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September 28, 2017

On Choosing the Table (Plus, Enter To Win Your Own DC Dinner!)

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dietz and watson picnic3

Hi friends! As I mentioned in yesterday’s blog post, I had a special treat on Tuesday night: a blogger dinner at Kapnos on 14th street, hosted by Dietz & Watson! A huge thank you to D&W for having me and for sponsoring this recap post.

Check the end of the post to see how you can enter to win your own dinner here in DC – but first, read on to see what delicious food you’ll get to experience if you win – it will be the same location and menu as our dinner!

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Dietz & Watson is hosting this series of regional dinners around the country this year to celebrate their #ChooseTheTable campaign, which encourages people to reclaim a few extra moments of quality time over a meal – whether with family or friends, both new and old!

You guys know I believe that we should all stop and savor our meals more often – it’s why I preach about taking a real lunch break, and about eating mindfully, too. Food doesn’t have to be a rushed afterthought – and giving ourselves time to slow down and connect, with both the food we are putting in our mouths and the people we are sharing it with, is so important.

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In cities across the country, Dietz & Watson is partnering with a local chef to create a culinary experience utilizing their premium meats and cheeses. Here in DC, they collaborated with Kapnos executive chef George Pagonis of Top Chef fame – he is pictured above!

I love sliced meat and cheese but usually end up having it in sandwich or picnic/appetizer form. Especially with the holidays coming up, I’m pumped for some delicious charcuterie/cheese boards – Matt and his family take these very seriously and make amazingly epic appetizer boards (and pack totally over the top picnics, too). Mmmm!

dietz and watson picnic2

Anyway! That said, I was really interested to see how Chef George incorporated food I would normally snack on directly into a dinner menu! All the meats and cheeses he used are from Dietz & Watson.

Our first course was my absolute favorite of the night (although it was a close call with the dessert – more on that in a minute!). It was Arancini, which is stuffed rice balls! These were filled with soppressata (an Italian dry salami – it tasted like pepperoni!), parmesan, mozzarella, tomato, and basil, and were served sitting on a bed of marinara sauce. You guys – this was SO. GOOD. I could have just eaten this for dinner and been very happy!

arancini

Next up was a fun Greek twist on sandwiches: a turkey, ham, and mozzarella phyllo pie! So creative! It was served with a roasted garlic yogurt sauce – and those cherry tomatoes were lightly pickled, as was the whole grain mustard. They gave the dish a yummy tart note.

phyllo pie sandwich

Our third course was a roasted London broil with smoked cauliflower puree, maitake mushrooms, creamed savory cabbage, and a truffle jus. Whoa – so flavorful. I was already pretty full by this point and saving myself for the dessert, though, so I just had a couple tastes!

kapnos 14th street

Dessert was worth saving a little room for – it was so creative and delicious! We received little personal apple pie pockets with spiced walnuts, oats, a hickory smoked bacon caramel (!!!), and – my favorite – manchego ice cream. I’m obsessed with cheese-infused ice creams, and this one did not disappoint!

kapnos dc dessert

Each of the courses was also served, as you see above and below, with a delicious wine pairing – unfortunately being pregnant I wasn’t able to partake, but I hear they were excellent, and they will also be included in the winner’s dinner! I’ll have to go back sometime to try the wine at Kapnos – their sommelier was excellent and very informative.

IMG_3615 (Edited)

So – want the chance to win this dinner experience?! Four randomly selected winners (and their guests!) will get to experience this exact same exclusively curated dinner with Chef George Pagonis at Kapnos in DC. The dinner will be on November 7, and travel is not included, so before you enter make sure you are available and able to make it to DC on that date in the case you win! 🙂 Entries close on October 24, so click here to enter now before you forget.

