The
H Street Festival, which has quickly emerged as one of the fall’s coolest, most eclectic neighborhood festivals, returned Saturday, and nearly every popular business on H Street NE (and a few that haven’t even opened yet) took part in the street side food and drink stands, performances and eating contests. It was a gorgeous day and I set out early to capture all the various eating options that the festival had to offer. From restaurants to vendors to free samples, check out my photo recap below.
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| Many bbq options! |
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| I ate Jamaican beans & rice with fried plantains. |
After checking out all the food options, I took a break to catch some entertainment at the Gospel Stage. This kid was "awesome!"
Following the musical performances, the crowd gathered to watch the first ever
Taylor Gourmet Hoagie Eating Contest. Nine contestants with various backgrounds entered. Some had accolades ranging from eating over 7 pounds of strawberries to eating the most Philly cheese steaks to being regular customers who just plain ole' loved Taylor's hoagies. Each contest had a tray of 10 6-inch hoagies in front of them, and the one who ate the most in 15 minutes would be crowned the winner taking home $200 in cash and a 3-foot cylinder of cheese.
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| And we're off! Some stood up right away. Others dunked their hoagies in water. |
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| Hold it down! Only half way there. |
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| Who wants a free hoagie with $5 gift card attached? |
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| We do! |
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| Don't give up now! Hold strong, brotha. |
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| It's between these two "blue shirts" - who will eat the most?!?! And 3...2...1.... |
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| It's a TIE! The two "blue shirts" ate over 7 hoagies. They split the winnings and share the cheese trophy! Congratulations! |
Dangerously Delicious Pies also held a pie eating contest later in the evening, but I was sunburned, sweaty, and exhausted so headed home before I could catch it. Due to the great entertainment and food options, in addition to the perfect weather, H Street Festival 2012 was a huge success. I would have liked to see the restaurants extend out into the street area more, and have more "festival friendly" eats available. But at least they were open and accessible to all the foot traffic, providing air conditioning/shelter and seating for those who wanted to take a break and simply eat. Nevertheless it was great to see the community come together and celebrate the rejuvenated H Street NE corridor. Until next year!
