2011 JBFA Outstanding Chef José Andrés - Photo (c) ThinkFoodGroup

The 2011 James Beard Foundation Awards, the most coveted awards for excellence in the food and restaurant industry, were presented on May 6 in New York City with Washington’s own José Andrés winning honors for Outstanding Chef because of his work at Minibar. An alcove located on the second floor of  Café Atlantico, another Andrés restaurant, Minibar is one of DC’s hardest reservations to come by, not only because the 6-seat restaurant has only two seatings per night but also because it treats food as an art in the tradition of elBulli, the groundbreaking restaurant in Roses, Spain, that recently announced it was ceasing operations as a restaurant to become a research institute.

To witness how Chef Andrés is elevating cuisine to modern art, have a look at the below video presentation of a chef at Minibar preparing a dish of Spanish clementines, pumpkin seed oil, and basil. Watch as the clementines are blanched, have their pulp removed, and eventually become vehicles for clementine sorbet. It’s rather shocking the meticulous work that goes into preparing just one dish for the tapas bar.

With the JBFA, Minibar is certain to be more popular than before. So if it tops your dream DC itinerary, considering booking many months in advance.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8j95_6FkHI[/youtube]

The Embassy of Sri Lanka welcomes visitors to the 2010 Around the World Embassy Tour

In addition to being the U.S. capital, Washington, DC, is home to approximately 174 embassies. These international missions are located all over the city, from Georgetown to Woodley Park, and especially along Massachusetts Avenue, which is often referred to as Embassy Row. Unless you’re a diplomat or other dignitary, getting into these embassies is near impossible unless you take the Around the World Embassy Tour, happening this weekend on May 14.

This year, 32 embassies from Australia to Venezuela will open their doors to the public with traditional food, artisan demonstrations, films, music, tours, and more. A few of the highlights:

• Embassy of the Argentine Republic: Tango lessons, Argentine food tastings, and guided tours of the embassy
• Embassy of Australia: Didgeridoo demonstrations
• Embassy of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia: All-day Ethiopian food market
• Embassy of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas: Junkanoo festivities
• Embassy of the Federative Republic of Brazil: Capoeira demonstrations and guided tours of the embassy
• Embassy of the Republic of Iraq: Sample Iraqi food and see ancient Assyrian and Babylonian artifacts
• Embassy of the Republic of Korea: Tae Kwon Do classes and calligraphy demonstrations
• Embassy of Mexico: Music and dance workshops, art exhibits
• Embassy of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka: Sample Sri Lankan food and Ceylon tea, learn how to tie a sari
• Royal Thai Embassy: Muay Thai (martial arts) performances, Thai cooking demonstrations, and Thai massage

For a full list of participating embassies, visit the Cultural Tourism DC website. You can also print out a PDF map, which lists participating embassies, shuttle stops, and information tents. The Around the World Embassy Tour is free.

Image © Mr. T in DC/Flickr

An open-air market on Book Hill, an area along upper Wisconsin Avenue between P Street and Reservoir Road, will feature a selection of clothing, furnishings, and food from a number of Georgetown’s upscale shops and restaurants. Visitors can save up to 70% on pastries, paintings, and pampering for poodles from the likes of Patisserie Poupon, The French Apartment, and The Dog Shop, respectively. In addition to the vendors, the French Market will also provide entertainment, such as balloon sculpture artists, silhouette-making, and live music organized by the Alliance Francaise.

For more information about the Georgetown French Market, visit the website of the Georgetown Business Improvement District or view the PDF brochure for the event, which includes a listing of all participating businesses.

Photo © Brittany G.

Detail of Star Spangled Banner in the Smithsonian's Museum of American History

One of the greatest things about Washington, DC, as a tourist destination is that admission to the Smithsonian is free. A collection of art, science, and culture museums housing some of the nation’s priceless treasures including the Hope Diamond, the Star Spangled Banner, and (soon) the Space Shuttle Discovery, the Smithsonian is about 70 percent funded by the federal government (via tax dollars) and 30 percent funded by contributions from corporations and the public. This fiscal arrangement allows for free admission to all visitors 364 days a year (the museums are closed only on Christmas Day, December 25).

