MetroCooking DC 2016 Part 2

Last month, I had the opportunity to attend MetroCooking DC for my third year! MetroCooking DC is a two day cooking and entertaining show held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. This huge foodie event has something for everyone from celebrity and James Beard award winning chefs to cooking lessons, tastings from local restaurants, demonstrations, vendors, book signings, and so much more. I covered my first day last week and here are my previous posts covering MetroCooking DC: 2014 Part 1 and Part 2, 2015 Part 1 and Part 2.

Disclaimer: I received free entry to MetroCooking DC in exchange for coverage. All comments and opinions are my own. There are also affiliate links in this post.

On Sunday, there were even more cooking demonstrations from James Beard Award winning/nominated chefs and Taste Talks featuring a variety of food-related topics. Caitlin Dysart was the first chef of the day and made a Flourless Chocolate Cake and White Chocolate & Mint Diplomat Cream as the base for a Buche de Noel. She is the pastry chef at 2941 Restaurant in Falls Church, Virginia and won the Rammy Award in 2014 for Pastry Chef of the Year.

Jacques Pépin and his daughter, Claudine Pépin, cooked together as the celebrity demonstration of the day. They showed some incredible techniques including creating tomato and butter roses, transforming a lemon into a bird, deboning a chicken, and making the perfect omelette. Jacques Pépin has written over 25 cookbooks, hosted 12 highly acclaimed public television shows, has taught at the French Culinary Institute since 1988, and is the Executive Culinary Director for Oceania Cruises.

David Guas is the chef/owner of Bayou Bakery in Arlington, Virginia and Washington, D.C. During his demonstration, he made an easy yet stunning Sweet Potato Tart Tartin. His second cookbook, Grill Nation: 200 Surefire Recipes, Tips, and Techniques to Grill like a Pro (Chad got this book last year and loves it), was released in April 2015. He also makes frequent appearances on “The Today Show” and “The Talk” along with his role as host and co-judge of Travel Channel’s summer competition series, “American Grilled.”

Erik Bruner-Yang is the chef/owner of Maketto and Honeycomb in Washington, D.C. He is also the founder of Toki Underground. In 2016, he won the RAMMY Award for New Restaurant of the Year. For his demonstration, he made Prahok K’tiss (a spicy Khmer pork dip) along with a homemade curry paste.

Other special events on Sunday included the Miss World Cook-Off; book signings by Jacques Pépin, Nora Pouillon, Deborah Smith, and David Guas; the Beer, Wine, and Spirits Garden; and the Grand Tasting Pavilion. The RAMW (Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington) Grand Tasting Pavilion has been one of the highlights of MetroCooking DC for me each year. Over 40 restaurants participated this year with sips and samples benefiting Educated Eats (an organization committed to promoting the restaurant and food service industry as a career of unlimited opportunity).

Here are a few of the many restaurants represented:

District Doughnut and Coffee (Washington DC- Capitol Hill and Georgetown)– Vanilla Bean Glazed, Brown Butter, Creme Brûlée

Carluccio’s (Alexandria, Virginia and North Bethesda, Maryland)

Captain Cookie and the Milkman (Washington DC and Food Truck)

Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurants (Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Missouri, Ohio, Virginia, Wisconsin)

Dino’s Grotto (Washington DC)– Vadouvan Deviled Eggs

Kona Grill (Locations)- Seven Spice Seared Ahi Tuna and Cucumber Salad with Sumiso Sauce, Picasso Roll.

BiBim Authentic Korean Cuisine (Silver Spring, Maryland)– Pa Jeon, Japchae, Soo Jung Gwa

Agua 301 (Washington, D.C.)– Beef Brisket Taco

Carmine’s (Washington, DC; New York City; Las Vegas; Atlantic City, New Jersey; Atlantis, Bahamas)- Meatballs and Tiramisu

Bangkok Joe’s Thai Restaurant & Dumpling Bar (Washington, D.C.)– Lamb Mussaman Curry Roti

Paolo’s Ristorante (Washington, D.C.)– Tortellini Rose

Richard Sandoval Restaurants Washington, D.C.– Barbecue Pork Rib with Pickled Cucumber, Pickled Asparagus Crostini with Smoked Cream Cheese, Meatballs, Guacamole

Circa (Arlington, Virginia and Washington, D.C.)– Mustard BBQ Short Rib Sliders

Duke’s Counter (Washington, D.C.)– Local Corn ‘Elote Loco’ Crema Mexicana, Cotija, Coriander, Chili

The Fourth Estate at the National Press Club (Washington DC)– Crispy Chicken Sliders with Jalapeño Slaw

Colada Shop (Sterling, Virginia and Washington, D.C.)– Tres Leches Cake with Rum

Dolci Gelati (Washington DC)– Gelato (Saffron Pistachio, Persimmon, Eggnog) and Sorbet (Cuba Libre, Apple Cider)

I visited most of the vendors on the first day, but still had a handful to see on Sunday.

Cooking Light and My Recipes were sponsors for the event and had a large section among the vendors. There was a spot to decorate your own sugar cookies, make a cup of hot cocoa, and try some samples.

Go Oats is a fairly new company (August 2015) based in Lorton, Virginia. Their products are a way to enjoy oatmeal on the go in bite size form. Flavors include Maple Brown Sugar (my favorite), Cranberry Walnut, and Fresh Blueberry.

Laconiko features 100 percent extra virgin olive oil from the company’s private olive estate in Laconia, Greece. Along with their pure olive oil, they also carry olive oil soap and a variety of infusions including garlic, lemon, blood orange, chipotle, lavender, rosemary, and lime. Click here to find a retail location that carries Laconiko near you or buy online.

Jovian Pantry makes Asian sauces and spices with no MSG or artificial preservatives. You can purchase their Caramel Braising Sauce, Pho Spice Sachet, and Viet Vinaigrette online.

Interested in attending MetroCooking DC? The dates for this year are December 9-10, 2017.