New Big Wong in Chinatown, is cozy, consistent, and always welcoming! They have great American-Chinese food and they’re open until 4 a.m. every night. I discovered it mainly because I was trying to date my now-girlfriend, Annie, and she said she “might stop by there after work” one night. It’s an essential gathering place for lots of industry folks, as it has a big dining room that can fit large groups.

They have a lot of things that you wouldn’t see at a Panda Express, like little salt-and-pepper sardines and pig intestines. My go-to dishes are the pan-fried meat dumplings, garlic scapes, crispy beef, vegetable fried rice, scallop fried rice, shrimp toast, walnut shrimp, beef chow fun….I could go on and on, but personally I like the pan-fried meat dumplings the most. They’re super hot and super flavorful, they make them to order, and they come with a soy sauce that I like to keep and put on everything else.

To guide us through the maze of options, we consulted some of the chefs and restaurateurs that have had a hand in building DC’s impressive dining culture. These include Pizzeria Paradiso’s chef-owner Ruth Gresser and beverage director Drew McCormick; Rubén Garcia, director of creativity at Minibar; chef Amy Brandwein of Centrolina; chef Opie Crooks of A Rake’s Progress; and James Simpson, beverage director of Espita Mezcaleria.

Here are some of their favorite spots for drinks, late-night eats, breakfast and brunch, special-occasion meals, and local classics that you absolutely can’t miss on a trip to the nation’s capital. You’ll see that some locations are technically in Maryland, but all restaurants are accessible via the DC metro.

With 20 Michelin stars across 16 restaurants, multiple James Beard awards, and countless “Hot 100″ lists to its name, Washington, DC, is, more than ever, a destination dining city.

Best Late-Night Eats
Chinatown gems, industry hangouts, and kimchi on everything: Here’s where to go for a good meal in the wee hours.

Food may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about Washington, DC—the current news cycle being what it is, you’d be forgiven for forgetting the District is home to more than just lawmakers, political pundits, and lobbyists. But DC has a thriving culinary scene to rival that of any American city, one that has grown by leaps and bounds over the past 15 years.

Where the image of dining here may have once conjured primarily brass bars, dark booths, steak-and-martini dinners, and rubbing shoulders with political elite, for the past couple of decades the city has been pushing the boundaries of culinary creativity with restaurants like Minibar, José Andres’s 12-seat, fine dining restaurant; Vikram Sunderam’s modern Indian hotspot, Rasika; and Rose’s Luxury, the inventive New American small-plates joint that has daily lines down the block.

Of course, many of the classics are still around, too—Old Ebbitt grill is still a meeting spot for politicians, restaurant industry insiders, and locals craving happy hour oysters. And because DC is an international hub, it’s an excellent place to find top-notch restaurants specializing in cuisines from every inch of the globe, from Laotian and Spanish to Georgian and Ethiopian, with mashups of everything in between.

My new favorite late-night restaurant is Anju, a modern Korean restaurant near Dupont Circle. It’s from the Fried Rice Collective, a restaurant group run by Danny Lee, Scott Drewno, and Drew Kim. Everything they do is absolutely delicious. One of the famous things at Anju is a dish consisting of fried potatoes with salad and citrus aioli. But my favorite is the kimchi slaw dog—a late-night hot dog works for everyone—with gochujang, hot mustard, and slaw made with incredible house-made kimchi, which uses a family recipe and is fermented for 100 days. The fried chicken is great, too: it’s crispy, and it comes with creamy white BBQ sauce and spicy Korean BBQ sauce, both made in-house.

The place feels really homey and cozy, especially the second floor—it’s like you’re in someone’s house. You have these big tables with lazy Susans, where hotpot is served. And Chef Danny Lee’s family is involved in the daily operation of Anju, which makes it really special—his aunt is a painter, so they showcase her art.

TallBoy is directly across the street from my restaurant, Espita, and after I lock the doors late at night, I can always count on their Kim Cheese (grilled cheese with kimchi), and smoked wings for a great late night meal. The wings are smoked in-house in the same kitchen where Marjorie Meek-Bradley (Ripple, St. Anselm) used to smoke her famous pastrami, and they have tremendous flavor. They have a few different sauces for the wings, but go with the classic Buffalo, no garnishes.

