Feast on Greek at Winchester’s Weekend Festival, August 20-21

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Tuesday, August 16th, 2011

As a kid, I hated to see summer end, but I always had one thing to look forward to as August faded into September: our neighborhood Greek Festival, where you would find me stuffing my face with everything from pastitsio to fried chicken livers (you can turn your nose up, but your loss)  to baklava and galaktoboureko. (Dear galaktoboureko: I may not have known your name,  but with your honey syrup-soaked layers of buttery phyllo filled with celestial custard, I loved you the most).

If you are as enamored with Greek food as I am, and you can’t wait until September for the D.C. festivals to roll around, then your weekend forecast just got a little brighter. The Winchester Greek Festival is offering you two–yes, two–days of Greek home-cooking by the “talented ladies” of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church.

Inside the Church Hall, you will be treated to a veritable feast of finger lickin’ Greek treats. I won’t list them all, but here  is a sampling of the weekend’s offerings:

Savory a la Carte

Moussaka (eggplant and ground beef plus tomato, cheese, and bechamel)

Pastitsio (aka the Greek-I-am-superior-to-Italian lasagna, layered with baked macaroni)

Manestra (Orzo pasta cooked in tomato sauce)

Souvlaki (marinated pork grilled over hot coals)

Stewed string beans with onions, tomatoes and herbs (so good, so right)

Greek Pastries

-Baklava (with walnuts)

-Flogeres (“rolled version of baklava drizzled with chocolate”)

-Karithopita (a spiced, syrup-soaked walnut cake)

-Kataifi (nuts and spices wrapped in shredded phyllo and “smothered with honey butter”)

And if you can’t choose between the pastries, there is (gasp) an assorted gift box.

Just so you know, I’ve only shared a smattering of what is available inside the Church Hall. Outside, save room for the likes of gyros, more souvlaki, (“our famous”) roasted whole lambs, as well as loukoumades (petite Greek donuts soaked in honey syrup) and ice cream!

Important: Bring cash if you want to fully partake; credit and debit cards will not be accepted.

I may be (you think?) a bit preoccupied with describing the weekend’s culinary delights, but this festival is certainly offering more than (soul-satisfying) Greek food. Troupes of the church youngsters will dance on both days. You will also be able to tour the church. Kids can enjoy the moon bounce, face painting and tattoos, and games and prizes. Saturday hours are 10:45 to 7:00 p.m; Sunday hours are 12:00 to 7:00 p.m. Admission = free; parking is “ample.” For the complete festival menu as well as more information on scheduled events, click here.

Dormition of The Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church
1700 Amherst Street
Winchester, VA 22601
(540) 667-1416

-Johnisha M. Levi

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