Let’s get ready to rumble in a massive foodie competition, where DC restaurants compete against each other in the food, drinks, and dessert categories. This is the very first Battledish International Culinary Competition in Washington, DC, hosted by Dishcrawl. We are thrilled to be invited as special judges along with other awesome foodies.
Starting the event
Meet the Judges
Judges assemble!!!! Judy Newton from Cantillation, Emily McLaughlin from Gathering Green, Farrah Skeiky from Brightest Young Things, and yours truly, the tall foodie Nom Nom Boris. We thank Dishcral and its DC team for inviting us to unleash the judging powers. During this event, every restaurant and dish will receive two scores. One from the general public and another from the team of notable judges. It’s nice to be a judge because we get fancy name tags and skip all the lines!!!
Stop 1: Brown Derby @ The Tap & Parlour
Mmmmmmm, this drink smells so lovely. You pick up a super yummy grapefruit aroma as soon as you get close. This is one very nomnom bourbon drink with red ruby grapefruit juice and a light dash of agave syrup. It went down so smoothly and made my insides tingle.
Grilled Diver Scallop @ The Tap & Parlour
Bacon, Bacon, Bacon! Grilled diver scallops with charred corn, black bean maque choux, crispy pancetta, and fried shallot in a honey bourbon glaze are a great pairing with a Brown Derby drink.
Southern Breeze @ DC9 Nightclub
Absolute ruby red peach liqueur, orange juice, and cranberry juice are all things we like, but not the combo we could fall in love with. It was good, just not OMG VODKA FUN TIMES kind of a drink. We might have higher standards since we are from Belarus, the land of Vodka, for breakfast.
Buttermilk Fried Chicken @ DC9 Nightclub
You might not be winning on drinks, but the food is a good recovery. Fried chicken brined and soaked in buttermilk served with hush puppies, slaw, and pepper jam. Yes, on that jam and dipping chicken into it with every bite. Honestly, we need more of that dip!
Lemon Tart @ DC9 Nightclub
Guuuuurl seriously, next time, start with dessert. We love this! We don’t even like lemon desserts, but this was so light that we fell in love. Plus, melted cream on top. Mhhhhh yuuumy. Sometimes, you love what you don’t like. Now give me another serving!
French Tea @ Ulah Bistro
Bring on the sweetness. This is one of the yummiest sweet mix drinks I’ve tried—a yummy combination of sweet tea vodka, St Germain Elderflower, cranberry, and lemonade. The best foot forward is at Ulah Bistro; now, let’s hope they do not disappoint us with food.
Charred Octopus @ Ulah Bistro
Oh, my octopussy!!! Wow, I love the explosion of nomnom flavors—a nice thick piece of charred octopus with cannellini beans, olives, and caper emulsion.
Shrimp and Grits @ Creme Cafe & Lounge
Maybe I shouldn’t judge this, but I hate grits! The texture and flavor are just not my thing. Here, they added some sausages, onion, spices, and broth. However, it still was super bland. Again, I wouldn’t say I generally like gritsit’s a hard win.
Prom Punch @ Indulj
I felt like I got punched with some cotton candy. It wasn’t my favorite drink at the event. While I’m a big fan of cotton candy, last cirquite visit ate two big bags, but it didn’t mix well in this case.
