Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.

 On today’s show:

·         When it comes to world-class sparkling, there's a world of choices outside of Champagne. Jill Erber, owner of Cheesetique, the wine and cheese shop and restaurant, leads us through the sparkling landscape of bubbly American wines;                                                                                                                                                          

·        Nobu easily is the most famous sushi restaurant in the world. But, aside from Chef Nobu himself, there are other world talents at their many locations who make Nobu what it is today. For several years here in DC, that was Filipino-born Chef Micheole Anung Datur .We call him Chef Chico. And now he is setting his own world-class standard at Tysons Corner’s new Modan and he’s with us today for a look – and some tastes – behind the scenes;                                                                                                                              

·        Talk about successful entrepreneurship! Jennifer Meltzer and Ed Reavis, who hit the ball over the fence with Money Muscle BBQ, All Set and Fryer’s Roadside in Silver Spring, are back in with delicious news about good eats for the football playoffs, New Year's and more;

·        2024 was a mostly incredible year for dining in the D.C. area. We are out a lot, so we thought we’d offer a little Foodie and the Beast year-in-review that provides some food for thought for you.

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Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.

On today’s show:

·        What happens when dueling “frenemy” bartenders with Michelin-starred resumes finally team up to open a cocktail lounge and vinyl record bar in Dupont Circle? Success! Will Patten and Devin Kennedy are in with tastes and talk of what they’re pouring at their new hit spot, Dupont Circle’s Press Club;

·        James Beard Award-winning restaurateur Ellen Yin is founder and co-owner and Eli Collins is executive chef with the High Street Hospitality Group, which operates some of the country’s most celebrated dining establishments, including Philadelphia’s Fork, a. kitchen + bar and the High Street Restaurant & Bakery -- and is now opening a “kitchen + bar” at D.C.’s Washington Circle;                                                                                                                                             

·        The holidays are fun – and stressful – especially after an election season. Wanna relax and renew? Regina McLinden owns RM Wellness, a new spa in Georgetown specializing in deep-tissue, Swedish and prenatal massage, as well as manual lymphatic drainage;

·        It’s back and it’s awesome! Celebrating its 20th anniversary, D.C.’s annual downtown Holiday Market is open, featuring more than 100 vendors with truly gifted offerings for the holidays. Gerren Price,

the president and CEO of the DowntownDC Business Improvement District, is in with the details;

·        The former 18th & U Duplex Diner is famous for many reasons. Locally known as the “Gay Cheers," it is also the place where, 25 years ago, Nycci Nellis, with new baby Eli in tow, used to bake and deliver hundreds of muffins and vats of homemade soup as part of her nascent foodie career. Today the eatery is reborn as Her Diner.  Kelly Laczko and her wife, Kethida Laczko, have revived and updated the space -- and Kelly joins us to talk about it.

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Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.

On today’s show:

·        If America ever needed a stiff drink, it’s now. Fortunately, Prohibition is dead and gone. Celebrating its demise, the D.C. Bar Guild's 15th Annual Repeal Day Ball is Sunday, Dec. 7. Prestige Ledroits’ Wine and Spirits Specialist Vanessa Cominsky is in with Giovanni Maramis from Vagabond and Britt Fox from Cotton & Reed to provide all the details and mix up some of the cocktails they’ll be serving at the event;                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

·        The word “makan” means “to eat” in Malay, and Chef James Wozniuk, Makan’s executive chef and co-owner, celebrates his love of Malaysian cuisine and culture with a menu that offers taste bud-boggling treats;                                                                                                                            

·        The Potomac Hospitality Group’s pastry chef, Padua Player, better known as the “Suga Chef,” is in with sweet treats and all sorts of creative dessert ideas for the holidays;                                                                                                                    

·        Also joining us today is James Beard-nominated chef Jesse Ito of Philadelphia’s acclaimed Royal Sushi & Izakaya.  Royal was named one of The Best Restaurants in Philadelphia Right Now by the Inquirer and The New York Times. He’s opening a new Royal in Philly’s Rittenhouse neighborhood;

·        Anna Claire Walker of District Bridges is back with news about the upcoming DC Holiday Hunt, a city-wide scavenger hunt that runs Nov 29-Jan 5. They got prizes. They got fun! You’re gonna want to hear all about it! 

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Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.