How do you make it a priority to #ChoosetheTable, and what makes a meal special for you? I’d love to hear about your latest special meal experience, whether it was something as simple as a picnic outdoors, a lunch date with an old friend, a cozy dinner at home, or a fancy meal out! For me, a meal is definitely made special by the people I’m with – even a subpar meal can be memorable if you have the right people with you. Although of course a delicious meal with special people around you is even better. 🙂

- anne
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21 comments
  • Kori
    September 28, 2017 · 11:16AM:
    OH.MY.GOSH. That entire meal looks in-credble! I love all of the thought and creativity that went into it from start to finish. Matt and I always try to have dinner together. Sometimes work has him getting home later, but we do our best to eat together whenever possible. My favorite recent meal was with Matt, Kaci, and her fiance Drew at First Watch. We met for brunch on Saturday, and it was seriously the best. Love double-dating with my twin, and I know it made the food even more exceptional!
    Reply
    • Anne
      September 28, 2017 · 11:24AM:
      Aw, how fun! I always wanted a twin... I was obsessed with the Sweet Valley Twins books when I was a kid! So glad you two are able to hang out often still!
      Reply
      • Kori
        September 29, 2017 · 9:28AM:
        We love it! We never forget how lucky we were to be born with our best friend. :)
        Reply
        • Anne
          September 29, 2017 · 9:50AM:
          Aw, so sweet :)
          Reply
  • Beth September 28, 2017 · 12:20PM:
    I had the most memorable meal by myself when visiting DC a few weeks ago...Founding Farmers for dinner. Everything I had was delicious, the atmosphere was relaxing but fun and a lovely time to relish my day of being a tourist to get away from the stress. I find relishing a meal can be done by yourself or with others it is all what you make of it and the atmosphere surrounding the meal.
    Reply
    • Anne
      September 28, 2017 · 4:00PM:
      That sounds wonderful! I've been challenging myself to do more mindful solo meals (mostly at lunchtime when I'm working downtown if I don't have anyone to meet) where I really just relax and hang out and enjoy the food and don't feel like I have to be "doing" anything else, like reading or listening to something. It's really nice!
      Reply
  • Kath
    September 28, 2017 · 2:33PM:
    The Arancini were SO good! Super fun dinner, and your spread looks beautiful!
    Reply
    • Anne
      September 28, 2017 · 4:00PM:
      Mmmm I want more arancini!!
      Reply
  • Emily @ Pizza & Pull-ups
    September 28, 2017 · 3:36PM:
    Oh my gosh, this looks so tasty! What an awesome meal.
    Reply
  • gina (fitnessista)
    September 28, 2017 · 4:18PM:
    this all looks amazing, but the manchego ice cream really caught my eye. YUM
    Reply
    • Anne
      September 28, 2017 · 4:39PM:
      Right?! Amaaaazing
      Reply
  • Janae September 28, 2017 · 9:30PM:
    HOW FUN!! Everything looks absolutely incredible and now I'm hungry and I just finished dinner haha!
    Reply
    • Anne
      September 29, 2017 · 9:49AM:
      Right?!
      Reply
  • julie
    September 29, 2017 · 7:48AM:
    get in my belly!! this post makes me wanna come back for another DC dinner with you ASAP!
    Reply
    • Anne
      September 29, 2017 · 9:49AM:
      I wish you had been here!! Miss you! xo
      Reply
  • Traci | The Petite Chef
    September 29, 2017 · 10:58AM:
    I can see why the dessert was your favorite - that manchego ice cream sounds divine. I really love how the meal utilized meats and cheeses that most people might associate with a simple turkey & cheese sandwich. I mean, those are great too, but this takes it up a notch.
    Reply
    • Anne
      September 29, 2017 · 11:01AM:
      Right?! I was so impressed with the creativity! I mean, bacon infused caramel?! So unique!
      Reply
  • Katie September 29, 2017 · 12:36PM:
    Dinner looks amazing! Looks like the sweepstakes is only open to residents of DC, MD and VA. I didn't notice until after I entered. I live in MA.
    Reply
    • Anne
      September 29, 2017 · 2:41PM:
      Oh weird, I didn't realize that - I'm so sorry! I thought it was open to anyone who was willing to pay their own way. Bummer. :(
      Reply
  • RunEatRepeat
    September 30, 2017 · 9:59AM:
    This post made me hungry!! But for fancy food ;)
    Reply
  • Roadrunner October 1, 2017 · 4:02PM:
    Looks terrific! Time to enter!
    Reply
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anne mauney fannetastic food
Hi, I’m Anne! I'm a Washington D.C. based Registered Dietitian, mother, runner, and lover of travel, adventure, and the great outdoors. I've been blogging since 2009, sharing a mix of lifestyle content, recipes, and fitness tips. Come for the recipes – stay for the fun!
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anne mauney

I’m Anne, a Registered Dietitian and mother. I've been blogging since 2009 and love showing others that eating nutritious foods and staying active can actually be fun rather than overwhelming!

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