GIVEAWAY: Taste of Georgetown
The Taste of Georgetown is celebrating it’s 22nd year this Saturday, October 3rd, and I am so excited to be able to offer you all the chance to win tasting tickets in Lani’s Cup of Tea’s first ever GIVEAWAY! Thank you to Georgetown BID for this wonderful opportunity!
Attendees will be able to sample signature bites from more than 30 Georgetown restaurants, as well as beer and wine from Birreria Paradiso, ENO Wine Bar, and Chez Billy Sud. The event benefits the homeless support services of the Georgetown Ministry Center.
Last week, I toured Georgetown to get to know a few of the establishments that will be featured at this year’s Taste of Georgetown event. Read on to find out what you can expect at the event this Saturday, and how you can enter to win FIVE Food Tasting Tickets and THREE Craft Beer & Wine Garden Tasting Tickets (a $37 value!).
The first stop on our tour was Olivia Macaron. This sweet little macaron shop is like a slice of Paris in the heart of Georgetown. Their entrance is nestled in a side street next to Dean and DeLuca’s sitting area, just off of M Street.
Co-owner Ana Claudia Lopez revealed some of the history of Olivia Macaron (named for her baby girl), which will be celebrating it’s second anniversary in October. Her business partner, Michel Giaon is of French & Laotian descent, and he learned to make macarons while working in one of France’s most prestigious macaron houses. The tantalizing smell of the sweet almond shells baking in the oven was enough to convince him to switch careers and and make macarons for a living so that he could be surrounded by their aroma for the rest of his life. (Five minutes in their adorable shop and I was ready to apply for a job, too!)
While it may seem like an idyllic career, it’s not all macaron dust and rainbows. Apparently, the macaron is the diva of the dessert world. The almond based cookie is made from egg whites, almond flour, and sugar, and it’s very fickle. For instance, if it’s too humid, a batch could be ruined. The filling (buttercream or chocolate ganache) is where the flavor magic happens. Olivia Macaron uses real fruits and high quality ingredients to create the unique flavors for their macarons, instead of relying on artificial ingredients. Once assembled, the dessert must rest in the fridge for anywhere from 24 hours to two days so that the shells can achieve that perfectly crisp exterior. Otherwise, you just have a tiny whoopie pie.
Their most popular flavors are Salted Caramel, Pistachio and Red Velvet, but my favorite was Lady Grey – a milder rendition of Earl Grey, with bergamot and citrus. Other highlights included Rose, Black Sesame (perfectly nutty while still sweet and delicate) and Green Tea. Their fall flavors debut in October, featuring Fig Balsamic (a jet black mac), Pumpkin Spice (of course!), and Nutella (which will stay on the menu through the winter).
While many of their flavors are seasonal, they will make special orders year round for parties (with a 100 macaron minimum order). At the Taste, Olivia Macaron will be serving their authentic macarons with Intelligentsia cold brew coffee.
Olivia Macaron, 3222 M St. NW
Next, we strolled over to see Chaia’s very first brick and mortar location in a historic building on Grace Street. This vegetarian farm-to-taco story began three years ago as a farmers market stand at the White House farmers market, and their following has grown so much that they decided to open up shop full-time. The fast-casual restaurant will open sometime in October, but they are still cooking up delicious tacos at Union Kitchen, so their food will be available for sampling at the Taste this weekend!
Courtesy of Chaia
Chaia’s core values really resonated with me, because the founders, Suzanne Simon and Bettina Stern, strive to create food and products that have as little environmental impact as possible, from their sourcing to their garbage. Chaia started because Suzanne and Bettina wanted to create food solely from what was available at the farmers market during a given season. This mentality has been taken a step further with their restaurant. All of the produce is still coming from local farms with environmentally-responsible and sustainable growing methods (much of it from the Tuscarora Organic Growers Cooperative, which is a collaboration of farmers in PA that brings wholesale organic produce to the DC area). In addition, the restaurant will serve all of it’s beverages on tap, to reduce bottling and packaging waste. The cups, utensils, and packaging materials will be completely compostable, so all of the restaurant’s waste (including kitchen scraps) will be shipped to a compost facility in Prince George’s county, where a pilot program is in motion to return the county’s waste to nutrient rich soil.
