The DC Real World

Check out the Blue Prints. What will they eat?

Greek Eats: Breakfast at Hotel Aressana

Hotel Aressana is located in Fira (the capital of Santorini). Greeks aren't known for their breakfast, but Hotel Aressana offers their guests a full Greek breakfast. By the end of the trip I fell in love with the sour and creamy Greek yogurt topped with honey. Tomato, feta and bread salad, Greek omelets (kind of over cooked with potatoes), tomato fritters... Although this wasn't the top breakfast, it is much better than the continental breakfast offered at most American Hotels. We really enjoyed our stay at Hotel Aressana. It isn't on the caldera side of the island, but there is a beautiful pool with cabanas that you can bring your own bottles of cava to enjoy a pleasant evening. People were very friendly and helpful.

Check out more of my Greek posts about:
Air France meals
Breakfast at Hotel Aressana
Ellis Restaurant, Santorini
Blue Note, Santorini
Nikolas Restaurant, Santorini
Dolphins, Santorini
Breakfast at Cafe Stavros, Sifnos
Poseidonas, Sifnos
Sunset, Sifnos
De Claudio's, Sifnos
Baxtia
Mannoli's, Sifnos
Faros Beach Restaurant
and many more...

Just released: Fearless Critic DC Area Restaurant Guide

Just released: Fearless Critic DC Area Restaurant Guide Opinionated, cheeky, and fiercely independent, the definitive restaurant guide to the Washington DC area is finally here!

Robin Goldstein and his team of local undercover chefs have created a 608-page book—and accompanying subscription-based website—with 500 brutally honest reviews that cover every corner of the District’s eclectic dining scene, from the power steakhouses to the pupuserías, including DC area suburbs from Alexandria to Silver Spring.

Fearless Critics dine incognito, accepting no free meals or restaurant ads. Prepare to be shocked by the results: this is a new breed of food writing. The book is now in stock on Amazon.com or find it in the next few days at any major bookstore in the DC area.

Greek Eats: "Giorgos-Dimitris" in Sifnos

Grillhouse - Restaurant "Giorgos - Dimitris"

On the south side of Sifnos, at the village of Faros, you shall find the beach Fassolou. We went there on our last day at Sifnos...so sad to leave. Under the shadow of the tamarisk salt trees on the beach, you can taste unique dishes at the restaurant- grill house “Giorgos-Dimitris”. The waiters are very friendly and helpful with the menu. This was our fist time to try the garlic spread and famous Sifnos cheese. We also took one last taste of the Greek salad. Great view of the rock of Panagia of Chrussopigi.

Upcoming Events: Sign up for my Moroccan Nights Cooking Class

Join Lauren DeSantis, host of the television series Capital Cooking, to make a delicious Moroccan meal. We'll start off with a Chicken Tagine. This chicken dish is based on the Moroccan spicy stew that simmers in a special pot from which it takes it's name: the tagine. Pieces of chicken are cooked with preserved lemons and diced tomatoes and served in a sauce that is spiced with turmeric and cinnamon. Then we’ll move onto our dessert as it needs time to bake. We’ll be making a crescent-shaped pastry coiled like a snake called a Moroccan Serpent Cake. While that’s baking we’ll make cous cous with the juices of the tagine as the perfect side. Bring some spice into your kitchen with the exotic flavors of Morocco!

Check out Food, Inc.

Synopsis: In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation's food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that's been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government's regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation's food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, insecticide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won't go bad, but we also have new strains of e coli--the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults.

Featuring interviews with such experts as Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), Michael Pollan (The Omnivore's Dilemma) along with forward thinking social entrepreneurs like Stonyfield Farms' Gary Hirschberg and Polyface Farms' Joel Salatin, Food, Inc. reveals surprising -- and often shocking truths -- about what we eat, how it's produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from here.

