Founding Farmers - Foggy Bottom, DC

Recently, my friend invited about 14 of us to get brunch at American restaurant Founding Farmers for her birthday. Located three blocks from the White house, there is street parking and hourly garage parking (one block away). The closest metro stop are Farragut West and Foggy Bottom on the blue and orange lines.

This is DC's first Certified LEED restaurant. That means the restaurant's architecture and interior have been constructed and created with a minimum impact on the environment. They also purchase ingredients from family farms, compost, recycle, and practice other methods of being "green".

I wasn't able to check out the top floor but the 1st floor could fit a lot of people. This 2-level restaurant has a modern-colonial look. The high ceilings, large windows and "slabs of tree" tables were casual but refined.

They gave our bustling group a few pitchers/bottles of water (how cute!), and the bf ordered an 'Arnold Palmer (iced tea and lemonade)' for $3. Since this drink is made to order, they didn't offer free refills like some other drinks. I wish they did though because it was refreshing.

Our table shared some orders of deviled eggs.
Top: Devil-ish Eggs: The Classic (A Platter of Our Traditional Deviled Eggs with the Classic Filling) for $4. Who doesn't love deviled eggs?
Bottom: Devil-ish Eggs: The Combo (Our Classic Devil-ish Eggs, with Maine Lobster, Gulf Crab, and Salmon) for $14. I found these to be overly salty.

This was a little less than 1/2 our table. Lots of people and food crammed onto one table! I'll be mentioning some other people's dishes so you can see what they look like.

My cousin ordered the 'Eggs Benedicts with Crab (Two Soft Poached Eggs on House-Made English Muffin. Served Leek Hash Browns)' for $13. She found the dish to be somewhat soggy, and lacked bold flavors. She also didn't finish the leek hash browns. Overall, she said it was ok.

The birthday girl ordered 'Southern Pan Fried Chicken (Crispy Fried Free-Range Chicken with Gravy and Waffles. Served with Mac’m'Cheese and Today’s Vegetable) for $16. This dish came off of the lunch/dinner menu, so the portions were huge! She found the fried chicken to be non-greasy, and the green beans cooked perfectly. The mac & cheese was a bit overcooked and bland.

The bf ordered 'Fried Chicken, Eggs and Waffles (Crispy-Fried Free-Range Chicken Tenders with Gravy, Two Eggs Any Way and a Golden Waffle with Whipped Farm Butter) for $12. I felt bad because he wanted to order the item above, but I pointed this out on the brunch menu thinking it was the same for cheaper. Nope! These are chicken tenders and apparently I can't read when I'm hungry. He thought the chicken tenders were better than ones you get at the bar and he actually liked the waffle even though he's not a pancake/waffle kind of guy. He ordered this dish because he wanted to relive our visit to Roscoe's in LA.

I ordered the 'New Orleans Style Stuffed French Toast (House-Made Brioche Soaked in Brandy Creme Anglaise, Flash Fried and Filled with Vanilla Pastry Cream with Maple Cinnamon Syrup) for $8. They looked like mini bricks of fried dough. Only one of them had filling, so they weren't as special. It tasted more like a dessert and though I enjoyed it, it wasn't what I was expecting.

Look at the cake her boyfriend surprised her with! A giant red velvet cupcake cake from Just Cakes in Bethesda. It's so adorable!

I love red velvet, but I think this cake might have become a bit dry because it was picked up a few days prior.

A pic of all the ladies!

We had such a large table of people, so at times food and drinks were coming out slow but that's understandable. The atmosphere makes it a cool place to eat with friends. The food was average/normal because no one said their dishes was spectacular or horrible. The prices are kind of high for breakfast food, but they offer large portions. It's always nice to support a place that is environmentally conscious (hippie at heart) and they offer around 8 vegan-friendly dishes too.

