Jose Andres and team at Zaytinya, led by Chef Mike Isabella, will hold a Greek Modern Festival from September 8th through the 22nd.  Greek chef, Christoforos Peskias, from Athens, Greece will help Zaytinya celebrate contemporary Greek cuisine including special menu items, wine and cocktails.

Chef Peskias is renowned for his modern interpretation of Greek classics at 48 The Restaurant in Athens.  Trained in France, Spain and the U.S., Peskias has garnered international attention for his cooking. Accompanying Peskias will be his Pastry Chef, Theodoros Moisides. Moisides-inspired desserts will include yogurt and mastic panna cotta with strawberries and rose water sorbet and chilled fig soup with thyme, walnuts and yogurt sorbet.

Of course, no Greek festivity would be the same without ouzo. Santorini's Lava, a bloody mary with ouzo, promises to be a great way to start any meal. Fights of wine will also be offered for $25.

The public is invited to the kick off of The Greek Modern Festival at Zaytinya on September 8th, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Join Chefs Peskias and Moisides for Greek wines and inspired hor d'oeuvres. Reservations can be made by calling Zaytinya at (202) 638-0800.

Chef Isabella will also be featuring contemporary Greek cuisine at the Penn Quarter FRESH FARM market on Thursday, September 11th. Demo starts at 5 p.m.

The Saint Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church of Baltimore, MD  will hold their 35th Annual Greek Festival from September 26th through September 28th, 2008. The festival will be held at the Maryland State Fair Grounds in Timonium, MD. Festival hours are listed as September 26th at 11 a.m. to September 28th at 7 p.m. The festival will feature authentic Greek food and pastries, beer, wine and soda. Admission is $5. See the festival flyer for more information.

Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Washington D.C. will hold their Annual Fall Greek Festival from September 26th through September 28th, 2008, from noon until 9 p.m. each day. The festival will be on the grounds of the Cathedral at 36th St. and Massachusetts Ave., NW. Saint Sophia's will offer authentic Greek food and pastries, including an indoor buffet, outdoor grills serving souvlaki, gyros, calamari and feta burgers, whole spit-roasted lamb, and apparently, no booze. A large Greek market will also be there for the enthusiastic foodie who wishes to create Greek delicacies at home.