Baristars
I know you've all been waiting for the news on the outcome of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast Regional Barista Championships, held this week at the Bear Creek Mountain Resort in Macungie, Penna. Well, the news is great. Murky Coffee General Manager Katie Carguilo won the contest, besting the field of 17 with the excellence of her cappuccinos, espressos, and her signature drink, the Café Garguilo: espresso, cherry juice, chocolate, and a whip cream made from pistachio gelato. Sounds pretty excellent, Katie; will we be seeing this on the Murky menus anytime soon? Adding to the happiness is Tryst's David Fritzler taking fourth in the competition. Congratulations to both of them!

Carguilo's win cements Murky Coffee's dominance of the Eastern U.S. coffee culture, since owner Nick Cho won the competition for the ten southern states back in the fall with his coffee creations anchored by an homage to Aida Batlle--a producer from El Salvador--which combined cupped coffee and espresso from Batlle's beans, melon, dark sugar, and honey. Katie and Nick will be off to the U.S. National Barista Competition the first week in May in Long Beach, Calif. to trounce those wusses from Seattle. If one of them wins there, he or she will be representing our whole country at the World championships in Tokyo. Nothing's final, but with two in the race, we like our chances.

Stop by your local Murky or Tryst to congratulate Nick, Katie, and David personally.

Tasty Nation
Are you looking for something to do after a week full of liturgical ceremonies or fancy food after stuffing yourself with stuff from your seder? Yeah? Good. Monday, April 9 is Taste of the Nation, the 19th annual festival of taste-making and food-eating for charity. With over 50 of the Capital region's best chefs and 20 vineyards supplying the event, Taste of the Nation is something you foodies don't want to miss.

A benefit for Share our Strength, a nationwide campaign to combat childhood hunger, Taste of the Nation will fill the Washington Hilton with food from Acadiana, Belga Café, Kinkead's, Farrah Olivia, PS7's, Vidalia, Buzz Bakery, and dozens of other local food destinations. If you've been wondering what some of the new chefs in town are turning out, Taste of the Nation will give you a good idea of our region's culinary prowess, all at one Metro stop.

Tickets for the event are $75 for general admission, or $110 for admission to the event and access to the Tiki Lounge, which will feature a signature drink from Eve's Todd Thrasher: Cruzan rum, roasted pineapple, cilantro, and habanero chili. That's enough heat to scare away any hangover. VIP tickets are available for $200, if you're flush with money from this year's tax return.

100 percent of the ticket proceeds (which are on sale now) will go to alleviate childhood hunger here in Washington, where the poverty rate for school age kids tops out at 51.3%. Taste of the Nation is just one small way you can help, so learn how to get involved to make more of a difference, and have some great food at the same time.

Small Bites
Speaking of Coffee...
Coffee is sprouting up on the Hill like the daffodils. New coffeehouse and lounge, Endigo Coffee, has opened for business at 1221 Pennsylvania Ave, SE. Though they're still putting on the finishing touches on the place, the rowhouse coffee shop will serve coffee and pastries in the basement and provide a lounge space upstairs. Hoping to provide a neighborhood hangout, Endigo aims to stay open until 9 p.m.

May is for Majestic
The crew at Restaurant Eve is keeping everyone's ears perked up regarding their impending opening of Majestic, the reincarnation of the Majestic Café in Old Town Alexandria. Hoping to stick with "countryside cooking" and a simple wine and drinks list, Majestic is shooting for a May opening.

Restaurant Openings
Metrocurean has the goods on restaurant openings in April. Looks like a busy spring!

Reminder!
It's Andrés vs. Flay on Iron Chef this Sunday, 9 p.m., Food Network.

Photo courtesy of flickr user six.five.