Courtesy of Chaia
The on-tap beverage selection includes beer, wine, fresh pressed juices from Misfit Juicery, hibiscus iced tea, and 3 shrubs from a company called Tait Farm Foods in PA. If you’re not familiar, a shrub is a colonial product that was created as a way to preserve fruit. Fresh fruit is macerated with sugar and vinegar and then pressed into a condensed syrup-like drink that gets diluted with sparkling water before serving.
Their food menu will include 3 tacos that will remain on the menu year round, and 2 that rotate seasonally. Also look for seasonal sides and a few sweets.
Courtesy of Chaia
As a locavore, I love creating menus from the bounty at my local farmers market, but as choices dwindle during the winter, it can get tricky. I asked Suzanne and Bettina for a few tips on how to keep things interesting during the colder months, and their advice was to pull out your ethnic cookbooks and rely on unique world spices and flavors to create variation in your diet while still relying on a few types of root vegetables and winter squash.
At Chaia, the focus is on Mexican-inspired cuisine, but they also find inspiration from international food culture. Head to Chaia’s tent at the Taste to sample their market mushroom or creamy kale taco, each with a seasonal side.
Chaia, 3207 Grace St NW
When it was time for some seafood, we naturally headed to the Georgetown classic, Tony and Joe’s Seafood Place. Chef David Stein served up two amazing species of oyster: Wellfleet oysters from Cape Cod, MA and Belon oysters from Maine.
Wellfleet Oysters
Belon Oysters
Lots of serious oyster fans come to indulge at Tony and Joe’s, so it’s no surprise that the restaurant goes through about 1,200 oysters a day. That’s why they are a member of the Shell Recycling Alliance with the Oyster Recovery Partnership. Every week, the alliance picks up bushels of oyster shells from more than 250 businesses across the Chesapeake Bay region. These shells are used to restore oyster reefs and create habitat for new oysters.
It’s not just restaurants that are getting involved – there are lots of drop points across Maryland, one in Virginia, and one in DC, where anyone can donate empty shells. Look for this sign in restaurants that serve oysters. If you don’t see one, ask the proprietor if they are involved in the program! Just one recycled oyster shell can create valuable habitat for up to 10 new oysters. Every shell helps, so the more restaurants involved, the better chances we have of restoring the Bay!
If you’re looking for a great opportunity to indulge in some local oysters, check out Tony and Joe’s third annual Shuck It! Beer and Oyster Festival!
During our visit, Chef Stein also served up somemango lobster sliders, along with freshly pan-fried monchong and tuna. YUM.
Tony and Joe’s will be offering Mini Fish Tacos or Jicama Grilled Corn and Jalepeno Slaw at the Taste.
Tony and Joe’s Seafood Place, 3000 K St, NW
Chez Billy Sud, which is celebrating its one year anniversary in October, is known for it’s authentic French cuisine. We had a chance to meet executive pastry chef Jonte Hughes to learn about about classic French pastries.
Jonte taught us how to make the Paris Brest pastry, which is a dessert that was created in 1910 to commemorate the Paris-Brest-Paris bicycle race. It is a simple choux pastry filled with a praline cream (made from almond butter, heavy cream, and cinnamon) and topped with slivered almonds and powdered sugar.
The dessert became a favorite for the cyclists, apparently because of the high calorie count, which energized them for the race. (These decadent creations were so good that they might actually be enough to bribe me into participating in a bike race.) I assume this story is true, because only the French could have such a healthy relationship with caloric treats like these.
Chez Billy Sud is the sister restaurant to the Hilton brothers’ Petworth bistro, Chez Billy. At the Taste, you can sample Weisswurst (literally white sausage) Alsatian Pork Sausage with Sauerkraut and Brown Mustard or a Brioche Apple Cinnamon Roll with Caramel Icing.
Chez Billy Sud, 1039 31st St. NW
The final stop on our tour was ENO Wine Bar, which is under the Four Seasons Hotel’s umbrella.
