YUMMY YUMMY in my tummy! Say hello to one of the unique events in the area, The EmporiYUM. It would help if you wrote it with capital YUM because of all the food in there. This is a food market filled with a dozen different vendors and restaurants from DC and around the country. You can find anything and everything here that is food-related, from amazing bacon creations to tasty vegan treats. We were delighted to make our way to this event finally. Last year it sold out in no time.
The event takes place from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm unless you have VIP tickets, giving you an early 10:00 am access. While it’s nice to get there early, we found that going there a bit later was actually much better. The early crowd has thinned out, and lines became much shorter and less busy. So you might not have to rush there early. There are always LivingSocial, Groupon, and Eventbrite sales a few weeks before for regular and VIP tickets. So make sure to watch out for the next event either in DC or Baltimore.
Here are some of our favorite dishes and products from the event.
Sofie & Hanzo Sushi Burrito @ Buredo
Two is always better than one, especially when it’s an order from Buredo, DC’s famous sushi burrito lunch place. We couldn’t decide which to get, so we went for the cute cashier boy’s favorite Hanzo and the bestseller Sofie. It’s exactly what it sounds like, a giant sushi roll the size of a burrito. Nice and thick, it comes packed with everything we love about sushi in fun burrito form. You would think there would be a lot of rice, but actually, it was more packed ingredients. Sofie had a nice crunch to it with shrimp tempura, avocado, pickled cabbage, and carrots. It had a nice kick to it with red tobiko and sriracha mayo that made us slightly sweat. Hanzo had a very nice and light flavor with yellowfin tuna, sashimi, avocado, cucumber, pickled fennel arugula with lemon aioli. I can’t truly say which is better than the other. Both are equally great, and I highly recommend trying both of them. No surprised this was one of the longest lines at the event, but the wait is totally worth it.
825 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20005
Steam Bun Sandwich @ Ekiben
Steam up my tasty buns with this amazing sandwich that just blew us away. Is it a steam bun or a sandwich? We caught our eye, and we had to jump and interrogate that person. Well, not that extreme and just asked that person where it came from. However, if they did not tell us, then we would have done some waterboarding. This could be one of the most unique and fun dishes we’ve had in a while, combining everything we love about buns and sandwiches. It has a super light and soft bun shell stuffed with some giant chicken meatballs instead of bread. YES, BALLLS!!! Plus comes with mango papaya slaw, coconut black peppercorn sauce, fresh herbs, and roasted garlic. Ah, so many good things that add great flavor and texture. This truly highlights what we love about fusion dishes we must have in DC, so Ekiben, hurry up and open a location soon. For now, we will have to settle for a drive out to bmore.
1622 Eastern Ave, Baltimore, MD 21231
Fruit Ketchup @ Chups
Going all fruity for some fruity ketchup. We are pretty fruity boys, and so we were excited to try this. After all, it is not often you find one of America’s favorite condemns made out of fruit. With so many different flavors, you might never run out of fun flavor combinations. Cherry went so well with sausages. Quick distract them so we can steal the whole tray! A whole lot of options, samplers, and gift boxes available on their website.
Union Kitchen 1110 Congress St NE, Washington, DC 20002
Cake Jars @ Cake Love
Two nomsters, one jar! We were very excited to see Cake Love and Chef Warren Brown from Food Network’s Sugar Rush. What an exciting new thing he has for us, a cake and icing inside a jar. Ah, so sweet and chocolaty that you might forget you are not eating cake in a normal form—a great way to enjoy cake on the go at the event. Plus, you can get so many different flavors in different jar sizes that you could have multiple cakes in one go. After all, one can not simply have one cake. You can order a number of their flavors for your next party or event.
White Mango Alcoholic Tea @ Hoop Tea (Backshore Brewing Co)
Tea lovers and drunks rejoice. Now there is a way to enjoy both together. Wow, it’s like drinking the most fun tea out there that comes with a nice alcoholic kick to it. So sweet and mango nomnom, this would make a perfect party drink. Careful. You might forget it has 4% alcohol which can sneak up on you very fast. So don’t tea and drive. We might have to stop by their brewery on our next Ocean City Maryland trip and bring a few fun bags home.
913 Atlantic Ave Ocean City, MD 21842
Cheese Making Kit @ Caputo Brothers Creamery
Get ready to cheezy all over yourself! It’s so good you might want it all over you. You can make your very own cheese by getting a Cheese Kit from this Pennsylvania-based company. Create your very own cheese with any ingredient your hungry nomster desires. They were showcasing their nomnom creation with mango puree on top, and it was cheese goodness.
245 N. Main Street, Suite 1 Spring Grove, PA 17362
Chocolates @ Escazu
Sweet tooth rejoices for these big nuts will bring you joy! After all, that is what happens when you get to nom on these chocolates made from small farm-sourced nuts in Costa Rica, Venezuela, and Peru. By far tastes better than most so-called chocolates on the market right now. I don’t want to drive all the way to Raleigh in North Caroline. We know we don’t, but good thing you can buy them online.
936 N Blount St. Raleigh, NC 27604