The whole vibe of the place reminds me of the local watering holes in Charleston, South Carolina, where I come from: Good beer, simple food with great ingredients, excellent bar staff. The walls are lined with corrugated aluminum siding and vintage beer cans, it’s small and only holds about 30 people, and it’s open until 2 a.m. every night. His mom could be there making mandu (Korean-style dumplings) and handing them to you over the counter. She comes to the table and talks to the guests. She’s trying to make everyone feel really welcome in her house. It’s unique to see that these days.

Old Ebbitt is a classic DC restaurant that serves burgers and other delicious, straightforward American-style food until 1 a.m. But it’s best known for its huge old-school oyster bar—think lots of dark wood, brass fixtures, and big mirrors.

The restaurant’s been around for eons, and a ton of people from both the political world and the restaurant industry go there after work. I especially love the late-night oyster happy hour, which runs from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. Their oysters are fantastic and fresh; I’m partial to eating an order of the small, tasty Kumamoto oysters with a bit of mignonette.

Best Drinks
Whether it’s tiki cocktails, killer wine lists, or just a really good Cuban coffee you’re after, DC delivers.

Archipelago does tiki right, and sitting at this bar is as much of an education in tiki culture as it is an imbibing session. It’s located right on U Street, but whoever the genius is that leaves the shades down in the front, I have to thank them: it makes Archipelago the perfect escape from the busy U Street–crowd.

For the best experience, sit at the six-seat bar downstairs in front of their rum collection. The bartenders aren’t very chatty here unless you buy them a shot, and the décor is classic tiki: kitschy wallpaper and slowly moving blacklight projections all over the walls. The general ambience can only be described as chill island vibes. I can’t remember when I first discovered this place, but isn’t that how it goes with your favorite bars?

Ask the bartender for my favorite cocktail, the Macadamia Nut Chi-Chi (you won’t see it on the menu; it falls under “classics”). This drink is all secret ingredients, except for the macadamia nuts, but think tropical and boozy with a bright, clean finish. It’s hand-blended, then poured on the rocks in a classic green head-hunter tiki mug. Also off-menu is my second-favorite drink, a frozen Piña Colada served in the bottom half of a pineapple with an assortment of decorative tiki garnishes, like paper dolphins and plastic monkeys.

I live in the apartment building above Ellē, in Mount Pleasant. It’s all your favorite things in one beautiful, relaxing place: coffee, sweets, and drinks; plus a good selection of pickled foods. It’s a place that brings craft cocktails and delicious baked goods to Mount Pleasant, all while honoring the legacy of the former bakery [that was in the space]. Although Elle is housed in the historical Heller’s Bakery space, even the most loyal Heller’s customer wouldn’t recognize it. A coffee counter with warm lighting, fresh flowers, and beautiful pastry display cases leads to the back bar and dining room space. A beautiful green-stone bartop urges you to relax, sit a while, and order a martini. The rotating cocktails by Sean MacPherson and Dante Datta always keep me coming back—a favorite right now is the Cashmere Gold, with gin, cognac, lemon, saffron cordial, Domaine de Canton, orange bitters, and soda. It’s light and floral, with a warming ginger spice and notes of saffron.

I love Colada, in Cardozo—it’s a Cuban-inspired coffee shop that serves Cuban pastries and Cuban-style coffee during the day, and turns into a cocktail bar come evening. It’s really fun: a place where you can go to have breakfast, then lunch, and then drinks. ​It’s a very welcoming and friendly space, really relaxed; I love the bright colors. During the day, it’s a place for neighbors and office workers. At night it changes and becomes more of a hang out spot with some of the best cocktails in the city. The music and aromas transport you to Cuba (especially after the third cocktail!).

Their offerings are straightforward, but they use really high-quality ingredients, products, and techniques. “Colada” is the name of a Cuban coffee drink with super-strong brewed coffee—like, really strong—with sweet crema, and they of course serve that here. It’s bittersweet and creamy; it goes great with pastelitos (pastries with sweet or savory fillings) or empanadas.

