Greek is probably one of the top ten ethnic cuisines on my list (working its way into my "gotta have NOW!" cravings at least once a month), so you can bet your drachma that I went to the 10th Annual Greek Festival held at St. Sophia Cathedral in the Byzantine-Latino Quarter (west of downtown, south of Koreatown).
Admission is normally $5/person, but my friend and I spotted a sweet deal on goldstar (which I gave you a heads up on earlier). For $7.50/person, you can get admission + a tasting of three Greek wines, and for $17.50, you get admission for two as well as normally $25 "Zorba's Feast" platter. So we did both offers and in the process got two friends in gratis as well (2 wine tastings + Zorba combo = 4 tickets).
Right upon entering, we were greeted to some warm hospitality by the costumed staff, who offered us and bunches of grapes throughout the afternoon - a sweet, refreshing and juicy respite from the L.A. September heat.
Our first stop: a cooking demonstration held in one of the cathedral kitchens, where longtime Greek cooks Akrevoe Emmanoulides (don't ask me to pronounce that, please!) and Pitsa and Francesca Captain (mom & daughter) showed us how to cook some simple Greek meze (appetizers).
In about 45 minutes time, they whipped up six different mezes, including kreatopita (baked phyllo meat rolls), dolmades (stuffed grape leaves, this version with a rice pilaf), taramosalata (cod roe blended with olive oil, breadcrumbs, lemon juice and some herbs), tzatziki and creamed feta dips and a bake feta with tomatoes, onions and peppers dish that's a great crostini topper; all the while, they are sharing stories of Greek culture, life in Greece itself, and a few culinary tricks and trivia - from packing the dolmades tightly and weighing them down with a plate to prevent them from unrolling as they're being boiled to the rarity of using basil in cooking (despite its presence in many Greek households) because it's considered a sacred plant. 
Of course, the best part is tasting all the dishes that were prepared; frankly, it's a pleasant surprise since cooking demos don't always allow this (partly because of health/safety concerns, but mostly because they usually don't make enough to feed the entire audience).
I didn't liked all the items (the taramosalata in particular was too fishy for me and the dolmades were on the bland side) but it was fun to learn and watch (and the tzatziki and baked feta were divinely delish), and I definitely look forward to adapting some of these simple recipes in my cooking repetoire, should I ever need to make a meze for a quick snack, surprise visitors and forgotten potlucks. Thanks, ladies!
Having a bit of food in our stomachs, we went for the Greek wine tasting. Really, how can ANY oenophile resist trying vino from one of the oldest (and arguably original) wine-growing regions - gotta get back to the roots of it all, yo!
Being still a fairly warm day, we decided to go for three chilled and fairly light white wines and were given a flight of fruilano/moschofilero blend, moschofilero and chardonnay. The blended wine was like a pinot grigio, very light, comaparatively dry, a little acidic, very quaffable but lacking any distinctive character. The mostly moschofilero had a better nose (reminds me of the more aromatic whites like viognier and gewurztraminer, with lychee/peach/floral scents) but still on the light side, but the chardonnay was surprisingly good, with a little buttery richness from the oaking but also a wonderful tropical-pineapple fragrance, and would probably go very well with summery dishes. So good to know that Greek wines are still up to snuff after a few millenia, but the bad part is that these aren't widely distributed and available, so gotta head to Greek markets like the nearby Papa Cristo's to get my hands on some.
After the tasting, we spent a little more time exploring the festival (and partook in a little buzzed-up Greek dance lesson, thank the deities no one was taking pictures!) then decided to feast upon the Zorba platter...
... which was a helluva lotta food and more than enough to feed two people, with briami (the tomato/vegetable stew), Greek salad, chicken and pork kebabs, spanikopita (spinach and feta wrapped in phyllo), tiropita (blend of Greek cheeses in phyllo), moussaka and pastitiso (both basically meat casseroles with bechamel sauce, layered with eggplant and pasta, respectively) on rice pilaf. Overall tasty, though a bit on the greasy and salty side (particularly tiropita, which was too sodium-saturated to finish) but a well-rounded mix of Greek specialties.
Being too full to eat anymore, I just got some Greek coffee (prepared and tasted the same way as Turkish Coffee) the counter against the inevitable food coma and bought some Greek sweets (galaktobouriko, a phyllo-custard pie and kourambiethes, powder sugar-dusted butter cookies) to go.
Had I the extra time, money and, most importantly, Kobayashi-like stomach space, I would've probably tried out a few more Greek delicacies such as the grilled octopus in oil and lemon juice, the Greek sausage loukaniko and the loukomathes, doughnut-like pastries flavored with honey and cinnamon. Of course, I missed the gyros and baklava too but those are pretty widely available so were take-it-or-leave-it for me. Oh well, something to look forward to next year! Not to mention to remind myself to bring my glasses, the cathedral interior was spectacular with all the icons, paintings and stained glass windows. I can only imagine how much prettier they'll be if I saw them *clearly*.
Greek Festival at the St. Sophia Cathedral
1324 S. Normandie Ave (cross: Pico)
Los Angeles, CA 90006
www.lagreekfest.com
P.S. Apparently Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson were working the crowds that day, but I didn't see them (note to self about the glasses again!)
P.P.S. I did, however, see foodblogger Gourmet Pigs; Eater LA's Lesley was also there too.
