DC VegFest 2012

Hi Everyone! DC VegFest is back for it's 4th year this weekend, and I will be there again to support! Whether you don't eat meat, want to be healthy or enjoy new things, it's free and fun!

What: Free outdoor vegetarian celebration 
Where: Yards Park, 300 Water St. SE, DC (near National Stadium), closest metro stop is Navy Yard on the green line (New Jersey Ave exit)
When: Sat. Sept. 22 from 11AM - 6PM

Co-organized by Compassion Over Killing and the Vegetarian Society of the DC, you can enjoy free food samples, dozens of vendors, and special guest speakers:

Jane Velez-Mitchell, CNN Journalist
Rich Roll - Vegan Ultra-Athlete and author of Finding Ultra
Michael Greger, M.D. Dir. of Public Health and Animal Agriculture at the Humane Society of the US
Terry Hope Romero - Cookbook Author, Viva Vegan!
Bruce Friedrich - Director for Strategic Initiatives, Farm Sanctuary
Afya Ibomu - Nutritionist and Cookbook Author, Vegan Soulfood Guide to the Galaxy
Doron Petersan - Author, Sticky Fingers' Sweets
Mariama Taifa-Seitu - Young Activist
Wendy Rieger - News Anchor, NBC4, Washington, DC

The first 1,000 attendees will get a chance to take home a free 2012 DC VegFest commemorative bag filled with samples from Cascadian Farm, Michele’s Granola, Bumble Bar, Beanitos, Mary’s Gone Crackers, Wholesome Sweeteners, Tasty Bite, and more. Plus, there are product coupons and other free items from some of our speakers and sponsors.

See you there rain or shine!

Take a Bite Out of Breast Cancer at Chef Tony's

As an Ambassador for Take a Bite Out of Breast Cancer, I ate with the bf at Chef Tony's in Bethesda last night. It was a rainy night, but it contributed to the cozy, dimly lit atmosphere.

We went to town on this seafood menu! From the complimentary flat bread to the tiramisu, it was all delicious. We cleaned every single plate. The menu changes daily depending upon what fresh ingredients are available.

I had a chance to chat with Chef Tony and he enjoys giving back! Aside from the 10% each Wednesday in October to this cause, he donates 2% of sales for certain dishes to Help Save the Chesapeake Bay.

From the warm and friendly staff to the high quality ingredients, you can't go wrong with dining there and supporting a good cause.

Stop by Chef Tony's the last Wednesday of October! If you can't make it, check out the other participating restaurants.

For everyone that has already supported, THANK YOU!

Take a Bite out of Breast Cancer!

Hey guys, did you ever think that Breast Cancer awareness could be served on a plate? Well this October in the DC Metropolitan area it will - with Take a Bite out of Breast Cancer.

For the entire month of October, DC area chefs and restaurateurs have committed their establishments for one day, a week, or the entire month, and will generously donate a portion of their food and beverage sales to Take a Bite out of Breast Cancer - an outreach and fundraising campaign focusing on educating Washington, DC area residents about the importance of early detection and awareness and supports Pink Jams!, a DC area non-profit promoting breast cancer awareness to young men and women.

Did you know that Washington, DC has the highest breast cancer death rate for women in the United States? Many of those deaths are due to late diagnosis, and could have possibly been avoided through early detection and an understanding of risk factors. It is the mission of Pink Jams! to reach out to men and women under the age of 40 and help promote breast cancer awareness by combining this important message with fashion, art, social events, live music and now dining! Pink Jams! was founded in 2009, after the loss of a 35 year old friend by Christa Floresca, a DC area native.

There are more than a dozen DC area restaurants that have generously agreed to participate to help Pink Jams! achieve this important awareness mission. Check out the full list.

I have been lucky enough to become an Ambassador for Chef Tony's in Bethesda, MD! They have generously signed up to participate EVERY Wednesday of October! For those like myself that live or work in Maryland, you won't have to worry about fighting through rush hour traffic to get into DC to participate.

I will be there on Oct. 19th for dinner and would love to meet you guys! Bring your friends and family to any of those nights to show your support for this great cause. Let's PACK THE HOUSE! Don't hesitate to make reservations on opentable.com either.