ENO has one of the largest selections of local wines in the area, with 27 Virginia wines, including varietals from Breaux Vineyards, Paradise Springs Winery & Barboursville Vineyards! I sampled the three wines from these vineyards that will be offered at the Taste, and you definitely do not want to miss your chance to try them!
(From left to right)
The Unoaked Chardonnay from Breaux Vineyards is everything I like about Chardonnays without everything I dislike about Chardonnays. It’s aged in stainless steel instead of oak, so the fruit flavors come forward without the oaky undertones. This is a 2013 vintage, like the following two wines, so it is very ripe and has a nice, balanced flavor.
The Viognier from Paradise Springs Winery is a full-bodied wine that has hints of stonefruit and melon. Viognier (pronounced VEE-ohn-yay) is the grape that’s putting Virginia wine on the map. One sip, and you can see why.
The Cabernet Franc from Barboursville Vineyard is silky and ripe, with very subtle herbal notes. Cabernet Franc is another classical Virginia grape that is incredibly popular.
ENO is celebrating their second anniversary in October, and they have lots of great wine education events offered regularly through their ENOversity program. On Wednesdays, they host free tastings where participants can meet local winemakers or chocolatiers and taste their creations. On Sundays, you can sign up for an intimate wine and food tasting for $50 for a 2 hour class. Topics vary, so check the website for details and dates.
Other specials include regular happy hours ($5 glasses of wine!) and college nights on Tuesdays. In November, ENO will begin offering their exclusive, signature ENO blend, created by ENO’s wine director in partnership with Breaux Vineyards.
While wine is the focus at ENO, the food isn’t forgotten. We tried several different types of charcuterie and cheeses from a specially curated menu that includes a combination of hard-to-come-by and locally produced items.
The highlight was salami from OLLI Salumeria. This salami is all-natural and slow-cured, made from organic, humanely-raised pigs sourced directly from farms. Several of the farms they work with pasture-raise their pigs for better flavor, a lower environmental impact, and a better quality of life for the animal. One farm even raises Mangalitsas, a rare heritage breed that is known for it’s superior fat content and flavor.
The three wines listed above will be available in the Craft Beer & Wine Garden during the Taste.
Eno Wine Bar, 2810 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
Each of these five restaurants will be sharing their creations with attendees of The Taste of Georgetown festival on Saturday, October 3rd. Entry to the event is free. Food Tasting Tickets are $5 each, and Craft Beer & Wine Garden Tasting Tickets are $4 each. They are available for purchase online in advance, or at the event (cash only).
Here are the rules to enter to win the tasting ticket GIVEAWAY, which includes FIVE Food Tasting Tickets and THREE Craft Beer and Wine Tasting Tickets:
- Subscribe to Lani’s Cup of Tea in the box on the sidebar. Be sure to CONFIRM your subscription (After you enter your email address in the sidebar, you will receive a follow-up email asking you to confirm your your request to subscribe. You must click on the link in the email to finalize your subscription request).
- Leave a comment on this post stating why you would like to attend the Taste of Georgetown!
The giveaway will end on Wednesday, September 30th, 2015 at 9 pm EST. The winner will be randomly selected. You must complete both requirements listed above in order to be eligible to win.
GOOD LUCK and happy tasting! 🙂
UPDATE 10/2/2015: This giveaway has ended and the randomly selected winner has been notified. Thank you to all who entered!
On K Street, NW along Georgetown Waterfront Park
Between Wisconsin Avenue and Thomas Jefferson Street
Saturday, October 3rd from 11 am – 4 pm
Tickets: $5/Food Tasting Ticket, $4/Craft Beer & Wine Garden Tasting Ticket
I would like to attend the Taste of Georgetown to try the unique flavors the city has to offer. I would love to meet restaurant owners and chefs to have on my morning newscast.
Thanks for entering, Megan! 🙂
I’d like to attend to try exciting and novel flavors, get to know the most delicious offerings of georgetown, and drink good wine with good friends!