In the recent budget battle in Congress, the Fiscal Commission, a bipartisan group created by President Obama to find ways to balance the budget, suggested that the Smithsonian museums consider charging a fee of $7.50 per adult to partially offset the budget shortfall. According to the full report (pdf):

Reduce funding to the Smithsonian and the National Park Service and allow the programsto offset the reduction through fees. The Smithsonian’s budget is projected to approach $1 billion in 2015. This option reduces net spending by charging a fee to Smithsonian. There were about 30 million visitors to the 19 Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo in 2009. Under this option, $225 million, or less than a quarter of the Smithsonian’s 2015 budget, would be paid for by charging visitors fees. Notable private museums across the United States tend to charge anywhere from $10 to $20 per visitor, with lower rates for children and seniors. World class zoos in the United States charge more, or closer to $20 or $25 per visitor. Raising $225 million in fees would average about $7.50 per visitor.

This proposal was number 30 among 58 proposals to reduce the national debt, and there’s currently no plan to to institute a fee at the Smithsonian museums. But what do you think? Would you pay to visit the Smithsonian Museums? Would an admission fee to Washington’s most beloved tourist attractions cause you to think twice about Washington, DC, as a travel destination? Comments are welcome below.

Image courtesy Smithsonian National Museum of American History

Discovery, which was the longest serving shuttle in the space flight program, will be housed in NASM’s satellite museum, the National Air and Space Museum at Dulles (Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center). Highlights in the Udvar-Hazy Center include the 1903 Wright Flyer, Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis, the Apollo 11 Command Module Columbia, and the Enola Gay.

Three other space shuttles will be retired to museums around the country. The Enterprise, which has been one of the main attractions of the Udvar-Hazy Museum since its opening in 2003, will be relocated to the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum in Manhattan. Space Shuttle Endeavor, which will be retired after its final mission at the end of April, will be sent to the California Science Center. Finally, the Space Shuttle Atlantis will find a home in the Kennedy Space Center’s Visitor’s Complex near Orlando, Florida.

Image courtesy National Air and Space Museum

To learn more about how the shutdown could affect tourism in DC, take a look at this video produced by the Washington Post. And, if you find yourself in DC during a government shutdown, have a look at Things to Do in DC Beyond the Smithsonian.

How a Government Shutdown Will Affect DC Tourism

Image by newmanchu

Beyond South Korea and Scandinavia, Film Fest DC will be giving movie lovers the chance to glimpse the latest films from Germany, Poland, Japan, Iran, China, India, Czech Republic, Panama, and more. The opening film – Potiche, a French-Belgian comedy featuring Catherine Deneuve and Gerard Depardieu – will be shown at the Lincoln Theatre and will be followed by a gala reception.

More information on tickets, times, and participating cinemas is available on the Film Fest DC website.

Gaugin: Maker of Myth is a blockbuster show of 120 paintings and sculptures from the French Post-Impressionist artist, and includes self-portraits, still lifes, and depictions of life in Brittany and Tahiti. Of course, the Tahiti portion of the exhibit, which features several richly-hued, languorous scenes of Polynesian women in various states of undress, is the highlight of the show. Gauguin: Maker of Myth will be at the National Gallery’s East Gallery through June 5, 2011.

Image from Wikicommons

On a walk around the Tidal Basin this past weekend, the official beginning of the National Cherry Blossom festival, I had a chance to see Washington’s cherry trees at the peak of their blooming season. Visitors to the National Mall (and a few other select locations in the DC area where Japanese cherry trees have been planted) can enjoy the gorgeous pink and white flowers of the cherry trees for a few more weeks or you can take a look at this cherry blossom Flickr gallery curated by Yahoo!’s U.S. editorial team.

DC baseball fans should mark their calendars for March 31, 2011, as that is the date of the Washington Nationals’ home opener. The Nationals will open the 2011 season with an afternoon game against the Atlanta Braves on Thursday and the three-game series will last through Sunday, with a day off on Friday. Check out the Nationals 2011 schedule for more information on series and tickets.

If you’d like to get a sneak peek of the team before the season begins, the best way to do that is to attend NatsFest, which happens on March 30, the day before the home opener.  During NatsFest, the Nationals will have an open practice – doors open at 4 p.m. – and will take the time to meet and greet fans and sign autographs. Tickets for NatsFest are on sale now and cost $10 for adults and $5 for children.

Image by markcbrennan