Greek Eats: Air France

To start off our trip, we dined on Air France. Air France does airplane meals the right way. Aperitifs of champagne...curry chicken, baguettes, chocolate banana cakes and more. You even get your own bottle of wine and after dinner drinks...all of this and we were sitting in coach. Not a bad way to start off and end our eating experiences. You get two meals for the long flight from Dulles to Paris.

More posts to come on:
Breakfast at Hotel Aressana
Ellis Restaurant, Santorini
Blue Note, Santorini
Nikolas Restaurant, Santorini
Dolphins, Santorini
Breakfast at Cafe Stavros, Sifnos
Poseidonas, Sifnos
Sunset, Sifnos
De Claudio's, Sifnos
Baxtia
Mannoli's, Sifnos
Faros Beach Restaurant
and many more...

Taverna Nikolas, Fira Santorini

Classical Greek eatery at the alley of Fira with lines of people out the door. We checked out Taverna Nikolas after watching the amazing sunset along the Caldera in Santorini. This is a small traditional Greek restaurant that has become quite popular. I enjoyed the prawns, but they don't devein them for you. The creamy garlicy eggplant dip is excellent. We enjoyed Vin Santo at the end of the meal and the owners are very friendly and will help you through the menu of the day.

Check out more of my Greek posts about:
Air France meals
Breakfast at Hotel Aressana
Ellis Restaurant, Santorini
Blue Note, Santorini
Nikolas Restaurant, Santorini
Dolphins, Santorini
Breakfast at Cafe Stavros, Sifnos
Poseidonas, Sifnos
Sunset, Sifnos
De Claudio's, Sifnos
Baxtia
Mannoli's, Sifnos
Faros Beach Restaurant
and many more...

Greek Eats: Faros Cafe Club in Milos

After a long day of beach hopping and driving around the island of Milos (with breakfast at Hotel Portiani and lunch at Deep Blue), we stopped at Faros Cafe Club on the way back to watch the sunset. It was beautiful! We had some wine and enjoyed the bar all to ourselves. Mid-June must be the perfect time to come to this island because there were hardly any tourists. Relaxing and Romantic! Wait until you see the pictures!!

Faros Cafe Club
Adamantas, Milos, Cyclades

Greek Eats: Breakfast at Hotel Portiani in Milos

Hotel Portiani offered us breakfast every morning. Fresh squeezed orange juice and delicious coffee. Lots of tomatoes and feta which we don't see for breakfast back home. Not much English speaking is going on in Milos so you have to just grab the food and try it to figure out what it is. Lots of pastries made of the phyllo dough. We also tried some type of Greek melon that tasted just like honey dew. Not the fanciest rooms but it did the trick for what we needed. The hotel is located right at the port so you can hop off the ferry and go straight there.

Greek Eats: Ergina in Milos

By far the best food that we've had in Greece so far is from Ergina in the town of Tripiti. It is owned by the sweetest couple that includes a menu of all of their traditional family recipes. We tried the cheese and onion pie which was absolutely delicious. It was just refreshing to see a menu with some variety. I enjoyed the pasta of the owners grandfather that they would make when there was nothing left in the house. It was made of tagliatelle with a garlic sauce and home-made sun-dried tomato paste. My husband got the grandmother's calamari which was perfectly roasted in its own juices. Welcoming environment and very friendly people. The best way to explore the island is by renting a vehicle and driving all over. There are so many beautiful things to see! Pictures to come when I get home.

Greek Eats: Deep Blue in Milos

We rented a dune buggy and went beach hopping in Milos. It is almost like having an island all to ourselves. The high season there doesn't really begin until July or August. We've been carried away with the beautiful scenery that sometimes we forget to eat lunch until about 4 pm. When we made our way to the beautiful beach of Paliohora we got a bite to eat at Deep Blue. It has a spectacular view and plays American music but with Greek versions. It gets annoying after a while because the original songs are always better. I got the Greek Salad and my husband got the salad of Crete with the barley husk. The salads in Greece do not have lettuce. The Greek salad is simply tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and feta. Quite tasty the first time but I miss some of the variety of choices on menus that we have back home. We are in Sifnos now which is known for the food so hopefully we'll be impressed.

