The H Street festival celebrated 21 years of supporting local businesses. This year the celebration…read morewas Saturday, September 19, from 12noon -7pm on H Street, NE (3rd St to 12th Street. If you are driving, you might find a space in the neighborhood (a few streets over). Union Station isn't far - a few blocks from 3rd street, NE. There were dozens and dozens of vendors, lots of free swag and three entertainment stages and a play area for kids. The entertainment stages had DJs, artists and bands. The department of recreation had a bouncy house, lots of games, toys, free popcorn, cotton candy, icees and frozen custard. There were lots of local organizations with "spin the wheel" games and prizes. The city has a lot of companies that offer assistance in many areas. The vendors were amazing. H Street was "one stop shopping" in hand made goods (soap, candles, perfume, jewelry, fashion, t-shirts, handbags, ball caps and art. Food and beverage stations were attracting guests. It wasn't as crowded as Giant's Battle of the BBQ. The community came together and enjoyed the day. Follow H Street festival on social media to stay updated on future events.

The 2022 H Street Festival executed on every street festival/block party need: Good food, good…read moremusic & entertainment, good vendors, a little dancing with a whole lot of celebration.. and Mother Nature brought the good weather! Not only was there diversity within the items listed above but it brought out a diverse crowd--I'm sure every identity was present at the festival making for good vibes. Food wise, there was a range of vendors that included food from across the Black diaspora (Jamaican, Haitian, Southern soul food), American cuisine, Bar food from H Street bars & restaurants, sushi & other Asian cuisine , among other fun food trucks. The music I experienced spread across multiple genres (African, r&b, reggae, hip hop, country, and pop) and was put forth by live musicians, DJs, and drag queens. Street formers were also off stage entertaining us with their percussion and brass instruments.

Don't bother with the tourist traps or gift shops at the Smithsonian / National Mall! Maui Wowi is…read morehere to the rescue - on wheels! On my second day in DC, I had brought a sack lunch to avoid paying museum shop prices - they're nuts! However, it was absolutely freezing and I really wanted something warm to sip. My friend and I noticed a bright orange, coffee kiosk, van thingee (yes that is the scientifically correct term, thank you...) and wondered if they would be just as bad, or offer some sort of competitive relief. We didn't stop right away, but all day I hoped to see the orange van again so I could check it out. When we finally did circle back around, on our way to the White House, the van was gone. My friend jabbed me playfully in the ribs and said, "aww, looks like your coffee van is no more." Then we turned a corner, and there it was! First thing I was pleased to find was that it destroyed gift shop prices on coffee by about $1-3 cheaper. Second point of awesomeness was that they round all their prices to the dollar. No $3.39 drinks here! Just nice round numbers, and they took my VISA. The coffee was fantastic. Incredibly strong (I love it that way) without being sharp at all. Very surprisingly rich. I haven't had a cup of coffee that good for $2 in a very, very long time. Half and half or whole milk are served by request from a pitcher and sugar or sugar substitute are self-serve. After having accepted defeat and disappointment in thinking I'd missed them, only to find them a moment later, it was a victory that could only be sweetened by free stuff. Did I mention the free stuff? There is free stuff: While almost every coffee shop that serves espresso these days will charge you 50 cents for a shot of flavoring, Maui Wowi has their coffee flavoring out on a rack attached to the side of the van so you can do it yourself - and the flavors are as complementary as cream and sugar. I chose English Toffee just because it's something I've never had in coffee before.

We hired Maui Wowi of Bethesda to serve at our son's eagle scout court of honor. The smoothies…read morewere the hit of the party. They were prompt, courteous, and very easy to work with and the smoothies were delicious! Thanks for making our event special.