Thanks for entering, Katy! 🙂
I would like to attend Taste of Georgetown to try delicious food and drinks and have fun with friends! We’re always looking for new restaurants to try 🙂
Thanks for entering, Sophie! 🙂
I would LOVE to attend and taste the different flavors Georgetown has in store! I am a big foodie and really enjoy trying new and exciting dishes. This event seems like a great way to spend the day with friends over some good food!
Thanks for entering, Hanna! 🙂
I’ve never been to Taste of Georgetown but I’ve visited Georgetown a few times and loved it. This would be an awesome opportunity to try food from the local restaurants!
Thanks for entering, Lily! 🙂
I would like to introduce a friend, who is a recent transplant to DC, to the culinary options that Gtown has to offer by attending the Taste of Georgetown. He comes from Chicago so his palate is very discerning. I’m hoping to show him that Gtown has just as much to savor as his former city! A few sips of wine wouldn’t hurt either!!!
Thanks for entering, CJ! 🙂 I’m sure your friend will love the DC food scene!
I would like to attend the Taste of Georgetown because I’ve never been before and it seems like a really cool event. I love food and one thing that I’m trying to do more of is eat out at restaurants. Attending this event will allow me to sample a variety of foods and get exposure to many restaurants I haven’t been to. I’m planning on attending Taste of Georgetown, and winning the food and drink tasting tickets will help to enhance my experience at this event 🙂
Thanks for entering, Nike! 🙂
I would love to attend Taste of Georgetown because I am always looking for fun and exciting things to do with my sister Hanna (above) and what better way to bond than over some goooood food 🙂
Thanks for entering, Yasmin! 🙂
I have been looking forward to the taste of Georgetown since I saw the event on Facebook! I am new to the area and am a self-proclaimed foodie, so I would love to learn more about the restaurants this neighborhood has to offer 🙂
Thanks for entering, MaryJane! 🙂 And welcome to the DC area!
I am definitely attending Taste of Georgetown event. This blog post just made me even more willing to try out new flavors, restaurants and works of cool chefs. As I am new to the area, it will be a great opportunity to get to know this neighborhood. Thanks for sharing.
Cheers
Thanks for entering, Erhan! 🙂 And welcome to the DC area!
Your post is so great! I would love to go to Taste of Georgetown this year because there are so many new places I would love to try. It is also my last year here so I want to enjoy DC as much as I can!
Thanks for entering, Zelda! 🙂 Sorry to hear you’re leaving the DC area – enjoy your time here!
I will be hosting two gentlemen on this weekend and one of them has a well prepared food blog. I’m looking forward to taking them to Taste of Georgetown to make their weekend memorable…
Thanks for entering, Ugur! 🙂 I’m sure your friend will love the DC food scene!
I would love to attend the Taste of Georgetown with my mother to celebrate her 66th birthday as a native Washingtonian. Dining and food options have changed so much over the years in the Georgetown community. Whenever she visits, she gets very nostalgic,sharing stories about the history and culture, marveling over how life has progressed. And, of course, food is a great way to celebrate! Cheers!
Thanks for entering, Racquelia! 🙂 Cheers and happy 66th birthday to your mother!
I would love to win this because I’d adored Georgetown for years, and this article was excellently written, my mouth is already watering! I work full time and am in school full time, and finally have this weekend off and I can think of nothing I’d rather do this Saturday than enjoy the fresh Autumn air and sample some of the places I don’t always get to go to. Already starting my check list! Thanks!
I’m a frequent yelper and write in depth reviews and always make sure to bring all my friends.
Also, If money did grow on trees, autumn would be the best season ever!
😛
Thanks for entering, Hadley! 🙂 Enjoy this beautiful season!
I just moves to DC from Korea and I’ve been falling in love with all the unique, flavorful restaurants in Georgetown! I am a big foodie so when I heard about the annual taste of georgetown event, I was so glad I moves here – just in time. It would be a wonderful opportunity to win the giveaway – means more, delicious food and more food to share with friends! Fingers crossed 🙂
Thanks for entering, Diane! 🙂 Welcome to the USA and enjoy your food adventures!
