National Museum of the American Indian

[hjshorter]

The National Museum of the American Indian opens today. Is anyone planning a visit this week? I'm taking the kids and will of course check out the cafe. From their website:

The Mitsitam Native Foods Café is located inside the museum. “Mitsitam” means "Let’s eat!" in the Native language of the Delaware and Piscataway peoples. The Café is an extension of the cultural experience of the museum. In the Café, visitors can enjoy meals and snacks inspired by the indigenous foods and culinary traditions of the Native peoples of the Americas.

Sounds intriguing, and a welcome change from the mediocre-to-bad food available in the other museums. The website doesn't mention any specific menu items.

In addition to the museum opening, the First Americans Festival is set up out on the mall offering craft demonstrations, performances, and of course food.

Three Sisters Café

Four food cafes located on the National Mall will offer meals and beverages

based on the food traditions of the Americas. Named after the main

staples of the Iroquois in northeastern United States and Canada, the

Three Sisters—corn, beans, and squash—are some of the culinary

offerings that will be available. Other menu items will include Native foods,

and a popular favorite, Indian fry bread! Daily.

The festival runs from 9/21-26.

[Chef Shogun]

Other menu items will include Native foods, and a popular favorite, Indian fry bread! Daily.

Woohoo! Frybread!

[DonRocks]

Woohoo! Frybread!

←

Translation: WooHoo! Funnel Cake!

[hjshorter]

The frybread doesn't interest me so much. The cafe in the museum sounds intriguing.

[FunJohnny]

Yum -- Pemmican:

Preparation:

Shred the jerky finely with a sharp knife. be careful, this can be hard.

If the berries are big chop them up too.

Melt suet and combine all ingredient to make soft blob.

Pour into a leather bag and cut off chunks when you need them.

Or pour into a pan lined with tinfoil and when cool, unmold and cut into bars.

Store in the fridge.

Note: This is very good for cold weather. to make a quick soup, drop a piece into boiling water and serve with fry bread.

[Carrot Top]

For some bizarre reason I promised to give a simple cooking/history lesson to the sixth graders at the middle school who are now studying Native Americans (in 'Colonial' times)...the date for this is growing close and am just starting to put together bits and pieces of research...so if anyone has any ideas, or Heather if you do go to the Museum and like the menu...I would love to have some additional input...would you post? Thanks!

FunJohnny: Nice quickly made recipe...might add it to the menu...I know for sure the kids would love fry bread...am unsure about pemmican, but it certainly would 'wow' them and give them something to think about. Most of the focus for the lesson so far has been on the importance of corn and all that it signified....

Edited September 21, 2004 by Carrot Top (log)

[hillvalley]

It's killing me that I am not going to make it down there this week. Back when the museum was in the planning stages there was a good deal of thought put into the eating options in the museum. There was a strong opinion that it should not just be institutionalized hot dogs and hamburgers. As someone involved early on with the project said "It may be institutionalized First American Food, but at least it will be First American".

[DrewTr]

I was able to go to a preview on Saturday (my wife works there). The museum is gorgeous and quite interesting. I went to the Mitsitam Cafe and was able to sample a decent variety of food. The cafe is divided into five geographical regions (Midwest, Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, & Central America if I rememeber correctly). The food is quite respectable. I am happy and amazed at how far museum food has come in the last few years. I tasted quahog clam chowder, cheese pupusa, black bean tamale with peanut sauce, juniper glazed salmon with roasted beets, chicken taco with green mole, Maine lobster roll, & a pecan bar While all the the foods are not traditional Native recipes they are all based on foods introduced to the world by American Indians. All in all I would rate the whole experience pretty great. Be sure not to miss the contemporary exhibit on the third floor.

Drew Trautmann

Executive Chef

Mendocino Grille & Wine Bar

Edited September 22, 2004 by DrewTr (log)

[JennyUptown]

Welcome, Drew!

And thanks for you post. Sounds much more interesting than the usual museum cafe fare.

[hjshorter]

At Emma's request the Shorter family headed down to the National Mall to visit her favorite museum this morning. After wandering around the Air & Space Museum looking at rockets and all the cool Lego displays, we headed across the street to the Mitsitam Cafe at the National Museum of the American Indian for lunch. We had not been to the museum before - wow what a stunning space. The kids loved it. We breezed in to the cafe at 11:30. By the time we were done 45 minutes later the line was out the door and down the hall.

Emma had pinto beans, rice and pork rolled in a tortilla (Meso America station), Scott had beef tacos ( also Meso America), I had the maple roasted turkey with succotash and baked beans with bacon (Northern Woodlands station), and Ian had tastes from everyone's plates. The pintos were good but the baked beans were terrific and Emma ate most of them for me. The succotash was served cold and made with sweet corn, baby limas, and brown beans, with red onion and a spicy dressing - not what I was expecting but very good. The turkey was fresh and moist and served with a cranberry sour cherry compote. I got even with Emma for scarfing my beans and half my turkey by eating all of her pork taco. Quahog chowder was very good, creamy with a spicy hit and big meaty chunks of clam and potato. Scott had a good opinion of the beef tacos and guacamole.

The Northwest Coast station looked very good, offering cedar-planked juniper salmon, salmon sandwich on wild rice bread, several salads, and beets. South America's highlights were jicama and orange salad, and tamales. We will definitely go back - it wasn't fabulous, just interesting, well-done and not the usual crap cafeteria food. Of course, the prices ($44 for lunch!) aren't typical of the cafeterias either, but worth it to get something different and good.

I was sadded by all of the kids - and parents - walking by with chicken nuggets or a burger and fries. There were quite a few of them.

[docsconz]

My family and I ahd lunch there last Thursday prior to a tour of the Capitol. I was certainly impressed for cafeteria food. It is a great concept with excellent execution. I just wish that it was easier to mix and match from the different areas.

I had the chicken tamales with peanut sauce, great plantains with cheese and a pickled green mango salad. I could have shot my middle son as he was one of those who went for the chicken fingers and fries! At least the fries had some chili on them!

[Jaymes]

I'll jump in here to agree with everyone. I ate there during an extended stay in the region last fall. The food was indeed very, very good....in addition to being interesting. I loved that clam chowder and spent some hours online trying to find a similar recipe, with no luck. I also had a wild rice and cranberry salad and some sort of berry crumble thing for dessert (it's been six months, so the memory fades). It was all quite tasty. And a great concept, rather than the usual museum junk foodfest.