*Late Night Post Alert* When is the last time you had…read morechicken,& dumplings? If it's been a minute like me, this caterer has GOT THAT down Eastern Market!! I ran into a couple GOODT spots the other day...Let's GO!! . Where I am: @pretty_delicious_cuisine . Location Reviewed: @easternmarket_dc 225 7th St., S.E. Washington D.C. (Outside Vendor) . Menu Includes: *See Instagram link above* . Items Reviewed: Their Chicken & Dumplings (with chicken, dough dumplings, gravy, carrots, & veggies $12 sm.). STAMP!! Nostalgic, savory, thick with chicken, & perfectly cooked dumplings...I CRUSHED this!! Their Jerk Chicken Tacos (3 tacos with pineapple mango salsa, flour tortillas, cilantro, & yellow rice $15). STAMP!! A spicy jerk sauced chicken, paired with the sweet mango, & acidic pineapple!! The rice was DELICIOUS. Their Jerk Chicken Wings Meal (6 jerked wings with rice, Mac n cheese, & collard greens $20). STAMP these fall off the bone jerk wings, and well seasoned collards!! The Mac n cheese...DELICIOUS. It was good. Agua Frescantes: *No internet presence* They were at Eastern Market on Sunday. Their Watermelon Lemonade, & Cucumber Limeade $6 each...STAMP!! Freshly pressed juice!! . Online Navigation: Easy . Customer Service: On Point . Parking: ROUGH . Recommendations: Get those dumplings, tacos, & platter, walk down & get the Agua Frescas too!! . Music:YouTube-Chance Band Anacostia High '83 =STAMP =LIKE THAT =DELICIOUS =DECENT =PASS =NAH #Bigschlimsreviews

Will preface this review by saying that I don't eat Indian food too often. Stopped here because no…read moreother trucks looked appealing at Farragut Sq today, or ones that did didn't take cards. Ordered tikka masala that came with rice, lentils, chick peas and naan. The chicken was true to flavor in my opinion, and as someone who doesn't like too much heat, it was spiiicy. I'm guzzling cold water as I type... Agree with other reviewers....the naan is terrible and hard. I thought the lentils were fine, but didn't care to eat the chickpeas. On this particular day, apparently they had lost their big menu. So instead, they had a teeny tiny printed menu, which was very confusing. Tikka masala was listed under Sides, and the price was $$. But when I asked, was told it was a main dish. Anyway, I paid with a card, and no receipt was offered so I still don't know how much my meal cost. Will I try again? Only if I'm craving Indian food and no other food truck strikes my fancy.

Apparently, their food has improved incredibly or the person prior had no idea what Indian food…read moretastes like. . . also, chickens have bones. Their vegetarian tray was great- home cooked Indian food. Rice, daal, okra, and chana. Couldn't have asked for better! they also gave a mint chutney on top of some I think fritters (pakoda). Great if you're craving a taste of home without heavy cream. The flavours were great! 4 stars for a food truck!

If it were not for a friend, I would not have heard of Grey DC Market. Not sure how others found…read moreout - I overheard someone saying it was in City Paper. Not sure if the location moves, but when I went, it was at the Emergence Community Arts Collective. A $2 fee allows access to many food & beverage vendors, almost all of which have samples. You could get full on the samples alone, but you should really buy something, and you will want to, because everything is quite good. I mainly went for one reason: Haitian pâté (patties) from Mezanmi. My understanding is that since the closing of Chez Yonyon, the DMV is sorely lacking Haitian food, and I definitely miss it (ok, crave it) from my Massachusetts days. Haitian pâté is in puff pasty and the meat is less ground up than the Jamaican version you may be familiar with. I think the Haitian version is way tastier, and these definitely were. Plus, for $1, you could add a side of pickleez. Moving on from that, there were a lot of baked goods vendors, plus vendors selling juice, empanadas, sofrito, tacos, pierogis, and various sandwiches (pork, sausage, etc.). I sampled the juice (yummy) and various sweet treats, all of which I liked. I ultimately decided to go for an ice cream sandwich: maple bacon ice cream with bacon bits between two thin waffle cookies (sort of like pizzelles, but without anise). Though melty, this was amazing. The ice cream was not overly sweet, and the cookies were still crisp, even though the item was cold. Plus, there were plenty of bacon pieces inside the ice cream. This was from a vendor called Suga Mama Sweets (you can find their products on the lobster truck during Truckeroo as well). While I liked the location because there was plenty of parking, there was minimal seating and shade, so that was a bit tough. But, I definitely can't wait until the next Grey DC.

