Partygoers got to try bites from over 60 DC Restaurant! Photograph by Stacey Salter.
Culinary enthusiasts from across the region gathered at the National Building Museum on Thursday, July 24 for Washingtonian’s highly anticipated Best of Washington tasting event. This year’s summer music festival–inspired celebration infused the museum with vibrant Coachella-worthy energy, complete with colorful photo ops, summery cocktails, endless bites, and a high-energy DJ set from DJ Little Rock/Mixing Maryland.
Over 60 of DC’s top restaurants—ranging from beloved local gems to Michelin-starred favorites—served signature dishes, giving attendees the perfect opportunity to discover new culinary standouts. Guests voted live throughout the evening for their favorite restaurant, and this year’s People’s Choice Award went to OYSTER OYSTER. Washingtonian’s food critics were also in attendance, secretly sampling bites throughout the night before naming RANIA as the Critics’ Choice Award recipient.
Between savoring bites and sips, guests explored immersive sponsor lounges and interactive activations. Highlights included aura photography with Soulshine Aura at the MGM Lounge, vinyl spin art in the United Bank Lounge, specialty cocktails in the Casamigos, Tito’s, and Intuit lounges, sunscreen samples in the Neutrogena lounge, and even a raffle for first class flights in the United Airlines lounge.
The vibrant festival atmosphere came to life thanks to our design partner, Design Foundry, and our seamless logistics team, Stratus Firm. A portion of the proceeds from this event benefitted World Central Kitchen.
Photographs by Dan Swartz/Revamp, Stacey Salter, and Nina Palazzolo.
Festive stiltwalkers welcomed guests to the event. Photograph by Stacey Salter.Guests enjoying the 360 United Airlines photo booth! Photograph by Stacey Salter.The Embassy of Qatar’s Dr. Hamad Al Muftah, Washingtonian CEO Cathy Merrill, Lolita Zinke and Congressman Ryan Zinke. Photograph by Dan Swartz.American Beverage’s Franklin Davis and Washingtonian’s Susan Farkas. Photograph by Dan Swartz.United Airlines’ Erik Prince, Maggie Ronan, Steve Morrissey, and Susan Morrissey. Photograph by Dan Swartz.The House at 1229’s Kathleen Buhle and Johns Hopkins University’s Nik Apostolides. Photograph by Dan Swartz.Party attendees were enjoying making vinyl spin art in United Bank’s lounge area. Photograph by Stacey Salter.Intuit’s Michael Kennedy and Kacey Schneider. Photograph by Stacey Salter.Bo Williams with his specialty cocktail courtesy of Tito’s! Photograph by Stacey Salter.Yousif Romani, Kareem Al-Attar, and Dima Al-Attar with their custom Washingtonian tote bags. Photograph by Stacey Salter.Washingtonian CEO Cathy Merrill and the Embassy of the State of Qatar’s Legend Brumbaugh. Photograph by Dan Swartz.Neutrogena gifted guests SPF to keep their skin protected this summer! Photograph by Stacey Salter.Intuit’s lounge featured both an espresso martini and a hot honey paloma crafted with ingredients from their small business partners. Photograph by Stacey Salter.Guests could get hydrated at American Beverage’s Hydration Station. Photograph by Stacey Salter.MGM’s lounge featured photo booths that read guests Aura and gave them a guide to interpret the different colors! Photograph by Stacey Salter.The National Building Museum was the perfect backdrop for the evening. Photograph by Stacey Salter.Attendees showed up in their best festival fits! Photograph by Stacey Salter.The Cucina Morini team at their table! Photograph by Stacey Salter.Washingtonian’s Publisher Susan Farkas, Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis, Washingtonian’s CEO Cathy Merrill, and the US Treasury’s Todd Newnam. Photograph by Dan Swartz.In addition to the delicious food, the Balos team gave our VIP guests the full experience! Photograph by Dan Swartz. Partygoers loved taking pics at the swing photo op. Photograph by Stacey Salter.Washingtonian CEO Cathy Merrill and Invariant CEO Heather Podesta. Photograph by Dan Swartz.The Wall Street Journal’s Josh Dawsey and the US Department of Defense’s James Adams. Photograph by Dan Swartz.Washingtonian CEO Cathy Merrill and American Beverage Association President and CEO, Kevin Keane. Photograph by Dan Swartz.Intuit’s Darlene Tran, Natalie Kennedy, and Intuit’s Lilly Needlemen. Photograph by Stacey Salter.Attendees could also get a glambot video in front of the vibrant ferris wheel. Photograph by Stacey Salter.Mary Tomlin, Sarah Gwyn, PepsiCo’s Brigitte Gwyn, and Missy Edwards. Photograph by Dan Swartz.Attendees got to sample bites from over 60 DC restaurants. Photograph by Stacey Salter.Maggie Liv, Saki Valvovinos, and Gabby Picart with their espresso martinis! Photograph by Stacey Salter.Hassan Al-Khalifa, Nikki Braden, and Ashleigh Payne. Photograph by Dan Swartz.MGM’s Trent Tutwiler, Stephanie Carper, Danielle Savastano, and Sean McGough. Photograph by Dan Swartz.United Bank’s Sam Kane and Katherine Rodriguez. Photograph by Dan Swartz.Tito’s treated party guests to a delicious strawberry lemonade cocktail. Photograph by Nina Palazzolo.Ruta went for a world record for the largest holubets at the event! Photograph by Nina Palazzolo.Attendees danced the night away on the dance floor! Photograph by Stacey Salter.Kyojin carved the tuna for their nigiri in front of partygoers. Photograph by Nina Palazzolo.Causa Amazonia had a beautiful display for their dish. Photograph by Nina Palazzolo.Casamigos margarita with a tajin rim was a popular drink for the night! Photograph by Nina Palazzolo.The Pitango team treated party guests to tasty gelato all night long! Photograph by Nina Palazzolo.Lukas Corso, Austin Meisel, and Patrick Callahan. Photo by Stacey Salter.L’Ardente plating their yummy lasagna bites. Photograph by Nina Palazzolo.VIP Attendees could get a custom haiku with a music twist! Photograph by Dan Swartz.Compliments only had a massive sandwich that guests could try! Photograph by Nina Palazzolo.Coupang’s Bill Anaya, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative’s Christina Sevilla, Impact ROI’s Steve Rochlin, and Reporter Molly Martinez. Photograph by Dan Swartz.McGinley LLC’s Bill and Colleen McGinley. Photograph by Dan Swartz.Spotted MP’s Maurisa Potts with Verizon’s Ana Maria Sanchez and Jorge Alba. Photograph by Dan Swartz.