The cocktails are in the style of Miami’s Calle Ocho—the famous street where there are hundreds of Cuban restaurants and clubs with live music. I like all of the cocktails at Colada, the majority of which are based on rum. So you have classic drinks like mojitos, piña coladas, and the Hotel Nacional—a mixture of white rum and dark rum, along with pineapple and lime—there’s always lime in these cocktails.

Manjar is spread and sandwiched between two flat cracker-like biscuits before it is covered in sweet and fluffy meringue for a bite that’s creamy, sugary, and crunchy all at once. Paraguay has its share of unusual dishes—like empanadas served between two pieces of white bread, and chipa bread made with manioc flour and cheese—but my favorite is the dulce de guayaba. Boiled guava is puréed with sugar and water (and often pectin) to form a thick sweet-tart gel that can be sliced and served with a cracker or piece of semi-hard white cheese. It’s exactly what cheese course dessert lovers should be eating for the postre. Some call it flan, some call it crème caramel, but in Venezuela, our jiggly egg and condensed milk friend is called quesillo. Unlike versions found in other parts of the world, this local rendition calls for whole eggs, instead of just yolks, to give an airy, less dense texture. It’s topped with a thin caramel syrup for a touch more caramel flavor.

When Jamie Oliver dissed Brazil’s most beloved confection, the country erupted in just as much outrage as it did when the soccer team was humiliated at the World Cup. Similar to a truffle, this ultra-sweet two-biter is made from sweetened condensed milk heated with cocoa powder to form a paste, then mixed with cold butter and rolled into small balls—which are then rolled in toppings like brown sugar, sprinkles, coconut shavings, or almonds. They’re often eaten at birthday parties. t a Peruvian restaurant, it would be unusual not to find suspiro limeño featured on the dessert menu. This classic postre dates back to 18th-century Peru and translates to “sigh of a woman from Lima.” It’s made from a creamy manjar blanco caramel base, topped with a huge dollop of Italian meringue perfumed with port and cinnamon, and served in individually portioned glasses. Sugar atop sugar, it’s only for those with an insatiable sweet tooth. Uruguayan food might not be known internationally, but this cake certainly should be. Named after a native Uruguayan bird, chajá starts from a sponge cake base and a peach syrup that’s spiked with a few tablespoons of rum. Add on layers of meringue, fresh peaches, whipped cream, and dulce de leche, then smother the whole cake with mounds of whipped cream and top it off with more sweet crisp meringue and peaches.

It’s a dish mostly found in southern Brazil, which originated within enslaved African and Afro-Brazilian communities during the late 17th century. The hominy soaks overnight before simmering with the milk until it becomes very thick and creamy, with a texture reminiscent of rice pudding. Generally eaten to celebrate Independence Day, pastelitos are a point of Argentine patriotic pride. Flaky puff pastry is filled with sweet quince or sweet potato paste and formed into a flower or pinwheel shape, then deep fried in lard or sunflower oil until golden brown. It’s finished off with sugary glaze, and topped with festive sprinkles. The sugary cake is light and fluffy and while there’s a delicate trace of peach and rum flavor, the whipped cream, dulce de leche, and meringue definitely star. Every year in June during the annual corn harvest, Brazilians chow down on canjica de milho, a sweet, thick corn-based dessert made with hominy (whole white maize kernels), sugar, milk, and often cinnamon, sweetened condensed milk, and peanuts.

While Sauvignon Blanc grapes can be found on both of New Zealand’s main islands, they’re the leader in Marlborough on the South Island. The region gets a lot of sunshine, but also has a heavy ocean influence and very cool nights. This helps the wines offer that ripe tropical fruit balanced by lots of refreshing acidity. Looking for some good ones to taste? Seek out bottles from Dog Point Vineyard and Mohua.

While you’re mostly likely to find New Zealand wines offering the tangy, aromatic style of Sauvignon Blanc, some producers are branching off. A few winemakers are following in the footsteps of those producers in Bordeaux and the Loire (such as Didier Dagueneau), fermenting or aging the wines in oak barrels. Want to try? Look to Cloudy Bay’s Te Koko bottling. The wine is fermented in oak barrels and then the bottles are kept in the cellar for three years before being released. While Te Koko has all the fresh acidity of Sauvignon Blanc, it’s a complex and amazingly textured wine. Rather than the typical passion fruit and grapefruit scent, you’ll get a little gentle apricot, lemon pith, and ginger. Wines like this show that New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc still has some tricks up its sleeve. While Sauvignon Blanc dominates the NZ white wine scene, Chardonnay is the pretty younger sibling who’s just waiting to getting noticed. Many Chardonnays from New Zealand exhibit a depth and brightness akin to White Burgundy. Despite being a new world wine region, the Chardonnays of New Zealand don’t have too much in common with, say, riper examples from California.

