top chef dc

well, everybody knows by now that the next cycle of top chef will be from dc: yeah! i am not surprised: the taste profiles have been elevated to the upper level here in the nation's capital, and i am thrilled! i moved here as a kid from the gourmet ghetto: berkeley. and, not that my taste buds were the most sophisticated or anything back then, but i loved fresh, seasonal foods and things werent that fresh here in dc: thankfully things have changed for the better! due to dc's cultural hodge-podge, great food can be found everywhere. i live near wheaton-the most ethnically diverse part of the greater metropolitan area- and from peruvian chicken to vietnamese pho and then over to fresh italian pasta and more-it's all here. even carla from top chef season 5 is nearby. downtown has my favorite burger joint-good stuff eatery-operated by chef spike from top chef season 4 and a favorite of our fantastic first lady, michele. top chef masters contestant art smith mans art and soul on capitol hill and iron chef america winner jose andres owns multiple eateries in one of my favorite neighborhoods, penn quarter/chinatown. one of them, zaytina is run by top chef contestant mike isabella. the dc area also houses perennial award winner the inn at little washington as well as top chef runner up michael voltaggio's volt in frederick, maryland and nora's, near dupont circle. the list of great chefs and good eats goes on and on...check washingtonian magazine's top 100 restaurants guide and/or 100 best cheap eats for ideas. yummy!