Capital Cooking with Lauren DeSantis: October 2015

Friday, October 30, 2015

Thinking of Drinking: Penalty Flag

Get ready for football with some of these cocktails!

Trick-Or-Treat

My little Cabbage Patch Kid

#babycapcook began the Halloween celebration last weekend with trick-or-treating at the EEOB, walking the Little Goblin Parade in Logan Circle and attending a pumpkin carving party. It will be hard to top her first Halloween in Puerto Rico, but she is well on her way.

My little Cabbage Patch Kid

Check out theses Halloween specials!

Menu ReVamp: Taberna del Alabardero

By: Laurie Wallin

Capital Cooking Contributor

Occasionally, I’ll walk up 18^th Street to the Farragut West Metro. I’ve always been curious about Taberna del Alabardero with its inviting outdoor patio and elegant décor. I recently tried their fall menu and I’m kicking myself that I haven’t visited sooner. Taberna del Alabardero is celebrating 27 years in DC – in a city where restaurants come and go, this is a rare feat, and after visiting, I can see why. Executive Chef Executive Chef Javier Romero, who has been in DC for 6 years, has put together a menu that showcases Spain – he wants to have Taberna’s diners taste the real flavors of Spain. Each dish has a Spanish traditional base. Fresh seafood is delivered every day, and the freshness of the seafood really shined in the dishes that I tasted. Sommelier Jorge Olias, who has been with the restaurant for over 6 months, has curated a lovely wine list to complement Chef Romero’s dishes.

Uncorked: Use Wine Bottles for Halloween Décor

After enjoying a bottle of Francis Ford Coppola Winery’s flagship Diamond Collection Claret, turn the bottle’s signature gold netting into spooky yet sophisticated piece of décor with a few simple steps.

Recipe: Crispy Cheese Pie (Lazy Woman’s Pie)

Check out this delicious recipe from Aglaia Kremezi’s new cookbook, Mediterranean Vegetarian Feasts.

Love you!

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Oyamel's Day of the Dead Celebration

By Claire Goldman

By mid October, some of us have been sufficiently bombarded with pumpkin spice, pumpkin beer and carved pumpkins but what about roasted pumpkin atop seared rabbit saddle, pipian roja, hubbard puree and placed in a corn tortilla?

Date Night at Etto

Have you been to Etto?

We first got a taste of Truvée at The Manor in DC. . Fittingly derived from the French verb “to find,” Truvée tells the unique story of the McBride sisters, wine professionals who grew up continents apart and unaware of each other’s existence for nearly half of their lives, eventually finding their way to each other following their father’s final wish. Their Central Coast wines, a Chardonnay and Red Blend, are easy to drink and affordable. I love the labels and packaging.

Cuba Libre will be celebrating its 5th Anniversary in Washington, DC on Thursday, October 29 and Capital Cooking is giving away two tickets for a lucky reader and guest! To mark this special occasion, Cuba Libre will be featuring two signature cocktails, the Pyrat XO Mojito made with Pyrat XO Rum, guarapo, lime, spearmint, and club soda, and the Mango Papaya Caipiroska featuring vodka, mango, papaya, lime, sugar and ice. In addition to these fabulous cocktails, guests will enjoy an array of passed and stationary tapas, ceviches, and desserts prepared by Chef-Partner Guillermo Pernot.

Thinking of Drinking: Candy Corn

Get in the Halloween spirit with this Candy Corn Martini from Cuba Libre.

Join me at the Capitol City Brewing Oktoberfest!

Prost! Capitol City Brewing Company will host its sixteenth annual Oktoberfest beer festival celebration on Sunday October, 11 from noon to 7 p.m. at The Village at Shirlington. Ticket sales begin at 11:00 a.m. and beer taps close at 6:00 p.m. Entrance is free for children and non-drinkers.