On Monday, March 30th, one of the best annual events for DC Foodies comes around for the twenty-first time.  Share Our Strength's Taste of the Nation is an epicurean dream: food from more than 40 of Washington's best restaurants, a wine bar, and killer cocktails.  It's also a fundraising event from which 100% of ticket sales go to benefit local anti-hunger organizations.  Good food and drink for a good cause...now that's a hot ticket.

And it just got hotter today - DC Foodies has just learned that Top Chef Finalist Carla Hall will be participating in this year's event.  The proprietor of Alchemy Caterers, Hall is a graduate of L'Academie de Cuisine and a veteran chef with Share Our Strength's Operation Front Line.  She's been making the rounds interviewing with DC media and bloggers in advance of tonight's finale, and it should come as no surprise to anyone who has seen her positive, thoughtful approach to cooking that she's involved in this.

Taste of the Nation will take place from 7 to 10 PM on the evening of Monday, March 30th, and this year the event is taking place in the beautiful Mellon Auditorium on Constitution Avenue.  For $85, guests can attend the general event, partake of tastings, and bid on items in the silent and not-so-silent auctions taking place that night.

If you're feeling even more generous, a $150 VIP ticket will earn you admission an hour early and get you into the VIP lounge, where you can enjoy hands-on demonstrations hosted by chef chair RJ Cooper of Vidalia, exclusive tastings and cocktails from Master Mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim and members of the DC Craft Bartenders Guild.  Have a sweet tooth?  There will also be a VIP 'Dessert Den' this year!  Since all of the ticket sales go directly to the beneficiary charities, why not splurge a little?

So which restaurants will be participating in this foodie-palooza?  Check out the website for the full list, but here's just a taste:

• 1789
• Art and Soul
• Bourbon Steak
• Central
• Charlie Palmer Steak
• Dino
• Farrah Olivia
• Hank's Oyster Bar
• Kaz's Sushi Bistro
• Kinkead's
• Marcel's / Brasserie Beck
• PS7's
• Restaurant Eve
• Restaurant Nora
• The Source
• Vidalia / Bistro Bis
• VOLT

Drooling yet?

February was a good month for ads. We had over $370 come in and March is already off to a good start. So make sure you click on the ads to the right and check out the advertisers' web sites!

For March, I'll be giving the ad revenue to Share Our Strength, a national organization dedicated to ending childhood hunger. Every year, Share Our Strength organizes an event called Taste of the Nation in major cities across the United States (Washington, D.C.'s event is on April 9th) and this will be the 19th time they've organized the event. Purchasing a ticket to the event gives you an all-access pass to tastings from over 50 of the area's restaurants and chefs, including Equinox, Restaurant Eve, and Cafe Saint Ex. You'll also be able to pair wines from 20 local wineries with the food at the event. Basically, the event is HUGE! Tons of food and wine and 100% of the ticket sales go to fighting hunger in Washington, D.C thanks to all of the sponsors, chefs , and volunteers donating their time and money.

For more information on the event or to buy tickets, check out the Taste of the Nation web site. Or if you just want to make a contribution, go here.