Freelance writer Amanda McClements gathers food news on her two-year-old blog, Metrocurean.

Best summer drink: Mio’s blood-orange margarita is fantastic.

Best farmers-market find: Honey yogurt from Blue Ridge Dairy at the Dupont market. It’s great with fresh fruit or crumbled cookies.

Best summertime activity: Grab some cheese, salami, olives, French bread, and a blanket and head to jazz night in the National Gallery of Art’s sculpture garden.

High-school English teacher Melissa McCart writes about food trends and cooking at Counter Intelligence.

Best cool treat: Beer “popsicles” from Rustico in Alexandria.

Best outdoor restaurant: The fountain and the backdrop of the Willard hotel and the park make downtown DC’s Café du Parc a little oasis of loveliness. It’s civilized without being stuffy.

Favorite summer food trends: Ceviche and crudo, hot dogs with fancy condiments, and beer pairings.

Ann Limpert covers the area restaurant scene for the Washingtonian.com’s Best Bites Blog.

Best reason to abandon a summer diet: Mussels with fennel and chorizo and fries with curried mayo at Brasserie Beck in downtown DC, or the egg-cheese-and-bacon-stuffed brioche at Buzz in Alexandria.

Best afternoon cocktail: The Pinch of Basil at DC’s Firefly—super-smooth Basil Hayden’s bourbon with green-apple slices and balls of honeydew and cantaloupe.

Best use of summer produce: Brian McBride should bottle and sell the pickled tomatoes with jalapeños he sometimes makes at Blue Duck Tavern in DC’s West End; they’re totally addictive.