Join local author JoAnn Hill as she leads you on a mouthwatering adventure throughout the Washington, DC, area to explore eats and eateries that are both familiar and exotic. Each story offers a fascinating depiction of the remarkable journeys that led to the delicious dishes and drinks that have helped put DC’s flourishing food scene on the map. Tantalize your taste buds with swoon-worthy savors and sips like handcrafted, wood-smoked barbecue; Spam musubi, Hawaiian-style rice balls that will satisfy even the most discerning of palates; iconic half-smokes, DC’s symbolic sausage; and the queen of all Bloody Marys, the Lox’d and Loaded, a Bloody Mary jewel of a drink crowned with a lox-stuffed bagel. Relish exotic flavors that transport you across the globe with simmering Ethiopian stews scooped up with torn-apart pieces of injera, and delightful dosas, crispy lentil-flour crepes stuffed with savory fillings. Meet the talented and tenacious individuals behind the comforting plates, indulgent sweets, blissful bites, and thirst-quenching beverages that satisfy our cravings and nourish our bellies. In Unique Eats and Eateries of Washington, DC, you’ll discover an extraordinary collection of food and drink experts exquisitely seasoned by dashes of passion, sprinkles of grit, and pinches of ingenuity. Throughout Unique Eats and Eateries of Washington, DC, you will embark upon a delectable tour of the area’s most unique, innovative, and enjoyable food and drink spots where there’s a delightful culinary revelation and awe-inspiring story around every corner.

Discover the culinary heritage of America’s capitol with this guide to Washington, D.C.’s historic restaurants and storied local eateries. While today’s foodies enjoy the latest culinary trends of Logan Circle and the H Street corridor, Washington's first true restaurants opened around 1830. Waves of immigrants introduced a global mix of ingredients to the capital’s eager palates by opening eateries like the venerable China Doll Gourmet and Cleveland Park's Roma Restaurant. By the twentieth century, the variety and quality of cuisine was astounding. Diners could have tea at Garfinckel's Greenbrier or lunch at local favorites such as Little Tavern Diner or Ben's Chili Bowl. For an elegant evening, fine restaurants like Rive Gauche and the Monocle satisfied the most sophisticated gastronome. With careful research and choice recipes, “Streets of Washington” blogger John DeFerrari chronicles the culinary and social history of the capital through its restaurants, tasting his way from the lavish Gilded Age dining halls of the Willard Hotel to the Hot Shoppe's triple-decker Mighty Mo.

From hot dogs to haute cuisine, Connecticut boasts an impressive array of tempting delicacies for every taste and budget. Hot, buttered lobster rolls, steamed cheeseburgers, and coal-fired New Haven-style pizza are just a few of the delights that await adventurous foodies in the Nutmeg State. With Unique Eats and Eateries of Connecticut as your guide, you’ll find a new place to try on every page and get the stories behind the food too. Bask in the warmth of the Connecticut shore at Abbott’s Lobster in the Rough, where three generations of the Mears family have slow-steamed and served lobsters on sunny picnic tables along the waterfront. Find out how O’Rourke’s Diner in Middletown was supported by its community and the Wesleyan students who love it after a devastating fire threatened to put them out of business in 2006. Get a taste of Yale life at the high-ceilinged Union League Café, where Chef JeanPierre Vuillermet wows diners with his ever-changing French brasserie menu. And if you love reading and eating, be sure to learn about the free book with your meal at Traveler Restaurant. Local writer Mike Urban takes you on a tour around this culinary wonderland to explore eats and eateries that are both familiar and exotic. Come along on this fascinating tour of Connecticut’s most unique, unusual, and enjoyable food spots where there’s a delightful culinary revelation around every corner.

There is no city in America that bases its identity on its unique cuisine more than New Orleans. The geography that gives the city access to sea and land, a history that emphasizes food and drink, and laissez faire attitude that allows visitors and citizens alike to give way to the pleasures of the table, all culminate in an experience that can be had nowhere else on earth. Whether looking for the oldest restaurant in America, the newest avant garde restaurant experimenting with science, a place for a great drink supported by delicious nibbles, Cajun and Creole delicacies you have only read about, or the traditional reasons that the city's food has been heralded for almost 3 centuries, you will find the answers in Unique Eats and Eateries of New Orleans. Whether haute cuisine or low cuisine "š€š" champagne or alligator "š€š" you will find the sweet and savory road map in the pages of this book.

If you are hungry for a good meal and a delicious story, this book is here to serve you. It introduces you to the most fascinating restaurants and chefs in Philadelphia. Discover how two chocolatiers got engaged; dinners interrupted by bungled mob hits; restaurants that survived an earthquake, a fire, and even Prohibition; a secret restaurant that began in a backyard tent; and a distillery that started in a basement. The book includes the sweet and spicy stories behind more than 90 bistros, bars, bakeries, and breweries - restaurants with moving stories and good food and drink. Learn how to get reservations at trendy restaurants and into secret speakeasies. Find the most sinful desserts, where senior citizens dine with college seniors, where to taste goat, and spot celebrities too. Philadelphia, perhaps best known for its famous cheesesteaks, is finally getting recognized for its restaurant scene. It seems natural that a city sandwiched between two rivers would become one of the hottest food cities in America. With so many great restaurants, this book will help you to be well read and well fed.

Chicago has come a long way since its stereotypical days as a meat-and-potatoes town. Over the past several decades, as the city rose to global metropolis status, so too did its multifaceted food scene. Nowadays, Chicago's restaurants, bakeries and neighborhood eateries are as highly regarded as its famed skyscrapers. Sure there are hot dogs and deep-dish pizzas aplenty, much of it well worth a bucket list-type visit, but there's so much more to explore and eat in all corners of the city. Try Macanese food in Logan Square. Pair "culinary beer" with German chocolate cake. Go old-school in a legendary Gold Coast steakhouse. From awe-inspiring tasting menus hidden away down a quiet West Loop street to smoked fish with a side of Blues Brothers lore, Chicago is filled to the brim with unique eats and eateries. Come hungry, and bring a copy of Unique Eats & Eateries of Chicago!

Washington, DC Food Crawls is an exciting culinary tour through this historic yet modern city. Discover hidden gems and long-standing institutions of the capitol. Each crawl is the complete recipe for the perfect tourist day, a new way to experience your own city, or simply food porn and great stories to enjoy from home. Get your hands dirty at Ben’s Chili Bowl, take on a slice of pizza bigger than your head, and get ready for some of the best Filipino food in the country. Put on your walking shoes and your stretch pants, and dig into the Capitol City one dish at a time.