Let me know if you have any questions, and thank you for your support!

DC VegFest - Sept. 24th

Hey guys! Back from our trip to San Francisco and wanted to let you know about DC VegFest! I'll be there this Saturday with some friends and my doggie. Check out the info:

The DC VegFest is the largest vegetarian celebration in the Metro area, attracting several thousand attendees each year. Offering a great time for meat-eaters and vegetarians alike, this free outdoor festival will showcase over 75 exhibitors and provides an opportunity to try free food samples, hear from dynamic speakers, see cooking demonstrations, explore delicious meat-free cuisine, and shop from several stores. Attendees can even get their cholesterol checked for free.

WHAT: DC VegFest 
WHEN: Sat., Sept. 24, from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (rain or shine)
WHERE: University Yard at George Washington Univ. (H St. between 20th/21st Sts., NW)
METRO: four blocks from the Foggy Bottom/GWU Metro station.

I'm looking forward to the 19 food vendors! The first 500 attendees will also receive a gift bag of goodies.

Co-organized by D.C.-based nonprofits, Compassion Over Killing and the Vegetarian Society of D.C.

Quick Giveaway:
$10 in DC VegFest Bucks to use towards food at the event!
Comment about why you'll be attending the event by 11:59pm 9/21/11. Sorry it's so short, but I need time to mail them out.

Come support and learn something new. See y'all there!

Taste of Dupont (8/5/10) & Georgetown (8/9/10)

'Tis the season for tastings apparently! Here's info on both of these free events since they're occurring within the same week - next week!

Taste of Dupont
October 5, 2010
6pm-9pm

Tickets may be purchased online or at the event: $5 for each individual tasting, or a five tasting ticket package for $20.
Buy or Will Call tickets at Dupont Circle Resource Center (9 Dupont Circle) beginning at 5 pm.

FYI, this is not an outdoor tasting with booths, street closings, etc. The tastings are provided within each establishment.

List of participating restaurants and their menus:

Annie's Paramount Steakhouse - White Meat Chicken Chili. $4 Stella, $4 House Wine, $4 Stoli Mixed Drinks, $4 House Manhattans and $4 House Martinis
Bertucci's - Stuffed four cheese Portabello with bread crouton crumbs
BGR: The Burger Joint - Wellington Slider
Cafe Dupont - Bouillabaisse and Coq au vin
Cafe Green - Pumpkin Risotto and Stuffed Mushrooms
Current Sushi - TBD
Darlington House - Tortolloni stuffed with butternut squash
Firefly - Devilled Eggs or Truffle Fries
Floriana - TBD
Gazuza - Veggie Combo roll or Crunchy Spicy Tuna Roll
James Hoban's - TBD
Level One - Braised Short-Ribs with Truffle Mac-N-Cheese
Lupe Cantina - Taquito, Quesadilla, or Frozen Margarita. Taste of Dupont After Party with $5 Margartias.
Maddy's - Mom's Meatloaf w/ a Sweet and Tangy Tomato Sauce
Nando's Peri Peri - Chicking Wings, Olives & Nuts
One Lounge - Porchetta Slider on Fresh Baked Brioche
Scion - Braised Lamb Shank over Cous Cous in a Lamb Reduction Sauce
Twist at the Carlyle Suites Hotel - TBD
SoHo Tea & Coffee - Coffee House fare
Urbana at the Hotel Palomar - TBD

Taste of Georgetown
October 9, 2010
11am-4pm
Wisconsin Ave & M St

Proceeds benefit Georgetown Ministry Center's services supporting the homeless.

Tickets may be purchased online or at the event (Eagle Bank parking lot from 11am-3:30pm)
One tasting ticket is good for one tasting.
$5: One Tasting Ticket
$20: Five Tasting Tickets

Also enjoy a Tasting Pavilion for Wine, Ale, Spirits ($10 for four tasting tickets), and live music.

