Pack a Picnic Like a Pro

Dessert: Raspberries and Bing cherries served with slightly sweetened mascarpone or ricotta. For the sweeter tooth, she suggests small fruit tarts.

Favorite spot: The U.S. National Arboretum, near the National Capitol Columns open-air temple. This spot was created from pillars removed from the east side of the Capitol. "The temple is on a grassy knoll and lovely," says Yonkers.

U.S. National Arboretum, 3501 New York Ave. NE. Free. 202-245-2726. http://www.usna.usda.gov/ .

ERIC ZIEBOLD OF CITYZEN, 1330 Maryland Ave. SW, 202-554-8588, http://www.mandarinoriental.com/hotel/535000039.asp .

Coming to Washington from Iowa, via Napa Valley, Ziebold is a chef who prefers to keep things simple. Simple, but not boring. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, he uses his training to elevate the ordinary. For a picnic, he recommends room-temperature food that can resist spoiling in extreme heat and humidity. (This means no mayo.) Oh, and no plastic either, says Ziebold. If you are going to that much trouble for the meal, he says you should honor it with real silverware.

Essential ingredients: Fried chicken, artichoke salad and German potato salad. He combines bacon and vinegar with still-warm potatoes so they absorb the smoky flavor. He then adds onions and hard-boiled eggs.

Super sides: If it's a special outing, there's always room for foie gras, Ziebold says. He studs his with caramelized garlic and serves it on toasted brioche.

Thirst quencher: For daytime, Vinho Verde from Portugal (white) has a "clean, grassy flavor with a subtle effervescence," he says. For evening, Ziebold likes Littorai Les Larmes (red). He chills both reds and whites. "Red wine is usually served too warm," he says, "and will warm up in the glass."

Dessert: A dessert that is heat-tolerant and "crazy good," according to Ziebold, is banana-white chocolate ganache served with graham crackers for dipping. The recipe is a highly guarded restaurant secret, but by adding pureed banana or banana extract to your ganache, you could approximate a dippable blend.

Favorite spot: The Mall. "That's what I love about Washington," he says. "There you are in the shadow of the Washington Monument."

National Mall. 202-426-6841. www.nps.gov/nama.