Ok, who's moving up my holiday weight gain by three months? 'Cause with all the food festivals and events going on in September, I'll likely be whipping out my post-New Year's elastic sweat pants and oversized college sweater... and the temperature outside will still be in the high 80s! But hey, what better occasion to enjoy the outdoors and soak up the final sunny days, in loose-fitting clothes, of course.
LA Greek Fest on Sept. 5-7: Enjoy Greek dancing, music and theatrics at the Saint Sophia Cathedral along with plenty of cooking demonstrations and opportunities to taste Greek food and wines. My friend and I are hitting this up on Saturday. If you're interested in festival + food or wine packages; goldstar is selling tickets for those at half-off (+ the service fee). Entries + Zorba's Greek Feast platter for 2 people(with authentic fare such as kebabs, moussaka, tiropita, spanikopita, briami and more!), normally $35, is going for $17.50. Premium Greek wine tasting tickets are also slashed in half, from $15 to $7.50 per person.
Lobster Festival at Long Beach on Sept. 5-7: Enjoy fresh, succulent lobsters flown in fresh daily from icy Atlantic shores of Maine at the Rainbow Lagoon Park in Long Beach, right next to the ocean. There's also live entertainment and a beach bar too! Presale ticket prices are $13/$25/$50 (for general admission, admission + a 1.25-pound lobster meal and admission + 2-pound lobster meal, respectively) and ends on Sept. 4, after which prices go up a bit.
DineLA is back at it again with wine & dineLA promotion going on from Sept. 7-21, with over forty of LA's hottest restaurants, including Citrus at Social, Bashan, AOC, Wilshire and the Foundry on Melrose, offering prix-fixe menus and optional pairings to showcase Californian wines. Number of courses and prices varies widely (from about $50-150 per person), so check out the site for full list of participating restaurants, their offerings and prices.
Hokkaido Fair at Mitsuwa Torrance and Costa Mesa on Sept. 11-14: Celebrating Japan's northernmost region well-known for its dairy products, seafood and good rustic cooking all around, two local Mitsuwa marketplaces are hosting a four-day food fair featuring specialities such as ramen (with different vendors preparing shoyu, shio and miso - plus a curious-sounding "miso butter corn" - versions), curry bread, crab and squid bento boxes, and cream puffs with "freshly-extracted milk" for that "rich and full-flavored taste". My mouth's watering already! From what I can tell, I think the admission is free and you pay for whatever you order from the vendors.
As mentioned in a previous Friday Quickie, LA BBQ Fest at the Santa Monica Beach on Sept. 13-14: With about 10 different food shops, with representation from out-of-state places like L.C.'s from Kansas City and Ubon's "Champion's Chohice" from Mississippi alongside California favorites like Mr. Cecil's and Gus's., this is one event worth bringing lots of friends to so you can taste-test and compare the different styles of 'cue out there! Like the Hokkaido Fair, you pay for food as you go (ranges from $3 for beverages, $4 for sides to $10 for barbecue entrees), but there's also an admission fee - $10 general or $50 VIP (includes 2-day admission, a cozmodeck, event T-shirt and express lane with the vendors). Again, if you know in advance you're going, check out the discounted tix options available at goldstar. (mental note to self: I really should look into a referral associates program with them for all the biz I'm sending their way ;) )
In case you miss Long Beach (or didn't get enough of the lobster), there's another Lobster Festival going on at San Pedro / Port of Los Angeles on Sept. 19-21: Also highlighting fresh lobsters from Maine, as well as lots of fun and entertainment (wenches and pirates, oh my!), pricing model is similar to LA BBQ Fest. $8 for admission ($2 off if you get their coupon here,) and $17 for a 1.25-pound lobster meal (with an option to double up to two of those giant-clawed critters for $31).
For those with poshier, plushier and more charitable wallets, there's Savor the Season on Sept. 21, highlighting trendy, seasonal foods and beverages while also helping Break the Cycle's work in preventing and ending dating/domestic violence. The mix of restaurants and food/beverage vendors is interesting and the list is still growing. Tickets are $150/person or $250 for the premo package with access to the VIP tasting garden for wines, chocolates, cheeses, teas, salts and more.
And the grandest of them all, the 26th American Wine & Food Festival (benefiting Meals on Wheels) taking place on Sept. 25-27, with a slew of the hottest chefs including Joel Robuchon, Michael Mina and Nobu Matsuhisa, mega celeb-chef-business giants Wolfgang Puck and Roy Yamaguchi, and oodles of wine and spirit participants. The weekend starts off with Red Hot Friday ($150/person) at Puck's Red Seven in Pacific Design Center, goes full steam at the Festival itself in Universal Studios Backlot on Saturday ($300/person) and wraps up with a Chef's Grand Tasting Dinner at Spago Beverly Hills on Sunday ($750/person). But if you can afford the main attraction, it'll definitely be a worthwhile epicurean extravaganza, if last year's reports were any indication. (Hmm... wonder if there are any AWFF ticket sweepstakes/giveaways...)
And last but certainly not least, let's not forget the near-monthlong of fried-everythingness you can get at the LA County Fair in Pomona from Sept. 5-28. For a preview of what's to come, take a look back at the offerings of "food" from the OC County Fair a month ago.
But just in case you feel like staying home with nothing more than a carved up take-out rotisserie chicken, LA Times has nice guide on picking the perfect bird and a decent list of eateries to go to for the fantastic fowl complete with crispy skin and juicy meat.
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