Does DC Have a Signature Dish?

Does DC have a signature dish? On today's Metro Connection food writer Tim Carman says no. He says there aren't enough people outside the region familiar with the half-smoke... and that restaurants around the country don't produce local versions of any "DC-style" dish.

Do you disagree with Tim? Maryland has the crabcake. New England has clam chowder. Nominate a signature dish for the District.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by John Antonelli on July 30, 2009 at 11:55pm: Crow; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by David Furst on July 31, 2009 at 12:14am: Ha ha ha! Delicious.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Jason Novak (WAMU 88.5) on July 31, 2009 at 8:44am: I'm going to side with Tim on this one -- with all the different food cultures represented here, I'd say there is no one dish that can represent all of DC (though there is a lot of great food).

(Unless you can booze, then I'd say the Gin Rickey. It is Rickey Month after all.); ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Ethan Miller on July 31, 2009 at 2:47pm: When I was listening to this piece, I instantly thought of the half-smoke with chili. Its Ben's Chilli Bowl's signature dish, and Ben's is DC's signature restaurant. If not enough people outside the region know what a half-smoke is, maybe we need to change that and make it our signature dish. It's not like the Philly Cheesesteak was always known as the Philly Cheesesteak, and Clam Chowder wasn't always known as "Chowda".

I disagree with you Jason. Every major city has a lot of food cultures represented. Look at New York. Its got Italian, Chinese, Jewish, and some of the best Indian food you'll every get from a food cart. And yet they still have a signature dish.

Of course, maybe our signature dish should just be the overpriced pretzel with too much salt...; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Michael Heyman on August 1, 2009 at 7:00am: Watergate Salad. Even though the name "Watergate" was added just as a promotion, I think DC can claim anything named for "Watergate" as its own legacy ;-)

Also, not well attributed but definitely a DC creation is that Chocolate Almond Ricotta Pie that was invented at Geppetto in Georgetown (now Geppetto is in North Bethesda). That pie has made it to Olive Garden and I have seen it at a small restaurants in NJ and Boston. These places don't attribute it to Geppetto or DC but I know where it came from - back in the 70s, my mom talked Geppetto's pastry chef into giving up that recipe for a charity fundraiser cookbook (one of her greatest coups).; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Christopher on August 1, 2009 at 12:39pm: I was thinking the exact same thing!

Ethan Miller said:
When I was listening to this piece, I instantly thought of the half-smoke with chili. Its Ben's Chilli Bowl's signature dish, and Ben's is DC's signature restaurant. If not enough people outside the region know what a half-smoke is, maybe we need to change that and make it our signature dish. It's not like the Philly Cheesesteak was always known as the Philly Cheesesteak, and Clam Chowder wasn't always known as "Chowda".; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Christopher on August 1, 2009 at 8:59pm: I think the problem is that DC has no regional specialty to claim--no produce that only grows here, no fish (except the snake fish), no special bread of cow, or variety of vegetable, fruit, or wine. DC is like Congress--just a mixing bowl of all the states; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by wonkguy on August 3, 2009 at 12:28pm: I don't think there is a D.C. dish because most people who live here come from someplace else so the food is just a big smorgasborg. When I have a chance to sell people on having an authentic D.C. experience, I always tell them to cap of the sightseeing with a meal at one of the Ethiopian restaurants. I love the food and the dining experience is something you can't get in most places outside of this region.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Lynn Mobley on August 5, 2009 at 3:30pm: Once there was no food scene here, and the big games in town were the Maison Blanche, the Gaslight, Phillips Flagship - THEN the rum buns at the Flagship might have qualified as a DC dish - bet they still serve them. But think - Cincinnati has chili, Baltimore has crabs and mussels, we got - what? .
As for Ben's, no disrespect, but it's most recent famous visitors (President, movie stars) combined with its longevity do not make the chili dog necessarily a DC dish, do they? If there is only one place to get something, and it is out of easy range for most people in the Metropolitan area, can it and we mutually identify with each other? Now, if they franchised all over the place... That would be great for us outlyers who love a good half smoke, rotten for people who love Ben's the way it is. But it would do for DC what Skyline Chili did for Ohio...; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by David Furst on August 5, 2009 at 4:02pm: Lynn Mobley said:
"Now, if they franchised all over the place... it would do for DC what Skyline Chili did for Ohio..."

Ah - with Ben's new(ish) location at National Park... that may already be happening!; ▶ Reply to This