Many of my fellow Coastal Living staffers naturally flocked to the coast during the 4th of July holiday, but I spent the long weekend hanging out with family in Washington D.C. While they may have come back raving about incredible seafood dives, but I was the only one who could claim to have eaten the absolute freshest food on the planet. Jealous? Don't be. Just head to D.C. and prepare for a feast.

Located downtown on Pennsylvania Ave., Founding Farmers commits to provide customers with products "from seed to harvest, and from farm-to-table," according to their Web site. They're owned by a collective of American family farmers and strive to also lead the green movement by being good stewards of natural resources down to the last detail of their building design. For more on their mission and philosophy visit wearefoundingfarmers.com.

Despite being in D.C. on one of the busiest weekends of the year, when my brother and I arrived for brunch we only had to wait 15 minutes. The customer service was excellent, and the food? Well, we still can't stop talking about it. We split the New Orleans Style French Toast and Skillet House Hash—crispy potatoes sautéed with your hash choice, with two eggs poached or scrambled, served with our house-made English muffin, fresh fruit preserves and choice of: country potatoes, farmer’s salad, fresh fruit or tomatoes. Everything from the fresh squeezed orange juice to the English muffin were absolutely worth every penny. And the knowledge that you're supporting American farmers, well, how patriotic is that?

Courtesy of Founding Farmers