On today’s show:

·        Alfreda’s pizzas are all about fresh, local ingredients. And we’re gonna talk about that, but … Alfreda chef Russell Blue Smith – you know him from Wolfgang Puck’s Source and the Black Restaurant Group – is joined today by his colleague, Evan Moore, whom you’ll know from Puck’s Cut, for tastes and talk of Alfreda’s cocktail program. Mezcal cocktails and pizza? En espanol and in italiano, we say, “si;”

·        If you’re in the know, you know that National Pupusa Day is … today! Sunday, Nov. 10. And who better to discuss it than Ana Reyes of Adams-Morgan’s legendary El Tamarindo Salvadoran and Mexican restaurant;                                                                    

·        Jake Endres is co-owner of J&J New York-style pizza and Crooked Run Fermentation. He also does wings you wouldn’t believe – and neither do a lot of chickens running around with no arms (ha, ha). Jake’s in with talk and tastes of his many entrepreneurial undertakings;                                                                                                                          

·        John and Lindsay Hill are founders of DMV Coffee and Chocolate and the organizers of the coincidentally named DMV Chocolate and Coffee Festival, coming up for its third year at the Dulles Expo Center South Hall in Chantilly, Virginia, Nov. 16-17. John and Lindsay join us, all caffeinated and ready to spill the beans!

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Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.

On today’s show:

·        The Tabard Inn is the oldest continuously operating inn in Washington D.C. opening its doors in 1922. Old in years but definitely au courant, the Inn is a lively dining destination thanks to Executive Chef Matthew Zafrir, who won Washington City Paper’s 2024 award for best chef in D.C. Joining us today is his beverage director, Dominik Lenikowski, with tastes and talk of the Tabard Inn’s cocktail program;

·        Mitsitam means “let's eat!” in the Native language of the Delaware and Piscataway peoples. At the Mitsitam Native Foods Café at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, Chef Alex Strong is leading a new team and menu presenting Native foods in a decidedly delicious way;

·        Founded by Emily Friedberg and Jean-Louise Conaway, D.C.’s Each Peach Market came about when the two friends discovered their mutual love of good food and deep curiosity for where it comes and how it is made. They also love to bring people together around the table. Ergo, Each Peach, to help our community discover amazing food and inspire the DIY culinary spirit;                                                                                                                              

·        In Arabic, “Yalla” mean’s “let’s go!” So, let’s go to Lebanese chef Marcel Chehaieb’s Yalla on U Street. It serves up tantalizing Middle Eastern cuisine... and echoes of a great night out in downtown Beirut. 

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Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.

On today’s show:

·        Petar Zivkovic, assistant general manager at Nina May, who also contributes to the creation of the bar program, and Maret School alum Colin McClimans, owner/chef of Nina May, Opal and the soon-to-be-opened Elena James in Chevy Chase Lake;                                                                                                                                   

·        The 20th annual Capital Food Fight benefiting the DC Central Kitchen is Nov. 7 at The Anthem. The event is a total foodie fantasy, from great eats and drinks to celeb chef encounters as they battle it out for cooking competition top honors. DCCK’s CEO, Mike Curtin, is in with all the delicious details;

·        Across several decades Pizzeria Paradiso’s Ruth Gresser has lifted wood-fired pizzas, craft beers and her fellow female chefs and restaurateurs to legendary heights. Now she’s passing the Pizzeria Paradiso torch in a most spectacular and admirable way: Carlos Gonzalez, who emigrated to the U.S. from El Salvador in 2000, started with Ruth as a dishwasher and then rose through the ranks there, recently became co-owner of the local chain.  Carlos and Ruth join us to share the whole heartwarming story; 

·        Ready to get your Halloween on? Tour guide John Waldron is here with a spooky tale of the addition of new "ghost tours" here in D.C.  

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Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.

Join us for our 16th anniversary show. We started in October 2008 as “Dishing It Out.”

On today’s show:

·        RAMMY winner, 2018 Food & Wine Sommelier of the Year, the genius entrepreneur behind D.C.’s Maxwell, Pop and Trouble Bird, and the boy wine wonder who became a Continental man about town on this show, wine guy Brent Kroll is with us. He’s pouring bubbly and other good stuff to help us celebrate the start of our 17th year on air;

·        Chefs for Equality founder David Hagedorn and a dedicated steering committee pioneered and still run what has become D.C.’s most delicious chef-driven event. This year it happens Monday, Oct. 21;                                                                                                                                   

·        Next up is the cheesiest guy we know – and love. Brie Salzman is the “supercheesemonger” at the Whole Foods in Rockville. He is our-go-to guy for exploring the best cheeses from the far corners of the earth, and he brings an awesome cheeseboard and lots of info for you to take away;                                                                                                                       

·        Thi Nguyen, the beverage director at Kevin Tien’s Moon Rabbit, and Sara Chaudhuri, the lead bartender at Ryan Ratino’s Bresca, are in because … well, they’re at the top of their games and their professions. Both recently have received several national awards for their skills. Sara is one of VinePair’s three “next wave best” bartender finalists for 2024. And Thi is one of Punch Magazine’s top 10 new bartenders of the year. They share their secrets to success.

