A Taste of Home
By Caroline Carr and Jessica Fetrow
Restaurants in Washington, D.C. offer a variety of dishes that are unique to the diverse regions throughout the country. Students suffering under the weight of midterms season can treat themselves for their hard work by ordering those classic dishes that remind them of home. Whether it is the bagels of the Middle Atlantic region or the lobster rolls of New England area, students can go out into the city with friends and relieve stress with a little taste of home.
Catholic University is made up of a diverse student body that consists of students from all over the United States. On the official university website, the origins of the Catholic University student population is broken down to 53.7% of the student body coming from the Middle Atlantic region, 21.7% from the Southern region of the United States, and 8.3% of students coming from the New England area.
The lobster roll, native to the states of Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts, is a comforting New England classic made with made with fresh lobster tossed in mayonnaise or butter and lemon juice, served on a toasted buttered roll. One of the best places to get this New England staple locally is at Hank’s Oyster Bar on Capitol Hill. This location serves a more expensive lobster roll for $27, served with a side of Old Bay fries. A more affordable option is Luke’s Lobster located in Penn Quarter on E Street which also serves this delicious dish in two different ways. The first lobster roll is a classic lobster roll for $17 and the second is immersed in butter and infused with white truffles for $18.
The majority of the student body comes from the Middle Atlantic region, made up of states such as New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland. It is also the region where bagels are the most popular and Washington, D.C serves up bagel and breakfast sandwiches that will rival even your favorite bagel places from home.
Buffalo Bergen Bagels is one of the best in the city for the quintessential Mid-Atlantic breakfast sandwiches and unique toppings. Buffalo Bergen Bagels is home to several creative breakfast sandwiches such as the “Body count,” and the “In your Face!” breakfast sandwiches. The “Body Count” is a meat lovers dream served with ham, sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, and apricot jelly. The “In your Face!” is served with fried egg and filled with flavors from Italy such as mozzarella, pesto, and sopressata. Call your Mother is a Jewish deli that also brings the Mid-Atlantic bagel to D.C. with a twist. Try their seasonal breakfast sandwiches, including their “Rashida” with bacon peanut butter, apple, and honey on a sesame bagel.
If students are from the Southern parts of the United States and need some southern hospitality to run away those midterm blues, there are many restaurants in D.C. that serve classic soul food. The Washingtonian Magazine has remarked that Ooh’s and Aahh’s has the best mac and cheese, so for people who cannot get enough of this tasty dish, Oohh’s and Aahh’s is the place for you. This restaurant was also featured on the Food Network show, “Diner, Drive Ins, and Dives,” hosted by Guy Fieri, a tribute to this southern-style restaurant. Another restaurant that is a little further away but worth the metro ride is the very affordable Bayou Bakery in Arlington Virginia. Bayou Bakery sells southern classics such buttery biscuit breakfast sandwiches for as little as $3 and a Smoked “Douille” Dog made from spicy andouille sausage and creole mustard slaw for $9. However, the real reason the distance is worth it is for the heavenly $3 beignets topped with a mound of powdered sugar on top.
If you go to school at Catholic University, it is midterm season, and everyone deserves a break to leave the library for something that will evoke positive memories for them. No matter where students are from, they can find food specific to their hometown in Washington, D.C. School and grades are not forever, but food, good memories, and family are an essential part of life.
