Foodie and the Beast

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis. On today’s show: • James Simpson, beverage director and partner at Espita, authentic Southern Mexican food and drinks in Shaw, DC.; • Chef Adrienne Cheatham. For now, she’s best known for being the runner up on season 15 of “Top Chef.” Or maybe she’s better known as the chef de cuisine under Marcus Samuelsson at Streetbird, where she received a Bib Gourmand from t...

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis. On today’s show: • Michael Jantz-Moon, co-owner, DC Vegan, and Starla Newman, bar manager, previewing cocktails as they prepare to open D.C.’s first vegan bar. A cool note for you: Michael is a musician and has toured with Paul Simon and Brian Wilson and opened for Train, the Black Crowes, Space Hog, B.B. King and Barry Manilow! • Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em! The Nat...

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis. On today’s show: • Chef Vic Albisu’s Taco Bamba serves food that is like a narcotic. And Taco Bamba’s beverage director, Amin Seddiq, knows his stuff, too, creating a cocktail menu for every Taco Bamba that opens. He joins us today to mix up, pour and discuss some liquid happiness; • The D.C. Central Kitchen is a national treasure. The organization’s CEO, Mike Cur...

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis. On today’s show: • Nationally celebrated as one of Food & Wine magazine’s 10 “Best New Chefs” and one of the nicest and most self-effacing guys you’ll ever meet, Kevin Tien presides over the modern Vietnamese cuisine at Moon Rabbit, the Intercontinental Hotel’s signature restaurant at The Wharf in D.C. Chef Kevin and bartender Gemma Hardy also offer a superlat...

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis. On today’s show: • It often is said that wine lists don’t always reflect the diversity of makers from all different backgrounds. The response from Lyle’s, the signature restaurant in the new Lyle Hotel at Dupont Circle, is a wine list exclusively featuring women, BIPOC and LGBTQ+ winemakers across the country and the globe. Martha Skidmore, Lyle’s Assistant Region...

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis. On today’s show: • St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner, and so is a live report and cross-continental tasting from the Emerald Isle, when we’re joined by Elaine Larkin, U.K. brand manager of Grace O’Malley Whiskey and Proclamation, Ireland’s premium whiskey and spirits brands; • Coming to Ford’s Theatre on March 19, “Grace” is a new musical from Nolan Will...

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis. On today’s show: • You’ve seen those beautiful teal wine bottles. That’s Gemma di Luna, (Gem of the Moon) Italian wines. Filippo Lapides, national brand ambassador, joins us for tastes and talk of Gemma di Luna pinot grigio, sparkling muscato and prosecco; • So, what’s your food story? Everyone has one. How you were raised. What those around you said about food. T...

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis. On today’s show: • Kimberly Hall and Tracy Franklin of Sip and Tipple, a membership club offering a curated shopping experience and exclusive benefits, all to help people enhance their at-home bar experience with Black-owned spirit brands in a convenient, fun, and educational manner; • Dip Magar, co-owner of the Himalayan Wild Yak, a restaurant in Ashburn; • Dines...

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis. On today’s show: The “Savor Bethesda” Restaurant Week takes place Thursday, Feb. 17 through Sunday, February 27, 2022. Joining us are Stephanie Coppula of the Bethesda Urban Partnership and by Roberto Pietrobono and Donnie White of Alatri Bros.; Our favorite vegan baker, Doron Petersan, is the founder of Sticky Fingers, D.C.’s premier vegan bakery in Columbia Heig...

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis. On today’s show: • Betsy Bonilla, lead bartender at Chef Danny Lledo’s Slate Wine Bar; • Fito Garcia, co-owner of Inca Social in Vienna, Virginia, which just opened a second location in Rosslyn, offering traditional Peruvian and other Latin dishes with a special take on modern, Nikkei fusion cuisine, a sushi/ceviche bar, and a large indoor/outdoor pisco sour bar;...

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis. On today’s show: • Beer here! Just in time for the playoffs as they get real serious is really serious BEER! Chris Burns is president of Old Ox, a distribution brewery that sells canned and kegged beer across our region; • Do you eat like a human? Maybe you think so, but probably not. Dr. Bill Schindler is the author of “Eat Like a Human: Nourishing Foods and Anci...

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis. On today’s show: • Donna Shore and Colleen Sisk of Lena’s Wood Fired Pizza and The Loft at Lena’s Seasonal Dining Experience; • Bryce Iapicca, director of operations, Puro Gusto, Washington, D.C., an authentic all-day Italian café based on the habits and rituals of the Italian people, from breakfast ‘til before dinner time. That is, from a quick morning coffee to...