1924 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20006
(202) 822-8783
www.wearefoundingfarmers.com


Mon-Tue 8 am - 10 pm
Wed-Fri 8 am - 12 am
Sat 10 am - 12 am
Sun 10 am - 10 pm

Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program: Pizza & Cereal

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received 2 boxes of Kellogg's Eggo Real Fruit Pizza and 2 boxes of Kellogg's Fiber Plus Antioxidants cereal.

It's literally a frozen personal pizza for breakfast. The dough part reminded me of a sweet pita bread with yogurt as the sauce and then topped with fruit. Pop it in the microwave for 60-90 seconds. It even comes with a paper tray to nuke it on.

Out of the 2 flavors: Strawberry Granola & Mixed Berry Granola, the strawberry granola was better. I wish it came in a pack of 3 or something, but you just get one. I don't see myself ever buying this unless I have kids.

These cereals were a lifesaver for me during the recent power outages. I also like to eat them dry in my cubicle at work. I received 2 different flavors: Berry Yogurt Crunch & Cinnamon Oat Crunch. The extra fiber and antioxidants are always a good thing.

The Cinnamon Oat Crunch has a "healthy" aftertaste to it. It's not as bad when you eat it with milk but you can definitely taste it dry. The Berry Yogurt Crunch is SOOOOO delicious. This is the only product I'd buy myself because it reminded me of frosted flakes with clusters in it. It's great dry and with milk.

Thanks Foodbuzz for giving me the opportunity to try some new products!

The Orignal Pancake House- Rockville, MD

Hi everyone! Sometimes its nice to sleep in and then head out to get some breakfast. The bf and I decided to get some pancakes and eggs at The Original Pancake House. It happens to be my favorite breakfast joint. It's located on Rockville Pike near the Randolph Rd intersection. The parking in kind of limited, however the parking lot next to it with the Houston's has plenty, even though you're not REALLY supposed to park there. The closest metro stop would be Twinbrook on the red line.

We were actually waiting outside because this whole waiting area was PACKED. It did die down when we were called over the loud speaker to be seated.

This is one side of the dining room. It's a lot more cheery than some breakfast places. I like the lighting, colors and decor.

This is the other side, which extends all the way down to that orange painting in the back.

They have a huge assortment of pancakes here (21 kinds!), omelettes, crepes, Belgian waffles, meats, cereals, sides, and specialities.

I usually order the 'Chocolate Chip Waffle- Semi sweet chocolate drops, dusted with powdered sugar and topped with whipped cream for $7.25 (SOO GOOD), but I was in the mood for something new. I decided to order the 'Banana Pancakes- Buttermilk pancakes filled with diced bananas, dusted with powdered sugar. Served with whipped butter and syrup' for $9.50. I think it came with 6 pancakes and some citrus sauce that I didn't use. It was really good with a subtle hint of banana.

The bf ordered 'Hash Brown and Eggs- Two eggs, delicious has browns, and three buttermilk pancakes' for $7.25. I love their hash browns. They're very buttery, and have a nice crisp on the outside. The bacon on the plate was my order of 'Thick sliced bacon' for $3.95. It's some of the best bacon I've ever had because of how think it is. I crave it at times...

The bf also ordered the 'Western omelette- A perennial favorite filled with ham, red and green peppers, and onions' for $9.75. I didn't get a chance to taste it because I was stuffed, but the bf claims it was one of the best omelettes he's ever had.

Both of his dishes came with pancakes, so he had 6 that we ended up taking home. They actually microwave really well!

We didn't have any of the freshly squeezed orange juice, but I thought the machine was really cool. You can get a glass of it for $2.95 and $3.75.

They also offer a children's menu where nothing is over $5.35. I love this place so much because every time I come in the servers are super nice, and everything I order is delicious. It's not the cheapest place to get breakfast, but you won't be disappointed. Their signature pancake is their apple, however it can take up to 20 min to make if their busy, so I've been too hungry to wait. I think I'll give it a shot next time I'm there.

12224 Rockville Pike
Rockville, MD 20852
301-468-0886
Website

Daily: 7am-3pm