I am having way too many conversations with people about the upcoming elections. So many that the FoodCandy Newsletter had to have an intro dedicated to that. I should admit here that the intro was a collaborative effort: I supplied the context and the ideas and I had my personal assistant write it. It starts like this:
Living in New York and being completely Obamafied I thought I'd take a trip down to D.C. to reignite the political excitement inside me. Coming from such a democratic city, it was inspiring to enter a political climate where one can buy not only "impeachments" (peach flavored mints to support the end of the George era) and "Mints of change" to support Obama's campaign, but a variety of mugs with McCain's face on them to drink your morning coffee in the office.
I put a McCain mug on my desk in the office, partly to annoy the NY democrats that heavily populate midtown. I wouldn't vote for Obama, but please don't take that as a voice of support for McCain. I am just tired of all the hopeful excitement that reminds me of the Soviet Union where we hoped to get some food in the store one day.
I've been eating a lot of risotto lately. One in New York at 
Market Table (excellent) and another at Tabard Inn in Washington DC (most excellent). I liked Tabard Inn so much that it's now in my list of favorites. The hotel is super cute and the place looks casual, packed with senators dining with their interns. We didn't stay at the inn, but at the majestic Willard, which boasts a cute cafe downstairs, Cafe du Parc.
More DC places follow.
- Cafe Atlantico: i liked my Salmon very much, it had foam on it - odd
- Cafe l'Enfant: stopped by for an espresso, will be back for lunch; the cafe has a sign that says "friends welcome, relatives by appointment", heh
- The Diner: I so needed a bloody mary
- Bistro Francais: I think it was a good choice, but it wasn't spectacular
New York Ketchup:
Two more dislocated (paf.) places.