For the third year in a row I booked a flight and an Airbnb to see Rudy Francisco perform; this time in Washington D.C. I asked fellow blogger an lover of language, Celina from Trends & Tolstoy to join me and we set off for our D.C. adventure. Our Airbnb was in the historical H Street Corridor neighborhood; When we arrived it was just a 20 minute Uber ride from DCA Airport. It was an incredible value at about $75/per night for the two of us and had all of the necessities; private access, a clean bed, clean bathroom, mini fridge, Netflix & TV, even a few BluRay DVDs. And our host was absolutely lovely!

We dropped our belongings and headed to our first meal in D.C. at an incredible neighborhood spot, D.C. Harvest. Petite in size, D.C. Harvest is located right on H Street and aims to utilize locally sourced ingredients whenever possible. I was thrilled to see offerings from local sustainable D.C. farms such as Cultivate the City, de Terre Apiary, and H Street Farms. As we perused the menu owner Jerome X, came out to greet us with a freshly made batch of house cured bacon-- The smell was like a drug, one whiff and we found ourselves ordering both the Grilled DCH Cherry Wood Smoked Bacon and the Nectarine and Cherry Tomato Salad featuring local microgreens from Little Wild Things City Farm in D.C. Bursting with flavor, both dishes set the bar high for D.C. Harvest, but they continued to exceed my expectations with every bite!

Our entrees were no exception; I opted for the Pan Roasted New England Scallops with roasted lobster mushrooms, shishito peppers, sweet corn, fresh black eyed peas, and red miso butter while Celina opted for the Korean Grilled Pork Tenderloin with dinosaur kale kimchi fried black rice, roasted heirloom baby carrots, and gochujang glaze (if you're hungry, add a fried duck egg!). Both were perfectly cooked and filled with flavor and left me eager to explore more of DC Harvest's menu. With vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options, D.C. Harvest is a solid choice for every diner. I will definitely be seeking out a reservation the next time I visit. 

After dinner we hopped in an Uber to the reading. As always, Rudy captures his audiences attention with his raw poetry and unapologetic metaphors. We arrived just before the reading and the only seats available were behind Rudy on stage-- Fine by me! It was truly a fresh perspective to his work and his performance style. We stuck around so I could grab a photo with Rudy before it started to pour and we ran back to our Airbnb.


For the second day of our trip we set out to explore several of D.C.'s museums and landmarks taking in sights from the The Supreme Court, the Library of Congress, Folger Shakespeare Library, The US Capitol, the National Gallery of Art, The U.S. Postal Museum, the National Mall, and the Lincoln Memorial. Believe it or not, the National Postal Museum was a ton of fun and has a long and storied history-- definitely check it out if you're in the area.

For dinner we headed to Sospeso, a Mediterranean spot tucked away in the H Street Corridor. It's female-owned with a female chef at the helm, and each bite was more amazing than the last. We ordered Halloumi, Labneh, Grilled Octopus Diavolo and a side of pickled veggies. The Halloumi was fried to perfection with heirloom tomatoes, pea shoots, chermoula, and pomegranate molasses and the Grilled Octopus Diavolo was INCREDIBLE! Served over a warm chickpea salad, Calabrian chili sauce, cilantro and cooked to perfection. I highly recommend this spot for mezze style drinks and apps, so many delicious small plates perfect for sharing!


On the last day of our trip we spent the bulk of the afternoon at the Newseum. If you've never been, it's a museum dedicated to news and the rich history of it in the US. I had been to this museum before but Celina had never been so we fully immersed ourselves in the experience for over 4 hours. It's a huge museum but was well worth the time spent, especially if you're into journalism like we are. After the museum we had a coffee break and did some shopping before heading to our final dinner destination in the H Street Corridor neighborhood, Cusbah.

It was a gorgeous day so we opted to sit on the patio at Cusbah. The owner, a female Pakistani-America had a wealth of information to offer alongside her excellent selections; we noshed on Gobi Pakora (mildly spiced cauliflower, dipped in batter and deep fried), Chana Dip & Naan (blended chana masala, topped with keema, fresh ginger, pickled red onions, and cilantro), Lamb Roganjosh, and Chicken Masala. All incredibly flavorful, with incredible spice blends, and craft cocktails that perfectly complemented the meal.