The last reviews from DC Hot Wheels were all from 2013, and, well, hopefully that was a better year…read morefor them because this review is not going to continue that trend by any stretch of the imagination. DC Hot Wheels showed up at State Department today. I hadn't tried them, and they had pretty short line (only two people ahead of me), so I figured I'd give them a shot. They got through the line pretty quickly in terms of orders so figured I'd be set. But then I waited...and waited...and waited (the two people in front of me also waited a while). I must've waited 15 minutes - at least - for my meal. A little frustrating, especially as I watched the 15-deep Far East Taco Grille line move extremely quickly. However, I would have been willing to overlook the wait if the food had been good. Unfortunately, it just wasn't. I ordered the chicken wrap, which was just incredibly bland, even with the tzatziki sauce (the sauce itself was actually ok). The chicken was very dry. I was also surprised to see white rice in my wrap - perhaps I didn't pay close enough attention to the menu, but I wasn't expecting it to have rice. I mentioned to my co-worker that I could have really used some sriacha (I noticed some other reviewers mentioned hot sauce, I didn't see any), and an extra helping or three of the tzatziki wouldn't have hurt either. On the positive side, the wrap was pretty large and plenty filling for me. It was $7, which wasn't unreasonable. However, I'd rather pay a little more and enjoy food that isn't super-bland. I won't be returning.

I've only been here once but I will be a repeat customer. The service is friendly and quick. The…read morechicken wrap was a pretty hefty size for just $7 & some change. That coupled with it being full of chicken, potatoes, tomato and lettuce, means that, if you are not as greedy as I am, you can stretch it into two meals. Ask for the hot sauce to give this well seasoned little wrap a kick.

I have been getting popcorn from this stand for years and all of which was from their time previous…read morelocation on the corner of 7th & D Streets SW. If you arrive on a day when the line isn't 10-15 deep consider that an anomoly. This popcorn stand attracted customers in SW from virtually all of the government buildings and foot traffic in the vicinity. All of the popcorn is made-to-order, however there are pre-made bags of popcorn readily available for purchase at a discount price. The reason for the long lines is because the popcorn is made to order, the popcorn is sold in large, multiple-serving bags, and the stand is a one-man show. Mike is never not moving in the stand, as he always seems to be preparing fresh popcorn. His customer service is generally good and sometimes he will engage you in light conversation of you engage him. However there are days when he is relatively quiet. On those days I don't take it personal or interpret it as a sign of disrespect, rather, I'm reminded he is a one-man show filling non-stop orders of popcorn. I like that you can customize your popcorn flavor. Some of the flavors available to order are traditional cheddar, white cheddar, jalapeño, butter, parmesan garlic, chive, pepper pop, and sour cream and chives. Overall a great popcorn stand experience and I will continue to patronize.

My mother-in-law has been buying me popcorn from Mike for years. She works very close by. However,…read moreshe's been working from home during quarantine so she hasn't gotten to visit in a long time. I was finally able to venture out and find Mike. He was located at the corner of D and 7th SW when I found him. I had only ever tried his regular popcorn. During this visit, I was able to try the white cheddar popcorn. LOL...I didn't like the white cheddar, but I notoriously don't like flavored popcorn. I was able to get a few bags from my mother-in-law which was awesome right before Christmas.

Excellent food and dessert. They were able to accommodate a last minute party of seven which I…read moreappreciated so much.

I loved Pacci's. We got a reservation and sat downstairs, which had a really interesting dark…read morefeeling. One thing I really appreciate is a waiter who can walk you through the menu. Our waiter did that. I asked for recommendations and he explained everything on the menu to us. Then I asked a specific question about a dish and he knew the answer immediately. He also gave us specials. I got the Orecchiette e Salsiccia -- Rapini shells with sausage. I loved it. Someone else my table got the special -- pasta with steak. The steak was cooked PERFECTLY and was wonderful. Overall, I loved Pacci's. It has a laid back family vibe yet the food is fantastic. One more thing: the neighborhood Pacci's is in is beautiful. Pacci's itself is in a very rustic nice building, right across from many beautifully painted rowhomes and brownstones.