When Hangry, Must Feast

My favorite thing to do is eat. I can't deny it - I have the most fun when I'm discovering new tastes and textures. Do you know where the best place to go is to eat the maximum amount of delicious, local, artisanal products? Union. Market. This place is a place of wonder - featuring products from the depths of the sea to the vast skies above. I tried really hard to eat something from each vendor, but I would've been dragged out by hangry boyfriend and that is only acceptable in the comfort of my own home.

Buffalo & Bergen

Sweet mother of Bloody of Mary, Buffalo & Bergen is the cat's meow! This casual diner-style counter in the sprawling market atmosphere is the perfect place to start your culinary adventure. Not only can you get a bomb.com Bloody Mary, you can get it garnished with a LOX BAGEL. That's right... a fully loaded New York water everything bagel complete with lox, cream cheese, capers, and tomato is placed ATOP your boozy beverage. Ladies and Gentleman I give you the LOX'D AND LOADED.

If you're planning on continuing your hangry feast around the market, I might suggest you save the Lox'd and Loaded for a special occasion - it will fill you up in the best kind of way. Instead, try one of the mouth-watering knishes. A airy crispy dough is filled with potato, onion and a filling of your choice. I went with the Bacon and Cheddar variety and ordered it turnpike style - smothered in garlic, parsley and melted butter. YUMMMM!!

Takorean

Skip the risk at Chipotle and get your taco/bowl fix on Korean-style at Takorean! Starting out as DC's most popular Korean Taco truck, Takorean has evolved into a local chain with three store-fronts, one being at Union Market. You can choose your style, protein, slaw, add-ons and toppings! With exciting options like kimchi, avocado crema, and half & half bowls, there is something for everyone! I opted for the Bulgogi half & half bowl with brown rice, spiced kale slaw, all the toppings and avocado crema. It is a bowl of bold flavors that keeps you diving in for bigger and better bites. I shared this with my bestie so we could continue filling our bellies on our way around the market. SLAM DUNK!

Cucina Al Volo

That's some serious amoré. The one thing I crave the most often is fresh pasta, and unbeknownst to most carbivores, it is easy to find locally if you don't want to cover yourself in flour for the evening. If you are anywhere near Union Market, I highly recommend stopping in to pick up some fresh-to-death pasta at Cucina Al Volo, currently popping-up at one of the vendor stalls. Hand made right in front of your eyes, this pasta transports you to a little house in Italy, where grandma is rolling pasta and sauce simmers on the stove.

With different options to choose from daily, you'll never get sick of this starchy delight. I opted for the paprika pappardelle with lamb ragu and an aggressive sprinkling of Parmesan. The toothsome texture of the fresh pasta with gamy lamb and salty Parmesan is a thing of beauty. Go eat a whole bowl this weekend, while you take a break before eating more.....it's the right thing to do.

Whole Foods is also a great option to get fresh pasta that you can boil up in the comfort of your own home to avoid strange glares as you slurp up mouthfuls of delicate, buttery, al dente, delicious pasta. Life is an adventure - eat pasta.

The BBQ Joint

Oink. My. God. SPRINT to The BBQ Joint as soon as you get to Union Market! They sell out QUICK - and for good reason. I have never seen two people devour a platter of BBQ faster than hangry bf and I did after receiving this basket of tastiness. We decided to be modest and get the brisket platter (haha). Fatty (read flavor), tender, and hot - just how I like it (and my men?), this brisket is worth the trip. Various sauces are provided for your dunking pleasure, my favorite - always - the spicy vinegary Carolina style sauce. A side of classic coleslaw completed the barrage of brisket hanger upon the BBQ offerings, and we continued on our quest to taste all that Union Market has to offer.

Trickling Springs Creamery

There's a separate stomach for dessert, right? No feast feat would be complete without ICE CREAM! We popped over to Trickling Springs Creamery for a sweet ending to our exploration and I was amazed by the variety of options you could choose from to consume this dairy delicacy. Trickling Springs Creamery offers organic and all-natural products created in small batches to allow a true focus on quality and freshness in DC - a process that is close to my heart.

We opted for milkshakes with regular milk - but you can get shakes with chocolate milk, people! You can mix, match and sample every flavor if you like! What's better than indulging in fresh ice cream that was made less than 100 miles away? NOTHING - go live your life and experience ice cream the way it should be enjoyed!

I realize these photos are kind of shitty - I was in an extreme food coma - just go eat the ice cream.

Etc.

Other amazing things that I've tried that I did not take photos of:

Hot Chocolate at Co Co. Sala - literal hot, melted, shiny, thick chocolate that you drink...omfg. The chocolates are good too, obvs.
Produce at Almaala Farms stand - fresh Bay Leaves! Pick up everything you need for dinner, while you eat lunch.
Bread at Lyon Bakery - get the Ciabatta or the Rustic Italian Loaf and go weep tears of joy as you eat the entire loaf.
Every single thing at No. 1 Sons - I love anything pickled and/or fermented and especially the Dilly Beans. Taste your way through all of their offerings at their vendor stall in the market, while they're still there as a Pop-Up!

There are whole sections of the market I have yet to explore - and I can't wait to go back this weekend!
Who's coming with me?! Happy Friday, Ya'll!

★★★

Union Market