Tucked away in Petworth is a tiny little restaurant that serves up magical Mexican food. The owner of Distrito Federal, Luis, always has a friendly smile, and his daughters play outside the restaurant in the summer. Distrito Federal has a real low-key, neighborhood feel to it.
First you start with a basket of light, airy tortilla chips and salsa de aguacate. What do they put in the stuff?! It is so good, it makes my sombrero spin. The burrito with chicarron en salsa verde, pork skin in green sauce is a grilled, soft tortilla pocket overstuffed with pinto beans, rice, cream, cheese, onions, cilantro and avocado. It trembled in my presence as I prepared to annihilate it. I’ve had pork skins before, stewed or fried like pork rinds, but this was different. In large slices, it was cooked until super soft, almost gelatinous, and full of the flavor. It has a fatty and luscious texture that is truly decadent.
Taqueria Distrito Federal
805 Kennedy St NW
Washington, DC 20011
(202) 276-7331
Photo courtesy of Taqueria Distrito Federal
Mary was born and raised in New York City where her family owned restaurants. Instead of eating dirt on the playground, she ate duck blood, beef tripe and pork belly. She cut her teeth at The Mandarin Oriental and The Ritz-Carlton hotels, working with Barbra Streisand, Vanessa Williams, Michael Stipe, LeVar Burton, Jane Krakowski and others. Mary founded Girl Meets Food in 2009 as a cover for her debilitating addiction to fried chicken and was named Washington Post’s “Favorite Local Foodie.” After 13 years in hospitality, she started freelance writing for USA Today, The Washington Post, Eater, Washington City Paper, and more. Today, she provides digital marketing for hospitality clients as a content creator who’s contently creating content.