But then the positive reviews started coming in, and I got curious. The deal was clinched when I saw that Noosa sells a strawberry-rhubarb variety—it’s a flavor I love and, surprisingly enough given the recent explosion of flavors in the Greek yogurt sphere (acai! mangosteen! plumberry!), I think they’re the only one on the market.

The yogurt isn’t designated as low fat on the container, so I assumed that it was a full-fat variety like Fage Total. But a closer look at the packaging shows that the ingredient list names skim milk then cream, which is how other 2% yogurts are made. As a comparison, the calorie count for the Strawberry-Rhubarb Noosa is 120 calories for 4 ounces, while a Fage 2% with Cherries clocks in at 140 calories for 150 grams (5.29 ounces).

This yogurt taste full-fat, in the best way possible. Creamy and dairy rich, every bite tastes like really good, really fresh whole milk. In fact the flavor of the yogurt is so delicious that while I liked the strawberry-rhubarb layer, I almost preferred the yogurt on its own. The fruit was not too sweet and there was a definite tartness of rhubarb in some bites and mild strawberry in others. The texture of the yogurt is indeed “velvety.” It’s looser than Greek yogurt but not watery. It’s great hybrid for people who wish there was something between Greek yogurt and old school Dannon.

This isn’t one of those days when I decide to pronounce everything with a British accent (though I do love those days.) Noosa Yoghurt, with an “h”, is so named because it’s yogurt made in the Australian style. If you’re asking yourself, “What is Australian style yogurt?”, don’t worry, I did the same. According to Noosa’s website, Australian yogurt is Greek-style yogurt that’s sweetened with honey, giving it a “sweet tart tang” and “velvety texture.”

Hmm. Sounds like plain old Greek yogurt to me. To complicate things, this “Aussie style” yoghurt is actually made in Colorado, making it “American style- Australian style- Greek style yogurt.” Sigh. I really wasn’t compelled to try yet another type of yogurt. I already eat Greek, Icelandic, Swiss, and French varieties. Occasionally I’ll even buy a pathetically American “Key Lime Pie Sundae flavored low-calorie yogurt” and then hate it. As yogurt is turning into a super lucrative market, I worried that another company (or worse, a business school grad with too much start-up funding) had just bought some cows and was trying to get in on the game.

You’ll mainly find Pinot Noir from Marlborough, Central Otago, and Martinborough, which is on the southern tip of the North Island. While Pinot Noir may be in Sauvignon Blanc’s shadow in Marlborough, producers such as Greywacke and Wither Hills still make examples worth seeking out.

Central Otago is an outlier in regards to climate. The sea’s influence is less strong in this region, since grapes are planted further inland and at higher altitude. These wines maintain NZ’s characteristic freshness, but often with more alcohol and body than other styles from further north. Central Otago Pinot Noirs tend to be wonderfully concentrated and plush. They don’t come cheap though—a bottle of Central Otago Pinot is likely going to set you back at least $30. Rippon, Felton Road, Mt. Difficulty are a few Central Otago producers at the top of their game. Note: All wines provided as tasting samples for review consideration, with the exception of the Greywacke, Rippon, Felton Road, Mt. Difficulty, and Burn Cottage.

Blends made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from the North Island around Hawke’s Bay really shine. My favorites come from Gimblett Gravels, a district planted on fine sand and stony gravel along the Ngaruroro River. This place is especially suited for these grapes because the soils and higher temperature allow for the grapes to get perfectly ripe. Look for Craggy Range’s Te Kahu or Trinity Hill’s The Gimblett: these blends are like gymnasts that move effortlessly along the uneven bars with fantastic displays of strength. They are elegant and fresh with rich, textured tannins. If you love Cabernet-Merlot blends from Washington State or South America, you will be doubly won over by the aromas of black cherry, cedar, and clove.

