Kicking Off Eat Write Retreat
I ate an insane amount of food this weekend. As in– I do not remember a time in my life where I ate so much food in a 48 hour period. Though I wouldn’t dare step on a scale or put on a bikini right now, I have no regrets, because it was all fabulous!
On Friday night, Eat Write Retreat kicked off with a “Street Festival” welcome dinner at The Madison Hotel featuring dishes from a few cities around the country. Represented on my plate above are delightful tastes of Miami, San Diego, and Los Angeles:
- Mahi Mahi Fish Taco Endive Boats
- Vietnamese Banh Mi with Pork, Pickled Carrots, Cucumber, and Cilantro
- Stir Fry Shrimp with Vegetables on Jasmine Rice
- Cuban Vegetarian Black Bean Chili (I put mine over Roasted Plantains)
- Jerk Chicken Skewers with Mango Chutney
- Grilled Vegetable Salad with Toasted Nuts
That list doesn’t even cover all that was offered, just what I chose. Thankfully I restrained myself because if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have had any room to enjoy the next part of the evening- Cocktails & Confections!
You know how much I love creative cocktails, so this demo and tasting was right up my alley.
Executive chef Peter Smith and head mixologist Gina Chersevani of PS 7’s Restaurant in DC spent weeks perfecting these playful creations, and believe me, all that hard work paid off. Their challenge was to take some beloved desserts and turn them into drinks, and to take some favorite drinks and turn them into a dessert. How fun is that!?
Libations Menu:
Banana Split Shots
Strawberry Rose Granita, Chardonnay Vanilla Granita, and Chocolate Zinfandel Granita made with coconut milk (my personal favorite!)
Rice Pudding
St. Elizabeth’s All Spice, Catoctin Creek Whiskey, Jasmine Rice, Cream, Vanilla
Baked Alaska (not shown)
Godiva Chocolate Vodka, Vanilla Ice Cream topped with Lemon Espuma
Desserts menu:
Hibiscus Margarita
Dessert Soup with Hibiscus Granita
(perfectly tart and creamy, my favorite!)
Ramon Gin Fizz Panna Cotta (not shown)
Milk Foam and Candied Orange
Don’t Mess with my Tutu
Cherry Mousse in a pastry shell with Cotton Candy
After this impressive demo, and learning that they offer a 7 course food and cocktail pairing, I have added PS 7‘s to my short list of restaurants to visit on my next trip to DC!
As you can imagine, I have lots more to share of my weekend, so stay tuned for more interesting details in the days to come…
I want your food life. Just wow.
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That is such a cool idea! Thanks for sharing the pictures!
PS7 is a great restaurant in DC – first place I ever had duck confit!
Love the Banana Split Shots idea! I’ve been a little obsessed with Banh Mi since I saw the Nom Nom Truck on “The Great Food Truck Race” last year…is there anywhere around here that serves it? Can’t wait to read about the rest of your experience!
Hi Beth!
So great to meet you at Eat Write Retreat! I love your photos — reminds me of what an amazing weekend it was.
I hope we’ll meet up again next year.
i would LOVE the rice pudding inspired drink. yum!!! and the cotton candy touch? yes please!
Love this post. I’ll be in WDC next month (right after Nashville)!
Do you have a dinner spot planned for DC? I absolutely loved Zaytinya, and it is family-friendly. Many of the tables around us had children at them, and the atmosphere is very festive and casual.
Highly recommend, especially since I’m pretty sure you said you’d be traveling with your kids!
So glad you enjoyed your time. Thank you for writing down the description of each drink/dessert: I copied and pasted them to my blog and linked back to yours!
PS one of my favorite places in Nashville was Fido: their beet cake is amazing!
I love that you know about that cake!!! yes, it IS incredible. That pastry chef is one of our Nashville gems, as is the executive chef there. Most people don’t realize that it’s a lot more than a coffee shop… the food is awesome!