Dining (June 2012)

Tom Holland is putting in more hours than he can count these days at the Juice Joint Café. He’s been in the restaurant business for over two decades but is still as passionate about his dream café and the healthy food he serves there daily.

You don’t have to be in the tropics to feel like you’re on a vacation. With a warm winter in the District, the summer is expected to be even warmer than usual. D.C.’s hottest establishments share how to cool off with cocktails.

Washington, D.C., is known for its power brokers and power dining: men and women in conservative suits conducting business over steaks in the finer establishments around town. But something new and different is happening during the noon hour in the nation’s capital — a young, independent, casual crowd is transforming the lunch scene.

They say opposites attract. That could certainly be said of chef Jamie Leeds and mixologist Gina Chersevani — both from New York. One is shy, the other outgoing. One likes to work quietly in the back, the other is made for the front of the house. But their love of food and drink has brought them together in a new partnership.

A study by PeoplePerHour, an online marketplace for freelance services and employment, shows that 91 percent of businesses are connecting to consumers using social media. In 2011, that number was only 60 percent. 

Bite-sized desserts are popping up in bakeries, restaurants and chains across the country, giving consumers an (almost) guilt-free indulgence. While these tiny treats might curb the midday sugar craving, sometimes it is hard to stop at just one — and therein lies the problem.  

Washington, D.C., is undergoing a makeover. From the Southwest Waterfront to NoMa to Friendship Heights, formerly underdeveloped neighborhoods are now exciting places to shop and dine.

In restaurants and homes across the city, strangers are making friends over dinner tables.

Farmers’ markets in Washington, D.C., have been revitalized and are popular than ever before, and the growing number of markets in the metropolitan area is matched by the increased foot traffic.