Discover D.C.'s hidden gems

Washington, D.C., offers alternatives for someone in search of peace of mind in a high-stress city. Happy hour deals are not the only option for the ailments of life in the nation’s capital.

 Having a beer over conversation in a bookstore at 4 a.m., grabbing lunch off a Korean bibimbap cart and sipping cappuccino in an old Victorian garden in Dupont is, for some, just another day.

 Busy workdays no longer leave inhabitants at the mercy of boiled hot dogs from street vendors in the middle of Farragut Square, with the ambiance of drivers honking through traffic.

A secret hideaway

 A secret garden, hidden behind FireHook Bakery and Coffee House in Cleveland Park, offers an escape, where people can go grape-picking in late summer and early fall.

 “You feel like you’re not in the city anymore,” said Marie Gschwindt de Gyor, a frequent patron.  “You don’t even notice the coffee shop when you walk by it….it’s just this tiny little door.”

 Inside the coffee house lies a hallway leading patrons to a courtyard. Concord grapevines and a fountain adorn the garden, while a mural covers the walls of the former Roma restaurant.  Umbrella-lined tables providing capacity for 80 customers offer an escape.

 “You walk through this tiny little bakery and in the back you don’t expect it, there’s this beautiful garden,” Gschwindt de Gyor said. 

 Grapes picked from the vine are used for jam in the bakery and people can come pick the grapes to take home.  Outlets are provided in the garden for patrons and Wi-Fi is in future plans, said Sheryl Blaufeld, manager of FireHook.
 

 Street carts diversify beyond hot dogs

 Hard economic times force street vendors to get creative with their menus.  With only so many ways to make a hot dog to bring in revenue, street carts have begun to serve bibimbap, bulgogi and burritos, bringing ethnic diversity to their menus.

 On the corner of 14th and K Street, Young Kim won her cart's spot in a lottery two years ago at her local community meeting in Annandale, Va. Korean food, long a staple in northern Virginia, has infiltrated the streets of the District to the delight of many professionals.

 “It’s good and tasty…it’s nice to have a stand that’s more than just hot dogs,” said Tim Rhodes, a Korean foods patron.  “I’ve never had Korean food. When things are easy, I’ll experiment.”

 The cart, open weekdays during lunch rush hours, offers bibimbap, a combination of white rice, vegetables, a fried egg and choice of spicy or mild beef or chicken bulgogi for $7. Catherine Song, Kim's daughter, said bulgogi, marinated barbecue beef or chicken, is a traditional Korean dish.

 Any order can be topped with some kimchi, a dish of pickled cabbage and peppers and some hot pepper sauce.

 Equipped with a fryer, Kim prepares the bulgogi fresh for almost a hundred people, daily.  Economic times have slowed down business lately, but Kim still sees regulars.

 Down the street, in McPherson Square, lies a second bulgogi cart that’s become a staff favorite at The Hill, a daily congressional newspaper.  

 “We call it Korea cart, others call it bulgogi cart, some people just call it the crack cart,” Amanda Grace Johnson said.  “I’m in love with it.”

 Burritos have also moved in next door. 

 Carlos Guardado opened a hot dog stand on K and 17th Street.  Today that food cart has traded in hot dogs for burritos and coffee-to-go.

 Originally from El Salvador, Guardado opened his stand in 1993.  Forced to get creative after business slowed, he came up with the idea of coffee-to-go and added burritos to the menu.

 Vegetarian burritos topped with refried beans, rice, salsa and a choice of sour cream or guacamole cost $5.

 Pedro and Vinny’s on 15th and K Street advertises fresh ingredients in their overstuffed burrito creations.  Patrons patiently wait in anticipation of regular or tomato chili tortillas filled with melted cheese, sour cream, rice, beans, guacamole and salsa topped with a special chili sauce.

Books for night owls and bathroom readers

 Old books stacked in floor-to-ceiling shelves in Capitol Hill Books, harking to the bookshop Belle adored in Beauty and the Beast, is every book lover's dream.

Foreign language books line the bathroom shelves of the used bookstore across from The Eastern Market.

"Foreign language is in the toilet in this country," said Jim Toole, the bookstore owner.

There’s an order in the chaos of more than 20,000 books lining every corner of the three-floor bookstore.  Cookbooks are strewn across the kitchen counter, business books are relegated to the closet and science books are kept in the basement.  Justice books are piled in one corner. A lamp rests atop one stack--lighting a chair and a copy of The Tenth Justice, reminiscent of a witness on the bench.

“Capitol Hill books is every book lover's utopia,” said Bobbi McPherson, a frequent visitor.  “It smells like an old library.”

Tags, such as “For small wars only,” a pocket sized edition of "The Art of War" and “Kanye West Book of Best Behavior” on "The Little Prince" displays Toole’s sharp wit.

Shelf after shelf of books, there’s one thing readers will not find here.  Toole does not accept textbooks.  He doesn't buy back from students attempting to sell their old, marked-up textbooks.

Every weekday morning since he bought the bookstore 15 years ago, Toole races around the beltway in search of books at estate sales and book auctions.

“Dead people, most of my books are from dead people," he said. "You know they don’t take them with them, did you know that?"

Printed T-shirts with slogans such as “Best war ever” and “Some blood for oil” add another dimension to Toole’s humor.  On the weekends, the staff of T-Shirt Insurgency help in the store and in return Toole offers them wall space.

Every other Saturday, Capitol Hill Books offers free wine and cheese with 10 percent off all purchases from 4 to 7 p.m.

In Dupont Circle, KramerBooks and Afterwards Café offers a 24-hour hideaway for book nerds on the weekends.

A full bar serves readers in the middle of the bookstore, and a café, while boasting Sunday brunch, offers conversation for night owls over the latest novel.  From Sunday to Thursday, the bookstore and café are open from 7:30 a.m. to 1 a.m.