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Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.

On today’s show:

·        Taste of Bethesda is back Saturday, Oct. 5. Stephanie Coppula, The director of marketing and communications for the Bethesda Urban Partnership is in with the details, and she’s brought along Julio Mejia from the Cubanos Restaurant to mix up some tasty cocktails as well as return guest Molly Gibson from Rooted3 with the veggie-based drinks we love;                                                                                                                        

·        Pepe Moncayo is the executive chef at Cranes and the new Arrels. That word  "roots" in Catalan and is Chef Pepe’s latest restaurant concept, set to open at the Arlo Washington DC hotel this fall. Chef is from Barcelona, one of our favorite cities, and his menu will showcase a modern take on classic Spanish cuisine;                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

·        Cork’s new executive chef Cicile Mendy – you may know her from her stint at Et Viola! -- is here with owner Diane Gross. Classically trained, she’s busy serving the French cuisine you know and love that pairs so well with Cork’s selection of sustainable wines from small producers;

·        This is a food lover’s alert – Food History Week is coming to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. The line-up of foodie entertainment and education activities is, in a word, awesome. Paula Johnson is the curator of food history at the museum, and she joins us with all the info.            

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Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis.

On today’s show:

·        Jason Murray, winemaker, viticulturist and owner of Arterra Wines. We’re getting tastes of what Jason and his team call true Virginia wines;                                                                                                              

·        It’s ShuckIt time again! Everyone’s favorite beer and oyster festival on the Potomac is coming up again on October 19, 2024 at Tony and Joe’s Seafood. Greg Casten and Dave Pera are in with ShuckIt details. And, Greg has news about a new dining hotspot-to-be, The Strand, coming soon to D.C.’s Deanwood neighborhood;                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

·        It’s no secret that more people died from overdose in D.C. than from gun violence. And most of those overdose deaths are the result of fentanyl that’s added to street drugs, made into fake pills, and used directly.  Naloxone is an easy-to-use medication that can quickly reverse an opioid-related overdose. Our friends, health communications expert Troy Petenbrink and Anna Valero, president of Pirate Ventures -- which operates Hook Hall, the historic National Union Building and Kraken Kourts & Skates -- are in for a problem-solution conversation;                                                                                                                                

·        The Thompson Hospitality Group is the largest minority-owned food service management company in the U.S., with more than 70 locations across 14 unique brands, including Matchbox. They’re in the process of launching Thompson Restaurants as a new restaurant group brand, and Alex Berentzen, their COO, is in with the details;

·        Some of you older folks may remember the River Club that ruled Georgetown in the '80s and '90s. Well, there’s a new River Club in Georgetown, and it’s ready to rule, too. Farid Azouri is the co-founder and managing partner of the River Club and Residents Cafe and Bar. Nate Berry is the executive chef at the River Club. And they join us with all the deets.

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Hosted by David Nellis.

On today’s show:

·        Lou Bernard heads up the cocktail program at Mita, a plant-based Latin American restaurant, and runs Noches del Caribe, a pop-up celebrating Afro-Latin culture;                                                                                                                                  

·        Rosemary Suggs-Evans is director of D.C’s Department of Small and Local Business Development. She spends her days advocating for the small business community looking to support, grow, and retain District-based businesses while promoting economic development in the city's commercial corridors. We peek behind the curtain to learn about her efforts with particular focus on D.C’s ever more bountiful restaurant start-up community;                                                                                                                     

·        Juan Morales is the founder of Despacio Mezcal - a drink that encapsulates the land, the people and the slow, deliberate, time-honored methods of the Mexican state of Oaxaca;                                                                                                     

·        John Issa and Johan Cortes are co-owners of the Invic2s Hospitality Group, formed just this past June as the umbrella organization overseeing the operations of Public Bar Live, the Sauf Haus Bier Hall and Garten, Das Pretzel Haus and STFU. John and Johan are in with lots of details about their plans from all the properties – especially for Oktoberfest!                                                                                                                                                                                                         

·        Monica Saigal (Bhide) is an old friend of ours and the show and… a real talent. She’s an award-winning author, accomplished literary coach  and an educator with a new children’s book coming out next month, “Papa’s Butter Chicken,” featuring a foreword by renowned Chef José Andres focused on the importance of cooking and sharing meals with people around us. And she’s a tremendous font of ideas – one of them is upcoming, It’s the DMV Butter Chicken Festival. Monica is in to tell us all about it.

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