Dolcezza Artisanal Gelato: This company dates to 2004 and has four storefronts in Washington, D.C., Bethesda, Maryland, and Fairfax, Virginia. I stopped into the three-year-old shop near Dupont Circle and enjoyed spoonfuls of Seville orange sorbetto and lemon ricotta cardamom gelato, but what left a lasting impression was the coffee program. Director of Coffee Amanda Salisbury listed five of America’s leading coffee roasters on an old wall-mounted window pane: Intelligentsia, MadCap, PT’s, Stumptown and Ritual. A barista named Jess brewed my pourover Toarco ($3.25) a murky Indonesian coffee from Madcap with chocolate character. That seasonal coffee will be gone when you go, but you’ll still find other rewarding options.

Rappahannock Oyster Bar: This hexagon shaped oyster bar resides in trendy Union Market. The owners just opened a more ambitious seafood spot in downtown Richmond, but this remains a good bet for oysters. A wall features a map of oyster provenance, with beds plotted from Topping, Virginia, on the Atlantic (home of Rappahannock River oysters), to the Chesapeake Bay. Stingrays are from Milford Haven; and Olde Salts are from Chincoteague. A shucker served my oysters ($2 each) from sweet to salty, clockwise. Olde Salts were rounder, the others looked alike, with similar levels of brine. The trio benefited from a lemon squeeze, spicy minced horseradish, and tangy mignonette.

Red Apron Butchery: This butcher shop and sandwich bar from chef Nathan Anda is another top spot inside Union Market. They even have another craft beer program from Greg Engert, the aforementioned luminary. Anda practices “old school technique, original new world innovation” and produces interesting offerings like pighead pho terrine, greek fennel & lemon verbena salami, and baconwurst. My juicy Meatloaf ($8) slab contained 80% pork, 20% bacon, and joined spicy Calabrian chile aioli, crisp baby arugula, and tangy sherry onions on a toasted housemade baguette.