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis. On today’s show: • Nick Schulman, wine director, RPM Italian, a restaurant that is modern in approach and Italian in spirit and features a contemporary, chef¬-driven menu with dishes meant to be shared; • Jim Snediker, CEO, Stock Mfg Co, a top workwear creator for sexy, premium hospitality brands. Think Gucci for restaurants (or something like that); • Scott Harri...

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis. On today’s show: • The Watermark Hotel at Tysons is one of the latest and greatest additions to the DC area’s top-tier hospitality offerings. It is also the home of the Wren restaurant. Joining us are Wren’s executive chef, Yo Matsuzaki, and Luis Mantilla, the Watermark’s beverage hospitality director; • Everyone loves to have options … and that’s what the upcomin...

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis. On today’s show: • The fabulous Ruth Gresser, chef/owner of Pizzeria Paradiso, and the equally fabulous Diane Gross, co-owner of Cork Wine Bar & Market, are teamed up at Cork Spring Valley – great pizzas, great potables; • They call her Joy The Baker She’s Joy Wilson, who got her start with an award-winning baking blog and just published the second issue of th...

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis. On today’s show: • Cranes, THE restaurant and sake lounge in the Penn Quarter, takes diners to the intersection of Spanish and Japanese cuisines. Eric Stewart-Woodruff, the somm at Cranes, is with us to talk about their sake program and the upcoming “sake to me” event; • Wanna cook like Jacques? Pepin, that is. Rollie Wesen, co-founder and executive director of th...

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis. On today’s show: • J.P. Sabatier, Ralph Brabham and Drew Porterfield. It’s cozy, it’s sophisticated, it’s fun. Jane Jane just opened and it’s the wonder of 14th Street. It features 30-plus classic cocktails, a selection of house cocktails created by Sabatier, and concise beer and wine lists; • Chef Ed Reavis and Jennifer Meltzer of Money Muscle BBQ and the All Set...

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis. On today’s show: • RAMW Cocktail Week, represented by two contestants, Shane Mason from Crazy Aunt Helen's and Brasserie Liberte’s Chef Matthew Cockrell; • Sam Bernstein, founder and CEO, Table22, which helps independent restaurants across the U.S. build, launch and grow subscription offerings. Think wine clubs, at-home dining experiences, private cocktail and coo...

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis. On today’s show: • Megan Coyle, brand relations manager, The Gallavant Group, on behalf of Rampur Indian Single Malt, part of an emerging category across the global whiskey scene; • It’s the run-up to Thanksgiving. Along with Central Farm Markets, the place you want to know is Dawson’s Market, a community-focused market supporting local non-profits, hosts many com...

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis. On today’s show: • Phil Guernsey is general manager and beverage director at La Famosa. The all-day Puerto Rican café opened in Navy Yard in September 2020; • Rebecca Juzwiak, VP of Johnson’s Popcorn, a business with 80 years of history in Ocean City, New Jersey; • Hakan Ilhan shares the history/culture of his native Turkey and tells how his Ottoman Tavern offers...

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis. On today’s show: • The awesome, annual (except for last year!) Shuck It Festival is back October 23 at Tony and Joe’s. It’s oysters, lotsa other taste treats, beer and more -- and it all benefits the Earth Conservation Corps. Longtime friend of the show Greg Casten, CEO of ProFish and the seafood-centered Fish & Fire restaurant group, and his beverage director...

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis. On today’s show: · John Aggrey, founder of Din-Din, a brilliant response to COVID and a new way to build community while enjoying the talents of chefs, food truck operators, and home cooks. Customers can order from local chefs and have their food delivered to their doorsteps; · The global pandemic has revealed how much we need a more resilient food system that sus...

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis. On today’s show: • Jenay Dougany is the beverage director and general manager at Dupont’s ala, previously Ankara. Ala, which translates in Turkish as “multi-colored,” recently went through a revamp and now offers cuisine – and some very creative cocktails - melding the flavors of the Levant region, which includes Turkey, Syria, Israel, Lebanon and beyond; • Now’s...

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis. On today’s show: • Jill Erber, with great wines to preview her Wine and Cheese Dinner. And by the way, this year her Cheesetique is celebrating its 17th anniversary; • Greg Engert, in to discuss Snallygaster, coming Oct. 9 to Pennsylvania Avenue; • Cookbook author Cassy Joy Garcia, who has a new one out, and it’s going to save you time and money by turning leftove...

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis. On today’s show: • Jennifer Kiendl, bar manager of Magnolia’s at the Mill - in Purcellville, Virginia – shares a few of own cocktail recipes, sourced locally and in season; • something’s new at Brent Kroll’s Maxwell on Ninth Street – it’s Executive Chef Masako Morishita. Brent and Masako are in to tell us all about her delicious additions to the menu to complement...