Greek Eats: Navagio in Milos

We just left the island of Milos in Greece (part of the Cyclades Islands). While we were there we ate at Navagio in Adamas. It is a small fish tavern along the water. The food was average for the most part but they did have a delicious olive spread. I had the lamb in lemon sauce and my husband had the sepia with rice. We also tried the pitarakia local fried cheese pies for an appetizer. Most of the food at the restaurants in Greece is similar. After a while it starts to get boring always trying the same things. This was not my favorite place but it was crowded every night. It is hard to not like dining by the water though. It is truly a beautiful island. Greek cuisine and local dishes.

Greek Eats: Check out Greek Cuisine!

Join me as I explore Greek Cuisine on my trip to Santorini, Milos, Sifnos and Athens! Can't wait for all of the delicious food!!! We had to plan the trip on our own because Liadis Travel, Ltd. abandoned us only two days before our trip with no hotels our ferry connections. If any of you go to Greece and want any advice, feel free to email me at capitalcooking@gmail.com. Photos and more to come soon.

Air France meals
Breakfast at Hotel Aressana
Ellis Restaurant, Santorini
Blue Note, Santorini
Nikolas Restaurant, Santorini
Dolphins, Santorini
Breakfast at Cafe Stavros, Sifnos
Poseidonas, Sifnos
Sunset, Sifnos
De Claudio's, Sifnos
Baxtia
Mannoli's, Sifnos
Faros Beach Restaurant
and many more...

Filming Fun!

Thank you to the crew for all of your hard work! The shows keep getting better and better thanks to you!!!

Photos by Shauna Alexander

Get ready for Cooking of Campania!

Thank you to Chef Enzo for being part of the show! Stay tuned for our Cooking of Campania episode with special guest Chef Enzo Febbraro from D'Acqua Ristorante.
Photo by Shauna Alexander

Thanks Chef John Manolatos!

We had a great time filming Flavors of the Mediterranean on Saturday!! Check out the shout out for him and Cashion's in the Washington Express today!

Photo by Shauna Alexander

Trish Magwood endorses Stouffer's Anytime Gourmet

A few days ago I went to CulinAerie cooking studio for a media launch of Anytime Gourmet frozen dinners. I sat next to Walter Nicholls and we teamed together to make our own Wild Salmon Dijon in Puff Pastry and Tuscan-Style Herb-Crusted Chicken with Balsamic Reduction. While I don't usually buy frozen dinners, these ones weren't too bad. They are essentially like semi-homemade dinners because you still have to do some of the work when you get it out of the package. The chicken and asparagus carbonara was my favorite. It was a fun event with great company.

One of the best parts of the evening was talking with Trish Magwood about her cooking show and tasting two of the desserts from her cookbook. Trish is the owner/operator of dish cooking studio and the host and co-creator of the party dish television series. As a food entrepreneur, chef and teacher, Trish has revolutionized the concept of the culinary business by creating “dish cooking studio”, her one stop culinary destination offering a cooking school, catering company, boutique and café. Trish received her formal training at Peter Kump’s New York Cooking School, worked as a private chef and catered professionally for nine years with her own company. Her relaxed hands-on classes highlight easy-to-master techniques, seasonal menus and top quality ingredients. Trish is a member of the International Academy of Culinary Professionals (IACP) and the Women’s Culinary Network (WCN). Trish’s role on party dish is the same role she has at the dish cooking studio—a generalist and connector who creates innovative culinary experiences. Trish is also responsible for creating all the menus on the series.

My Favorite Family Recipes airs in June!

Want to surprise your family and friends with an exquisite meal? Capital Cooking and host Lauren DeSantis share with Washington, Lauren’s favorite family recipes while cooking with none other than her mother and aunt, Ginny DeSantis and Linda Roth.

