagram (!!!). I really admire that Maman Joon Kitchen gave out free kabobs to military Veterans in honor of Memorial Day over the recent long weekend. Maman Joon Kitchen is a true leader in what it means to be a local small business with the heart to pay it forward to others. I ordered a salmon kabob plate with rice and salad and Stephanie did the same but with chicken (I think!) and split some hummus and pita. Stephanie and I both had a great time catching up!!
May 2023 overall was such a memorable month for me! I am beyond grateful for those in my life that I can call family and friends. Much love!!
XOXO – Katie <3