Sticky Fingers Sweets & Eats in Columbia Heights, DC

There are a few habits you pick up when your best friend is vegan.

Now, I have nothing against omnivores (or carnivores even) but I have noticed that I am slowly starting to eat less meat. In fact, I stopped cooking meat for myself altogether: I'm saving money and spend less time in the kitchen. And where do I get my protein? Eggs and greek yogurt have become mainstays in my diet. 

That being said, I do think that veganism is an extremely difficult lifestyle to pull off even in a city as health conscious as DC. Add onto that vegan baked goods? Good luck finding a place fully catering to all of your dessert needs.

So of course, I have to give the credit of finding Sticky Fingers all to my best friend. Who would have thought that vegan baked goods (and vegan brunch) would be so tasty? 

French toast // french bread + nutmeg + cinnamon // 5.5 

Brunch & munch is served exclusively on the weekends from opening to 2:30 PM and offerings are pretty standard for a typical brunch setting. You'd never know that it was vegan. Oh and let me just go on for a minute about the french toast: it tastes just like the Eggo French Toaster Sticks that I used to have for breakfast in elementary school. Even normal french toast doesn't taste like that! For bringing back that nostalgia? +1 

If you're feeling like getting the whole brunch bang, you can opt for the platter version of any brunch entree and includes hash browns, vegan usage, and scrambled tofu. 

Buiscuits & gravy // light & fluffy biscuits + southern style gravy + gimme-lean sausage // 5.5 

When I talk about gravy, it's probably good ol' sawmill gravy and there is absolutely nothing vegan about that stuff: flour and butter (or if bacon drippings) roux, breakfast sausage, and cream. It's absolutely heavenly and makes me want to hop onto the next plane back home. Sticky Finger's version isn't quite so stick-to-your-ribs heavy and has a heavy mushroom flavor that is smothered over two of the flakiest, most moist biscuits imaginable. You really won't be missing your butter here. Though I do miss the sausage. 

In addition to food items, Sticky Fingers also carries a selection of baked goods including cupcakes, brownies, and cookies as well as vegan prepared foods from local vendors. Yes, any vegan would have an absolute field day here and meat-eaters would be pleasantly surprised at the variety that veganism offers. No, they don't just eat salads all day. 

Dispelling vegan myths? +1
Making kick-ass food? +1
Making me super nostalgic? +1

I think that's a winner in my book.

Sticky Fingers Sweets & Eats

1370 Park Rd NW
Washington, DC 20010

[Brunch revisits] Founding Farmers in Foggy Bottom, DC

"So...this is my third weekend in a row going to Founding Farmers for brunch."

Angela: *holds out hand and pats me*

"Are you trying to give me an intervention?"

"No, take me with you."

Okay, so yes I've been brunching at Founding Farmers for the last three weeks in a row. But here's the dirty little secret - I have absolutely no regrets (though my wallet is singing a completely different song.)

I've mentioned before that Founding Farmers is my favorite restaurant in DC and whenever I have people visiting from out of town making that coveted week-early reservation is top priority. Although I enjoy the uber affordable breakfast at sister-store Farmers Fishers and Bakers, I have yet to bring myself to shell out the $30 for their breakfast buffet (though I'm sure it's worth every single penny.) 

Founding Farmers on the other hand serves a more traditional version of brunch (but with the complete quality and flawless execution that's become their standard and trademark - who else can make just bread and eggs taste so delicious?!?!?!)

I was only able to bring my camera to capture one of my brunchin' adventures, but I can assure you that everything is absolutely delicious! If you're strictly here for the brunch menu, it's served until 2PM, but if you want a little mix of both the lunch + dinner menu is served from 11 AM onwards.

Some quick recommendations are:

• Uncle Buck's Beignets: if you know me in real life and still haven't heard me rave about these giant clouds of perfect then do you really know me?
• Chicken & Waffles from the lunch + dinner menu: yes, there is a difference! Any southern gal will tell you that chicken & waffles taste best when it's made with bone-in cast-iron skillet fried chicken and that's exactly what the portion from the lunch + dinner menu serves! The brunch version is a bit cheaper, but uses chicken tenders so I say spend the extra $3 and get the good stuff! Portions are HUGE so you can definitely share with a friend (or a small country.)
• Farm Breads: when you get a choice of bread, always choose the ciabatta. Founding Farmer's house-made ciabatta is the perfect mx of slightly sour yeasty goodness, chewy-yet-airy interior, and perfect crunchy crust (see below or here) 
• Skillet Corn Bread: it's in a cute little skillet and has little corn kernels in it! 'Nough said.
• Red Velvet Pancakes: I think the name speaks for itself. Absolutely massive, bright red pancakes topped with a cream cheese drizzle. Perfection.
• Anything with bacon: Like the ciabatta, Founding Farmer's bacon is so normal yet so...exceptional. Thick and meaty, it's absolutely ruined all other types of bacon for me. Oh and insider tip: upgrade and get it black pepper maple glazed. Yum. 

