Combining music and food makes meals better, with country tunes adding tang to chili cook-offs, guitar solos sweetening ice cream socials, and backwards Metallica records livening up Monday-morning breakfast. Satisfy appetites aural and otherwise with today’s Groupon to Taste of DC October 8–10. Choose from the following options:
- For $46, you get an all-day package for Saturday, October 8 (a $93 value).
- For $66, you get a VIP all-day package for Saturday, October 8 (a $132 value).
- For $46, you get an all-day package for Sunday, October 9 (a $93 value).
- For $66, you get a VIP all-day package for Sunday, October 9 (a $132 value).
- For $30, you get an afternoon package for Monday, October 10 (a $61 value).
- For $42, you get a VIP afternoon package for Monday, October 10 (a $84 value).
- For $108, you get an all-weekend package ($217 value).
- For $136, you get an all-weekend VIP package ($273 value).
For details on all package types, please click here. Saturday's festival is headlined by Big & Rich, Sunday's is headlined by Styx, and Monday's belongs to Rusted Root.
The Taste of DC once again sets Pennsylvania Avenue abuzz with the festive hubbub of more than 60 local restaurants and vendors offering tastes of signature dishes, including Ping Pong Dim Sum, PJ Clarke's, BGR, Sushi Rock, Lincoln, Café Bonaparte, Luke's Lobster and Amsterdam Falafel Shop. Ben's Chili Bowl sears up hearty portions of their legendary half smokes and chili con carne (two to four tickets), and the 2011 World Chili Eating Championship presented by Ben's Chili Bowl sweeps the festival on Saturday and Sunday, complete with competitive eater Joey Chestnut. Co. Co. Sala's four cheese bacon mac and cheese (2 tickets) arrives striped with chocolate-covered bacon, while the chocolate onyx parfait (2 tickets) stratifies dessert with layers of dark chocolate mousse, vanilla crème brulee, salted caramel, and crumbly dark chocolate brownies. Cedar combines seasonal ingredients with classical French techniques and artful presentation, thrilling palates with oyster pan roast (two to five tickets) and pork-belly BLTs (five tickets). Toasts from more than 60 wineries and craft breweries pour the perfect complement to every entree, dessert, and attempt to joust an equestrian statue.
Groupon holders also get access to headlining musicians as part of the festival’s Groupon Experience. Tunesmiths including nationally known headliners Big & Rich, Styx, and Rusted Root hold court on the semiprivate Mission Foods Main Stage. Attendees can sway to the beat in regular or VIP seats, with the latter providing up-close views of every strum and swagger. Back in the wider festival grounds, the Amstel Light Bier Garden Stage spotlights local musicians such as Sons of the Radio and Olivia Mancini, while the Culinary Stage hosts wine tastings, demonstrations, and scenes from DC Improv. The Family Stage pumps out brood-oriented music and comedy, wowing onlookers with tunes from Rocknoceros, yucks from The Great Zucchini, and shadow-puppet recreations of Andy Rooney monologues.