Syrah is just edging into the New Zealand wine game but it is definitely a grape to watch. Like Merlot and Cabernet, it mostly sticks to the warmer climates of the North Island where it can ripen best. Syrahs from New Zealand offer savory black pepper flavors complementing juicy plum and violet. While they don’t have the wild, gamey side of Northern Rhone Syrah, these structured wines don’t quite fit with the sun-kissed style of Australian Shiraz either. Try them out for yourself, starting with wines from Mission Estate Winery—a producer whose history dates back to 1851.

Most Chardonnays come from Marlborough, Hawke’s Bay, or Gisborne. The ocean’s cooling effect in these areas doesn’t allow the fruit flavors in New Zealand’s Chardonnays to get too tropical. Even in fuller-bodied styles with marked oak influence, the mouth-watering acidity will keep you reaching for your glass. White peach, lemon zest, and aged cheese flavors make it a perfect food wine. Wondering where to get started? Look for the Chardonnays from Kumeu River Wines in Auckland. If you enjoy Pinot Noirs from the Willamette Valley in Oregon or California’s Sonoma County, you should seek out Pinot Noir from New Zealand. In fact, there is a huge cultural exchange within these regions. Because of the alternating seasons, it is very common to hear of winery interns traveling across the Pacific to work two harvests a year. This extends to some of the best in the business—Ted Lemon of Sonoma’s famed Littorai also makes wine at Burn Cottage in Central Otago, for example.

Styles vary across the country, so it’s a bit hard to make generalizations, but most NZ producers try to embrace the balance that their climate affords them. New Zealand pinots don’t have the weight of warmer climates, but they don’t quite have the earthy mushroom notes of Burgundy either. Most NZ Pinots have a splash of black cherry or strawberry flavor, complemented with violet and cloves.

To make Solomonov’s version, you start by putting whole, unpeeled garlic cloves—a whole head’s worth of them—in a blender with a good amount of lemon juice and blending it to a pulpy purée. You then press the liquid through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. The first time I tried this, I was convinced that it was going to be incredibly, inedibly pungent and sharp. A whole head of raw garlic was in that bowl, after all!

To my surprise, I smelled the liquid and tasted it and found that, while it had a powerful, sweet garlic aroma, it had none of the harshness or raw, hot garlic bite you’d expect. Clearly this was something that was going to need further investigating, but for the time being, I moved on, promising that I’d come back to it later.
Finishing the tahini sauce is as simple as adding some ground cumin and store-bought tahini—sesame paste is one of those things that are simply easier and better to get store-bought than to try grinding at home—and thinning it out with water.

Tahini behaves in an interesting way when you add liquids to it. Out of the jar, it’s pretty soft and flowing. As you add a little water or lemon juice, it’ll first seize up and turn thick like cement. Continue adding water, and it’ll eventually thin out into a pourable sauce. Whisking thoroughly between small additions of water ensures that the sauce is smooth, light, and lump-free.

Canned Versus Dried Chickpeas for Hummus
Time to address the chickpeas. I started by tackling the obvious first question: Are dried chickpeas really better than canned?

A couple of quick blind tastings gave me an answer. The bland, tinny flavor of canned chickpeas can’t compare to the full flavor of chickpeas that are cooked from dry before blending. But carefully rinsing canned chickpeas to remove excess liquid (it’s the liquid that’s the biggest culprit in that canned flavor), then simmering them for about an hour in fresh water with some aromatics, can work wonders, so, in a pinch, there are ways to make canned chickpeas better.

To cook my chickpeas, I tried a few methods, including soaking versus not (soaking overnight is a good idea if you remember to do it, but you can cook un-soaked dried chickpeas without a problem if you’re willing to simmer them for an extra hour or so); adding baking soda to the soaking and cooking water (this raises the pH, which helps the chickpeas break down and soften more easily); and cooking them on the stovetop versus in the >pressure cooker (the latter is great for speed-cooking, but it will also deepen the color a little, giving you a darker hummus).

Here’s where you really get to let loose. Berries are fine, but stone fruit, tart citrus, and cooked fruit are more interesting additions. Here’s my main guiding principle: Tartness and texture make the best pavlovas. One of my favorites is a dead-simple vanilla meringue with sweet whipped cream and ruby grapefruit segments. Pavlovas are sweet—there’s no way getting around that—and any possible tartness you can add will make them all the more appealing.

