The Week In Yum Dec 27-Jan 2 Road Trip to Washington DC



Oh my, this was a crazy week when I actually try to sit down and write about it so I am going to just do another week in photos. We left last Sunday to take a road trip to Washington DC, where we spent 3 solid days just walking, walking, eating, eating, walking and then walking some more. I am in love with with that city and can't wait to go back in the spring when the weather is warmer so I can explore some of the other neighourhoods in and around the district. 





best part about hosting a Christmas Eve Open House? Eating the leftovers for the next couple of days. za'atar beet dip from Ottenenghli, tabbouleh and foole

it's been at least two months since I had my beloved jalapeno cheddar polenta with mole pulled pork and a perfect poached egg at The Wren so it was the perfect brunch venue for the day before we left for our road trip


Road Trip to Washington Dc


 We chose to drive on smaller highways straight through the middle of Pennsylvania instead of sticking to the faster but uglier big highway route since it is unseasonably mild and dry and I am so glad we did. The roads wound their way through small towns, mountains and valleys and if it looks that pretty in the dead of winter, I can't imagine how pretty the drive will be once the trees are green and the everything is lush and growing.

Thanks to the new Telus US travel plan ($80 for unlimited calls, texts and 1G of data) I could use my phone to find us a great place to eat along the way. Using a combo of Urban Spoon's "nearby" search, google and my diner spidey senses, I settled on Rose's Hilltop diner for our lunch. This will be our go to stop whenever we are in this area because it was everything you want in a diner on a road trip. It was PACKED, the smells were amazing, the waitresses were friendly and clearly knew everyone else by name and we instantly felt at home. I am always looking for a place like we see on tv where the waitress snaps her gum,  calls you "hon" while she slides a piece of warm apple pie towards you, fills your coffee cup without even asking if you want any coffee and says "y'all" a lot. This ages me but it is a result of watching too much "Alice" as a kid.

if you know who these people are, you will feel me

I will write more about it later in the week but that was our lunch up there - I didn't get a photo of The Kid's Reece's Pieces pancake because by the time I got my camera opened up, he had already made a mess of things but trust me, it was delicious.
A sample of the best things we put in our bellies

People who know me know that I don't really eat burgers all that often but this Shackmeister from Shake Shack was so delicious that I might have to stop saying that I don't like hamburgers.

Couldn't pass up on a quick visit to the Smithsonian Museum of American History to see Julia Child's kitchen

A memorable lunch at Black Salt with The Kid and our good friend and travel buddy on this trip, Jen. Our menfolk were off doing manly things and did not get to partake of this spread. More for us.

Things were looking bad for a while on the drive back home until I found InLows Drive In  in Duncansville, PA, self proclaimed "home of the hotdog" . The boys ordered the 12" (not sure why they don't just call them foot longs) dogs and I had a very filling, tasty chili with a side of slaw



I was pretty active on social media while I was gone but mostly just posting stuff from my trip and not doing a whole ton of looking for cool stuff but I will share a couple of great things I found last week:

Pin of the week: Because I see a lot of slow cooker action in my immediate future

Facebook share of the week:



Post by The Yum Yum Factor.

Instagram of the week: 
A photo posted by Craig Wong (@craigwong) on

Tweet of the week:



Winterlicious starts January 30:
I am not sure what is coming up this week because I just got home late last night but what I DO know is that the winterlicious menus have been announced so if you want to eat at the really hot spots, you better start making reservations now

Stay tuned this week for some more in depth posts about my trip to DC and Happy New Year!

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