As Washington, DC, welcomes the CAP annual conference in the coming weeks, attendees are already filling up their schedules with educational sessions and presentations, informative demonstrations on the exhibit hall floor, and quick lunch meetings. Our nation's capital has more to see and do than anyone possibly could in just a few days, but hopefully you'll find yourself with a free evening or long lunch to check out some of the city's famed museums and delicious restaurants. Washington has more than we could hope to summarize in this article, and resources abound--but here are a few suggestions to make sure you experience some of the great cultural treats DC has to offer.

Restaurants
2Amys Neapolitan Pizzeria
3715 Macomb St. NW (202) 885-5700
This gourmet pizza restaurant uses only soft-grain flour, fresh yeast, water, and sea salt for the dough, and only Italian plum tomatoes, mozzarella di bufala, extra-virgin olive oil and fresh basil or dried oregano for the toppings, in keeping with authentic Neapolitan pizza requirements. 2Amys is an area favorite offering delicious but inexpensive traditional Italian pizza.

Art and Soul
415 New Jersey Ave., NW (202) 393-7777
This comfort-food-done-right restaurant is offering a $45 three-course, beer-inspired dinner menu through the month of October to celebrate Oktoberfest. Get things started with beer-steamed mussels and a black-pepper buttermilk biscuit, matched with a Penn Weizen brew from Pennsylvania. Next, there's cider-braised pork shank with black-eyed-pea stew and spicy collard greens paired with an Oktoberfest lager from Delaware. And for dessert, a chocolate-stout pudding cake comes with a milk stout beer from North Carolina.

Ben's Chili Bowl
1213 U St., NW (202) 667-0909
Since 1958, Ben's Chili Bowl has been a DC landmark for locals, celebrities, politicians and tourists. The restaurant has a breakfast menu and is also open late night, so you can enjoy its famous chili half-smokes, chili dogs and milkshakes. Ben's also offers plenty for vegetarians, including vegetarian chili, veggie chili-cheese fries and veggie burgers.

Hotel Tabard Inn
1739 N St. NW (202) 331-8528
Nestled on a tree-lined street in trendy Dupont Circle, the Tabard Inn offers new American cuisine in one of Washington, DC's oldest hotels. A variety of delicious and decadent entrees are offered for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch. For unwinding after a long day of conference sessions and exhibit halls, the restaurant also offers a fantastic drink menu, spanning specialty cocktails, beer, wine, sherry, scotch and brandy.

Komi
1509 17th St. NW (202) 332-9200
If you're looking to enjoy an upscale experience while in DC, the modern Mediterranean/Greek fare at Komi was voted as DC's best restaurant by the Washingtonian. The Washingtonian suggests the restaurant's best dishes: A mascarpone-stuffed date doused with olive oil and sea salt that couldn't be simpler or more exquisite; fresh scallop with dill and black truffle; a miniature cold-cut sandwich with house-made meats and house-baked bread; roasted baby pig or goat for two, the meats meant for layering into fresh triangles of pita and scattered with condiments; Greek doughnuts with mascarpone-enriched chocolate.

Ray's Hell Burger
1713 Wilson Blvd., Arlington (703) 841-0001
If you're craving a burger, Ray's Hell Burger is a must, with their oversized gourmet burgers and high-quality cheese choices. This burgers-only joint does not serve fries-sides are seasonal and fresh, such as a corn cob and sliced watermelon in the summer. Oh yeah-President Obama and Vice President Biden recently lunched at Ray's.

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