We were in DC about a month ago and we visited a few of our favorite DC eateries. There’s a meeting held there every January and Roger’s required to attend (I tag along). As soon as he’s free, we roam around Georgetown and always pay tribute at the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Wall, and the other fabulous memorials in the Mall. It’s really a wonderful city with great food and a plethora of amazing museums. Pride in our country is fortified, and renewed, the moment we begin to catch a glimpse of the Washington monument through the window of our taxi from the airport.
The past couple of years we’ve eaten at a Greek restaurant named Kellari (there’s one in NYC, too) located on 1700 K St. NW. They have whole, fresh fish on ice displayed in the back of the restaurant. You can walk up to inspect your dinner companion for shiny scales and bright eyes before deciding what you’re in the mood for. They also have the usual tasty Greek appetizers (or Mezedes as they’re called in Greece): spanikopita, tzatziki, and saganaki (graviera cheese flamed with Metaza brandy) just to name a few. I’m pretty certain we’ve eaten every one of them over these few years and they’re all outstanding.
They serve a traditional Greek salad (I’ve been told that the Greeks do not put lettuce in their “Greek” salad) that is out of this world. I decided to try to emulate it last night. I served it alongside a chicken panini. Here are the ingredients for the salad (which feeds 4…Monica took the extra portion to school for lunch):
- 6 roma tomatoes. You might have trouble finding good tomatoes at this time of year but since we’re in CA, it’s not as difficult for us; we have a great farmer’s market.
- 1 square of authentic feta cheese kept in brine (it’s made with sheep’s milk and can be found at Trader Joe’s)
- 1/2 Persian cucumber
- 1/2 medium sized red onion
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/8 cup champagne vinegar. I like champagne because it’s milder and lets the rest of the ingredients speak for themselves.
- 2/3 cup EVOO
- pinch of sugar
- salt & pepper
I’m sure it hasn’t escaped your attention that there’s no mention of olives in the list of ingredients. A traditional Greek salad, minus the lettuce as mentioned above, contains olives. I hate olives, but feel free to add them to your heart’s content.
Make your dressing:
Put your vinegar, salt and pepper, sugar, and oregano in a small mason jar. Shake well (if you add the oil now the other ingredients will not dissolve, but remain suspended in the oil). Add the oil and shake again until emulsified.


Halve the tomatoes and then halve them again so you end up with 10 slices of from one fruit.

Cut your onion into slivers.

Rinse copiously with very cold water. This will rinse off some of the onion milk and reduce the bite.



Cut the cucumber in half and scoop out the seeds, then cut into chunks.

Mix ingredients together in a bowl, carefully, with the dressing. Add salt and pepper to taste and mix carefully again.

Serve and enjoy!
Eat well!
April
Food for the body is not enough. There must be food for the soul.
-Dorothy Day