To be honest, if I were to give you a full list of recommendations, then I'd just be handing you the Founding Farmer's menu. No, I'm not sponsored but that would be nice -nudge nudge- (along with a lifetime supply of beignets, please and thank you!) But enough of me babbling, I'm sure you guys just want to see the food.

Goat cheese & beet hash // onion + bell pepper + hollandaise + poached egg + ciabatta // 12

Lately I've really taken a liking to goat cheese (spinach + strawberries + goat cheese + slivered almonds with a poppyseed dress = absolute perfection!) so the goat cheese and beet hash immediately  popped out at me. Topped with two perfectly runny poached eggs and a light touch of hollandaise sauce, it's a riiiicchhh way to start off the day. Tangy and earthy from the toppings in a sea of perfectly browned and crunchy leek hash browns - the flavors are decadent but I did not end up feeling heavy or weighed down!

Founding Farmer's breakfast // two poached eggs + leek hash browns + black pepper maple glazed bacon + ciabatta // 12

Angela has made a reappearance on the blog! A couple things about brunch with Angela: she shares my love for Founding Farmers, she loves her bacon, she always gets poached eggs. Even though just about every place that serves brunch has a similar plate to this, Founding Farmer's quality makes it stand out. Every bite was delicious, fresh, and well prepared from start to end. 

Founding Farmers

1924 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20006

Smoke & Barrel in Adams Morgan, DC

I know, I know it's been a month since I've last posted, same on me. To sum up my last month in one word: orgo (aka o-chem, organic chemistry, call of death). But excuses aside, I am determined to keep myself accountable this month and aim for three posts a week - sounds pretty doable right? 

Updates aside, here's a very late recap on one of my latest food adventures!

I've mentioned a few times before, but one of my best friends is vegan, so I am constantly on the look out for new and unique vegan-friendly restaurants to try out with her. Smoke & Barrel came up on my radar from a relentless Yelp search for a new brunch place to try out and immediately was drawn in by the vegan options. Did I mention that this is a BBQ place? Mind. Blown.

Located in Adams Morgan just a few steps away from some of my favorite places to grab a casual bite (Tryst, Amsterdam Falafelshop, Donburi), Smoke & Barrel's bare wood tables and exposed brick gives it a very "ripping-meat-off-the-bone-with-my-bare-fingers" rustic feel. I dig that sorta stuff.

My friends and I were the first table in for brunch that day, so we snagged a table on a sunny balcony and by the time we left (albeit two hours later - more on this later in the post) the restaurant was absolutely packed.

Vegan wings // muddy style // 9.95

To be quite honest, the vegan wings were what prompted me to visit Smoke & Barrel. They're drumettes of soy-based meat substitute wrapped around a small wooden dowel and can be served up wet (with BBQ sauce), dry (with spice rub), muddy (wet + dry), with chipotle honey butter, or with buffalo blue cheese. While I can't say that they taste like meat (but then again, I've never had meat substitute that actually tastes like meat), they were absolutely delicious and my friends and I immediately decided to order a second plate. Too bad that by the time we ordered, the kitchen was out of wings. There was only one other table in the restaurant at this point (who were also informed that they could no longer order the wings), so there were only five vegan wings in the kitchen the entire day? My friends and I had a good laugh at this.

Huevos rancheros // two eggs + pork + salsa + cheddar on a corn tostada with home fries + black beans // 10.95

Two eggs breakfast // two eggs + bacon + home fries + texas toast // 9.95

Chili cheese tofu scramble // vegan chili + vegan cheese + home fries + texas toast // 10.95

Classic BBQ sandwich // chicken + coleslaw + BBQ sauce + pickle + collard greens // 10.95

To be honest, aside from the wings, none of the food particularly "wowed" me. My chicken sandwich was decent and plentiful, but it lacked any of the smokey notes that I was craving. Not to mention a few bites in I realized that the meat tasted stale, like it was left over from the day before. 

The biggest thing that I was disappointed in though was not the food (after all, I don't think brunch is the best representation of a BBQ restaurant) but the terribly slow and inattentive service. We waited for a good half an hour before anyone came to take our orders, asked for the second plate of wings three times before being informed that the kitchen was out, and sat staring at our empty plates for a good 45 minutes before anyone came to drop off the check. Maybe they were just understaffed that day or still training their wait staff, so I don't want to be too harsh, but I couldn't help but feel extremely wary of coming back.

Smoke & Barrel

2471 18th St NW
Washington, DC 20009