Off the Map: Presidential Eggs in the Nation's Capital

Devil-Ish Eggs – Founding Farmers, Washington, DC
Founding Farmers

Vodka goes to Washington, DC for one reason and one reason alone.  Not to gawk at the Jefferson Monument.  Not to eat cupcakes on the streets of Georgetown.  Not even to revere Dorothy’s ruby slippers at the Smithsonian.

Vodka goes to DC to see theatre (particularly theatre starring Bernadette Peters or Roger Bart).  As if there is no theatre at all going on in Manhattan.

Therefore, Vodka carted herself down to DC recently, this time to see Bernadette Peters in Follies.

The Best Thing to Happen to DC in Years

And while there, of course, she ventured to Founding Farmers, which Robert Irvine spoke of on the Best Thing I Ever Ate REINVENTED CLASSICS episode.  He recommended the devil-ish eggs combo – deviled eggs stuffed with crab meat, lobster, and salmon, along with a traditional variety.

Get It?  They're Deviled Eggs... Ish

To sum up the trip, Bernadette Peters was brilliant, and the devil-ish eggs were not.

Deviled eggs have never been one of my favorite foods, but when they are done correctly (i.e. the Spotted Pig variety), they can convert just about anyone.  The traditional deviled egg at Founding Farmers is pretty solid – not of Spotted Pig standards, but tasty nonetheless.

The seafood varieties, however, are severely less palatable.

Sometimes Fish Does Not Belong in an Egg

I blame most of the problem with the Founding Farmers devil-ish eggs on the texture of the hard-boiled eggs themselves – they are much too flimsy and breakable to support the fillings, and they feature an almost gooey consistency.  The crab and lobster varieties are not offensive, though they seem more like seafood salad plopped inside an egg than a cohesive combination.

The salmon version is rather abrasive in flavor, with the fish being a bit too smoky for the pasty egg it rests in.

The Picture is Better Than the Taste

Also trying the bacon lollis, they taste of bacon smeared in maple syrup – a welcome breakfast throwback. However, the bacon itself is a tad too chewy, and the candied coating a bit too crystalized, to be completely enjoyable.

But At Least They're Not David Burke's Cheesecake Lollipops

In contrast, if anyone would like to hear a review of Bernadette Peters in Follies, Vodka will wax poetic about her performance for hours, so be careful what you wish for.  (According to our rating system, she was clearly 5 stars).

Founding Farmers’s Devil-ish Eggs: 3 stars