DeSantis, born and raised in St.Louis, prepares with her mother and aunt four of her favorite recipes, while sharing the tips and secret ingredients that make them special. Starting off with a DeSantis tradition, cocktail time, Lauren will prepare her favorite Cosmo she calls “9 ladies dancing,” suitable for all occasions—especially Christmas time. Then she will share one of her Nana’s secret recipe “Popeye Pills,” made mostly of spinach, eggs, and herb stuffing, which is the perfect appetizer for any dinner party or cocktail event.

Mother and daughter later join to cook Ginny DeSantis’s famous recipe, “Chicken Duchess.” This unique dish— made of chicken that is stuffed with a variety of chesses, breaded, baked, and finally topped with a white cream sauce— is the perfect entrée for any special dinner. And lastly for dessert, her aunt Linda will share her Blue Ribbon award winning Carrot Cake recipe and teach us all the tips and ingredients that make her cake so special and distinctive from the rest.

Tune in to Capital Cooking’s “Family Favorites” episode and make Lauren DeSantis’s favorite family recipes your own by surprising your family and friends with these exquisite dishes. Capital Cooking is the first television show of its kind: a series exploring the culinary and cultural riches of our nation’s Capital.

Capital Cooking highlights cooking traditions of regional cuisine from all areas of the country as well as international dishes. Throughout the series, DeSantis will incorporate entertaining tips into the shows, will cook with local chefs, and will demonstrate how to make recipes with ingredients that viewers can find at local grocery stores and farmers’ markets. Visit www.captialcookingshow.com for more information on upcoming events and http://captialcookingshow.blogspot.com for daily updates

Airing this month on Cox Cable Channel 10 in Fairfax:

My Family Favorites: Join Lauren, her mom, and Aunt Linda to learn the secret family recipes, including: Popeye Pills, Chicken Duchess and Carrot Cake.

Time slot during the 4th week of the month, Mon@1130p, Thurs@930a, and Wed @4am.

In New Zealand, watch Capital Cooking on STRATOS on Wednesdays at 8p.m.

KDHX Charter Cable Channel 21 in St. Louis, Missouri

Every Wednesday at 1p.m.

My Family Favorites: Join Lauren, her mom, and Aunt Linda to learn the secret family recipes, including: Popeye Pills, Chicken Duchess and Carrot Cake.

Windsor Community Television - Windsor, Connecticut

Tuesday evenings

ETV: Cooking in Small Spaces

NLTV: My Family Favorites: Join Lauren, her mom, and Aunt Linda to learn the secret family recipes, including: Popeye Pills, Chicken Duchess and Carrot Cake.

PCTV: My Family Favorites: Join Lauren, her mom, and Aunt Linda to learn the secret family recipes, including: Popeye Pills, Chicken Duchess and Carrot Cake.

New Opening for Capital Cooking

Capital Cooking Open from Capital Cooking on Vimeo.

Sounds in the Square

Summer Concert Series 2009

Thursdays, 5:30 p.m. -7:30 p.m.

June 4, 11, 18, 25 and July 2, 9, 16, 23 (raindates 7/30 and 8/6)
Farragut Square Park
Connecticut Avenue & K Street, NW

Downtown DC heats up again this summer with the free 2009 Sounds in the Square concert series held in Farragut Square Park on Thursday evenings in June and July.

Grab a blanket and some friends and hit the park after work to take part in the local music scene. This year’s series will feature some of the area’s most popular local bands and great entertainment.

Great prizes from Golden Triangle merchants will be given out at each concert; stop by the Golden Triangle table during the concert to enter to win that week's prizes. Drawings for prize winners will be made at the end of the concert at 7:30pm each Thursday.

Also, to help you enjoy each free Thursday evening concert a little more, each week we're giving out a VIP Sounds in the Square Picnic Package that includes drinks, cookies, blankets, a cooler, and tickets to the DC Improv Comedy Club. Find out more and sign up to win here.

