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Washington Post Express

Chris Combs - Express

COMBINE A PASSION for food, a love of history and a freshly minted MBA and what do you get? Mostly, a very full stomach.

The new DC Metro Food Tours takes tourists and locals on gastronomically oriented walking tours of D.C. hot spots. The company so far focuses on Old Town Alexandria, but the owner has plans for expansion.

Participants meet in Old Town, and founder Jeff Swedarsky, 27, plays tour guide. On a recent tour, he neglected the King Street strip (since, he says, tourists don't need help finding the main drag) in favor of off-the-beaten-path spots. His group of nine visited four restaurants as well as Alexandria landmarks like Christ Church and the Torpedo Factory. At Union Street Public House, Swedarsky and his group dined on oysters Rockefeller and beef ribs; then guests learned about the first owner of the historic building (Captain John Harper, said to have fathered 29 children).

Swedarsky and his wife, Sharone, make almost too-chipper hosts, but their perkiness is infectious. Both Swedarskys eagerly join in the conversation and the food. At times, Swedarksy, who eats on his own tour, was the most enthusiastic diner of the bunch. "It's kind of been a dream of mine" to start this business, he says, and his wonder at local history is unparalleled. "I can't believe how many things have happened here," he says.

Swedarsky still has a day job with the government but wants to take DC Metro Food Tours full time: "My goal is to have a big retirement party with a banner celebrating 'His Four Meritorious Years of Service,'" he jokes.

So far, the tour seems to deliver. On one recent weekend, Virginia residents were as satisfied with the tour's selections (which vary week to week) as a group visiting from New Jersey.

At the last stop on the tour -- the spicy-scented Old Town Coffee, Tea and Spice -- guests noshed on jelly cake before dispersing one by one. Were friendships forged, were grand dissertations on culinary history digested? No, but sometimes a little knowledge and a stuffed belly is all you need.

» DC Metro Food Tours, Sat. & Sun., 1 p.m., $52, book at Zerve, 800-979-3370. (King Street)



Advanced purchase required - Tours usually sell out well in advance

Check availability and buy tickets online at Zerve:
Old Town Alexandria
Tasting and Historic Walking Tour
Or to purchase by phone, call Zerve at (800) 979-3370





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