API lobbyist Brian Marshall Johnson blogs about what's good to eat in the nation's capital

Washington can be a partisan, polarized place, but Brian Marshall Johnson helps steer people to common ground—food.

"At the end of the day, everyone has to eat," said Johnson, who blogs about restaurants, recipes and the lobbyist lifestyle as The Hungry Lobbyist. His K Street cred comes via his job as director of federal relations for the American Petroleum Institute.

Johnson started blogging in April, but relaunched his revamped website in January. Though he has no formal training, Johnson said he's always had a passion for cooking and eating.

The moniker came to him following a typical Washington event. "I joked with my friends that I was still hungry. I was hungry. … They had illusions that lobbyists always ate lobster."

Reviews are organized under K Street Classics, Off the Lobbyist Path and Lobbyist on the Run (food trucks). Recipes include the Perfect Bloody Mary, a spicy "jump start" for the morning after a working reception. A link takes visitors to Johnson's bimonthly column, featuring interviews with local chefs and celebrities, on the FamousDC.com website.

Johnson also invites readers to "Ask a Lobbyist" anything about the profession; favorite queries will get answered online.

"I hope people enjoy what they're reading," Johnson said. "I don't take myself too seriously at all."