Lots of Pig and Lots of Fun!

After Mio, we checked out Commonwealth Gastropub. Pretty tasty soup and open-faced pork sandwich.
After that we swung by Cashion’s Eat Place, and tried a spicy pork salad. Great flavor!

555 Cochon: Booth #2

After checking out RJ Cooper's Booth, we tried some wine at Miner Family Vineyards and stopped at Mio’s. The food I tried was far better than the food that I've had at their restaurant. How about trying bacon ice cream topped with peanut butter powder and bacon bits? They had a couple of other items such as roasted pig... but nothing as tasty as the first booth.

Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin!

When we walked into the room for the first time, the pig was still put together.
Later Trey Massey gave a demonstration on how to butcher a pig.The first station we stopped at was Vidalia (which was by far my favorite.)
RJ Cooper did an excellent job with thorough descriptions of the food.We had some Carolina style pork, quail eggs and bacon and even chocolate chip bacon cookies. We tried at least six different things at his station.
I was impressed by his Top Chef style creativity.

More about 555

After the white wine, I tried a mojitio and a margarita made with Domaine de Canton. Tasty and refreshing! We took a sneak peak at the ballroom before the crowd arrived. The appetizing aroma of pork filled the air.
There were 5 food stations with 5 different chefs preparing 5 heritage pigs. The chefs included: Brain McBride from Blue Duck Tavern, RJ Cooper from Vidalia, Nicholas Stefanelli from Mio, Jamie Leeds from Commonwealth Gastropub, and John Manolatos from Cashion’s Eat Place.

Here Piggy Piggy

Sunday I went to Cochon 555 - Washington D.C. “5 Pigs, 5 Chefs, 5 Winemakers” in a ballroom of the Mandarin Oriental hotel in DC. Thanks Foodbuzz! We started at the reception before the event and enjoyed some great appetizers from Market Salamander. Yes, we loved the bacon dipped in chocolate!! I washed down my chocolaty bacon with some white wine from Pax Wine Cellars.

Capital Cooking expands to Penfield, NY!

Capital Cooking will begin airing in Penfield, New York. With your help, our distribution will continue to grow. If your state isn't listed, email me at capitalcooking@gmail.com and I'll tell you how we can get it airing in your area soon. We are now reaching 29 U.S. cities as well as Australia and New Zealand!

Comcast Channel 95 and RCN Channel 10 - DC
Comcast Channel 69 & Verizon Channel 38 – Arlington, Virginia
Cox Cable Channel 10 - Fairfax, Virginia
HCTV - Herndon, Virginia
Access Montgomery TV 21 - Maryland
KDHX Channel 21- St. Louis, Missouri
CAT3 TV - Columbia, Missouri
Windsor Community Television - Windsor, Connecticut
East Haven Public Television- East Haven, Connecticut
People TV Channel 24 - Atlanta, Georgia
MCAM Channel 23 - Manchester, New Hampshire
CCTV in Concord-Carlisle, Massachusetts
SCTV - Saugus, Massachusetts
The Peoples Channel 8 - Chapel Hill, North Carolina
PCTV Channel 15—Penfield, New York
Saco River Community Television - Hollis, Maine
TV2 Channel 2 - Manistee, Michigan
HPA-TV - Hibbing Minnesota
TBNK - Covington, Kentucky
WITC Channel 6 - New Richmond, Wisconsin
DATV - Dayton, Ohio
KCAT TV Channel 15 - Los Gatos, California
NCTV - Nevada City, California
Channel 20 - Gilroy, California
WCTV - Waterloo, Iowa
NLTV- North Liberty, Iowa
Philadelphia Community Access Coalition - Philadelphia
FLTV in Fair - Lawn, New Jersey
Aurora 8 - Aurora, Colorado
Triangle Television - New Zealand
Channel 31 Adelaide, Australia