Ourfront yard
is in full bloom this spring.
Shake off the winter doldrums
with a romantic getaway. Enjoy
breakfast, lunch and dinner
year-round in Victoria’s
Restaurant. Call for great
package pricing.
The pink hotel on the boardwalk.
Oceanfront at Olive Avenue
Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971
Reservations: (800) 33 BEACH
or (302) 227-7169
www.boardwalkplaza.com
bluefish and croaker straight from the Chesapeake and the Atlantic. Some
of Jessie’s offerings are from the Gulf of Mexico, says manager Paul Harri-
son. But that haul is “caught one day and unloaded by us the next morning,”
he asserts proudly. “It’s always fresh.”
Harrison expects business to pick up over the next few years as devel-
opers of the surrounding waterfront create a destination centered on
“active” public spaces, such as farmers markets and restaurants, which
will bring more people to the water.
If you want to skip outdoor markets altogether for a sit-down expe-
rience—a locally sourced and environmentally minded experience, of
course—head to one of D. C.’s farm-to-table restaurants.
Founding Farmers, a bistro three blocks from the White House, is a
good choice. President Obama frequently dines here, but that’s not the
reason for the crowd that swells at the entrance on weekends. Opened in
2008, Founding Farmers is committed to purchasing from family farms.
Roughly 60 to 80 percent of its ingredients originate on local farms from
spring to fall, according to Dan Simons, concept developer and managing
partner of Farmers Restaurant Group.
Founding Farmers is fashioned in the style of an updated, airy farmhouse, with architecture and design certified to green standards. Menu
items change seasonally, with winter fare including flatbreads with prosciutto, figs and mascarpone, and quirky yet delicious items like the Pickled Jalapeño (Hot)Dog. This spring, Founding Farmers began harvesting
honey from its own honeybee hives and using it in such things as cocktails, honey cornbread and honey glazes for the fresh catch of the day.
If you don’t have time for a meal, at least grab one of Founding Farmers’ award-winning cocktails. “Every juice is squeezed by hand and every
elixir and mixture is crafted in the restaurant,” says Simons. “Plus, our
garnishes are fresh and organic.” The restaurant also makes its own
unaged rye whiskey.
For a more upscale dining experience, make a date for Restaurant Nora
near Dupont Circle. Its organic menu includes local fish and Amish meats.
Founded by Nora Pouillon, considered by many in this town a pioneer in
the organic food movement, Restaurant Nora bills itself as the nation’s first
certified organic restaurant.
But if it’s just a good-for-you glass of wine you’re craving at the end of
a long, active day, belly up to Dickson Wine Bar on U Street N W. Opened
in 2010, this cozy, dimly lit space offers plenty of organic and biodynamic
wines that are certain to please your palate and, like all green-minded
things, make you feel good while you’re drinking them.