List of participating restaurants:

1789
Baked & Wired
Bangkok Joe's
Bodega Spanish Tapas & Lounge
Café Bonaparte
Chadwick's
Clyde's
Crepe Amour/Georgetown Wing Co.
Daily Grill
Dean & Deluca
Fahrenheit Restaurant
Farmers & Fishers
Filomena Ristorante
Georgetown Cupcake
Hook
J Paul's
Mie N Yu
Morso
Morton's the Steakhouse
Neyla
Nick's Riverside Grille
Old Glory BBQ
Paolo's
Patisserie Poupon
Ristorante Piccolo
Rugby Café
Tacklebox
Third Edition
Thunder Burger & Bar
Tony & Joe's Seafood Place

2010 Curbside Cook Off: Oct 7-8th (Food Trucks!)

Finally a place where all of the Food Trucks I've wanted to try (but haven't been able to catch) are going to be! There's also going to be music, art, classes, performances, etc. Admission is Free!

DCRA, in partnership with the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities , Downtown BID and Brightest Young Things, is hosting DC’s first annual Curbside Cookoff on October 7 – 8 from 11am to 9pm at the Old Convention Center parking lot (11th & H St NW).

There was a voting period for the public to vote for their top 20 trucks to participate. Here are the winners participating:

Red Hook Lobster Truck
DC Slices
District Taco
Eat Wonky
BBQ Bandidos
Yellow Cart
Pedro and Vinny’s Burrito Cart
Curbside Cupcakes
DC Empanadas
Eat Sauca
El Floridano
Fojol Bros.
Food Chain DC
Fry Captain
Yellow Truck
Pleasant Pops
Rebel Heroes
Sweet Bites
Sweetflow Mobile
Takorean

I'm SOOOOOOO excited! I've linked all of their Twitter pages in case you wanted to catch them before the event.

Taste of Friendship Heights - Sept. 25, 2010

4th Annual Taste of Friendship Heights, Saturday, September 25th!

TIME: 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. (rain or shine)
WHERE: Friendship Heights Village Center, 4433 South Park Avenue, Chevy Chase, MD.

Organized by the Friendship Heights Urban Network (FHUN) and the Village of Friendship Heights, the Taste of Friendship Heights will showcase some of the area's premier restaurants, including Capitol Grille, Indique Heights, M Cafe, Famoso, Bambule, Lia's, Maggiano's, Frosting Cupcakery, Potomac Pizza, Tynan Coffee and Tea, Whole Foods, Courtyard Marriott and Sunrise Brighton Gardens.

Food and drink tickets are $5 for 4 tickets. A portion of the proceeds from the event will be donated to a local charity, the Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place.

More information is available at www.tasteoffriendshipheights.com

DC VegFest 2010 - Sept. 11, 2010

For all my vegetarian, vegan, health-conscious, animal-loving and open-minded readers, check out this event this weekend. I love events that promote awareness, and good causes. Great food comes in all sorts of forms, even if it doesn't contain animal products.!

DC VegFest 2010: Washington, D.C.’s Largest Free Vegetarian Celebration

WHAT: Try free food samples, hear from dynamic speakers, explore meat-free cuisine from some of the region’s best restaurants, attend cooking demonstrations, visit dozens of educational booths, shop from several different commercial vendors, and much more.

WHERE: University Yard at George Washington Univ. (2000 block of H. St., NW) in Washington D.C.

METRO: Four blocks from the Foggy Bottom/GWU Metro station (orange and blue lines)

WHEN: Sat., Sept. 11, from noon to 6:00 pm (rain date is Sun., Sept 12)

COST: Free!

The DC VegFest, co-organized by Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organizations Compassion Over Killing and the Vegetarian Society of D.C., will feature more than 50 different exhibitors as well as speakers including:

-Celebrity Chef Tal Ronnen, author of New York Times bestseller The Conscious Cook
-Miss D.C. Mackenzie Green, winner of the 2010 Miss District of Columbia pageant
-Robert Cheeke, champion vegan bodybuilder
-Tracye McQuirter, M.P.H., public health nutritionist and author, By Any Greens Necessary
-Colman McCarthy, former Washington Post columnist journalist, professor and author.
-Wendy Rieger, NBC4-DC news anchor

The first 400 visitors will receive a free commemorative tote bag filled with food samples, coupons, and information about vegetarian eating.