So in the fall I use plenty of late-season stone fruit like plums. In winter, it’s all about citrus—grapefruit and blood oranges especially—and cooked cranberries, too. Harder fruits like apples and pears are great when cubed and cooked in a little butter until just soft. And if you’re going for summer berries, consider ways to make them more interesting. The photo at the very top shows a pavlova with strawberries soaked in red wine and jumbled with macerated kumquats; the mix was tart, tannic, and only a little sweet. I’ll give a special shout out to pomegranates as well: the jewel-like nubs are the perfect pavlova accent, both for their tartness and their crunchy texture.

For me, it’s totally a stress and anxiety thing, I think. Teaching the workshops in our studio these last few months – it seriously made me come alive in a new way. But when that part of me came alive, my food brain shrunk back. And now the stress and chaos and anxiety of the workshops has faded a little bit, and life has slowed down, and Bjork went out of town for a few days (not that I WANTED him to be gone, but sometimes just cooking whatever you want for your very own self helps get things back in the groove, love u bb) and now I’m feeling like I have my finger back on the pulse of my familiar old cooking heart. Which is still, in fact, beating.

Yours probably is, too. I’m sure of it. And if you’re not sure, I’ll tell you what will make you sure:

It starts with sweet potato noodles and ends with chipotle dressing and cilantro and roasted corn and pepitas.
You know those times when you are so excited about food that you just HAVE to eat dinner at 5pm? Me either, barely, because most night we eat dinner at 8pm.

It’s no secret that peanut butter is one of my favourite things, and i love making it myself at home. it’s really simple – just a blend of peanuts and sea salt, but feel free to adapt this recipe with any extra flavourings you want to add!

ingredients
250g peanuts
large pinch of sea salt
method
simply place the peanuts and salt into a strong food processor (we have a magimix 5200xl.)
blend for about 10 minutes. during this time the nut butter will form a thick mixture, before turning into a smooth, creamy peanut butter.
ensure the peanut butter cools before spooning into sterilised jars. you can store it in the fridge for up to a month.
cacao & almond energy ball
this recipe was the inspiration behind our on-the-go cacao & almond energy ball, which remains one of our most popular products. with just five simple ingredients, these couldn’t be easier or more delicious.

ingredients
200g almonds
400g medjool dates
4 tablespoons raw cacao powder
2 ½ tablespoons almond butter
2 tablespoons coconut oil
method
begin by placing the almonds in the food processor and pulsing until they are nicely crushed.
add the medjool dates and coconut oil and pulse until it’s fully mixed.
add the almond butter and cacao and then mix again in the food processor.
take a tablespoon of the mixture and roll into a ball. continue doing this until the mixture has finished.
place the rolled balls into the freezer for around 1 hour, then remove and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

This bang bang cauliflower is one of my favourite snacks. the outer crust is so crunchy, while the inside is soft and crumbly. it’s perfect served straight out of the oven, with the sweet and spicy sauce drizzled over the top.

ingredients
1 cauliflower, cut into medium-sized florets
drizzle of olive oil
For the batter
300ml almond milk, or any other plant-based milk
200g brown rice flour
For the coating
200g brown rice flour, or plain flour
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
pinch of sea salt
For the sauce
4 tablespoons brown rice syrup
4 tablespoons tomato puree
juice of half a lemon
2 teaspoons hot chilli powder
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
pinch of sea salt
pinch of pepper
method
preheat oven to 200c, fan setting.
mix the batter ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
then in a separate bowl, mix the coating ingredients.
dip the cauliflower florets into the batter, before rolling in the coating, ensuring each floret is fully covered.
place the florets on a baking tray and roast for 30-35 minutes.
five minutes before the end of the cooking time, remove the tray from the oven and drizzle the cauliflower with olive oil, before placing back in for the final 5 minutes to crisp up.
while this cooks, make the sauce by simply placing all of the ingredients into a small bowl and stirring until smooth.
then, once the cauliflower is cooked and crunchy, take it out of the oven and serve with the sweet & spicy sauce.