I’m so happy I found your blog! I recently moved to the district from Ann Arbor, Michigan, and I’m still getting adjusted and looking for any and all voices on things to do here in the city. (:
I’d love to attend the Taste of Georgetown for a few reasons. First, I’m an avid food lover! I recently graduated with a degree in food systems and spend a good portion of my free time engaging in and learning about food in some form so getting to tour all the different (and creative!) Georgetown restaurants/shops would be incredibly interesting. I can’t eloquently describe it, but there is just something about a well-crafted food item that makes me so excited!
Second, I’m very passionate about helping fight hunger/homelessness/poverty and I appreciate that this event supports the Georgetown Ministry Center. I work with an organization that empowers students to work with the food industry to fight hunger so I really dig that the organizers of this event are drawing a connection between food businesses in the D.C. community and social services for those in need.
Third, I haven’t been to Georgetown yet and I would love the opportunity to explore the area through food…and hopefully meet some friendly faces of the neighbors, too!
Thanks for entering, Hannah! 🙂 Welcome to the DC area and thanks for your hard work in the fight against hunger!
Hey Lani,
I recently started my own food blog and while checking out some other blogs and researching what to in the DC area, I found a few links to your blog. Let me tell you, it’s my cup of tea as well 🙂
I would like to enter the competition as well because I happen to be in DC area on October 3rd and planned on going to Taste of Georgetown. Winning would obviously be the cherry on top of it all. It’ll also be great to share the story on my own blog 🙂
Anyways, have a great week and keep blogging 😉
Cheers.
Thanks for entering, Bjorn! 🙂 Happy blogging to you, too!
I would LOVE to attend the Taste of Georgetown because I am new to the area; I am currently in an MA program at Georgetown University, and I keep hearing about all the delicious food the area has to offer. It can be challenge to get out the the school/study mode and take some time out to really enjoy the food and community life that Georgetown has to offer. So, I think the Taste of Georgetown would be the perfect event to really introduce me to this wonderful neighborhood here in DC!!
Thanks for entering, Grace! 🙂 Welcome to the DC area!
As a grad student on a tight budget working at a non-profit, it would be AWESOME to be able to get more than one tasting ticket to try food from all these incredible looking places. I think it’s awesome that the money will go to the Georgetown Ministry Center. I’m glad to learn of this ministry, I’ve done some volunteering with AFAC, but the contrast of wealth and poverty in Georgetown is really heartbreaking.
Thanks for entering, Lauren! 🙂
Hi Lani!
Thanks for writing this – I am a new resident of Washington DC and Georgetown and am really looking forward to exploring the area and experiencing all the great events such as Taste of Georgetown! I am studying to earn my master’s degree in physiology/biophysics at Georgetown University and am using this fun event as a study break for an exam on Monday!
Thanks for entering, Monique! 🙂 Welcome to the DC area and good luck on your exam!
Hi! I recently moved here and it is going to be great to be able to experience a lot of what Georgetown has to offer all at once
Thanks for entering, Casey! 🙂 Welcome to the DC area!
I bought my tickets for ToG weeks ago and I’m looking very much to sampling all the eats in my new neighborhood!
Thanks for entering, Nicole! 🙂
Your pictures make all the different tastings look AMAZING! I would love to attend Taste of Georgetown to further explore the culture of DC and try all of foods you featured!
Thanks for entering, Kassie! 🙂
I can’t think of a better “date day” with my husband than to be able to attend Taste of Georgetown and be able to sample different venues in one day.
Thanks for entering, Maria! 🙂
I would love to be able to attend Taste of Georgetown! I live in the area and this is very exciting!
Thanks for entering, Khadijah! 🙂
I would love to attend the giveaway! Great writeup – it has helped me to pick out some good options to spend the tasting tickets on 😉
Thanks for entering, Sam! 🙂
I would love to participate in the giveaway! Great writeup – it has helped me to pick out some good options to spend the tasting tickets on 😉
AHHH, less than 10 minutes left to enter. Good timing on my end, no?
I would love to attend the Taste of Georgetown-so many new restaurants have opened up, but I am unable to frequent the neighborhood as often as I would like. I actually attended school in the neighborhood, and always wish I could return more often!
Thanks for entering, Melinda! Just in time! 🙂